Bubble Boy

Troy adjusted his tie for the third time in the hallway mirror, a bundle of nervous energy tightening his chest. He smoothed his suit, glancing down at the bouquet of fresh red roses in one hand and the heart-shaped box of chocolates in the other. The old-school radio strapped over his shoulder was set to play one of Annie's favorite songs, the perfect soundtrack to what was undoubtedly the dumbest, most reckless idea Jace had ever convinced him to do.

Still, he was doing it.

He took a deep breath and moved toward the door, only to freeze when his mother's voice rang out from behind him.

"Where do you think you're going all dressed up like that, and with gifts, no less?"

Troy turned to see his mom leaning against the kitchen counter, arms crossed, a knowing smile playing on her lips.

His grip on the flowers tightened. "It's for… someone special."

Her smile widened. "A girl, huh?"

He nodded, his expression softening. "Yeah. And she's amazing, Mom. One day, you'll meet her. Even though you met her before."

These words make her think about the girl who was with her at the hospital when Troy got injured and this made her smile.

She studied him for a moment before stepping forward, cupping his cheek with gentle fingers. "Then go make sure she knows that."

Troy grinned. "Already on it."

With that, he stepped out, ready to make an absolute fool of himself.

The sun hung lazily in the sky as Troy planted himself in front of Annie's house, adjusting the radio on his shoulder. With a deep breath, he hit play, blasting the melody of an over the top love song into the quiet neighborhood.

Then he shouted.

"ANNIE! I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE! I'M SORRY FOR BEING AN IDIOT! I SHOULD HAVE TOLD YOU SOONER, BUT I..."

The neighbour's window creaked open, and instead of Annie's face, an annoyed old man leaned out.

"Boy, shut that damn thing off!"

Troy fumbled with the radio, quickly cutting the music. "Wait, where's Annie?"

The man's scowl deepened. "You don't know?"

A sinking feeling twisted in Troy's gut. "Know what?"

The old man sighed. "She got into a serious accident. She's in the hospital."

The world tilted.

The chocolates nearly slipped from his grasp. His heartbeat pounded in his ears.

"What…?"

"She's in bad shape, kid. You better get moving."

Troy didn't wait for another word.

He ran. And ran not taking any breaks as his heart continued to beat even louder in his ears.

The hospital loomed ahead, sterile and cold. Troy pushed through the front doors, his mind racing. He asked for Annie's room, barely hearing the nurse's instructions before sprinting down the hallway.

But before he could enter, the door swung open.

And he was met with a slap so hard it burned.

His head snapped to the side, his cheek stinging. His eyes locked onto Annie's mother, her face streaked with tears, her entire body trembling.

"You did this!" she sobbed, her voice breaking. "You're the one who forced her into this life! You..."

Her voice gave out, and she clutched at her chest, sobbing uncontrollably.

Troy's breath hitched. His hands trembled. "What… what are you talking about?"

Her father stepped forward, his face hard and lined with grief. "You were her hero. She admired you, wanted to be like you. But she wasn't ready, Troy. She was in way over her head, trying to impress you… and now…"

He swallowed, his jaw tightening. "Now she's in a coma."

The chocolates fell from Troy's hands, hitting the floor with a dull thud.

His heart stopped.

Garden Girl.

The new vigilante. The one who had shown up out of nowhere, fighting for the weak, standing against the powerful.

It had been Annie.

It had been Annie all along.

If only he listened to his gut to watch a video of her, he would of definitely recognise her, he could of stopped her before this happened or even let her join the bubble crew where she would of been safer.

But I was to busy worried about friends, worried about random people when the girl I love was fighting for her life.

And now she was lying in a hospital bed because of me.

Troy stepped into the room, each breath like swallowing glass. The sight before him shattered the last of his resolve.

Annie lay motionless on the hospital bed, her face half burned, her entire body wrapped in bandages. Her arm and leg were in casts. Machines beeped rhythmically, a cruel reminder that she was still alive, but barely.

Beside her, Sam sat with her tiny hands clenched into fists, tears streaming down her face. She turned toward Troy, her eyes red, filled with grief and something sharper.

Rage.

"Bubble Boy," she whispered, her voice cracking. "Find the guy who did this to my sister and make him pay."

Troy's hands curled into fists. His chest heaved, rage and guilt twisting into something unrecognizable.

He placed the flowers on the table beside her, his fingers brushing against the rough fabric of the hospital sheets.

Then he turned and walked out.

He couldn't be here.

Not right now.

Not when he was falling apart.

Sitting in the hospital hallway, Troy pulled out his phone with shaking hands. He needed to see. He needed to know. He needed to know who done this to Annie.

With a deep breath, he searched for Garden Girl's latest video.

He hesitated to press play on the video. Until his rage started to fester inside his heart pushing him to press play.

And then he watched.

The video started with her introducing herself as Garden Girl and her speaking about cleaning the streets.

She places the her phone down so it can capture a small crime taking place, a guy is tagging a wall in a alley. She confronts the guy and quickly bind him in thick roots.

She is about to walk away until a blast of water pushes her of her feet and a new figure walks into frame, it's Elemental.

This makes Troy bite his lip with his eyes filled with anger. He bites even harder causing blood to drip onto the ground from his lip.

Annie get's up still full of vigor and shoots roots at Elemental that he easily blocks by burning them to ash. This makes him laugh at how weak she is.

Elemental begins toying with her. Smirking, laughing, unleashing fire, wind, earth, and water with ruthless precision. Annie fought back, but she was outmatched. Outclassed. She begged him to stop.

But he didn't.

The final blow was pure cruelty, an enormous burst of fire that consumed her screams.

Troy's hands clenched so hard his nails cut into his palm.

His vision blurred, red hot fury burning through every nerve in his body.

Elemental did this.

Elemental left her broken, burning, and alone.

A tremor ran through him, his body shaking with rage.

Troy had never killed before.

But right now?

He wanted to.