Westbrook Academy for Metahumans: Forums

The smile on Espy's face grew as he saw his father waiting by the Airport exit for him. He didn't have any luggage, hell, he would only be in Miami for one day, so they arranged to meet out front. It was 1:30AM, all the last flights had come in, and the airport was about to close.

"Mi hijo, it is so good to see you." The accent was unmistakeable. Arturo Espinosa Sr. had always been known for his comically strong hispanic accent, and even being born in the United States, Espy had taken a bit of that from his father.

"It's good to see you too." They embraced each other happily, holding tight as if Espy had just come back from war. "Is mommy awake? Should we be quiet when we get home?" Espy wanted so badly to see the rest of his family. His month and a half at Westbrook was the longest time he had ever stayed away from home. Even during football camp he saw them more often, not to mention, these circumstances were a little harder than usual.

"We'll see if the lights are on when we get back, but for now, you have to tell me all about school. Las chicas, the sports, and your grades, of course."

Espy chuckled to himself. "Always the grades."

As they made their way out of the airport, Espy could feel the humid air against his skin. Home. He was merely twenty minutes from sleeping in his own bed, hugging his sisters and brother, and oh man, eating some leftovers that his mom was sure to have left in the fridge for him.

"Well, we're 3-1. We just won our first ever Homecoming game. I got the game-saving sack, and I think I might have two or three on the season, a pick six, and I -think- I'm leading the team in tackles. The Defense is great, a little small up front, but I've never seen a team give their all so much. I think its 'cause everyones kind of training to be heroes, you can't really slack off for that. You already know I'm the Defensive Captain. Hank Hawkins is an offensive captain, the quarterback of course. My best friend, I think I told you guys about him, Chase? He's the running-back and man he's good. Our offense is pretty solid, small on the line too, but same heart. Our wide-out won Homecoming King, the receivers always do."

Espy chuckled to himself as he went over some of the players on the team. JD, Shanna, Diya, Ward, and yea, even Cork, everyone on the team meant so much to him.

"Looks like you've got yourself a solid squad, mi hijo, and how about the girls? I remember your sister talking my ears off about you finally deciding to have a girlfriend."

Espy took a deep breath. He looked to his father, before looking back through the windshield.

"I messed that up, Dad. I had a girlfriend...she was beautiful, she was smart, and when I say she could cook? Maaaan I mean she could COOK. But, I messed it up. Some jerk kissed her, and even though I know she didn't kiss him back...I let it get to me. Not only that, but she had a boyfriend before me that she's still in love with...I think I loved her, dad, and I just...I let jealousy get the best of me. It's the only regret I have since coming to Westbrook."

Arturo took a quick glance at Espy, gauging his expression. Clearly he was still a little hurt, but he couldn't help but smile.

"You know, that jealousy thing runs in the family. I was chasing 'jerks' away from your mother ever since we've been married. You're just gonna have to find a girl who likes you for you, and not just the way you make them feel, or the things you do for someone. Envy is a sin, mijo, but forgiveness, forgiveness is a virtue too. And if this girls as good as you say she is, even though she might hate you now and never take you back, eventually, she should forgive you. You just gotta move on and let it happen."

Espy had to chuckle at how strongly the accent came out when he said jerks. He wanted to push the thought of Mia from his mind, and he actually managed to do it without much trouble. Faige, Lark, Peyton...they had all helped him forget that he wasn't just Guillermo the boyfriend, but he was Espy, Defensive Captain of the Mustangs, and he couldn't represent by moping, the rest of the team was strong, he couldn't be the weak link.

They pulled up to the house, the lights were off. The rest of his family was going to wait 'till the morning. It had been a long day, and he was exhausted.

He flopped onto his bed with a thud.

"Man...its good to be home."

Things had gotten a little crazy.

Okay, maybe crazy was an understatement. He had literally just gotten off the plane and rushed to the assembly, mostly because he figured a lot of it was directed at him, or at least directed at Wyatt which for some stupid reason would end up linked to him.

Ms. Wilson was swamped. Kids were coming to her left and right, talking to her about their newfound issues, asking for advice to help them cope with their new abilities, and losing their old ones. Yet, Espy figured that nobody was really up this early anyway, and he may just be able to go through with his weekly appointment.

Espy looked at his watch, the hand hit 7:00 AM, and right on cue, Ms. Wilson walked down the hall to the office and unlocked her door, yawning.

"Never miss an appointment, do you Guillermo?" She smiled as she opened the door and waved him in.

