The door to the classroom swung open violently, causing Skylar to jump in surprise. From the back corner of the room, he stared at the doorframe with wide and curious eyes. One of his classmates, Alton, stomped into the room. His face was a deep red in contrast with his white-blond hair, and his chest rose and fell at an accelerated rate. Skylar debated if he was going to speak up, but he decided against it as Alton’s hand shot forward and began glowing. A similar white hue surrounded one of the front desks, picked it up off the floor, and effortlessly slammed it into the front wall.

Skylar took a deep breath and briefly considered casting invisibility on himself. Maybe it was best that Alton didn’t know someone else was in the classroom…

“Should’ve been his desk,” Alton glared at the busted wood and metal. “Maybe I’ll just set his precious file cabinet on fire.”

Skylar felt himself sinking down further into his chair as he slowly enveloped himself in an invisibility cast. He didn’t plan to stick around and become a possible accessory to any crime Alton was about to commit. He stared at the classroom door and debated his best escape plan until his conscience began gnawing at him. Running away was not only tempting, it was the smart thing to do. But he told himself he was going to stop running away from everything. Everyone always compared him to his older brother—“Now is that what Robin would do?”—and he caved. If there was any time to start living up to the expectations his brother had set, now was the time.

His cast dissipated and he slid his chair back, the squeak bouncing off the walls and catching Alton’s attention. When the two’s eyes locked, both of them shared similar horrified expressions. Skylar hadn’t thought any of this through, and Alton looked like a deer in the headlights.

“Skylar…” Alton laughed nervously. The ruined desk at his feet slowly began to repair itself around the short teen until it sat back in it’s original state. The only evidence of his outburst was a small dent in the wall and the heavy awkward atmosphere. “Are you staying late today…?”

Skylar slowly shook his head. He didn’t want to get into his reasons for being there, so he circled back to the elephant in the room. “Are you alright?”

“Me? Oh, pff,” Alton looked away as his face got red once again. “I came back in to discuss something with Mr. Alburn.”

“By throwing one of his desks against the wall?” Skylar raised an eyebrow, but his nerves were still bothering him. Alton, in the very least, didn’t seem to be taking his anger out on Skylar.

“Oh that?” Alton pointed at the desk. “I always practice my casts on school property. As long as I can put it back, you know.”

“Mm,” Skylar slowly nodded. He didn’t press the obvious lie he’d just been told, and both parties looked like they were ready for this interaction to be over. “Just let me know if you need help putting any other desks back together.”

Alton faltered for a few seconds before nodding and releasing a slightly relieved laugh. “Sure. Thanks.”