by TJ Klune
Nick had always been a little … different. At first, it was chalked up to growing pains. But then there’d been days when focusing had been next to impossible, and his mind had been racing, and he hadn’t been able to sit still. His parents were told he wasn’t applying himself, that he was disruptive and always felt the need to be the center of attention. Nick had been only eight when he’d tearfully told his parents that no, he didn’t want to be the center of attention at all, because that meant everyone stared at him, and treated him like he was a freak. He didn’t know why he couldn’t stop. He didn’t want to twitch or move all the time, didn’t know why he talked more than he listened, but he wasn’t doing it on purpose.
After he’d been diagnosed with ADHD, things had made so much more sense. His dad had growled that the school should have known better, and there was talk about transferring him somewhere else, but Nick had begged them to stay. He couldn’t leave all his friends, he told them, though he really only had the one. But the idea of not seeing Seth every day was unbearable, and he wouldn’t allow it.
Before the Concentra, it’d been Adderall used to pump the useless brakes on his Ferrari brain, but Nick hated the way it made him feel. It brought things into razor-sharp focus, and while that wasn’t so bad, it made his headaches worse, and made him feel strangely hollowed out if he missed a dose. And before the Adderall, it’d been some other drug, and before that, something else entirely. ADHD was a bitch of a thing, the reality implied in the name. Nick’s attention had a deficit, and he was hyperactively disordered. The Concentra was supposed to be better. The transition had been a bit rough, but Nick had gotten through it. Mostly.
But he understood the cell phone battery metaphor—the bicycle brakes on his Ferrari brain. He really did. There were days when everything felt like it was dialed up to eleven, and he didn’t know how to stop it, no matter how hard he tried. For the most part, he’d accepted that some people were born to be Extraordinaries, and some people were born to be medicated so they didn’t spin out of control. Fair? Not really, but Nick was learning that his brain could do things that others couldn’t. In a way, he had his own superpower, even if it was called a disorder.
He took the lasagna from the microwave, the plate hot in his hands. When his dad had days off, they’d spend time together cooking, making meals for the upcoming weeks that could be frozen and saved for later. Lasagna was Nick’s favorite, his dad made it just right with sausage and spinach and the perfect amount of cheese.
He turned on the tiny TV in the kitchen before going to sit at the table. An afternoon soap was on, a dazzlingly beautiful woman telling a man with an eye patch that she’d had her conjoined twin removed for a reason, and he’d have to make a choice, either her or her sister.
“Get your man,” Nick said as he picked up his fork. “Don’t let him walk all over you.”
He had a mouth full of noodles when the conjoined twin love triangle was interrupted mid-scene by Action News, the red graphic shooting across the screen, screaming BREAKING! BREAKING!
The camera focused on evening anchor Steve Davis, who looked as if he’d never met a form of plastic surgery he didn’t want to try at least once. He shuffled the papers in his hands and smiled a perfect smile. “We’re interrupting your regularly scheduled broadcast to bring you something … extraordinary. We go live to Rebecca Firestone, out in the streets of Nova City. Rebecca?”
The screen cut away to Rebecca Firestone, looking as perfectly put together as she had that morning. She was holding an umbrella in one hand and her microphone in the other. “Thanks, Steve,” she said. “New footage this afternoon of a daring rescue. A passerby recorded Nova City’s very own Shadow Star apparently working overtime. Not only did he foil the attempt at the break-in at Burke Tower in the early hours of this morning, but he found the time to help stop an attempted mugging. Action News has this exclusive look at what happened.”
The screen cut to the alley where Nick had been standing only a couple of hours before.
There was Shadow Star kicking ass and taking names, knocking down Mustache Man and Male Pattern Baldness with special guest stars Nick and Gibby standing in the background.
Nick sprayed lasagna all over the table.
“No,” he said, sauce dripping down his chin. “No, no, no.” Because if this was on the news, then that meant there was a chance his dad would see this.
