Super Powereds: Year 1 (70 page)

“Did you see it?” Nick asked.

“I sure did,” Alice replied.

“Whew. Okay, Princess, you point the way and we can get out of these damn woods,” Nick said.

Alice opened her mouth to tell him the appropriate direction, but before she could something else entirely leapt out.

“No.”

“No?” Nick asked.

“No,” Alice confirmed, her brain, boozy as it was, catching up to her mouth. “I have you trapped in the woods with information you need, and no audience. You and I are going to have a talk.”

“A talk?”

“A talk,” Alice repeated.

“Okay, what are we going to talk about?” Nick asked.

“You,” she said.

“I guess that works. My favorite food is sushi, favorite color is gold, big fan of horror movies, fifteen inch penis, love long walks on the beach, just tell me when you’ve heard enough,” Nick rambled.

“No,” Alice said, waving him off. “I mean we’re going to talk about just what your damn problem is.”

“Wow, drunk Alice really doesn’t pull any punches,” Nick observed.

“Enough deflecting. I mean it. You act like this intolerable jackass with a never-ending stream of snarky comments and bad jokes. Then, with the flip of a switch, you can become this charming, knowledgeable, really sweet guy,” Alice said, her voice raising a few octaves. “I mean, what the fuck?”

“Intolerable jackass, you sure know how to sweet talk,” Nick spat back. “I explained before, the thing with your dad was just an act. I pulled together some crap I saw from movies about high society and did my best. I’m glad it worked, that doesn’t mean there’s some super deceptive side to me, though.”

“I don’t believe you!” Alice's voice crescendoed higher, passing the line of stern talking and entering the realm of the yell. “I know there’s more to you than that. Yes, that was the first time I saw it but I’m not blind, Nick. I’ve been watching since then, and I keep seeing little snippets of that guy. You can lie all you want, but I'm done being a sucker. I know there’s more to you than this.”

Nick took a deep breath and steadied himself. He could feel that strange tickle in his brain still, clouding his judgment. Still only slightly, but it was growing stronger. He needed to end this discussion, quickly. Unfortunately, for Alice, that meant going for the throat.

“Alice, I’m sorry,” Nick said.

“So you finally admit it?”

“No,” Nick said. “I’m saying that I’m sorry you have a crush on the guy I pretended to be. That wasn’t what I meant to happen, and I hope you know that.”

“You think I have a crush on you?”

Nick shook his head. “No, not on me. On who I pretended to be to impress your dad. You obviously liked him. That’s why you think you keep seeing glimpses of him in me. That’s why you’ve developed this radical idea that I’ve been faking who I am the entire year instead of just that evening. I mean, really think about it Alice, which seems more likely?”

Alice stared at him, her wide eyes gleaming in the glow of the flashlight. “You... you’re lying. You’re lying again.”

“I wish I was, Alice. Things would be a lot easier. But the truth is that you got enamored with a fictional character.”

"That's bullshit, Nick, I'm not falling for this!"

"Falling for what? The fact that you only like a version of me you saw for a few hours at a dinner, a dinner where you knew I was lying the whole time? Or facing the fact that the lie version of me is the only version of me you've ever been attracted to, a fact I'm trying really hard not to let hurt my feelings, by the way."

"Why would that hurt your feelings?"

"I don't know, maybe because someone I've spent an half a year living alongside, who knows what it’s like to grow up with the same defect, and climbed a fucking mountain with, had to invent a complex delusion just to find me the least bit bearable," Nick shot back, raising his own voice in turn. "You don’t see how that might be the least bit shitty for me?"

“But... I know he's you,” Alice said weakly. Nick smiled inwardly, her hesitation was the sign that he'd successfully sown doubt. He was home free now. All he had to do was wrap things up carefully and he would put both Alice’s affections and suspicions to bed for good. And then, as Nick felt the genuine joy of a well-played altercation mingle with the giddiness from Serena’s song, something slipped.

“Please, Alice, you don’t even know the real me,” Nick said. He slammed his mouth closed so hard that his teeth clicked. That hadn’t been how he’d meant to phrase it. That said far, far more than he wanted to. Briefly, Nick hoped that in her still-addled state of mind Alice would miss the meaning in those words.

