by Melissa Wong
She’d liked it—way more than she had ever expected to like a kiss. Never in a million years did she expect that her childhood best friend would be making her feel so giddy!
But he did. And she wanted to see him again; to kiss him again and feel that same electric feeling she’d felt on the balcony.
She looked at her phone. Nothing.
She’d told him she loved him... that was a lot more intense than just saying she had feelings for him like he had told her that night in the pool. He hadn’t said it back... was it possible that she’d scared him off by coming on so strong?
The longer she stared at her lock screen, the worse the urge to reach out to him became. What if the kiss hadn’t been the same for him? What if he was avoiding her now?
The sound of AJ yelling in his room leaked downstairs, breaking the silence. He must be playing online. How intimidating did he think his squeaky just-starting-to-change voice was to other players, anyway?
She took a deep breath and pulled up the messaging program on her phone.
“Have we switched places?” she asked.
After everything that had happened, the one thing she’d realized was that direct communication saved a lot of trouble. She didn’t have to sit around imagining the worst!
Her phone dinged. “No, I’m pretty sure I’m still at my house.”
Melissa felt her face fall as she glared at the message. Was he really that dense?
“Just kidding!” he sent, followed by a laughing emoticon. “I’ve just been trying to keep Ryan from committing murder since this morning. I’d rather be spending time with you.”
Her heart did a little flip-flop at the last part. Okay, so he wasn’t ignoring her—he was just helping a friend.
Wait... when did those two become friends? Well, they were teammates at any rate, and since that was the case...
“Do you need any help?” she texted, “I’m not busy right now.”
“You wanna come over?” he asked.
“Yeah, let me tell my dad and I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
“You should use the teleport and save time,” he sent along with another laughing emote.
“Yeah, and you can explain to your mom how I got upstairs in your room without her seeing me or hearing me knock!”
“Mom made brownies again and fell asleep on the sofa. You could come through here with a marching band and she’d have no idea.”
Melissa slipped on her shoes as she texted with one hand. “Her back bothering her again?”
“Yeah.”
It was one of those we all know, but we don’t talk about it kind of things that Cobalt’s mom was more than a little bit of a stoner back in her college days. According to her dad, when she found out she was pregnant with Cobalt’s older brother, she quit. Around the time Cobalt was four or so his mom was in a car accident that left her with severe back pain. A few years ago he’d confided that she’d started using again, but was baking it into things like brownies so it was more subtle. It was all legal—it was prescribed to replace the pain pills she’d been taking, but it still made him uncomfortable due to the anti-drug programs they participated in at school, and because it changed her so much.
“Dad,” Melissa yelled up the stairs as she pulled her cat ear hoodie from the closet beneath them, “I’m going to Cobalt’s for a little bit!”
“Okay,” he called back.
She had pulled the jacket over her head and was checking to make sure she had her phone on her when she heard what sounded like two doors opening at once. She looked up to see both her dad and brother peering down at her from over the railing.
“I’m sorry—where did you say you were going?” AJ asked with a smarmy grin.
“Cobalt’s house,” she replied, trying to sound as flippant as possible.
“Didn’t you two have a falling out?” her dad asked.
“We made up.”
“Did you make up or make out?” AJ blurted, unable to contain himself.
Melissa felt her cheeks heat up as she got ready to yell at him, but before she could say anything her dad rolled his eyes and shoved her brother back up the stairs.
“I’m glad to hear you’re speaking again. Tell Darcie and Danny I said hello. Oh, and also tell them I’m claiming the first barbecue of the season when it warms up again!”
“I will Dad,” she said with a smile.
She shut the door behind her as she stepped outside, the brisk spring breeze sending white petals flying down the sidewalk from the tree in their yard. Was it really only a few weeks ago that all this began? It felt like it had been years.
She reached up and caught what she thought was a petal, but turned out to be a whole blossom. She stared at it as it rested in the palm of her hand. How hard was it going to be to hide their identities now that there was a price on them? Cretora had even posted about their offer on Tweetly, so it was all over social media now. So far the Great Power seemed to have thought of that; their necklaces were discreet, and when they were transformed there seemed to be some sort of aura of obfuscation around them. But the promise of money made people crazy, and it didn’t hurt to be extra cautious.
Her phone went off in her pocket, the opening bars of the Magical Planet Girls Crystal theme indicating that it was Sable.
“Hey, what’s up?” she answered.
“You’re the one with experience in failed relationships. What should I do about Sara?”
“Shut up! What do you mean what should you do?”
“I wanna call or text her and see if she’s okay after last night, but I don’t wanna remind her of it if she’s trying to forget. Plus it’s Sunday and her family is really strict about her being on the phone on Sundays.”
“What? Why?”
“Dunno. I think it’s a religious thing. Anyway, what do I do?” Sable asked.
“Dude, she’s probably thinking about it constantly,” Melissa said, looking both ways before crossing a street. “Even when I tried really hard not to think about the Cobalt thing it was always low key on my mind, ready to jam itself into whatever else I was trying to think about.”
