Chapter 15: Highschool (2)

"Barry..."

Ned called out to Barry, who seemed clearly lost in his thoughts, as the boy stared at his food and absentmindedly played with the spoon in his hand.

"Barry!"

"Huh?!"

Barry flinched at the sudden shout, snapping out of his dazed thoughts in surprise as he turned around to find Ned looking at him with a hint of annoyance on his face.

"Dude, you've been out of it since yesterday. You okay?"

"Yeah, just been thinking about stuff"

As Barry provided a cryptic response, Ned's eyes narrowed after hearing this, and he cast a skeptical gaze in his direction.

"Like?"

"Uh... date and stuff?"

"What!?"

Ned instantly stood up from his seat and let out a shocked shout, drawing a few curious looks from those nearby. Realizing what he had done, he quickly sat back down in embarrassment.

"Dude, I thought it was Bros before Hoes"

"..."

"Why did you go and betray me..."

"Oh, shut up"

Barry rolled his eyes at Ned, who was putting on an exaggerated display of being hurt with fake tears before in the next moment, Ned's expression turned playful as he stared at him curiously.

"Who is it?"

"...Caitlin"

"Gasp!"

Upon discovering the identity of the speaker, Ned's jaw fell open in astonishment. He instinctively covered his mouth with his hand, his expression a mix of surprise and disbelief, as Barry's response caught him entirely off guard.

And similar to Barry, Ned gradually discovered Caitlin's personality, making it all the more surprising for him when she agreed to go on a date with him.

"Well, it's not exactly a date. More so, just hanging out with each other and having fun?"

"That's a date, dude"

Barry simply shrugged his shoulders, adopting a nonchalant demeanor that betrayed no concern for the impending date at all.

Nevertheless, within, Barry experienced a touch of panic, grappling with his limited experience in handling such situations. Despite this, he resolved to push through the unease and deliberately cast aside his worries.

"Can't believe you asked her out"

Ned remained in a state of awe and disbelief that Barry had mustered the courage to ask someone out on a date, instilling in him a newfound sense of respect for Barry's boldness.

"Actually... I got rejected at first. Which was my fault for not making it clear to her"

"...?"

"But then, she suddenly decided to go with it"

Barry gazed at his food in a trance, replaying the memory in his mind when a peculiar expression crept onto his face as a sudden realization struck him.

"I suppose... in technicality, she was the one who asked me out"

"..."

"Enough of this. What were you trying to say to me earlier?"

Swiftly diverting the conversation, Barry, apprehensive about delving further into the previous topic, opted to inquire about what Ned had been discussing before, steering clear of the uncomfortable subject.

And undeterred by Barry's abrupt change of subject, an enthusiastic Ned, eager to share his recent discovery, disregarded the shift and promptly thrust his phone's screen in front of Barry.

"What is this?"

"Just watch"

Barry directed his gaze towards the screen, watching a brief YouTube clip depicting a town engulfed in a colossal storm of thunder and rain.

The scene conveyed a sense of impending apocalypse, with the ferocity of the lightning and rain creating an atmosphere of impending doom but strangely enough, the lightning seemed to avoid striking any buildings, a peculiar detail that caught Barry's attention, though he chose not to dwell too much on it.

"That was cool"

Barry nodded in satisfaction, his expression turning impressed as he absorbed the intensity of the clip. After all, it wasn't an everyday occurrence to witness a colossal and ferocious thunderstorm of such magnitude.

"Did you see it?"

"See what?"

Perplexed, Barry raised his right eyebrow as he observed Ned replaying the short clip and presenting it to him once more. 

This time, Ned pointed at a specific area on the screen, drawing Barry's attention to a particular detail.

"Look"

Barry squinted his eyes, diligently scanning the screen for the element Ned wanted him to notice. After a few moments, his gaze locked onto the detail, and he finally saw what Ned was pointing out.

In the video, situated above the town within the heart of the thunderstorm, Barry discerned a minuscule dot. 

Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a humanoid figure with the appearance of a woman, adorned with white hair, gracefully soaring through the sky amidst the tumultuous weather.

"...!"

Barry's intrigue heightened upon witnessing yet another supernatural occurrence in the video. 

Contemplating whether this figure could be a potential addition to the Avengers or perhaps a looming threat, he found himself engrossed in thoughts about the implications of this mysterious presence.

"Where did you get this?"

"On the internet, it's all over social media"

"..."

"They kept commenting on the video whether this was fake or not. I personally don't think it's fake, it just looks too real to be CGI"

Barry nodded in agreement with Ned's assessment, sharing the conviction that the footage appeared genuine and devoid of any editing or CGI. 

And this realization only served to deepen the mystery, prompting a cascade of questions in both their minds.

Is this person related to Thor?

Perhaps, another Norse God?

What was she doing in the video?

The multitude of unanswered questions only fueled Barry's curiosity and heightened his interest, leaving him to ponder whether another significant incident would unfold in the near future.

Given the current state of the world, Barry couldn't help but entertain the notion that another alien invasion wouldn't be entirely surprising.

Although internally, Barry hopes that it won't happen...

Considering the existing turmoil on Earth, the prospect of another destruction would only serve to heighten the collective panic and anxiety that already permeated the world.

After all, humans are inherently emotional creatures, possessing a potential for unforeseen horrors when consumed by their emotions. The unpredictable nature of such reactions only adds an element of uncertainty to the potential consequences they might unleash.

"Do you know where this video was taken?"

"I heard it was somewhere in Salem"

"Salem...?"

Barry wore a contemplative expression, racking his memory for any notable events or supernatural occurrences in Salem. Simultaneously, Ned also engaged in a similar mental exercise, reflecting on his own recollections of the town.

Ding~ Dong~

Engrossed in their contemplations, the school bell interrupted Barry and Ned's brainstorming session, marking the conclusion of the lunch break. 

Reluctantly, they shelved the intriguing topic for later discussion, heading off to their respective classes.