A warm breeze blew through the Mancopter as Charlotte and Henry flew over Swellview toward Neighborville for their first date. It wasn't her idea to take the Mancopter, but she was glad that they had taken it. Everything on the ground looked so miniscule, like she was a giant in the land of dwarfs. Usually, it was the other way around when she was hanging out with Henry and Ray since they were taller than her. It was also very peaceful up here in the cloudless sky because no one was talking about her and Kid Danger being together. Right now, it was just Henry (even if he was wearing his Kid Danger Suit) and Charlotte, not Kid Danger and Charlotte. It was nice.
"Are you excited for today?" Henry asked her, glancing over at her. She caught his eyes before he looked back at the world below them. For some reason, he looked a little nervous. Weird. "Because I am. I'm ready to let loose a little and just have fun with you."
"Yeah, I am," Charlotte admitted. In her mind, she kept telling herself that this wasn't a real date between her and Henry. She kept reminding herself that it was just something they're doing as friends, like they used to do before this whole plan began. "I bet Jasper's jealous that we get a whole carnival to ourselves, though."
"He is. The last time I saw him, he was sulking in the Man Cave. He wouldn't even look at me."
"We'll have to do something with him soon," Charlotte told him. She sighed, rubbing a hand over her face. It was tiring being in this situation with Henry, and they hadn't even been fake together for that long. "I feel bad that he's basically left out of what we're doing."
"Eh, he's fine. We kept the Kid Danger secret from him for years."
"You're such a terrible friend."
"Maybe, maybe not." Henry glanced over at her again with a slight smile on his face. Charlotte couldn't help but smile back at him. "And don't you mean we?"
The two of them laughed softly together, and she was glad that they were able to still do that. She was terrified of losing her friendship with him because of this fake romantic relationship. She glanced outside and was surprised that they were already in Neighborville. The morning sun shone down on the little town below them, casting it in a warm haze. The carnival was all lit up with a multitude of colors, ready for them to come. A small smile appeared on her face until she saw something strange in the carnival.
"Wait, is that a crowd of people in the carnival?" Charlotte asked as she leaned out slightly to get a better look at the ground below them. The helipad that Ray paid to be installed here in Neighborville was surrounded by people, all of them pointing up at the sky. Her stomach dropped at the sight. "I thought Ray paid to have this place empty for us."
"He was supposed to."
"Then why are there people here?"
"He probably forgot between him mourning his upcoming death and him freaking out about every little noise in the Man Cave."
"Can you turn around, Henry? I don't want people to follow us around the whole day."
"No, I can't turn around now, Char. We'll be fine. Hopefully."
It didn't take that long for him to land the Mancopter on the helipad. He had gotten good at flying this helicopter after Ray taught him, and she was glad that he could fly it easily without killing them. Though, she really did want them to crash instead of land right now just so she wouldn't have to face all the crowds again. Dying would have been better than this.
Henry walked over to her side after he got out and helped her out of the Mancopter. The sound of teenage girls screamed once they saw him, but Henry didn't pay any attention to them. Charlotte flinched at the sound. "Does my hair look okay?" she asked him quickly, hoping her heard her over the screaming.
"Yeah, it does. Does mine look good?"
"It's gelled down to your head. I don't think it would be able to move in a hurricane."
Giving her a look, he took her by the hand and led her around the Mancopter. The crowds were waiting for them, cheering already, but they got louder when they saw another glance of Kid Danger. He raised his empty hand to them, silencing them quickly. Charlotte hid behind him as he opened his mouth to speak.
"I don't want to be interrupted today," he said loudly to everyone. Much to Charlotte's horror, she saw a few news people standing in the crowd, cameras pointed at the two of them. Were they really going to broadcast their whole date on the news? The only person Charlotte had told about her date with Kid Danger was Piper, so she must have been the one to spill the beans. "I'm off the job today, so there's no need for any of you to be here."
"Kid Danger, would you like telling us who your little friend is there?" a news reporter asked, shoving a microphone into Henry's face. His buddy pointed at camera at them, and Charlotte ducked out of the way.
"If you already know about my date, you already know who she is." Henry's grip on her hand tightened slightly, and she was thankful for that. He also made sure to be in front of her, hiding her away from everyone's prying eyes. "She's not little, either. I mean, stature-wise she is, but she's probably smarter than everyone here."
Before anyone could say anything to him, Henry pulled her through the crowd and into the carnival. Many people tried to grab at her, but Henry was quick. Of course, he was quick. He had done this so many times. They kept their pace a little quicker than they normally would have to try to walk faster than the crowds behind them, but she knew they were following them. She could hear the crowd talking to each other, wondering how they would be able to get photos with the Kid Danger. She also heard some girls say that they were going to try and get rid of Charlotte, making her frown.
Once they made it into the carnival, Henry paid for their tickets. He bought a lot, and Charlotte laughed when he handed her a few. It seemed like he wanted to play more than be with her, which was understandable.
"Oh, Charlotte, we have to play this game," Henry said, tugging on her arm. She looked over at where he was pointing. To their right was a basketball game with two lanes where people could shoot into the hoops. "Please? I love basketball."
"Alright."