“Well, this is Sara we’re talking about too... she may have just decided to apply cold, hard logic to it and completely turned off her feelings on the matter.”
As Melissa turned the corner, she walked past a group of gardeners starting work on someone’s yard and cupped her hand over the phone to try and avoid sound leakage. “She can do that?”
“You kind of saw it last night when she left, remember?”
“I don’t believe it! Even if she can project that on the outside, I bet it’s eating at her on the inside. That level of betrayal is insane! I mean, he was working for the enemy all along? She has to feel like an idiot for being fooled, even if we all were.”
“Oh man, I didn’t even think about that. I was thinking she’d be heartbroken, but she’s probably pissed! But I still feel guilty—you and I were the ones who told her to get his number. I feel like I should say something.”
“It’s probably better to give her space, at least for today.”
“Maybe you’re right...” Sable conceded.
“Well, I mean, if you really wanted to you could text her something like, I’m here if you want to talk and I’m thinking of you. That way she knows you’re not shunning her or something. Actually, maybe I’ll do that myself... no too many texts are gonna look weird, like we’re talking about her behind her back or something. Tell her we’re all here when she’s ready to talk, and we’re all thinking of her. Please.”
“Will do. Also, is there something wrong with your phone? I keep hearing this weird noise from your end. Are you sitting next to a fan?”
“Ah, just some guy getting his lawn mowed. I’m taking a walk.”
“Fancy. Going anywhere in particular?”
Melissa spotted Cobalt’s house at the end of the cul-de-sac and averted her eyes despite the fact that it was a phone call. Why did she feel guilty about this?<
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“Hello? Mel?”
“I’m going to Cobalt’s house,” she admitted sheepishly.
“What?” Sable exclaimed.
“He asked me to help calm Ryan down. Apparently he’s still crazy from last night and wants to go kill Chase or something.”
“Ugh, he’s such a damn hothead! If you need backup, let me know.”
“Thanks,” she said, smiling as she stopped in front of the familiar red door with the floral wreath on the front. “I’ll text you later. Bye.”
Melissa raised her hand to knock, but thought better of it. Instead, she sent Cobalt a quick text before pocketing her cellphone.
He came to the door a few moments later, waving her inside. After she was in he shut the door, taking extra care not to make noise before grabbing her hand and leading her toward the stairs without a word.
Before last summer it wasn’t anything special for him to take her hand like this. But since last night that had changed. Even holding hands was exciting! What was happening to her? She blinked hard against that train of thought as he motioned for her to go up first.
She instinctively headed for his room but he stopped her just outside of the door, pulling her into an embrace. That was nice all on its own, but when she looked up at him he kissed her.
She was pleasantly surprised to discover the feeling that ran through her when their lips met was just as warm and tingly as the first time. She’d chalked it up to emotions and tension making it seem extra pleasant, but that didn’t seem to be the case!
They parted, and he whispered something she didn’t quite catch before pulling her quickly inside his room.
“Why are we being so quiet?” she asked, slipping off her shoes as she flopped onto his bed. “I thought you said your mom could sleep through a marching band?”
“My dad’s home and on a conference call right now. He’s already yelled at both me and Mark for being too loud so I was just being extra cautious.”
“Oh.”
His room smelled uniquely like him, and though she’d been in there a million times as they’d grown up—watching his childhood toys turn into comics, video games and photography equipment—she’d never noticed it before. Not like this.
She was about to ask if Ryan had checked in with him when a voice came from the direction of Cobalt’s desk.
“Dude, she climbed in your bed like it was nothing! You are so friend-zoned!”
She sat up on her arms to see Cobalt’s laptop open on his desk, Ryan’s face on the screen.
“You didn’t tell me he was on video chat!” she yelped.
He looked confused. “Yeah, this is the only way I could keep tabs on him and make sure he wasn’t just telling me he wouldn’t do anything stupid while he was out doing the stupid thing.”
Cobalt picked up his phone and tapped out a message. Before he had even set his phone back down, hers dinged in her pocket. She slid it out.
“I told you he was on the computer back in the hallway,” his text read.
“Oh, I couldn’t understand you! I was a little preoccupied,” she replied, adding a kissy face emote to drive the point home. When he read it, his cheeks turned pink and he got a goofy little grin on his face before he caught himself. No wonder he had kissed her in the hallway—no one else knew that their situation had changed! What were they now, anyway? Were they dating? Was he her boyfriend, or... was this something entirely outside the realm of labels?
“What the hell’s going on over there?” Ryan demanded, leaning into the camera on his end. “Are you two sexting each other?”
“What? No!” Cobalt yelled, dropping his phone.
“You always go for the most shocking thing you can think of, don’t you?” Melissa asked him, fixing him with a glare.
“Nah, I just go for what’s the funniest.”
“Well, this is a change from earlier at least,” Cobalt said, wiping off the screen on his phone. “Before he was just calling me an asshole.”
“You are an asshole!” Ryan shouted. “You should’ve just let me kick his ass back at the party! Fucking hell—you’re my teammate—you should have transformed and backed me up! You all should’ve.”
