by Dee J. Stone
I’m about to get up, but she puts her hand on mine. “How’s school? Life? I feel like we hardly talk.”
“Yeah, guess we don’t.”
“Is there a girl you’re interested in?”
I sink in my seat. “Didn’t I just say I’d talk to Dad about this?” Hurt flashes across her face. I quickly say, “But no, there’s no one. I mean, there is, but she doesn’t know I exist.”
She opens her mouth, but I say, “I know what you’re going to say. That I should ask her out. I’m working on it.”
She runs her fingers through my hair. “Good, but don’t put so much pressure on yourself. Dating is not the most important thing in high school.”
She’s right. My grades aren’t that great, but I get by. Mom and Dad expect me to get into a good college, but I don’t think that’s going to happen. I can’t get a scholarship because I’m not good at anything like Matt is. I don’t want to think about it right now. I have something urgent to take care of—making sense of my powers.
I stand. “I have homework.”
She stands, too. “Thanks for playing with Kaylee today. She really loves spending time with you.”
“Well you know me, the fun older brother.”
I enter my room and sit down at my desk with my laptop. If I have powers, then there must be others out there who do, too. I search for telekinesis online and get a whole load of stuff. Stuff that don’t seem to be anything. Most are about people who claim to have powers. I know they’re fake. I can’t explain why, I just know. A few have videos on YouTube, but it’s pretty obvious those are fake, too. I search invisibility next, but once again come up with nothing. There doesn’t seem to be anyone out there who can help me.
Chapter Four
Saturday is Matt’s football game. The family gets all pumped up before the game. Mom makes this grand meal and we all get dressed in the team’s color. Mom even lets Kaylee paint her face, something she loves more than her dolls.
This time it’s a huge, super party because it’s to celebrate my birthday, too. My family got me cool presents. Mom and Dad bought me a pair of jeans, Matt some sneakers, and Kaylee drew me a picture of the two of us having a tea party. I’m the center of attention for maybe an hour before everything revolves around football. It’s okay, I guess. I know this is a big day for Matt. Lots of scouts will be at the game.
The table is noisy as we eat. Matt and Dad are arguing about something football related. Mom’s trying to get Kaylee to finish her vegetables. I’m staring at my plate, trying to move my peas with my mind. It’s not working, which is probably a good thing considering everyone’s home. I don’t get to practice as much as I should because someone’s always coming into my room. Kaylee demands more piggyback rides and Matt comes to poke fun at me.
Squinting my eyes, I order my peas to move. Come on, I urge. Just move. Even if it’s less than an inch.
The peas remain the way they are except for one. It bounces on the wall before smashing to the ground. Score!
“Nick.”
My heart drops to my sneakers. I slowly lift my head to Dad. He’s not looking at my plate. He must have not seen anything. A breath leaves my mouth.
“I want you to tape the game today.” He hands me the camera.
“Why? You always tape it and you know I’m not good.” The last time he asked me to tape it, I missed the important parts.
“Coach Arnold asked me to assist,” Dad says. “He and I discussed the possibility of my coaching the team next year.”
“Cool.”
He slings his arm around me. “And maybe you can play, too.”
I gape at him. Me play? “But—but I can’t…”
“Jim, don’t pressure him.” Mom gives him a face. I know what it means. Dad’s been trying to get me into sports for years. Even though he never said it, it bothers him that I’m not athletic like him and Bro.
Dad holds up his hands defensively. “I’m not pressuring him. I just feel like it’d be good for him to get out of the house. To make friends, be part of a team.”
“I have friends,” I say.
“A girl—”
“What’s wrong with that?”
Dad pats my back. “Nothing, but I think it’d be a good idea for you to have guys you can hang out with. Talk to, you know.”
“Maddie and I talk.”
Dad doesn’t say anything and we eat in silence. I guess I could find guys to hang out with, but what for? Maddie is the coolest best friend anyone could ask for.
We leave the house and get to the game. Kaylee demands to sit on my lap because I’ve got a good view. She usually sits on Dad’s lap, but he’s coaching today. I can’t imagine Dad being the coach next year. It’d be weird to see him at school every day.
The game begins and Kaylee raises her hands, giggling and cheering. Even she loves football more than me.
These games always put me to sleep, and today is no different. I give Mom the camera because she’d do a better job at taping it than me. Besides, I know the only reason Dad gave it to me is because he wants me to be part of it. No thanks, Dad. I’m good.
Just as my head droops, something catches my attention. One player crashes into another, sending him flying in the air. He’ll get seriously hurt when he hits the ground. As I’m freaking out that this guy is going to die right in front of us, he slows down and gently drops to the ground.
I look down at my hand and see it raised. Did I do that? I possibly saved that dude’s life?
Similar things happen throughout the game and once again, I find myself interfering. Nothing is as life-threatening as the first guy, but a least no one will end up with bruises.
Wait a minute. Am I cheating?
“Aw, crap,” I mutter. Am I screwing up the whole game?
“Nick?” Mom whispers from beside me. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” I lie. “I’m fine. I’m gonna go for a walk.”
