“That’s... a lot to think about.”
“Well, you asked.”
“You don’t have to have your future figured out. Certainly not tonight. Not even this year. And you don’t have to be part of the Truth to make a difference.”
“Everyone else has a plan except me. I always have a plan. But Sarah’s going to college, Kat’s going to get some cool villain job, and everybody else is joining the League.” Or at least they were, before the League went all crazy. But if it’s not the League, then it’ll be something else like it. “And I’m just... not.”
“You’ll figure it out.”
“What if I don’t?” Grandpa’s right—I wouldn’t really be happy being a trophy husband/Kat’s part-time sex slave. I mean, there are worse career choices I could make, but that’s not the point.
“I may have only known you a year, but that’s long enough to know that you never settle for anything you don’t want. If the right place for you doesn’t exist, you’ll make one, because that’s just who you are. And as for everything else... I won’t pretend I know what it feels like to have gone through everything that happened to you tonight. But everyone made it out of there, and they’re going to be okay. You saved a lot of people, heroes and villains, and you should be proud of that.”
“Thanks.”
“Try and get some sleep, all right? It won’t feel as bad in the morning. And if you need me, you know where I am.”
“If I need you? I said I was turning seventeen, not seven.”
He laughs. “Goodnight, Damien.”
“Goodnight, Dad.”
He starts to leave. His hand is on the lightswitch when I say, “Dad? I’m sorry I left. I mean, I had to do it, but I’m sorry you were worried about me.”
“It’s okay.” He says it in a tone that means it’s not really, but that maybe it will be. “I’m just glad to have you back.”
Riley’s propped up on his bed when I come in. He’s wearing an old T-shirt and a pair of sweats with one leg cut off to fit over his cast. A pair of crutches are leaning against the wall. There’s a prescription bottle on his nightstand, along with a bottle of water, a thousand-page fantasy novel that looks like it weighs three tons, a sketchpad, some colored pencils, a stack of comic books, and a couple textbooks from school. I set his phone on top of them.
“Textbooks? Seriously?” At least he’s watching TV right now and not, like, trying to do homework. Though he’s watching the news, which doesn’t really count as relaxing.
He glances over at the nightstand. “Those were already there.”
“So, you just keep textbooks by your bed, ready to go? I’m not sure that’s any better.”
The segment on the news is about what happened last night. All the news stations have pretty much been going over it nonstop. Right now they’re showing footage of all the destruction, while the Channel Four news lady says, “The League’s being charged with damages to the Grand Park Hotel, one of Golden City’s oldest historical landmarks. For the first time in the sixty-eight years since the League’s creation, the city government has had to step in and institute regulations on the once-trusted organization. Only time will tell what the repercussions—”
Riley picks up the remote and turns it off. He notices the bandage on my arm. “What happened?”
“It’s nothing. How’s your leg?”
“Sore, but better than last night.” He sighs. “They had to do surgery on it to screw the bones back together. I won’t be able to walk on it for a couple months. So, fieldwork is out.” He sounds pretty upset about that.
“I can say firsthand that the alternative assignment sucks, but at least you won’t have to do it alone.”
He perks up. “You’re coming back to school?”
I shrug and sit down at the foot of the bed. “The news said we were heroes. They even said I was ‘largely responsible for preventing a massacre.’” They heard that from Amelia, who has a big mouth, plus mentioning my name kind of guaranteed that her interview ended up on TV. You’d think mentioning that she’s the daughter of the Crimson Flash—which she did about five times—would have done it, but no. “So, I think there’s a good chance Heroesworth will take me back. Plus, I never officially left. I’ve just got two weeks’ worth of unexplained absences, and probably a whole lot of detention.” And Gordon said he would talk to them if they gave me any trouble.
“Does this mean you’re home, too?”
“Since last night.” I still need to get my stuff from Grandma and Grandpa’s house. But staying with them has lost its appeal, for obvious reasons. Plus, the League’s not allowed to haul in random villains off the street anymore, thanks to the city stepping in, so my family should be safe again.
