by Ekeke, C. C.
Hugo scoffed. “I don’t get cold, Brie.” His durability protected him against temperature extremes.
Simon guffawed. Grace almost smiled. His other friends reacted in amusement to his brashness.
Brie flinched melodramatically. “I don’t get cold, Brie,” she mimicked, strutting about like someone with brawny arms. “I’m Hugo Fricking Malalou with muscles on top of muscles.”
Grace outright laughed, as did everyone else. Jodie was doubled over, clutching her sides.
Hugo smiled, taking no offense. “You’ve been sitting on that one awhile, huh? Try this.” He raised a finger to quell the laughter. “OMGeezies!” he pronounced, copycatting Briseis’s cadence just short of full imitation. “I will NOT eat at this bargain basement restaurant! All their food looks like throw-up.”
There was a shocked hush, followed by a crescendo of laughter, drawing stares.
Hugo smirked, openly pleased. But he watched Brie with caution, knowing how she hated ridicule.
“Okay, okay.” Brie raised both hands, surprisingly amused. “That was accurate.”
Jordana collapsed against Hugo, almost in tears.
“Why are you laughing?” He then mimicked her Bronx drawl. “Ya acting corny as fuck.”
That wiped the smile off Jodie’s face. Everyone else laughed harder.
“I don’t talk like that!” she protested.
“You do actually!” Grace added between laughs.
“Jennifuh would agree,” Hugo continued with his Jodie cadence, bobbing his head sassily like her. “Don’t mess with me. I’m from the Bronx.”
That last part killed his friends, already barely breathing.
“I'm dead!” Raphael gasped, “and that impression is my murderer!”
Brie hugged herself, howling. “I’m shooketh!”
Jordana looked ready to stab Hugo with her eyes.
“I love you, girl!” Hugo exclaimed in his normal voice, going for a hug. “Come gimme that brown sugar.”
Jordana wasn’t having it, backpedaling. “You’re an ass.” But she quickly caved, her mouth finding Hugo’s, to their friends’ loud distaste.
“Another twelve-second kiss,” Groban announced.
Hugo’s lust withered. Jodie scowled. “You counted?”
“Yes, I counted,” Groban admitted, beaming. “Which makes me a perv.”
Everyone’s mockery was just ball-busting. Brie’s disgusted eyeroll wasn’t.
That surprised Hugo. Do Jodie and me still bother her? He almost said something but decided against it as the group roved through the park. Not scanning for trouble with his hypersenses was harder than expected. Hugo focused on the present and Jordana’s oddly stiff carriage.
Then he felt someone watching. He looked up, spotting a bald and mahogany-skinned boy, lanky like a scarecrow. He stood at a burger stand on the other side of the vendor strip, eyes glittering with hate.
Hugo didn’t know this boy from Adam or what his problem was. Meanwhile, Jordana clung to him, cowering almost as if he were a shield.
From this boy? The realization was a gut punch to Hugo. Oh. He then caught the tail end of an argument. “Why are you asking me where she is?” Simon protested.
“You, Hugo, and J-Tom are the three amigos,” Raphael added, popping a potato chip in his mouth.
Hugo welcomed the distraction. “I think she’s meeting a friend tonight.”
Raphael jabbed a finger. “Told ya he knew.”
“Here’s a question?” Groban ruffled his fluffy hair. “Where’s Spencer Michelman?”
All smiles momentarily died. Jordana and Brie prickled.
Hugo nearly stumbled. Groban hadn’t been the first to ask about Spencer. Awkward tension settled over the group, since her betrayal of Brie was common knowledge.
“Boy,” Jodie scolded Groban, frightening him again. “Why’d you kill the mood?”
“She’s been MIA since junior year started,” Brent chimed in, apprehensive.
“I heard she’s at some private school in Switzerland,” Karin Stanley offered.
“I’m not missing that toxic bitch,” Brie snarled, her face dark with loathing.
Many theories raged among the group. Hugo didn’t engage, nor did he care to, but a glaring question remained. “Why do you care about Spencer, Groban?”
“He likes her!” Wale’s announcement earned him a smack from Groban.
Hugo’s eyes bulged. “On purpose?”
“I’m sorry,” Brie apologized. That drew bundles of laughter.