“You know damn well that would have been the worst possible idea. What would you have done with all those innocent bystanders? Or if Sara herself had come between you so that you wouldn’t hurt him?”
“That wouldn’t have happened! Sara wouldn’t do something so stupid!”
“I’ll tell you right now, as a girl, that when girls are in love, they will absolutely do stupid things!”
Cobalt snickered. “Is that experience talking?” he murmured.
“She isn’t like most girls,” Ryan growled. “You don’t know her like I do!”
“Look, I get it—you’ve been friends for a long time. Don’t you think we’re the ones most likely to understand why you feel so strongly about this?” Melissa asked him, motioning from herself to Cobalt.
“That’s not even remotely the same as this—Pinky, if it was Melissa instead of Sara, what would you have done?”
He glanced at her, then back at the screen. “For the last time, stop fucking calling me that! And if it were Melissa, I wouldn’t have announced my intentions to the whole room by screaming I’ll kill him. I would’ve already been up on that stage introducing my fist to his face!”
As she watched him talk, her heart skipped a beat. If she’d been in Sara’s place, the last thing she’d want was for one of her friends to lose their cool and attack Chase. But the thought that he’d do that for her, knowing how cool-headed he was otherwise made her happy, and she felt guilty about it.
“But,” Cobalt added, crossing his arms, “I’d also hope that someone was able to stop me before I made an ass out of myself in front of everyone I knew.”
The first statement was decidedly unlike the Cobalt she knew, but that last part was totally him.
“God damn it,” Ryan forced from between clenched teeth as he ran his hands through his pale blonde hair, “Talking to you two is like talking to a wall! I wish I could talk to Mike—he’d understand! Hell, he and Maria were there, and if they’d been nearby and heard he kissed her, they’d be up there kicking his ass with me!”
“Ryan, she was upset because Chase turned out to be working with the enemy, not because he kissed her! They only know him as one of the Claravons—a romantic kiss at a party with someone handsome and pseudo-famous is like, goals. Mike and Maria would think you were flipping out for no reason!”
“You think he’s handsome?” Cobalt asked her.
“Well, he’s not unattractive,” she admitted. “Besides, that’s probably why he was chosen, or created—or whatever.”
When she looked back at the screen she noticed that Ryan had a strangely defiant, sulky look on his face. “They wouldn’t think it was for no reason,” he mumbled. “Because they’re my friends.”
Cobalt walked over to his desk and turned his computer chair backwards, looking directly into the camera on the laptop screen.
“She had a good point—right up until you said that,” he said. “Ryan, I’m starting to wonder if we have more in common than you’ve led me to believe.”
Melissa got off the bed and stood behind Cobalt, leaning over his shoulder so that she could see the screen. He tensed at her touch, then immediately relaxed. It wasn’t something she wouldn’t have done before, but if he felt anything like she did about this new stage in their relationship he was overthinking everything they did with one another now. Even something as simple as peering over his shoulder had a whole new connotation! They had to measure each touch carefully so that they didn’t accidentally do something that made things awkward.
“What are you talking about—we have nothing in common!”
“What are you getting at?” Melissa asked.
“He has a crush on Sara.”
“What?” she cried, stretching out the word in her disbelief.
“I thought girls were s
upposed to be super perceptive about this stuff,” he teased. “This is the second time you’ve missed it.”
“It’s easy to tell when a girl has a crush! Boys do it all weird with hair-pulling and crap like that.”
“We’re not all like that!” he defended himself. “Would hair-pulling have made things clearer for you?”
“You two idiots have no idea what you’re talking about!” Ryan interjected, “You’re sitting there flirting with one another for fuck’s sake!”
“See? Now the thinks we’re flirting, and even I know we’re not doing that!” Melissa said adamantly, pointing at the screen.
“You’re changing the subject,” Cobalt said to her, his eyebrows raised.
“I don’t have a crush on Sara!” Ryan shouted, “And even if I did, it wouldn’t matter because—”
“Your medallion’s glowing!” Melissa cut him off, pointing at the screen again. She looked down to find hers and Cobalt’s doing the same.
“What’re Criatan and Cretora up to this time?” she asked, touching the blue gem as she spoke.
“I’m pretty sure this isn’t their handiwork,” Purple Tiger said. “This just screams Vetrina.”
“We’re on our way,” Melissa sighed, removing her necklace. They were just starting to figure out what was going on with Ryan, too!
Cobalt’s hand was on the touchpad, and he hovered over the disconnect button.
“This is a good opportunity for you to blow off some steam,” he told Ryan. “But don’t do anything crazy or stupid.”
“Yeah, whatever,” he replied, disconnecting the call.
Cobalt closed the lid to his laptop and turned to her. “This is good—it will get his mind off the Sara thing, at least.”
“Good is relative. Let’s just see what Vetrina did before we decide how beneficial this is to anyone,” Melissa warned.
Chapter 11
Diversion
Vetrina brought the side of her fist down on the control panel, closing the multiple screens she’d had open. She couldn’t concentrate, the last communication she’d had with Cretora playing over and over in her head.