Redemption

by Dexx Peay

  “I sure would hope not,” Trey said jumping on Dylan’s back. “I feel like I haven’t seen you two all summer. What’s up with that?”

  “Just been a busy summer,” Dylan mumbled through his teeth trying not to fall.

  “Yeah for the both of us,” I added.

  He looked over at Monica and me and climbed down off Dylan’s back.

  “I can see that,” he said raising his eyebrows.

  “Well,” Diana flirted. “How about one of you boys help out on the grill so us girls don’t have to play with fire.”

  Dylan, Trey, and Monica all stopped and stared at me.

  “Fine,” I sighed. “I guess I will go and help out on the grill.”

  “Thank you Marcus,” Diana said flirtatiously.

  I walked over to the grill and there were hamburgers and hotdogs in the cooler next to it. I picked up the charcoal and placed some on the grill. Looked around to make sure no one was looking in my direction.

  I was clear.

  Placed my hand on the charcoal, struck a fire, put the wire rack back on the grill, then reached down and grabbed some of the hamburgers.

  “Make a habit of using your powers in public?” Trey walked up behind me.

  “No, not really.”

  He laughed. “Don’t worry, I won’t say anything.”

  “If I was worried about you saying something, I would have taken care of you already.”

  He took a step back and the joking mood went sour.

  “Relax. It was a joke,” I calmly said.

  “Ha-Ha...So Monica knows about you too?”

  “I sort of didn’t have a choice but to tell her.”

  I flipped the burgers and the sizzle made my mouth water.

  “What do you mean?” Trey asked.

  “Promise you won’t say anything?”

  “You know me Marc-Man.”

  “The beginning of the summer I found out some important information.”

  “What was it?”

  “Jessica, she’s like me.”

  “What do you mean like you?”

  “She has powers too?”

  “Looks good Marcus,” Diana called out. “Thanks for the help.”

  Diana walked up behind us as I was in mid-sentence.

  “Hamburgers are done guys! Come and get it!” she yelled.

  The crowd of people rushed the grill holding buns out at me. I looked over at Trey and he still looked confused. After the crowd of people left, I put more hamburgers on along with some hot dogs.

  “So Jessica too? That’s not fair, I want powers too,” Trey cried.

  “No you don’t, trust me. Anyway, so you know how Jessica never liked me?”

  “You mean hated you?”

  “Yeah, well…she tried to kill me.”

  “Dude, are you serious?”

  “I can’t make this up man, Monica too!”

  “Wait Monica has powers too?”

  “No not Monica, but Jessica tried to kill her too and in order to protect her—”

  “You had to expose your powers. Makes sense.”

  “That’s why I had to lay low this summer. These powers are starting to be more trouble than they’re worth.”

  “Hey Marcus, man, I understand.”

  After all the food was cooked I went and took a seat on the blanket next to Monica and Dylan. As I sat down with my plate, I handed Dylan my soda until I got situated, then he passed it back.

  “Thanks,” I said.

  “No problem.”

  “I never want to get stuck on grill duty again, I smell burnt now.”

  “No offense Marc...but you always smell burnt.”

  “Very funny.”

  “I have to get going guys. I just came through to grab a plate and say my goodbyes,” Trey rushed.

  “Leaving so soon?” Monica asked.

  “Gotta get to the airport and catch my plane.”

  “Be safe out there in the country,” Dylan joked.

  “Don’t be a stranger,” I said.

  He waved to the picnic and wasted no time driving off after he got in his car.

  “So you guys excited about being roommates this year?” Monica asked.

  “Yeah, I won’t be living with a psychopath this time,” Dylan said.

  “Charlie was a good roommate so I don’t have any complaints,” I replied.

  “Well, besides that fact that he tried to expose you as a fire starter,” Dylan said.

  “Your roommate knew about you?” Monica asked.

  “No…that was just a real complex situation.”

  “How is tomorrow for you to head back Marc? Say after dinner?” Dylan asked.

  “That’s fine by me.”

  To be honest I wasn’t really ready to deal with what was coming when I got back to school. I was going to have to make a decision on who I was going to be with.

  Monica or Delilah?

  Maybe Monica already has it in her head that we are nothing more than friends. I’m kinda hoping that she does. It’ll make this all much easier.

  When I got back to the house I had to finish packing. I just threw what was left into a suitcase and opened my laptop. I looked at my watch and realized I was a little late. My laptop started to ring. I clicked on “video” when it popped up on the screen.

  “Hey baby!” Delilah greeted.

  “Hey Delilah…”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Oh, it’s nothing babe, I'm just tired. Me and Dylan just came back from a picnic with some friends and they had me on grill duty.”

  “I hope they aren’t pushing my Marcus too hard out there.”

  “Nothing I can’t handle.”

  The way she said my name still drove me crazy. It was just so sexy to me. It was getting harder to act like there was nothing wrong.

  We continued our web chat talking about how we can’t wait to see each other and how she spent her summer shopping and helping her parents redecorate their flat.

  “Hey D, sup,” Elias said, walking into the room.