Groban absorbed everyone’s confused reaction in stride. “If I had the chance,” he remarked, “I’d give Spencer the most mediocre three minutes of her life.”
Hugo’s stomach roiled. Jordana gagged. Many others laughed.
“One hundred eighty seconds? Of the sex?” Raphael gasped in mock amazement. “You stud!”
Groban shrugged. “What can I say? I'm a machine.”
“Spencer’s a soulless pit viper, Groban,” Simon scolded.
“Aww.” Brie made a pouting face. “Still butthurt she tricked you into dating Lia, Simon?”
“Still drooling over Hugo, Easy Breezy?” he flung back.
Brie paled and turned away.
Hugo flinched in shock. “Dude…” Before he could fully respond, everyone else dogpiled Simon. Using “Easy Breezy” had crossed the line, even for Grace.
Hugo whistled, silencing everyone. “Simon,” he snapped. “Dick move.”
“She started it!” Simon pointed at Brie like she was diseased. To him, she probably was.
“And I’m ending it.” Hugo glowered at a shell-shocked Brie. “Stop provoking him.” He gestured them forward. “You two? Apologize. Not a request.”
The duo barely made eye contact but issued grudging apologies. Brie said little afterward, even as Jordana consoled her. The group continued wandering the park with less gusto. And Groban seemed to have misplaced another piece of food, this time a freshly purchased hotdog.
After another half an hour, the constant sensory overload was giving Hugo a headache. Then they reached the Tipsy Turvy merry-go-round, which Hugo was curious to try.
“We did that ride twice,” Wale remarked.
“That’s what happens when you’re late,” Grace taunted.
Hugo gave her a look, opening his mouth to reply.
“I’ll go with you,” Brie offered, almost pleading to escape.
“Sure,” Hugo decided. Everyone else agreed that they’d head out after he and Brie rode Tipsy Turvy.
“Thank you,” Jodie gushed as the group parted always, kissing Hugo’s lips. “We need to talk tonight.”
Her odd expression needled Hugo’s heart. “We need to talk” was never good when coming from a girl. Is she dumping me? “Sounds cryptic,” he quipped.
Jordana didn’t respond, turning to Brie. “Drop you off at my place first, okay?” She stroked Brie’s cheek.
“Sleepover?” Hugo asked once he and Brie went off alone.
She looked up, her eyes soul-meltingly gorgeous. The pain from Simon’s remark lingered there. “I’m staying with Jodie until my dad returns from his business trip.”
Hugo perked up, adjusting his beanie. “You two are talking?” After Brie’s dad’s hostile reaction to her brother coming out, their relationship had been nonexistent. “That’s great, right?”
Brie hugged herself tighter. “Mumu went after my weight two days ago. Then her face ran into my fist.”
“Holy shit,” Hugo exclaimed, shocked yet elated.
Brie’s sad little smile was heartbreaking. “Ramses is pissed that I’m living with Dad. But I can’t live with Mumu…for her own safety.” Her laugh was harsh and humorless. “My life’s a crazy-ass mess.”
“Or a Taylor Swift album,” Hugo snarked.
Brie’s mood improved when they got on Tipsy Turvy, whipping around in jagged circles at crazy speeds. Hugo soaked in the flood of sounds and sights like a dog peeking out a car window. Brie shrieke
d in delight, hands up in the air, auburn locks rippling back in waves.
Hugo and Brie stepped off the ride leaning on each other and giggling, high off adrenaline.
Then they nearly ran into Baz Martinez.
The varsity basketballer looked dapper and wiry in jeans with a long-sleeved tee, dark hair combed back. His handsome face emptied as he saw Hugo and Brie together.
Fresh odium boiled inside Hugo, followed by surprise at his rival holding hands with one of Brie’s former friends. Natalie Rodriguez, curvy and gorgeous with flowing caramel locks, offered an awkward smile.
Brie nodded stiffly at her ex-boyfriend and ex-friend before scurrying past them.
Hugo’s eyes locked with Baz until the latter passed, then he caught up with Brie in three strides.
“When did that happen?” Hugo murmured once they were farther away, roaming through mazes of unsavory-smelling food vendors. He felt Baz’s and Natalie’s eyes on his back.
Brie stared off, blank-faced. “Mid-summer.” The strength went out of her voice. “Nat asked for my blessing before things got serious.”
