~*1*~

I hate class. Almost as much as I hate needles. Gah...I hate needles. Then again I hate the idea of getting stabbed and having some-

"Mr. Jamison! Are you paying attention to the lecture at all?" The booming voice of the math teacher shook the young man out of his class induced mind wandering.

"Er…ummm…yes sir." Paul Jamison answered his teacher. He hadn't actually been paying attention but he hoped that the smile confused look on his face would get him out of trouble. "I just don't understand a lot of this. Math isn't my best subject." He gave a nervous chuckle as he rubbed the back of his neck with his hand.

"Yes, of course" The teacher said as he turned away from the boy. He knew Paul was lying through his teeth. The boy seemed to know algebra like the back of his hand yet never paid attention in class or studied. It baffled the older man but he usually ignored it. "Just make sure you stay awake for the rest of the lesson."

"Yes sir." Paul smiled again and went back to his notebook as the teacher continued with his lesson.

I think I'll pay attention more. Yeah that's the ticket. Oh boy it's almost lunch time. I can't wait…I'm starving. I haven't eaten for almost four hours. Oh the torture.

Paul's train of thought continued for the next twenty minutes. The boy was totally oblivious to the world and as such almost missed the bell. A smack on the back of the head brought him back to reality. Snapping his head up he came face to face with his assailant.

"Hey spaz. Class is over" His attacker said with a smile.

"Thanks Mya," Paul responded "but you didn't have to slap me. You could have just, I dunno, shaken me a little?"

"What do you think you are…a martini?"

"Ha ha ha, very funny."

Paul got up out of his chair and began to walk out of class, Mya close behind him. Paul and Mya had been friends since they were young children growing up in Abercrombie, Massachusetts. They became almost inseparable since Paul's mother passed away the summer before their senior year. Paul had taken to staying at Mya's house for extended periods of time.

Mya was the popular girl and Paul resided in being the "loner". He would only really talk to Mya about anything in length. Most of this had to do with his inherent shyness and his seemingly boundless naivety. Most people found they couldn't stay around him because he seemed so clueless. The opposite was mostly true as Paul excelled in all areas of school with little effort.

"So, what are you doing after school?" Paul asked as they reached their lockers.

"I dunno, Paul, why do you ask?"

"Well the new Dragonball Z box set comes out today and I was-"

"Gee I don't know Paul. It is an awfully long drive out to Holyoke and I'm not sure if my car can make it…"

"I suppose you'll need gas money."

"And…"

"Money for Dunkins. Same as always huh? Do I at least get to drive? It's been a while for me, what with my car being in the shop and all."

"We'll see. I'll meet you at my car after school spaz."

With that the two lifelong friends parted ways and went to their last classes of the day. Paul went off to gym class and Mya went to her advanced English class. Gym was Paul's favorite class of the day and, other than lunch, the most looked forward too. He was especially excited about the next four weeks of gym. They were having special Martial Arts classes for that time due to the school having to do self-defense classes for the girls. Most of the schools in the district just had basic self-defense classes, the bare minimum, but Paul's school decided to do things differently. Sure, the full out martial arts classes cost more money, but the majority of parents thought it to be a good idea and didn't mind helping to pay for the extra expenses.

Then again Paul liked it mostly because he has been involved in various martial arts since he was a young boy. It was a passion of his mother's that he inherited and thrived in; he was a black belt in Karate and Kung Fu.

Before he knew it he was at the locker room door. He sighed and walked in, despite his love for martial arts he knew that there was no one else in the school that could compete with him in that field. Other than the fact he got himself fifty minutes of training during school for the next four weeks there wasn't much else he was looking forward too.

He walked in and found his locker and got out his gym clothes. He opened his bag and pulled out his weight vest and weighted shorts. This was an idea he liked from Dragonball Z. Making yourself heavier while you trained had a few benefits. Using weights made you stronger, upped your endurance, and when you take the weights off you feel lighter and move faster.