“What about your dad? What about all that stuff he said? Are you—”
“Look, Perkins, I just came by to see if you’re okay. You kind of scared me last night.”
He swallows. “Thanks, X. For everything you did. You saved my life.”
“I didn’t abandon you, like that douchebag Mason, but you would have been okay.”
“No, I wouldn’t.” He grips the bedspread beneath him and stares at the edge of the bed. “There was another cave-in last night while we were all knocked out. More of the roof fell in, and if I’d still been in the hallway, I would have been crushed. So, um...”
“Where’s Sarah? I thought she’d be here.”
“Hey. I’m trying to tell you something important.”
Zach comes in from the hall. “Sarah spent the night. She went home to take a shower.”
“Zach.” Riley glares at him. “Shut up. Mom might hear you.”
“Wow, Perkins.” I raise my eyebrows at him. “And after they had to screw your leg back together.”
His face turns bright red. “We didn’t do anything. Sarah was worried about me and didn’t want to leave, so...” He clears his throat. “Nothing happened. And I was on a lot of painkillers. I fell asleep right away.”
Me and Zach exchange a look. He rolls his eyes.
“She should be back soon,” Riley says. “And, anyway, I just wanted to say that you’re, um... You’re my best friend, X. And maybe, if you’re coming back to school, we could be partners again?”
“I should go. You’re probably tired or something.”
“X. Come on.”
“You really want to do this right now? You’re pretty messed up, and you’re supposed to be taking it easy. So don’t make me have to say it.”
“Have to say what? Isn’t this what you wanted?”
“If me saving your life is the reason you want to work together again, then the answer’s no.” He only wants to work with me because Mason let him down. And by let him down, I mean totally screwed him over. But I’m still his second choice.
Riley shakes his head. “That’s not—”
“What the hell is he doing here?!” Curtis suddenly appears in the doorway, looking seriously pissed to see me. “Didn’t you learn your lesson last night? This”—he waves at Riley’s cast—“is exactly why I didn’t want you hanging out with him!”
Riley gapes at him, taken by surprise, but Zach looks like he’s this close to punching Curtis in the face, even though he doesn’t even come up to his shoulder. “You don’t know anything!” Zach shouts. “Damien didn’t do this!”
“Zach,” Riley says.
“What? You know he didn’t! Are you just going to let him say that?!”
“You think I don’t know anything?” Curtis folds his arms. “I’m trying to teach you boys something. Your mother and I told you we didn’t want you hanging out with him for a reason. He’s a villain, and he’s working for the Truth. You saw what they did last night. You can’t count on someone like him. Not when you’re out in the field.”
Riley sits up a little higher against his pillows. He glares at Curtis. “Villains didn’t do this to me. Heroes did.”
“Heroes who saw you with him. What were they supposed to think? Everyone in Go
lden City knows what he is. I’m so disappointed in you, Riley. I thought I was finally getting through to you, and then you go and put your trust in him again, and look what happens.”
“Curtis.” Their mom comes in from the hallway, along with Sarah, who must have just gotten back. Her hair’s wet and she’s changed into jeans and a sweater. “Riley’s supposed to be resting. Is this really the time?”
“Yes, Win. I know it’s harsh, but the boys need to learn.” He turns to Riley again. “Heroes, your own people, couldn’t trust you because you were working with him. That should tell you something.”
“Damien isn’t the reason I got hurt.” Riley’s voice is low, and he sounds really tired, like all this stress is wearing him out.
“You stayed behind to protect him. You had his back, but he didn’t have yours.”
“That’s not—”
“I don’t want to hear it! I know I’m not your father, but I’m the closest thing you’ve got. Your dad and I worked together for years, and I know he wouldn’t want this for you. You were there last night because you got nominated for an award at Heroesworth, and you’re lucky the school isn’t suspending you or reporting you to the scholarship committee.”
