Sidekick to the Head

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot of this story. I do not claim to own Sky High or any of its characters. If I did then I wouldn't be drowning in students loans.

AN: So here's chapter 3. I'm going to be honest I didn't really think anyone would read this, it was sort of a vanity project. I'm really glad so many people enjoy it. Thanks for all the reviews.

…

Layla tugged at her white t-shirt in disgust. The "new" gym uniforms were clearly designed either by a pervert, or someone with a sick sense of humor.

"Something wrong Plant Girl?" Warren tossed a knowing look in her direction.

"Ugh, these shorts are too…short."

"I think they're just fine." Warren's smirk was a little too wide for Layla's taste.

Finally giving up trying to cover herself, Layla placed her hands on her hips and glared fully at Warren.

"It's not like you have anything to complain about."

He was dressed in a similar white t-shirt and navy blue shorts. His were considerably longer though. It was very strange for Layla to see him dressed so unlike his normal self. With his long hair tied back in a short ponytail he looked almost…cute.

She was almost tempted to tell him so but decided against it. He would probably have a blow-up in the most literal sense.

Warren looked down at his outfit and frowned. Suddenly, flames erupted from his arms scorching the fabric until the sleeves had turned to ash.

"Much better." Warren rolled his shoulders, apparently quite pleased with himself.

Layla rolled her eyes but didn't comment. It was just another instance of Warren being Warren.

"Teams into position." Boomer hollered.

Immediately Warren and Layla took their places at one side of the massive arena. The empty white space was surrounded by tall protective dividers (to keep the crowd from falling victim to any stray balls) and a single red line divided it down the middle.

The point of the game, Warren had explained, was to hit as many people on the opposing team as possible. Every hit would gain a point and the target would be out of the game for 30 seconds. The game ended automatically after 20 minutes or if someone hit the "citizen" doll at either end of the arena. If a player hit the opposing team's doll then the game ended and the entire team scored 10 extra points. So, players had to try to score points while simultaneously defending their doll. The use of powers was mandatory but not to the point where it would physically hurt another player.

"This just keeps getting better." Layla heard Warren mutter almost gleefully, well as gleefully as Warren could sound at least.

Looking across the arena Layla caught sight of a familiar pair of faces and groaned. Of course, of course Will would be on the opposing team. There was no other conclusion but that the universe hated her and took great pleasure in making a mess of things.

"Hey Hippie," Warren said smugly, "you might want to stay behind me. A tree-hugger like you won't last long on the battlefield."

Layla raised a single thin eyebrow. Sure she wasn't Little Miss Aggressive, but she had held her own against Penny as a freshman and had participated in "Save the Citizen" many times since then.

"Sorry to disappoint you Rambo," Layla's voice was dry, "but I suck at playing damsel."

She closed her eyes and concentrated. There were no seeds on the floor but beneath the cement there was a world of green life. People often mistook plants as weak and passive. They didn't realize the world could be full of tiny green enemies.

Up through the pavement rose three green vines. They grew until they were taller than Layla; they were even taller than Warren. About a meter around, they swayed lazily in the air like octopus tentacles.

"Haven't you ever heard the saying, 'A good defense is the best offense'?" It was Layla's turn to be smug.

Warren was about to respond, probably with some snarky comeback, but was interrupted by a shrill whistle that signaled the beginning of the game.

The only way Layla could accurately describe the following events was chaos, complete and utter chaos. Balls were flying everywhere. One whizzed by, narrowly missed hitting her in the face. She caught sight of it hit a boy behind her, nearly knocking him off his feet.

"Keep your head in the game." Warren warned as he lobbed a ball at the other team.

"R-right."

Layla picked up a ball and threw it as hard as she could. It made a pitiful arc through the air, missing its target by a good five feet. Layla heard Warren snort and flushed a deep red.

From then on she focused mainly on defense. This was good because while Warren had fantastic aim, he seemed to be completely alien to the concept of blocking. She watched out of the corner of her eye as he took aim, taking out another player of the other team with a headshot. While the balls were resistant to fire, Warren's powers defiantly put him at an advantage.

