by Dee J. Stone
They look even more bewildered as I dash up to my room. I pass Kaylee’s room, where she’s playing with her dolls. Good thing she’s busy because I wouldn’t want her walking in on us when I’m revealing myself to my parents. It’s going to be rough, I’m sure.
Matt’s door is shut. Good.
I slip into my room and put on my uniform and mask. Before I head back down, I stand before my mirror.
“Calm down.” I take a deep breath. “You’re just gonna tell your parents the truth. They won’t take it well, but one thing you know is that you can always count on them. We’ll all get through this.”
I take the steps slowly because I don’t want to spring this on my parents. I’m also slow to step into the kitchen.
Dad sees me first. He shoots to his feet. Mom follows his gaze. Her eyes widen. “Nick?”
I nod and close the distance. “Yeah…I’m, well, he’s me and I’m him.”
Dad’s mouth drops. Mom falls on her chair, her eyes wider than a bowling ball. I clear my throat and move closer to them. “That’s why I’ve been falling behind in school. I thought I could handle it all, but I can’t.”
Mom, who’s staring straight ahead in pure shock, turns to me. “You’re…you’re…”
I pull off my mask. “The Blue Masked Hero.”
Her eyes scan me from top to bottom. “How? Why? When?”
“It kinda just happened. I woke up the morning after my birthday and realized I had telekinesis and could turn invisible. You don’t by any chance know how this happened?”
They both shake their heads, their mouths nearly touching the floor. Dad stands and heads over to me. He reaches for me, curls his fingers, than rests his hand on my arm. “Nick, we’re…we’re at a loss for words.”
“I know. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I just felt like I needed to keep it a secret. I don’t know. I’m also sorry for letting my grades slip. I’m trying to catch up. Honestly I am.”
Mom says, “School is your priority, not running around playing superhero.”
I swallow, nodding.
“We don’t want you doing that anymore,” Dad adds.
I knew this would happen. That’s why I was so against telling them. They don’t get how important this is to me. “Dad, please—”
He holds up his hand. “This is the end of the discussion. We won’t have you putting your life at risk.”
“Don’t you see all I’ve been doing? How many people I’ve helped? I can’t stop.”
Mom stands, hands on her hips. “Let the police handle what needs to be handled. Your focus and priority is school.”
I groan. I mean, I get it, but I can handle it all. I know I can. I just need to organize myself. When I tell that to my parents, Mom shakes her head while Dad says, “No way.”
I plop down on a chair and cross my arms over my chest.
“We don’t want to see you wearing that outfit again,” Mom says.
“Or doing any tricks,” Dad adds.
I tighten my arms on my chest. I knew telling them the truth would suck, but I didn’t think it’d suck as much as this.
“Dad, do you have—what the hell?”
Our heads spring to the doorway, where Matt’s staring at me. He bursts into laughter. “For a second I actually thought you were the real hero.”
I get to my feet. “I am the real hero.”
Matt snickers. I wave my hand and the kitchen door slams in his face.
“Nick!” Mom says.
“Was just showing him proof,” I mumble.
Mom rushes to the door to check if Bro’s okay. He seems fine, but glares at me. Mom whirls around. “Go to your room, Nick.” She holds up a finger. “Not a word of this to anyone. Not your friends, not your grandparents and not Kaylee. We need to keep this a secret or else all our lives will be in upheaval.”
Matt says, “No one would believe us, anyway.” He walks out of the room.
My parents turn to me. “Take that off.” Mom nods to my uniform. “And from now on, you will sit day and night catching up on your studies.”
“What about Nicole?” I blurt, then mentally punch myself.
Dad’s ears perk up. “Nicole?”
“The girl the hero has been flying around with,” Mom says. Clearly she’s been keeping up with the news.
Dad says, “Oh, the girl you’ve been interested in?”
“Yeah.”
“Does she know the truth?” Mom asks.
I shake my head.
Mom rubs her temples. “You’ve been lying to her all this time? Nick…”
“I’m sorry. I was gonna tell her, I was just waiting for the right time.”
She says, “You’re going to tell her tomorrow after school. Then you come right home and do your homework.”
I guess they’re right. There’s no way I could juggle everything. If they wouldn’t have a firm hand on me, I would definitely fail ninth grade. “Okay. Does that mean I won’t be able to see Nicole again?”
Mom shakes her head. “Not until your grades improve.”
“I guess that’s fair. I really love her, though.” Where the heck did those words come from?
Mom and Dad’s eyes fill with surprise. Dad sits down. “Who exactly is this girl?”
“The most popular girl in ninth grade. She, uh, never paid attention to me. But she’s such a sweet and amazing girl. I’ve never felt about anyone like I feel about her.”
“Nick,” Mom says, “I don’t mean to hurt you or burst your bubble, but have you considered how she’d react when she learned the truth?”
I nod quickly. “She’d be okay with it. I heard her talking to her friends and she said she doesn’t care who’s behind the mask, because she loves me.” A bit of an exaggeration, but I don’t want my parents making up all these conclusions about her without getting to know her first. “And she’s a nice person. I know it won’t matter to her. I mean, she’ll be hurt that I lied, but I think she’ll forgive me. No, I know she will.”