"I have this thing about being late. I just don't really like to do it. I figure if you're always on time, you'll be in pretty good shape."

Ms. Wilson simply nodded. In truth, she was a bit tired, the last few days had really gotten to her, but she maintained her attitude nicely. As they both took their seats, Guillermo made himself comfortable. He drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair as Ms. Wilson got her pen and notepad out of her bag.

"So!" said Ms. Wilson, hoping to wake herself up a bit. It worked a little. "How've you been?"

Guillermo didn't want to waste any time. There was only so much time before class started, and he just wanted to make sure he was progressing like he thought he was.

"Better. I think. I haven't gotten into any fights recently, and well...I haven't set anything on fire by accident in the last 24 hours...Umm, lets see...my best friend swapped with one of my other best friends, he's not taking it too well. Her powers kinda automatically make her cranky, so now he's all mopey all the time, which is like, the complete opposite of his personality."

He thought about Lark and Chase, the people he considered his best friends. On one hand, Lark didn't really have to fight to be happy anymore, she was livelier, less catty...but on the other hand, the kid who many people said he shared a 'bromance' with was miserable, and could only be happy if others were. He didn't really know what to think, but then again, it was none of his business.

Ms. Wilson nodded, taking notes. "What about you? How've you been dealing with switching powers?"

Guillermo paused. He wasn't really sure how he was taking it. "It's kinda been going through phases, you know? At first, I was like, 'man, I miss my powers'. Then I kinda had fun burning stuff, and Taylor's been a pretty big help dealing with it. I know the school is going to help out a lot too, but at the same time, I miss what I could do...I mean, I wasn't born with it, and I didn't have it for a long time like a lot of other people...but, it was me, you know?"

Ms. Wilson nodded. She had heard a lot of the same things from the other students.

"Mia's taking it pretty hard too. She's got...a lot of stuff riding on her powers, and now she's lost it, and it's been rough."

Ms. Wilson looked up from her notepad. "Have you been talking to her again?"

"I did once yea, but I can't help but feel like that was the last time in a long, long while. I guess I feel better about the whole situation, I apologized, did about all I can do. I know I messed up, but if she can't forgive me, then that's on her, I'm already moving on."

"Oh really?"

"Oh no, no, I didn't mean like that. I just meant that...I don't really think about her too much anymore. I don't have a new girlfriend or anything...I mean...there is kinda this girl that I've been hanging out with a lot, and we've you know, kissed a few times..." Guillermo felt a bit embarrassed to be talking about this with a staff member.

Ms. Wilson simply nodded, giving no real facial expressions to what he was saying, letting him know he could continue if he wanted, or stop, either way was okay with her.

"But...I don't think she's into me like that. I'm kinda a mess you know? Well, I don't think I am, but you know, I so could be and not even know. But she kinda hangs out with this kid a lot, and I'm not really jealous or anything, I have no right to be, and I've made that mistake before..."

Okay, he was a little jealous. But he'd been working on his anger.

"I mean, I told you about Rule #2, and I think it's a solid one, but I can't help but think of how much I enjoyed being someones boyfriend."

Ms. Wilson raised her eyebrow. Before, all the boy could talk about was how much he missed Mia, and how bad he felt when he loved her, now that theres a new girl involved, the truth may have just slipped out. She scribbled a few notes on her pad before clasping her hands together.

"Before we go, I just want to make sure you think about something."

Guillermo nodded.

"You just said that you enjoyed being someones boyfriend. I'm not saying that you didn't fall in love in a month, you obviously cared about this young girl, and while you made some mistakes...you apologized, and thats a great thing...But, consider this, Mia was your first real girlfriend, you had fun being her boyfriend, something you hadn't experienced before...I want you to think about the possibility that maybe you fell in love with the idea of being someones boyfriend."

Guillermo raised his eyebrow, confused.

"Remember how you always told me you loved team sports more than anything, you love dancing, especially in styles that involve having a partner, and I remember when I asked you what made you happy, you once told me..." Ms. Wilson scrambled through her notes neatly, getting ready to read a quote she had written.

"You said, 'It's not really the fact that my friends and family have my back, it's the fact that I have theirs', you like being around the ones you care about, and having a girlfriend is one of the most intimate ways to do that... It's not a bad thing, but it can cause a good amount of confusion. Now, I told you, what I say here is advice, not fact, and I just want you to think about that, okay?"

Guillermo soaked it in a bit before standing up. He still didn't fully get what Ms. Wilson was trying to say, but he'd think about it, like he promised.

