( season 3 : episode eleven - gas or fail ; part one )

(juniper's outfit for this part of the chapter)

When Henry got to the Man Cave that day, he was confused when he saw Juniper dodging something that Schwoz shot at her. Thanks to her super speed she also had fast reflexes. And currently they were testing them out and seeing how fast she can dodge something. So far she had been doing well.

"Come on, Schwoz, give me something more challenging!" Juniper taunted. She was having a blast testing her super speed, narrowly dodging each projectile Schwoz sent her way.

Schwoz grins, clearly enjoying the challenge. "Oh, you want a challenge, do you?" He called out, turning up the speed. He activated a new setting on his device, sending a flurry of projectiles in Juniper's direction. The objects moved faster and with more erratic trajectories, making it even more challenging for her to dodge.

Juniper's reflexes were on high alert as she zipped around the room, narrowly avoiding each projectile with grace. Her movements were so swift and fluid that it was almost like she was dancing between the shots. Henry watched, impressed and in awe, as she effortlessly dodged every shot. Her speed was incredible, and her reflexes were even better. He couldn't help the awestruck look that was on his face. He had always known that she was fast, but seeing her in action like this was something else entirely.

The speed and precision with which Juniper moved was unlike anything Henry had ever seen before. Her agility and grace were breathtaking, and the ease with which she wove through the flurry of projectiles was nothing short of mesmerizing. She made it look effortless, as if she were floating through the air. Juniper's cheeks grew red when she noticed Henry watching her. She had been so caught up in the moment, so focused on the challenge, that she hadn't even noticed him enter the Man Cave. Knowing he was watching her, with that look on his face, only made her blush deeper and caught her off guard. She lost focus for a moment and would've gotten it if it wasn't for Henry. He was quick to head over to her, not hesitating to pull her out of the way when a shot almost hit her. She stumbled a bit, her hands gripping his biceps to keep herself steady as she caught her breath. Schwoz had stopped the device after seeing this, looking at her with concern. When he asked if she was okay and if she got hurt, she reassured she was okay.

She looks over at Henry, her cheeks still flushed from the combination of exertion and embarrassment. "Thanks, Hen." She said, her voice a mix of relief and gratitude. "That was close."

"Yeah, no problem. You were amazing out there. I've never seen anyone move like that." Henry spoke softly.

Juniper's blush deepens, and she smiles shyly. "Thanks, Henry. I was just trying to keep up with Schwoz's challenge."

Schwoz, who had been watching with a grin, nods in approval. "Impressive reflexes, Juniper. I'll have to adjust the settings again to keep up with you."

Henry chuckles and gave Juniper a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder. "I'm sure you'll handle it just fine. You were incredible, June."

The use of the nickname and his warm smile sent her heart racing, and she felt a warmth spread through her. She couldn't help the smile that spread across her lips as she gazed into his hazel eyes.

"Thanks, Hen. That means a lot." She whispered, her cheeks burning. Henry was caught off guard by the look on her face. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were shining. The look on her face made his heart skip a beat, and his breath caught in his throat. For a moment, he felt like the whole world had faded away, and it was just the two of them. Moments like this made it so hard for him to try to act like he didn't have feelings for her, that he wasn't falling for her.

"Well, it's true. You were amazing." He replied softly, his heart pounding in his chest.

Henry grins, his own cheeks a bit pink from the adrenaline rush and maybe something else when he realized how close they were. They were inches apart, and her hands were still on his arms, his hands were on her hips. She was warm and felt good pressed against him like this. She was close enough for him to smell her sweet scent, a mixture of her coconut shampoo and something distinctly Juniper. The heat of her body seeped into his own, making his heart pound even faster than it already was. She looked up at him with those stunning eyes of hers, and Henry was momentarily speechless. The only thing he could think of was how beautiful she looked in that moment.

He made her feel something...Different. Something that caused butterflies to flutter in his stomach and his heart to race a bit. It was something he had noticed lately whenever he was with her. He had a crush on her, he always had tried his best to keep his feelings hidden, but it was almost always so hard. Especially when she was this close to him. She had to know, right? There was no way she couldn't have noticed. Right? He hoped she didn't notice the blush that he felt creeping across his cheeks.

