you don't understand.

Jasper sighed softly as he laid in bed, staring up at the ceiling. He hated that he had to wake himself up and go to school so early. It was too much for him. Ever since his parents had passed, he'd had to take care of himself, and it was a tough job. He honestly never thought that taking care of himself could be so hard. It was the lack of motivation, he presumed. He climbed out of bed and stretched out, yawning softly. He looked at his alarm clock, turning the alarm off before it got the chance to give him a migraine, heading for the bathroom to shower. It was lonely living by himself. His grandmother had offered him a place to stay, but he'd insisted on living on his own. He was 18, after all. And as long as he had the support coming in from his family, he didn't have to worry about getting a job until after he graduated and went on to do bigger and better things, like take over the world, maybe? He chuckled at the thought and turned, walking out to the kitchen. He turned on the coffee pot before taking a shower. He stepped out of the shower and lifted his hand, pulling the towel into his grip and then drying himself off. He had one of the most awesome powers, which did give him a bit of laziness as a side effect, but he worked out, so it all kind of came together.

Elliot hardly wanted to wake up the first day of school. It was mostly due to his night owlish habits, staying up until four in the morning and having to wake up at six. Not that it was anyone else's fault but his own, though it just annoyed him to have to be awake after being able to sleep in until twelve every other day. "Get up, my little owl," his mother's voice rang, bright and pleasant to his ears as he tried to hide his smile in his pillow. He didn't like how his mother could easily bring a grin to his face, especially when he was suppose to be grumpy and refusing to wake up. She pulled the blankets off him, making him groan before he curled up in on himself. "Nope, gonna have to do better than that," he said as he was already finding himself comfortable in his new found position. "Don't make me get your father up here," she threatened, poking his ribs and producing a small giggle from him. "Right, right, I am awake," he groaned as he sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "There's my little superhero," she cooed, ruffling his already messed up hair before leaving his room. He shook his head, fixing his hair, though it was slightly a lost cause, before he went to get dressed, deciding it was best to shower later at night. He didn't remind his mother that he was a sidekick, though, that was all he was going to be able to be in the eyes of the rest of the superheroes. He went down stairs, grabbing some cereal to eat and making idle chatter with his parents. They were always proud of him, after all, no matter what he did. They believed he was just shy with his powers, since he could easily do whatever he wanted. He didn't admit that he didn't want to live the life of a superhero, which was why he flunked the opening exam when he was a freshmen. They did it every year, though, getting everyone together to test their powers again to see if there was any miraculous change over the summer. He knew he wasn't going to make his powers known, liked being in the shadow of his parents instead making a name for himself.

Jasper got dressed and ran his hand through his hair, ruffling it a bit and deciding to let it just dry however it wanted. He could care less about his appearance, he just wanted to get through the day, so he could come home, make dinner, eat and watch some TV. When he really thought about it, ever since his parents' passing, his life had become pretty damn boring. He didn't really do much, since he had to upkeep the house, and himself. He didn't go out that much anymore, and the few friends that he did have had kind of moved on. He walked into the kitchen, using his mind to pour himself a cup of coffee before the cup floated across the room into his hand. He took a sip and groaned softly at the soft burning in his throat. It felt so good. He looked at the time, seeing as he still had about a half hour before he really had to be at school, he could sit and enjoy his coffee while reading the newspaper. He flipped the magazine down and looked at the front page article. The Oslins are at it again, saving the world one little bit at a time. He rolled his eyes and shoved the paper down, not caring to read anymore. He despised them. One day, he would get revenge for what they did to his parents.