“Suspending me? For what? Getting shot at by the League?”
“They must have had a reason. And you’re already on probation. You’ve only got that scholarship because of Miles’s sacrifice. You don’t seem to realize that.”
“Yes, I do! You only remind me every chance you get.”
“And I’m going to keep reminding you until it sinks in. What are people supposed to think when they see his son working with a villain? What kind of legacy is that? You’re one step away from getting kicked out of school, and now you almost get yourself killed fighting for the wrong side.”
“What?” I can’t believe him. Okay, I can, because it’s not like I didn’t already know he was a total douche, but still. He’s acting like Riley told off the League and joined the Truth instead of trying to save everyone from both of them.
Curtis points a finger at me. “You stay out of this.”
“Curtis, please,” Riley’s mom says.
He ignores her and goes back to lecturing Riley. “And then I find that you’ve deliberately disobeyed me and let him into the house, even after everything that’s happened. If your father were still alive, he wouldn’t stand for this. You should have seen him that day, climbing into that bus. He was terrified, but he wasn’t going to let that stop him. He was one of the best in the League, and I had high hopes for you, Riley. I still do. It’s up to me to make sure that Miles’s boys grow up right and follow in his footsteps, but—”
“What did you say?” Sarah takes a step forward, squinting at him.
Curtis scowls at her for interrupting. “I said it’s up to me to make sure his boys follow in his footsteps. Miles isn’t here to teach Riley and Zach what it means to be a hero, so I’ve got to do it for him.”
“Not that. You said ‘you should have seen him that day, climbing into that bus.’ But I thought you were late for work that morning. You weren’t there, right?”
“What?” Curtis looks up, then his eyes dart from side to side, like he’s thinking about something. “I meant figuratively, of course. Miles was always so brave. The situation didn’t matter, or how scared he was. He always did what needed to be done. And I’m sure that the day he died was no exception.”
“No.” Sarah puts her hands on her hips. “That’s not what you meant. You said it like you were there. Like you saw him on that bus that day.”
Everyone looks at Curtis. Zach gasps a little. Riley’s face is pale, his expression cold.
Curtis tries to laugh it off, but it sounds really fake. “You just misunderstood. You shouldn’t take things so literally.”
Riley’s mom is watching Curtis like she’s never seen him before. “We all heard you. And it sounded like...” She puts a hand to her chest. “My God. Were you there?”
“Win, come on, you know I wasn’t. I was just—”
“Sarah’s right.” Riley’s voice wavers, thick with emotion. “You meant what you said just now, about seeing Dad climbing into the bus, didn’t you?”
Curtis waves that away. “It’s a story. I was embellishing a little.”
“No. This isn’t one of your stories! You don’t get to make things up about this.”
“You were there?” Zach says. “You’ve been lying to us this whole time? Did you kill our dad?!”
“What?! No!” Curtis holds up his hands. He looks to their mom. “You have to believe me. He was my best friend! We were partners.”
She takes a step back, horrified.
Sarah makes eye contact with me and jerks her head toward the doorway. At first I think maybe she’s telling me we should get out of here and miss this—which is so not going to happen—but then I realize she wants me to get between the door and Curtis, in case he makes a run for it. I indicate Sarah’s purse and mime shooting a gun, but she shakes her head. I find it really hard to believe she’s not armed, but I do what she wants and move toward the doorway.
And as tired as I am of getting accused of shooting superheroes, I kind of hope he does run, because zapping him would be really, really satisfying.
Zach clenches his fists. “If you didn’t kill him, then why would you lie about it?”
“I—I panicked.” Curtis puts his hands to his temples, like getting found out gives him a headache. “You weren’t there! You don’t know what it was like. We had orders to stop the bus. It was coming into the city, and we had intel that there was a bomb on it. It was going to explode when it reached the convention center. We tried to flag it down, but the driver didn’t see us at first. He had to swerve and ended up in the ditch. One second we were on a routine mission, and the next, the bus was on its side. The door was against the ground, and nobody could get out. The front was smashed against a telephone pole, the power lines were down, and the gas tank was leaking. The bus caught fire, and there was a bomb on it. It was impossible to know how much time we had.”
