The Secrets | Henry Hart

FOURTEEN

"Did you eat all those bloody hot-dogs?" Ray accused him, but we all knew the answer when Schwoz burped.

"I'll never tell."

I turned around in Henry's lap, my hand covering my mouth. One of Henry's hands dropped to my lap and his other covered his mouth. Charlotte fell onto the chair and Ray looked like he was actually about to throw up. 

The next day at the Dodge-A-Leen competition, I was on a team with Jasper and Oliver, the weird kid from our school. Sometimes I question Jasper's friend choices.

We were going against the Bilsky Bouncers. He acts like he owns everything and overyone, which is probably why he only has like three friends. 

"You guys, I'm ready to play."

I looked over at Oliver and noticed he was eating right before our match started. If anything, eating before jumping isn't smart, just like eating before swimming. 

"Dude, you don't stuff your face full of food right before a match." I stated as I stretched my arms. 

"Don't tell me how to live my life." 

He continued to shove food into his mouth when a ball came flying from behind us. It hit Oliver straight in the back, causing him to fall and choke on his food. I glared at Mitch, dragging my finger across my throat. He yelped and turned around to his friends. 

Our team was short by one player so weren't able to play unless we had three players. Jasper forced, or at least tried, to get Henry to play. 

He kept objecting, but when he made eye contact with me, he changed his mind, grabbing my hand and pulled me into the game.

***

Henry 

"If you get hit with a ball, you're out! If you throw a ball and your opponent catches it, you're out! When all three team members are out, you lose! When I say dodge, you dodge," the couch paused and blew his whistle, "dodge!"

Each of the teams were throwing balls in every possible direction. I knew that Charlotte wouldn't be happy about this, but I'm doing it for my girlfriend and for Jasper. 

Jasper was the first to get out, which doesn't surprise me because he isn't very agile as Aria and I am. A ball came flying from the Bilsky Bouncers and smacked Aria on the side of the face, the couch saying she's out. 

"Dang it!" She yelled as she stomped off the trampoline, watching me kick some dodging butt as this.

The three opponents each threw a ball, to which I just swiftly moved away as they hit the wall behind me. My Hyper-Motility comes in handy when I'm getting balls thrown at my face, and other areas of my body. 

The two guys threw a ball, and with one swift movement, I caught each one with both of my hands, surprisingly shocking myself. Now it was just me and Mitch left in the match.

I jumped up and swung my leg, kicking the ball that was on the trampoline. It flew over to Mitch and knocked him straight on the trampoline. I was hoping he'd bounce off the trampoline, but I lucked out on that one.

Aria ran over to me, jumping on my front, her legs wrapping around my torso. I gripped her thighs and she pressed her lips to mine. Her hands were on the side of my face when we kissed. Jasper groaned, and Charlotte walked in. 

"There's the look." I pointed over to Charlotte. Her arm was folded on her hip and she was shaking her head at me. 

Ray didn't really approve of me disobeying his rule about not using my superpower to play, but come on! It's dodge-ball, and I made the team win! Charlotte stood off to the side and wacthed as Jasper basically ratted us out. 

"Did you seriously use your superpower to win a game of dodge-ball played on trampolines?" Ray came closer to my face and I backed away, almost knocking Aria down. 

"Yeah, yeah I did. Okay?"

"Wha- I- I- CHARLOTTE HOW COULD YOU ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN?!" Ray shoved me to the side and blamed Charlotte for this. 

"What? Me!"

"Well, you're the responsible one!" I couldn't disagree with that statement about Charlotte, considering I'm not responsible at all. 

"I was in the bathroom!"

Ray stared at her, "Why?"

Why else would someone go to the bathroom? To play chess? To ride a bike? To drool over Kid Danger? That last one may be true to some people. 

"Why." Charlotte started, "because I drink liquids." 

Today me, Aria and Jasper were playing in another Dodge-A-Leen tournament. As Aria went to sign us in, I noticed Ray, Charlotte and Schwoz dressed up in ridiculous hairstyles with their back to us. 

Jasper wore a crop top that made me, Aria and most likely the whole entire room, feel very uncomfortable. I get that Jasper doesn't care what he wears, but being a guy myself, I really don't appreciate him dressing like that around me or my girlfriend. 

As the match started, Ray and I were shooting death glares at each other. Aria had her hand on my arm to keep me from using my superpower to heave a ball in Ray's face. 

"Don't kill Ray. Not yet at least." She whispered in my ear, sending chills down my spine. I resisted the urge to turn around and kiss her.

I dodge the first incoming ball from Ray by jumping upwards. Then I dodged the next three incoming balls from Ray by rolling and flipping my way around them.

Aria smirked and threw a ball at Charlotte's foot to get her out. I high-fived her and continued on with the game. When I jumped over the next ball, I landed way to hard on the trampoline and sent Aria flying off the side of the match.

"Aria flew away!" Jasper yelled when Aria was basically flown across the whole room onto the matted floor.

Schwoz tricked Jasper into looking up at the ball and when he did, he threw one on Jasper's stomach, making him out. I kicked a ball at Schwoz and got him out, so now it was just against me and Ray. 

I didn't even have to throw a ball as Ray heaved them at me. All I had to do was use my superpower to move away from them. I stepped on one of the balls and lost my footing. I came crashing down while bouncing. 

Out of nowhere, a red ball hit Ray in the face and knocked him over. I sat up and looked over to Jasper and Aria. Aria had her hand against the wall and was breathing in and out. 

"Aria, you got him!"

She laughed while Ray started to freak out over the fact that he lost the tournament. And he argued over the fact that Aria was supposedly out when in fact, she never got hit by a ball. 

"I love you." I said as we lied on the trampoline, staring at the rather high ceiling. Jasper was too busy trying to pull his crop top down to his waistband.

"I love you more."