“Tom.” Kat’s mom glares at him, like she can’t believe he said that.
I clench my jaw. “Kat and I are fine. I don’t need to go on vacation with her.”
“Right,” he says. “You keep telling yourself that.” He claps me on the shoulder.
I take a step back. “Well, this was so great, catching up with you, but I have other guests to see. Come on, Zach.”
“It was nice meeting you,” Zach says to them—even though I’m pretty sure it wasn’t—before hurrying after me into the crowd.
As soon as I’m far enough away that I don’t think her dad can see me, I get out my phone to call Kat.
“He was probably just being a jerk,” Zach says. “Kat wouldn’t have the time of her life without you, right?”
“Of course not.”
Unless she was on some awesome vacation with all her friends and I stayed behind like an idiot.
Her phone goes straight to voicemail—she probably turned it off in case her dad called her again. I’m considering leaving a message when a familiar gruff voice behind me says, “There you are. We’ve been looking for you all night.”
I look up and see my grandparents for the first time in about a year.
Grandpa comes up to me like he’s going to hug me, then reaches over and zaps me behind the ear with his finger.
“Ow.” I glare at him.
“Still got it,” he says, laughing to himself.
My grandma hugs me for reals. She smells like lavender and lemons, and she’s dyed her hair cotton-candy pink. The last time I saw her, it was dark blue. She says she was an attention-getting redhead her entire life, and she’s not about to let a little thing like her hair turning gray stop her from turning heads. “What do you think?” She moves her head from side to side.
“Very cool. Though I’m surprised you didn’t dye it red and green to match Mom’s colors.”
“It’s good for your mother to not get everything she wants. Who’s this?” She nods at Zach.
“I’m Zach,” he says. “Damien’s friend. He goes to school with my brother.”
“Your friend, huh?” Grandpa says, looking Zach over. “What happened to that Katherine girl you were seeing?”
“Nothing. I’m still with Kat. She just, uh, couldn’t be here.”
“You can tell us the truth,” Grandma says, leaning in close. “I’ve known a few boys who were ‘just friends’ in my day. But maybe you keep that Kat girl around, too? We want to have great grandchildren. I’m not saying we want them now, obviously. That Xavier’s enough of a handful as it is. But don’t go burning any bridges. Maybe you and Kat get back together someday, and then you knock her up and come back to this handsome guy here, eh?”
“Wow, that’s, um, really great advice.” And by that I mean it’s the worst advice I’ve ever heard. “But me and Kat are still together. Really.”
“Well, all right, then.” She sounds almost disappointed that I won’t be putting her crazy plan into action.
“You should come over some time,” Grandpa says. “If that so-called father of yours will let you. And if he won’t, I’ve got a thing or two to say to him.” He pounds one fist into his open palm, electricity washing over both of them.
Zach stares at him, his mouth hanging open and his eyes going wide in complete adoration. “That is so cool.”
“I don’t need my dad’s permission to go to your house,” I tell them. “And he is my dad.” Whether they like it or not.
“You want to see something really cool?” Grandpa asks Zach, acting like he didn’t hear me.
“Yes. Damien never wants to show me his lightning power.”
Grandpa holds both hands out, palm up, and makes electricity arc between them, like an electric rainbow that touches down on each hand. He moves his hands farther apart, then closer together, the arc moving with them. Then he claps his hands together and the lightning disappears.
“Whoa.” Zach glances over at me, as if he’s wondering if I saw that, and also like he’s maybe wondering why I never do anything that awesome.
Grandpa cracks his knuckles. “It’s all in the wrist.”
“We saw you on TV,” Grandma says.
Who didn’t? “Don’t tell me. You think I shouldn’t have made a spectacle of myself.”
She looks at me like I’m insane and puts a hand on her hip. “Honey, you know my philosophy. What’s the point of doing anything if you’re not going to make a spectacle of yourself?”
