Mind Over Easy (6 page)

"Can we talk for a sec? I didn't want to wait until your post-practice pass-out."

Natalie raised her eyebrows at Ted. She hadn't mentioned that term in years, but the hero of the hour had super listening abilities long before the incident at the diner.

"I've gotta shower," she said. "Wash off some of the gross."

Ted took in a shallow breath. "I don't think you could be gross if you tried."

Natalie looked behind her to see if any teammates had stuck around, but they'd already gone into the locker room. It was just her and Ted with their voices echoing off the high white walls of the gym.

"You've got three minutes." Natalie searched for a dry end of the towel and wiped her brow.

She watched Ted's eyes dart around the room. Seconds later, a full-sized towel floated toward them. It hovered above Natalie's head and she grabbed it.

"I was thinking about how good it was to have you there with us when we fought Nigel," he said.

"Good enough to get stabbed." Natalie pressed the towel to her face.

"We weren't prepared for any of that. But now that I've been training, I think I'm ready."

"For what?"

"To lead a team."

Natalie put the towel around the back of her neck and over her shoulders. The old Ted could hardly lead himself, let alone a group of people bent on keeping the world secure. She looked into his eyes, unsure if she really knew the person standing in front her anymore.

"Isn't Erica enough?" Natalie started to walk toward the locker room.

"She'd be dead if it weren't for you. " Ted kept up with her stride-for-stride. "All of us might be. You're the strongest and fastest person in town. We don't know when someone like Nigel will come back, and we'd feel safer if you were helping us."

Natalie remembered when she used to refer to her and Ted as "we" and "us." She thought of the dozens of tabloid newspapers she'd seen with Erica and Ted's photos on them. Pictures of Ted and Erica kissing got tens of thousands of likes on Facebook and were shared just as many times. No matter where she turned, life reminded her that another girl had landed the man she'd loved. Natalie knew that if she had Ted's powers, she'd probably use them to toss him across the room.

"I'm not interested, Ted." She reached the door to the woman's locker room and handed Ted the towel. "I've got playoffs. And then I need to catch up on homework. And then–"

"And then you can come help us beat some bad guys." His voice bounced with laughter just below the surface. "Don't give me an answer now. When you're ready to help, you can join us at morning practice."

There it is again
.
Us.

Natalie did her best to hide her contempt from Ted's optimistic eyes. If she kept talking to him, she was liable to snap.

"The answer is no, Ted. See you around." Natalie didn't turn around as she entered no-man's land.

When the doorbell rang, Natalie thought it was her phone buzzing for a fourth time. She continued dribbling until she heard another ring. She caught the ball in one hand, palmed it and laid it on her bedspread. After a few bounds down the stairs, she looked out the small window to the side of the door. The close-up of Dhiraj's face would have frightened her if he didn't do the same thing every time he came over. Natalie opened up the door and put her hands on her hips.

"Now that looks like someone who's happy to see me." Dhiraj scooted around Natalie and into the foyer.

"You know, when someone doesn't answer your texts, they're usually busy." Natalie swatted a bug back outside and closed the front door.

"You don't look busy."

"And when people who don't answer your texts aren't busy, what do you think that means?"

Dhiraj pulled at an imaginary chin beard. "It means they want to talk to someone, but they have some kind of psychological block that prevents it?"

Natalie grumbled and headed toward the kitchen.

"What do I get for being right?" he asked.

Natalie poured the two of them some juice and sat at the kitchen table.

"A glass of juice and a one-way ticket home." Natalie sipped the beverage.

Dhiraj nearly spilled his glass as he joined her. "So, my cameras worked today and helped Ted to disarm–"

"I saw the news."

Natalie knew she was being snippy, but Dhiraj was preventing her from ignoring the world around her – from ignoring Ted.

"You should've been there, Nat." Dhiraj inched his chair closer to hers. "You're part of this."

Natalie looked upward and back at Dhiraj.

"I didn't sign up to be a part of a crime-fighting team, Dhiraj." She chugged the rest of the juice. "I'm getting recruited by schools. I could get a full ride somewhere. That's a little less likely if I'm recovering from stab wounds all the time."

