Falling for a Superhero

Chapter ThirtyFour-"Shady Chad"

"I'm so sorry I'm late. It was my sister's birthday and you cannot believe how much trouble it is to escape that house with twenty screaming eleven-year-olds," Mickie said, taking a seat next to me at the football game.

"I didn't know you had a sister," I muttered.

"Well, unlike Dastan, I don't completely deny the existence of my family," Mickie chuckled. There was a new sort of...charm around her as she smiled. "I have a step-sister that turned eleven today, and of course my parents choose to come home now for her, but not for any actual holiday or even my birthday..."

When she said that, her eyes widened as if she was shocked that she said that.

"Sorry. I don't usually share...that...with anyone other than Dastan, but usually it's a one-way street," she tried to produce a smile, but still tried to hide her ounce of weakness that made her human. I wanted to ask her what she meant, but I shook my head.

"You can go home," I told her like I had told Dastan, only this time I said it with a soft voice. She raised an eyebrow. "Go spend time with your family."

She had a look that said she would oppose the suggestion, but then she smiled and began to get up.

"I think I will. Today should be about the kid for once," she smiled when we released. She stood up from the bleachers. "I always thought I'd be the older sister constantly annoyed by the younger sister, but Sarah's pretty cool."

"Sarah?" I asked.

"Yeah," she affirmed, starting to nod slowly. "Your brother's girlfriend..."

"G-Girlfriend?" I choked out.

"Oh. You didn't know?" she asked with a knowing smile and a light chuckle. "It's fine. I didn't know until Dastan told me about a week ago, but now that I think about it, it's quite obvious—"

"Dastan knew?" I asked her. She nodded. "Why...how would he know?"

Her face changed and cheering erupted from the stands as we scored our first touchdown.

"Dastan knows more than you give him credit for...but I guess that doesn't matter now," she said. My lip twitched at the thought of him, my mind replaying the last moments with him and then back to us in the hallway before he withdrew from school. "Well I'm gonna go home. I might see you at the party later tonight, right?"

"I wasn't planning on it..." I said but felt like my intentions would depend on whether or not I wanted to enjoy the party with Hayden.

"Alright well at least I'll see you tomorrow then," she smiled, hugged me for the first time ever, and then left me in the stands with my other friends.

What was there to Dastan that I didn't know about? And more importantly, how was he some expert on knowing about Jeremy and Sarah if he couldn't even see the emotions in front of him that Mickie so clearly emitted towards him?

***

I paced back and forth outside Kevin White's amazingly loud party, waiting for Hayden to get here. After all, the football team was playing an away game and they would have to drive back to school before going home to change before they got here for their victory party on a school night. Even though Kevin was on the football team, he had given his key to his girlfriend who so gladly started the party for him. As I hear it from the street and experienced it for the minute it took me to weave throughout people to claim a soda, it was the best party of the year so far. And of course no one cared about the hangover they'd have tomorrow because it was senior ditch day. I'm pretty sure juniors wouldn't mind missing either.

Hayden: Not going to the party. You either.

Much to the disappointment of uselessly waiting here for 45 minutes, I shifted my frame of thinking. He kept wanting to take me to a party and now that I finally went to one, he wouldn't be showing up? That was a him problem more than a me problem despite it being a green light for me to go home.

"What is a girl like you doing at a party like this?" a voice suddenly said. I immediately assumed it was some creepy guy prepared to make a move on me. However, my back still faced him because I started to walk home.

"I'm waiting for my boyfriend," I lied, still walking.

"Considering that he just texted me saying otherwise, I don't believe you," he said. I turned and saw Chad with a friendly grin and a bottle in his hand. "He told me to drive you since your friends are obviously busy partying."

"Well looks like you're busy as well," I reasoned, nodding to the bottle. He smirked and then twisted the bottle.

"It's root beer," he assured. I nodded once. Things with Chad were...weird. He didn't act like the others and he seemed...creepy...whenever he wasn't being a class clown. I wasn't prepared to go anywhere with him, no matter how close he was to Hayden or Mickie and especially Dastan. As he neared me, not taking a straight line, I knew that he had been drinking more than root beer. "Come on. I'll take you to Hayden's."

"I think I'll just walk home," I said, even though it was probably three to five miles away. I didn't care.

"Let me take you home," he pressed.

"I'm fine."

He appeared in front of me and his eyes had such a scary tint to them. He grabbed my waist and a shock spread through my body. It wasn't like with Hayden or the Proliator or even Dastan. It was an initial shock telling me that he wasn't allowed to touch me and that even nature didn't wish it.

"Let me take you—"

The only thing that broke his tough grip was a giggling couple that ran into us. Somehow Chad was thrown off balance and while he laughed to himself on the ground. Suddenly, I felt a presence behind me and I spun on my heels to see a hooded guy with a familiar accent.  

"I guess now's the perfect time to sweep you off your feet," he smiled like a child.

For the first time, I realized I was mad at him. But getting away from Chad and this stupid party right now was my salvation. If that meant leaving with the Proliator, I would. I looked up to him, even though his face was completely missed by his mask, hood and somewhat normal clothes. He gestured down the street and I started walking that way before he took my hand. The electricity started to flow between us before he broke the bond only to have me question it for a second before he threw me on his back and we disappeared into a blur.