Grandpa puts a hand on my shoulder, steering me a little ways away, then glances around, as if he’s making sure no one’s listening. “Should have finished him off.”
Well, that’s a first. “He wasn’t really a kidnapper.”
“He was a superhero. Trying to teach you how to hunt down your own kind, isn’t that right?”
“That’s not— I mean, sort of.” I sigh and shove my hands into my pockets. “I’m half hero, too, you know. And I’ve told you before, I want to go to Heroesworth.”
He makes a grunting noise that’s part acknowledgment, part skepticism. “They punish you for what you did?”
“I broke the rules, so, yeah. But I still passed the class, and—”
“And you believe in these rules, do you?”
I glance away. “I’m not joining the League, if that’s what you mean.”
“And if that kidnapper had been a villain, they would have given you a pat on the back for it. Because a villain, now, he’s dangerous. I’ve been around the block more than a few times. Been on a few of the League’s wanted lists. I know how this works. And now they’ve got you hunting down villains.” He shakes his head in disgust, and I think if we weren’t at a wedding, he might actually spit.
“It was staged.”
“This time. But I’ve been hearing things, like that my grandson’s been getting in everyone’s way. For that damn school of yours.”
“I’ve only been on a few missions. It can’t be everyone.” I scuff the bottom of my dress shoe against the floor. “And anyway, it’s not like I knew any of them.”
“Not yet. But sooner or later, you’re going to run into someone on our side that isn’t just a random face.”
“You mean like Mom? Like when she almost got me and all my friends killed in some stupid attempt to take over the city?!”
“I find it interesting that it was this superhero you zapped and not any of the others. Any of the villains.”
“I didn’t know he was a superhero.”
Grandpa sort of half shrugs at that, as if he doesn’t believe me. “You might think you don’t have a choice, that you have to pretend to be one of them. But you don’t.”
“I’m not pretending.”
He snorts. “Well, you’re deluding yourself, then.”
“This is my life now. It just is. It doesn’t matter if you don’t like it.”
“All right,” he says, still sounding skeptical. “But that school isn’t looking out for you. You’re just as expendable to them as any other villain. And when you go too far one of these days, when you piss off the wrong people, I’m not going to be able to smooth it over. And that school of yours, those heroes you know, they’re not going to stand up for you. So you be careful, all right?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“I mean it.” He wraps an arm around my shoulders and hugs me. “I wouldn’t want anything to happen to my favorite grandson.”
Mom has this long banquet table set up for her and the rest of the wedding party, so she can face her entourage of guests while we eat dinner. There’s even a lighting scheme directed at her to maximize the sparkle of her dress. Taylor’s sitting on her left and Xavier’s on her right. He keeps pawing at her, trying to climb over onto her lap, even though he’s way too big for that. She laughs nervously and sits him back down in his chair, whispering something in his ear that only makes him frown.
Me and Zach are sitting at one of the small round tables scattered throughout the reception hall. Unfortunate
ly, there’s assigned seating, and since I was supposed to be here with Kat, that means we’re sitting with her parents. I poke my fork at the sliced turkey on my plate. Mom decided to go with a “Christmas dinner” theme, so it was turkey or ham. Both options came with mashed potatoes and gravy, a side of cranberries, and some green beans. There’s also a basket of rolls on our table. It’s actually pretty good, though that doesn’t mean I’m not counting down the minutes until we can get out of here. Dinner, then cake, then leave.
Technically, we could leave right now. But that would be leaving early, and I’m not giving Mom the satisfaction. But I figure anytime after they serve the cake is fair game.
“So, Damien,” Kat’s mom says, “how is, um... How are things at school?” She sounds a little worried, and I figure she must have seen the news. Or Kat told her about it.
Kat’s dad raises his eyebrows at me, as if he’s curious to know the answer, too.
“School’s over. I passed all my classes.” I shrug. My grades aren’t as good as Kat’s, especially since I botched my Intro to Heroism final, but they’re not too bad.