Elliot ran a hand through his primly done hair. It was exhausting having to not only adjust himself to his new sleeping schedule, but also to at least act the part of the Oslin. Properly dressed and presentable at any time was what it meant to be in the family he was in. He didn't mind it as much as most people would, since he did like to look good and leave a positive impression on everyone. He wrapped his signature headband onto his forehead, which should be considered against school policy, but being from a super's family as his parents, he was pretty sure he could blow up the building and they'd end up thanking him. With a kiss delivered to his mother's cheek along with a hug given to his father, he decided it was time to head out. He didn't have his own car, even though he was a junior in high school. Waiting at the bus stop, he went to biting his nails due to boredom. The drive to school was uneventful, having no friends actually on his bus to talk to. When he did arrive, though, he was practically gleaming as he ran into his friends automatically. They discussed things about their summer that he had yet to share with them, happy to hear their own vacation stories as he ran a hand through his hair once more, looking around the school courtyard before his eyes looked directly at Jasper McKale, suddenly feeling his eyes drift down to the floor in slight embarrassment. He wasn't proud of how their parents ended everything and knew that there was no way that Jasper would even listen to his apology.

Jasper ignored the looks he was getting, knowing that everyone was staring at him because of his parents. He was tempted to turn and look at all of them, tell them to screw off, but he didn't feel like getting in trouble on the first day. He knew that if he were to get into trouble, his grandparents would have to come into the picture, and that was something he really didn't want. He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, glancing to his left, to see the one and only, Oslin. He narrowed his eyes slightly, tempted to drag the boy over to his position and grab him by the throat, but he wouldn't make a scene out here. His day would come. He turned and continued walking into the school, stopping at his locker to grab his things. While most of their classes were about superpowers and things, they did have to be taught the basics of human life too, like math and english. They had to learn them because if they were to ever lose their superpowers in some kind of accident, they'd have to proceed in life as humans, and they'd have to have an education to get a job. It was all very complex, but it made sense at some point.

Elliot felt a chill run down his spine as he saw the look that Jasper gave him, trying hard to not let that bother him as he gave way to smiling and continuing to discuss things with his friends. Everything seemed normal once more even though he knew that there was questioning looks delivered to him. Over the summer was when the McKale's were finished, killed by accident when they should have been jailed. His mother had sat him down that day, discussing with him that sometimes things happened that were out of his control and he had to accept it to be able to move on. He did wish that his father had apologised for ripping Jasper's parents away from him, none of that situation seemed even relatively heroic. It was in the past, he supposed, on his way to his own locker, which happened to be right across from Jasper's own. He didn't dare make a move or even acknowledge the other, knowing that it would only end in a bigger explosion of anger from the other. He still couldn't help but look over at the other boy, trying on a small smile as if to silently ask him to forgive him. Suddenly the bell rang and he wasn't more thankful as he scattered to class. He knew that since he had PE - required for all sidekicks and heroes alike since they needed to be taught hand-to-hand combat as well as their power skills - that the test to see if their identifications would change. He refused to let anyone see his powers still, almost embarrassed that he couldn't have super strength or metal manipulation like his parents. He kept his head down when they were all to line up alphabetically.

The thing with Jasper was that his parents weren't always the bad guys. Up until the day he turned five, they were actually considered superheroes. But something in them changed, they never told him what happened, and they became the villains that they were known for being to this day. They had sent him to this school in hopes that maybe he wouldn't turn out like them. But seeing them in action, and seeing all the superheroes' kids, all snooty and stuck up, he knew that he wanted to be just like his parents. Maybe his logic was all wrong, but in his mind, it made sense. And he wanted to avenge their deaths, he wanted to achieve for them what they had wanted, to rule the world. And he would get it someday, no matter what he had to go through to do it.

Elliot had managed to be put into the sidekick category once more, which only brought his mood down from all the disappointed looks. He was an Oslin, he was suppose to be powerful and strike fear into the hearts of villains all around. Instead he was stuck as a sidekick and could hardly think about anything else than how disappointed his dad would be in him as he made his way to English. He was in the year ahead of him's English, since he was good at all the basic academics that weren't hero influenced. He had to hold back words from coming out of his mouth as he saw Jasper in the class, rubbing the back of his neck nervously as he saw the seating chart. He was forced to sit next to him due to their last names, which made him slowly sit next to the boy. Something inside of him told him that he should just ask the elderly teacher to move his desk, but he could hardly even think of anything else other than who was sat next to him. He refused to look over at him, instead going to play with his pen in his hand, clicking it on and off.

