Super Powereds: Year 2 (40 page)

“So is this above-board?”

“As above-board as anything in the Subtlety field ever is,” Professor Pendleton replied. “Information is our bread and butter; it’s what makes us truly useful. Sometimes doing a little research on a friend in the present is good preparation for a worst-case scenario in the future.”

“People call me a cynical bastard when I say things like that,” Nick said, a splash of bitterness discernible in his voice.

“Good for them. Better that only a few of us have to think this way,” Professor Pendleton slid into his chair and picked up the book once more. “You have until the end of January. Any questions?”

“If it’s a midterm why is the due date next semester?”

“Because it’s an off-the-books midterm, so I can set the deadline whenever I please. I thought giving you more time was a kind gesture.”

“Just checking,” Nick replied. He stood from his own chair and placed the sunglasses back on his face. “So all you need is the codename he used when he was a Hero?”

“You got it. This is pass or fail, all or nothing.”

“Yeah yeah yeah. I’ll have it before Christmas.”

“Good luck with that.”

“That’s the one thing I know I’ll have,” Nick shot back with an exaggerated wink. Professor Pendleton couldn’t see his eye close, of course, but the muscle movements of his eyebrow left no doubt as to what he’d done. With that, Nick was gone and his tutor was left alone, save only for the company of a good book.

Before continuing to read, Professor Pendleton reached into the drawer and took out the pieces of paper again. This wasn’t his classroom, and it wouldn’t do to have anyone find five identical cards, all with Professor Hill’s name written on them. For a moment Sean had worried Nick would ask to see the others, but it seemed denying him his luck ability had convinced him that the papers were different. He stuffed the pages in his pocket then turned his attention back to Rodrigo, who was languishing over the seemingly insurmountable obstacle barring him from his love.

76.

It had taken Candi more tries than she cared to admit to select her outfit for the party. She’d eventually settled on a forest green top paired with a push-up bra to try and fill it out properly. Gale hadn’t bothered with more than a glance in the closet, of course; she could be as pretty as she needed to be at a moment’s notice. Candi always hated Gale a little bit for that, but she supposed if the roles were reversed, she probably would have done the same. When Walter picked them up, he having been selected as the designated driver, it was no surprise that he was wearing a recently-pressed polo while Cameron sported his standard t-shirt and sneakers. Candi swore that boy would show up to his own wedding underdressed, assuming he ever settled into a relationship in the first place.

They arrived at the house in question about a half hour after it would have been fashionably late. There were plenty of excuses for why, but the truth of it was that they wanted a thick crowd so they could blend in if desired. The party was a scary prospect for most of them, and having a little cover made it easier to cope with. They needn’t have worried: there was certainly no shortage of bodies crammed into the building.

“Glad you could make it,” Thomas said, standing sentry at the door. “Who is your DD?”

Walter raised his hand sheepishly and Thomas slashed an X mark across the back of it before Walter could react.

“I wasn’t aware this was a bar,” Walter mumbled as he stared at his hand.

“Nothing personal, but I don’t know how responsible you typically are. As long as that mark is on, no one will give you any alcohol, but no one will give you grief for not drinking either. The ink was specially created by one of my roommates, Will, so you can try and scrub if you want but it won’t come off for twelve hours. Now, aside from my own enforcement of the designated driver policy, there aren’t many house rules. This is an HCP party, so feel free to use your powers. It’s a safe environment. That said, please refrain from doing any damage to the house. We do have to live here after this is over.”

“Anything else?” Candi asked.

“Kegs are in the garage, liquor is in the kitchen, and there are some snack foods in the dining room. Make yourselves at home and have fun.”

Cameron darted forward in a beeline; not one of his friends had to wonder which location he was going toward. The others ambled in gradually, absorbing the scene before them as they tried to get into a party mood. There were more of their classmates than they’d expected, but fewer than they might have hoped for. Sophomores made up the bulk of the bustling bodies, and though their gazes lingered on the unfamiliar faces, the freshmen didn’t sense any hostility from the older students. After a few minutes of acclimation, they made their way to the kitchen to try a few mixed drinks.

* * *

“Younger girls, Vince. Younger girls are heaven’s gift to strapping lads like us: still old enough to be legal, but inexperienced enough to perceive our advanced age as maturity. Herding them all together like this and adding alcohol, why, it’s practically unfair.” Nick took a swig of his cocktail to punctuate the point.

