Time for School Ch. 07

I walked into Spanish class and noticed both Sarah and Jordan were at their seats before me. That was a first.


"Hey you two," I said as I slipped off my backpack


"Hey," Sarah replied as Jordan rummaged through her backpack. Sarah looked like she was holding back a laugh for some reason. I thought that was pretty strange and just knew it had to do with me somehow. I shrugged it off and took my seat.


Not even a minute later I felt a couple quick squirts of water hit the back of my head. I held my head and quickly turned around with a stunned expression. Jordan had a small squirt gun aimed right at me. The two of them broke out into laughter.


I scoffed in amusement as I brushed the water out of my hair.


"Seriously?" I asked as they gave each other a high five. "A water gun? What is this, third grade?"


"I told you I'd get you back!" Jordan exclaimed with a big grin as she put the gun away.


Sarah chuckled softly. "You know we were just havin' fun."


She then gave me the most beautiful, disarming smile that made my heart flutter. I couldn't help but smile back in response.


"Yeah," I casually replied. "I guess I should be thankful that you didn't throw eggs at me or pants me."


"Oh, both of those crossed my mind," Jordan said with a devious grin. I sighed and rolled my eyes as I sat forward again.




We soon settled into class and started taking notes of what Ms. Adanna was writing down on the whiteboard. In the back of my mind, I wondered about Nora and how she was doing. I remembered Jason pretty much swearing revenge on me, but I hoped that revenge wouldn't involve her. I mean, the guy was a complete asshole... but would that carry over into his relationship? No..., probably not. He was more pissed at me rather than at her.


Later on, during a spoken assignment, I found myself once again fawning over Ms. Adanna with an adoring smile on my face. I eyed her from head to toe, idly counting how many buttons were on her pink, long-sleeved blouse and the last one on her black dress pants. I couldn't understand how she always managed to look so gorgeous, even in such modest clothing. I held my head in my hand, sighing and watching her long legs slowly pace back and forth while speaking to the class.


Being in the front row made my staring pretty transparent. Ms. Adanna soon looked over at me with a curious gaze.


"Anthony?" she spoke up, causing me to snap back to reality. "Are you feeling all right?"


"Oh, yeah," I replied with a casual wave of my hand as I straightened my back. "I just had a big lunch."


"Okay," the teacher replied with a slight chuckle, "just making sure you're with us."


I heard some quiet snickering from other students. I practically felt their eyes from all across the room staring at me. And yet, I smiled contently and kept my eyes on the teacher as she went back to her lesson.


I heard Jordan lean in and whisper behind me, "Smooth!" I smirked and shook my head.




Class ended not long thereafter. It was time to move onto my Driving class. I quickly put my things away and got up with my backpack, immediately locking my eyes on Jordan to make sure she wasn't trying to soak me again. She looked up at me with an innocently playful smirk, pretending to shoot a gun at me.


"Bang-bang," she said as Sarah giggled in amusement. I smiled and wagged a finger at her, certain I'd stopped her from getting the drop on me. I then left the two girls behind and took to the hallways. Along the way, I passed by the lockers where Talia and I had our few moments of fun. I noticed the stain I had left behind was finally cleaned up. I could only laugh in amusement, wondering how awkward that must have been to clean up.


I burst out of the building with a happy sigh—after all, school was almost out for the day. Being outside for fifth period was always such a tease, as I knew I'd have to go back inside the main building one last time for sixth period. Until then, I walked into our annexed classroom and took my seat while waiting for my friends to arrive.


After I set my backpack down on the floor, I heard Frank laugh as the three of them walked into class. I grinned to them as they approached me and took their seats behind me.




"Hey–" I went to speak, only to be interrupted by Frank.


"Anthony," he quickly and quietly spoke, "you have to tell us how you did that."


I was a bit stunned at the request.


"Yeah," Josh chimed in, "we didn't want to say anything about it while Nora was so upset but... man, we had no idea you could move like that!"


"We are your students," Brandon said, placing his hands together and respectfully bowing his head to me. "Teach us, o great sensei."


I quietly laughed in amusement. "Nah," I casually replied. "I'm no great sensei. It was just reflexes and luck, that's all."


