by Dee J. Stone
I float outside the window.
“Remember,” Maddie says. “Make sure not to hurt anyone.”
Sweat gathers on my forehead. Heck, all over my body. “The gun…”
“Just be careful.”
Right. Be careful. I can do this.
I gently knock on the window to distract the dude. Since I’m invisible, he can’t see me. He looks at the window, and that’s when I wave my hand, throwing the gun under the bed, and I freeze the guy in place. I use the bed sheet to tie him. The woman gasps as she watches all of this. Her husband’s fighting to break free, but I tied the rope real tight. He’s not going anywhere.
I open the window and make myself visible. “Come,” I call to the woman.
Her head snaps up, eyes bigger than our planet.
“Please.” I hold out my hand. “You can trust me.”
Her eyes dip to my hand.
“The cops are right outside,” I reassure her. “I’m gonna take you to them. I promise I won’t hurt you.”
She hesitates, her body trembling.
“Can you walk?” I ask.
She shakes her head.
I climb into the room. “Can I carry you?”
She nods, and I lift her in my arms. When I’m sure she’s holding on securely, I fly out the window and start to descend. All the cops stare at me as my feet hit the ground. I hand the woman to one of the cops.
“Husband is tied up inside,” I tell them. “Gun’s under the bed.”
The chief or whoever he is, motions for the others to run inside.
I’m about to launch off, but the cop puts his hand on my shoulder. “Thank you. But who are you?”
“Just a guy trying to help. Sorry, I’m going to be late for school.”
I zoom off, find an abandoned location to change into my clothes, then fly to school. I make it with ten minutes to spare.
In the halls, everyone is talking about the Blue Masked Hero. News about the man with the gun is going around, too. Many kids are watching it on their phones.
“Who do you think he is?” one kid says.
“What does he want?” another asks.
Those similar words are spoken all over as I head to my locker. Maddie is leaning against it. “Hey,” I say.
“You did good.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
I motion for her to move so I can get to my locker. I pull my books out. “Seems stupid to go to school.”
“You know the cops and firemen are more than capable.”
“I know.”
“I mean, of course you’re quicker and stronger, but you can’t be everywhere at once.”
I shut my locker just as Nicole and her friends pass by. “I don’t care what anyone is saying about this hero,” she says. “He’s just someone looking for attention.”
Looking for attention? Really?
I slam my back into my locker. Maddie looks from Nicole, who disappears into a classroom, to me. “You’re not only doing all of this for her, are you?”
I give her a look. “Of course not. I didn’t even think about her until now.”
Maddie presses her books to her chest as we make our way to history. The halls are crowded as everyone gets to where they need to be.
“He said he had to get to school,” one guy tells his friends. “It means he’s a kid.”
“Could be a college student,” his friend says.
“Nah, he looks much younger than that.”
“Did you see his telekinesis?” another guy asks. “The way he moved all that rubble?” Their voices die down as they turn the corner.
Maddie and I enter our classroom and sit down. My eyes automatically spring to Nicole. I’ve missed her. Been so caught up with all this superhero stuff. I wait for her to look my way so I can wave, but she doesn’t. I don’t even know why I’m hopeful. She’d never wave back. Not even smile.
“How do you like it?” Maddie whispers, her nose in a book.
“What?”
She motions around. “Everyone’s talking about you.”
“Uh, I don’t really like it.”
She gives me a look like she doesn’t believe me.
I shrug. “Can we maybe talk about the name they’ve given me?”
Maddie laughs. “The Blue Masked Hero.” She laughs again. “That’s because you didn’t come up with a name yourself.”
“I suck at making names. Remember how long it took me to create my guy on that RPG you loved when we were little. Sorcerer World or something like that.”
“Well, then it’s nice to meet you, BMH.”
“What? Oh, abbreviation. But keep your voice down! Everyone will hear you.”
“As if anyone would believe you’re him.”
I frown.
“That was a joke,” she says.
I shake my head. “No, you’re right. No one would ever suspect me of being him. I don’t have to be on edge all the time.”
She peers at my shirt. “Wear shirts with collars. I can tell you’re wearing something under that. Where’s your mask?”
I point to my bag.
“Is it in the secret compartment?” She bought a backpack that’s got many zippers and hidden pockets.
“Uh…” I knew I forgot something.
She sighs. “Honestly, Nick. Anyone could find it!”
“I know. I’ll put it in there now.” I stick my hand in my bag, find the mask, and hide it.
Maddie drills more rules into my head. I nod at everything she says, pushing my nerves aside. Soon, all of this won’t be so complicated. I hope.
“Mr. McGuire and Miss Randall,” Mrs. Landon says. When did she come in? “Would you like to get detention again?”
“No,” Maddie says. “I was just telling Nick how proud you’ll be when you check out his homework.”
My chest feels tight. What did she just say? I didn’t do my homework. I give her a face, but she keeps her focus on the teacher.
“Really? Well, let’s have a look.”
Did we have to write a report? Review the notes from yesterday? I’ve got no clue.