“I still can’t believe you talked me into coming out here,” Vince fussed. “I should be studying.”

“Algebra can wait, my dear boy; you’ll be just as clueless tomorrow as you were today.”

“That’s sort of the problem,” Vince replied. It was a testament to how stressed out school had made him that a red plastic cup filled with beer was clutched in his hand. He’d even managed to drink half of it over the course of the last hour. Roy and the girls were engaged in a flip-cup tournament that was in its final matches, so he and Nick had wandered around to do more meet-and-greets. They’d both been in the tournament as well; however, their team lost in the first round thanks to Vince’s unsteady hands and Nick’s intentional lack of coordination.

“Look, you’re making progress thanks to that study group of yours. Try and relax a little bit. The human mind can only stay cranked up to the max for so long before something fries itself. You need to take breaks; any book on how to cram will tell you the same thing,” Nick assured him. It was actually a little off-putting to see Vince’s nerves frayed. The guy was generally so unflappable that Nick had been starting to wonder if he even could get riled up outside of combat.

“I know, I know,” Vince muttered, taking another sip of his beer. “I just have to do well. If I want to stay in, I mean.”

“It’ll be okay. Just take tonight off and I promise you’ll find a way. The test is still a few weeks off, and if you don’t feel secure by the time it rolls around, I’ll personally oversee your tutoring.”

“Thanks. You’re a good friend, Nick.”

“I do what I can.”

“Excuse me,” said a freshman girl with her blonde hair cut short and spiky. “Could you please pass me some cups?” Another girl stood behind her wearing clothes that looked like they’d been on the floor for a week, and behind her was a boy in glasses trying very hard to look like he wasn’t trying very hard.

“No problem,” Nick said with trademark smirk. He nimbly plucked three cups from the top of the stack and tossed one to each student. “You all enjoying the party?”

“Well, we just got here, but so far it seems fun,” said the blonde.

“It certainly is. I’m Nick, by the way, and the gentleman nursing his beer like Florence Nightingale is Vince.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Candi, these two are Gale and Walter.”

“A pleasure to make your acquaintance. Vince and I will get out of your way so you can cobble together some cocktails, but if you should need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask.” Nick squeezed his way out of the kitchen, followed by Vince who gave them a much more genuine smile coupled with a thumbs up.

“They seemed nice,” Vince commented as the duo made their way to the garage. The tournament was bound to be nearing completion and both required a refill.

“They did, and we seemed aloof yet interesting. I’m telling you, younger girls. That’s where it’s at, my protégé.”

“How am I the protégé? I’ve actually had a girlfriend in college,” Vince pointed out.

“I dated around,” Nick replied. He’d ended things with Bubbles early last summer, when he had yet to decide whether returning to Lander was in his best interests. “Now, let’s go see what other promising prospects have wandered into our den of intoxication.”

“You get wordy when you drink.” Vince finished off the remainder of his beer as they headed into the garage. He had to admit, he did feel a little less stressed about the test. Maybe he’d have one or two more.

77.

Sasha greeted Thomas with a familiar nod as she and Julia walked in the door. Neither of them needed a designated driver: this Julia was a duplicate that the original had dropped off and Lander was scarcely more than a few seconds’ jog away for Sasha. Besides, she wasn’t here to get hammered beyond coherency. Sasha was a woman with a mission; she merely wasn’t sure what that mission was yet. She’d selected an outfit of skin-tight jeans and a low-cut top paired with a push-up bra. A rare touch of make-up and some attention to her hair left no doubt that Sasha was looking to draw attention tonight. Whose attention wasn’t the least bit in doubt, either: this sumptuous little ensemble had been crafted for one silver-haired individual. Whether it was meant to win him back, make him miss her, or simply prove that she still drew his attention, Sasha still couldn’t figure out. Perhaps it was some strange combination of all of them. Perhaps it was none of them. She knew she wanted him looking at her tonight, that thought sat in her mind with certainty.