Nick practically crawled over the table to get closer to the screen.
It wasn’t as bad as he first thought. Whoever had taken the video had been standing on the sidewalk on the opposite side of the street, and it’d been raining hard. The video wasn’t that clear. Shadow Star was obvious, for sure, but Nick and Gibby were mostly obscured by the umbrella and the rain.
Rebecca Firestone’s voice came over as the video continued to play. “As you can see, two young people were obviously frightened and in distress, unable to take care of themselves.”
“What?” Nick said, outraged. “They had knives. One had a mustache!”
Since Rebecca Firestone couldn’t hear him, she wasn’t deterred. “But they needn’t have worried. Shadow Star was there to prove that in Nova City, even the smallest of crimes don’t go unpunished. Whether it be a major break-in at a large pharmaceutical company, or the rescue of what appears to be two helpless young children—”
“I’m not a child! Why are you like this?”
“—Shadow Star has proven once again that he will do anything he can.” Nick could practically hear the smarmy smile on her face when she continued. “And it looks as if one of the children was quite starstruck by our resident Extraordinary.”
The blurry scene zoomed in, showing Shadow Star kicking Mustache Man just as Nick leaned over and kissed the side of his head.
Nick groaned, banging his forehead on the counter. “Why? Why? Whyyyyy?”
The screen went back to Rebecca Firestone, and sure enough, her smile was smarmy.
“Though the identity of these two children is still unknown, it appears these damsels in distress were saved, and needed to thank their hero with kisses and even a selfie. Steve?”
Steve Davis appeared back on the screen. He chuckled. “Did that child really kiss the side of his head?”
“It appears so,” Rebecca Firestone said. “I’m sure Shadow Star took it in stride. He’s used to being adored.”
Steve Davis laughed again. “I bet he is. You’ll need to ask him how he deals with his fans the next time you speak to him.”
“Oh, you can bet on that,” Rebecca Firestone said. “Back to you, Steve.”
“And there you have it,” Steve Davis said, and Nick wished it was the future so he could be older and look back on this and chalk it up to nothing but the angst of being a teenager. “Shadow Star once again saves the day and gets a reward he probably never saw coming. We’ll have more on this story tonight on Action News. Now, back to Love Hurts A Lot.”
Nick turned the TV off, wondering what he’d have to bribe Cap with in order to make sure the entire Action News team was arrested immediately.
He was wiping up the noodles he’d spat on the table when his phone rang again.
He froze.
It was most likely his father.
His father who, even though on patrol, had somehow gotten word of what was shown on the news. His life was over. He had no reasonable explanation for what had transpired, and Dad was never going to let him hear the end of it.
He picked up the phone.
The screen read BFF SETH.
Oh, thank god.
Except he was angry. “Am I really a damsel in distress who gets to be made fun of even though I did nothing wrong?” he snapped in lieu of a greeting—as one does when mocked by Rebecca Firestone.
A pause. Then, “What?”
“I am not a damsel in distress! Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I’d make a pretty good damsel, but that’s not the point.”
Another pause. Another “What?”
&nbs
p; Before Nick could get himself too worked up, he hesitated. “Why does your voice sound weird? Did you get caught in the rain and get sick? Didn’t you listen to my voicemail? Don’t get sick, especially when you were already tired. Your body’s immune system will shut down, and then you’ll get a cold which will turn into pneumonia, and what will happen to you then? You’ll miss school, and I’ll be all alone—”
“I’m not sick,” Seth said quickly, and his voice sounded normal again. “I had something stuck in my throat.”
“Oh. What was it?”
“What was what?”
“What was stuck in your throat?”
“Um. A … waffle.”
Nick frowned. “A waffle.”
Seth cleared his throat. “Yep. Breakfast for dinner. You know how it goes.”
“Your aunt doesn’t make waffles. She said she doesn’t trust food with uniform divots.”
“She, uh … got over that?”
