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Tensions had been running high among Christian, Rory and Wisp; Chris and Wisp were still not speaking to each other, had taken different seats on either side of whichever class they were in, and were running a campaign of silence together. The band was progressing, but the friendship sure as heck wasn't. Wisp looked wan and miserable but tossed her head and looked determined every time her old best friend was around, and although she greeted Rory and talked to her a little the reluctance and nervousness was obvious.

After the beach party -- where they hadn't really spoken at all -- it was with quite a guilty start that Wisp looked up to see Rory one lunchtime, sitting on a cafeteria table outside and opening up her lunch, underneath the shade of a big umbrella. Christian was nowhere to be seen; it was obvious that the blonde girl had tried to scan for him.

"Hi Rory," said Wisp, trying to sound normal, but failing miserably. "What's the haps?"

"Lots," Rory answered. She was getting really tired of the 'silence camps' and she didn't like feeling torn between two people. Her two best friends. That little fight she had with Chris was bad, but this seemed to be worse!

She took a seat under the tree, sitting right next too Wisp with a determined look. "I want to know what's going on with you and Chris, though. That's what." Obviously she was so tired of this; she didn't even want to beat around the bush about the problem. She went right for it.

Wisp groaned and buried her face in her arms, pushing aside her ham sandwich so that she could faceplant better. Trust honest Rory to get right to the heart of the matter; her voice was muffled into her long-sleeved top. "He didn't tell you?"

"If he told me, why would I be askin?" Rory asked, though her tone was softer now. She didn't even pull out her lunch. "All I know is that he doesn't like us being superheros.. and I still blame that on tights."

"I never wanted him to wear tights! He didn't have to wear tights!" Wisp sounded despondent. "It was because -- he -- we went out on patrol, Ror, and it was awesome, we met this guy who was trying to jack a car and we fought him and Chris squished the light pole into a pretzel and handcuffed him and it was great. Justice was done. But then he started yelling at me about hurting people and about getting hurt and about shooting, which was weird because the guy tried to shoot at me but his gun didn't even work, you know? And he was all weird about me jumping off a wall!"

Rory listened to the adventure that she had missed and frowned at the details. "Let me get this stright: you jumped off a wall? How high up was it? And the car jaker shot at you?!" she was greatly alarmed at this situation. She didn't want anyone SHOT!

No wonder Chris was mad! He was worried about her!

Wisp immediately waved her hands in alarm. "It wasn't that high," she said, "or I would've broken my legs, right? And I was fine! And the guy didn't even shoot his gun at ALL. Chris was just going nuts making a mountain out of -- out of an anthill! And my rainbow whip is going awesome, I picked up a crowbar with it, it was great. Seriously, Rory, freedom won that day. And then Chris ruined it."

"Ok, so it wasn't that high a wall, and the gun didn't work," Rory repeated, showing she was paying attention. Then she hugged her knees to her, looking at her other best friend. "I think, though, that Chris was scared you'd seariously get hurt. I mean, that guy's gun didn't work, but what about another guys? You know how protective he is!"

"It wasn't even about me," argued Wisp. "I mean, if he'd said, 'Wisp, I was seriously worried about you,' then, you know, that would have been one thing, but he was more like 'this is a stupid idea you are leading me unto temptation,' and I don't even know what he means. It's so stupid. He's never wanted to hurt people before, why would catching criminals make him want to? He's just -- so -- so -- "

Filled with frustration, she took another bite of her ham sandwich. The expression on her face wasn't all anger, though; it was marked guilt. If she was hurting Chris, and making him want to do things, well...

"That... doesn't make sense at all," Rory said, blinking about it. "Cuz Chris -doesn't- want to hurt people. He's nice like that! Sure he looks scarry, but he's not," she said, pulling out her turkey sandwich and taking a bit out of it, mulling over the problem.

"So, he doesn't want you to go out because he gets tempted to do bad things...? Like.. like Wolverine type of good-bad guy?" she asked, still confused.

"Yes!" Relieved that Aurora was finally getting it, Wisp cocked her head in equal dismay. "And that's not him at all. Why would he even say that? Or think that?"

"I'll have to talk to him about it," Rory concluded. "But, now, um.... about the band? Is it okay if I'm in it?" she asked Wisp, almost pleadingly.

After a moment, Wisp nodded, albeit a bit woefully; then she put on a brave smile and took another bite of her ham sandwich, tilting her blonde head to the side. "Yeah," she said. "Of course, Ror. I mean, I guess you'll have fun! It's not like it was your idea and.... I mean, you'll still be a superhero too, right?"

"Of course I will! Like Superman, only with a band? And, um.... We can hang out, ya know," she added, gently poking Wisp. "I wish you hadn't rejected the idea so fast. You could hang out if you wanted, forget what Jace says. I'll need something to wear that's good for shows, too, and who am I going to go shopping with?"

"I don't think Chris wants me in the band anyway," said her friend in quite a small voice; but then she plastered on the smile again and plucked at Rory's sleeve. "But I'll go shopping with you anyway! Let's go shopping for new tops!"

"I will talk to Chris about that too," Rory told her saddened friend. "You know Chris just wants us safe, and when we're not, he kinda flips, right? I mean, remember when we were tiny and needed his help from the monkey bars? He's always been over protective!"

