Chapter 9

Warren sat with his arms crossed with a blank face as he stared at Principle Powers. With a sigh, he tilted his chair back and through his head back to look at the ceiling. He was getting tired of hearing the same thing over and over again. She had continued to repeat how she didn't understand how he could act this way. How could he jeopardize everything that he had worked so hard to achieve? Why would he put other people at risk? Not only had this happened before, but this time, he actually hurt a student.

If Warren had to sum all that up, he would say that Principle Powers was more pissed that this happened-again-at her school. She was pissed when it happened the first time, but because it happened with the precious Will Stronghold, they were both let off with a slap on the wrist. Warren knew that it would be suspicion of her to only suspend him when he AND Will participated in the fight.

Now that it happened again, she wanted to punish him. But Warren knew that deep down, Powers had a soft spot. He had never heard of her expelling a student before, why would she start now?

"What do I do now, Warren?" She asked again for the twentieth time.

And again, for the twentieth time, Warren stared at her with a bored face and stayed silent. He knew that his silence was only fueling the fire, but he really didn't care at this point. All he cared about was the look on Layla's face as she backed away from him. The look on her face was pure fear. She was afraid of him. HIM! Warren thought angrily. How could she think that he would ever hurt her? How could she look at him like she was terrified to get too close?

Why did he even care? It's not like he cared about her or anything. Sure she was cute, but in a small innocent puppy looking up at him with pleading at him to be nice to her sort of way. Ugh, she drove him crazy.

"Warren!"

He snapped his eyes towards Powers and looked directly in her eyes. She gave him pleading eyes and looked at him hopefully. Warren shrugged and Powers exhaled in annoyance. He hadn't said anything to her since they left the hallway.

"Look, Warren, I am trying to help you. I don't understand why you would act like this. Warren you have to take responsibility for your actions, you cannot just go around shoving other students into lockers and setting them on fire."

That was a lie, Warren thought as he tuned her out. He didn't set that loser on fire. He just…burned him a little. He was completely justified too. A person should never touch what doesn't belong to them.

It's not like Layla was his or anything. He didn't own her. It was just that he didn't like to share and Layla was his…friend. So, if he thought about it long enough, she was in some way his. And that loser was encroaching on his territory.

Tuning back in, Warren listened to Powers go on and on and on about how she "knows he is better than this".

"Why would you do something like that?" She asked him, hands on her hips as she stood up.

Silence.

"How could you hurt someone like that?"

More silence.

"You need to pay for your actions, Warren. Do you want to get kicked out of school?"

Silence. Warren blinked at her.

Powers sighed as she looked at him. She turned around and looked out at the court yard. She stared out the window for a few minutes and took deep steadying breathes while Warren contemplated how to get Layla to talk to him again. He should apologize; people do that when they are in trouble-even if they don't mean it. Warren wasn't really sorry for shoving the guy and singing him a little. But he was sorry that he had scarred Layla. He never wanted Layla to be afraid of him. Warren couldn't stand the thought of her being afraid of him.

There was a small part of his brain that was whispering to him that he had hurt her earlier. Layla had every right to be scared of him because she had burned her hand when she had touched his shoulder. Warren heaved a heavy breath as he remembered the pain he had seen in her eyes when she cradled her hand to her chest. It nearly broke his heart when she backed away from him.

But then there was the other, much louder side of his brain that said that she shouldn't have touched him if she knew that he was on fire. That Layla should have known that she was going to get hurt; if she touched him, she was going to get burned. Warren tended to listen to that side of his brain most of the time. He conveniently ignored the fact that it also got him into the most trouble.

Warren justified that it was all Layla's fault that she was burned. What Warren didn't understand was the feelings he felt when he saw the look on her face when he saw her back away.

See, this was why Warren didn't have friends. It was because they messed with his head. Here he was, arguing against himself because of his…feelings. Ugh, feelings. When he dated that Frost girl he never cared what she thought or how she felt. And here he was, sitting across from Principle Powers-again-because of some girl who had his…feelings all mixed up.

Warren was pulled out of his thoughts when he saw Powers turn around and look at him.

"Okay Warren. We will make a deal. From this moment on, you are going to be suspended for two weeks; this will still let you graduate on time with everyone next year as long as you take summer school classes. Also, you will have detention when you return; you will be picking up garbage and cleaning the labs. Am I clear?"

Warren stared at her debating his options, not that he had any…he just wanted to annoy her a little.

"Okay."

Warren tuned her out and decided that he was going to find Layla and apologize. If she could forgive Stronghold, then she could forgive him too. He didn't hurt her on purpose like Will did. Stronghold held on to her wrist and bruised her-on purpose. She was the one who touched him and got burned. She would forgive him. Warren was sure of that.

"You may go now Warren. The last bus will be here in a half hour."

Warren didn't wait another second; he was out of the chair and out the door before she could say anything else. He was going to get on the bus and he was going to go to Layla's house, pound on the door until someone opened the door and then he would demand to see Layla and convince her to forgive him. If she didn't, then…he…he didn't know yet. He would get to that when he reached her house.

He practically ran out of the office and collided with a body. It was a soft body, about three maybe four inches shorter than he was. He knew who it was before he even looked down.