Then Nick had a terrible thought. “Are you on a date?”
“What? No! Why would you think that?”
Nick looked at the remains of his lasagna. He wasn’t very hungry anymore. At least his headache was already starting to fade. “I don’t even know. It’s been … I’ve had a weird day.”
“I’m not dating anyone.”
“Oh. That’s good.”
“It is?”
Nick shrugged, though no one could see it. “I guess. But it would explain a lot if you had a secret boyfriend or girlfriend for all those times this summer when you disappeared randomly and didn’t answer your phone.”
“I told you. I was volunteering at the animal shelter. And don’t you say what I know you’re going to say—”
“You’re far too precious for this world,” Nick said. “You’re like a Disney princess except real.”
Seth sighed. “You’re so annoying. Now why are you a damsel in distress or whatever?”
“Because Gibby and I were attacked by a group of super soldiers in an evil alley who wanted to take my virginity, and Shadow Star swooped in and saved us, and I played it cool and got his autograph, but then someone recorded it, and it was on the news, and Rebecca Firestone was being so freaking smug about it.”
The longest pause of all, followed by the loudest “What?”
“Right?” Nick groaned. “I finally had Shadow Star standing right in front of me, and I swear to god, Seth, I was trying to play it cool, but then I spazzed out and accidentally kissed the side of his head, and it went downhill from there.”
“I don’t know what to do with any of that.”
Nick scowled. “Well, you need to figure it out! Seth, I told him about the pillow.”
“Yeah,” Seth said. “I bet that didn’t come off as creepy or anything.”
Nick slumped dramatically in his chair. “Right? But you know how I am around people I like. I get—”
“Stupid?”
“Hey!”
Seth snorted. “You did the same thing with Owen. At lunch, earlier.”
“That’s because he was freaking me out!”
“About what? You don’t get like that with me.”
Nick blinked. “That’s because you’re Seth. You’re my favorite person in the world after my dad. I don’t need to be stupid around you. You already like me as I am.”
“Eh. Mostly.”
“Don’t be mean,” Nick said. “I’ve had a traumatizing day.”
“I’m sure. A group of super soldiers, was it? And they wanted to take your virginity?”
Nick sighed. “It was two men and they were trying to take my bag. One was balding, and the other had a get-into-my-ice-cream-truck-little-boy mustache.”
“Maybe you should have given it to them.”
“But it’s mine.”
Seth sounded aggrieved. “Shadow Star can’t always be there to help you, Nicky. Or any Extraordinary, for that matter. What if something happens again, and no one’s there to save you?”
Oh, that wasn’t irritating or anything. “I can take care of myself.”
“It’s not about— You could have been hurt. What if one of them had gotten you with the knife before Shadow Star stopped them? You need to be more careful.”
“Way to victim blame, man,” Nick said. “It’s not like I asked for this to happen. Why can’t you be happy for me? I got to meet Shadow Star.”
“I just—” Nick knew Seth was gnawing on his bottom lip. Seth did that when he was trying to think about what to say. “I need you to be okay. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
Nick knew loss. He did. He knew what it meant when something happened that shouldn’t have, when life was wholly unfair and took and took and took. Sometimes, he was so wrapped up in himself that he forgot Seth knew about that too, probably better than anyone else. It was why they could be the way they were with each other. That and the fact that Seth picked Princess Daisy when they played Mario Kart because he didn’t believe in the patriarchy and didn’t complain too much when Nick cheated with the red shell like a dick.
“I’ll be careful,” Nick said, because Seth needed to hear it. “I promise. And besides, it wasn’t as if there actually were super soldiers. It was two goons with—” Nick frowned. “Wait. How did you know they had knives? I didn’t tell you that.”
Seth hesitated. “Pretty sure you did.”
“No,” Nick said slowly. “I was saving that part for the dramatic reveal toward the end.”