Then she went a little silent, looking at her friend. "I don't want you shot, ok? Even if that time the gun didn't work. Maybe just be faster, so they don't have time?" She shook her head, realizing that wasn't something to go into right now, and plastered a big smile of her face for Wisp. "But shopping! We so have too again! Last time it was FUN! Antony might take us again! Or my Mama, or maybe we could just go ourselves!"

"He's got to learn," said Wisp, stubborn. "He's got to learn that I'm not important. It's everything else that's important. You're important; and I could -- I could get knocked down by a car before I got shot, you know?"

But she looked cheerfuller, and she said: "But I want to go shopping with you. A lot."

Wisp failed to grasp something very important about this: she was important to them. But Rory let that go for now. "Okay, shopping some time then!" she told her friend happily. "And sleepovers and things like that!"

Yeah, it was good to make sure your friends were at least a little happy.

It took him half the day to get the guts up to do this, Chris thought as he casually crossed in front of the tree where Wisp was sitting all alone, eating her lunch. His wrist flicked and a small bag landed on her lap. It was one of those shiny ones that moms got for their kids to use as gift wrapping.

Hanging from the handle was a little note that said in broad black marker writing, "I'm Sorry." He wasn't, really, he told himself, but he was supposed to do it.

Wisp had stiffened immediately, pausing in the middle of eating some raisins, obviously not knowing whether him flicking things at her was a call to war or otherwise; he hadn't paid any attention to her before, as though she'd been living on the surface of the moon, and her gut immediately clenched up in tangles as he finally made his approach.

Her hands fumbled with the little bag; when she opened it, there was a keychain there, of a yellow bunny rabbit. Yellow, pretty much her favourite colour (if she had a favourite colour) bunny rabbits, one of her favourite animals (if she had a favourite animal).

The box was immediately dropped from nerveless fingers as she stood up, upsetting raisins, bag and all, and there were two bright spots of colour in her cheeks: for a moment it seemed as though Wisp was going to yell at him. Then she simply launched herself at him bodily and buried her face in his midsection, trying to stretch her fairly small arms to get around him, which never really worked.

Aurora had been watching this from the sides, happy that Chris finally made his move. Even if he didn't look sorry for it! It was quite clear to anyone that Wisp needed it.

And it was boring without the other girl around. Wisp made a lot of things fun. Now, hopefully they could just get along again! The idea of Wisp not wanting to do anything dangerous was so out of the question, though.

Since he was still walking it wound up with Wisp riding him like a pony, clinging to his waist like that. "Oh c'mon already," he muttered. "It ain't that big a deal."

He was flushing purple, though, because it WAS really that big a deal. He had missed her, and just as soon as she got back they had started fighting! It wasn't good!

"It is that big a deal," said Wisp, muffled, into him, and if she had been a little younger she would have cried; her shoulders were shaking a little but the feeling passed, glad instead, face still buried and terribly terribly relieved. Incoherently, she added: "Please please please please please don't leave me ever again. I won't leave you either if you don't leave me."

Rory watched this, crossing her arms with a smug little smile on her face. See? This was a good idea! Chris had just been hardheaded about it! Why did boys get stupid sometimes? Why?

She wasn't going to speak till it was done, however.

He sighed. "Alright, already, I won't, okay?" he asked. "You can stop riding me now. Did you... did you like the patch?" he asked just a tiny bit shyly. He looked around for Rory, feeling uncomfortable with the situation.

"Patch?" It was only then that Wisp finally looked up and detached from Chris; she ran back to get the little bag, clutching the bunny keychain in her finger, rifling through the bag to get it. When she did, she immediately ran back to stand beside Chris again, obviously fearing that if she left him too long he would go away. She looked up at Rory and smiled radiantly; she was bouncing from foot to foot, laughing in delight. "You really got these for me? Was it Rory's idea? Thank you!"

"Chris picked it out! And the keychain was his idea too," Rory said proudly. She had wanted him to get her a stuffed animal, but Wisp was happy. That was fine!

She walked to the two now that they were done.

"Yeah, but..." Chris sighed. "You can join the band if you want. I dunno what you'll do, though, cuz we've got the instruments taken care of. But I guess you could help Jamie with the lights and stuff or something?"

"I can do fliers," said Wisp immediately, who had been thinking it up secretly with heart pangs ever since she'd found out about the band. "You know, like advertising? And I can paint the posters, and the CD covers, if you guys get CDs."

Life was suddenly good again.

"See? That is a good idea! We'll just check the spelling and stuff," Rory said, grinning at Chris. Finally their little trio was all back together! She just wasn't sure how Chris and Jace would deal with the likely bright colors Wisp would have used.

"Just remember we're ROCK, not POP, got it?" Chris asked dryly.

"Hey, I do rock!" Wisp said defensively, immediately mimicking an air guitar. "I do rave, too, and trance, because I heard it at a game Antony was playing and it's awesome -- " but seeing Rory's and Chris' expressions: "but rock, rock's cool too."

Rory laughed and hugged her colorful friend. "Good! This is going to be so much more fun with you in the band, now, too!" She then beamed at Chris. He did so well!

"Yeah, yeah," Chris said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "And we need R.H.E. shirts, too... like a logo, or something I guess. But no rainbows."

"No rainbows," said Wisp. "Got it."

They could have maneating bats if they wanted them.