I guess if I wear this I won't look like a freak in front of the class…

People didn't realize that Paul even trained in anything really. He always wore baggy clothes so his lean and chiseled physique never showed. Even in gym glass he managed to always wear long sleeved shirts and wind pants. He didn't want any undue attention drawn to himself; he didn't want to be the object of jealousy among "jocks" or the object of obsession by some of the young girls roaming the halls of the school. He really hated how high school girls would rate and rank the boys in the school. Not only did they rank them but it was their goal to date, sleep with, touch, or have something belonging to any of the listed males.

"Thank God they all think I'm a geek." He said out loud to the empty locker room. He always arrived late for gym because he didn't want anyone else seeing him change. He wasn't exactly modest but the green-eyed monster usually reared its ugly head in high school, constantly. He finished changing and walked to the doors that lead to the gym. He adjusted the weight vest, it was always slightly uncomfortable to wear but its benefits were worth the slight discomfort. He decided against the weighted shorts because he forgot his compression shorts and the weighted shorts made his boxers bunch up.

"Glad you could join us Mr. Jamison" The gym teacher, Mr. O'Conner greeted Paul as he walked in. "I'm sure one of these days you could grace us with your presence before the bell."

Paul scratched the back of his head and chuckled nervously, a habit he picked up from Goku, a character from Dragonball Z.

"Sorry sir, but this class is after math class and I have to wake up after that class." Paul laughed again before sitting down on the floor with the rest of class. The class was soon turned over to the man who would be teaching them for the next four weeks.

"Class, I am your new sensei. You will only address me as Sensei Marshall or just Sensei." Sensei Marshall was a tall man, standing about six feet five inches tall. He was lean but muscular. Overall he was a very intimidating presence in the gym. "Now does anyone here have any experience in the martial arts?" Paul reluctantly raised his hand at the question as did one other student. "Good, will the two of you come up here and spar for us. Just to show the class what they have in store for them?"

Paul slowly walked up to the front where some mats were set up. The other student walked quickly to the mats, not wanting to upset the sensei. As Paul walked he could hear the confused questions coming from the crowd. He walked up to the sensei and bowed to show his respect. The sensei bowed back and then asked the two their experience in martial arts.

"Well, I've done Karate since I was eleven and I am a red belt." The other boy said proudly. Paul recognized this boy, His name was Frank and he spent most of his high school life making Paul's life a living hell.

"Very good, and you?" The sensei asked pointing to Paul. Paul decided to bite the bullet and reveal one of his most guarded secrets.

I guess I couldn't keep this hidden forever. He thought.

"Well sensei, I have been training in Karate and Kung Fu since I was six." A surprised gasp came from the group of students. Both Sensei Marshall and Mr. O'Conner raised an eyebrow. "I am a third degree black belt in Karate and a black belt in Kung Fu."

Frank went pale but didn't say anything, he was sure that the nerd was lying just to get in good with the new teacher.

"Very good. Now I want you both to go all out and hold nothing back."
The match started and it was very even for a while. Paul moved slowly due to the extra weight but was still able to block his opponents every move. When he did get hit it was in the chest and Frank stopped after the hit.

"Ouch! Man what's up with you dork, your mommy make you wear armor so you won't get hurt?" Frank, along with the rest of the class laughed. Neither of the teachers found Frank's comment to be funny and neither did Paul.

"Don't talk about my mother." Paul said through gritted teeth. His eyes narrowed and his facial features tightened up, Paul looked ready to kill.

"Oh so the geek finally gets a backbone. What are you gonna do about it? You can't even fight without armor you puss. Why don't you take that stuff off and fight like a man."
"Why should I fight like a man when there are no men around to fight."

They 'ooohed' at this and Frank's face went red.

"You two knock it off or you won't be allowed to fight. Now Paul wearing any sort of armor is prohibited in a fight you must know that." Sensei Marshall said in a serious tone.

"It's not armor Sensei. It's a weight vest."

"A weight vest?" Mr. O'Conner asked, surprise evident in his voice.

"Yes," Paul explained "It makes my body heavier so I can, in the long run, become faster and much stronger."

"Well you'll have to take it off if you want to continue with your match." The gym teacher said.

"But sir there are girls here." Paul said as a blush rose to his cheeks. The last thing he wanted was to have to strip in front of any females. He knew what would probably happen if he did.

