𝙉𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙡 (𝙗𝙭𝙗)

Chapter Eighteen

Cody P.O.V

I have been in Hannah's bedroom thousands of times before, but this time might as well have been the first. Everything felt different. Nothing was different, and yet, it felt like everything had changed. Her having superpowers shouldn't feel like such a drastic piece of information, but I know how deep the facade can run, about the upfront one creates to hide it. Deep down, I wanted to know if the Hannah I had known was the real one.

A single bedside lamp illuminated her bedroom, casting shadows around familiar trinkets. I could picture us sitting side-by-side on her bed, watching something stupid on her television or lounging around as we scrolled through videos on our phones, silent but there, the before. It felt like we'd never go back to that, that something was fundamentally broken between the two of us that could be rearranged and put back together, but never the same.

Hannah closed the door behind her with a soft click, moving past me to sit on the edge of her bed. For a moment, nothing was said, and I worried about what she must think of me now, with all the secrets I've kept-- about everything-- because that's what I was doing. She was the same person, the same Hannah I had known three months ago, only now the cat was out of the bag. Our facades were broken.

"I-"

"Let's-"

Our words merged into a jumble that made us both pause before a small burst of laughter filled the room, chasing away some of the awkwardness. We had never behaved like this before, this flustered and uncertain. Conversations had always flowed between us, but for once, I didn't know how our conversation would go.

"Let's start over," She said, tapping her fingers rapidly against her thigh. I didn't know what she meant. She slid off her bed to stand before me, outstretching one of her hands.

"Hi, I'm Hannah, and I have superpowers. It's nice to meet you," she said, smiling awkwardly.

"Hi, Hannah," I shook her hand back. "I'm Cody; I also have superpowers." And just like that, the tension between us felt like it evaporated, even if only slightly. It wasn't the same; it wouldn't ever be the same, but it was one step closer, and I'd take as many steps as possible if it meant I would have my best friend back.

"That has been long overdue," Hannah sighed, moving back to her bed and patting the spot beside her. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to tell you, honest."

"I wanted to tell you too, but . . . " I bit my lip. If there was ever a time to come clean, completely and utterly clean, it was now. And despite this being the moment, the opportunity to let it all go, I didn't.

"I know what you mean!" She perked up, oblivious to the real cause of my hesitation. "There are some power-hungry people out there; it's better to be safe than sorry; plus, it's just one of those things, you know? Like, how are you even supposed to bring something like that up? I can count the amount of people who know about my powers with my hands."

"Then how did they find out?" I asked, clinging to the fact that Hannah had told the brothers about her powers before me. "Dylan and Zach, I mean."

Hannah froze for a moment as if rapidly recalling the events that had led to the need for our reintroduction. On the one hand, I was somewhat thankful for them, as their entrance into our lives had, after a line of tragically timed events and coincidences, led to Hannah and me breaking beyond our facades and finally opening up to each other. On the other hand, I wanted to punch them both in the face.

"Well," She scratched the back of her head with a look of mild affliction. "I can't tell you?" And it was just like that the facades began rapidly rebuilding themselves.