"So there we were, right? Right there on the 50, smack dab in the middle. The other QB's called the play in the huddle, and man, I was in the zone. I knew it wasn't gonna be a kneel down, no way they wanted to face our D in overtime. Hail Marys aren't exactly in depth plays. I just had to backpedal to the endzone, and get the ball. So we line up, Hoover gives me a look from the sideline, I knew it was up to me. I'm the tallest, the fastest, and I have the best hands on my squad, so of course it was going to me."

Espy told the story like it happened yesterday. The day everything changed. The day he got his powers, the day they won and lost the State Championship in the same day. He would never forget that day. Ever.

"So, I'm standing back playing prevent at about the 20, and he launches it, the best throw I've ever seen him make, no joke. I run, I'm there in the endzone, waiting for it to come down. I wasn't in the right spot. The WR had it, but he dropped it. Without thinking, the ball is thiiiis close to the floor. I did one of those backward soccer kicks, and it flopped over my back and into my hands. Dodged a few tackles, returned the pick, and boom, touchdown. Crowd goes wild, Canola High wins their first State Championship."

Ms. Wilson took notes on her notepad. Not so much about the stats and the numbers, but mostly on how Espy told the story. Clearly football had been a good diversion to him over the past few days.

"And then they took it away." Espy sighed, slumping back in his chair.

"Do you want to talk about that?' asked Ms. Wilson, putting down her notepad.

"Na, not really." Espy hadn't really been in the mood to talk. Although they won their last game, he was afraid Collingwood might be too much for the now overconfident Mustangs. But that didn't really bother him too much, he was still thinking about the things that made his life a living hell.

Relationships.

"Well, what about what we talked about last time you were here?" Ms. Wilson made sure to monitor her tone, she wanted to see how he was progressing, but if he didn't feel like talking, she didn't want to make him feel like it was all too important not to talk about.

"Meh. You were right. About wanting to be a boyfriend. It made me feel good, it really did...I guess I just have to wait for the right girl to come along. Or at least until football season is over. Maybe. I don't know, everything's so day to day I can't be sure what I'm saying is going to stick."

Espy rubbed under his hat. He was so used to coming in first when it came to sports, when it came to most competitions really, and after his conversation with Brooke this morning, he realized he hated coming in second in relationships too.

"It's a total ego thing, you know?"

Ms. Wilson looked up after scribbling a few notes on his pad. "What do you mean?"

"Look, I'm a jock. I like to compete. When it comes to girls? I like to do all I can to be the best boyfriend I can be. Whatever it takes, and that changes with the girl, just like what I need to do in sports changes with the sport I'm playing...but sometimes life tosses you a bad draw."

"A bad draw?"

"Yea, like. In football, sure, you can have all the planning you want. Lets take kicking for example. You got the wind checked, you got the distance measured, but as soon as you kick, then wind can change, and then it sails wide left."

Ms. Wilson had a hard time following his analogy, but she stayed quiet until he finished.

"I guess when trying to go after the girls I like, I kick the ball wide left, you know? The wind comes, namely another dude, and I lose the game. Except, instead of letting my team down, it's just me, so I guess it's waaaay easier to deal with, especially when you get accustomed to it."

Espy slumped back into his chair, he wasn't extremely upset, and he seemed to talk in terms of fact, almost devoid of emotion entirely.

"Then you get benched for missing the kick, only, I'm my only coach, so yea, this boyfriend thing? It'll be a while until I take another kick at it. I'm benching myself."

Ms. Wilson nodded. "Okay, anything else you want to discuss before class starts?"

"Thats it? Don't you usually tell me something to think about for our next session?" Espy sat up in his chair. There was always room for improvement, and the sheer fact that he hadn't been to hurt by his most recent failure showed that he was getting a little better, and he had been sure Ms. Wilson was the reason for that.

Ms. Wilson offered back a small smile. "Let's give your mind a break until next week. Then you can fill me in on whats going on, and we can talk more about your brother."

Espy nodded, "Alright Ms. Wilson, thanks again." They waved at each other before he exited her office, adjusting his sweater. He ran a few thoughts in his mind before coming across the word that angered him the most at the moment.

"Ugh, Trig."

It was awkward.

Espy didn't know what to say. Should he tell Ms. Wilson that he completely neglected her advice and jumped headfirst into a relationship so soon? Should he tell her that even though his brother was getting better, he was still worried sick, and called home everyday just to hear his mom reassure him that everything was going to be okay? He wasn't sure what he had to say, so he didn't say anything at all.

"So, how's your brother doing?"

Easy. Gave him something to work with.