“Oh. Uh, I thought you said knife. My bad. Must have guessed. Didn’t mean to ruin the dramatic reveal. Sorry.”
“Good guess, then,” Nick said. “Because they did have knives. But they were more like machetes. And they came at Gibby and me and demanded our belongings, but I pushed Gibby behind me like a man does—”
“Gibby is stronger than the both of us.”
“Oh, right. Good point. And I’m totally equal opportunity, because I’m a feminist. Also, I lied because I was behind Gibby. Anyway, so there we were, standing side by side and they demanded we hand everything over, and I said no way, and Gibby said I know karate probably, and when we were about to save the day because I am not a damsel in distress no matter what Rebecca Firestone says, Shadow Star came and beat them up, and his voice was so deep and strong.”
“And you got his autograph?” Seth asked, sounding strange. “That must have been … cool.”
“Oh, it was. Hold on. I’m going to go upstairs so I can read it to you. And then I’ll send you the picture that Gibby took of us where Shadow Star said I’m cute, or something similar.”
“Okay, but I can’t talk long. I’ve got homework, and I’m going to try and go to bed early tonight.”
Nick took the stairs two at a time. “You should have done what I did and gotten detention. It’s the perfect place to do homework.”
Seth sighed. “I’ll keep that in mind for next time.”
Nick ran back into his room and found the paper that had once been held by Shadow Star. “Okay, are you ready for this?”
“I wait with bated breath.”
“It says, Nicholas Bell: Always remember to keep … to the … shadows…” Nick squinted down at the paper.
“Wow,” Seth said. “His catchphrase and everything. That sure is … something.”
“Yeah,” Nick said slowly. “Except…”
“Except what?”
“I didn’t tell him my full name.”
Silence.
Then, “Well, you must have. He wrote it.”
“No. I didn’t. Don’t you think I’d remember every single word I had with Shadow Star? Because I do. I remember everything. From telling him about the pillow to denying kissing the side of his head when I totally did, it’s all in my brain like the world’s most awkward fantasy come to life. Seth, I only told him my name was Nick.”
“Maybe he saw it on something inside your bag?”
“No,” Nick said, sitting on his bed in shock. “He was never in my bag. Seth. Oh my god. Do you know
what this means?”
“I don’t … think so? Should I?”
“Seth. I’ve figured it out. I know.”
“Oh boy. I can’t wait to hear this.”
Nick barely heard him, lost in what could only be the truth. “It makes so much sense. I’ve always thought we had some kind of connection. But now I know why. I don’t know how I didn’t see it before. Seth. It’s like—it’s like he’s read my fic. I think he has a Tumblr account and has read my fic! What if he was a commenter and I didn’t know it?”
“Yep,” Seth said, sounding amused. “There it is. It’s moments like this I realize you still haven’t lost the capacity to surprise me.”
“I get it now,” Nick said, standing and pacing back and forth in his room. “I mean, of course that’s exactly what happened. He’s probably standing in his Shadow Lair right now—”
“His Shadow what?”
“His Shadow Lair,” Nick explained patiently, because he knew that if this was causing his own head to explode, it must be doing the same to Seth. “Every superhero has a base of operations, and Shadow Star has the Shadow Lair. It’s where he broods in the shadows and stores all his gear while practicing fighting. You know this. You beta read my fic. I described it in great detail, so much so that you told me I didn’t need sixteen thousand words to make it clear to the reader he lives in a wet cave. Keep up!”
“How could I forget,” Seth said dryly. “You might be overthinking this one, Nicky. Just a smidge.”
“No,” Nick said. “I’m thinking clearer than I ever have before. Nate Belen was rescued in my fic, and so Shadow Star thought he had to rescue me. But then Rebecca Firestone said I was a damsel in distress, and so maybe that’s what he thinks because they have a platonic understanding that is in no way romantic or sexual since that’s gross. Seth, what if Shadow Star thinks I’m only going to be in danger and that he has to come rescue me all the time?”