Dhiraj took a small sip. "When you broke things off with Ted, you said you'd try to stay friends with him. Instead, you're pushing both of us away."

Natalie walked away from the table and rinsed her glass. "Don't you mean all three of you?"

Dhiraj shook his head.

"You could be friends with all of us, but you're choosing to have nobody. Were you happier before you met any of us? When you just kept to yourself and had no support whatsoever?"

Natalie glowered at Dhiraj. "Why do my choices have to be fight evil or have no friends?"

Dhiraj took another sip of his drink and moved closer to Natalie. She couldn't help but feel like she wanted him to hug her. She also sort of wanted to throw him through the glass sliding door behind them.

"We want to see you, Nat." He put his hand on her shoulder. "If don't want to help us, that's fine. But life is better with good friends in it. Please keep that in mind."

Natalie was silent, which Dhiraj took as a cue to leave. She wanted to stop him. Instead, she simply watched him go.

To clear her head, Natalie did a pyramid set of pushups, starting with five and working her way up to 10 with short breaks in between. Each time she lowered her body to the floor, she tried to eradicate her anger. It didn't work.

"I just want all of them to leave me alone. Don't they understand that?"

As she moved her body up and down, an idea came to mind. She never would have even considered it if it hadn't been for the endorphins.

It's what I have to do
.

When she finished her set, Natalie reached for her phone and searched for one number in particular. She was hyperaware of her heavy breathing as she dialed.

"Hey, this is Natalie Dormer. I know you might not be expecting this, but I want to know how I can help."

Chapter 9

Dhiraj pulled his car up to Jennifer's house at daybreak. He'd spent far too many mornings in a row working, and a blog post on managing life with your top priorities in mind brought him out of his office and to that very spot. The Norris residence had an upkeep-free garden, which allowed the sheriff and his second wife to focus on work. The house and its landscaping stuck out among the lush and manicured suburban lawns around it. Dhiraj placed a mouthwash strip on his tongue as he saw Sheriff Norris exit the front door. The lawman's face looked tired and strained.

"Top of the morning to you, sheriff." Dhiraj grinned and walked up the driveway.

"Hey, Dhiraj." Sheriff Norris' voice was a hair lower than usual. "You looking for Jennifer?"

Dhiraj doubled his grin, attempting to snap the sheriff out of whatever funk had settled over him. "I am. She's still here, right?"

The sheriff stepped into his car, propping the door open with his foot. "If she had her way, she'd be here till noon. Maybe you'll have better luck."

Dhiraj wondered what it would take for the sheriff and his daughter not to see eye-to-eye. From what he'd observed, the two of them had a great parent-child relationship.

"I'll do my best, sir."

The sheriff tipped his cap and backed his truck into the street. Dhiraj waved in his direction, but the sheriff looked straight ahead with vacant, emotionless eyes.

Dhiraj had been over at the Norris house for dinner twice, so his first glance past the front door was familiar. The dinner invitations had both come from the sheriff himself, but Jennifer always seemed happy to see him. He wondered if she'd be as enthusiastic at this early hour. Dhiraj glanced at the family pictures on the way up the stairs. Jennifer had gone from cute to full-on beautiful as a teen, and Dhiraj remained as spellbound by her as he was the day they met. 

Dhiraj took a guess with the only closed door upstairs and knocked. He heard a groan on the other end and the sound of Jennifer shifting in the bed.

"Hey Jen, it's Dhiraj. You know, that cute Indian you're always thinking about."

There was a moment of silence from the sleeping beauty. Dhiraj felt his fight-or-flight instinct kick in and he considered dashing down the stairs.

"Hey, Dhiraj." Jennifer's unsuppressed yawn could be heard through the entire house. "You can come in."

Dhiraj wondered how Jennifer's bedroom would look. It wasn't because he wanted to get between the sheets – it was mostly so he could experience seeing the world as she saw it.

Dhiraj opened the door. A quick scan of the room revealed the pink paint, white, frilly curtains and dozens of photographs framed and unframed that were placed like punctuation on the walls. It was a tribute to childhood and innocence.