With her eyes, Maddie signals me to open my folder. Once I do, I see a report on the French Revolution there. It’s all typed up and neat. I stare at her. She did my homework?
Mrs. Landon heads to me and holds out her hand. I reluctantly give her the paper. I didn’t get a chance to look at it. What if she’ll know I didn’t write it? And when did Maddie stick the report in my folder?
As Mrs. Landon scans it, I give Maddie another look. She motions for me to stop being so obvious. I sink in my chair and stare straight ahead.
It feels like hours until the teacher finishes it. She’s got a wide smile on her face. “Very good, Nick.” She scribbles a huge A on the top. Then she continues the lesson.
I want to ask Maddie what exactly that was, but I don’t want to get in trouble again. So I stare at the clock throughout the period.
“Maddie, what the hell?” I say as we make our way to our next class. “You did my homework for me?”
“Because you didn’t have time to do it.”
“You can’t do my homework for me.”
“I know that, and I won’t. Because you’re not going to overdo it with this whole…” She lowers her voice. “Superhero thing. I told you not to go flying around looking for people to help—you’re going to wear yourself out and you’re going to fall behind in your schoolwork. From now on, you’re only going to go when there’s a major emergency.”
We enter our next class and sit down. “Like this morning? The cops were handling it.”
“No, they weren’t. There was a high chance that woman wouldn’t have survived. Anyway, you’re going to write a new report after school, and I’m going to read it and grade it.”
I bang my back against my chair. “Seriously?”
“Yep, and that’s the last time I’m doing your homework for you.” She tugs the back of my shirt. “If you’re going to do
this whole superhero thing, we’re going to do it right.”
“Okay… you’re real bossy sometimes.”
“Someone needs to look after you.”
I sit up and look around. Like usual, no one’s paying attention to us. “Did you see my powers? I can look after myself. Not that I don’t appreciate—”
“Nick, you don’t know where your powers came from. For all you know, they could be gone tomorrow. You have to worry about your education and your future.”
I’m about to say something, but she continues, “And even if you don’t lose your powers, you still need a backup plan.”
That’s Maddie. Always thinking about the future.
“You do realize I’m only a freshman in high school, right?”
“So what? You need good grades to get into a good college and you’re averaging Cs.”
I shrug. “So I’ll go to community college.”
She opens her notebook and starts reading her notes. “I’m just trying to help.”
“I know, and I really appreciate it. It’s just that someone like me will never be good at school. No matter how much I try. I just suck.”
“That’s not true. Remember in sixth grade when I challenged you to get a good grade on your math test? You pulled off a ninety.”
Yeah, I remember. “That’s different.”
“How?”
“Someone could get hurt or die because I’m busy with school.”
She shakes her head.
I sigh. “I guess you’re right. I can’t push the whole world before me. I’ll quickly finish my homework every day after school, then do my rounds.”
“Okay. But you can’t overwork yourself.”
I wave my hand. “I’ll be fine.”
Chapter Fourteen
Everyone is still talking about the mysterious guy in blue. At school, on the streets, on TV. Maddie and I are at her house, doing our homework. She’s not letting me leave until it’s all done. So I’m working hard. Very hard. Harder than I’ve worked my whole life.
She peers over at my algebra problems. “See, you got them all right. You’re smart, you just don’t try.”
“Keep your eyes on your own paper.”
She sticks out her tongue. Then her face changes to excitement. “Oh! I almost forgot.” She presses her lips together like a thought hit her.
“What?” I ask.
“Not telling you until your homework is done.”
We spend the next half hour finishing up. Then Maddie goes to her closet and pulls something out. Another blue mask.
“What’s that for?”
“I made a new one and I installed a GPS for you.”
I take it from her. “Thanks.”
“Okay, let’s get to work.” She sits at her computer. “Let’s see if there’s anything going on out there that needs your help.”
I watch her hit all these keys, but I’ve got no clue what she’s doing.
“There’s nothing major going on,” she says.
“That’s good. I’ll just fly around and see if anyone’s in trouble.”
I pull my shirt and jeans off, put on my mask, say bye to Maddie, and fly out of her window. I make sure to be invisible until I’m far away from her house. I’m not going to remain invisible because I want people to see I’m around. Maybe they’ll ask for help.
I’m flying a little low so I could get a good look at what’s going on around me. A few kids are playing soccer, their moms chatting nearby. A guy and a girl are talking outside a house…wait a minute. That’s Nicole. I’m near her house? I’ve never been there, so I can’t know for sure.
Even though I know I shouldn’t, I go invisible and descend. I need to know who this guy is. Her boyfriend? I’ve never seen him, so he probably doesn’t go to our school. He’s tall and big, probably a jock.
I hide in the bushes to eavesdrop on their conversation.
“What do you mean it wasn’t your fault?” Nicole demands. “You were staring at her. And you know what Lissa told me? That you were at another girl’s house last night. A girl from your school.”
He runs his hand through his blonde hair. “Well, your friend’s wrong. I was at a guy’s house.”
Nicole slams her hands on her hips. “But there was a girl there.”
He shrugs.
“And you flirted with her.”
He doesn’t respond.