After sliding Kaylee off my lap, I go down the stairs and away from the field. I haven’t been doing it on purpose. It’s like my hand acted on its own. I need to control my powers better. I can’t cheat like this.
“Boo!”
I jump back.
Maddie laughs. “Yes! I finally scared you.”
I turn away from her.
She follows. “Bad mood?”
“What are you doing here? You never come to football games.”
She shrugs. “I know, but I was bored. I finished all my homework and I played more video games than is healthy for me. So here I am. What about you?”
“I always come to Bro’s games.”
“Yeah and you always fall asleep. What are you doing out here?”
“Thinking.”
“About?”
I look to my right and left. There are many people around. I want to tell Maddie, but I don’t know if I should. On the one hand, it’ll be nice to talk to someone about this. On the other, I kinda like that it’s my secret.
Maddie’s eyes fill with intrigue. “I have something to tell you, too.”
“You first.”
“No way.”
I shove my hands in my pockets. “Okay, but not here. No one can overhear.”
“We can go to your house. Not mine. Trust me, you don’t want to be under the same roof as She Who Must Not Be Named.”
I laugh. “Your stepsister is really that bad, huh?”
“You have no idea. So your house?”
I pull out my phone. “Sure. Let me text my mom that I’m leaving.” She does the same and we head to the city bus stop.
As we walk, something dawns on me. I liked saving that guy’s life. He could have died or gotten seriously injured. Now there’s a high chance he’ll go to college on a scholarship and maybe play professionally after that. All because I used my telekinesis for good. I lift my hands. What else could I do with it?
“How’s Death at Night?” Maddie asks.
“Aw, crap.”
She stops walking.
“You still didn’t play it?”
“I told you I want to play it with you.”
“Then why are we walking so slowly?”
She makes a move to quicken her pace, but I grab her hand. “Wait. Remember there’s something I need to tell you. At the house. We’re not going there to play.”
She stares at me. “Nick, what’s going on? Are you in some sort of trouble?”
I shake my head and tug her arm. We continue on until we reach the bus stop and sit down at the waiting area.
It seems like forever until the bus comes and we get into my house and go up to my room. I sit on the bed and she takes the windowsill.
“So?” Maddie says.
Maybe it was a mistake to bring her here. I’ve got no clue if I should tell her. She is my best friend, but lately it feels like we’re not as close as before. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s because I’m a guy and she’s a girl and we need to be best friends with people of our own genders? Is Dad right?
“Why don’t you have a best friend?” I ask.
Her eyebrows scrunch up. “Huh? Aren’t you my best friend?”
“Yeah, but why don’t you have a normal best friend? You know, like a girl?”
“Because girls suck.”
I can’t help but laugh. “You’re a girl.”
She hops off the windowsill and leans against the wall, crossing her arms over her chest. “Yeah.”
“So how can you say girls suck?” They far from suck. They’re so sweet and kind and pretty and just awesome. And they smell pretty good, too.
“Because they do. They’re always going on about clothes and makeup and boys and all that stuff. Like, you know I hate being judged because I’m doing the wrong thing or wearing the wrong thing.” She shrugs. “I just don’t click with girls. Why are you even asking me this? It’s not like you have guy friends.”
“I know. Dad’s been bugging me about that.”
She sits next to me. “He doesn’t like me.”
I shake my head. “No, he does.”
“Does he think I like you?”
“No clue. But he can’t think that. I mean, it’s ridiculous. You’re like my sister.”
“Right.”
Quiet.
“I told Mom I like Nicole.”
“Really?”
I play with a loose thread on my jeans. “She told me to ask her out.”
“Will you?”
I snort. “You saw what happened when I said hi to her.”
“I told you she’s not a good person.”
“She is. I just need to change. I need to be…” I don’t finish my sentence because I don’t exactly know what I need to do. I just know I need to do something.
Maddie stands and goes to the window. She pulls the shade aside and stares out. “Is that why you asked me to come here? To talk about Nicole?”
I come up beside her. “No, that’s not it. I need to tell you something. Well, show you something.”
She turns around and gives me a curious look.
“Close your eyes,” I say.
She presses her lips together before saying, “The last time I did that you tried to kiss me.”
Yeah, I did. We were eight and I wanted to know what it felt like to kiss. So I told Maddie I had a surprise for her. Then she closed her eyes and I kissed her. Forget the fact that I totally missed and kissed her chin instead. Maddie didn’t talk to me for days.
I haven’t kissed a single girl in my life. Lame to admit, but it’s the truth.
“Don’t worry,” I assure her. “I’m not going to kiss you.”
She sighs in relief and closes her eyes. I head over to the clock on my desk and wave my hand over it. It rises in the air like it’s attached to an invisible string.
“Okay,” I say. “Open your eyes.”
When she finds me at the desk and sees the floating clock, her eyes bulge out of their sockets. “What? How?” She marches over and feels around the clock like she’s looking for the string. Her eyes meet mine. “Nick, what—what are you doing?”
