by Dee J. Stone
“Funny.”
He leans close. “But seriously. Why don’t the kids like you? Aren’t you supposed to be their idol or something?”
Me their idol? Yeah, sure. “They want to fight. That’s all. Crush things. It’s not so easy trying to help them use their powers for good.”
He claps me on the back. “Give it time, bro.”
My phone beeps with a text from Maddie. My mom is NOT pleased that you ditched school.
Melissa specifically told me I can’t miss a day. Well, I don’t care. Tell her I had a family emergency and I’ll try to be there for training. That’s all she needs me for, right?
She calls me a few minutes later. “I snuck out of class to talk to you. Nick, something is seriously wrong with you and I want to know what it is.”
I slip into the living room for some privacy. “What’s wrong with me? My little sister is at the shrink because of me.”
She’s quiet for a second or two. “I thought we decided we’d stop blaming ourselves for what happened.”
I know I said that. But it’s hard. I couldn’t sleep last night because I kept hearing Kaylee’s yells in my head when she was being tortured over and over again.
“I can’t let it go, Mads. If something happens to her…if she doesn’t get through this…I’ll never forgive myself.”
“Everything is going to be fine. Just think positive thoughts.”
Easier said than done.
“And Nick?”
“Yeah?”
“Go out for a fly. Cool your head. Let off some steam. Sitting home all day waiting is going to drive you even more insane.”
She always knows what to say to make me feel better. “Want to come with?”
“Can’t. I need to be here for training.”
“I said I’d come for that.”
“It’s okay. I’ll train all the kids today.”
“But, Mads—”
“Don’t worry about it. You need to be there for Kaylee.”
“I really love you, you know that?”
She laughs a little. “Of course I know. I feel the exact same way. I’m keeping my thoughts positive. See you.”
I shove my phone into my pocket, then walk into the kitchen. Matt is exactly where I left him, except he’s staring at his other sneaker.
“I’m going to go for a fly,” I tell him. “Need to clear my head.”
He nods like he barely heard me. I’m about to leave, but turn around. He’s still gazing at his sneaker, his mind seeming not to be in this room. “You okay, Bro?”
He snaps into it. “What? Yeah, fine.”
I sit across from him. “Liar. What’s up?”
He shakes his head. “Nothing.”
I give him a look like I don’t believe him.
“It’s stupid,” he says.
“Try me.”
He sighs a long and hard one. “It’s just that I’m the older brother. I’m supposed to protect you and Kaylee from harm. And I’m doing a lousy job at it. Kaylee needs help, you’re being framed. What the heck am I doing just sitting here? I should be wringing the necks of those who hurt our little sis. I should beat the life out of those who are framing you. But no. All I do is sit on the couch and stuff my face with junk while watching TV.”
This is the first time Matt has let anything off his chest. I’m so shocked that I’ve got no clue what to say. Then, slowly, the words come to me. “First of all, you can’t avenge Kaylee because the scientists are in prison, so unless you want to kill them, there’s nothing else you can do, and no, you can’t kill them.”
“Never said I would.”
“And Hiram is dead.”
He nods.
“And being an older brother doesn’t mean you always have to protect us. We have Mom and Dad for that.”
“And powers.”
I laugh lightly as I look at my hands. “Yeah, powers. But having powers doesn’t mean anything. Unless you have a good heart inside. And you do, Matt. You’ve got a huge heart and Kaylee knows that.”
He gives me a crooked smile. “That was one of the lamest things you have ever said to me. But...” He grabs me and sticks my head under his armpit. “You’re right. I don’t have powers to protect you all, but I can still be there for you. For anything.”
“You do know I can tackle you with my eyes closed, right?” My voice is all muffled.
He doesn’t have the chance to respond because my watch beeps. I pull my head out from under his armpit and check it out.
“What’s going on?”
“Some kids snuck into a construction zone and were playing around with wooden planks and metal bars. A whole chunk of them collapsed on one of the kids. I need to go.”
He gets up and pats me on the back. “Go do what you’re meant to do, hero.”
It takes me only a few minutes to get to the place. It’s crowded with people. As soon as they see me, they clap. Some give me faces like they don’t want me here.
The cops and paramedics are here, too. I float above them, and they quickly show me where the kid is stuck. I only see a leg sticking out. I wave my hand to move the plank when someone shouts, “No!”
I freeze and turn to the left. A woman, possibly the kid’s mom, rushes over to the cops. She whispers something, but I can hear loud and clear. She doesn’t want me saving her kid. I move away.
“Ma’am,” one of the cops says. “The safest way to free your son is by having the Blue Masked Hero’s help.”
“But you can do it, can’t you?” Her voice is panicked.
The cop nods. “We can, but he can do so quickly and safely. And we’d better make a decision. His life is at risk the more we wait. Ma’am, I suggest you let the hero help.”
She gives me the most disgusted face I’ve ever seen on a person. It makes me want to fly back home and wait for my parents and Kaylee to return. But if I can help save this kid’s life, I’ll do it.