"What's the matter nerd? Don't want us all to see how scrawny you are?" Frank chided, once again the class laughed like a group of mindless automatons.

Paul took in a deep breath. He knew there was no way to get out of this and he really wanted to finish his fight with Frank. He stripped off his long shirt and audible gasps were heard from the class. Even Mr. O'Conner was a bit surprised.

"Oh my God!" One of the female automatons exclaimed. Paul sighed, that was only his arms.
I'm so gonna be on that stupid list. I'm going to lose my sanity I can feel it. Paul thought as he brought his hands to the zipper of the weight vest. Goodbye peace and quiet, we had a good run but all good things must come to an end eventually.

Paul removed the vest and let it drop to the ground. A resounding "thud" echoed through the now silent gym. There Paul stood, half naked, in front of a large majority of his senior class and some of the freshmen class as well. Murmurs were heard through the class. Paul ignored them.

"Wh…what are you some kind of creatine freak?" Frank said as he recovered form the shock of seeing the nerd's body. Frank was in decent shape and his six-foot frame was almost all muscle. Paul was a freak of nature. His lean six foot one frame was perfectly sculpted there didn't seem to be an ounce of fat him.

"So are we gonna fight?" Paul asked Frank as he put his long sleeved shirt on, much to the dismay of the females in the room.

"Yeah, I can still beat you." Frank said showing off his false bravado. "You probably aren't as strong as you look."

Paul went back into his fighting stance and the match resumed. Frank attacked with more speed then he had previously but to Paul it was like he was moving in slow motion. Ever punch was countered, every kick was blocked. Paul decided to have some fun and began to block Frank's attacks with one hand, mocking him as he tried to break down Paul's defense. The match went on like that for a few minutes. Frank was getting tired and Paul was getting tired of Frank's attacks. With a move that was barely visible to the naked eye Paul seemingly disappeared and re-appeared right behind a very confused Frank.
"What the-" Frank asked in confusion.

"Looking for me?" Paul said as he tapped his opponent on the shoulder. Frank spun around and could only watch helplessly as Paul's fist flew at his face. With a sickening crack the fist hit the boy in the nose, causing it to break. Blood began to pour as Frank staggered back and finally fell on the ground. "I guess that makes me the winner." Paul said as he walked over to the quivering boy. He bent down and put his face close to the fallen fighter's ear.

"Next time, don't talk big if you can't back it up."

The class was stunned by the fight. Frank was supposed to be the best fighter in school. Then, all of the sudden this nerd comes and floors him with one punch. Paul's facial features softened as he went to pick up his vest. He seemed like a whole different person after the fight. He went from being confident to the point of arrogance back to the shy geek that everyone saw him as.

Before he knew it, the females of the class flocked towards him. He paled. He had almost forgotten about them.

Almost.

Paul quickly made his way to the locker room to hopefully wait out the bell. Finally, after about twenty minutes, the bell mercifully rang. He snuck out of the locker room as best he could after waiting another fifteen minutes. The halls were pretty empty so it was easy to get to his locker where he saw Mya waiting for him.

"Oh My, I'm so glad you're here."

"Now, when you say that do you mean 'Oh my' as in relief or 'Oh My' as in a shortened version of my name." Mya said as she watched her friend sputter a response.

"After today both." He smiled. "This was the single worst day of my life." Paul turned to face his locker and unlock his combination lock.

"How was this the worst day of your life?"

"You mean you didn't hear? Oh thank God."

Paul opened his locker only to have a pile of folded notes fall out. He could only stare in shock as the torrent of notes cascaded to his feet. He looked up at Mya who had one eyebrow arched and a huge grin on her face.

"Have yourself some new admirers?" She said trying to hold back the laughter.

"How the hell did they get these in my locker? It was locked all day."

"5-23-83" Mya said with a huge grin. "By the way, I won't be needing gas money after all."

"I guess you heard after all."

"Oh yeah. You probably shouldn't have waited so long to leave the locker room-"
Mya picked up a note "Adonis"

"Oh great, this really isn't what I need you know. I was perfectly happy alone. It was a good life. I was happy, they were happy, you were…there."

"Gee, thanks Paul…love you too."

