Chen.

A boiling wall of heat began to engulf me, causing my hair to rise as if static electricity charged the air. I swung my face away from Jade's and looked at Brody and Carson.

The Incineration Pair.

Great, I thought, my hair starting to cook where I stood.

Chen flung the door open, all blackness and ninja. She swung her arm out and the wall of heat suddenly dissipated. Brody's fists clenched and Carson scowled. Poor saps, foiled in their heat wave by the principal.

"Can anyone tell me why there was a preemptive pyro event happening here?" Chen asked. Jensen the Janitor was peeking around her shoulder, topping her by ten inches. It was funny really. I got the crooked mouth again.

Jade walked over to me and I slid my arm around her waist, my balls a low drone of pain. It'd be a night and half the next day before they felt okay.

Carson, Buddy, Brody, Brett and Diego straggled over to the far side of the room and Chen's eyes narrowed on them momentarily then shifted to me. "How is it that you're involved here?"

I could tell that I was gonna have to think fast. I had just been in her office this week. Let me think. No fighting or making out. Well, I blew that all to hell.

I opened my mouth to answer when Lewis said, "They ganged up on me and somehow..." he gave a quizzical look at us then turned his attention back to Chen, "they came and stopped it."

Chen looked at Lewis, taking in his beaten face, the large gray eyes, steady and haunting. Her eyes shifted to the losers. "There is a zero tolerance at KPH for abusing other students. Zero," Chen repeated in a tone.

They remained sullen and quiet. And it was at that point that Chen noticed Christi looking pathetic and weak on the floor.

"Oh my! Who hurt a girl?" Her gaze fell on my group and I just shook my head. I wasn't going to rat Tiff out but none of us guys would touch a girl. I couldn't say the same for Carson and now, Diego.

Christi scented the possibility of sympathy and maneuvered her position until she could look up at Chen with those luminous whiskey eyes of hers, her nose bashed up. A small face with eyes that took up half of it. Even I had to admit, had I not known Christi, I would have wanted to hammer a guy that did that to her. She sat there looking fragile and beaten and it wasn't a guy. It'd been Tiff. She'd deserved it. Still, I kinda felt bad about it. Must be in my DNA I thought with dismay, the desire to protect a female. Even one as horrible as Christi.

Tiff didn't have that biological directive.

"I did it," Tiff volunteered. Bry put his face in his hands.

"Thank you for your honesty, Miss Weller. You will receive a less severe suspension than your peers."

John groaned, thinking of the crucifixion he would receive at home. Mrs. Terran would have him encasing the basement furniture in plastic.

For a couple of days. While cleaning the microwave hinges with a toothbrush. Pink apron strapped on for added torture.

Her attention swiveled back to Carson's group and she asked, "Why were you abusing your classmate?"

Nobody said anything. Finally, after watching the boys shift around nervously, Lewis said, "I'm gay, Miss Chen."

Chen looked at him. Then she said, "What does that have to do with anything?"

He spread his hands out and laughed, dried blood edging his nostrils. "You wouldn't ask that if you were gay."

"I am not trying to be condescending on purpose, Mr. Archer. I truly don't know why... were you being targeted because of your sexual orientation?"

God, catch a clue, Chen. Duh. With that group? I think so.

She scowled. "Are you certain, because that flirts with a hate crime."

He nodded. "They'll tell you that I was provoking them. But I wasn't. It was them. They knew. Every day, day in and day out, it was, 'how's it hangin' pretty boy?' Or, 'packed any fudge lately?' I'd say that qualifies as hate to me."

I thought so too.

She folded her arms across her chest and looked at Carson. "You admit to this? Is his retelling accurate? You know that fighting, using your ability against others, and this issue you allegedly have with sexual orientation go directly against what you pulsed your consent for. That your parents pulse-consented at the start of school?"

He nodded.

"What do you have to say for yourself? In your own defense."

Carson tapped his temple with a smirk. "He got on my gay-dar, Miss Chen. That's it. We're all jocks here. He was checkin' out our strap placement...if you feel me."

And he grabbed his package, doing a disgusting hip thrust.

Wow. The room filled with an awkward silence and I saw Mia turn her face away in disgust. I think that was the unanimous feel for Carson.

Chen's lips formed a grim line. She didn't say anything, but whipped out her pulse and stabbed her thumb into the pad.

Sliding it back in her pocket she looked at my group. Me specifically. "Caleb, leave the school grounds with the girls. I will be in touch."

I didn't like leaving her here with these clowns. She was an adult, and I shouldn't have given two shits. But I did. I looked at Jensen, immediately dismissing him as incapable. Of anything.

"What about..." I stretched the arm that wasn't holding Jade toward the jerk posse.

"I have people coming."

"Let me stay until they do," I said.

"Suck-up," Brett said derisively.

Jade looked at him. "Maybe he just thinks you guys are capable of stuff. He just wants things to be alright."

Brett stared at her and I could feel my heart speed. I calmed it with difficulty. Parker's warning was in my head. That's all I needed was Clyde to pop in for a little convo with Miss Chen in attendance.

Chen looked at them. "Less is more, boys. Right now, you're in hot water." She looked at Archer, who had gotten off the floor and was wiping off the seat of his pants. He made his way to the sink and washed his hands laboriously while we all watched. He acted like there was no amount of soap to clean him. The incident was permanently emblazoned on his psyche.

I felt Gale approaching before she entered the restroom, Garcia on her tail. Her eyes met mine and took in the scene. She smiled at me and I had a small amount of pride.

It was the first time they'd arrived at a scene without zombies.

