Shadow

The Worst History Group in the History of History

    We came into the house only to be blasted in the face with water. I gagged and spat all over the place and Cole pressed himself into the wall, eyes wide.

    "Oh, sorry about that!" Riptide called. He grinned innocently at me. I couldn't help but see why Lauren liked him.

    I stood up and his eyes widened in recognition. Feeling Cole's presence behind me, I shook my head ever so slightly. No. He can't know. He won't know. Riptide nodded. "So, what in the deepest pits of Hell caused this mess? Wait, no. Lemme guess. Blaze?"

    "Nope."

    "Pyro?"

    "Strike two."

    "Cyanide?"

    "Finally." I smiled a little. "Thanks for coming, even if you are a bit late."

    He understood and rolled his eyes. "Well, my apologies, Kiera, if I was saving a man from drowning." His playful smile immediately dimmed a bit.

    I tried not to gasp. Okay, that hurt a little. I don't think he meant . . . "Sorry," I muttered, voice cracking. I coughed into my elbow. Riptide gave me a pitying look. He didn't mean to.

    "Wait a second," Cole said, holding his hands in a timeout. "Do you guys . . . know each other?"

    I shrugged at the same time as Riptide. "Yeah. Kinda. Met under . . . difficult circumstances."

    Cole gave me a funny look, probably wondering what I was talking about. He was probably thinking, why didn't she tell me about this? When did this happen? What happened in the first place? That's a story for another time, Cole.

    Riptide grinned. "Don't worry. I'll just finish up here, then I'll go. You can go upstairs . . . or something . . . Wait a second, whose house is this?"

    "Mine." Jinx.

    Riptide frowned. "You live here . . . together . . ." Nod of confirmation from both of us. A shake of his head from Riptide. "Kids these days."

    I just rolled my eyes and went upstairs. Not worth arguing with him about. I'd let Lauren explain. Just as I started to shut my door, Cole called, "Wait."

    Deep breath. I opened the door slowly. Cole was inches away. "Can we talk?" he asked.

    I nodded, not trusting my voice when I was so close to him. The door opened further and Cole came in. He sat in his favorite chair, arms across the back, and I sat on my bed. Our typical seating arrangement.

    Cole sighed. "When did you meet him?"

    I shrugged. "A year or two ago."

    "Why?"

    "A problem with Blaze. We just talked for a few minutes." It wasn't a lie. That wasn't when I'd first met Riptide. But it was definitely a problem with Blaze. Riptide had to put me out because Blaze had set me on fire. Butthead.

    He studied me for a moment. I stared back, but not because I was suspicious. Because he was a beautiful human being to stare at. Like Dylan O'Brien and Zac Efron. And Grant Gustin. Grant Gustin especially. I could stare at that guy all day.

    "Kiera, why didn't you tell me?"

    I shrugged. I shrug a lot. "You've been so worried about us being attacked by Supers that I didn't want you to be even more paranoid."

    "You're keeping something from me."

    I looked up in surprise. Sometimes, I had to remember that Cole's way smarter than he looks. He's one of those people who uses his smartness to hide his smartness. "And what would that be?"