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“There it is,” Gibby said. “That’s the look I was hoping for: shock mixed with terror. Thanks for not letting me down, Nicky.”
Dumbfounded, Nick turned back toward the street as Seth banged his head against the side of the house.
Two couples were hurrying up the street, the men huddled close with the women.
Miles and Joanna Kensington were in the lead, her arm looped through his. Miles was a charmingly chubby man with thinning blond hair and a devious glint to his eyes, dressed to the nines in a charcoal-gray suit and a red power tie. His long coat billowed around him as they approached the house, his expensive shoes smudged with street grime.
Jazz took after her mother almost completely, with dark hair and dark eyes. Joanna—Jo for short—was beautiful. She seemedto float wherever she went, with an ethereal air about her. She moved like a dancer, which made sense since she’d been one of Nova City’s premier ballerinas in her younger years before retiring when pregnant with Jazz. She wore a suit of her own, tailored to her curves, expertly navigating the slick sidewalks in her heels. Her coat matched her husband’s and was cinched at the waist.
They were followed closely by Terrence and Aysha Gibson, Gibby’s parents, who’d earned the distinction of being the only accountants Nick knew who were also hippies. They weren’t as formally dressed as Jazz’s parents, but Nick had to admit they still looked amazing. Aysha’s hair sat like a billowy crown upon her head, her Afro flecked with bits of snow. Her earrings dangled almost to her shoulders. The collar of her coat was popped up around her neck, and her jeans were bootcut and tight against her legs.
Terrence—or Trey, as he was called—had a shaved head, something he’d done when Gibby had shaved her own head, telling her he was so impressed by her that he had to emulate her style. He grinned widely, as he almost always seemed to do, a serene vibe emanating from him. Terrence was the most chill dude Nick had ever met. Most things didn’t seem to ruffle him. In fact, the only time Nick had ever seen him angry was after some idiot douchebro at school had given Gibby shit for owning her butch identity, and the school had responded with, “Kids will be kids.” Once Trey found out about it, he’d descended upon the school like a gathering storm. Fifteen minutes after walking into the main office alone, he’d emerged, followed by the principal, one of the guidance counselors, and the lead school resource officer. All three apologized profusely to Gibby while Trey watched, followed by Gibby receiving a letter from the douchebro the next day, a hasty yet thoroughly written apology saying that he would never again make fun of the hair decisions made by a person of color—or anyone, for that matter. No one messed with Trey’s daughter.
Nick liked them all, simply because they had brought Jazz and Gibby into the world. And if that wasn’t enough, the two sets of parents had become friends themselves after Jazz and Gibby started dating.
And here they were. Coming to the Gray house. To an unplanned meeting, all about Team Pyro Storm and upgrading the secret lair of an Extraordinary that they knew nothing of.
“Oh my god,” Nick said fervently, feeling the blood drain from his face.
“Yeah,” Jazz said. “Ha ha, funny, right? We have about fifteen seconds to come up with something that will explain why I spent thousands of dollars on electronics without making it look like we’re doing something illegal. Nick, you have ADHD, which I’ve always said was a superpower. It’s time to use that awesome brain for good instead of evil. And … go!”
Jazz was right. He might not be an Extraordinary, but he still had a brain that was different than most. On the cusp of panic, he said, “Team Pyro Storm, assemble! In Seth’s room so we can come up with a plan that explains everything and doesn’t look like we’re drug kingpins laundering money or hackers planning on taking down the CIA!”
They never made it upstairs.
As soon as they got back inside, they were blocked by Nick’s dad standing with his arms folded. “Are we good?”
No, no they weren’t. “Dad! Just the man I was hoping to see. Funny thing happened outside. I need you to be my savior becausehelp.” Nick was not proud of the way the last word squeaked annoyingly.
Dad softened. “Hey, kid. We’ll be all right. I’ve got your back.”
Relieved, Nick didn’t protest too much when Dad pushed by the four of them huddled in the entryway. Dad was here. It would all be okay.
Until Dad saw who was coming up the walkway to the Gray house.
The noise he made was one Nick had never heard him make before. It was the whine of a wounded animal. He froze in the doorway, hand squeezing the doorknob so tightly, Nick thought it’d break off in his hand.
“Trey!” Dad said, voice high-pitched and shocked. “Aysha.” He swallowed thickly. “And Miles and Jo. And some random man I’ve never seen before.”
“Hello!” Random Man said cheerfully, just out of sight. “I’m Geoffrey with Geoffrey’s Wide World of Electronics, though the Geoffrey in Geoffrey’s Wide World of Electronics is my father, not me. I’m only a delivery driver. But no worries, friend. I’m working my way up from the bottom, and one day, Geoffrey’s Wide World of Electronics will be mine!”
“Great,” Dad said weakly, frantically waving his hand behind him, as if he thought Nick and the others should get as far away as they could. “That’s great. A delivery, you say? I don’t know if anyone here was expecting a delivery.”
“Uh, yes we were,” Jazz said. “Surprise! Don’t worry. I’ve got this.” And then she underwent a transformation Nick had only seen a few times before. Her eyes widened to obscene Disney-princess levels, sparkling and wet. Her cheeks flushed as if she could control the blood in her body. She shook out her shoulders, her bottom lip trembling as she stepped next to Nick’s father at the door. “Daddy,” she said, her voice an odd coo. “You didn’t have to come all this way. I told you I would handle it. I don’t know what this is about, but I promise I can fix it.”
“I know you can, sweetheart,” Miles said jovially, climbing the porch stairs, his wife stepping forward and hugging Dad. “But I want to make sure that everything is all right. I didn’t expect to receive a call today about a delivery of almost ten thousand dollars’ worth of electronics to an address that wasn’t our own. I’m sure it’s just a mistake.”
Nick turned slowly to look at Jazz. “Ten thousandwhatnow?”
Jazz shrugged. “Blame Gibby. She’s the one who picked everything out.”
“Thanks,” Gibby said wryly. “I appreciate that.”
Seth was trying to make himself as small as possible, but since he was a beefy sex god, it wasn’t going too well. It took a turn for the worse when Martha and Bob appeared behind him, Bob’s thumbs hooked through the straps of his overalls, Martha holdinga plate piled high with cookies. Seth bumped into them and whirled around. With a welcoming smile firmly fixed on her face, Martha muttered, “We’ll get through this together. No one say a word aboutanything. We’ll figure it—hello! Welcome, welcome! It’s so lovely to see you all again. Please, come in. Have a cookie. Haveseveralcookies. I’ve often found that when your mouth is full, you’re unable to ask questions.”
The new arrivals laughed as they came into the house. Miles kissed his daughter on the forehead before turning and shaking Gibby’s hand furiously. “Gibby,” he said as Joanna touched her cheek. “You’re looking extremely queer. I approve. Gay rights!”
“Thank … you?” Gibby said, pulling her hand away before he could tear her arm from its socket, something Nick absolutely did not recommend. “Gay rights.”