Warren wasn't the only one dominating in the game though. On the other team Will was flying around, beening the white team with almost unnatural glee. His partner was about as adept at throwing as Layla was, but was quite good at catching. So Madeline had resigned herself to collecting balls and ferrying them to her partner.

The minutes ticked by and soon Layla and Warren had settled into a comfortable rhythm. Layla would use her vines to smack away or catch any balls that came their way and Warren could take out as many opponents as he liked without having to worry about keeping his guard up.

Layla took a peek up at the clock. Only a minute left. Suddenly she was struck with an idea. The red team had a boy by the name of Cole Dugan. He had the power to bend light, making himself or whatever target he chose invisible. Cole was a charismatic boy with almost supernatural leadership abilities. The second the game had started Cole had taken charge, calling orders and organizing his "troops".

After her first pitiful throw the red team had written her off as a non-threat and as such more focus was placed on the more aggressive players, like Warren, who posed an actual treat.

Maybe, Layla pondered, she could use that to her advantage. It would be dangerous. If her plan worked then she would be completely vulnerable.

Deciding it was worth the risk, Layla grabbed a ball with one of her vines. Using the others to obstruct what she was doing, she coaxed the vine into a coil. Biting her lip Layla took a second, and let her defenses drop to the ground.

Her ball sprung forward, rocketing past the red team.

It connected directly with the "citizen" doll and Layla let out a whoop of triumph. The last thing Layla heard was the buzzer sound, signaling the end of the game, then the world wet dark.

…

"Urg," Layla groaned and her eyes slid open.

Pain, so much pain, the room was far too bright and she felt like she'd been hit by a meteor. Putting her arms firmly on the mattress beneath her, Layla prepared to raise herself into the sitting position. Only to be stopped by a hand on her shoulder.

"Whoa, slow down there Hippie," an amused but familiar voice said.

Layla turned her head and caught sight of Warren's smirking face.

"Morning, sunshine."

"What…what happened?" Layla looked around. She was lying on a cot in the infirmary. "What am I doing here?"

"Well," Warren drawled, "someone thought it would be a good idea to drop her defenses and leave herself completely exposed."

"Did we win?" Layla sat bolt upright, immediately regretting the decision.

"Yeah, we won." Warren shook his head in disbelief. "You're crazy. You wake up in the nurse's office and the first thing you ask is if we won the dodgeball game? And here I thought I was competitive."

"I like to win." Layla shrugged.

She swung her legs over the edge of the cot. The ground heaved beneath her and for a second Layla was convinced that her knees were going to give out. The only thing that kept her from collapsing into an undignified heap was a firm hand on her elbow.

Layla quickly regained her balance.

"Thanks."

Warren grumbled something under his breath and shoved his hands in his pockets. Layla had to suppress a giggle, Warren could be so defensive sometimes, but she knew she had worried him.

"What happened?" Layla asked, gingerly touching her head. It still ached fiercely.

"Well, just as you won the game for our team, someone on the other team was throwing a ball. It went wide and caught you right in the head." Warren shrugged. "It was pretty impressive; you went down like a load of bricks. They brought you to Spex's office and after she checked that there was no lasting damage the principal decided to let you sleep it off. I was elected to stay here and wait for you to wake up. You sure took your time."

"Wow, all that from a head shot?" Layla said, surprised.

It took a lot of force to knock someone out just by hitting them in the head, especially with a rubber ball. Suddenly a disturbing thought came into Layla's mind.

"It was Will wasn't it?" Layla's voice was firm and she watched Warren's face for a reaction.

Warren didn't say anything but the way he avoided her eyes told Layla all she needed to know. Guilt filled Layla's chest. Will probably felt so bad right now and it was all her fault. If she hadn't made such a risky move then her vines would have stopped, or at least slowed down, Will's shot.

He was already sensitive about his super-strength, always careful not to be too rough on his friends. Despite his friendly, carefree personality Layla knew how hard he worked to keep his strength in check and the amount of self-control it entailed. Will still lost control sometimes, his parents had started buying alarm clocks in bulk supply, but he had never hurt ay of them before. This incident had likely affected him deeply.

Neither Layla nor Warren said anything for a while. Both were caught up in their own thoughts.

"Aw man," Layla finally sighed, breaking the silence. "How am I going to get home?"