Hugo cringed. Neither Jodie nor Spencer had asked permission to date him. “You okay with that?”
Brie raised her shoulders, then let them drop. “Why be the bitter bitch keeping happy couples apart?”
Hugo wasn’t expecting such maturity. “Speaking of…” That brought him to another topic as they emerged from the main rows of vendor stands. “What was that bitter beer face back there?”
Brie reddened. “C’mon…” Her laughter sounded forced and shaky. “You and Jordana put on a show. I’ve never seen her this hooked.”
Hearing that, Hugo felt like floating. He shrugged with a cocky smirk. “Well…”
Brie smacked his arm, disgusted. “Oh. My. God!”
“Your compliment.” Hugo deflected her deflection. “And you’re avoiding.”
Brie’s eyes tightened. “It’s just hard sometimes seeing you with Jodie, knowing that should’ve been me.”
Surprise shook Hugo to his core. “OH.” The tension grew thick and awkward real quick.
Brie hastily brushed off his worry. “I’m a big girl and I’m processing.” Her voice gained strength. “Most days are easier. Others aren't…like today.”
“Jodie means the world to me,” Hugo stated. But the feeling might not be mutual anymore…
Brie’s eyes flashed. “Then why did you fuck Spencer?” She blocked his path. “Was it hate sex?”
Hugo fought every instinct to superspeed away from this conversation. They’d discussed many issues at length since rekindling their friendship. Except Spencer Michelman.
“When did you find out?” he asked quietly.
Brie glared a hole into him. “Last November, Spence was bragging about her latest boytoy.” She stepped aside and resumed walking. “Never revealed his name, which isn’t like her.” She shook her head. “A few weeks later, I see you and Spence pass each other at school. She’s gazing at you and blushing.” The memory visibly curdled Brie’s soul. “Couldn’t believe it, but clearly something had changed.”
Hugo gulped, recalling many times he and Spencer had done that. “Not even Simon knew then.”
That rocked Brie back on her heels. “Wow.”
Tension reached up to Hugo’s neck. He looked her over, not sure where this discussion would lead beside hurt for them both. “You really wanna discuss this?”
Pain spasmed across Brie’s face. “I thought Spence would be a friend for life. So yeah.”
Hugo closed his eyes and steeled his resolve. “At Fall Fling, seeing me dance aroused her, I guess.”
Brie snorted. “Totally understandable.”
The light moment was fleeting. Hugo gave a summary of the Spencer relationship, the November to mid-December timeline, then the February to summer stretch. “She’d be so giving sometimes,” Hugo murmured. “The day before my birthday in December, we skipped class and did breakfast. Then we went to San Simeon and watched the elephant seals.” The ghost of a smile traced his lips. “Then she took me to El Marquez for lunch and shopping. Paid for everything.” Hugo discussed Mr. Butterworth, the assistant basketball coach who’d been convinced that he’d attacked Baz, DeDamien, and TJ. Without Hugo’s knowledge, Spencer had paid Kendall Caruso to honeytrap Butterworth. When the coach had exchanged texts with Kendall, despite knowing her age, Spencer had informed Principal Walker. “I never told her about Fall Fling,” he finished as Brie’s eyes widened. “One day she said what she’d done and that Butterworth wasn’t my problem anymore.”
Meanwhile, Hugo searched the carnival with his senses for their friends to escape this conversation.
“I thought there was good in her,” Hugo admitted frankly. Some part of him still did. “But she kept trying to prove me wrong. And I’d keep trying to prove her wrong.” That secret tug of war had continued for months. Like Spencer pushing Lia Kim into dating Simon while having then-junior Evan Parker court Grace. But Hugo had always found ways to undo her schemes. “It was foreplay for us in plain sight.”
Brie’s face was a cocktail of emotions, amazement and rage being most prominent. “I didn’t know.”
Hugo blinked back tears, old wounds reopening. “Dating her wasn’t revenge on you.”
“You told me.” Brie looked dazed. They passed the long line of another neon-colored rollercoaster. “Just felt like my friends were just…sexual Pokémon to you. You gotta catch ’em all.”
Hugo choked back bile. “Not even. But…thinking back, my relationship with Spencer was fucked up.”
“Do Jodie or Jenny know?”