  “I thought I told you not to come in when I'm talking to Delilah?” I turned around and roared. I pick up a pen off the desk and threw it at him.

  “Ouch, watch it!” he fussed, rubbing his head.

  He took a seat on the bed as Delilah laughed at us.

  “Greetings Elias. So when are you headed back?”

  “Dylan and I are heading back tomorrow evening.”

  “Splendid! I’ll be there in two days, I’m thrilled.”

  We ended our conversation and said goodbye. I closed the laptop and made my way to the shower.

  Sophomore Year

  Today was the big day. Felt like I was a freshman again about to experience everything like it was the first time. Dylan was over for dinner and I was ready to finish so we could get on the road.

  “Thanks for dinner Mrs. Peterson,” Dylan said.

  “There is more if you’re still hungry Dylan,” Mom suggested.

  He practically licked the spaghetti sauce off the plate. His eyes popped up like he just got caught red-handed. I was hoping he didn’t want more.

  He didn’t.

  He mentioned to me the only way he could get a good meal, was if he went to his mom’s house. On a good day at his dad’s, they had pizza.

  Sucked.

  “Well look at the time...it’s sure getting late. We better get on the road Dylan.”

  I know I sounded like I was rushing.

  In a way, I was.

  Mom and Dad both got off the sofa, and walked over to me taking turns giving me hugs.

  “You guys be safe on the road,” Dad said.

  “Call us when you make it,” Mom chimed.

  I loaded my things into Dylan’s car and we both got in. He started the car up and looked over at me.

  “What?” I said.

  “Do you mind driving? I'm full,” he laughed, stretching his arm out and rubbing his belly.

  “Ugrr,” I grunted. “I guess
so.”

  We exchanged seats and I drove off.

  It was still daylight and the traffic heading towards the City wasn’t too bad either. It wasn’t until we entered the City that we found ourselves in bumper-to-bumper going three miles an hour.

  Once we made it to campus, we got our keys and checked in. This year we were staying in Greenwich Hall. Our room was pretty nice; we lucked out and got a decent size. The best part — we each had our own room and just shared a common area and bathroom. We spent the next few hours setting it up. When we finally called it quits, we hopped on the shuttle to go see Gunner. He was rooming with Chris again this year while Charlie had a single room in a dorm closer to main campus.

  “Howdy Boys,” Gunner greeted. “Feels good to be back in the north.”

  “Gunner, how was your summer?” Great to be back,” Dylan said.

  “Do’ya mind taking me to get my things out of storage tomorrow Dill?” Gunner asked.

  “Won’t be a problem man,” Dylan said.

  “When’s Chris coming?” I asked.

  “His parents are dropping him off in the morning,” Gunner said.

  We talked with Gunner for a few minutes before heading back to our room. We opened the door and almost collapsed upon entrance. It had been a long day and we were exhausted. There were still boxes and suitcases everywhere. I looked at Dylan and he looked back.

  “What are you looking at?” He said.

  “Can you fix this really fast?”

  “Umm…stop being lazy and just put everything up.”

  “Come on Dylan just move the dang boxes.”

  I pointed towards one, and it went flying off the floor and smacked into the wall.

  “Whoa,” Dylan said in amazement. “How did—”

  “You mean…you didn’t?”

  “No I didn’t.”

  That was pretty cool. Looks like Dylan isn’t the only one around here who’s telekinetic.

  I woke up the next morning to the sounds of laughter and what sounded like a traffic accident going on outside my room. I quickly got up and opened the door. Marcus was up testing out his telekinesis, laughing and ducking every time something crashed into the wall.

  “Having fun?” I asked.

  “How did you ever get a hang of this.”

  “I'm still working on it.”

  I wasn’t perfect at using my telekinesis but I'm a whole lot better than I was when I first started. I rarely get headaches anymore unless I push myself too hard, which I don’t plan on doing.

  Didn’t see myself going back to sleep, so I just got myself ready for the day. Showered, put my clothes on, brushed my teeth, grabbed a pack of toaster tarts and browsed the web as I ate. Marcus came into the common area and took a seat on the floor next to me.

  “Why are we sitting on the floor again?” He asked.

  So not to shower him with crumbs of crust and strawberry filling all over his face, I glanced over at the couch that had boxes all over them.

  “Ahh…Guess we can finish unpacking once you get back from the storage with Gunner.”

  “Sure, that won’t be a problem, and lay off the telekinesis...at least until I get back. There is still so much we don’t know about our powers.”

  He nodded and I walked out. I got to my car and drove over to Gunner’s dorm. He was already outside waiting for me.

  “I appreciate this, Dylan,” he said.

  “No problem, Gunner.”

  We got to the storage and loaded up the car. He didn’t have much, mainly clothes and bedding. We packed everything in so that we would only had to make one trip. When we got back to campus, we put the boxes in his room.

  Afterwards, Gunner suggested a trip to the student center for some coffee. When we got there, it was packed full of NYU students. You would’ve thought school had been in session for weeks, by the amount of people in there. I ordered a mocha frappe’ and a blueberry muffin. Gunner got the same. We took a seat next to a couple so busy sucking each other’s faces off, that they didn’t even notice we sat down next them.