Juniper was in the same situation. She couldn't seem to tear her gaze away from his, those brown eyes of his were captivating, and the way he was looking at her made her heart skip a beat. She could feel the warmth of his body, and her own feelings were stirred by the closeness. Juniper's cheeks were flushed, not just from the physical exertion but also from the intensity of the moment. It was clear that Henry's presence was affecting her as much as she was affecting him.

She caught a glimpse of his slightly pink cheeks and the way his gaze softened when he looked at her, and she wondered if perhaps he was feeling the same way. Her heart raced as she searched his eyes for any sign of what he might be thinking. There was something unspoken between them, a connection that was both exciting and a little intimidating. The room seemed to shrink around them, the sounds of Schwoz's equipment fading into the background. All that mattered was the shared space between them, the electric charge of the moment, and the feeling that something significant was about to shift. The tension was broken by Ray's voice, the two of them quickly stepping back and awkwardly avoiding eye contact, their cheeks red.

"That was one way to test out Henry's new super power, his hypermotility." Ray commented, walking over to the group. He had noticed Henry puling Juniper out of the way just in time, but didn't say anything. It looked like Henry didn't even think about it, he was just acting on instinct, but Ray could see the subtle tension between the two. He decided to keep his comments to himself for now, sensing that the moment was more personal than he initially thought. Henry and Juniper both looked flustered, quickly returning to their previous positions and trying to regain their composure. The awkwardness lingered for a moment before Henry glanced at Ray when he remembered something.

"Hey, also I didn't get lunch at school, so could we order some Chinese food?" Henry asked hopefully.

"What?" Ray asked, glancing over at him.

"I want some of those, uh...Oh, what do you call 'em? They're like, uh...Chinese dumplings?" Henry tried explaining what he wanted, but he couldn't remember the name.

"Oh...You mean wom-pons." Schwoz said in realization. Juniper cringed and shook her head at the wrong protonation at the name.

"Yeah." Henry smiles, then frowns realizing Schwoz pronounced it wrong. "No."

"Won-tons." Ray corrects Schwoz. "He means won-tons, not 'wom-pons'." He spkoe in the same accent Schwoz had.

"I did my best to say it right." Schwoz muttered and both Juniper and Henry sent sympathetic looks to him and Henry even patted his shoulder to comfort him.

"Whatever, can we order some?" Henry questioned in a hopeful tone.

"Not now. It's time for my biyearly physical densitization test." Ray answered.

Henry stares at him with confusion. "I understood the word 'test'." Juniper giggled at that and moved to sit on the couch to rest. Henry's lips curved upwards at hearing her giggle. He had grown to love the sound of it and her laugh was just as sweet. He looked back at Ray with confusion.

"It's a test to make sure I'm totally indescribable." Ray sighd.

Henry hums as he nods in realization. "Can we order some won-tons?"

"No. You see that machine over there? The one Schwoz used on Juniper earlier? Well, it's going to shoot baseballs at you." Ray told him.

Henry grew worried at that. "What? Why me?"

"Because! Because of your new super power." Ray smiled.

"Yeah, your hyper mutilatiew..." Schwoz tried pronouncing it, but had problems. Juniper giggled again, watching him with amusement.

"Okay, it's called hyper motility." Henry corrected Schwoz, his heart skipping a beat again at hearing Juniper's giggle.

"Hypermutebeul-"

"Okay, can we move on?! Can we move on?" Frustration laced Henry's voice as he cut Schwoz off, getting annoyed that he was saying the wrong pronunciation.

"Scwoz, show 'em your bat."

Henry exchanges a confused glance with Juniper at this. "His...His what?" Henry stammered, looking back at Ray, who was now stretching.

"You see...When you see the balls a-comin', you use this a-base-a-ball bat to swing-svat the balls." Schwoz explained, walking over with a silver bat. Juniper furrowed her eyebrows. It looked like a normal bat, but knowing Schwoz it probably wasn't.

