As the school bell rang out to signal the start of the day, Gabriel made it just in time through the school gates, his backpack slung over his shoulder.
"Are you ok, Gabe?" Jai-Lee asked, her bright blue eyes sparkling with concern as she fell into step beside him.
"I'm as okay as I can be," Gabriel replied, his voice laced with a hint of sarcasm.
"Let's go before Miss Childs blows her casket." The two friends quickened their pace, their sneakers squeaking on the polished floor as they rushed to their class.
As they turned a corner, a leg popped out of nowhere, tripping Gabriel up. But as he started to drop to the ground, everything seemed to go into slow motion. Gabriel's eyes locked onto the leg, and he saw the sneering face of Harry, the school's star quarterback. But with Gabriel's newfound powers, he was able to save himself. What would've been a face-plant for nearly everyone, Gabriel managed to avoid, landing in a perfect press-up position. The movement was fluid and effortless, a testament to Gabriel's enhanced reflexes.
Harry's face quickly changed from joy to frustration as he realized his plan had been foiled. "That's impossible," he growled, his face reddening with anger. "I timed that perfectly," he added, his voice dripping with indignation.
"Well, clearly not perfect enough," Gabriel replied, a smirk playing on his lips.
"Thank God," Jai-Lee chimed in, rolling her eyes.
"I see you haven't got rid of your pit bull," Harry sneered, his eyes narrowing at Jai-Lee.
"And I see all the millions of dollars your father has couldn't buy you a new brain," Jai-Lee shot back, her voice laced with venom.
The football team standing behind Harry snickered at Jai-Lee's jab, but their laughter was short-lived. "Ouch," one of them said, wincing in sympathy. Harry quickly turned to his teammates, giving them a stern look. The team quickly shut up, their faces falling into line. Gabriel watched the exchange with a mixture of amusement and annoyance. He knew that Harry's behavior was just a facade, a mask to hide his own insecurities. But that didn't make him any less infuriating to deal with.
"Gabriel, put your muzzle back on your pit and keep it on a lead," said Harry.
"She's not my bodyguard, Harry. She's just my friend. Friends look out for each other, Harry," said Gabriel.
"Well, football trials are after school today. You're gonna need your friend to hold your hand at that too?" The rest of the team started laughing, prompting Harry to give them high fives.
"Harry, I-"
"He'll be there," interrupted Jai-Lee.
"Well, I'll see you there," said Harry before putting his arm around a few of his team members and walking off.
"Jai, what are you doing? I can't go to this," said Gabriel.
"Of course you can," said Jai-Lee.
"I think you're forgetting something... the fact I can't control my powers. We don't have a clue what triggers my transformation, and you want me to play full contact?" said Gabriel.
"You're right. I didn't think about it like that. I just wanted to shut that arrogant pompous mouth. After class, we'll just slip out the back. You'll be fine."
As they made their way into class, Miss Childs swiftly shut the door behind them.
"Better late than never, Gabriel."
"Miss, Jai was late too, y'know."
"Yes, she was. A pupil who has never been late to my class turns up with a pupil who's been late more times than I choose to count. Hmmm," said Miss Childs.
"I'll just take my seat," said Gabriel.
"Now that everyone is seated, today we'll be doing chemistry lab experiments in groups of two," Miss Childs announced, her voice carrying across the room. "I implore you to pick your lab partner wisely because the groups you pick now will be the pair you stay in for your end-of-term group experiment." The students began to murmur and look around, searching for a partner. Gabriel and Jai-Lee quickly paired up, their friendship and familiarity making the decision an easy one.
As the lesson progressed, Gabriel was in his own world, thinking about everything that had transpired over the last few days. His mind was preoccupied with the strange occurrences and his newfound abilities, leaving Jai-Lee to do most of the work. She measured out chemicals and mixed solutions, her brow furrowed in concentration. Miss Childs noticed Gabriel's lack of participation and headed over to their desk with the science tray she was holding.
But as she got closer to Jai-Lee and Gabriel, she tripped over one of the kids' bags left out, causing her to fall. Gabriel instinctively jumped up, catching the tray and everything on it perfectly in one arm—and Miss Childs in the other. Not a single chemical spilled, and the students who saw what happened gasped in amazement. Their mouths dropped, and they couldn't believe what they had seen.
Neither could Miss Childs, as she remained there, lost for words. She stared up at Gabriel, her eyes wide with surprise and gratitude. "Thank you, Gabriel," she finally managed to say, her voice trembling slightly. But before she could say anything else, the bell rang, signaling the end of the lesson.
Gabriel quickly helped Miss Childs to her feet, placed the tray down, and speed-walked out of the room. As he walked down the hall, everything seemed to slow down; except for his heartbeat, which was pounding a hundred miles per hour. He watched the students move by in slow motion, their gaze awkwardly locking onto him. Some of them whispered to each other, their eyes wide with excitement and curiosity. Gabriel knew he needed to calm down before things got out of control.
But as he continued walking, he bumped into one of Harry's friends; David. David's eyes narrowed, and a sly smile spread across his face. "Hey, Gabriel," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Looks like you're quite the superhero." Gabriel's eyes locked onto David's, his mind racing with possibilities. What did David want? Gabriel knew that David wouldn't just let him go like that, he had a feeling that trouble was brewing