Two hours later, they finally reached the Massachusetts Academy. It appeared to be deserted. The gate was wide open, so the two teens walked right up to the front door. “Hope somebody’s home,” Angelo said as he tried the door. Surprisingly, it swung open. As they stepped inside, he heard a long, continuous beep. “Jubes, get out!” Angelo ran out of the house, his fingers snaking around Jubilee’s waist. She was yanked outside just in time.

A second later, the school exploded in a ball of flame.

Jubilee landed on top of Angelo, driving the wind out of him. “Angie, you saved my life,” she whispered.

“Twice,” he reminded her.

She smiled down at him and gently stroked his cheek. “I love you, Angie.”

Before he could stop her, Jubilee softly pressed her lips to his. Angelo’s first instinct was to break the kiss, but much to his surprise, he was enjoying it. When Jubilee finally pulled away, he almost regretted it.

“What was that for, chica?”

She shrugged and sat up. “I felt like it. What do we do now?”

Angelo thought for a moment. “We could find out who put a bomb in the school.”

“Yeah, we prolly should,” Jubilee agreed.

“Maybe,” Angelo added, looking back at her.

“Maybe not.” Jubilee quickly pulled him into another kiss.

* * * * *

“Hey, Espinosa! Incoming!”

Angelo blinked and turned, only to feel a flash of pain before he collapsed to the dirt.

A few seconds later, a shadow fell over him. “Geez, Ange. I thought you saw it comin’.”

“Jubilee?”

“Yeah, it’s me. You okay?”

At first, Angelo said nothing. Then: “No.”

“C’mon, I don’t throw that hard.” Jubilee grabbed his hand and pulled him up.

“You’d be surprised. What hit me?”

She held up a baseball. “I don’t know how they do it down in South Central, but where I’m from, we catch the ball with gloves, not our faces.”

“I was just...um...using my power in another way. It...didn’t work.”

Jubilee stared at him for a few seconds. “Yeah, right. C’mon, it’s gettin’ late.”

Angelo watched her jog back towards the school. “Okay. From what I can tell, she’s not in love with me, she’s not a fairy, and she’s not a vampire.” He sighed and took a deep breath. “Now to check everyone else.”

* * * * *

Ten minutes later, Angelo walked into his room, certain that he’d made it back to his reality. “Okay. Monet’s not weird anymore, nobody’s dressed like animals, there aren’t any vampires, and Penny’s still here. Everything is perfectly normal.”

“You wish,” responded a voice from the window.

Angelo turned around slowly, only to find Torres sitting on the windowsill. “Caramba!” he nearly shouted.

Torres hopped off and grinned, brandishing a switchblade. “About time you got back, Angelito. I been waiting for you.”

Angelo sighed and closed his eyes. For the first time that day, he actually missed his dreams.

The End!