The Rivalry of Renegade X

by Chelsea M. Campbell

  “I want them to think I’m me, even if it makes them uncomfortable.” Maybe especially then.

  “Yeah, well, I don’t have that luxury. No matter how many good deeds I do, everyone’s always waiting for me to make a wrong move. I can’t let that happen, and that means not publicly helping villains, okay? Because that’s the last thing I need—for people to think I sympathize with them, or worse, that I am one.”

  “Dude. This isn’t even your dimension. Nobody cares.” I mean, I do, because I don’t want him going around acting all smug and heroic and ruining my reputation, but I already know he doesn’t care about that.

  He snorts. “Yeah, right. I’ve worked my whole life to overcome the fact that I’m half villain. I can’t afford to screw that up now, even if no one from my dimension is here to see it. Besides, I’d still know, and then everyone would probably be able to tell as soon as I got home. They’d just know I wasn’t perfect, and I’d never be able to get that back, and then where would I be?”

  “That’s messed up.” I glance over at Riley. We exchange a look for a second, until he remembers he’s mad at me and turns away.

  Other me shrugs. “Riley already got in trouble for associating with supervillains, and he hangs out with you for some reason. And after what you did, you can’t blame him for wanting to do something more positive for his reputation.”

  “Seriously, Perkins?”

  Riley shakes his head. “I don’t care about that, X. You know I don’t. But you know why I needed that job—”

  “Wanted, not needed. I already tried to give you what you needed, which was your freedom.”

  Both of them scowl at me.

  “Volunteering makes me feel like I have a place. Like… like people still need me.”

  “Everyone still needs you, Perkins. Including me.”

  “You don’t need me until school starts up.”

  “That’s not true.”

  “Isn’t it?” He gives me a skeptical look. “You’re the one who does whatever you want, and I’m the responsible one.”

  “That’s not…” Well, that’s kind of true, actually. “That’s not all you are.”

  He shrugs. “Face it, X—we wouldn’t make a very good team if neither of us followed the rules.”

  “If you want to break the rules—”

  “I didn’t say that.” He tilts his head. “But it’s still the role you need me to play, right?”

  “You being responsible isn’t why you’re my friend. It’s not why we’re partners, either.” At least, it’s not the only reason. “Don’t be like this douche,” I add, jerking my thumb toward other me. “Believe it or not, getting you fired took work. Don’t let him ruin all that by convincing you to ignore your problems and volunteer at a million places. Which he’s only doing because he’s messed up and thinks if he’s ever not one hundred percent perfect, everyone will hate him. I mean, seriously, is that really who you want to take advice from?”

  Chapter 19

  I BREAK INTO AMELIA’S so-called treasure chest as soon as I get home from the studio on Monday. The studio where I was not on Gordon’s show, thankfully, though I did make a point of asking him if he’d talked to his producers yet about me coming on as a supervillain, but he was conveniently on his way to talk to someone else and couldn’t be bothered to answer.

  Right.

  Anyway, Amelia, Other Damien, and Alex are all downstairs in the kitchen—Other Damien’s teaching them both how to make those stupid chocolate chip pancakes—so the coast is clear when I sneak into Amelia’s room and over to the trunk in the corner. I’m careful not to step on any creaky floorboards, though I don’t have them memorized in her room like I do in mine, in case it gives away my location. Kat’s not here to pick the lock on the trunk, and I don’t actually want to zap it, both because I don’t want to break it and because that might be kind of noticeable. Plus, I know Amelia keeps the key in the jewelry box on her desk, and it only takes two seconds to steal it, open the trunk, and grab the broken portal device. Okay, maybe more than two seconds—especially if you count the time it takes to put the key back—but it’s still super quick.

  I stick the device in my backpack and then head downstairs. I can hear everyone talking and laughing in the kitchen, like other me and Amelia really are BFFs or something, not to mention Alex, and they either don’t notice or don’t care when I leave, because nobody questions me.