One glance in her eyes dispelled all traces of that dream, like a broom sweeping through cobwebs.

“I don’t even know the real you,” Alice said, some of the conviction returning to her voice.

“That’s not what I meant,” Nick said, backpedaling quickly.

“Now that, I believe,” Alice said, a smirk twitching at the corners of her mouth. “Maybe you’re right, Nick. Maybe I’ve been seeing that version of you because I wanted to. And maybe he’s as fake as you claim. That doesn’t automatically make this version of you real, though.”

“Alice, you’re sounding deluded again.”

Alice silenced Nick with a finger to his lips. “You just said something honest to me. Possibly one of the very few things that has crossed your lips and falls into that category. Please don’t taint it by lying again already. Just give me a few minutes.”

Nick looked at her green eyes. The jig wasn’t necessarily up, but if he pushed her any harder on this it very well could be. It was more logical to wait, to let her sober up and hope she had poor drunken recall. And, if Nick were being brutally honest with himself, perhaps a part of him enjoyed someone looking at him and actually seeing even a piece of what was really there.

Nick simply nodded, unable to trust his tongue not to twist any words that might start with the best of intentions.

“Thank you,” Alice said softly. “We can go back to camp now.” She took his hand and began leading him north. Alice came to a halt after only a few steps, though.

“Oh, what the hell,” Nick heard Alice say, and that was his only warning before a soft, warm body and a clumsy pair of lips crashed against his own.

Alice was an awkward kisser, but what she lacked in experience she was not missing in passion. Nick had spent the entire year trying hard not to notice just how shapely Alice was, and as she wrapped her body around him, his efforts came crashing down. He kissed her back, a flurry of resistance and indulgence as he warred with himself inside. At last, one part pulled ahead of the other and he pushed her back.

“Alice,” he said carefully. “You’re a beautiful girl, but this isn’t right. You’re intoxicated and I’m seeing someone. We shouldn’t do this.”

“I agree,” Alice said, her voice steady but her breath panting. “That kiss wasn’t for you tonight. It was for the real you.”

“The kiss was for the real me?”

“Yup. In case I like him. Because I hope you know that I will meet him one day.”

Nick forced out a laugh. “Whatever you say there, Drunky. Let’s head back to camp and get some food to sober you up.”

Alice let his comments pass and instead took his hand once more. She led him swiftly to the camp, though not so swiftly that she didn’t get to savor leading him around for once.

126.

Vince reacted immediately, his mind racing to analyze the situation. He had no electricity and little fire in his arsenal at the moment, which meant he could flare up quickly and drive off the attacker but have nothing left for afterward. He was waist deep in water, so any fast movements to break the hold were going to be extra difficult to execute in the way of legwork. That left relying on a swift blow coupled with his flexibility.

Vince twisted his right elbow around with all the force he could muster, intent on driving it into the temple of his attacker. It would hurt his shoulder, but unless the assailant had enhanced durability, it would disorient them enough for Vince to slip free. That was the plan, anyway.

What actually happened was Vince’s well-thought-out attack connected with nothing. All at once the arms holding him were gone and Vince was jerking through the water, knocked off balance by the momentum of his failed blow.

“Geez, somebody doesn’t like surprise hugs,” Sasha said from the shore. The wake dispersing through the water made it pretty clear just where she’d been standing when Vince was grabbed.

“I... sorry,” Vince said, finding his footing in the water. “I thought you were attacking me.”

Sasha tilted her head. “That’s an interesting assumption to jump to. Got a reason to suspect someone might be out to harm you?”

Vince hadn’t told her about Michael’s Halloween attack, or the constant aggression the boy showed him at every turn. It just hadn’t seemed like something she needed to worry about.

“Not really. Not today, anyway,” Vince said. He hadn’t had an altercation with Michael in months, so there really was no good reason for him to be so jumpy.

“Mmhmmm,” Sasha said, walking back toward Vince at a slow pace. “You know, you’re lucky your girlfriend has speedy reflexes or this would be really awkward right now.”

Vince paled. He hadn’t even thought about that. If he’d slugged Sasha he would feel absolutely abominable.