I fist my hand and the clock drops. I pace my room, running my hands through my hair. “I don’t know. I woke up the morning after my birthday and found this.” I face her, making sure to turn my body invisible. A loud gasp leaves her mouth. I turn back visible. “Then I started moving things with my mind.”
I wave my hand around her and she floats in the air. Her head whips around, arms flail. “Put me down!”
I comply, accidentally dropping her a bit too strongly so she crashes to the floor. “Sorry.”
She scrambles to her feet, backing away from me.
I step closer to her. “I know it’s weird.”
“Weird? It’s crazy!”
“Yeah.”
Quiet. She just gapes at me like I’m from another planet.
I say, “You know that guy who almost got hurt at the game? He went flying in the air?”
“Yeah. It was weird how he…” Her eyes widen. “That was you, wasn’t it? You saved his life.”
I nod and continue to pace. “Saving him felt good. I think I want to do more.”
“Did you talk to anyone about this?”
“Just you.”
“Your parents?”
I shake my head.
She sits on the bed. The look on her face tells me she’s got a million thoughts going through her head. I decide to let her think while I think myself. There’s no doubt that I have powers. I can’t tell my parents because they would want to control me and the powers. It sucks, but I don’t think I can trust them. Matt would give me a hard time and Kaylee wouldn’t be able to keep a secret.
No, I’ve got to do this on my own. Well, with Maddie’s help if she’s willing. I plop down next to her. “I want to do good, Maddie. I don’t know why these powers came to me, but now that I have them, I want to make the most of them. Not just use them to get back at Matt or to move my clock around my room.”
She smiles. “That’s great. But does that mean you’re going to be, like, a superhero?”
My smile matches hers. “A superhero. Yeah.”
Her forehead wrinkles. “But you can’t control your powers, can you? Most superheroes need practice.”
I get to my feet. “These powers…they’re like a part of me. They understand me and what I want. I didn’t think about it until now, but I wanted to help that guy today. Everyone probably wished for him to be okay. My telekinesis listened to me.”
“Okay. You want to be a superhero. So you’re just going to randomly walk on the street and save people?”
“Why not?” I stand and pace again. “All my life I’ve been a nobody. A loser. Now I can finally make myself useful.”
“All to impress Nicole.”
I stop and face her. “What? Hell no. No one can know it’s me. That’s the point of being a superhero. No one will know my identity. That way I can go to school and have a normal-ish life.”
“Right. Where are you going to get a uniform from?”
“Uniform?”
“All superheroes have uniforms.”
I sink down to the floor. “Didn’t think about that.”
I can’t just go to a store and buy one. It’ll need to be unique, something no one else has. My shoulders droop. “Never mind. Forget the whole thing. What was I even thinking? Going around being a hero? Someone like me can’t do that stuff.”
She playfully punches my arm. “Stop being so dramatic. I’ll make something for you.”
I stare at her. “What?”
She shrugs. “You know my mom taught me how to sew.”
My arms fling around her. “Dude, you’re amazing!”
She pulls out of the hug. She’s not much of a hugger.
We sit side by side, planning everything.
Chapter Five
“Hey,” I say to Maddie as we walk to school the next morning. It’s a chilly November day, but we decided to walk instead of taking the school bus because we need to talk more
about the plan and because there might be someone around who needs help. Maddie told me she’s going to buy fabric for my uniform after school. I asked if I can tag along, but she said she doesn’t want me to see it until it’s done. I’m more than appreciative that she’s helping me.
“You can be my sidekick,” I say.
She laughs. “No way. I’ll just be your supportive friend.”
I poke her with my elbow. “You can wear a uniform, too.”
She makes a face like she ate something sour. “I don’t wear tights.”
I freeze. “I’m going to have to wear tights?!”
She chuckles. “Gotchya!”
“Not funny. Hey, weren’t you supposed to tell me something yesterday?”
She adjusts her book bag. “Oh, it wasn’t anything important. I don’t even remember.”
I scan around, but there doesn’t seem to be anyone who needs help. Maddie follows my gaze. “Are you hoping someone will need you?”
“No, course not.” I twitch.
“Oh, my god. You so are.” She hits me with her bag. “Stop it. Someone will eventually come along.”
“I know. I’m just anxious.”
“Until you have your uniform, you need to keep a low profile. No one can know what you can do. Okay? That means no spilling the beans because you’re trying to impress someone.”
I roll my eyes. “I’m not stupid.”
“Really? Because when you’re around certain people, you act like you are.”
“Ha ha. You better watch it.” I flex my nonexistent muscles. “I’ve got powerful babies in here.”
Maddie snorts.
I flick my finger and she’s pushed slightly aside. She slowly turns around. “You did not just push me.”
“What if I did? What is a mere mortal like yourself going to do about it?”
Letting out a yelp, she launches herself at me. I freeze her in place, making sure to keep her feet planted on the ground so no one will get suspicious.
“Nick!” She waves her arms. “Let go. We’re in public.”
I shrug. “You just look like a crazy person waving your hands around.”
She tries to claw at me. I come up close to her, but not close enough for her to touch me. “You’re so annoying,” she says, not hiding her playful tone.