The cops take another few minutes reasoning with the mom, while other people get their equipment ready to free the kid. Eventually she gives in and I waste no time pushing the planks of wood off the kid. A few seconds later, he’s free, and the mom runs over to him.
“Look what you did!” a voice yells.
I twist my body around and see a commotion. A group of people is crowded around a man. One of the paramedics. He’s on the ground, his leg bent in a weird angle. A plank of wood is right beside him.
“You hit him!” one of the bystanders says. “As you freed the kid. You threw the wood around, not caring who you hit. What kind of hero are you?”
I sink a little toward the ground. It can’t be. I was careful. I’m always careful not to hit anyone. “Sorry,” I say. “But I didn’t do that. I didn’t throw the wood in that direction. I threw it there.” I point to an area devoid of people. “I was careful.”
They glare at me.
I turn to the paramedic. “Are you okay?”
He gasps in pain. “No, my leg is twisted.”
Other paramedics dash over to him.
“Get out of here!” someone yells at me. “Before you do more damage.”
Others shout similar things.
I back away, my mouth opening and closing to say something, but I don’t know what. How can I explain what happened when I don’t even know myself?
On my way home, I nearly crash into something red that’s zooming in the sky. Maddie. As soon as she sees me, she stops. “What’s wrong? We need to go. Someone’s in danger. Did your watch beep?”
I take hold of her arm before she can continue flying. “I already saved the kid.”
Relief washes over her. “Good.”
I shake my head, dropping to the ground. She joins me. I don’t even know where we are. Far from home, maybe closer to New Jersey.
“Are you okay?” she asks. “Still worried about Kaylee? Is there any news?”
I shake my head again.
“Nick.”
Keeping my gaze on the house a
few feet away from us, I say, “He struck again.”
“Who?”
“The person framing me.”
I tell her what happened and her eyes widen. “Wait a minute. He was at the scene and he made it seem like you accidentally hit the paramedic?”
I nod. “Anyone missing from school?”
“I don’t know. There are hundreds of kids and only a few are in our class. It could be someone slipped out. I was the only one who had permission, so we might want to ask the teachers.”
I nod again, not able to talk. This is so messed up. All I wanted was to help the kid. Now I’m seen as a terrible person.
“I think I need to stop,” I say after a few minutes.
“Stop…what?” she asks. “You don’t mean being Blue.”
I throw my hands up. “Look at where it’s gotten me. A sister who’s suffering. A little brother who sees me as nothing more than a hero. He doesn’t like me for me, and that sucks. A mom who constantly worries I’m going to get hurt. And of course now I’m only causing more damage than good. I should have let you handle it.”
Her hand rests on my back. “You need to calm down.”
“I’m done trying to calm down. It’s easy for you to say. No one is framing you.”
Her eyes get a little big and she turns away, dropping her arm. “Wow.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to snap.” I reach for her hand, but she holds it away from me. “I don’t know what’s going on with me.”
She doesn’t say anything and we sit here silently. Finally, after what feels like hours, she says, “I know what you’re going through. Remember when I started being Red? No one wanted me around.”
“I know. But this is a little different. You accidentally hurt the people you saved. I didn’t hit that paramedic. I know for a fact that I threw the wood in the other direction.”
She gets to her feet. “I’m trying to help you. I didn’t come here to hear you say all those things about me. How I’m not good enough and will never be good enough. Or how you couldn’t possibly have messed up. Because you’re Perfect Nick and nothing you do is wrong.”
I stand, too. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
“Really? Because it sure sounded that way. You know what? I’m out of here.”
“Maddie, wait.” But it’s too late. She shoots in the sky and takes off, faster than a rocket.
I sulk back home, feeling like such a rotten person. Sending Maddie a million texts doesn’t do any good. She’s too pissed at me.
Matt is still sitting at the table. Right when he sees me, his mouth falls open. “Man, you don’t look so good.”
I plop down on the chair. “Just leave me alone.”
“Dad called.”
My heard jerks up. “And?”
“I thought you wanted me to leave you alone.”
“I’m serious, Matt.”
He smiles. “He said everything went well and that the doctor is optimistic that Kaylee will get better.”
That’s the best news I’ve heard all day. “Awesome.”
We remain at the table, waiting for them to come home. Maddie doesn’t return my texts, which bums me out. Matt asks me about it, but I shrug as an answer.
An hour later, Dad walks into the house, holding Kaylee’s hand. Mom is close behind with a pizza box.
Kaylee leaps onto a chair. “We got pizza.”
I smile. “Yep. Want a slice?”
She nods and I hand one to her. She seems fine and happy, so I can’t help but wonder exactly what happened today. My parents have normal expressions on their faces. Maybe I don’t need to worry. Maybe everything will be okay.
We talk and have fun, like today is a regular day. Once Kaylee is in bed—after getting a few rides from me—my parents, Matt, and I sit in the living room.
“What did the doctor say?” I ask.
“That Kaylee is a bright little girl who’s been through something horrific. But he’s confident he can help her get better.”
Matt and I smile to one another in relief.
“She seemed fine by dinner,” I say. “Did she understand what’s going on?”