"You know what I mean. I really don't need this." He said pointing to the pile of notes at his feet. "I like being a nerd." Paul pouted.

"Oh snap out of it." Mya said as she slapped her friend playfully.

"Yeah well I guess I should clean all this up then huh?"

Mya nodded and watched as her friend bent down to collect the notes. She thought it was funny at first, all those girls going nuts over Paul. However, after the first twenty notes she received to put in the Paul's locker the more annoyed she got. Then she started to get jealous.

Why would I be jealous? Sure Paul a decent looking guy, well he's attractive…ok ok, ok, he's downright gorgeous…but he's also my best friend. Oh my God I'm falling for my best friend. This is not good at-

Mya's train of thought was stopped suddenly when she heard Paul yell her name. She shook her head a few times and looked at him. His face was about six inches from her face.

"My, you ok? You kinda zoned out on me for a minute." Paul said, waving his hand in front his friends face.

"Uh…yeah. I'm fine Paul." She responded a slight blush creeping up her face.

"You hot? You're going a little red in the face."

"Yeah…hot…so we should get going."

"Right."

~*2*~

The trip to the mall was about an hour drive and the two friends were pretty silent. Mya was still in her own world and thinking about her sudden romantic feelings for the martial artist sitting next to her. Paul, on the other hand, was busying himself with his new bag of notes. Mya told him to throw them out but Paul insisted on replying to them. He said it would be rude of him not to, especially after the girls went through all the trouble writing them.
Paul had a large three subject notebook and his favorite Dragonball Z pen. He had on his glasses and was trying his best to write neatly with the car jumping around on the back roads. Paul wanted to take the Pike but Mya like the back roads because she found them calming.
About ten minutes before the entered the Holyoke Mall parking lot, Paul announced he was done with the notes.

"Took you long enough." Mya said with a slight hint of laughter in her voice.

"Yeah well, I didn't want to be a jerk."

"So what exactly did the notes say?"

"Well, there were seventeen marriage proposals, nineteen promises for any sexual favors anytime…anywhere." Paul blushed at those, "And one from Sydney. Apparently he thinks I'm 'A hunk'."

Mya laughed out loud and Paul just pouted. When she finally calmed down they had arrived at the entrance to the mall parking lot. Mya steered the car into one of the parking structures. She drove up the ramp and parked on the top level. The two got out of the car and began to walk towards the entrance.

"So," Mya began "You gonna take any of those girls up on their offers?"

"What!? No!" Paul exclaimed a horrified look on his face and deep red moving its way up his face. Mya laughed at her friend's reaction.

"Awww it's ok Paul I'm just teasin ya."

"Yeah yeah. I'm here solely for your entertainment."

"Yes, and it's about damn time you realize that." Mya said as she latched herself onto Paul's arm. "Now let's go get you your silly tapes."

"DVD's and they aren't silly."

Mya just nodded and the two walked into the mall arm in arm. Mya was glad Paul couldn't see her face; he would probably have thought she was sick if he saw how red she was.
This is so frustrating. She thought. Why do I all of the sudden have the hots for my best friend? Shouldn't something like this take a long time to cultivate? Mya looked up at Paul's face, something she always did. She was nearly six inches shorter than he was. Look at him. He always has the happy, optimistic look on his face. He is so naïve at times it's scary but at the same time very cute. ARGH! I'm doing it again.

Before Mya knew it they had arrived at FYE and Paul had dragged her to the Anime section of the store. He was nearly drooling at the site of all the new anime DVD's. His eyes were scanning the little shelf above the racks when he spotted his prize.

"Here it is." He said as he picked up the box. "The Great Saiyaman Saga, one of the best Dragonball Z sagas ever." Paul clutched his prize to his chest and Mya could swear that he had little stars in his eyes. He then proceeded to ramble on about how he rated each saga. Mya, as she usually did when he ranted, zoned out and waited until his mouth stopped moving. "…and the Cell Games is the best saga."

"That's wonderful Paul." Mya said as she dragged her friend to the counter so he could pay.

"Pay the man Gohan." She teased. Gohan was Paul's favorite character from the series and from what she had seen the two were a lot alike. Paul paid the man and walked out of the store with his prize. He then made a shocking announcement that would rock the very foundation of civilization.

