I Control Almost Everything

“Tristen!” Warren growled at me, breaking me out of the trance I had been in.

I didn’t turn around, and I didn’t speak, I already knew what he was going to say.

“Are you even listening to me?” he breathed harshly into my ear.

“I know what you’re going to say,” I breathed out slowly. When he didn’t react, I kept going. “You’re going to explode about what I did, what happened, how it happened, why none of you ever knew how I felt, and you’re going to suggest that I go and get help,” I turned to look at him, “aren’t you?”

“No, but that is what Layla’s been ranting about ever since you walked out of the gym. I do want to know what was happening in there.”

“That’s my business.”

“And now I’m making it my business,” he said seriously, but it did sound like he cared.

“Well,” I snapped, “what do you want to hear? ‘I need help.’ I’m fine! Do you want a confession of every though I’ve had towards my brother since I got my stupid powers? None of that will do anything now! What happened in the gym is over and done with, it doesn’t matter anymore!” I screamed at him.

“You may not think that, but everyone else will,” he growled. “I’m not my father, but even after everything, people still think that I’m going to be like him. People are going to hear about what you did.”

“I lived without their opinion of me since before I even got here, and I can do the same now.”

“You don’t get it do you?” he scoffed incredulously.

“What’s there to get? The only person whose opinion matters to me is mine, and I say that I’m okay!”

He took a few steps forward and grabbed me roughly by my shoulders, gritting he teeth. I assumed that he was fighting some very strong urges to turn me into cinders. “Why are you being so difficult?” He shouted, his face inches from mine.

“Why does it matter? I’m fine, that woman just made something happen, I won’t let it happen again,” I whispered, trying not to cry.

“Why did it happen in the first place?”

“You saw her powers, she manipulated my emotions-“

“So you couldn’t hide anything. What have you been hiding Tristen?”

“You have to live down your father’s reputation. I have to live up to the reputation of my parents- the best superheroes on the entire planet. Do you have any idea what that’s like when you’re the only person in your family without either one of their powers?”

“You can us that to your advantage though.”

“Don’t you get it? I don’t want this! Any of this!”

“Then why didn’t you give up your powers?” he demanded harshly.

I couldn’t answer that. Why didn’t I give up my powers if I hated them so much? ‘Because they’ve made me who I am,’ said a quiet voice inside my head. I was here because of my power, I’d be lying if I said that having water as my power hadn’t changed my life.

I gave a sigh of defeat, “You win.” He was about to say something, “I’m not talking about what happened in the gym; it’ll blow over.”

Right, trying to kill Will Stronghold who also happens to be your brother is going to blow over. The next day, the next week, even the week after that; people were still talking about it. I’d walk past and the atmosphere would get colder.

I was leaving the school to get onto the bus when Warren caught up to me. “Thing’s will blow over huh?”

“These people have no life,” I sighed, “surely there are other things to talk about.”

“You almost killed your older brother,” he stated bluntly.

“Gee, that’s what this is about? I had no idea! I get that alright; move on with your life!”

“People are going to think that you’re going to be a villain after you graduate.”

“Will you just stop with this Warren?” I snapped. After two weeks of this, and in the middle of campus, I snapped under everything and started to cry. “I don’t need this, please not from you too.”

“Tristen,” I was surprised at how his mood changed from strict to caring as that one single word left his mouth. “You do need to talk about this, please? At least with Magenta or me.”

“You’d get it more than Magenta,” I sniffed.

He wrapped on arm around me, squeezing gently. “As long as you’re okay.”

“Because I’m Will’s little sister, right?”

“No, because I just care about you Tristen,” he breathed.

I gave a small smile as my crying slowed down.

“Thanks.”

“When were you planning on telling Layla that I was the ‘jerk’ you asked to the dance?”

“Why?”

“Because, you definitely got his attention,” a sly smile rose from his lips.

“Oh really,” I said, my mood brightened. “And how did I get his attention?”

“He realized that even though you’d fight against it and insist that you could take care of yourself, you were still worth it. He’s wants to protect you, and he asked me to give you this.”

For a moment, I didn’t know what to expect, I didn’t expect what Warren gave me.

His warm hands help either side of my face and tilted it upwards. My breath caught in my throat as I anticipated what he was about to do. I felt his breath on my lips and my eyes slid closed. I felt his lips come down, hot against mine. This was heaven, as our lips massaged each others. I forgot that we were in the middle of campus with students rushing all around us. All I knew was the feeling of his fire-hot lips adding pressure against mine, and that I was pushing back just as hard.