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Eclipse turned around and walked into the crowd. Is this what a mental breakdown felt like? My chest heaved, but more than that, my heart ached as I tried to convince myself that none of it had been real. In the rubble, the kids never said that, nor had Bernard. At least, I didn’t think so. But Theo, on the other hand, I wanted to believe he wouldn’t say those words aloud. But did he think them? The fear of the truth threatened to force out the tears again.
Damn you, Eclipse.
21
A:How’d heroing go?
Sanity deserted me. I stared at the phone on the bar, trying to imagine the rational reasons Theo hadn’t responded. He could be saving the world or helping a little old lady cross the road. Perhaps he fell asleep? There were a thousand reasons he couldn’t reply, all of them reasonable. Then why did I keep staring at the message?
“How’d heroing go? It’s straightforward, right?” What if it was too casual? Like it didn’t say, respond now, I’m sort of freaking out. Or worse, what if he thought I was being intrusive? He didn’t have to report every time he saved the world. No, that’d be foolish.
It’d only be a matter of seconds before I spiraled into an anxiety attack. I didn’t want Theo to know how far under my skin Eclipse had gotten. With a few simple words, he had me daydreaming about an unconfirmed conspiracy. Could this be my brain and heart having a conflict? They could be duking it out, and right now, I’m pretty sure my heart was being trampled. Had I been fooling myself this entire time?
A: Papi, you up?
I needed a voice of reason. He might be capable of wielding lightning like a God, but Bernard’s superpower was cutting through my hysterics.
B: Still not being your booty call.
With a single text, my papa bear left me smiling. I could spend hours texting him about nothing. He’d gripe about how it’d be faster as a phone call, but he’d entertain my refusal to pick up his calls. But right now, I needed him to reach through the phone and brush aside my insecurities. Drowning in my crumbling self-confidence, I needed him to save me for the second time today.
A: …
What could I say that didn’t sound desperate?
B: Al, is everything okay?
A: I’m having a rough night.
B: *hugs* Here if you need me.
B: … mi osito.
Little bear. Just like that, Bernard typed exactly what I needed to hear. I couldn’t help but let out a slight sob with the laugh. It eased the pressure in my chest. Unlike Theo, Bernard didn’t hide.
My pity party was cut short as the music scratched to a halt. Across the club, in the round booths that faced the stage, Scarlet remained frozen, her arm extended, ending in a fist. Eclipse’s face was half turned. She stood, shaking her hand, threatening to repeat the maneuver.
“Did Scarlet just punch Eclipse?”
Bruno took a seat at the bar, not wanting to miss the action. I couldn’t blame him. For all the years I had worked here, I had never seen Scarlet resort to violence. But as she rocked her weight backward, keeping her gait narrow and fists raised, it appeared there was no taking the hero out of the heroine.
“Girl, do it again,” I begged. “In fact, tell him I requested the next punch.”
“I guess this means she’s not selling the club.” Bruno had a point. Unless there was a weird custom between heroes where they punched one another instead of offering a hearty handshake, the deal appeared off the table. I wouldn’t celebrate until she revealed her backup plan, but anything would be better than working for Eclipse.
The crowd didn’t cheer, but by the expressions from the room, they were all thinking the same thing. It was the first time I noticed a collective distaste for Eclipse and his band of sycophants. I knew there was a reason I poured heavy when making their drinks. Would it be in poor taste to buy a round for the house to celebrate?
Eclipse’s cronies had jumped to their feet. In a room full of heroes, fights almost never happened. Even when egos were wounded, a nearby sidekick would swoop in to save the day.
“Should we do something?” I asked.
“What do I look like?” He stopped for a moment and laughed. Bruno remained our bouncer in name only. “Nope, still not happening. The boss can handle herself.”
Eclipse jumped to his feet, yelling at Scarlet. But his tantrum did nothing to scare the woman. Her stance relaxed as it became obvious he wouldn’t retaliate.
“Shit, he’s coming over.”
Bruno turned around on his bar stool, attempting to hide his interest in the show. Me however, I wanted Eclipse to know I had seen every moment. In fact, if I had recorded it, I’d play it again as I laughed. My love life might be imploding, but I could put that aside long enough to watch my arch-nemesis snarl in disgust.