"Pardon the French," Frank said, "but bull-shit. You totally kicked that guy's ass!"


I shook my head in disagreement. "I was just defending myself," I replied. "I was just upset for Nora's sake, having to deal with that idiot for a boyfriend."


Josh then turned his attention to Frank, "How is Nora doing, anyway?"


"I saw her during Chemistry," Frank said. "She seemed better than at lunch. She's still kind of upset, though." He then turned to me. "She said she was more worried about you."


"Why me?" I asked.


He shrugged. "She said she's worried about that threat Jason made to you. She thinks he's really going to follow up on it."


I sighed heavily. That wasn't what I was hoping to hear.




During our class assignment, I found myself preoccupied enough to lose focus on my work. I kept thinking about Jason and Nora. Nora was, of course, his girlfriend but... how well did she know him? Did she know him enough to really know he would try to come after me again?


I then quietly sighed. Unfortunately, I had to agree with her sentiment. Sure, I had a handful of bad-ass powers now but the fear that Jason had instilled in me over the years had a grip on me. It wasn't going to just erase itself. Not unless... not unless I actually gave him a reason to back off. Again, I was not willing to fall to his level of viciousness just to make a statement. So, I was forced to play the waiting game until Jason decided to make his move. Before that happened, though, I was in for some mental unrest.




Class finished up sooner than I'd realized. I was actually a bit down that I didn't get to finish my work, but I'd have to just make it up at home. I had a pretty sternly thoughtful expression on my face as I got up and cinched my backpack over my shoulders.


"Whoa," Brandon spoke up, grabbing my attention, "what was with that look? You looked like you were plotting to take over the world or something." Frank and Josh chuckled in amusement.


"Just thinking about Nora," I replied with a shrug.


"Don't sweat it, man," he casually said. "Nora and I always walk home together. I'll check on her and make sure she's good. Okay?"


"Thanks," I smirked at him as he gave me a reassuring pat on the arm. The four of us then made our way out of class together.




Outside, we said our 'goodbye's and each of us headed off to our next class. Just as I began to walk away, I felt a hand grab my shoulder and bring me to a halt. In the back of my mind I somehow expected it to be Jason and so I quickly spun around, striking a defensive stance.


"Whoa!" Nick exclaimed as he leaned back. "What's all that for?" I sighed and loosened up.


"Sorry about that," I said. "Guess I'm just a little jumpy."


"I can see that," he replied with a chuckle, placing a reassuring hand on the back of my shoulder and began to walk back to the main building with me. "I can imagine why. Jason, right?"


"Yeah. How'd you know?"


"He and I have fourth together. He likes to talk—a lot. I'm like his verbal punching bag." We then opened the double doors and walked back inside. "He told me about what happened at lunch. He's pretty pissed."


"I gathered that much," I replied, furring my brow and stuffed my hands in my pockets. He smiled at how serious I was.


"Well, I wish I could sugar-coat it but I think he's looking for a rematch. Only this time, it's going to be uglier. I tried to talk him out of it, but you know he's a stubborn asshole."


"I do know him," I quietly replied, my senses flooding with anger as unpleasant memories came back to haunt me.


"Hey," he said as he came to a stop and placed his hands on my shoulders, looking me squarely in the eyes. "You got the better of him—you can sure as hell do it again. I don't have any control over him and, really, I wish I did in this situation. He's a dick and everyone knows it. The question is, what are you going to do about it?"


I thought hard about my answer. "I know I'm not going to stoop to his level," I replied with a nod.


"Good man," he said, extending a hand to me which I quickly took in my own and shook. "I'm gonna head to my sixth now. See you around—hopefully after you kick his ass a second time."


I smiled and nodded to him as our hands fell away from each other. I headed into the nearby stairwell, feeling pretty damn good after that little pep talk. I knew the most important thing for me was not to lose my cool. Confidence was definitely the key. As long as I had that, I was ready for whatever Jason had planned for me.




While I couldn't purge the thoughts of Jason, Nora and Nick from my head during my English classwork, I was certainly more focused on my tasks. I just had to be cool about the whole situation, relax and let it go. I couldn't let those thoughts overwhelm me because that was going to be my downfall. I wasn't going to let the next time I saw Jason's face cause me to cower and flee in fear. I was ready to take him head-on.