  Which is great. Exactly what I wanted. Because the last thing I need is one of them figuring out what I’m doing and trying to stop me. So them all being distracted by being a perfect family or something is actually really convenient for me right now, even if it also makes me want to zap other me into the next dimension.

  I take the car to Mom’s house without telling Amelia, even though neither one of us is supposed to take Tom—a.k.a. our shared car—without checking with the other one first. A policy that lasted about five seconds before both of us started breaking it.

  Mom answers the door with her arms folded and her lips pursed in this super judgmental look that I don’t like, especially when it’s pointed at me. “I hope you’re here to apologize.”

  What’s with everybody expecting me to apologize all of a sudden? I screw my eyebrows up at her. “For what? Don’t tell me you’re mad that I got Riley fired, too.”

  “Damien, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Well, I don’t know what you’d be mad about, then.”

  Her nostrils flare, and I think I catch a flash of lasers in her eyes, just for a split second. “How about my own son humiliating me in front of the whole world?”

  “Um.” I open my mouth to address that, but I’m not sure which incident she’s talking about. “I think you’re going to have to be more specific.”

  She rolls her eyes and moves away from the door. She doesn’t tell me to come in, but I follow her anyway.

  “Was it the dance video? Because I didn’t sanction that. It wasn’t even me. It was a case of identity theft. And if you mean when I was on Dad’s show—”

  She whirls around. “When you were what?!”

  Oops. I guess she didn’t know about that one. “It was nothing. A five-second cameo. I’ve been interning at his studio for school, and I accidentally got in one of the shots, and they didn’t edit it out. No big deal. And definitely no reason for you to look it up or anything.”

  She narrows her eyes at me, obviously not buying that. “I was talking about you being on the news. It’s bad enough you have a superhero group, and now you go off on your own and pull orphans out of wells? Using your flying ability, the one you got from that man.”

  I let out a deep breath. “Mom—”

  “I don’t want to hear it, Damien. You knew how I felt about you being in the news as a superhero, and it’s like you went and did this on purpose just to hurt me. And those things you said about doing what your father taught you?” She winces and makes a gagging sound.

  “Not everything’s about you, you know.”

  “If it wasn’t to get back at me, then I don’t know why you’d do something like that. Or say all those things.”

  “Would you believe it wasn’t me?”

  She scowls. “You have no idea what it’s like. All my friends have kids they can actually be proud of.”

  Ouch. “Since when do you have friends?”

  “Taylor and I were invited to a dinner party recently, I’ll have you know. At Tom and Mary’s.” She means Kat’s parents. “Mary introduced us to everyone by saying their daughter was dating our son, so then of course everyone knew exactly who you were.”

  “So, not really your friends, then, if Kat’s mom had to introduce you.” I’m also not “their” son, but I let that one go.

  “And I tried to talk about my little sweetiekins’ accomplishments, but they all just wanted to know about you and how I could let you go around on TV saying all those things and acting like a…”

  “Like a what?”

&nbs
p; She dismisses my question with a wave of her hand, like she doesn’t even want to say it, even though we both already know the answer.

  Then Xavier comes running in from the other room. “Damien!” he screeches right as he slams into me, throwing his arms around my waist.

  I make a disgusted face and try to peel him off of me.

  “Xavier, sweetie, what did we talk about?”

  Xavier lets go of me and takes a step back. He gets a really serious look on his face. “No hugs for heroes,” he mutters.

  “That’s right. And as long as your brother insists on acting like one of them, we’re keeping our hands to ourselves.”

  I raise my eyebrows at her. “Is this supposed to be a punishment?” Because if I’d known that acting like a douchebag on TV would mean Xavier would have to leave me alone… Nah, I still wouldn’t have been able to bring myself to do it. But at least something good came from Other Damien going around ruining my reputation. Except that her rule didn’t exactly keep Xavier away from me, so I’m not sure it actually counts.