"Yep, then Schwoz is going to measure the speed of the base-a-balls and then after I get hit, I tell him when my pain stops and I feel okay." Ray grinned and snapped his fingers.

"And then I use a mathematical equation to determine how indestructible Ray is." Schwoz added.

Henry nods and glances at Ray. "I just want, like, five won-tons."

"Ooh, I want some too!" Juniper chimes in with a grin. "They're so good." She loved them, they tasted like heaven.

"You guys can have some won-tons after we do this!" Ray exclaimed in frustration. Juniper chuckled, shaking her head. Henry sighed and turned around to prepare. Ray then moved to stand in front of the elevator while Schwoz got the device ready. Juniper leaned back against the couch she sat on, relaxing as she watched the group prepare. She grew confused along with the others when Schwoz suddenly put a strange box on his head.

"What's that for?" Henry called out.

"To protect a-my fact from stray balls." Schwoz replies, his voice muffled. He didn't have the box on when he was doing the test with Juniper since she didn't use a bat, but he wanted to be careful with this. He walks over to Henry with the bat he picked up. "Okay, Henry," He presses a button on the bat and it lights up, causing Juniper to perk up and smile. Of course it wasn't a normal bat. "Take this base-a-ball bat..."

"Woah, what kind of baseball bat is this?" Henry asked curiously, grinning as he twirled the bat around.

"It's a thermal fusion bat I made myself." Schwoz answered in a proud tone.

"Great job, Schwoz! It looks so cool." Juniper commented, smiling at Schwoz, who returned the smile.

"Can you make thermal fusion won-tons?" Henry inquired, glancing at Schwoz with raised eyebrows.

Juniper chuckles and shakes her head. "Hen, Ray said we could get some after. Focus." She reminded him, though her amused expression was still present. Henry sent her a playful pout, which she stuck her tongue out at. Henry chuckled and rolled his eyes playfully as he got ready. Once he and Ray were ready, Schwoz pressed the button on the device. The first hit Henry did, Ray dodged and it hit through the elevator.

Ray laughs. "Missed me, missed me, now ya gotta ki..." His taunting voice trailed off as he realized what came next and he grimaced while turning away.

"Now I gotta what?" Henry taunted, looking amused.

"Nothin', forget it." Ray mumbled, but Henry kept teasing him.

"No, no, no, now I gotta what?"

"No, I changed my mind, okay? You don't gotta do anything! C'mon Schwoz, if we're gonna do this, let's do it!" Ray spoke with frustration. Juniper watched with a mixture of amusement and concern as Henry and Ray continued their playful banter. It was clear that the atmosphere was light-hearted despite the unusual situation. As Schwoz prepared to fire the baseballs, Henry took his position, gripping the high-tech bat with determination. Juniper couldn't help but notice how handsome Henry looked, his stance strong and confident, and his expression serious. It was a good look on him, she thought to herself, her cheeks heating up as her gaze lingered a bit longer than she intended. She quickly turned her gaze to the floor and mentally scolded herself when she realized what she just thought. She needed to get these feelings for him under control before they got too far, because the more time she spent around him, the more difficult it was.

"Oh, June, did you tell Ray about tomorrow?" Henry asked her, his voice distracting her from her thoughts.

"Tomorrow?" Ray glanced over at her with a questioning look.

"Oh, no I forgot." Juniper admitted, sheepishly smiling at Henry.

Before Henry could explain to Ray, Schwoz shot at Henry. His quick reflexes kicked in and he swung the bat, hitting the ball, causing it to hit Ray's shoulder and sending him to the ground. Schwoz recorded the speed while Ray got back up.

"I'm okay. So what did you guys need to tell me?" Ray asked the two teens.

"We can't make it to work tomorrow." Henry replied, earning a confused look from Ray.

"What do you mean you can't work tomorr-" Ray's question is cut off by another hit to his shoulder, making him fall over. But he got back up with no problem. "Still okay." He smiled.