*

We'd shuffled out in the hall and I said, "Let the cops ream Carson and his dipshits. I need to pulse my mom." The gang looked at me but immediately began discussing how righteous it would be with the ass-hats on vacation for a couple of weeks.

I pressed my thumb on the pad and thought, Mom: Initializing.

Where are you? AH

modulation stress detected there was a little issue here at school Mom.- CH

sighs-zombies? AH

Not this time.- CH

What? AH

Can I have some friends over? I'll explain it all then.- CH

Yes...how many? AH

A lot.- CH

Okay...I'll make more chili.- AH

Great, Flatulence Central.

Feedback, honey.- AH

Right. I jerked my thumb off. I never seemed to get a whole pulse out without keeping my thumb on the pad and then someone heard a random thought. Not good. A vision of some of my thoughts about Jade rose to the surface and I shuddered, envisioning Mom getting some of that feedback.

See ya soon.- CH

K, honey.- AH

I crammed the pulse into my back pocket and explained to the friends.

Lewis shifted around uncomfortably, "Thanks, Caleb. I mean, I can't say I'm not flattered to be included at your place but... I don't really know you."

I nodded, true. "Here's the deal. I can't stand those mouth-breathers. If they don't like you, well, that gets my vote."

Archer's eyes flicked to Jonesy.

"What?" Jonesy said, a tad too innocent. We all looked at him.

"I was thinking that Jonesy may be a bit too homophobe to put up with my gay presence."

"What?! I'm a modern dude. I can handle that your door swings the opposite way."

John smacked his forehead. Bry grinned. The girls looked on with horror. But like with any good train wreck, we were all there for the duration. It was comical. Archer had twin pieces of toilet paper stuck up his nose to stem the blood flow and light bruising under his eyes, while trying to defend his sexual orientation. Surreal.

Broken nose for sure. All that because he was gay.

"I know you're not real comfortable about the homosexuality, Mark. You've got a rep around school. You're a player, we all know that."

"I don't have anything against gay dudes."

The girls looked at him with identical expressions of disbelief and Archer noticed. He started to back away saying, "It's okay. I understand. I wouldn't want the bull's-eye on my ass either. Hanging out with some gay guy, it could get you noticed." He began to walk away with a stiff gait, speaking to injuries we couldn't see.

Jade rushed to him, "Wait!"

Lewis turned and she hugged him. I would have been jealous if I hadn't been so stunned. He looked down and gave her the most serious look I'd ever seen on a kid. "Thanks, Jade."

"I know you," she said as we all made a loose circle around her.

"You do, do you?" he asked with a smirk. "Who am I?"

"You're the boy that's going to save my life."

He took a step back and so did we. Jade looked at him and he returned her gaze. "Did you... are you the one...?" he began, stammering.

She nodded. "I saw what they were going to do to you."

"You saved me," he said simply.

She nodded. "And you will save me."

"How do you know?" he asked, dazed.

That made two of us.

She tapped her temple in a sad way. "Miss Tulle says I have a dash of Precognitive."

He suddenly grinned and we were dazzled, his sudden joy in the dim school hallway a brilliant swath of light. "Me too." He pulled out his wallet and dug around, extracting a small sketch.

It was Jade, and she had hands buried in the tender flesh of her neck, her eyes bulging, breath but a memory.

I looked at him, making my way to where he stood.

Alex stopped me with two fingers, shaking his head no. "He's Precog Caleb. He's not gonna do that. It's what he sees is going to happen."

Jonesy was palming his chin, looking thoughtful. Great.

"Back on this gay thing..."

Alex frowned and Archer's shoulders fell a little. John said, "Jonesy, I don't think that's the focus here. Let's find out this connection with Jade."

Tiff rolled her eyes. "Yeah, Jones, stop having penis envy and let's find out something important!"

"I don't have penis envy, Tiff. I don't need to."

Sophie made a sound in the back of her throat and Jonesy glanced at her.

Archer held up his hand. "Listen, I knew this about Mark."

"Why do ya keep calling me Mark?" Jonesy asked.

"Isn't that your name?" Lewis asked.

"Yeah."

"Jonesy doesn't suit you," Lewis shrugged.

John grinned.

"Suit me? You talk funny," Jonesy said, trying to work up to being offended.

"I think he speaks really well," Mia noted.

The guys looked at her and Tiff said, "Calm down fools, he obviously doesn't threaten your future romances."

A small smile curled Archer's lips. That's when I knew he'd fit right in. Taking on the Jonester was perfect.

"Anyway, your virtue is safe. I don't find you remotely attractive."

Jonesy stared at him. The unspoken thought having been uttered out loud. Nice.

Jonesy crossed his arms. "Why not? Is it cuz I'm black?"

Archer barked out a laugh then winced, ribs were bruised I'd bet. "No," his grin widening. "But let me ask you this: do you find all girls attractive?"

Jonesy rolled his eyes skyward, lots of white showing. He thought about it for a few heartbeats. "No," grudgingly.

"There you have it. I am just as picky as the next guy."

"Not all guys are picky. Look at my dumb-ass brother. He went out with Christi last year," Tiff said with a sneer.

Bry blanched. He'd probably been hoping that we'd all had amnesia on that one.

"Thanks, Tiff," Bry muttered.

Lewis looked at Bry. "Not a really good judge of character, Bryan?"

"She was so hot..." he mourned again.

"That's such a tired excuse, Bry," Sophie said to him while she looked at Jonesy. He narrowed his eyes on her.

"That just makes me want to kick her ass again," Tiff said.

Nice.

"Okay," I held up my palms. "Let's get outta here and to my house. Archer, are you in?"