Sasha laughed. “Oh, relax, I’m kidding around. It was a good elbow, but it wasn’t a secret death shot. Worst case scenario I’d have a bump and some static in my vision for a few minutes.” She reached Vince, the water coming up to her navel rather than waist. Vince was a few inches taller than she, and as she leaned against his chest, Sasha reflected for the umpteenth time how much she enjoyed that feature.

“There wouldn’t have been words to say how sorry I was,” Vince said, curling his arms around her.

“I know that, silly,” Sasha assured him. “You’re all about keeping the people you care about safe. And you do a great job of it. I never feel safer than when you’re holding me tight.”

* * *

“Tights,” she said, leaning over him. “What am I going to do with you?” As she moved her curly dark hair tumbled down, dangling only a few inches from his body.

“You could start by not calling me that,” Vince suggested. His voice seemed to be caught somewhere in his throat, causing it to come out rougher and lower.

“I could, but I won’t,” she said. She smiled down at him, and for the first time the smile could be seen in her emerald eyes as well as on her face.

“Worth a shot,” Vince said, retuning her grin from his own prone position.

* * *

“Woo, this water is starting to cool down,” Sasha said, breaking their embrace. “What’s say we go get toweled off and warmed up?”

“Why, Sasha Foster, are you asking me to put more clothes on?”

“I am, though if you have a better warming method I am quite open to suggestions,” Sasha replied.

Vince pulled her back into his embrace and kissed her, running his hand through her hair and holding it tightly. He didn’t pull, he just held her there, locking her lips and body against his own. He released a few seconds later, pulling his face mere inches away.

“That do it?” Vince asked. He’d mean to sound casual, making light of the intense kiss they’d just shared. His throat felt thicker than normal, and the voice that emerged from it sounded like someone had poured molasses on his usual tenor.

Sasha didn’t respond verbally. Instead she leapt up onto Vince’s long frame and wrapped her legs around his waist, burying her lips against his. The movement would have knocked most men down, but then most men weren’t undergoing daily physical training in the Lander HCP. The affection assault did rock him backwards, carrying him toward the shore opposite of the camp with the other students. Sasha fully expected to get another good kiss then be set down by her boyfriend as he reminded her that wasn’t the type of relationship they had. He took her by surprise instead, scooping his arms under her to get a grip, then carrying her the rest of the way to the shore.

They came down at last, falling onto the soft ground a few feet away from the river’s edge. They rolled even further inland, bit by bit, a constant rotation of top to bottom positioning as they tried to stay comfortable on wet grass. When they finally broke apart they were far enough from the water to have it obscured from view, but not so far that they couldn’t hear its gentle lapping against the shore.

“Whoa,” Sasha said, catching her breath. Her skin was tingling and her body was quite far from cold. She tried to steady her mind and her trembling hands. She’d promised to be a good girlfriend and wait for when Vince was ready. And she’d meant it, too: he was too good of a guy for her to trade his mental comfort for some fleeting physical fun. That being said, if he kissed her again there was a good chance she would tear off his swimsuit and tie him to a tree until he found his willingness.

“Yeah,” Vince agreed. He felt like his whole body had been short-circuited somewhere along the line. Everything seemed sharp and enhanced; even the wind on his skin was noticeable. At the same time, his brain felt half-fried. All his thoughts seem to show up simultaneously then evaporate into silence.

“Sorry about that,” Sasha said, pulling herself to a standing position. She wanted to rest her head on Vince’s shoulder again; however, she didn’t trust herself to touch him right now. Not even lovingly.

“No, no, it’s my fault,” Vince said, remaining in a sitting position for certain logistically-embarrassing reasons. “I started it.”

Sasha left out a small chuckle. “Man, how sad is it that we have a crazy good make-out session and our first response is to apologize to each other for it?”

“Pretty sad,” Vince agreed.

“So, let’s agree: no more of the ‘I’m sorry’ stuff. We’re boyfriend and girlfriend, we get to make out guilt free. That’s one of the many perks of being together,” Sasha said.

“Along with movie and dinner partners,” Vince pointed out.

“Not to mention someone to cuddle with,” Sasha said. “And of course, best of all is that we each get a great friend.”