"Uh, tomorrow's 'Achievement Test Day' at school." Henry explained.

"Uh, Juniper, you're a hero, and Henry you're my sidekick, that means tha-" Ray's comment is cut off as he falls to the ground with a hit to his knee. "You guessed it: okay." He grinned.

"No one guessed it." Juniper chuckles, shaking her head. "But seriously, Ray, we have to take this test. We have no say in it."

"Exactly." Henry nods in agreement. "If we leave school for any reason, we could get into huge trouble."

"Okay, fine, you babies. Take the day off, but it's comin' out of your vacation time." Ray told them.

"We get vacation time?" Juniper questioned, furrowing her eyebrows. She didn't remember anything about that. Henry was confused too, and sent her a questioning look before he looked back at Ray.

"Uh, we didn't know we get vacation time."

Ray suddenly looks nevous. "Uh...Ah, you...You, uh, you don't." He stammers. "I mean, there's no state law that says you do. So, y'know, don't even check."

"Wait a second, are you saying-"

"Schpitz!" Ray interrupted Henry's question with the word Schwoz had been saying as he pressed the button to shoot the balls.

"Wait, no, do-"

Juniper gasps, eyes widening when the ball Henry hits goes through the box Schwoz wore and hitting him, making him fall to the ground. "Oh, no." She mutters worriedly. "He's still alive, right?" She got up and headed over to Schwoz, who was now passed out on the floor.

"He's probably alright." Ray nodded, smiling nervously.

"Yeah..." Henry hesitantly agreed.

Juniper kneels down by Schwoz, checking for his pulse and sighs with relief. "Yeah, he's still alive. But I think he'll be out for a bit."

"Get some won-tons?" Henry suggested.

"Yeah, let's go." Ray nodded and started to follow Henry.

"Wait, we can't just leave him on the floor." Juniper protested, frowning at the boys.

"Juni, he'll be fine. He'll probably wake up soon. And even if he doesn't, he'll be alright. Schwoz has dealt with worse." Ray reassures her, though he felt a bit bad for leaving him like this. But there wasn't really anything they could do but wait. "Come on, let's get some won-tons." He offered a hand to help her up, which she took, letting him pull her up.

"Fine. But I'm gonna leave a note so he doesn't get too confused if he wakes up when we're gone." She went over to the counter, grabbed a sticky note, and wrote a quick note before sticking it on Schwoz's forehead. She then turned to the boys, who were already waiting by the door. "Alright, let's go."

With that, the trio headed out of the room, leaving Schwoz laying on the ground. Juniper hoped that he would be okay, she figured would be, but it didn't hurt to be cautious.

****

(juniper's outfit for this part of the chapter)

Juniper was relieved to find out Schwoz was okay and back to his normal self like he didn't even pass out. It was now the next day at school and Juniper sat in class in the middle row. Her teacher was finishing up with taking roll call. "Now, does everyone have their test booklets?" Miss Shapen asks, showing the test booklet to the class. When they all reply with 'yes', she smiles. "Good. Now, you all know why this test is so important, right?" She groans when they all admit they don't. "Henry, Jasper, stand up and explain it to the class while I rub this pimple cream on my back." She ordered the two teens as she walked back to her desk, laying the booklet back down and picking up some cream.

Juniper looks at her teacher weirdly and cringes slightly when she starts rubbing it on her back. "Uh...Every Christmas the principal gives all the teacher bonuses." Henry started as he stood.

"And the higher we all score on this test, the more money Miss Shapen gets." Jasper added.

"Or as I like to say it: the better your grades, the more I gets paids!" Miss Shapen remarked, grinning. She was the only one who found her comment amusing.

"Yeah, we're gonna sit down now." Henry muttered while he and Jasper sat back down.

"Charlotte?" Miss Shapen called out after she was done rubbing the scream on her back.

"Yes, ma'am?" Charlotte responded.

"Switch places with Von Trapp." Miss Shapen told her.

Maria, who sat up front near Henry, furrows her eyebrows. "Why? I don't wanna switch places."

