AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“If comics have more basis in reality than people think. I’m not even talking about the social-justice angle. Like, what if there are Extraordinaries who’re comic book writers? Taking real-life stuff and putting it into comics? Oh man, do you think someone will write a comic book about us?” He hurried around Gibby, stopping in front of her and posing, hands on his hips as he looked off into the distance. “Well, how do I look? They could use this for the cover.”
She looked him up and down before snorting. “Could use a bit of bulking up. Your pasty sticks look like you’ve forgotten all about leg day.”
He scowled at her as he dropped his hands. “It’s notmyfault I don’t have muscle mass. It’s genetics.”
“Your dad has muscles. Your mom does, too.”
He waved her off. “It skips a generation, like male-pattern baldness. It’sscience,Gibby.”
“That’s right,” Gibby said. “Science.” She lifted her arms and flexed. Her biceps were bigger than Nick’s. She kissed both—first the right, then the left.
Nick was begrudgingly impressed. “Yeah, yeah. You’re stronger than I am. That’s… actually pretty damn cool. You go, girl. Maybe you should’ve been the Extraordinary instead of me.”
She rolled her eyes as she dropped her arms. “Wouldn’t want to steal your spotlight.” She stepped around him and continued on down the street. Nick spun on his heels, hurrying to catch up with her. “You got what I think you do in the backpack?”
He nodded. “Yep. They’re letting me have it, but there’s a list of conditions a mile long.”
“Probably for the best, knowing you. You’d wear it wherever you went.”
“Only for my adoring fans,” he said seriously. “Who am I to turn them down if they want a photo with a real live superhero? You may like crushing dreams, but I won’t do that.”
“I’ve seen your fans in the comments of your fics,” Gibby said as they stopped at an intersection, waiting for the light to change. “Extraordinary groupies are weird and don’t understand boundaries.”
“You’re one of my groupies, though.”
She sighed, looking up at the sky as if praying for guidance. “If you ever call me a groupie again, I’ll sic Jazz on you.”
Nick shuddered. “That’s a very realistic threat. Did you see that thing she did with the knife at her birthday party?”
Gibby smiled dreamily. “Right? She’s so hot. I can’t believe I get to love her.”
“Your kinks are showing,” Nick muttered. “But yes, it was very hot and for a moment, I questioned my sexuality, but then I remembered penises, and nope.”
Gibby had a gleam in her eye that either meant a) she was going to be rude, or b) she was going so say something specifically tailored for Nick to make his soul want to depart his body. Unfortunately, she went with c) all of the above. “Would you look at that? I also say nope when I think of penises. They look like depressed little wrinkly men who sometimes wear turtlenecks while standing on top of hairy beanbags.”
“Oh my god,” Nick whispered fervently. “That was poetry. Disgusting, horrible poetry. You are agoddess.An evil one, but a goddess nonetheless.”
“Damn right I am. You’re welcome for gracing you with my presence.”
“Notice how I didn’t even put up a fight at the wordlittle.”
“I see you’ve accepted reality. Good for you, Nicky.”
The light changed, and Nick and Gibby moved with the people around them as they crossed the street, ignoring the horns honking at them for no reason. It was a normal thing in the city.
“Where are we going?” Nick asked. “Not that I don’t want to hang out, but your text was pretty cryptic.”
Gibby glanced at him, looking as if she was choosing her next words carefully. “You said you wanted to be part of change, yeah? To help make things better?”
He had. After she and Jazz’s parents had found out the truth about Seth, things had been… strained, to put it mildly. He could still remember how awkward it’d been to sit there, listening as Trey and Aysha read his father the necessary riot act over his involvement in police misconduct. Mom hadn’t interjected, telling Nick to be quiet when he’d tried, saying that they needed to listen. And now that he thought about it, he didn’t know why she hadn’t told them about herself at the same time. Granted, Nick hadn’t known then that she’d used to be Guardian. That would come later when he’d found the tapes in the… in the attic.
He stopped, swaying slightly, feeling like his legs no longer worked. That… was that how it’d gone? The tapes. One in particular, labeledTHE TRUTH. He’d found it. Not alone. Someone had been with him. Who was—
Jazz. She’d been there. Worried about Gibby going away to Howard, something they hadn’t known until recently. They’d watched the tape, saw a younger version of Nick’s parents and Simon Burke. His mother was an Extraordinary. He hadn’t known that. Grief, then. But over what?
Lies. His parents’ lies. That was all it was. That was all it needed to be.
And then Jazz told him to try to move cups like he’d seen Mom do in the video. He had, and theneverythinghad started moving in the house, forcing them to flee. They’d run to…