Mom sighs. “I hope she does forgive you. And I hope you learned a lesson.”
“Yeah, I did.”
“Good. Now get out of those clothes before Kaylee sees you.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Mom lets me wear my uniform one last time to talk to Nicole. I’ve only got about an hour to tell her the truth, then I need to get my butt back home and study.
While I fly, my heart hammers against my ribcage. I knew I would have to tell Nicole the truth and I was preparing for it, I just didn’t think it’d be so soon. I need to mentally get ready, but I’ve got no time. Mom expects me to do this today and I don’t want to chicken out. Nicole has to know the truth.
I’m also sweating all over and my nerves cause my flying to be a little off. It’s like I’m too weak and the wind is too strong. It’s shoving me in different directions like I’m a kite.
After what feels like hours, Nicole’s house comes into view. Like all the other times I came here, her window is open.
I swallow a million times a minute and try to get my breathing under control. It doesn’t work. A part of me is sure she won’t be too upset to learn who’s the real guy behind the mask. But the other part of me—a much smaller part—fears she’ll laugh in my face. But that’s not going to happen. It’s Nicole, and she’s so sweet and kind.
As soon as she sees me floating outside her window, she jumps to her feet and rushes over. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
I force a smile.
She glances at me, then at her room, her eyebrows furrowed. “Aren’t you going to come in? Charlie and Tommy have been talking about you, too. They can’t wait to see you.”
I clear my throat. “Can…” I clear it again. “Can we talk?”
Her eyebrows knit again. “About what?”
I motion toward outside. “Can we go for a fly?”
“Blue, you’re scaring me.”
I hold out my hand. “Please.”
She looks toward
her room.
“It’ll only be for a few minutes. I promise. Your parents won’t realize you left. Please, Nicole. It’s important.”
“Okay.”
I take her in my arms, making sure to hold her tight because I don’t trust my shaking arms. “We’re just gonna go flying for a bit,” I tell her. She grabs my arms and wraps her legs around my waist. I want to fly high because I don’t want anyone to see us, but I don’t want to go too high, since Nicole’s scared of heights.
“I’ve been thinking about us a lot lately,” I tell her. “And I figured it’s not fair that I know a lot about you but you hardly know anything about me. So I’m going to show you who I am. But first I want to show you some tricks I can do with my flying. But only if you’re up for it.”
Her clutch on my shoulders tightens. “Can’t you just show me now?”
“Yeah, I guess, but flying calms my nerves and I’m very nervous. Also, I want to share this with you before you might…before you may never speak to me again.”
Her fingers sweep across my exposed cheek. “Why wouldn’t I speak to you again? Do you think I’m that shallow?”
“No, of course not. I’m just worried.”
“Well, you have nothing to worry about. Because I…” Her voice trails off.
Because she…because she what? Was she about to say what I think she was about to say?
She clamps her mouth shut and looks in the distance. I follow her gaze, noticing all the beautiful things around us. The trees and flowers and grass and the sky. I’ve been flying for a while, but I never really stopped to admire just how amazing this world is.
It’s even more amazing because I have a special girl in my arms.
“Are we going somewhere?” she asks after a few minutes of silence. “Or just flying around?”
“I was thinking we could go somewhere where the reporters won’t follow us. Is that okay?”
She nods.
“And is it okay if I turn us invisible?”
“I’ve never been invisible before. Sounds like fun.”
I laugh. “Trust me, it is.”
She watches in wonder as our bodies vanish. I can’t see her and she can’t see me. I secure my hold on her. “I won’t let you go,” I say.
“I know. I trust you.”
She’s got no clue how good that makes me feel, though I can’t help the sinking feeling crawling into my stomach. Will she trust me once she learns the truth of who I am?
“Where are we going?” she asks.
“To a park.” Since it’s late in the evening, I hope no one will be there and we can have some privacy.
We talk about small things as I fly us there. Mostly about her school and friends. She asks me about my social life, and I try to avoid the question because I don’t want to lie to her anymore.
She pokes me in the arm. “Come on, tell me if you ever had a girlfriend. Why’s it such a big secret?”
“Okay, okay. You’re my first. I mean…if you’re my girlfriend.”
She laughs and bumps her head into my shoulder. She then rests it on my chest. “It’s hard to know where you are when you’re invisible, but I got it.” She buries her nose in my chest. “Of course I’m your girlfriend.”
I laugh awkwardly. “Good.”
She laughs, too. “I’m really your first girlfriend? That can’t be true.”
“It is.”
“Well, you’re doing a very, very good job.”
“Really?” I ask.
“Yeah.”
“Cool.”
She laughs again. We make it to the park and I descend toward it. When we reach the ground, I turn us visible and set Nicole down on her feet. She looks around. “This park is beautiful.”
There are a few street lights around us, so we can see each other clearly. Luckily no one is around.
“It is. But sorry I had to bring you all the way here.” We’re a good distance away from her house.
She goes over to me and wraps her arms around my neck, gazing into my eyes. “I don’t care about any of that. I just want to be wherever you are.”