  “So what’s going on with you and Marcus?” I heard Gunner say.

  I wasn’t too focused on what was going on around me or where I was for that matter. My mind was lost in space somewhere.

  I snapped back.

  “What?”

  “You and Marcus, what’s the deal?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Spill.”

  I couldn’t tell him that this summer I found out my best friend is really my brother…well, my half-brother, or that my ex-girlfriend was the next coming of Storm from the X-Men and tried to kill me with a powerful tornado, or that the life I’ve been living is a lie. I have no one to talk to about my problems. I can’t even talk to Marcus. For all I knew, he'd known the whole time. I wanted to tell him how I was just irritated with the world.

  “Can I tell you something?” I asked.

  I put the coffee down and his face looked concerned. Concerned like he was really interested in what I had to say. Could I trust him? Could I trust Gunner with the secret of who I really am and what I can really do? Marcus at least has Trey to talk to, and even Monica. This was it, if I didn’t say it now, then I wasn’t going to tell him at all. I started to grind my teeth and fiddle my fingers. I tried to bring the words to my lips and just when I felt them flowing out.

  I sighed.

  “It’s my dad,” I exhaled.

  He leaned back and into his chair. “What about him?”

  I couldn’t.

  The fewer people that knew about our powers and heritage, the better. I'm sure there are more people out there just like Jessica who will try and hurt the people we care about in order to get to us. I didn’t want to be held responsible for someone’s death when I knew it could have been prevented.

  “My parents just recently divorced,” I said.

  “Aw, don’t get all choked up about it cowboy,” he joked. “Divorce is extremely common in America; you’re not in this alone.”

  “Are you telling me, your parents went through one too?”

  “Hecks no!”

  Just when I thought we had something in common. Not saying that I would love it if his parents were divorced, just would be nice if he could really relate.

  “I just never saw it coming you know. I always thought we were picture perfect. The family of four, with the hard-working parents, loving children, nice house...that was us. That was the Perry family.”

  “And it still can be the Perry family too.”

  I guess I forgot to mention to him that my parents adopted me and covered it up and have no idea that I really know their secret.

  “HOW? Please tell me how my family can go back to that when I live in the City. My Dad moved out and wasted no time jumping back into the dating scene. Did I mention that he forgot to tell his two children that he loves so much? What about my little brother who has no idea what’s really going on? For all I know he could think that it’s all his fault.”

  Gunner stared to eye the crowd of people around us. Even the kissing couple stopped and tuned into me. Guess I was getting emotional. I took my seat before I went too deep into this monologue.

  “My family was falling apart right in front of my eyes, and I didn’t even know it. I should have picked up on the signs.”

  “So you are the blame for your parent’s divorce?”

  “How could you ask if I am to blame?”

  “Just going off of what you’re saying cowboy. You have the picture-perfect white picket fence family, you should’ve picked up on the signs and all this jibber-jabber.”

  He said it so...duh; using air quotes and what not. I was sort of in my feelings, then he started to make sense among all the air quotes and “matter-of-fact” tone.

  “No one has the perfect family. Every family has flaws, lies and secrets. We’re human, and you have no control over how your parents act or feel for one another. If you have the perfect family like you say, I'm sure the lov
e they both have for you and your brother will remain the same.”

  Just never really thought about it like that. Maybe Dalton and I have nothing to do with it, or even could’ve stopped it if we tried. Maybe I should support the decision they both made and try to adjust to this new life. Maybe I should even give Dad’s new girlfriend a try.

  Maybe?

  “Thanks, Gunner.”

  “Don’t thank me for being a friend. If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here for ya cowboy...and when you’re ready to talk about you and Marcus, I’ll be here to listen.”

  When I got back to my room, Marcus was gone. Wasn’t sure where he ran off to but I'm sure he was either with Delilah or Monica. I noticed that he never unpacked any of his stuff, which made me wonder how quickly he left after I did. I sat down for a moment, just to clear my head. I didn’t want to think about all the problems I thought I had or all the emotions from the summer.

  I just wanted to relax.

  After a few moments I got up and started to unpack. I looked around and saw the place was a mess and really didn’t want to be both cleaning and unpacking. Guess I’ll take your advice Marc, I mumbled. The boxes started to float in the air and open. The plastic dishes flew over to the kitchen cabinets, and the food flew to the cupboards. The clothes folded on the couch and all the accessories in their respective spaces. There was a place for everything, and everything was in its place. Even made sure to break down the boxes when I finished.

  I dusted my hands against my pants like I’d just done some strenuous work. Looked down at my watch and saw that it took me all of four minutes to get unpacked. I was bored and had nothing to do. Great, now what, I thought to myself. Went over to my room and started to fix it up. Pinned posters of my favorite bands and rappers on the wall, put up a few pictures of me and my family, and one of Marcus, Trey, and me from graduation. Started to make my bed when I heard a bang outside in the hall. Decided to check it out, since I had that much free time. When I opened the door and looked around, I noticed a girl down the hall bent over picking something up. I posted up along the door and smirked. I could wake up to this every morning, I thought to myself.