Jasper ignored the boy sitting next to him, knowing that if he even acknowledged him, he'd probably start a fight. He bit his lip hard when he heard the boy start clicking the pen in his hand, trying to ignore it and focus on what the teacher was saying for once, but it was getting to him too badly. He looked over and forced the pen out of the boy's hand, flinging it across the room. He glared at him before turning back in his seat and folding his arms across his chest. He got a warning from the teacher not to do that again, which made him roll his eyes, and she went back to lecturing. He frankly wanted to take the pen and shove it- He was torn from his thoughts when he felt the stares of students on him. He knew they were staring at him, looking back and forth between him and Elliot, wondering what the boy's reaction would be.

Elliot didn't know what exactly happened, one second the pen was very much in his hand while the next moment his pen was flying across the room at its own accord. He blushed, thinking that he somehow managed to shock it out of his grasp - which had happened once, since he hadn't ever really learned to properly control his powers. Suddenly the teacher was talking to Jasper and his eyes looked over to see the smug look on his face. It struck a chord with him, making him feel slightly annoyed that he was made an enemy just because of what his parents had done. He stood up, walking with his shoulders back and head held high in pride as he went to collect his pencil. When he took his seat once more, he smiled condescendingly at the other. "My parents don't reflex my choices and opinions, so I would appreciate if you don't act so rashly because of them," he said before he looked back at the teacher, giving the pen one last click as if to dare the other to retaliate at all. The teacher cleared her throat before she nodded softly, continuing on with her lecture as planned.

Jasper took a deep breath and slowly exhaled it, trying his hardest to stay calm. How dare the other boy test him like that? Who did he think he was, Superman? Last he remembered, the boy was a sidekick. "At least you have parents," he mumbled after a minute, getting up and grabbing his things. He ignored the teacher asking him to sit down, and he stormed out of the room. He just needed a minute to cool off before he ended up doing something he regretted. He walked to the bathroom and dropped his backpack, looking at himself in the mirror. Calm down, Jasper. It'll be okay. He let out a breath and sighed, leaning down and turning on the sink, splashing some water on his face. He grabbed a paper towel and wiped the water from his skin, balling it up and tossing it in the trashcan when he was done. He headed back to class, apologizing to the teacher before taking his seat again.

Elliot felt his face pale at Jasper's words. He felt a pang of sympathy at the boy, wishing that he didn't say those words to him. As the boy ran off, he thought vaguely that he could have been nicer to the other. He couldn't focus, instead staring down at his desk as he placed his pen down on the desk to show that he wasn't going to tap it anymore. Elliot couldn't bring himself to really focus on the lecture as he thought more and more about going out to find out how the older boy was doing. He knew that he was probably the last person that the boy wanted to see, but he knew deep down that he couldn't just allow the other to get upset. He was thankful for the boy to sit back down after an agonisingly long moment. He leaned over, whispering softly, "I am sorry. I didn't mean for it to come out that way." He knew that the other was still angry, but he couldn't help but at least offer to fix things. He just wanted Jasper and him to be alright.

Jasper didn't acknowledge the boy, didn't even thank him for the apology. Because no apology would ever forgive what the boy's parents had done. He just wanted the class to end so he could move on with his day, and maybe he wouldn't have to see the boy again for the rest of the day. He'd have to work things out with the teacher about the seating chart, maybe even ask the principal for a class change. He didn't want any difficulties this year. He wanted to breeze through the year, get out of here, and get on with life. He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, glancing out of the corner of his eye at Elliot. He looked genuinely sorry, but Jasper refused to believe so. How could he be sorry? He had everything he could ever want. There was no way he could be feeling sorry.