"He's doing better. The doctors found a pain medicine or something that he reacts to better, and while he's still going to have his episodes, he should be okay...it's pretty prevalent in our history, you know, sickle-cell, and even though he's gonna have it his whole life, he should still be able to play sports and stuff, if he wants. He'll have some restrictions, like he can't play in Denver where the air is thin...or..."

Espy stopped when he noticed Ms. Wilson's eyebrow raise. Duh, he must have sounded crazy.

"Sorry, I've just been thinking of all the things he wouldn't be able to do...its just, you know, it sucks."

Ms. Wilson nodded. She glanced over her notes again. There weren't any signs that he'd been angry or depressed like he was before, he didn't mention any particular issues with anyone in the school, and while she still had a few sessions left to monitor his progress, she saw no reason that he should seek out her help, unless he wanted to of course.

"So, anything eventful happen? Problems, achievements, you know, the regular stuff we talk about."

Espy figured he might as well tell the truth, it had been working for him so far. Maybe he would spare some details, she was a counselor, not a diary.

"Remember that girl I kinda was kissing and stuff? Yea well, we're together. Its been pretty fun...never a dull moment, you know? I know I shoulda taken some time for myself, but I...I dunno, why can't time with her be time for myself? I like hanging out with her, you know? Plus, she trusts me and...I dunno, I guess it just felt like the right thing to do. Things just seem so much easier around her."

Ms. Wilson scribbled down some notes. She didn't exactly know what was going on, but in her experience, most relationships were fleeting, especially high school romances, and Espy would need to talk to someone if he ever got the blunt end of the cycle, and well, it was her job. "Hope you're taking it slow."

"Totally." Espy responded almost too quickly. He -was- meeting her parents soon, and while they both recognized it was too early for anything like that, her mom didn't really give them much of a choice. His sister had already planned on coming up this weekend too, and nobody was a better judge of character than his little sister.

"Anything else?"

Espy nodded. "Yea, my best friends swapped powers. Lark's a lot more cheerful, and I love that, but...Chase is really getting sh--pooped on by the gods. Everyone keeps feeling sorry for him, and I just think we gotta keep him focused. More practices, more drills. I mean, thats what helped me with my stuff, football, you know? You think that's a good idea, more football equals less angst, right?"

Ms. Wilson had no clue what more football meant. "Well, he's your best friend, do what you feel is right by him. As for you, you need to get to class soon, but you know where to find me if anything comes up."

Espy hopped up out of his seat. Easy session.

"See you next week Ms. Wilson, right after we win out next game."

Ms. Wilson opened her door to Espy with the assumption that he would have a lot to say. She knew a bit about what was going on around the school, the football game getting postponed, the definite possibility that everyone's powers would return soon. But the boy hadn't said a thing since he walked in.

"How's your brother?" asked Ms. Wilson.

"He's fine."

Espy looked around the room, trying to avoid all eye contact. He wasn't sure what he was going to do at this point. The football game was tomorrow, but he found himself hardly wanting to play. He knew he could break himself out of the funk when the game finally started, football was his happy place, the place where he got away from any problems. But he didn't want to run away from this one, he wanted it to go away.

Espy and Ms. Wilson exchanged glasses. She knew something must be up, but Espy had always been quick to disclose his problems to her, now he was just being distant.

"And, how is the relationship thing going?" Ms. Wilson prodded slowly around, careful to try and seem more supportive than investigative.

"Its fine."

Espy wasn't lying. Everything had been going great. That was the problem. Ms. Wilson nodded, taking down a few notes. She wasn't going to get much this time.

"And, football?" She asked. It was going to be the last question of their session if Espy just answer with its fine.

"It's fine."

Ms. Wilson sighed internally. She couldn't force Espy to say anything he didn't wanted. She simply nodded again, taking some more, most likely useless notes.

"Well, I guess thats all for today, I'll see you next week."

Espy got up and slipped his book-bag around his shoulders. He stopped at the door for a few seconds before turning back around.

"This is probably going to be one of my last sessions Ms. Wilson. I just think I should be good enough to handle my own sh..problems, from now on. There are some things I really wanna focus my time on, and I really appreciate the help...but it's just that time, you know?"

Ms. Wilson looked silently at Espy for a moment. Just because he said he was finished, didn't mean he was. And she expected that to be the case. She tried to gauge what was wrong one last time before succeeding his point.

"Alright, Espy. You can stop in to say hello whenever you like, you know where my office is."

Espy nodded and made his way out of the room. Trig was starting soon, and he didn't plan on being late two days in a row.