Fire & Ice

Squirming

As was usual, by the next day Issy almost felt normal. She was glad she wouldn't miss the show that was about to start.

Warren didn't have a problem showing emotion...in private. He held her hand under desk, rubbed her knee, gave her quick kisses. He didn't enjoy big shows of affection which to her made the small ones all the more special.

Layla had never been in a relationship but she doubted she was going to go easy on Warren. Plus, her idiot of a brother wouldn't get subtle.
She was smiling as they made their way to the bus stop. It was a bit odd to see Will and Layla so far apart.

Warren waited for her outside of the Mad Science Room. He wrapped an arm around her waist and they walked to their table. "What have you gotten me into, babe?" She attempted to look innocent, she didn't think it worked when he scoffed. "What? Does Layla scare you? I bet she secretly just wants to hold your hand." She joked. He looked less than amused, "I'm not holding hands with her."

"Oh give the girl a break. She wants to have a lifetime of my brother. Ew. She must have screws loose." That did make Warren smile. "There you go! Soon enough she will be out of our hair and Wills problem. And you get to annoy him until then. It's a Warren win-win." He shook his head, "Ya, except the part where she touches me." She said sullenly.

Her brother wasn't there yet so she gave him a kiss. "How about wherever she touches I'll make it better?" He raised an eyebrow but class started before he could ask.

Later while they waited for buses to come they were on the schools wall reading. She was laying down and he sat by her feet. She saw her brother coming down the stairs to his former friends. Well, before Gwen grabbed his arm and drug her with him.

She knew Layla saw them coming too. Layla quickly ran up grabbing Warren's hand.

"Hey there, Cutie. So I'm so excited for homecoming..." Ok, it wasn't so funny now that she saw their hands. Calling him cutie she would hold over his head. But this was actually bothering her. Luckily, before she could get too upset Warren had taken care of it.

Lighting up his hand got her to let go real fast. "Never call me Cutie." He told her and went back to reading. Warren grabbed their bags and helped her up. They were walking towards the buses when she had to ask, "Can I call you Cutie?" He gave her a look. "I'm kidding." They had arrived at her bus. "Besides you aren't cute. You're stunningly handsome." With that she went up the bus stairs and found a seat.

Later that evening she got a text from Warren asking if she wanted to come hang out with him at work. Her parents were on a distress call, so after checking with them she told him she would love to. She heard his bike coming and quickly left the house.

He looked worried at her pace. "What's the hurry, princess?" She sighed, "Gwen the nightmare is in there. She's 'tutoring' him." He helped her on without another word. They had a great time. Food, laughs, she helped him roll silverware at the end of his shift to get them home on time.

They pulled in as her curfew was hitting. On time as always. Only problem was her brother seemed to be throwing a massive party. Before she could even get her phone out to call her parents Layla came running out of their house in tears. "That's it!" She exclaimed. "Call my parents and tell them they are about to be short one child."

She made to go inside, Warren grabbed her waist. "No, you could get hurt in there. Call your parents and let them kill him." She turned to him, "Good point." She quickly dialed her parents, they were shocked to hear that golden Will was throwing a party. They would be home in a minute.

She waited until she saw her parents fly in, she knew to stay with Warren where it was safe until the house emptied. Sure enough, she heard her dad yelling to get out of his house. Kids were pouring out of the house. Flying, running, teleporting away.

"Thank you for tonight, Warren. I better go check the damage out." She gave him a kiss and called goodnight as she walked in the door. Will being the diva that he was somehow made their parents out to be the bad guys. Saying how he wasn't going to homecoming anyway. Her dad of course had to defend him, what else is new.

"Will you have to go to homecoming. It's where we'll introduce the Stronghold Four, the greatest family of superhero's the world has ever seen." He looked at them void of expression. Mom's instinct to coddle him kicked in. "Did something happen?" She asked worried. "I don't want to talk about it." Her dramatic brother everyone.

"Well we're gonna talk about it. We have to go to homecoming. We made a promise! And when a Stronghold makes a promise it's kept." "I promise you dad, I'm not going." Issy had tears of frustration in her eyes at this point. They hadn't told her anything about this plan. Her brother, the perfect child, was as always the attention grabber.

She walked past her parents and up the stairs not letting them see her hurt.