The first few classes of the day had gone by smoothly, only because he hadn't run into any of his friends so far. No one in any of his classes gave a rat's ass about him and so therefore wouldn't notice any change in him.

But that wasn't the case with his friends.

Dread overwhelmed him as Warren made his way to lunch. He wasn't quite sure what he should do.

If I sit at the normal table with the gang, then they'll more than likely be able to figure out that something's up.

But if I avoid them and sit at another table alone, then without a doubt they'll know that something's wrong.

Warren sighed as he chose to sit at a random table by himself and just hoped that none of his friends would notice.

Just then he looked up and, surprise, surprise, Layla was on her way over to the pyro's table with a look of confusion on her face.

She sat down in the seat across from Warren, staring questioningly at him.

"What's wrong?" she asked, getting straight to the point.

Warren just growled in response and ignored her.

Layla looked at him pointedly. "Don't ignore me."

Silence was her reply.

She was just about to retort something nastily when the older boy finally made eye contact with her, a pained look in his eye.

Layla nearly gasped from the intensity of the agony, and proceeded to grab the sleeve of the pyro's jacket and drag him out of the cafeteria.

The only response from the rest of the gang was puzzled looks at the pairs' backs as they strode down the hall.

As they found a secluded part of the hallway, she let go of Warren's sleeve and turned around to face him.

"What happened?" she asked softly, looking him straight in the eye.

He fidgeted under her gaze and stared pointedly at the ground. He didn't want her to see right through him. He couldn't tell her the truth and he knew it, no matter how much it hurt or how much he wanted her to know.

"Nothing happened," he whispered back, not fully trusting his voice at the moment.

"You're lying," she said simply. Layla could see right through him, always could. Secretly he had always liked that fact. To him it meant that someone cared enough to know him so well he didn't even need to speak for them to know what he was thinking. It also meant that he didn't have to say some things out loud that he didn't want the rest of the group to know. If was pretty convenient at times.

Except for right now.

"Just don't worry you're little hippie head about it, ok?" he hoped that would work to get her to drop the topic.

"Oh please! You saying not to worry just makes me worry more!" now she was exasperated.

He hadn't really expected it to work…

"Look, just…!" he cut himself off as he looked at her face. Her expression was one of pure shock. He looked at her with confusion until her followed her gaze.

When he saw what she was looking at his eyes widened and he quickly moved to cover the burn mark on his collar bone that his shirt had revealed. He sighed, knowing that this conversation was far from over.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

A few hours later showed the pair in an empty class room in a deserted part of the school that hadn't been used in years.

Warren was lying in Layla's lap while she was combing her fingers through his hair. Not long after she saw the burn mark did lunch end. She wanted to know what had happened, and she wanted to know right then and there. He also didn't want to go back to class at the moment; he just wasn't in the mood. And so it worked out perfectly.

Except for the fact that she demanded that he tell her everything.

But in the end he had. He had told her all about his childhood, the change his dad had gone through from a loving father to a psycho maniac and all the hurt that change brought with it. He also told her about what happened the night before.

She hadn't expected any of that, not with the way he had always seemed to be sticking up for his father when he first met Will.

Turns out it was only because with all the years his father had been away in prison, he was able to mostly forget about all the hurt and remember all of the love his dad had given him and his mother before he changed.

But that was all gone now.

Layla hadn't known what to do, so she just held the older boy as he told his stories and let the few rebellious tears fall.

He had felt so much better after he told her everything; like a great weight was lifted off his chest.

As long as she was here with him, to help him, he would get through. He would go to Will's father tomorrow and tell him everything, Layla had convinced him.

He had never liked the police force, and they had never liked him either because of who his father was. And so she had suggested Warren go to the Commander for help.

He had only agreed if she came with him, and so she promised to be by his side through it all.

And so she came through when the next day, after school, showed Layla by his side, holding Warren's hand, as he talked to the Commander and Jetstream about his father and his abusive past.

She was also by his side, holding his hand, as he and his mother watched the Commander, Jetstream, and police force take his father away for the second, and last, time.

Layla was again by his side when his mother was in the hospital from a dangerous sickness, and again through her funeral a few months later.

Layla was there when he cried at night, when he would otherwise be alone. She had even convinced her parents to let him live in their home until he finished school, saved up enough money, and was old enough to live on his own.

That particular one had taken a lot of convincing, persuading, and arguments, but it was all worth it in the end. Warren refused to just sit around and make himself a burden, his mother had taught him better. He helped around the house whenever he could, made sure the guest bedroom they gave him was always spotless, and helped out with the bills when he had the money to spare.

She was always there for him like she promised, and their relationship blossomed. After long, they were inseparable.

Not long after they both graduated Sky High they were living together, and a few years after that they were engaged.

Years later and they were both still by each others' sides. When their first child was born, Warren was of course scared as all hell because of his father. But Layla found a way to bring him out of that fear.

"You are nothing like your father," she whispered in his ear as they lay in their bed. "And you're going to be a great dad," she smiled up at him and laid his hand on her bulging stomach. "I promise," and they both smiled at each other lovingly and fell asleep in each others' arms.

Life showed them grow up and grow old together. It showed their children grow and move away, but it never showed them grow apart.

Of course there were arguments on the way; no relationship is perfect. But they loved each other and they were there for each other, and that's all that truly mattered.

ok, i know this story was a little short. Sorry. Hope you guys liked it though.

R&R PLEASE!