Elliot continued to send the other worried glances, feeling his worry expelling outward as slowly but surely the the clouds came rolling in and the sky outside becoming dark. He didn't realise he was even doing it before he looked outside and bit his lip, knowing that he was just letting his emotions get the better of him. He was trying not to bring attention to his powers and vaguely wondered if people would just accept the new found cloudiness as coincidence or speculate it further. Thinking of happy things as he stared outside the window, he managed to let the clouds disperse which made him sigh quietly in relief. He didn't want to have to explain himself to anyone, which just made him glad that there wasn't a thunderstorm alongside the clouds. Once everything seemed to return to normal, it was time for class to end. He slowly packed his things, waiting for Jasper to get done packing his own things before he followed him. "Jasper, wait, yeah?" He asked.

Jasper stopped dead in his tracks, tilted his head back and squeezed his eyes shut, groaning inwardly. He turned and looked at the boy, arching a brow. "What do you want, Oslin?" he asked impatiently, crossing his arms over his chest with a huff. He wasn't even sure why he was talking to the boy, even giving him a chance. He'd heard enough, but he figured that he might as well listen to what he has to say. Not that he would take it into consideration or anything. His mind was already made up, and it wasn't gonna change. But maybe he actually had something interesting to say. Jasper would give him the benefit of the doubt.

Elliot moved closer to the other, trying to not notice just how not enthused the boy was to be talking to him. Usually people would try anything to get Elliot to talk to them, even if it was just for the idea of meeting some of the world's best heroes. "I just wanted to say I was really sorry. You know that they didn't mean to kill your parents, they told me that. It was my parents' faults but you can change the past," he said as he tried to stand slightly in front of the boy so he couldn't end up just walking away, "please believe me. I couldn't stand the idea of this happening but it did, I am really sorry."

Jasper let out a humorless laugh, shaking his head. "You really believe that, don't you?" he questioned. "Did your parents also tell you what they did to the bodies? Took them away so I couldn't have a proper funeral?" He shook his head. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, Oslin. Believe what you want." He turned and walked past the boy, heading for his locker. He didn't want to hear anymore of the bullshit that this boy was spewing. Well, he couldn't really blame him, could he? It was mostly his parents' fault. They probably lied to him so he wouldn't feel as guilty. Well, at least he still had parents. He stopped at his locker and switched books out before he headed to his next class.

Elliot felt like cold water fell over his body, shocked in place as he stared pathetically as Jasper walked away. There was no way that happened, right? His parents were always so lovely, nice and considerate to everyone. They couldn't have taken the parents of someone and then not even give the child a chance to have their last goodbye. By the time everything finally clicked, he wanted to apologise more and more to Jasper, to beg him to understand he had nothing to do with that. He would talk to his parents that evening, he knew, which was why he found himself making a beeline to Jasper's locker. Their lockers were conveniently placed near to each other, which made it easier to find the boy. "Can I make it up to you? Can I, I mean," he said, trying to hold back his emotions that were pulling at his heart strings. "I didn't know," he whispered as if he had lost his voice and couldn't do anything more than look at the boy in front of him.

Jasper sighed heavily and rubbed his eyes, looking down at the boy. He looked distraught and confused and like he'd just had all his hopes and dreams ripped away from him. That's exactly how Jasper wanted him to feel--the same way he'd felt when he'd heard the news about his parents. It actually wasn't a proven fact that his parents had been taken away from him, but that's what someone had told him, and he'd believed it, because he hadn't seen his parents' bodies after they died. He hadn't been able to give them the funeral they deserved. So, of course he believed it. "You want to make it up to me?" he questioned, shutting his locker and turning to face the boy. "Okay. You can make it up to me by leaving me the hell alone, alright? I don't want to be bothered. I don't want anything to do with you. I don't want to see your face, I don't want to hear your voice, and I don't want to feel your presence. I want you gone. Away from me. Forever." He turned and walked away, hoping he'd get the hint and leave him alone.