Hugo glanced down at Brie, nodding. “Yes.” Correction, J-Tom knew everything. Jodie didn’t know about him and Spencer being supers. If Brie started hating Hugo again after this, he didn’t blame her.
Instead, she blew out a sigh, like a huge weight had lifted. “We do get into the dark and twisty a lot.”
Both chuckled, but neither could meet the other’s gaze for long.
Fortunately, Hugo’s hearing picked up Brent and Raphael a quarter mile ahead arguing over who’d win a Titan vs Aegis fight. “Where did the others say to meet them?” he asked, playing dumb.
Brie pulled out her cell. “Let me text Jodie—”
Hugo froze, hearing something flying at them from behind. Incoming attack, he deduced.
On instinct, he shoved Brie as gently as possible. She yelped while stumbling sideways.
Everything that followed went too fast to process.
A full-speed freight train slammed into Hugo’s kidneys. Agony scorched up his spine.
A pair of arms seized Hugo’s neck and waist from behind, then rocketed upward.
Briseis cried out in wordless terror. Distance and winds swiftly swallowed the sound. The carnival shrank swiftly beneath Hugo’s dangling feet.
And he was helpless to break free.
Chapter 16
Hugo gagged, oxygen becoming an issue. Vise-like arms around his ribcage and throat tightened the more he struggled. As he and his captor burst through upper cloud layers, a forest of stars twinkled before Hugo. Forcing himself to calm down, he assessed his situation.
They were far above San Miguel, heading farther inland. Hugo prayed that Brie hadn’t been injured by whoever grabbed him. This motherfucker was strong, maybe stronger than Hugo.
And they know who I am. The thought chilled him more than the winds buffeting his face.
This was Paxton-Brandt. They were probably tailing Hugo the other day.
Now he had to figure out an escape. As soon as I’m free, they’ll fly away.
“Enough of this.” Clutching the arm around his waist, Hugo accelerated at a downward angle.
His captor, briefly caught off-guard, tried yanking back in the opposite direction. Hugo choked but kept barreling ahead. The city lights spread out more the further east they headed, shadowy ground rushing up quickly. Hugo somersaulted forward so his captor took the brunt. This is gonna
hurt.
The bone-shivering force of their crash-landing rippled out for miles in all directions.
Hugo lay gasping for air, free from his kidnapper. He scrambled away to get distance. From what his night vision revealed, they’d landed in the rugged edges of Eastern San Luis Obispo County. Not heavily populated, thankfully. San Miguel’s city lights formed a bright line on the distant horizon.
Hugo sprang up, fists cocked to fight. “Okay…” He stopped, stared, and pointed. “The HELL?”
His attacker stood yards away, wide-legged stance, fists on hips, same height and size, same purple-and-black Aegis costume. Hugo’s mouth fell open.
The attacker was Aegis. Except, Hugo was Aegis. His brain nearly broke. “Who are you?” he demanded.
Fake Aegis said nothing, eyes glowing in silent menace. A quick listen found heartbeat and breaths.
A clone? Pissed off, Hugo charged headlong. Fake Aegis crouched to brace himself.
The collision cracked across the landscape. Soon they were rolling around, hitting each other with bone-shaking blows.
Hugo drilled the impostor with a flurry of superspeed punches. But Fake Aegis retaliated brutally, giving back as good as he got, deftly countering many of Hugo’s attacks. The two fought back and forth for a while, smashing surrounding rock formations to dust.
This impostor knows my moves, Hugo fumed before Fake Aegis dropkicked his chest.
Painful weird flashes crackled down his sternum as he tumbled across the ground. Hugo lay still, head ringing, ribs aching, and nose bloodied. Fake Aegis hovered a few feet above but did not press his advantage. This fight could go on forever if Hugo didn’t find an opening.
“Bye bye!” He stood, inhaled, and screamed.
The air quivered, potent soundwaves bashing Fake Aegis out of the air.
Hugo marched forward, upping the intensity to pin Fake Aegis against a nearby rocky wall. Cracks spidered along the impostor’s costume.
Hugo cut off his scream, then backpedaled in alarm.
The imposter struggled upright with robotic jerks. Large chunks of his face, torso, and legs were stripped off, revealing sparking bronzed cybernetics.
“Holy shit!” Hugo couldn’t decide between being flattered or frightened that someone had built an Aegis robot.