"Well, doe-ray-me don't care, now be a good female deer and move!" Miss Shapen tells her. Maria frowns, but she gets up and gathers her thing to move to Charlotte's seat in the back. Miss Shapen smiles. "There. Now, I'm putting Charlotte in the front 'cause she's much smarter than the rest of you. So is Juniper," She adds while the other students look offended. "Now, I realize that it's gonna be tempting to copy off of Charlotte's test paper?" She hums. "But if I catch anyone cheating, you know what's gonna happen?"

"No...What?" Jasper asked, shaking his head.

"Nothing." Miss Shapen and popped her mouth a few times, gaining weird looks from her students.

"Uh...What are you doin' with your mouth?" Henry inquired.

"Winking. I have weak eyelid muscles, so I'm a mouth winker." Miss Shapen replies and resumed mouth winking. Everyone then quickly began pleading for her to stop. "Alright." She sighed.

"But cheating is-is wrong." Jasper pointed out and Juniper, along with the rest of the class, agreed with him.

"Not when an underpaid adult tells you to do it!" Miss Shapen exclaims, startling the class. After checking her watch she wore, she then adds, "Now everyone, pick up your pencils." She walks behind her desk, grabbing an hourglass to tip it over. "And begin!"

Everyone began taking their tests, not so subtly leaning over to check Charlotte's and Juniper's test. Juniper realized all the most smart people in the class were sat in a row now for it to be easier access for the other students to cheat. Juniper couldn't believe Miss Shapen was encouraging cheating by seating all the top students in a row. It was both frustrating and absurd. Juniper glanced at Charlotte, the two girls sharing a confused and exasperated look. Then they glance at Miss Shapen, who smirked and mouth winked at them in resposne.

Juniper sat up straighter when suddenly a lodu alarm went off, getting everyone's attention. "Uh, what's that sound?" Henry asked nervously.

"That's just the Swellview Emergency Warning Siren-Just keep taking your tests." Miss Shapen replied calmly.

Juniper stares at her with disbelief. "You're not worried about it?"

"Yeah, shouldn't we findout what the emergency is?" Charlotte asked.

"Ah, fine!" Miss Shapen sighs heavily and grabs a remote to pull up the internet on the board. "See, it's just a rerun of Toilet Wars, everything's fine." She pointed out with a smile when the show was on. "If it was a real emergency, they'd interrupt this for-"

"We interrupt Toilet Wars for this breaking news, it seems-" Mary, one of the news anchor reporter's voice is heard when channel seven news interrupted the show.

"Attention. Attention." Trent, Mary's co-host, interrupts her, earning an annoyed look from Mary. "Breaking news. An underground gas pipe has burst, deep in the Earth, underneath Swellview's nuclear gas company. But according to experts, the gas is not harmful to humans unless it escapes from the ground. Which it has. It's escaping from the ground right now. So, if you're in Swellview, or the surrounding areas we advise you to evacuate Swellview...And the surrounding areas."

"Captain Man, Dash, Kid Danger, where are you?!" Mary cried out before Miss Shapen turned off the screen. Juniper locked eyes with Henry, the two sharing a concerned and worried look and she knew they were thinking the same thing. How were they going to get out of school to help Ray save the town and the surrounding areas?

Despite this being an emergency, Miss Shapen still dismisses. "See? Everything's fine, so keep taking your tests." She then quickly locked both doors lading to the hallways.

"But the news guy said we should evacuate." Jasper spoke up, gaining words of agreements from his classmates.

"No!" Miss Shapen shouts. "Nobody leaves until everyone finishes their tests and gets a great score so I can get my big fat cash money bonus!"

"Hey, Miss Shapen? Can I use the restroom?" Henry questioned, raising his hand, hoping this will let him leave so he can go help Ray. Juniper had a feeling that Miss Shapen wouldn't let any of them go for anything. Especially since she was locking them despite there currently being an emergency.

"To do what?" Miss Shapen questioned.