The clock on the wall read 6:30. All of the busses had gone home already and since neither Layla nor Warren could fly, they were both stranded. The school was nice and all but Layla didn't fancy spending the night.

"Chill out, I've got it covered."

Warren grabbed Layla's bag off the ground and swung it over his shoulder. When Layla went to take it from him, he merely shrugged nonchalantly.

"I've got it."

Layla couldn't help but smile as she followed Warren outside. He really could be nice if he put his mind to it. Under all that bluster he was just a big teddy bear. A flaming teddy bear, but a teddy bear none the less.

"There's our ride." Warren said as he gestured proudly.

Seeing their ride Layla immediately reassessed her previous evaluation.

Parked on the sidewalk was a shiny red motorcycle. Possibly the most clichéd ride she had ever seen, it was painted a dark maroon with flames detailed across the top. The silver and red vehicle glinted in the sun, almost mockingly.

"I can't ride that." Layla said shakily and took a step back.

"Why not?" Warren almost looked put out at Layla's refusal. "It's perfectly safe."

"Um," Layla was at a loss. Sure she had been flying with Will but this was completely different. "I don't have a helmet."

Warren smirked and lifted the seat. From inside he pulled two helmets, one red and black, the other a dark green. Without a word he tossed one to Layla.

She fumbled for a minute.

"Any other issues?" Warren asked condescendingly. "Or have you decided that hanging around here is your best option?"

"You're sure it's safe?" Layla demanded. "It's not going to catch fire while we're flying will it?"

If there was one thing she had learned from Super-Transportation class, was that it was always important to clarify these things. One hero's means of transportation wasn't always safe for heroes with different powers.

"No flames except the decals I swear." Donning his helmet he swung one leg casually over the bike. "Now are we going or what?"

For a moment Layla's mouth went numb. As he sat casually sprawled across his bike, signature smirk in place, Layla had to admit that Warren looked good. Like really good.

Layla had always known that Warren was a good looking guy, it was part of the reason she had chosen him to make Will jealous. He pulled of that hot bad-boy look that so many guys tried and failed at and he did it without even trying. Layla could only pray that he hadn't developed mind reading powers in the last 2 minutes, a legitimate possibility, because if he knew what she was thinking she might have to throw herself off the side of the school.

'Damn teenage hormones.' Layla grumbled mentally.

"Hello?"

Layla blinked to find Warren waving a hand in front of her face.

"I asked if we were going." Warren repeated slowly, as if he were speaking to a small child.

"Um y-yeah sure." Layla stammered, putting on her own helmet and hopping onto the back of the bike.

Apparently he hadn't noticed the red in her cheeks because Warren just shrugged and flipped up the kickstand.

After a moments consideration Layla placed her hands firmly on Warren's shoulders. It was a perfectly neutral place to hold onto for the duration of the ride.

"Is this alright?" Layla asked, just to be certain.

"Oh sure," Warren said, "for about 2 seconds after we get into there. After that the wind's velocity will send you off the back resulting in a long fall that will most likely end in fatal impact. I know you've watched those crappy chick movies before. You know where you're supposed to grab."

Layla couldn't help rolling her eyes.

"I don't watch "chick movies" often thank you very much and I always assumed they were exaggerating. Isn't there anywhere else to hold on?"

"Not on this bike." Warren gave gusty sigh. "Look I'll do it for you if you're going to be squeamish."

Reaching around back he grabbed one of her arms and moved it around his waist, doing the same to the other.

"There, now can we go? This is way more time at school then should be legal."

Layla was about to ask why he bothered staying so long if he hated it so much. She never got the chance because Warren flipped a switch on one of the handlebars, released the clutch and gave it the gas.

Immediately they were sent careening down the sidewalk. It was just as well that school was out because at the speed they were going and pedestrians would have ended up as flesh coloured smears on the cement.

The second the bike had started to move Layla's grip on Warren tightened. Peeking around his back Layla instantly regretted the act as she caught sight of the edge of the platform, it was approaching fast.

As they went over the edge Layla had to suppress an instinctive shriek. For a moment they were caught in freefall, until Warren flipped a switch and switched gears. Then instead of a frantic descent they bike kept a more controlled pace.

