"Okay, Sophia," Meca said, her tone leaving no room for argument. She pushed herself up from the grass. "Can I have a word with you?"
Sophia's jaw tightened, but she gave a curt, angry nod. They made their way out of the garden, their footsteps crunching on the gravel path until they disappeared around the corner of the building.
A heavy silence fell between Edwin and Gunn. Edwin stared down at his half-eaten sandwich, the appetite completely gone. He felt exposed, like an open wound under a microscope.
"Hey man," Gunn said, his voice a low, easy rumble that broke the tension. "Sorry about Sophia. She's not usually this... much. She just takes the team thing really seriously." He paused, taking a long drink from his juice carton. "We all do."
Edwin looked up, surprised by the friendly overture. "It's okay. I get it. I'm a stranger."
"Yeah, well, Meca seems to trust you," Gunn said with a shrug. "And her gut is usually right, even if she acts first and thinks later." He leaned back against the tree trunk, getting comfortable. "So, you got superspeed, huh? That's cool. Fast is always useful."
Edwin just nodded, not trusting himself to speak.
"I'm Gunn," he said, as if remembering his manners. He held out a hand, palm up. A small, perfectly contained sphere of crackling orange energy appeared, floating just above his skin. "Explosion. Or, more accurately, kinetic energy manipulation." He closed his fist, and the sphere vanished. "Basically, I can make things go boom. Big things, small things. The trick is controlling it so I don't, you know, blow my own hands off." He wiggled his fingers with a lazy grin. "It's why I'm so chill all the time. Getting angry is a bad idea when you're basically a walking grenade."
Edwin couldn't help but smile. "That's... actually pretty incredible."
"It has its moments," Gunn said. "Mostly it's just good for clearing crowds or making a dramatic entrance. What about you? Is superspeed your only thing, or is there more to it?"
Edwin's heart skipped a beat. "No, just... the speed," he lied, hating how easily the falsehood came.
"Cool, cool," Gunn said, accepting it at face value. "Well, if you ever need someone to make a distraction while you zip in and out, I'm your guy. We're the 'calvary' of the team, so we're supposed to work together."
Just as Edwin was starting to feel a genuine sense of relief, Meca and Sophia reappeared from around the corner. Meca was walking with her usual energetic stride, but Sophia was trailing behind her, her arms crossed so tightly over her chest it looked like she was trying to hold herself together. Her face was a storm cloud of reluctant apology.
Sophia stopped a few feet away from Edwin, her gaze fixed on a particularly interesting patch of grass. She shifted her weight, kicked at a loose stone, and cleared her throat.
"I," she began, her voice tight. "I am... informed... that my... assessment... may have been..." She struggled with the word, her face contorting as if she'd just bitten into a lemon. "Premature," she finally spat out.
She took a deep breath, still refusing to make eye contact. "Furthermore, Meca has... expressed... a certain... degree of... confidence... in your... utility... to the team." The words sounded like they were being physically pulled from her.
She finally looked up, her eyes locking with his for a split second before darting away again. "So. There. That is... the thing... I am required to communicate." She stood there for a moment, her posture rigid, then abruptly turned on her heel and strode over to the far side of the garden, pretending to be intensely interested in the vine-covered wall.
Gunn let out a low chuckle. "Wow," he whispered to Edwin. "That was the most hostile apology I've ever seen. You must have really made an impression."
Meca just rolled her eyes and plopped back down beside them. "She'll come around," she said with a grin. "Eventually.
Edwin watched Sophia's rigid posture, the tension still radiating from her in waves. He felt a pang of empathy, not for her anger, but for the fierce loyalty that fueled it. He took a slow breath, choosing his words with care.
"It's okay," he said, his voice soft but clear in the quiet garden. "You don't have to apologize. I get it." He met her gaze, his own open and without defense. "You're just being protective of your friends. I'm not mad. I'm just... really sorry I disorganized your team."
Sophia froze, her arms slowly uncrossing as she looked at him, truly looked at him, for the first time. The hostility in her eyes didn't vanish, but it fractured, replaced by a flicker of surprise and something else—confusion, maybe even a grudging respect. She seemed at a loss for words, her usual sharp retorts failing her.
"See?" Meca whispered, nudging Gunn with her elbow, a triumphant smirk on her face. "Told you he's a good guy."
"I know," Gunn whispered back, his eyes still on Edwin. "We had a little chat when you were gone. He's solid."
The fragile peace was shattered by the sound of deliberate, heavy footsteps crunching on the gravel path. A figure emerged from behind the wall, walking with an arrogant swagger that suggested he owned not just the garden, but the very air they breathed. It was Denki, flanked by two other students who looked like they'd been molded from the same condescending cloth.
"Well, well, well," Denki drawled, his voice dripping with mockery as he surveyed the scene. "Look what we got here. It's the little team of three... or should I say, team of four?" His eyes landed on Edwin, a predator's glint in them.
"Oh, not again," Meca sighed, her shoulders slumping in defeat. "Can you guys just leave us alone?"
"Oh, come on, Mecha, don't be ridiculous," Denki said, spreading his arms in a gesture of false camaraderie. "We're just here to welcome our little speedster to the school. To the top class." He took a step closer, his minions fanning out slightly to block the path back to the main school. "Two speedsters. That's cute. You two can race for who gets to fetch me a drink."
One of his cronies, a hulking boy with skin like polished granite, chuckled. "Yeah, or you can form a little cheerleading squad. Go, team 'Go Nowhere'!"
The other, a girl with eyes that glowed faintly, smirked. "What's the matter, cat got your tongues? Or did you three finally realize you're just the B-team of Class A?"
Denki's focus shifted back to Edwin, his smile widening. "Especially you, new kid. It takes guts to show up with a weak power and try to sit at the big kids' table. But then again, what else would a 50th-rank nobody do to get some attention?"
The air grew thick with tension. Sophia's hands clenched into fists, and Gunn's lazy demeanor vanished, his eyes now sharp and focused on the sphere of energy he was unconsciously forming in his palm. Edwin felt a cold knot of dread tighten in his stomach. He was a fraud, and this predator had smelled it from a mile away. The peaceful garden had suddenly become a cage.