Super Powers, Not That Great

Chapter 5-Jenny

Ashley Boettcher as Olive Chambers

I can barely wait for Science Prep. I have a break and I just wait in my comfy chair and bounce. What if I ask Nico to go to the Tea shack. Then we can talk and drink raspberry tea. Then I can talk to Lexi about it when she comes to visit when she's home from college, which should be in about a week or two. My break somehow goes by really fast, which is cool. I walk into Science Prep and sit in a desk that has an empty seat next to it. I'm pretty early, and kids file in soon after me. I look up every time, waiting and watching for Nico. But he never comes in. And then the teacher starts teaching and I can barely pay attention, because I don't know what the problem is. Where is he? My face falls as class is over and he never came. I sluggishly walk to Writers prep. A few tears fall and I start to hiccup which happens every time I cry. The halls are empty, Science Prep must have gotten over soon. I hiccup and start to feel weird. I bend over to get a drink from the water fountain, but soon find it's much smaller then I remembered. I look down at my feet and see that they are floating, off the ground. Oh. My. God. I'm flying. Well not flying more like floating. I grab the water fountain and pull myself down. I try and think as my feet as bricks and that seems to work. I carefully make my way to Writers prep. What the heck was that. I sit down, not paying attention.

"Hey, my name's Maddy." the girl I sat by starts to talk to me.

"Hey I'm Jenny." I set my head on my desk and look at her. Her hair is a deep brown and it's really pretty.

"What's the matter?"

"I think, in a way I just got stood up."

"You want to go to the Tea shack later, a boy didn't show up to the prep he said he'd be at for me either. Wait a sec, is the boy you're talking about Nico?" How does she know his name?

"Yeah, how did you know?"

"He's in my Math prep. The secretary came and got him early during that. Maybe we should wait for them and go Wednesday." She has good ideas, that makes me feel better, knowing that he left, but I wonder what happened, I hope nothing bad.

"That sounds cool! Do you want to go the mall later today then?" She nods her head and I smile. Soon I totally forget about floating because I've found a new friend.

Two days later

Maddy stayed the night at my house last night and my mom really liked her. My dad was on call so he wasn't home, and Meghan stayed away from us. She introduced me to Jeremy, the boy yesterday, and it turns out he fainted in his Art prep. It also turns out he's in my Science prep too. He agrees to the Tea shack and Maddy said she'll ask Nicholas about it in Math prep. We go our separate ways, but not before Jeremy warns us he's getting an award in about thirty minutes for his amazing fruit painting. Maddy giggles and me and her promise to meet in front of the Art room sign so we can stand together. I sit in the same chair and see a girl furiously typing away.

"Hey, I'm Jenny." I move closer to her.

"Hi, I'm Avery."

"Whatcha writing?"

"A book Olive Chambers deleted."

"Ohhh she's so rude I can totally see her doing that."

"You know her too?"

"Yeah, she's the town bully." We laugh and compare schedules. We have the exact same classes! I tell her about Jeremy getting the award and being ready for the loud announcement bell. But that stupid bell interrupts me and I say I'll see her later. I quickly speed walk to the sign and see Maddy in a throng of kids. I pull on her shirtsleeve and grab her quickly.

"Thanks!" She laughs, "I'm claustrophobic. This has to be a fire hazard." We both giggle as we see Jeremy standing on a small platform, his cheeks are really pink.

"So, Nico says today after preps sound great for the Tea shack!" We're all quieted by the principal who introduces Jeremy and goes on to tell us about how the teachers pick one student a week for an award like this, then she hands him a medal. We start to clap. I see a weird red light in the corner of my eye and glance at Maddy, the weird red light is coming from her hands! I pull into the girls bathroom that's a couple of feet from the Art room.

"What's happening?" She asks and starts running her hands under cold water, and then red goes down.

"Does it hurt?" She shakes her head and I think about when I defined gravity the day I meet her. "Maddy, I think we might have super powers." That sounds so weird saying out loud.

"What?!" I pinch my arm, and the hiccups start and I close my eyes as I rise from the ground.

"Super Powers." I think of bricks and float unevenly to the ground. She widens her eyes and covers her mouth. Her hands flair up again and this time I see a small flame. I turn on the water as she screams.

"But I hate fire." She sticks her hands under, but nothing will make the red go away.

"And I hate heights." We look at each other like we're both insane which it now feels like.

"We've got to tell the boys."