"I'm hungry."

Mya sighed and they made their way to the basement level to where the food court was located. It was surprisingly empty but then again it was about four o'clock in the afternoon. Paul made a bee-line to the Wendy's counter and Mya made her way to the Subway counter.

About ten minutes later Paul joined Mya at the counter. His tray was over flowing with food. He had three Spicy Chicken Sandwiches (No Mayo!), four orders of nuggets, a large soda and two large fries.

"How the hell do you eat that much and not get fat?" Mya asked a slight tone of jealousy in her voice. "I have to run like four miles a day to stay in shape and that doesn't always work. What's your secret?"

"Hollow leg." Paul responded before he dove into his food. He ate his meal slowly because he didn't want to give himself an upset stomach. He may have a cast iron stomach but eating too fast would make him sick. He finished his soda and then threw out his tray. He sat back down to wait for Mya to finish her meal. Mya always ate her food slowly taking small bites.

"How can you eat so little?" Paul asked as he drummed his fingers absently on the table. "If I ate like you did I would waste away."

"If you ate like I did…you'd be a girl."

"Yeah, but what a sexy girl I would be." Paul grinned at his friend. "Anyway, is there anything you need while we are here? I know you love to shop."

"Actually I think I may look at clothes for a while. You know what that means?"

"I get to play pack mule?"

"Ding ding ding, give the man a cookie."

Paul sighed. He loved Mya but her obsession with shopping sometimes got out of hand. When she said she wanted to "look" at clothes it really means "I'm going to max out my mom's card on all the clothes I possibly can." He also knew that he, being big and strong, would end up lugging around bags for the next few hours.

"So, where to first?" Paul asked nervously.

"I think…Old Navy."

After hearing that Paul was glad he was wearing his comfy shoes.

~*3*~

"What about this?" Mya asked as she modeled a dress for Paul. It was a tight blue dress that went to just below her knee. It was also the fourth dress in this style she had tried on. Paul smiled as he looked over his friend.

Man, she looks gorgeous. Is what he thought.

"It's the same as the last three." Is what he said.

Mya faked a pout and went back in the changing room. Paul sighed and re-adjusted his position on the bench he was sitting on. He looked at his watch; it was now close to seven thirty. They had been in Old Navy for almost two hours before Mya was satisfied with her purchases. Now they were in some store that Paul forgot the name of. For some reason Mya decided she needed a new dress so they came in this store with the name that time forgot.
Paul was happy to be spending time with Mya along with the added bonus of watching her try on clothes. Mya didn't know this but Paul loved watching her model clothes. He thought she was the most beautiful girl on the planet.

He wasn't sure when it happened but recently he had seeing Mya as more than a friend. He always thought she was attractive but now it was like no other women even existed to him.

"Paul? Hello Paul?" Mya waved her hand in front of Paul's face. He had zoned out on her five minutes ago and wasn't responding to her calls. Then an idea struck her, she knew exactly how to get Paul out of his trance. "Oh No! They've run out of food at Wendy's"

Paul Immediately snapped back to reality and nearly leapt from his seat. Mya broke out laughing at her friend's reaction. When Paul calmed down he noticed Mya laughing. Luckily for him she was also in the outfit she had come to the mall in. The journey in this store was finally over.

"So. Ready to go?" Mya asked as they walked up to the register. The only response she got was Paul's stomach grumbling. "I'll take that as a no."

Paul nodded and the two made their way out of the store. They began walking towards the escalator when they noticed a distinct lack of people in the mall. Mya watched as Paul features shifted. His face tightened and his eyes narrowed. Mya knew that look. It was look he got when he was fighting or expecting a fight to start. He always had the uncanny ability to sense when a fight was coming.

"My," He said in a stone cold serious tone. "Take the bags and get out of here. Something's up. Something bad."

Mya nodded in agreement. She wasn't about to argue with him, he was very rarely wrong about these things. She turned and tried to flee but was caught by a pair of strong arms.

They weren't Paul's.

She looked up and saw she was being held by a very large man.

