Super Powers Are Overrated

Chapter 9

January 26, 2015

"I still don't trust her. I mean, she just makes me uncomfortable." I say, walking around Ty's room.

"Yeah, me neither. But we don't actually have anything to prove her guilty." He says. "And, uh, listen, I'm sorry my room's so small."

"Huh? Oh, no problem. Honestly, I'm just glad I'm not in the orphanage."

"Yeah, but, ya know, you're all used to Jill's huge room and huge house, and having to come to my little apartment. Must be a pain huh?" He says, rubbing his neck.

"Dude. You're forgetting that I used to live in a tiny house in the middle of the countryside." I say, eyebrow raised.

"Oh, yeah sorry. I guess I'm just used to Jill being here, that's all."

"Mm." I say.

We hear a door open and close. "Ty?" I hear his mom say. She opens the door to his room and smiles at us. "Lily! I didn't know you were here! I was just gonna ask what he wanted for dinner. Are you staying for it?"

"If it's not too much to ask."

"Oh, of course not. In fact, a waitress just quit at the diner, and we have it in the budget to give me a raise!"

"That's great, Mom! Did you tell Dad?"

"I'll tell him when he gets home from the school. Is your sister getting a ride home from dance, or are you two okay with walking over there and picking her up?"

"Sure, a walk would be nice." I say.

She smiles at me. "Great! I'll make you two some cocoa." She ducks back out of the room.

"What were we talking about?" I say, sitting back on his bed.

"The differences between me and Jill." He says, looking down.

"Oh yeah. Well, dude our whole team's pretty different."

He looks up. "Yeah, I guess. You got Jill, the vegetarian rich girl."

"Mac, the atheist bisexual."

"Nat, the gay jew."

"You, the middle class scum." I tease. He laughs.

"You're so mean to me. But why? I'm a ray of sunshine, unlike you, Little Miss Atheist Orphan."

I turn my head away and clutch my heart. "Oo! My weary heart can't take it!"

"Haha! That's what you get for calling me scum!"

"You are scum!"

"As your mother, I can confirm you are scum." Mrs. Quinn says, opening the door and holding two cocoa mugs.

"Moooooooom!" He says, putting his head in his hands. I laugh and give her a high five. She giggles, and walks out of the room.

"I hate that woman sometimes." He mutters, lifting his head. He grabs the mugs and hands one to me.

"Aww, come on. Even I don't hate my family."

He gives me a funny look. "Really? Even after all they've done? I get not hating Nic, but your mom and dad?"

"Yeah, I just can't bring myself to hate them." I say, taking a sip.

"Your mom abandoned you!"

"You met my dad, can you blame her?"

"Exactly! You don't hate your dad?!"

My smile falters. I look down. "I never had a dad." I say. "Just a 'sir'."

We stay silent for a moment. "Sorry for bringing it up." I look up and smile at him.

"It's okay. I didn't expect anything else from some muddle class scum, anyway!"

"Wow, that's just insulting! You're middle class, too, ya know!"

"Yeah, I know!" I laugh. My phone rings. ACDC rings through the house. "Whoops! Should probably lower the volume." I pick up the phone. "Yo!"

"Lils?" Mac's voice says.

"What's up?"

"Emergency meeting. Now."

"Alright, where?"

"The park down the street from my house."

"Okay, Ty and I'll be right over.''

"K. Later."

"Bye." I say hanging up.

"Who was it?" Ty asks, now on the other side of the room, looking out the window.

"Mac. Emergency meeting at the park outside her house. Let's go."

"Ugh, fine. But I saw meatloaf in Mom's grocery bag, and we still need to pick up Sophie."

We get to the park, and everyone's already there.

"Why are we here, Mac?" Jill asks.

"Because I heard from Kay, who heard it from Megan, who heard from Crystal, who heard from either Allie or Kadira, who heard from Maddie, who heard from Mary who heard it from Athena, who heard from her twin brother Evan, who heard it from Ethan, who is Kay's step brother, but he heard it from Brendan, who heard it from Seth, who was talking with Mitchel who, even though him and Kay hate each other with a passion, heard it from Becky, but then again who didn't hear it from Becky, who heard from Cec that Tiffani might be on to us. And it may or may not be Cecilia's fault."

"What?!" We all ask.

"How would Cec even know?!" Nat asks. I can see her resisting the urge to set something on fire, a stressful habit of her's from even before the powers.

"I told you, man! Cecilia has her ways."

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm sure she just thinks we're in some sort of undercover book club or something." I say.

"But what if she doesn't?" Mac asks.

"Damn, Cec is like a ninja. She's practically everywhere!"

"Yeah." We all agree.

"Well, with that secrets business, who knows? It is her job to know. She could be a full fledged mercenary if she wasn't too busy watching Netflix." Nat says, hands on her hips.

"Whatever. The point is, we need to be sneakier about our meetings." Mac says, drawing all our attention back.

"And to discuss this, you decided to tell us this at a public park?" Jill says. Two kids rush by, playing tag.

"Ya know," Mac says after a moment. " this may not have been my best idea, to be honest."

"Oh really?!" Ty says sarcastically.

"Whatever, you get the point. From now on, we need to be stealthier. Dismissed." She said.

Ty and I walk towards the direction of the ballet studio. We walk in silence.

"Ya know what?" I ask him.

"What?"

"We need to update the diversity chart. Mac, the atheist bisexual with mental issues." I say. He cracks up.

"Well, you're not wrong he says, as we open the doors to the studio.

Ooooo, foreshadowing!! The mercenary thing. Man, I am good sometimes. And by sometimes, I obviously mean all the time.