Defenders

Defenders (4)

I looked at myself in the mirror, unsure if I really was going to go through with this whole superhero thing.

The suit I was wearing was skin tight, hot, and all black. It was definitely not something I'd be able to move around in, especially in hot weather. It squeaked whenever I moved and it already drove me completely nuts.

But I left the dressing room anyway, since I knew I wouldn't be able to hide out in there forever. If only I could...

When I opened the door, I could see that all three boys and Hank were dressed in suits, and I couldn't help but notice that they all cleaned up pretty nicely, even Anthony. His glasses seemed to be cleaner than they were before, while Dex's hair was actually brushed out nicely. Meanwhile, both Aiden and Hank looked like they belonged in suits.

"You look beautiful!" was the first thing I heard, from Hank. Could he not see the deathtrap I was wearing? "Doesn't she, boys?"

The mumbled their agreements, and Hank elbowed Dex in the side as hard as he could.

"Yes," he answered loudly now, through his teeth.

This wasn't the kind of compliments I wanted. I didn't want forced ones. Actually, I just didn't want compliments at all. It would have been better if I just didn't get compliments from anyone, like usual.

Kristie exited out of her dressing room then, wearing the same exact thing I was. Only, she looked so much better in it. And the boys obviously agreed, because they couldn't keep their eyes off her.

"You know, a picture lasts longer," I informed them, but none of them even heard me.

I really hated these stupid skin-tight suits even more now.

Hank made his way over to me. "Don't get discouraged," he grinned sympathetically as he placed his hands in his pockets, which just made me feel even worse. "You'll win one of them someday."

But that wasn't what I wanted.

I would have felt bad for Kristie if I wasn't really pissed at her. I didn't know how it was like to be ogled by guys all the time, but I knew that she did. But then again, she might have been too stupid to realize what guys were really doing when they looked at her.

But out of the three boys on my team, only Aiden was the one that had real feelings for her. The other two just liked what they saw. It was Aiden that was in for the long run.

Kristie didn't even realize that the guys were staring at her, which just ticked me off even more. Did she always act like this whenever she got stared at? Did she just not react because she was that stupid?

Nay was dressed back in her normal clothes, but she was still sitting at the table while everyone else stood and waited for whatever she was going to say next. I watched them, not knowing what I was supposed to do, and I was almost afraid to ask.

"Um..." I gulped. "What are we doing?"

"You, Kristie, and I are just about to go to the practice course. But, Violet, before we go..." Nay began, gesturing to a cup full of tea that was across the table from her. "Could you give that to me?"

I blinked at her for a second, but then took a step forward. "Yeah, sure..."

"No, no," she denied now with a shake of her head, and I stopped dead in my tracks. "I don't want you to hand it to me. I want you to use your powers."

I just stared at her. "But... but I can't."

I remembered the shattered mirror in the RV. What was going to happen if I splattered hot tea everywhere? I knew that it wouldn't be good, that was for sure.