"Well look what we have here." The man said as he spun around with Mya still firmly trapped in his arms. "I guess we didn't catch everyone here." He turned to some other men that had suddenly appeared. "Go in that store and check for any more people. I'll deal with these two."

"Who are you?" Paul's voice rang out in the empty halls.

"That's is none of your concern little man."

"Let go of her." Paul said, pointing to Mya.

"No, I'd much rather not. My she is a mighty fine specimen. Not too fat not too skinny. Not too tall not too short. Why, one might say she is perfect. She will be my greatest conquest yet." The large man laughed cruelly as he licked the side of Mya's face. She tried to scream but couldn't seem to find her voice.

"I don't like to repeat myself. I said let got of her." Paul's voice was dangerously calm. In a flash he leapt at the man but the man was quick. He threw Mya down on the ground and stopped Paul easily.

"Oh, look what you made me do. " The man said mockingly. "You made me bruise my prize fruit."

Paul struggled to get out of the man's grip. One of the man's large hands grabbed him by the throat, slowly cutting off Paul's air. The man then proceeded to walk with Paul hanging in the air over towards one of the ledges. Paul looked down and could see the food court. With one smooth motion the man chucked Paul over the side and walked back towards Mya.

~*4*~

Flying is something that can be one of the most relaxing and peaceful things that a being can do. Now, if only Paul could do it. He was falling fast and was praying to every god there ever was that he could survive. He needed to save Mya.

Seeing as how that wasn't working he did the next best thing. He closed his eyes and screamed a scream that echoed through the mall and seemed to shake the walls. He figured that maybe if he screamed loud enough and long enough he wouldn't feel the impact. Suddenly he felt himself begin to slow down and then stop. His scream died out and he slowly opened his eyes, fully expecting to see St. Peter hovering over him.
What he saw, however, was just as surprising. He was indeed in the food court but he was alive. He looked around and noticed something. He was floating.

"What the fuck?" He said as he lay floating in the air, "People don't float. Well not real people at any rate." Deciding to test his luck, he tried to push himself upwards. It worked. He floated higher and then righted himself so he was standing. "I can fly? I can fly?" His happiness was short lived as he soon remembered that he had to get up to save his friend. He flew up to the third floor and saw the man all over Mya. Her shirt was torn and her pants were missing. She was frozen with fear but tears were streaming with tears.

"Mya…" Paul said softly as he floated over the guard rail. "YOU BASTARD!!" Paul shouted as he flew full speed at the man. There was no time to react for the man as Paul knocked him over and into a nearby wall.

Paul floated down to Mya and wrapped her in his arms. He walked to where the shopping bags were and pulled out some pants and a shirt. He assessed her condition quickly. She seemed to be ok the man must not have done anything but rip off her clothes.

"Mya he didn't…?" Paul said as he helped her put the new pants on. The girl shook her head 'no'. "Good." Paul handed her a shirt and she quickly put it one. She blushed a little not being used to have Paul see her close to naked. Suddenly a shot rang out and Paul was thrown back.

Mya got up and ran to Paul's side which was tough because her legs were refusing to move. When she reached her friend she saw the extent of the damage. Paul was lying on his back and his left hand was clutching his right side. Mya could see the blood coming between his closed fingers.

"Paul, Paul. Say something." Mya pleaded with him to move or say something. His breathing was ragged and every time he coughed blood would come up.

"My…My…M…Mya."

"Paul? Oh God Paul. Are you alright?"

Paul didn't get a chance to respond as the large man stalked over towards the pair. His pistol was held firmly in his left hand.

"That's what people get when they ruin my fun." He sneered. The man bent down and lifted Mya up by the collar of her shirt. "I really don't want to ruin another one of your outfits."
Mya screamed and Paul tried to stand up.

"L…l….l….leave her alone." Paul managed weakly. The man laughed.

"You don't have any magic tricks to save you this time."

"Fuck you." Paul said as he coughed up some more blood. He propped himself up on one hand and slowly rose to his feet. "Put…her down."

"What are you going to do? Cough on me?"

Paul let out a scream. The pain and anger he was feeling was too much for him. He could then feel a familiar sensation flowing in his body. He was running off of pure adrenaline now and only had a limited amount of time before his body collapsed from blood loss or exhaustion.

