Unexpected Consequences

18. Parkour!

I FLEXED MY fingers in the improved glove. It felt stiffer than I was used to, but nothing that would be hard to deal with. What exactly Jenny had done to the gloves, I wasn't sure, but she hadn't replaced them, just made them stronger. It would, in theory, work better against Lex's armor.

She discovered a lot of useful information from what he left behind, but not the biggies: how he was teleporting, or just how much firepower was packed into the suit itself. If he had more nasty surprises like the staff, anti-gravity boots, or grenade, I needed to know. Preferably before he used them.

"I should get going," I said, slipping off the glove and shoving it in my backpack.

She handed me my mask. "I'll call if I find anything."

"Thanks."

I flung my backpack over my shoulder and raced to the elevator to get to the lobby. All I could think of was Michael, Dwight, and Andy screaming 'parkour' as I squeezed between employees, hopped over a potted plant and around the corner of a couch, and almost ran right into the clear glass doors. For someone who actually knew parkour—it took me a while, but I got the hang of it—it was embarrassing.

I had three minutes to get from Manhattan to my school in Queens. That was impossible—not the kind of impossible where you can be all cheery and say, with enough effort, anything is possible! It was the real kind of impossible. There was absolutely no way I was getting to school on time.

But because I was a tryhard who couldn't bear to take it easy, I ran anyway.

I was late, but sadly not late enough to miss math entirely. The sun was shining right into the window, so I couldn't daydream and look out the glass unless I wanted to blind myself. The school's ventilation was being repaired, so there was no low, dull hum to lull me into a sense of sleep-like awakeness. This was individual work, not group work where talking was encouraged, so there was no eavesdropping on random but still interesting gossip. I was, unfortunately, perfectly alert and awake, and there was no reason for me not to focus on math other than despising the problems with my very being.

The hour and a half slaved away, and the rest of the day was going just fine until lunch. I stood outside of the library, debating. The team was practicing in there. Did I have any right to sit down with them like I hadn't been ditching almost every meeting and avoiding Fei like the plague?

"Are you going in?" said someone behind me.

I turned around and saw what's-his-face standing there. The new kid...what was his name...oh, right. "Hi, David."

He went a little red and mumbled, "Sorry. I, ah, forgot your name..."

"Peter," I said. Those who don't show up are bound to be forgotten, so I didn't mind, especially since he was new. Or, used to be new. In all honesty, he'd brought more to the team than I had this year, even if I'd been associated with it longer. "You go ahead. I'll be there in a second."

"Okay."

I moved aside to let him past me and watched as he sat down. I ducked away from the door just as Fei was looking up. A few seconds passed, and a few more, but she didn't come. I let out a relieved sigh. What happened to me? I used to care about this—I still cared! Why did it feel like everything had changed, like some cosmic balance had snapped and I couldn't just...be normal anymore?

"Are you going in?" It was Ben this time.

"Depends. Is Fei eating a salad?"

He leaned into the doorway to look. "Nope. She's got a sandwich."