“But our dad got on that bus,” Riley says. “And you, what?”
“Miles didn’t care that it was on fire. He was always like that, you know. He didn’t care about his own safety, only that there were all those helpless people trapped inside.” He shuts his eyes for a second, reliving it. “He climbed up onto the top and got a window open, then went in. He wanted me to help pull people out. I should have done it. I know that now. But I couldn’t. I’m not like him.”
Riley makes a disgusted sound. “No, you’re not.”
“I told him to leave them, but he wouldn’t. He had you kids to think about, and you, Win. But you know how he was. He couldn’t have lived with himself if he didn’t try.”
“And what were you doing?” their mom asks. “What were you doing while my husband, your partner, was dying?!”
Curtis winces and doesn’t look at her. “I ran. I had to get out of there. Later, of course, I heard that Miles got everyone else off the bus. The last person he helped almost didn’t get away fast enough—he was treated for burns from the explosion. I read all the interviews with them, though I couldn’t bring myself to talk to any of them in person. Not after what I did. If I’d stayed, we could have gotten them all out of there in plenty of time. But there was no way to know that when I was looking at a burning bus with a bomb on it.”
“So you lied about it?”
“I deserted my partner. No one would have ever forgotten that. And I knew that if I’d stayed, Miles wouldn’t be dead.” He pauses after he says that, like finally getting it off his chest is a huge relief. “You don’t know how awful it’s been, keeping that a secret these past few years. There were so many times I wanted to tell you the truth. You and the boys. But it was too late. Too much time had passed.”
“Get out of my house.” Her voice is full of barely subdued rage, and I’m glad she doesn’t have laser eyes like my mom, or we’d probably all be
dead.
Curtis holds his hands out, pleading. “Win, listen. You’re overreacting. Can’t we talk about this?”
“I said get out.” She points to the door.
I step out of the way, staying just close enough to zap him a little as he walks by.
“Ow.” He glares at me.
“Must have been static.” I flash him a fake smile. “That happens when you build up too much douchebaggery. Or is that when you rub your feet on the carpet?”
“It’s douchebaggery,” Zach says, coming to stand next to me, “and there’s more where that came from.”
Curtis glances at their mom one last time, but she just stares him down until he finally actually leaves.
As soon as the front door closes, she puts her hands to her face and starts to cry.
Chapter 35
“PRETEND I’M AT YOUR house,” Riley says when I answer the phone Monday afternoon.
I just walked through the door after getting home from my first day back at Heroesworth. Which was unpleasant, to say the least. “Yeah, sure. If anyone asks, you’re at my house.” Though I’m not sure how he supposedly got here, since he can barely get out of bed. I take my coat off and put it in the hall closet. “You’re going to have a problem, though, because Amelia said she was going over to your place. Where are you really?”
“What? I’m at home.”
“If you’re at home, then who am I supposed to lie to?”
“No one. Just, for the purposes of this conversation, pretend I’m at your house, okay? Because this is important, and if I could, you know, walk and stuff, I would have come over to say it.”
“Okay, Perkins, but if you’re about to declare your love for me, you should know that my heart already belongs to Zach.”
He makes a frustrated sound. “Will you shut up and listen to me? This is serious.”
“All right, all right. I’m listening.” I was going to go into the kitchen and find something to eat, but he sounds like he means it, so I flop down on the couch instead. Gordon’s at work, Alex’s school doesn’t get out yet, and Helen must be at the antique shop with Jess, because the house is completely silent. It feels really awkward, like I’m not supposed to be here. I kind of wish they were all home already, just so they could stare at me and get it over with.
The Betrayal of Renegade X (Renegade X, Book 3) Page 35
