Fireproof

Chapter 6

"I have got to pee" Will said while getting up and rushing out of the gym. Coach Boomer hadn't come yet, so everyone was just kind of doing their own thing. "Yeah. Cool. Whatever" I said. I had finally cooled down from my rant with Warren. "Hey girl. What's up" Redhead said. I glared at him, which sent pain into his stomach, and he hunched over and walked away. "I know I don't approve of that kind of stuff, but that was awesome" Layla said while giggling. I started to laugh with her when Eric came in soaking wet from his head to his shoulders. "What the hell happened to you" I asked. "Language" Layla said. I rolled my eyes and looked at Ethan expectantly. "Nothing much" he said while sitting down next to me "I just got a swirly from Lash and Speed."
"What" Layla said shocked. I giggled a little bit and they both turned to me. "Harley how can you be laughing about this?"
"I just realized both of their names sound like drugs" I said. Soon they joined my laughing with their own and continued to wait for Will to come back.

He finally walked in after what felt like forever. "I didn't know your bladder was that huge Will. What was it, like Niagara Falls in there" I said laughing. "No. I ran into Lash and Speed-" Ethan, Layla, and I interrupted him with our giggles at that part "Anyways. They wanted me to help them torment the sidekicks this year."
"How are you gonna do that if your a sidekick yourse-" I stopped myself because I had just realized how mean that sounded "sorry."
"It's okay Lee" he said while sitting next to me. I giggled to myself because I remembered the day he gave me that nickname.

Flashback
Will and I were sitting on my front porch swing, holding hands, and reading comics. "Ok. So you know how couples give eachother cute nicknames? Let's not do that. Let's give each other nicknames that are actually nicknames" Will said excited. "Well what am I supposed to call you? Will is already a nickname. Should I call you W" I asked giggling. "Oh yeah" he said. I could tell that the gears were grinding in his head. "How about this. You can call me whatever you want, IF you let me call you Lee" he said with a smirk on his face. "Lee? That was the best you could do?"
"I thought it was cute" he said sadly. I couldn't take it anymore so I gave in. "Fine. Lee it is" I said with a smile. "Good because I bareLEE came up with that."
End of flashback
I giggled remembering the stupid joke he had added in. "What's up" Will asked. "Nothing" I said as Coach Boomer walked in.

"Shoulder Stripes! Get up here" Coach Boomer yelled. Will stood up and walked into the stage. Boomer was standing next to him, waiting expectantly, with his clipboard. Will just stood there clapping and swinging his arms. Finally he saw that everyone was getting annoyed and walked over to Boomer and whispered something in his ear. Obviously Boomer doesn't know that whispering is supposed to keep things secret because immediately after he yelled out "WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOUR POWER IS?"
Will just kind of laughed awkwardly as Boomer laughed. "I get it your messing with the coach. Just like your old man. Car" he said while pressing a button. As the car came crashing down Will fell to the floor beneath it. I flinched as I heard Will's voice from under it. "Are you insane! I don't have super strength!" Boomer looked at him weird and raised the car back up. "Oh I get it. You're a flyer, just like your mom." As soon as he said that Will's eyes went wide. Boomer pressed a button that sent Will flying through the air and into a wall. Everyone, but me and Layla, flinched as we jogged over to him. "Will are to okay" we both asked at the same time. "Kid come on. Quit messing around. I haven't got all day. Now what's your power" Boomer said sterner. "I don't have one." Boomer looked at him with pity. "Stronghold. SSSIIIIIIDDEEKKIIICCK" he yelled with his super voice, that caused the whole school to shake.

Will had gotten taken to the nurse by Layla while I stayed in the gym to watch everyone else go. While Boomer was busy, trying to find the escaped invisible kid, I snuck out of the gym to the nurse's office. I sat down outside the door as I strained to hear what they were saying. "Kids who inherit their powers...well...impossible to say" the nurse said. "But I'm gonna get them right" Will asked. "Well, many sidekicks are the offspring of one super parent and one ordinary parent. But there are cases, rare, were children of two super powered parents never acquires any powers whatsoever" she said. I bit my lip to keep the tears from spilling. I knew how important this was to his parents. Especially his dad! That's all his dad ever talks about is the whole Stronghold family fighting crime together. "There are? Like who" Will asked. I could hear him trying his hardest no to cry. "I know of only one. Ron Wilson. The bus driver. There he is. There he is now" the nurse said. I stood up a little to look through the door to look at what they were looking at. Ron was swinging the broom around like a sword and pretending to fight people off. I didn't want Will to turn out like that. Sure, Ron is a nice guy, but I'll do whatever I can to help Will get his powers. I got up quickly and jogged back to the gym when I saw Will getting ready to leave. When I finally made my way back Layla saw my tears. "Harley what happened?" "I realized I'm going to have to do everything I possibly can to help my friend" I said as Will walked through the doors towards us.

The bus ride back was the same as this morning, except way cooler. I lived the farthest away from my friends, so I got off at a different bus stop, and walked to my house. I was still trying to think of ways to help Will. Maybe I could drop him in nuclear waste? No. Where would I even get nuclear waste? I pushed those thoughts aside as I stepped into my house and yelled "Is anybody here?"
"In the kitchen sweetie" my mom answered. I walked to the kitchen, set my backpack down, and walked over to her. "It smells good mama" I said while giving her a kiss on the cheek. She loved it when I called her mama, so I usually did it when I got home. "Well I'm glad you think so because it's almost done. Can you go set the table for me?"
"Ugh. Why can't dad? He's never doing anything."
"For your information I was out getting this family some more money" my dad said walking into the kitchen. We already have enough money, but I stopped myself from saying that. "Well you're here now, so you can set the table" I said as I bolted up the stairs, into my room, and locked the door. I was only on my phone for a few minutes before my mom called me down for dinner. I was walking down stairs when I ran into my little brother Carter. "Hey. Mom just sent me up to get you."
"It's ok squirt, I heard her" I said as I ruffled his hair. We walked downstairs and sat down at the table across from each other.

"So sweetie, how was your first day of Sky High" my dad asked. At these words the days events came flooding back into my mind. "Why didn't you tell me Baron Battle's son went there" I asked him. He looked at me with guilt on his face. "I know how you like to go around looking for trouble and I didn't want you to do that there. Especially on your first day" he said. "But I thought you said Baron was your best friend in high school?"
"He was, and still is, my best friend. But I know what kind of trouble his son has gotten into and I don't want you doing those kinds of things" he yelled at me. "You don't even know him! How can you tell if he's going to turn out bad like his dad?" I questioned. "Because his dad is a villain. And yes I know that that villain is my best friend, but that doesn't change anything. I almost went down the wrong path before I met your mom and I don't want you to have to go through the same things I did" my dad said sadly. I wasn't going to give in to his fake guilt trip. Not this time. "Well maybe I'll be the one to help him choose the right path to take" I yelled. "You're going to do what I say and I forbid you from speaking to him!"
"Tough shit dad. I do what I want."

I slammed my door shut while crying my eyes out. I always fought with my dad, but never this bad. I put on a jacket and snuck out through my window. I cried as I walked all the way over to Will's house. Whenever I had a fight with my dad I would always go over to his house. When I finally reached my destination I saw Will and Layla sitting on his roof. Her head was on his shoulder. I managed a sad smile through my tears, turned around, and walked back home.