Speeding through the sky Layla chanced a peek around. It really was different from flying with Will. First they were moving much faster and second, if she were to fall there probably wasn't much Warren could do to save her even if he wanted to. With that in mind Layla couldn't even find it in her to be pressed so close to Warren, nope she was too busy being terrified out of her mind.

When they finally touched down in her neighbourhood and rolled to a stop in front of her house Layla jumped off the bike so fast that her foot got caught on the curb, sending her sprawling onto the grass.

"Whoa, jumpy much?" Warren popped the kickstand on his bike. "See I got you home safe and sound."

"Sure," Layla joked dryly, "I only lost a few years of my life. No big."

Taking off the helmet she chucked it lightly at his head. Deftly Warren caught it with one hand and placed it back under the seat.

"Too bad you weren't making throws like that during the game." He teased. "You might not have had to knock yourself unconscious just to win if you had."

Layla childishly stuck out her tongue, but it quickly dissolved into a giggle.

"Thanks for waiting up for me, and for the ride home." She said sincerely.

Warren merely shrugged and restarted his bike.

"No problem." He said before taking off into the evening sky.

Layla shook her head as she watched him go. That boy really needed to learn how to accept gratitude. As she turned to go back in the house something twitched at the edge of her consciousness. Reaching out with her powers Layla sensed a familiar figure standing behind some bushes not far away.

"Will, I know you're there." She called, placing her hands on her hips. "Stop being a creeper and get out here."

"You always did have an unfair advantage in hide and seek." Will grumbled as he stood up and brushed off his knees.

"You're just jealous of my epic seeking skills." Layla joked

Will smiled broadly for a moment but it soon faded. Staring at the ground he scuffed self-consciously at the lawn.

Layla stood patiently waiting. Whatever Will needed to say he would find the words eventually.

"Layla," Will's voice cracked slightly, "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hit you I swear. We were playing and I got excited and…and I'm so sorry."

"Oh Will," Layla placed a comforting hand on her friends shoulder. He had grown the last few years and was now half a head taller than she was. "I know it was an accident. You would never hurt me on purpose. We're best friends; we've known each other since we were in diapers. There is no one in the world I trust more then you."

"But I hurt you." Will's words came out as a shame filled whisper. "I'm dangerous. What if next time it isn't just a hit on the head? What if next time I seriously hurt you…or worse?"

Will looked so down-hearted that Layla's heart ached for her friend. When most people found out about his powers and his parents their first response was usually envy. Envy at having two powers, at being part of an already established super-hero team. They never considered the pressure he was under or how hard he worked to try to live up to everyone's expectation.

"Whoa there," Layla managed to say lightly, smacking Will on the shoulder. "You need to turn your drama dial way down. You got a lucky hit?" She shrugged casually. "Big deal. You make it sound like you're going to turn into the Hulk or something. Despite what you seem to think I'm not some delicate flower that will shatter at the smallest hit. I'm not going to die and I'm not going anywhere so get used to it."

"But…"

"No buts," Layla's voice was gentler but equally as firm. "I don't forgive you Will." Will looked stricken but Layla held up a hand.

"Only because there is nothing to forgive. Whatever happened was an accident end of story."

The look of relief on Will's face was almost too much to bear so Layla reached up and drew him into a hug. Despite what others at school may have assumed there were no residual romantic feeling between the two, no pining, no UST. They were just two friends that shared a bond that could not be broken by time or ill-conceived attempts at romance.

"Don't think this means I'm going to go easy on you." Layla ribbed as she drew back. "Me and Warren are going to kick your butt tomorrow."

"Oh you are so on." Will shot back, reverting to his normal self. The gleam of competition in his eyes was a relief.

After bidding goodnight to each other Layla headed inside. She had a few phone calls to make to some likely worried friends and she wanted to turn in early.

Fixing herself a cup of Jamaican dogwood and cinnamon tea to ease her headache, Layla collapsed on the couch and started dialing on the phone.

It had really been an eventful day. Hopefully he would live through the next four.

…

So day 1 is done. Wow 3 chapters for 1 day, hopefully day 2 won't take so many chapters. If you like this story, tell me. It makes me happy to know other people besides me enjoy it.