  Mom glares at me. “If you want to humiliate me on TV, I can’t stop you. But don’t expect me to act like it didn’t happen.”

  I rub my hand across my face. “Mom, seriously. It wasn’t me. It was a version of me from a different dimension.”

  “You’re lying,” Xavier says. He points to me and looks at Mom. “He’s lying!”

  Mom just shakes her head at me. “You’re going to have to come up with something better than that.”

  I sigh and take out the portal device from my backpack. “He used this to get here, but it’s broken. I need you to fix it.”

  “Of course you’re only here because you need something.” She says that, but her eyes dart over to the device anyway, clearly interested.

  “Seriously? I was here two weeks ago.”

  “I seem to recall you wanting to go with us to Juniper V’s.”

  “That’s not… I didn’t even know you were going until after I got here. And it really wasn’t me on the news those times. Or in the dance video.” I mean, she didn’t mention that one, but I figure it’s only a matter of time before she sees it.

  She gives me a wary look. “And on your father’s TV show?”

  “Listen, Mom, we really need to get to work on getting this device fixed. Because the longer it’s broken, the longer he’s stuck here, and the more opportunities he’ll have to ruin my reputation and, um, humiliate you at dinner parties.”

  Mom’s mouth pulls into a thin line. I can tell she still doesn’t really believe me about any of this. She reaches for the device and looks it over. “What, exactly, is this supposed to do?”

  “Let me see!” Xavier screeches, grabbing for it.

  Mom pulls it out of his reach just in time, though she’s only going to be able to do that for so much longer, since he’s a little taller practically every time I come over.

  “It makes interdimensional portals,” I tell her. “Or at least it’s supposed to.”

  She scoffs. “I can’t help you if you won’t tell me the truth.”

  “I am. There really is another me, and he really is from another dimension. One where he was raised by Gordon. So, you know, he’s kind of a douche.”

  Lasers flash in her eyes again. “Damien.”

  “What? You know he is—you saw him on TV.”

  She puts a hand to her forehead. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but you can’t act like one of them and then try to tell me your evil twin did it!”

  “Actually, if we’re putting it in those terms, I think I’m the evil twin here.”

  “I don’t want to hear it.”

  “Are there two of me?” Xavier asks. “Am I an evil twin?”

  “Well—”

  “Do I have two brothers? Can we meet the other you?!”

  “Uh… no.” Considering how freaked out he is at even the mention of Mom and Xavier existing—and how much he didn’t want me to bring the device here—I’m going to guess that’s a no go.

  “Uhhh!” Xavier whines, his face turning red.

  “If you want my help,” Mom says, “then at the very least I expect the truth.”

  “But there really is—”

  She clucks her tongue at me. “The truth, Damien. Now.”

  “Fine.” I lick my lips and take a deep breath. “The device is supposed to… keep your coffee warm. The exact right temperature. Sarah made it, and she was really proud of it, and then I accidentally fired a raygun through it. So I need you to fix it so I don’t have to tell her I screwed up, because… because she’s already mad at me for getting her boyfriend fired from his job at the diner, and, as you can probably guess, I need all the friends I can get. So.” I lift my arms a little in a half shrug, then let them flop back down to my sides.

  Mom frowns at the device. “Your friend has very strange ideas.”

  “Yep.” No arguments there. “But I need you to put it back exactly the way it was. Whatever that chemical compound is in that chamber on the end, I need you to figure out what it was and remake it exactly. There’s no room for errors.”

  She tilts her head, giving me a really skeptical look.

  “Mom, please. This is my life we’re talking about, because Sarah’s going to kill me.” At least, she is when she finds out I brought this to Mom in the first place.

  “Well, I might be able to fix it,” Mom says, “but I’m going to need the whole truth first.”

  “What? But I just told you—”

  “It was you on the news, not some imaginary friend from another universe. Admit it.”

  “He’s from another dimension, and he’s not imaginary.”

  She gives me a look.

