Bubble Boy

Nightingale Academy – Morning

Troy walked through the school gates, his hood pulled low as the murmurs of students buzzed around him.

"Did you hear? Kasey kissed Troy yesterday, and he pushed her away!"

"How does an F-Class like him reject Kasey of all people?"

"He must be crazy. If she kissed me, I'd worship the ground she walked on!"

Troy clenched his fists. He knew this would happen. No one cared why he pushed Kasey away, only that he did. But he had other things on his mind, he really want to see Annie, he want to see her smile again. The image that keep playing in his head is Annie's sad expression. His head pounded with frustration, and he needed to get away from the noise.

He turned down an empty stairwell, exhaling deeply as he leaned against the wall.

Then he felt it, a shift in the air.

Before he could react, a deafening force slammed into him, launching him backward. His spine cracked against the wall, the sheer pressure pinning him in place like an invisible weight pressing down on his chest.

Kasey stood at the top of the stairs, her blue eyes burning with rage. "How dare you reject me?" Her voice was laced with venom, layered over the crushing sound waves that held him captive.

Troy gritted his teeth, struggling to form a bubble, but the pressure of the sound waves popped it instantly.

"You're an F-Class, Troy!" Kasey stepped closer, her power intensifying. The wall behind him cracked. His ears rang painfully, blood trickling from his nose. His vision blurred.

"Any guy would kill to be in your place. And you..." Kasey's voice rose, the sound waves amplifying to a crushing force. "You had the audacity to push me away?"

Troy's lungs screamed for air. His knees buckled. He could feel himself slipping away.

Then, suddenly, silence.

Kasey's outstretched hand jerked downward. The force that held Troy vanished, and he collapsed onto one knee, gasping.

A figure stood between them.

Emily.

"Cut it out," she said, her voice sharp. The air around her shimmered with unseen energy, telekinesis.

Kasey scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Stay out of this, Emily."

Emily walked directly infront of Kasey. Staring directly into eyes with an intense aura.

Emily didn't budge. "Or what?"

A tense silence stretched between them before Kasey finally turned on her heel and walked away.

Emily sighed, then crouched beside Troy. "Come on. You're bleeding everywhere."

Troy wiped his face, wincing. "I'm fine."

"Yeah, sure," she muttered, hauling him up with her powers. "You owe me for this."

Troy sat on the examination table as the school nurse dabbed antiseptic on his wounds. His ears were still ringing.

Emily leaned against the counter, arms crossed. "So… what the hell did you do to piss off Queen Kasey that bad?"

Troy exhaled. "She kissed me. I pushed her away. Annie saw."

Emily snorted. "Wow. Bold move for an F-Class."

"Yeah, thanks for reminding me."

Emily studied him for a moment. "Annie didn't show up today."

Troy's stomach twisted. She must still be upset…

Before he could respond, the bell rang.

"Come on, lover boy," Emily said, walking out the door. "Try not to get yourself killed before lunch."

Troy sat stiffly at the table, the awkward tension almost suffocating. The usual laughter and loud conversations were replaced by quiet glances and unspoken words.

Across from him, Kasey twirled a lock of blonde hair around her finger, completely unfazed.

Jackson drummed his fingers on the table. "So…" He smirked. "Troy, my guy. You turned down Kasey? Kasey?"

Carter chuckled. "Man's either fearless or stupid."

Troy wasn't in the mood. "I don't feel like talking about it."

Kasey leaned forward, her voice smooth. "You know, Troy… you can still change your mind."

Troy's jaw tightened. "Not interested."

Kasey sighed dramatically, standing up. "Your loss." She walked away, her presence still lingering like an echo.

The table stayed silent.

Troy exhaled, rubbing his temples. What a damn day.

Troy poked at his food, barely hearing the conversation around him. His mind kept drifting to Annie. He could still see the hurt in her eyes from yesterday.

"She didn't show up today…" Emily's words echoed in his head.

He knew he had to fix this.

"This Saturday… I'm going to stand in front of her house, dressed in a suit, with chocolates and flowers. I'll play a love song on a radio on full blast and confess my feelings, just like Jace said."

It was dramatic. Embarrassing, even. But if it worked in movies, it had to work in real life.

"Earth to Troy!"

Carter snapped his fingers in front of Troy's face, pulling him out of his daze. The whole table was looking at him now.

"You good, bro?" Jackson asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, just… tired," Troy muttered.

Carter smirked. "Nah, you were totally in your own world. Let me guess… thinking about Kasey?"

Troy rolled his eyes. "No."

Jackson leaned back. "Anyway, we were talking about going out tonight, Bubble Crew business. You in?"

Troy hesitated. He had training with Jace tonight.

Before he could answer, Jackson changed the subject. "Also, what's the plan for Saturday? I wanna go out."

I guess Jace just gotta understand , I also have to spend time with the bubble crew and not like he will kill me or anything.

Troy then thinks about how hard Jace makes his training when he misses one session. Or maybe he will kill me.

Carter stretched his arms. "Can't. I'm busy."

Jackson clicked his tongue. "Guess it's just the three of us then."

Troy shook his head. "I'm busy too."

Jackson groaned. "Bro, really?"

Troy smirked slightly. "You and Emily can go, though."

Emily, who had been sipping her drink, nearly choked. A faint blush crept up her face.

Jackson grinned. "Hey, that's not a bad idea."

Emily quickly composed herself. "Wait, what?"

Jackson smiles confidently. "Yeah when last did you go out just the two of us , probably last when we were kids."

Emily blushes. "Mhmm, that's true."

Jackson thinks about the days they were kids. "It's definitely going to be fun. Just like the old days."

Emily becomes even more redder. "Yep , I can't wait."

Troy leaned back and smiled like he just saved the world. "Debt's paid."

He held out his fist and looked at Emily with a smile.

Emily hesitated for a second before bumping it with her fist.

For a moment, the two shared a knowing look, an inside moment.

Jackson and Carter exchanged glances. "Okay… what was that?"

"Yeah, what the hell was that?" Carter added.

Troy just smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Emily simply shrugged, but the faint redness in her cheeks didn't go unnoticed.

Later that night Troy adjusted his mask, pulling the hood over his head. The rest of the crew stood beside him, fully suited up.

Inferno, Umbra, and Psion, all ready for action.

"Alright," Jackson said, igniting a small flame in his palm. "Let's go remind the city who we are."

Troy exhaled, pushing aside his lingering thoughts about Annie.

Tonight, he was Bubble Boy.

And the city needed saving.