“I guess you were serious about not wanting to join the League,” Kat’s dad says, meaning because I zapped that guy.
“For the millionth time, I didn’t know he was a superhero. But yeah, I was serious about that.” I glance over at Zach, to see his reaction, since I know he plans to join the League someday.
Just like Riley and all the other heroes I know.
Zach’s watching the conversation while shoving a forkful of ham and mashed potatoes into his mouth, but he doesn’t give any signs of being offended or anything. I mean, it’s not like I’ve made it a secret that I’m not joining.
Kat’s dad gives me a stern look. “But you’re out there learning how to capture villains.”
“Criminals. I’m learning how to catch criminals. They could be anybody.”
He waves that away. “That’s not what I’m getting at. What I mean is that you’re already doing the League’s bidding. And from what Kat has told me, it doesn’t sound like you can be a professional hero if you don’t join. So what I don’t understand is what kind of career you think you’re going to have. You’re already committing the crime, so to speak. It seems like refusing to join is shooting yourself in the foot.”
Kat’s mom touches his arm. “I’m sure Damien has other plans. There must be other career options.” She gives me a questioning look.
“Yeah. I...” I turn to Zach, as if he might have the answers.
“You could be on TV like your dad,” he says.
No way in hell. Well, the TV part I don’t have a problem with. It’s the being on TV like my dad that’s the issue. “Zach, if I ever have the desire to dress up in a bright red cape and teach safety to kids on television, I give you permission to have me committed. In fact, I kind of insist on it.” Besides, my dad only has that show because of his work in the League.
Kat’s dad opens his mouth, like he’s going to say something else, but then someone clinks a glass, drawing everyone’s attention to the banquet table.
Taylor’s best man, a guy who’s been his BFF ever since they roomed together when they were students at Vilmore, is holding up a champagne glass. “I’d like to propose a toast to the newlyweds! I’ve known Taylor for over twenty years, but I’ve never seen him as happy as he is today.”
Mom and Taylor both have huge smiles on their faces. A couple people in the crowd make aww noises, and everyone raises their glasses in a toast. Mom clinks her glass of red wine against Taylor’s—I guess champagne wasn’t good enough for them—and then Xavier forcefully climbs onto her lap, bonking into the glass and making her spill it. All down the front of her white wedding dress.
A gasp of horror runs through the room. Mom’s mouth hangs open as she stares down at herself.
“You should have let me sit with you,” Xavier says in his demanding, screechy voice, only this time he doesn’t just sound demanding, but spiteful. “You deserved it.”
An angry scowl I recognize all too well spreads across Mom’s face. The lasers in her eyes flash, though she manages to keep them in check. She grabs Xavier’s arm and pushes him down into his own chair, which starts him screaming bloody murder. His face turns bright red, and he shrieks and shrieks, threatening to burst everyone’s eardrums.
Everyone’s gaping at Mom and Xavier, even her wedding party. The best man’s eyes are wide, and he looks pretty horrified, like maybe he spoke too soon about Taylor being happy. Grandma, who’s Mom’s matron of honor, shakes her head and rolls her eyes, sharing a knowing look with Grandpa. Which I’m pretty sure means Xavier isn’t her favorite person in the whole world.
Not that I’m keeping track or anything.
Taylor quickly stands and takes Xavier’s hand, trying to lead him away from the banquet table. Mom’s staring at all her guests in shock, her face almost as red as Xavier’s, as if this just might be the most embarrassing moment of her life.
The most embarrassing moment of her life that I’d like to point out was not my fault.
I didn’t ruin her wedding.
Precious Xavier did.
Xavier’s fighting against Taylor, now kicking and screaming. One of his wild kicks hits Mom in the side, hard, and she cries out. Or at least I think she does, because it’s still hard to hear over Xavier. But the kick seems to bring her to her senses, and she gets up and helps Taylor grab their awful son and drag him out of the room, into the hall, where Xavier’s screams are at least muffled.
