𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐔𝐒𝐊

29. 𝘀𝗮𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗲𝘀𝗲, 𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿

TODAY IS OFFICIALLY THE DAY THEY LEAVE FOR PARIS. It was like going to a magical place where no Elementals will be, and Eszter and Peter will be far away from Fury. A night in Paris will be a night to remember.

Eszter was standing with Michelle at the side of the motel building, her suitcase somewhere in the long line of suitcases that were flushed against the wall. Everyone was standing outside as they waited on their teachers' instructions, wondering where the boat was.

"Hey, guys," Brad greets cheerfully as he stumbles toward the two girls. Turning his charm on, the boy flashes his smile. "Hey, Eszter."

"Hey."

Brad was a little nervous at the sheer presence of Eszter, and somehow, he enjoyed being around her. "Are you excited about Paris? It's considered to be the 'city of love.'"

"Is it?" Michelle taunts. The girl found it amusing to watch Brad prancing about, trying to impress Eszter, who showed no interest in him. Even when her friend sent her a warning stare, Michelle continued with her little affair. "Too bad love is dead."

Brad frowns with a puzzled grin, chuckling to fit in, but the boy wasn't sure what Michelle had meant. "Um . . ." Was he supposed to laugh at that? Is it an inside joke? Brad assumes it is.

"Just ignore her," Eszter makes a face that presented her hint of annoyance. Growing quite bothered by the several jokes Michelle entices on, knowing full well that it will tick the enhanced off. "She thinks she's funny."

Behind Brad, Eszter spotted Ned talking to Betty, and upon finding him, the enhanced began to search for Peter within the crowd. At that point, Brad was speaking about nonsense that went in and out the other ear, going over Eszter's head as she practically tunes him out. Although Eszter wasn't ignoring him intentionally, she had been more interested in finding her boyfriend.

On cue, Peter slips out from the motel with worry flooding his eyes and overwhelming Eszter and her own bit of concern for Ned. After last night with Fury, Eszter hadn't gotten the chance to talk to Ned about the situation--for being shot with a tranquilizer, the enhanced wanted to make sure he was fine; however, Eszter hadn't felt anything disturbing Ned's mind, but it wouldn't hurt to ask.

"--I guess what I'm trying to say is, I don't know . . . maybe you'd wanna--"

Eszter blinks before glancing back at Brad, puzzled. "What?" He stops talking as his smile slowly falls into a pout, wondering whether Eszter had bothered to listen to anything he was saying. To his dismay, she hadn't. "Hold that thought, 'kay? I gotta go deal with something."

Quick to escape, Eszter took that as her chance to walk away, leaving Brad and Michelle. She huffs and shakes off the weird feelings oozing from Brad, making Eszter feel uncomfortable with how determined the boy was for her.

With a small pout, Brad watches as the enhanced retreated to Peter, and he watches as she stood close to him and touches his arm to get his attention. He sighs in defeat and turns away, but Brad freezes upon meeting Michelle's strong gaze. The judgment in her eyes spoke louder than words, and it renders Brad with a sense of embarrassment. He plays it off by offering her a smile, acting like he hadn't been dismissed, but then Michelle started grinning, and her shoulders began shaking with each stifled laugh she produced.

"Wow, man," Michelle nearly grimaces. "That was awkward."

"Hey, you're friends with Eszter--"

"No, I actually hate Eszter and am pretending to be her friend, so she doesn't kill me with her powers," Michelle stares blankly. Brad grew silent, staring at Michelle with wide eyes as he was at a loss for words. Not entirely used to the way the girl communicates through sarcasm and dark humor. "Obviously, I'm her friend. She's my best friend--don't tell her I said that. She gets a big head."