"Well, to go to the...To use the...I'll just stay here..." Henry stammered, reluctantly deciding to stay there and focused back on his test. Juniper locked eyes with him and sent him a sympathetic look. She understood his frustration and felt it too. The urgency of the situation and Miss Shapen's stubbornness were incredibly frustrating. She knew he was trying to come up with a way to escape the classroom and help out, but Miss Shapen's strict rules and her peculiar obsession with the test scores made it seem nearly impossible.

Juniper tapped her pencil on her desk anxiously. If she were honest, she was scared, because this was a dangerous situation. The threat of a toxic gas leak wasn't something to take lightly, and she knew Henry was concerned too. Everyone was, but there was nothing any of them could do about it. Not while they were stuck here. The rest of the class was equally unsettled, and some students were quietly discussing the evacuation notice. As time went on, Juniper started feeling like a prisoner in her own school, which was an unsettling thought. Juniper's gaze moved to Miss Shapen. She was sitting at her desk, watching the class carefully, as if making sure none of them tried to leave. She was obviously not going to allow anyone to leave, no matter what. Juniper sighed. She knew this was going to be tough.

****

Miss Shapen had left to go get something, but she then came back and closed and locked the door behind her. "Now...Just in case the poisonous gas reaches this school...I brought Charlotte and Juniper a gas mask. Girls, put this on your face." Miss Shapen handed Charlotte and Juniper both a gas mask.

"Uh, okay." Charlotte hesitantly took it from her and put it on her face. Juniper sent Miss Shapen a look, her eyebrows furrowed together, but she took it and put it on. She felt ridiculous with it on her face and she didn't like the dirty looks some students were giving her and Charlotte now.

"Well, what about the rest of us?" Jasper spoke up in concern.

"Yeah, why don't we get gas masks?" Henry added.

"Because none of you are as smart as these two." Miss Shapen replied.

Juniper's eyes widen, grimacing at the looks she and Charlotte received. "Please don't look at us." Charlotte mumbled, her voice now deep because of the gas mask, as she slid back in her chair and tried to sink further down. Juniper nodded in agreement and leaned back, slouching slightly. She understood Charlotte's discomfort and shared it. The gas masks, though intended to protect them, made them stand out and added an extra layer of anxiety to the already tense situation.

"Now that they're safe, they can continue taking their tests." Miss Shapen smiles. "And remember the rest of you better not copy their answers." She mouth winked a few times.

"Okay, will you please stop winking with your mouth?" Henry pleaded. He had enough of it, it weirded him out and it was the same for the other students too. They all had a look of discomfort and confusion. Miss Shapen frowned, but stopped and sat back down at her desk. Henry went back to work on his test like the others and glanced at his watch when it suddenly beeped. He knew what it meant, he was trying to get contacted by Ray or Schwoz. He glanced at Juniper when her watch she wore had beeped three times as well. They both exchanged a nervous look, the two trying to cover their watches.

"Hey! I heard a smart phone!" Miss Shapen called out angrily.

"Uh, s-sorry....That was just my, uh...My pacemaker." Jasper quickly chimed in.

"Pacemaker?" Charlotte glanced at him with confusion.

"Well, turn it off!" Miss Shapen told Jasper. Juniper shook her head at Miss Shapen. Miss Shapen clearly had no compassion or sympathy for the students, even for one who could have a health issue.

"Yes, ma'am." Jasper replied and pretended to turn it off. Miss Shapen returned to the book she was reading which Juniper noticed the title was 'Cats Are Enough'. Miss Shapen was a big cat lover. She had cat stickers all over her computer and constantly talked about her cats she had. Henry tried asking Miss Shapen if he could go to the restroom, even though that excuse didn't work for him an hour ago. Surprisingly, it worked and Miss Shapen let him leave, but she told him he had to be back here in two minutes. She even added that he shouldn't bother washing his hands. Juniper shot her teacher another weird look, but she was relieved Henry could finally get out, even if just for a short time. She figured it must be really bad for Ray to beep both her and Henry even though they told him they couldn't leave the school today for the test. She hoped everything was alright.