Rip.


I stared blankly at my sheet of paper and the hole I just shoved my pen through. Seemed like I was little too ready for him. Taking it down a notch seemed like a good idea.


After all, how many other people did I know that could stop time? Make stuff appear? Lift heavy objects with little effort? The foundation was set. The confidence was there. All I needed to do was embrace it and make it my own. I sighed as I idly ran my thumb over the hole in my paper a few times. My eyes then widened in shock at what I saw.


I took a closer look at the hole and saw tiny threads starting to hold the paper together. I pulled my head back and ran my thumb over it some more before inspecting it again. I was astonished—the paper was as good as new. I took a look at it, front and back, while my lips spread into a huge grin. I glanced around to make sure nobody was looking at my odd behavior before setting the paper down on my desk.


I was starting to wonder if there was anything I couldn't do.




The final bell rang out. I grabbed my backpack and promptly headed out of the classroom before the initial rush of students surged through the halls. No one was watching when I decided to stop time and give myself another huge head-start out of the building. Once I went downstairs and reached the door that led outside, I resumed time before shoving the door open and barging out with a confident stride.


I boarded the bus and placed my backpack on the floor in front of my usual seat. I then rested my back against the window, casually sprawling out on the seat with one ankle over the other, my hands folded behind my head. I closed my eyes with a content smile on my face as I listened to the other kids filling up the bus and talking amongst each other. A short time later, the bus began to roll away and take us back home.


As I gently rocked back and forth from the ride, I could only imagine what my fellow bus riders thought seeing me so comfortable and chill on my own seat. Did I feel like I was getting big-headed? Not at all. I was merely embracing my confidence to do the things I'd always wanted to do. I mean, it did get me laid by three different girls.




The bus came to a stop in its usual place and fanned out its blinking 'STOP' signs. I hopped up, slung my backpack over one shoulder and held onto it while I exited. I was pleasantly surprised to see Sofia standing there on the sidewalk, a smile upon her face as she waited for me.


"Hey there," I politely greeted her. She cutely laughed and smiled even wider as we began to cross the street together.


"So, how was your day?" she inquisitively asked once we reached the sidewalk.


"Oh, you know," I casually replied. "Same old, same old."


She laughed again, although it quickly faded when she took a hard look at me.


"Wait a minute," she said, bringing me to a halt. She touched my face and tilted it to the side. I immediately knew what she was looking at. "How did you get this bruise?" she asked with concern in her voice. I couldn't just lie to her.




"I... sort of fought some guy," I said.


She gasped, stunned. "You got into a fight?!" she exclaimed, staring at me in shock as we began to walk again.


I shrugged. "Well, yeah. It wasn't a big deal."


"Are you okay?" she softly asked.


"I took this little number to the face but other than that, I'm good."


She sighed and smiled. "I'm glad you got out of there before you got even more hurt."


"Oh," I remarked, "I didn't run away—I fought him." Her jaw dropped. "And... I guess you could say I won."


"What?" she asked in disbelief. "Yeah, right."


"No, I'm serious," I said with a laugh. "He went for me again so I knocked him down. He took a pretty hard fall. Then he ran off, swearing revenge on me."




"... Wow," she remarked, unsure of what to say. "That's... crazy!" I laughed again. "I don't know whether to be impressed or concerned."


"You should definitely be impressed," I said in a deep voice as I flexed my biceps. "I'm stronger than I look."


She smiled, but it quickly faded as we rounded the corner by our building.


"It's just that," she spoke, "I don't think of you as someone that gets into fights."


"It's not like I went looking for one," I replied as I held the gate open for her. "He came at me and the whole thing just blew up. There wasn't really any talking him out of it though, he was pissed."


"What happened?" she asked whilst strolling together on the outer exercise path.


"Well, his girlfriend is my friend and we shared a kiss. Then, he found out about it and wanted to kick my ass over it." She gave me a somewhat suspicious glance. "What? It was just a kiss between friends, nothing more."


"It's okay. I believe you," she reassuringly said. "I just don't want to have to worry about you."


"I can take care of myself—trust me."