  “I mean,” I add, my teeth clenched, “of course I made him up.”

  “What?!” Xavier cries, looking back and forth between me and Mom, like he can’t believe I would lie about something like that. Which I didn’t, but he still probably shouldn’t be so ready to believe crazy things like interdimensional travel, especially without any proof. Though if he saw those videos of me supposedly acting like some hero douche, I think that should be proof enough, because there’s really no other explanation for it.

  “And?” Mom says.

  “And,” I go on, grudgingly, so she knows how much I hate this, “it was me in all the videos, including when I was on the news.”

  “Which you did to humiliate me.”

  I clench my fists. “Yep, that’s exactly what happened. That orphan that was stuck in that well is lucky I just happened to be trying to piss off my supervillain mom by doing a good deed or else she might still be in there.”

  Mom’s eyebrows come together at that. “Damien. That’s enough.”

  “What? That’s what you wanted me to say, right?”

  She sighs. “It’s not about you saving a small child—I’m not a monster. It’s about you going out of your way to look like a hero on TV. And then saying all those things about doing what that man taught you. It’s like you don’t even care that you were ever a villain. Like you’ve forgotten all about us.”

  “Mom. That’s not… I never meant—”

  “Oh, no, I understand.” She flutters a hand in the air. “You’ve made your choice. You’re a hero now. And that’s what heroes do—they pull poor little orphans out of wells and then brag about it on the news. And if that makes their villain mothers look bad to all their friends, then that’s just too bad.”

  Ugh. And here I was almost feeling sorry for her. “Look, Mom, I’m not a… I’m not really a hero.”

  She snorts. “Well, you could have fooled me.”

  Chapter 20

  I GET SARAH TO invite Riley, Zach, and other me over to her house on Tuesday. I also tell Kat to come over and to bring Amelia, which she thinks is super weird, but I tell her it’ll all make sense once they get here. I tell Sarah I have good news to share with everyone, hence the impromptu get-together, and when she asks about the whole Riley situation, I say n
ot to worry, that what I’m about to do will fix everything.

  Which is the truth, even if I left out a few details.

  “Surprise!” Sarah shouts when she opens her front door and lets Other Damien in. Because I told her it was sort of a surprise party for him, which is also true.

  Kat and Amelia got here ten minutes ago. Amelia’s in the bathroom, but me and Kat are sitting on the couch. We look up when they come in.

  Sarah looks a little disappointed that nobody else shouted surprise. She frowns at me. “You weren’t even hiding.”

  “It’s not that kind of surprise party,” I tell her.

  Other me glances around the room, at the balloons and streamers we set up, looking confused and, well, surprised, I guess.

  Riley and Zach follow them in, looking just as bewildered. Actually, I’m pretty sure Riley scowls at me, but I’m making a point not to look directly at him—lest he think I care that he’s mad at me—so I don’t know for sure.

  “We’re having a party?” Zach asks.

  Right as Amelia comes out of the bathroom and sees him. She lets out a tiny yelp and finds something super interesting on the floor that she has to stare at.

  Zach swallows, suddenly clamming up, and picks at a string on the edge of his shirt.

  It’s been three months since they broke up, and this is one of the few times they’ve had to be in the same room together. Not that it matters, because this isn’t about them. It’s about getting other me the hell out of here.

  Kat pokes me in the side. “You want to tell us what we’re all doing here?”

  I get up from the couch, gracious host that I am and all, and face everyone. “This”—I gesture to the balloons and streamers—“is a going-away party.”

  They all stare at me.

  Then Riley says, “Who’s going away, X?”

  As if they can’t guess. I look directly at other me.

  Sarah frowns. “You said this was a surprise party.”

  “It is. A surprise going-away party. Because nobody knew he was leaving. But I knew you’d all want to say good-bye first, so, you’re welcome.” Just because he needs to get out of my life—I mean, this dimension—doesn’t mean I’m going to be a jerk about it.