I'M YOUR PUPPET; invincible

chapter 4

    "I don't want to lie to Amber, but I can't tell her the truth either."

    Eve shuts her locker. "This is why dating regular people is a pain in the ass." She points at Loren, waving her hand around. "Other than her and Logan. They're an exception."

    Mark grimaces, shrugging his shoulders. "Sure, but it's not like dating Rex worked out—" He flinched, a hand flying to cup his shoulder. "Hey!"

    Loren lowered her fist. "Just stop talking before you get worse than a punch, Mark. Not cool."

    "Changing the subject now," he sighed.

    Eve says, "As much as I'd love to help with your very special crisis, I've got my own crap to deal with now."

    They watch, then, as Eve walks down the hall, clutching her books to her chest. Dropping his head back against the lockers, he tips his gaze to Loren. She rolls her eyes, leaning her hip against them. "Look, if you tell someone your secret identity, you can't take it back. The moment someone else knows, especially someone like that, it's over. You have to mean it."

    He reaches a hand behind his neck. "Is that how you feel with Logan?"

    "Yeah," she nodded, feeling heat rise to her cheeks. "Obviously, I've had my moments of doubt, but I don't regret telling him. Because even if it doesn't work out romantically, I know that I have someone who supports me wholeheartedly. But you have to be completely confident in it, Mark, otherwise you're just endangering yourself."

    He nods. He understands, really, he does. But it's tough. To tell someone the truth about who you are under it all. Under the surface or under the mask.

    "What did Logan do when you told him?"

    She shakes her head with a laugh. "He thought I was lying. He said he was convinced it was a really bad joke until I showed him. Then he believed it. I had to explain how everything worked, why I was always busy. It was tough at first, but we figured it out." She reaches forward, patting his shoulder. "If you want it to work with Amber, make it work. If not, don't say anything about being who you are. Just be confident in whatever your answer is."

    She turns away, then, shrugging her bag over her shoulder. As she walks away, her long brown hair sways against her back, falling against the dark green shirt she wore.

    "Loren," he calls out.

    She stops and turns. "Yeah?"

    "Are you dating Logan again?"

    Something crosses over her face. A slight furrow to her brow. "Yeah, I am. Why?"

    Mark shrugs. "Just...nothing. Just the way you were talking about it."

    She nods slowly. Then turns, disappearing down the hall.

    His mind reels. Twisting and turning, unsure of which way to lean. Like a cut tree, leaning one way or another, unsure of which way to tip and, eventually, crash. He spends his day thinking, running through the possibilities.

    It is only after a brief goodbye to Amber and a push into the sky, that he knows his decision was right.

    Mark is pulled from his thoughts, suddenly, when something soars towards him. He is unsure of what it is. It crashes through the sound barrier with a clap of thunder, and it is then, when he catches a glimpse of blue and white, that he lets loose a breath of relief.

    "What are you doing?" He called out.

    "Monitoring you. Cecil asked."

    Loren comes up to his side with ease, glancing up towards the approaching space. Her hair blows behind her, white goggles a new addition to her suit.