"... I do trust you," she quietly remarked with a warm smile.


I turned to her with a smile of my own. It felt so great to really get to bond with such a gorgeous girl as her. She was just as lovely on the inside as she was outside.




We were buzzed into the front door and I once again held it open for her. She stifled a laugh as I came in behind her and the two of us then waited for the elevator. I followed her onto it and both of us quickly pressed for our respective floors.


"So," I spoke up after the doors closed, "I guess you could say you and I are friends now?"


"Definitely," she replied with a sweet smile and an adorable tilt of her head. "You're really sweet, Anthony—I wish I had more friends like you."


She had such a beautiful, room-lighting smile and I couldn't help but smile back at her. Just being in her presence felt wonderfully warm and soothing. Then, the elevator then dinged as it stopped on my floor.


"See you tomorrow," I said as I stepped out onto the carpeted floor.


"See ya," she replied. I turned the corner but then playfully bent my body back just enough to see her. She giggled and waved at me before the doors closed shut. I breathed happily and left for home with a huge smile on my face.




That night, I laid on my belly in bed as I did my homework. I had a big smile on my face all throughout, thinking about Eve, Sofia and Nora. Even the occasional thought of Jason creeping into my head didn't take away from my good mood. I was only able to look at the positives, and the positives were looking very good.


Once I finished up, I dropped my pen onto my notebook and rolled over to sit on the edge of the bed. I stood up, taking a look outside my window through the open, hanging blinds. I smiled as I gazed upon the sight of the illuminated city from afar. I got the sense that bigger and better things were in store for me. Something like a silly bump in the road with Jason wasn't going to detract me from that. I then headed for my computer desk and sat down to watch TV and kill some time on the internet before calling it a night.




I awoke the next morning with another pleasant smile on my face. It was Friday, the day of the school week I always looked forward to. I stretched out and yawned before smacking my lips. I then threw my sheet off my body and sat up on the bed. I rubbed my face with both hands, but soon came to a slow halt as I noticed something about my arms. Upon closer inspection, I saw some visible definition in my muscles. I began to curiously flex them around in all directions. There was definitely a slight bulge of lean muscle there on my skinny arms.


I quickly shuffled into the bathroom and took off my shirt, gazing upon the barely noticeable tone of muscle in my chest and the slight tightness in my abdominals. Although there wasn't too much 'muscle' to speak of, it was certainly more than I had before.


"Wow," I quietly remarked in reaction. A smile slowly spread across my lips as I couldn't take my eyes off the mirror. I was starting to feel like one of those self-absorbed gym monkeys. I then harkened back to the previous morning when I lifted the desk with little effort.


Apparently lifting my heavy computer desk once was the magical secret to getting ripped.


I was feeling awesome about my physique. It made me wonder if I should've started wearing sleeveless t-shirts to school. Maybe I could even flex and 'Hulk' out of my t-shirts to impress the girls. That'd be pretty damn sweet. Regardless, I decided to once again wear my usual outfit of a loose t-shirt and jeans.




Out on the sidewalk, I strutted along with my hands in my pockets. The morning air was a little warmer than usual, which was pleasant. I began to secretly hope that it would eventually get hot enough to cover my body in sweat and force me to take my shirt off. I smirked mischievously at the very thought of removing my shirt in the middle of the school courtyard, endless girls swooning over my looks as I glistened like a pale-white Adonis in the sunlight.


At the bus stop, I kept my hands in my pockets. I gazed around at everyone else with a big, confident smirk. I was tensing my arms and stuck my chest out, hoping that someone would notice my physique.


But then, a realization suddenly hit me.


I had already decided before that I wasn't going to use my powers to show off or brag or be overall reckless. The same should be true for my new look. ...But, then again, if a girl came up to me wanting to touch my muscles... well, I would happily take such a request.


Still, I so badly wanted to flex my biceps and go, 'Hey, check these babies out!' Of course, there wasn't much to show but I couldn't help feeling good about it. I sighed heavily and deflated my chest. Trying to be an upstanding, well-meaning guy was tough when the temptation to just spill everything and brag in peoples' faces was always there. As if teenage life wasn't conflicting enough, I also had a bunch of secrets I wanted to keep to myself.