Judge

Chapter 7

I carry Maddie back in the window and tuck her into bed fully clothed. I brush a few strands of hair out of her face. She looks like the little girl I once knew, her face relaxed and shining in a few shafts of moonlight that manage to pierce through the windowpane. Then I head downstairs to assess the damage.

The party is still going on downstairs, lively as ever. Ugh.

"Time to go home." I glare around the house. Everyone stops and stares.

"I'll clean you out myself if I need to."

Grumbling ensues, with not a few dirty looks directed at me. Christine is one of those who shoot me a glare. But tonight, I couldn't care less what these people thought. A half-hour later, everyone is out of the house. I look around and sigh. The cleanup is going to take a bit of work. Nothing to do but get down to it. I text my mom that I'm sleeping over at Andy's house and that I have clothes. I'm so emotionally exhausted that I get out the trash bags and spot cleaner and work through the night cleaning the house up, completely forgetting that I could have used my powers to clean all the trash up.

In the morning, I finish picking up beer cans outside the house, and the sun begins to rise. I look at the clock. I somehow pulled an all-nighter. I stretch myself out and try to wait for Maddie. My eyelids grow heavy. I doze off.

I wake up to thin fingers prodding me.

"Five more minutes, Arty. Practice is over..." I mumble into a pillow.

"Um...It's not your sister, man." My eyes snap open and I freak out. I'm lying sprawled on the same couch Andy and Bobbi were making out on. Maddie is in a white quilted blanket and blue striped silk pajamas, looking down at me.

"Oh, my god. I'm so sorry! I meant to stay awake after I cleaned up. I was trying to wait for you to...What?" It's her expression, lips parted, eyebrows raised, smiling slightly, that stops me.

"You cleaned up after my party?" She chuckles slightly. "That's so sweet of you, Ari."

"Yeah, well, I couldn't let you do all that with a hangover. You were , um, pretty out of it." She winces as I mention her drunken episode. "But now I know why you had the party."

"Look, can we just forget about that?" She groans and clutches her head. "I have such a headache."

"I'll cook for you. What do you...never mind. I'll make eggs and give you some fruit, okay? Then you need to get some exercise. Proper nutrition and movement is supposed to help." My dear old dad gets me drunk every time we go to Greece because he says I need to know when to stop. Hangovers are nasty aftereffects of his little tests. I know how to deal with them.

"Maddie, it's going to hurt first, a lot more than you're used to. I'm going to need you to push through the pain on the workout, all right? But then it'll go away. Um, in the meantime, lay down and don't move." I want her to know what she's getting into.

"All right." She plops down onto the couch next to me. I jump up, rub my eyes and yawn, wash my hands, and take out a frying pan. I glimpse her sprawled out on her back with the blanket. Two eggs, sunny side up. I rummage around for olive oil. I can't find it, so I cook them in butter, and add cantaloupe, strawberries, and blueberries on the side with a big glass of diluted orange juice.

She makes it about halfway through the glass of orange juice before throwing up all over me. I hurry away to the kitchen for a washcloth and some spot cleaner. Once I clean up the floor, I take off my shirt. I bundle it up and lay it in the sink. My pants are wet too.

"Maddie, can I borrow a robe or something?" I'm embarrassed to stay shirtless. She eyes me and I blush, my discomfort heightening every second.

"My dad's robe is in the master bedroom." I hurry and change, leaving my pants in the sink with my shirt. I walk her to the bathroom and get her to rinse out her mouth. Then I coax the rest of the food down her throat.

"You're going to need to take a shower next. Do you need me to help you or are you okay?" I'm genuinely worried for her.

"Wow, thanks. I suppose I'm going to need help with the shower?" She smiles at my blush.

"Um, no, not...Hey! Bad Maddie! Bad! I don't...I'm not..." My ears turn red.

"Hahaha. Such an innocent little boy." She turns and hobbles up the stairs. I hope she'll be okay.

When she returns from the shower, she looks refreshed in a simple white shirt and gray sweatpants. Her hair is pulled back into a clean ponytail. In that moment, she forcibly reminds me of her mother.

"Ok, Ari. What's next?" I don't want to ruin her mood, but I have to.

"Physical exercise." I ask her to follow me. I point out two lamp posts and tell her to give me fifty reps between them.

She's done in about fifteen seconds.

"Wow, that was...Terrible at first. I felt like my head was going to burst open. But I feel incredible now!"

"That's not supposed to happen. Workouts only reduce the piercing headaches...Must come with the powers." I'm amazed by the quick recovery.

"Hey, Ari?" Her tone is soft and almost tender. "I told you about my mom, right? When I was..." She mimes drinking from a bottle with her thumb and pinkie extended.

"Yeah. I'm so sorry. I did the best I could." I try not to talk about it. She seemed pretty damaged last night.

"Look, there's another reason I shut you out. I've been...sneaking out and stealing stuff from army surplus stores."

"You WHAT?!" I'm shocked once again.

"Look, I've been making something. Come upstairs. I'll show it to you." Unwittingly, I follow her. I tramp along right behind her into her room, then into the closet. She picks out a black garment bag I didn't notice before.

"What is it?"

"Just wait, Ari." She sighs and pulls out a black-and-grey bodysuit with a mask. The sleek lines make it look sporty and easy to move in, while leather pads and body armor provide strength.

It looks like a superhero's outfit.