"Layla?" He asked holding her away from him at arm's length.

She looked up at him and then pulled all the way from him. "I need to talk to you." She wasn't her usual smiling self; she wasn't looking at him with a grin on her face and cheerful words. She was serious and looking at him like he was a stranger. No, she would be smiling at a stranger and trying to make them laugh. Instead, she looked at him awkwardly and crossing her arms over her chest. This reminded him of Magenta.

Great, just what he needed.

"Yeah," Warren said in agreement. "Same here."

Layla lead him out into the front of the school, still not saying anything and keeping a safe distance away from him. Warren decided that that just pissed him off more.

Finally they came to a stop and she turned and looked at him. They didn't say anything for a moment before he felt the need to break the uncomfortable silence. "Layla…"

She cut him off, "I would like to go first." He frowned at her, but didn't say anything. "Look, I've put up with a lot of your…meanness over the past few months. You barely smile and sometimes, I feel like I am the only person you are nice to. And that's every other day. I can forgive a lot of things, and I can take a lot of…meanness, but this," Layla held up her bandaged hand for Warren to see. Like he hadn't been looking at it carefully as he followed her outside. "This has gone too far."

Warren closed his eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry, Layla. I never meant to hurt you."

Layla looked at him sharply, "I know that Warren." Okay, Warren thought. That did not sound like the Layla he knew and lov….no, he was not finishing that thought.

"No need to get snippy," Warren sneered back at her. It was a defense mechanism, the school shrink had said. Whenever Warren felt backed into a corner, he would lash out in words…and sometimes fire.

"You try getting burned by your friend." She accused him. Okay, that was a good one. "I forgive you for the burn marks. I know you didn't do it on purpose. I was the one who touched you." Warren nodded. He already knew this, but he didn't think that this would be a good time to point that out. "But you purposely hurt my friend and you need to apologize to him."

"No," Warren said sharply. He was not about to apologize to the stupid loser who dared to tough what was his…and she was his…friend.

"Yes," Layla said as she placed her hand on her hips glaring at him.

"No." Warren growled at her taking a step forward. She was really starting to piss him off. But the fire blazing in her eyes was making him want to kiss her more than he did the night before on the porch.

"I." Layla poked him in the chest, sharply. "Said." Poke. "YES." Harder poke.

Warren couldn't stop himself. He didn't know what he was doing until his hand wrapped around her the back of her head and pulled her forward. Layla gasped right before his mouth sealed over hers. Christ, Warren thought to himself, Layla tasted better than he thought she would. And her lips were so soft, they practically molded against his. What amazed him the most was that Layla didn't pull away from him, not that he would have let her go if she tried. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed him back with gusto. It surprised him for a moment, but he didn't hesitate to kiss her back.

They finally pulled back from each other when air became necessary.

"You still have to apologize to Garth." Layla said after a moment of silence as they fought to catch their breath.

"Ugh, you're killing me, here!" Warren said, jokingly, as he pulled her closer. He leaned forward to kiss her again, but she pulled away from him and out of his arms.

"Not until you talk to Garth."

'You are smart Warren, you can think your way out of this…just need a good excuse.' He thought to himself. He smiled at her, a toothy grin that made her narrow her eyes at him. "I will talk to him, when I get back from suspension." She glared at him and he composed himself. "I promise."

"You know," she said as she walked up to him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and whispered into his ear, "If you don't, I will make your life a living nightmare."

She pulled away as the bus pulled up and he smirked as he followed her onto the bus. While he climbed the stairs, he wondered just how this red head was able to twist his feelings and make him actually care what she thought or how she felt. He was also wondering on how she learned to seductively whisper into a guy's ear. THAT he was looking to find out.

"There is one more thing that we need to clear up." Layla said pulling him down beside her in the seat. He didn't mind being man-handled…at least, not by her.

"And what is that?" Warren asked, sliding in as close to her as possible without her having to move onto his lap. Warren was pretty sure that was against the bus drivers rules.

"When you had Garth up against the lockers you said "Never touch my girlfriend."" Layla said in a horrible imitation of his voice. She looked at him expectantly for an answer…one that he couldn't give to her at the moment. So Warren leaned forward and kissed her. Layla kissed him back, but pulled away with a smirk, "I think it is time you answer my question."

Warren stared at her for a moment before he scowled. How was he supposed to remember everything that came out of his mouth? Okay, he remembered saying it; he just hoped that she didn't.

"It's what you are." Warren finally said.

"What kind of girlfriend?" Layla asked, not letting him off the loose.

Warren faked being dumb, "There is more than one kind?"

Layla scowled at him and looked out the window as she crossed her arms. Damn, he knew that she was angry and he knew that when she was angry, she tended not to speak to him…which in turn, made him angry.

"You're my girlfriend. As in more than just a friend," Warren clarified before she asked him to. By the way this was going: Layla was going to have this conversation in writing and signed with his blood.

She turned to face him and gave him a brilliant smile. His heart skipped a beat in his chest and began thumping crazily against is ribcage. This girl was beautiful and she was all his.

Layla Williams was now his, Warren Peace's, girlfriend.

Damn.

The End!

I hope you liked it and leave a review.

Now, all I want to know is if I should make an Epilogue?

Happy Holidays