Dad says, “We told her the doctor is going to help her with the nightmares. She seemed very happy about that.” He takes Mom’s hand. “That’s all we want. For Kaylee to be happy and well.”
Chapter Eight
“Are you ever going to forgive me?” I ask Maddie during lunch the next day at school. “I was an idiot. I didn’t mean what I said.”
She’s hiding behind a book. I bet she’s pretending not to hear me. I gently push the book down. “Boo?”
She rolls her eyes.
“What else can I do?” I ask. “I thought about buying flowers. Maybe chocolate, but I figured you wouldn’t like that.”
She pushes the book back up. “No, I wouldn’t.”
I sigh a long and heavy one, hoping she’ll finally give me attention. She doesn’t. “I guess I’m gonna go find somewhere else to sit. Since I’m not wanted.”
Slowly, like I’m an old man, I climb out of the bench. She doesn’t stop me. Man. What’s a guy supposed to do in a situation like this?
“We have a date tonight.”
I turn around. “What?”
The book is still raised, so I can’t see the look on her face. “I said we have a date tonight.”
Once again, I lower the book. “What are you talking about?”
She grabs the book from me and slams it shut. “My dad wants to meet you.”
My stomach does this weird flip. Her dad wants to meet me? “Why?”
“Because you’re my boyfriend.”
I can’t help the huge grin that captures my face. “I’m still your boyfriend?”
“Well, he thinks you are.”
Nice. Real nice.
“A few days ago, he and I discussed the three of us going out for dinner so you guys could meet. We decided on tonight. I would have called you but I was pissed at you. So I’m telling you now.” She gathers her tray before getting to her feet. “Be ready by six.”
As she passes me on her way out, I take her arm. “Hold on. You’re not running away from me. Why in the world are we going out to eat with your dad if you can’t stand the sight of me? What’s the point?”
She clutches the front of my shirt, pulling me close. “Because despite what you said, I still love you and I’m probably going to forgive you by the end of the day.”
I laugh. “You’re something else, Maddie. You know that?”
“I guess I’ll take that as a compliment. See you in class.” She walks away.
I finish up eating, and before I have a chance to get to class, Melissa stands at my table. Aw, man. What does she want from me now?
She sits down in the spot Maddie was at only a few minutes ago. “You just missed Maddie,” I say. “She went to class.”
“I want to speak to you.”
I internally groan. Is this about Maddie and my date with her ex-husband? Does she want to tell me to bail?
“You promised me you’d come to training yesterday.”
Training, right. With everything that happened, school was the last thing on my mind. “Maddie and I decided she’d take over. It was just one session. No big deal.”
She presses her palm on the table, clearly trying to contain her frustration. “You and Maddie decided? Last I checked, I’m the principal of this school. Not you.”
“Why do you hate me? For years we’ve hardly said more than two words to one another. You were just my best friend’s mom. And now I come to your school and you treat me like this? Why?”
She sits back in her chair. “Because I don’t trust you.”
“What?”
“Look, Nick. You’re a nice guy and you treat my daughter well, but I think all this superhero stuff is getting to your head.”
So she’s been watching the news. Great. “Nothing is going to my head. All that stuff they’re saying about me on TV is wrong. But you don�
��t believe me, do you?” I stand. “I don’t care what you or anyone else thinks of me. I’m going to be late for class.”
“Nick.”
I turn around.
“It’s not the news that changed my opinion of you. It’s your attitude. Cutting school, not showing up for training. Not keeping your promises.”
I walk back to her. “This ‘attitude’ you’re talking about? It’s because I’ve got things I’m dealing with a home. And I know you’re going to say we all have stuff to deal with, but mine’s a little different. You know about my sister and how JQ messed her up. And because of that she needs therapy. Lots of it. So excuse me if training your students is not my number one priority.”
She looks shocked. Completely speechless. “Nick…I didn’t realize how serious her situation is.” She gets to her feet and gives me this awkward hug.
“I’m sorry for going off on you.”
Still hugging me, she pats my back. “Take off as much time as you need.”
I draw back. “Thanks, but I know I have an obligation here. And I’ll try not to miss more days.”
She nods. “The second you need to go home, just go.”
I thank her again, then head to math. Maddie’s reading her book. I drop down next to her. “I just had a weird moment with your mom.”
She turns the page. “That’s interesting. What did she pick on this time?”
“I reminded her about Kaylee. She didn’t know how serious it is.”
“Yeah, she’s always burying herself in work and doesn’t realize other people are going through things. And when it doesn’t go her way, she completely loses it. So don’t take it personally when she picks on you.”
“How does she feel about my meeting your dad?”
She shrugs. “Makes no difference to her.”
“Maybe we can set her up with someone.”
She gives me a look. “Play matchmaker for my mom? Yeah, right. Besides, she has a lot on her plate. Any mess ups and the government will shut the school down. She’s worried about the kids.”
I nod. “Okay. So this date tonight, what exactly am I supposed to…do?”
“Are you nervous to meet my dad?”
“Well, yeah. He’s your dad. And it’s not like I’ve done this sort of thing before. Plus all the stuff they’re saying about me on TV…he might not let us date.”