Bubble Boy

The cafeteria hummed with the usual lunchtime chatter, but at the Bubble Crew's table, the mood was different.

Annie leaned back in her chair, sighing as she ran a hand through her newly cut hair. "I swear, I don't even know what subject we're supposed to be on. Ms. Everly said something about the upcoming exams, but I was in the hospital. So was Troy."

Troy groaned, resting his head on the table. "Yeah, and let's not forget we missed weeks of class. I barely even know what we're supposed to be studying."

"Guess that's what happens when you take a coma break," Carter teased, smirking.

Annie shot him a look, but there was no real malice behind it. "Yeah, hilarious, Carter. Maybe I should test how strong your shadows are against my vines next time."

Jackson chuckled, shaking his head. While looking at Annie and Troy. "Alright, alright. Look, if we don't start catching up now, both of you are gonna bomb the exams. And if that happens, Ms. Everly is not gonna be happy."

At that moment, a soft voice interrupted.

"Um… Kasey?"

Everyone turned to see a freshman girl standing beside their table. She was small, with warm brown skin, soft brown eyes, and long dark hair tied into a neat braid. There was an almost shy but kind aura about her, and when she smiled, it was like she was afraid of bothering them.

Kasey blinked in surprise. "Isabella? What's up?"

The girl fidgeted slightly, holding her books close to her chest. "I-I was wondering if you still wanted to study together? We talked about it before, and, um… exams are coming up, so…"

Before Kasey could answer, Carter snapped his fingers. "Wait a second, why don't we all study together? A group study session. You guys need help, Isabella is one of the top students at Nightingale Academy, so she probably has good notes, and studying alone sucks."

Isabella's eyes widened slightly, and a faint pink blush crept onto her cheeks as she glanced at Troy. "Oh, um… I mean, that would be fun. My house isn't too far from school. W-We could study there?"

Troy, oblivious to the way she was looking at him, nodded. "That actually sounds perfect. If I try to study alone, I'll probably just fall asleep."

Jackson smirked. "Alright, it's settled then. Isabella's house it is."

Isabella looked both nervous and excited, nodding quickly. "Okay! After school, then."

Isabella's house was cozy, warm, and smelled faintly of cinnamon.

The group had gathered in her living room, books and notes spread out on the coffee table. Annie sat cross legged on the floor, flipping through pages, while Troy sat next to her, looking completely lost.

"Okay," Isabella said, trying to keep everyone focused, "let's start with history. The exam is covering..."

"Pizza's here!" Jackson called from the kitchen, walking in with a box.

Carter immediately reached for a slice. "Forget history, this is the real priority."

Isabella giggled, though she quickly tried to regain control. "W-Wait, we have to study too!"

As the group ate and joked around, the tension from the day faded away. Even Kasey, who had been distant, seemed to relax a little.

Troy, mid bite, turned to Isabella. "By the way, thanks for letting us study here. This actually helped a lot."

Isabella's blush deepened. "Oh, it's no problem! Really! I-It's nice having people over."

Before anyone could respond, the front door opened.

A tall figure stepped in, dropping a gym bag onto the floor. His dark hair was slightly damp with sweat, his muscles tense from a long basketball practice. His sharp brown eyes scanned the room and then stopped dead on Troy.

Silence fell over the room.

Miguel.

Troy swallowed his bite of pizza slowly. "Oh. Hey, Miguel."

Miguel's jaw clenched, a flicker of electricity crackling along his fingertips. "What the hell is he doing in my house?"

Troy slowly placed his pizza down, exhaling sharply. "If I knew this was your house, I wouldn't have come."

Miguel stepped forward, eyes locked onto Troy like a predator cornering prey. Electricity crackled around his fingertips, the faint scent of ozone filling the air.

Annie frowned, glancing between them. "Wait… what's going on? Why do you two look like you're about to kill each other?"

Kasey sighed, rubbing her temple. "I forgot to tell you. Miguel is Isabella's older brother."

Miguel ignored the conversation, his glare burning into Troy. "You're really comfortable walking into my house like you belong here."

Troy stood, his posture relaxed but his expression hard. "I said I wouldn't have come if I knew. But we're here to study, not to fight."

Miguel scoffed. "Like hell you're not looking for a fight." He stepped closer, standing directly in front of Troy.

Troy didn't back down. He stood up straighter, his jaw tightening as he met Miguel's glare head-on. The air between them grew thick with tension, Miguel's electricity humming against Troy's skin.

The rest of the group held their breath. Jackson looked ready to step in, Carter leaned forward slightly, and Annie's hand hovered near her chair as if preparing to get between them.

Isabella, her face now pale with panic, quickly moved between them, placing her hands on her brother's chest. "Miguel, please. Stop."

Miguel's fists clenched, his eyes flicking down to his sister. He took a deep breath, exhaling sharply. Then, without another word, he turned and stormed down the hall, disappearing into his room with a loud slam of the door.

The room stayed silent for a moment.

Isabella turned back to Troy, wringing her hands together. "I-I'm sorry. I should have told you sooner."

Troy shook his head, forcing a small smile. "Not your fault."

Jackson cleared his throat, trying to ease the tension. "Sooo… should we get back to studying? Before Miguel decides to fry the house?"

The group chuckled awkwardly, the moment slowly passing. But as they returned to their books, Troy couldn't shake the feeling that this wouldn't be the last time he and Miguel clashed.

Meanwhile at Troy's apartment , the dim light of the bedside lamp cast a soft glow over the room. Troy's mother sat on the edge of his bed, her fingers tracing the worn edges of an old photograph.

The man in the picture stared back at her, a strong jawline, a confident smile, a Trigon Lab's coat draped over his shoulders. It was her husband and Troy's father.

Her grip on the photo tightened.

Beside her, Troy's medical records lay open. The usual details were there, name, age, blood type but her eyes were fixed on one section.

Classification: SSS Class.

She swallowed hard, her breathing unsteady.

"This can't happen," she whispered. Her hands trembled as she gently closed the file, pressing it against her chest.

"I can't let him know the truth… If he ever finds out…" She looked toward the door, her heart hammering.

"It might turn him into a monster."