The silence in the reception hall is super awkward. A couple people cough. Everyone at the banquet table still looks stricken, like they can’t believe that just happened, except for my grandparents, who look like they’ve seen it all before.
There are murmurs running through the crowd, and I catch the words embarrassing, awful, and ruined, to name a few.
And then some idiot stands up and clinks his glass with his fork, and that idiot is me. And I have to admit that part of me wants to just let Mom’s wedding be ruined, because she made such a big deal about it, and because she was so sure I was going to be the one to screw it up. But letting it stay ruined just for spite would make me as bad as Xavier—well, almost—plus I want everyone here to see what a charming, amazing older son Mom has. One who is obviously way better than his replacement.
This is where I’m supposed to say something brilliant about my mom that makes everyone forget what just happened and that the wedding might be sort of ruined. Everyone’s looking at me, because I clinked my glass for a toast, and they’re waiting for me to say something.
I clear my throat. “My mom is...” I glance over at the door to the hall, where she and her “little family” ran off to deal with Xavier. “I mean, I’m her son—her other son that you probably don’t know about—and I just wanted to say...” To say what? Toasts are supposed to be positive, right? I’m not sure how many positive things I have to say about her. “She’s, um, she’s a great...” The word mom sticks in my throat. “...scientist. And, I mean, she... I lived with her, for sixteen years, and when Taylor proposed, I wasn’t very happy about it.”
Everyone is still staring at me, only now like they’re kind of worried both her sons are a little unstable. The best man and one of the bridesmaids look like they’re considering whether or not to stop me before I say something awful and really ruin the wedding. Mom must have warned them about me.
“But,” I add, “now...” Now I’m still not happy about it. And I kind of wish I’d stayed seated and kept my mouth shut. I could still be eating dinner right now instead of realizing I have nothing good to say about my own mother at her wedding. And I know I should just lie and say something nice and meaningless and get this over with, but I can’t. I can’t even think of a fake compliment for her.
I’m silent for what feels like forever, still struggling to find something to say. Then Zach stands up beside me and comes to my rescue. “But now you’re really happy for them,” he sa
ys. “Because they make such a good couple.”
“Right. And, um...”
“And you’ve probably never seen her so happy, right? I know I haven’t.” That gets some smiles from the audience, even though Zach’s only ever seen her today. But they don’t have to know that. “And they’ve got their whole lives ahead of them, and it’s so great that they’re going to get to be together for that.”
“Yeah. That.”
“So let’s toast.” He raises his glass. “To your mom and your new stepfather. Who are going to have lots of awesome years together.”
We clink our glasses, followed by everyone else, so that the whole reception hall fills with the sounds of tinkling glass. There are some awws and a What a cute couple, that I think are meant for me and Zach. People are smiling and eating and chatting again like nothing bad happened. There’s still some muffled whining coming from the hallway, but no one’s paying attention to it.
I slump back down in my seat at the table, realizing I’m probably the last person who should have stood up to toast them. But at least it’s over now.
Kat’s dad catches my eye, nodding once, as if to say I did the right thing.
And I think maybe, just maybe, Mom will actually be glad I came to her wedding, though I won’t be holding my breath on that one.
Chapter 6
SARAH SMILES NERVOUSLY AS she stands in front of the rec room at the retirement home before her demonstration starts. She’s got several rows of chairs set up, though there are so many people from the actual retirement home here for this thing that me and Kat and Riley have to stand off to the side. Almost everyone seems to actually know Sarah, and more than one person offers her a few words of encouragement before finding a seat. I figured there would be at least an okay crowd for this, since there’s probably not that much to do around here, but I wasn’t expecting it to be standing room only.
“We’re so proud,” Kat’s grandma says, standing next to us and beaming across the room at Sarah.
Kat looks like she’s going to barf. “Proud of what? That she hasn’t murdered everyone here?”
The Betrayal of Renegade X (Renegade X, Book 3) Page 7