My heart skips a beat and all I manage to do is give her a goofy grin. How’s a guy supposed to respond when a girl says that to him?
Still smiling, Nicole drops her arms from around me and walks around the park. “So…”
“So…” I echo.
She faces me, clearly waiting for the big reveal. I’m not sure if I should take it slow or get it over with, like a Band-Aid. I think the Band-Aid version would be a better choice.
I take her hands in mine. “I’m going to take off my mask.”
She looks at me and squints. “Okay, but can you step a little in the light? You’re hiding in the shadows.”
I was kinda hoping to use the darkness to my advantage, but she’s right. She deserves to know the truth. The whole truth.
I move into the light, clearing my throat, but that doesn’t help. I clear it another time.
“Blue, don’t be so nervous,” she says, her voice soft, which is only making this harder.
“It’s Nick,” I say. “That’s my name. Nick.”
“Hi, Nick.”
I try to read her face to see if she’s got some sort of idea who I might be, but then I remember there are a million Nicks out there.
“Okay.” I clear my throat for a third time. “The mask is coming off.”
I stick my thumbs into the bottom of the mask and hike it up. My brain is telling me to stop before I mess everything up. But I can’t do that. Nicole deserves to know who she’s been spending time with. And I’ll say it again and again: she’ll be okay with the truth. She’ll accept me.
Nicole’s eyes are locked on mine. I can’t read the expression in them. There’s curiosity, but also something else. Not sure what.
Inhaling, then letting it out slowly, I yank the mask off. Nicole’s face fills with intrigue. I kind of want to hide in the shadows, but I force my feet to remain planted on the ground.
As she scans me from top to bottom, her face shifts from curiosity and excitement to complete shock. “Wait…you’re that guy who goes to my school. The guy who’s…”
I know the end of her sentence: the guy who’s a complete loser.
Now her shock is replaced with disgust. “It’s been you all this time?”
“Yeah. Sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I—”
“Take me home.”
“What?”
“Just take me home.”
I move a step closer, but stop when her body stiffens. Does she think I’ll hurt her or something? “Nicole, I know I’m not the most popular guy out there, but we’ve hung out and you like me.”
When I try to move closer again, she raises her hands. “Don’t move closer. You don’t get it. I’ve been dreaming what it’d be like when you finally showed me your face. I thought it’d be romantic and special. And now I find out it’s you.” She looks somewhere between embarrassed and horrified.
“Nicole.”
She turns around and hides in the shadows.
“You love me, don’t you?” I say, trying to keep my voice from shaking. My chest hurts in this antagonizing way.
“Love you? I don’t love you.”
“You love Blue.”
“Blue doesn’t exist. Leave me alone.”
“Nicole…”
“Just leave me alone.”
When I blink, I feel tears in my eyes. I swallow them away. “I’m not leaving without you. I brought you here and I’m gonna bring you back.”
She doesn’t respond and the area is dead silent. I can’t see what she’s doing, but I hear movement.
“Nicole?”
“Fine, take me home, but don’t you dare touch me.”
The agonizing pain travels all the way to my toes. Does she really mean this or is she just upset?
I slip my mask back on and lift us in the air, making sure to stay visible so I can see her. Since I can’t touch her, I’ll need to keep m
y eyes on her.
As we fly, her arms are crossed and she’s got a pissed-off look on her face. I want to talk to her, to try to explain. Something. But she refuses to glance in my direction. It’s like I’m dead to her. All because I’m…me? If I was a hot guy underneath the mask, would she be in my arms right now?
“Please talk to me, Nicole.”
She still won’t look my way. The wind blows through her hair, even though I’m not going fast. I wish I could snuggle her in my arms to keep her safe. I still love her.
“You liked the guy you were getting to know,” I say. “Why does that have to change because of how I look?”
She tightens her arms even more. “Don’t talk to me.”
“But did you like hanging out with me?”
She shoots me a glare. I’m so bothered and bummed and I’m not concentrating so well and we nearly crash into a building. Luckily, I manage to swerve us just in time.
“Are you trying to kill me?”
“N—no, sorry.”
“Just get me home already.”
Those words did not come out of that sweet girl’s mouth. It’s all a mistake. It’s got to be.
It’s quiet except for the wind, the cars, and the activity all around us. I’m pretty sure people are looking up at us, but I don’t think either of us cares. I just lost the girl of my dreams. All because I’m a loser.
Why should it matter that I’m not popular? That I don’t have much of a social life? Can’t she see the guy inside—the guy who would do anything for her? But it looks like she has no interest in hearing a single word from me. How can I accept her decision? Should I fight for us or has she made up her mind?
When we reach her building, I steady her so she can climb into her window. I hover outside, hoping she’ll change her mind, but she shuts the shade.
Sighing, I turn to head toward home, but then I hear, “Were you out with Blue?”
It’s one of her brothers.
“There is no Blue anymore. It’s all a big joke.”
It feels like my body is getting crushed into a million pieces. As I fly away, I hear her brothers demanding answers. I don’t have to hear what she’s saying. I know she’s poisoning their minds against me.
How did everything get so messed up? I thought I was doing the right thing by coming clean, but it blew up in my face. Why do all good things have to always come to an end?