Jen emerged from the comforter, her hair tousled and uneven, a few uncovered blemishes on the side of her cheek. Dhiraj couldn't help but see the flaw-free woman of his dreams before him.

"Isn't it time for school?" Dhiraj internally kicked himself for sounding like a mom.

"As I was telling my dad–" Jennifer threw the sheets off, revealing a tiny shirt and even shorter boxers underneath. "–today didn't feel like a school kind of day. You know what I mean?"

Dhiraj was no peeping Tom, but he felt like one seeing Jennifer in such skimpy clothes. He did his best to avert his eyes while still paying attention to her.

"You might as well go." Dhiraj watched Jennifer's face contort into a dreamy smile. "There's nothing good on TV during the day anyway."

Jennifer's smile grew and she stood up.

"I could never say no to you, Dhiraj." She brushed his shoulder with her hand as she passed by him. "I'll get ready."

Jennifer took the first items she could reach from her hangers and walked into the bathroom. She left the door open and began to change. For a split second, Dhiraj saw her bare back and turned red. He turned away from her and felt his face grow hot.

What in the hell?

The Jennifer he'd grown to love was sweet above anything else. She was the kind of person who would not only remember your birthday but make you a birthday card by hand. She took photographs and knitted socks. The girl he knew was sentimental and caring, and someone who looked just like her was naked 10 feet to his right.

He nearly jumped when she tapped him on the shoulder. She was now fully clothed.

"Are you sure you don't want to skip with me?" she asked. "The two of us could spend the entire day together doing whatever you want."

He'd chatted with Jennifer in the hallways of school and after field hockey games on many occasions, but Dhiraj had never been this close to Jennifer's face and body before. His attention went to her lips.

"It sounds like a dream, Jen, but I think I should just drive us to school." Dhiraj did everything he could to suppress the bodily excitement he felt. It was not working.

Jennifer laughed. She placed both her hands on his shirt. "Alright, but you're driving." She released her grip and left the room.

Am I in the right dimension?

It only took a few minutes for them to get to school. When they arrived in Dhiraj's parking space, he clicked the unlock button. Jennifer immediately countered by locking the doors with the button on her side. She leaned over, and Dhiraj could feel her breath blowing into his ear.

Dhiraj felt ecstasy and anxiety in equal measure. When he tried to speak, the words lodged themselves in his throat.

"Thanks for the ride." Jennifer kissed him on the cheek. For some reason, his mind went back to several months earlier when Erica had done exactly the same thing.

He remained frozen.

Say something!

"You're welcome." Dhiraj tried to keep still and calm.

"Why do you still like me, Dhiraj?"

Dhiraj wasn't sure he got the gist of the question right away. He'd been trying to face forward, but one look to the side put him two inches from Jennifer's eyes.

"I've... I've always liked the kind of person you are. Beautiful inside and out."

Jennifer remained there for a moment, fixed on Dhiraj's eyes. Then she sat back in her seat.

"I'm not sure who I am inside anymore."

As Jennifer relaxed into the passenger side, Dhiraj recognized the familiar posture and tone of voice he'd admired for nearly half a decade. He let out a long breath and rotated to face her.

"Even if you don't know, I know who you are. And that person is amazing."

She turned toward him and forced a smile before unlocking the car doors. She grabbed her backpack, pulled the handle and began walking to the school. 

Dhiraj let a minute of silence pass.

Would she have let me kiss her?

By the time Dhiraj had pulled himself together, he was already a few minutes late for homeroom. The hallways were empty, aside from a few stragglers, and his sneakers echoed against the hard floors. When he stepped into the bathroom to prepare his reasoning for the principal's office, he didn't notice three guys slip in behind him all at once. Dhiraj reached down into the sink to splash some water on his face. When he looked back up into the mirror, the three upperclassmen had surrounded him. Dhiraj stood still.

"Need to borrow a comb, gentlemen?"

Dhiraj recognized one of the teens as Travis, the pal of the deceased Torellos and one of the main GHAers at school. He was the one who reached out and pushed Dhiraj into the gray marble wall.