“And you kissed her.”
Again, he’s quiet as he looks around like he’d rather be shooting hoops or whatever than being part of this conversation.
“Tay, look at me,” Nicole demands. Her tone is full of anger, but I can hear pain in there, too.
“Why? So you can yell at me again? It meant nothing.”
“Like Haley meant nothing? Or Amanda? What about Tamera?”
He rolls his eyes.
She holds up her hands. “I’m so done with this. With you. You promised to change, but you never do. That’s it. We’re over.”
He shrugs again. “Fine. I feel bad for the next guy who’ll have to put up with you and your craziness. If you don’t watch out, you’ll end up in the nuthouse like your mom.”
She glares at him, but doesn’t say a word. He walks off. She covers her face, and I hear hiccups. She’s crying. I pull my eyes away. Can’t watch. I wish I could do something. Maybe go over to her and ask if she’s okay. But of course I can’t do that. She’ll know I was—
“What are you doing here?”
I look up and find her staring at me. I peer down at myself. I’m no longer invisible. How the heck did this happen? Because I wasn’t paying attention? Because I felt bad about how hurt she is?
She steps closer. I scramble back, burying myself in the bush. Maybe she’ll go away.
She crawls into the bush, grabs my arm, and pulls me out. She’s so close I can see her beautiful hazel eyes that are still filled with tears.
“You’re that hero, aren’t you?”
My throat’s dry. I just nod.
“What are you doing here?” she repeats.
No words come to my brain. It’s as if it shut off. She looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. Maybe I have.
“Are you okay?”
I nod again. She’s still staring at me and I’m staring at her. Words finally come to my mind and I blurt them out, “I saw you arguing with that guy and I thought you might be in trouble so I came to help.”
She’s still staring at me, an unreadable expression on her face. “So you just randomly spy on people?”
I quickly shake my head. “I was flying by, checking around to see if anyone was in trouble, and I saw the two of you. I thought he was going to hurt you. I swear I wasn’t spying.” Total lie, but she doesn’t have to know that.
Her eyes soften. “Oh. Well, thanks I guess. But I’m okay.”
Relief washes over me that she’s not mad. “No problem. You sure you’re okay?”
She runs her sleeve over her eyes. “Yeah. I think.” She laughs awkwardly. “This is embarrassing.”
I slowly make my way to her, my hands shaking and sweat gathering all over. I’m talking to Nicole. To Nicole. She doesn’t know it’s me, which makes it much, much better.
“No, it’s not,” I tell her. “That guy was a real jerk.”
“Yeah, he was. I don’t know why I was with him for so long. He kept making all these empty promises.” She sniffs. “I guess I was just scared to break up with him.”
My mouth hangs open. Nicole is very different from how I pictured her. I always thought she was confident and perfect, but I see she’s just like everyone else. She goes through stuff like others do. That makes me like her even more.
“You made the right decision by breaking up with him,” I tell her.
She nods, her gaze on the ground like she’s pondering. I’m not sure if I should touch her. I don’t think she’d like it, since we don’t know each other. Instead, I lower my hands to my sides. Don’t know what to do with them. Or with the rest of
me. Do I leave or stay?
“So…” I start. “I’m gonna head out.”
I’m about to shoot in the air when she says, “It’s really great what you do.”
I turn around.
“Helping people, I mean. I saw you on the news and everyone’s talking about you at my school.”
I don’t know what to say, so I nod another time. My face feels hot, and it’s not because of this mask. Nicole just complimented me.
“Uh, thanks.”
We just stand there. She looks at me and I look at her.
“I’d better go…” I say.
“Okay. Thanks again.”
I nod and shoot up in the air. As I fly, the conversation doesn’t leave my head, and I can’t stop smiling. Nicole is an ever better person than I thought she was.
She actually spoke to me. To me. Nicole Watts spoke to me. I’ll remember this day forever.
Chapter Fifteen
Nicole seems to be in a good mood today. Or maybe I’m just imagining it. I watch her talking to her friends in the caf. Maybe I’m crazy, but it looks like her brain isn’t there, like she’s thinking about something else. Or someone else. Could she be thinking about me? I mean, the other me?
A tray drops on my table. Maddie. She plops down next to me. “What are we looking at today?” She follows my gaze, makes a face, then opens her can of Coke.
It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell her I spoke to Nicole yesterday, but Maddie hates when I bring her up. So I go back to watching her. She flips her hair and giggles at something her friend says. I guess whatever she was thinking about left her mind. It probably wasn’t me. She’s got other things—important things—in her life. I bet she doesn’t even remember me.
“So there are a few blogs and websites talking about you,” Maddie says as she munches on some fries.
“Huh?”
She hands me her phone. I barely glance at it. “That’s cool.”
“Some people are calling you a fraud,” she continues. “You even got some death threats.”
“Yeah, we’ll play tomorrow.”
I hear a bang and the next second, Maddie’s marching out of the cafeteria. What just happened?
I chase after her. “Mads, what’s up?”
She whirls around. “I was trying to have a conversation with my best friend, but he wasn’t interested in anything I had to say.”