A cursory glance of the living room was all it took to assess her competition. Jill, Selena, and Violet were chatting away near the stereo, so Will and Alex were presumably in attendance. None of the girls were an issue: Selena was gorgeous but taken, Thomas clearly still had feelings for Violet, and Jill was Will’s sister, so Vince would consider both off limits. Angela was leaning against a wall, making small talk with Chad. The girl was beautiful in a fearsome sort of way; it was the type of beauty Vince could actually appreciate. Fortunately, Angela had her predatory eyes clearly set on the specimen in front of her, so she posed little threat. Aside from a few freshmen scattered about in the kitchen and some of the men from her class trying to look less awkward than they felt, that seemed to be the entirety in attendance. A loud roar of cheers from the garage informed Sasha of her mistake and she re-oriented her direction almost immediately.

“Don’t you want a drink?” Julia asked, motioning to the kitchen.

“I’m more in the mood for beer.” If the crowd was in the garage then the kegs almost certainly were as well.

“Bleh.” Julia stuck out her tongue. “I’m sick of beer. I want something sweet.”

“Lucky for you we took such delicate sensibilities into account,” Violet said. She’d detached from her group of girls to greet the new arrivals. Neither Sasha nor Julia had noticed her cross the room, but given the general levels of background noise and movement, it was hardly a failing on their part.

“We made pink-panty-dropper punch,” Violet explained.

“Sounds dangerous.” Her words might have been cautious but Julia’s smile was eager.

“It’s essentially a bunch of pink lemonade and everclear thrown in a cooler, with a bit of fruit and additives for flavoring. We set it up near the beer.”

“You’ve sold me: to the garage!” Julia thrust a finger in the air and began a dramatic march forward.

“She’s in a mood tonight.”

“It’s been a long week; I think we’re both overdue for a little fun.”

Violet gave Sasha an up and down assessment. “Looks like someone is angling for more fun than a little.”

“Girl’s got the right to turn some heads.”

“Amen to that. Come on, let’s follow your roommate. I need a new beer, plus they’ll be playing quarters pretty soon.”

* * *

“Wow, this stuff is way better than beer,” Vince commented as he sipped from Alice’s cup. Her team had lost the flip-cup tournament, and as such she was beer-bloated enough to switch to the punch for a while. The line for it was shorter than the line for the beer as well, which had prompted Vince’s curiosity. “I’m going to grab a cup of this instead.” He headed over to the cooler to wait behind Amber and Britney, who were already filling their own cups with the concoction.

“I wonder if we should warn him about this stuff being stronger than it tastes,” Alice said as her friend stood cheerfully in line.

“Nah, I’m sure he’ll be fine. Vince is a smart guy,” Nick replied. He took a draw from his own drink, partially out of thirst and partially to conceal the smile that was tugging at his lips. A year ago it might have worked, but Alice was a wiser woman these days.

“You’re hoping he accidently gets smashed, aren’t you?”

“Obliterated.”

“That’s just mean.”

Nick shook his head. “He’s been worrying himself sick for weeks now over his math class. Add that to the normal amount of ‘weight of the world’ bull that guy carries around and I’m scared he’ll give himself an ulcer before Christmas.”

“And alcohol is the answer?”

“Fun is the answer. Doing things you wouldn’t normally do, making a few mistakes.” Nick noticed Sasha slink into the garage, sheer sex bundled into tight jeans and topped with pink-streaked hair. “Maybe repeating a few mistakes that are particularly fun.”

“You’re awful,” Alice sighed. She made no motion to go warn Vince. He’d probably figure it out after the first cup, and if he didn’t then maybe that was okay, too. Things had been tightly wound lately; a little recklessness was practically demanded.

“Hey, lovebirds, if you can tear yourselves apart, Camille and I need some opponents,” Stella called, holding up a pair of darts. Camille looked properly shamed by such an inappropriate greeting but Stella wore a cocksure grin that said she knew what she’d said and was confident she’d struck close to the truth.

“Lovebirds, huh? I think she’s trying to rattle us,” Nick said.

“She’ll need to do better than that,” Alice replied honestly. She wasn’t sure if she trusted Nick again, not yet, but after Halloween, she was done pretending she didn’t like being around him. He was the one she’d cried against for hours, and all he’d done in response was hold her close. He knew words would be wasted; he got that there was no simple fix for what was wrong. Nick understood her, at least a little bit, and that connection was something that made her feel better when he was around. It was enough, at least for right now.