The man dropped Mya on the ground and turned to face his opponent. He was a little shocked to see the man even standing. He was shot with a .45 caliber pistol. A bullet from that gun should be enough to keep a grown man down. This wasn't even a grown man, he was a boy and a scrawny looking one at that. He watched as Paul slowly made his way towards him. The boy's eyes were blank and his expression neutral. He was calm. Too calm.
"I'll give you one chance." Paul said calmly. There was more to Paul's voice though. It sounded like there were two voices coming from Paul's mouth. "One chance to run or I will kill you."

"Ha, I'd like to see you try kid. You survived one hit from this gun but you won't survive again." The man grinned as he leveled the gun at Paul's approaching form. He pulled the trigger and the bullet shot out of the barrel. The man fully expected Paul to go down but instead Paul disappeared. "What the fu-" The man started but was cut off when Paul re-appeared in front of him and grabbed him by the throat.

"I told you to run. Why didn't you listen?" The dual voices said as Paul floated off the ground, bringing the man up with him. "Now I'm going to have to kill you."

After saying that Paul floated over to the ledge he had recently been thrown off of. With a grunt he managed to throw the large man over the side. His screams were like music to Paul's ears. He then heard two yells come from behind him. He turned to see the two henchmen rush towards him. Paul flew forward as fast as he could and clothes- lined them into the wall, knocking them unconscious. The last thing Paul saw was Mya running towards him and screams for someone to call 911.

Then black.

~*5*~
Paul woke up to an excruciating pain. Once his eyes focused he took in his surroundings. He was obviously in a hospital and he hated hospitals.

I bet they've given me like a dozen shots by now. Evil bastards with their evil needles.

"Paul." A foreign voice entered the room. It was male and Paul assumed it was that of the doctor.

"Yes?" Paul said, his voice raspy.

"I'm glad to see you awake. You've been out for about a day and a half. You lost a lot of blood son. What were you thinking taking on Jimmy the Fist? He is…well was…one of the vilest crime lords this state has ever seen. You are the first person to have fought him and survived."

"Wow…that's. I don't know what to say. Ow." Paul grabbed for his side as a sharp pain shot through his body.

"Well, you should be fine in a few days, just take it easy ok? I'll be back to check on you later."

"Thanks doc."

After the doctor left Paul was alone for a few minutes and then Mya came in the room. She looked like she had been up for a week straight he could see the dark bags under her eyes.

"Mya."

"Paul. I can't believe you're alive. I was so sure you were dead." Mya sat down next to Paul and grabbed his hand. Tears began to flow freely from her eyes. "I thought I lost you."

"Hey. It takes more than a gunshot wound and a near three story fall to stop me."

"Yeah all it takes is a needle."

"GAH! Needle!" Paul jumped slightly at the thought and that motion caused a bolt of pain to shoot through his side. "I probably shouldn't do that huh?"

"No. Probably not."

There was silence after that as both teens try to decide what to say next.

"Mya"/"Paul"

The laughed as they spoke at the same time. There was another short silence and then Paul motioned for Mya to speak.

"Paul. You realize you have escaped death twice in one day? You must be the luckiest person alive."

"Possibly."

"And because of this little adventure we had I realized how much you mean to me…"

"Mya?"

"Shut up Paul let me finish. When I saw you thrown over the railing I nearly snapped. I thought you were dead I really did…and…and that's when I realized."

"I love you." Paul said, cutting her off. Mya could only look in shock as Paul finished her thought for her. Paul surprised her again as he leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips.
"I…never knew." Mya said, once the shock wore off.

"I didn't either until I saw that monster try to rape you. Then I realized you are everything to me."

The two sat in silence for a while until the doctor came in and Mya had to go.

"So I see you are doing much better now." The doctor grinned as Paul attempted to sit up.

"Now there are some things we need to do. First off you need a couple of shots to bolster your immune system-

"Shots?"

"Yes shots. Now you see-"

The doctor stopped his speech when he realized his patient was loosing color rapidly.

"Are you ok son?"

"I hate needles"

~*The End*~