He nearly dragged her over to the basketball game, giving the man at it tickets for both of them to play. With a quick glance behind her, she realized the crowd was still following them, with the news crew at the front, catching everything they were doing. When she got back to Swellview, she was going to have to have a few words with Piper.
"Me versus you?" Henry asked her with a wide smile. Charlotte's heart picked up at the sight, and she quickly tore her eyes away from him, wondering where that feeling came from. "Whoever wins gets to pick out the prize."
"You're on, Kid Danger."
Charlotte picked up the first basketball and shot it directly at the hoop. Much to her amazement, it swished through, while Henry's bounced off the rim and flew back toward him, nearly nailing him in the face. Every single time she threw her ball, it swished through the hoop. Everyone behind her kept cheering with each throw of hers while Henry missed most of his shots.
"I win!" Charlotte said happily. She grinned over at Henry to find him already smiling. For a second there, she wondered if he did that on purpose, but she didn't want to ruin the day, so she didn't say anything. "I beat you, Kid Danger."
"I see you're so humble, Charlotte Page."
Charlotte turned toward the man waiting for her to pick her prize. Her eyes traveled over the wall of prizes. Most of them were small stuffed animals, but the one she pointed to was a large stuffed panda. The man got it down for her, and she took it from him, surprised by how big this stuffed animal actually was. It nearly dwarfed her, and when she grabbed onto it, she was almost knocked down.
"Where'd Charlotte go?" Henry asked when she turned around holding the panda. She rolled her eyes at the back of the head of the stuffed panda. "You're smaller than this stuffed animal, Char."
"Whatever."
Henry took the stuffed panda out of her hands so she could actually see in front of her. Now that she was able to see, she quickly scanned the area around them. The crowd was still there, but it had dwindled just a little bit. He wrapped his free arm around her shoulders, giving her a small squeeze. "Where to next?" he asked her.
"I want to ride a rollercoaster."
"Are you sure you're tall enough for that?"
Henry looked at her with mischievous eyes. Charlotte really wanted to hit him, but she doubted the crowd would have enjoyed that. They probably would have turned on her for assaulting their favorite superhero from Swellview. Instead, she slipped her arm around his waist and pinched his side as quickly and hard as she could.
"Okay, we'll go ride some rollercoasters," he conceded with a wince.
"Good choice."
When she pulled the curtain closed on the photobooth, she let out a breath of relief. They were finally alone for once today. It seemed like everywhere they went here at the carnival, the paparazzi and fans found them. Even when she went to the bathroom, a bunch of girls followed her. But there was no way they could get in the photobooth with her and Henry because no one else could fit besides them and the stuffed panda she had won against him.
"Wow, I didn't expect that many people to show up for our first date," Henry said with an awkward laugh. He looked as exhausted as she felt about all those people watching them. "I never thought that the people of Swellview cared about me that much."
"How could they not?" Charlotte asked with a sigh. She kneaded a knuckle against her eyebrow, trying to get rid of the small headache that was forming. The heat of the day had gotten to her, and she hadn't brought any medicine to help. "You're a superhero, Henry. People always like superheroes and celebrities more than their normal lives."
"You sound like you regret going along with this plan."
"I just hate all the attention."
"I understand. I wish I could make them all go away so you can enjoy yourself today."
She couldn't help but smile at that. "I am having fun," she admitted softly. While the day had gone differently than what she had planned, it was still fun hanging out with her best friend. "I beat you at every single game we played today. That's fun."
Henry laughed, making Charlotte go completely still. Charlote hadn't noticed this before, but his laugh sounded like a little boy who didn't have a care in the world. She wished she could think similar to him, to not notice all the bad in this world. But she had been working for Ray too long and saw multitudes of villains try to destroy them and their homes. She loved her job, but it was draining.
"Charlotte, are you even listening to me?"
"Sorry." She shook her head slightly, trying to make her thoughts disperse from her brain. Henry gave her a weird look. "What were you saying?"
"You better not tell Ray, Schwoz, or Jasper that you beat me at all the games we played, okay?"
Charlotte frowned slightly at him. "Are you saying that it's impossible for a girl to win games like those? Only boys are allowed to win?"
Henry's eyes went wide. He probably remembered every time she yelled about him being sexist and didn't want a repeat of previous conversations. "No, that's not what I'm saying," he said quickly. He cleared his throat. "It's fine. You can tell them. You can tell the whole world if you wanted."
"That's a good boy. You've finally learned."
"Can we take some pictures now?"
"Yeah." Charlotte situated the stuffed panda in between their feet while Henry paid for their pictures with the Man Card. When she looked back up, she saw a countdown from ten on the screen. "That was fast," she said with a laugh. "What's going to be our first pose?"
"Smile."
"I can't smile on cue, Henry."
He reached out and brushed his fingers against her side, finding a small spot of exposed skin. Of course, he knew exactly where she was ticklish. Charlotte couldn't help but burst out laughing just as the camera flashed. Her laugher quickly disappeared, though, and she glared at Henry, who only shrugged.
"Hey, I had to get you to smile somehow," he said to her, his smile stretching across his face. "That was the best I could think of in that short amount of time. You always have a beautiful smile when you laugh."
"You know I hate being tickled."
"You had to smile, Char." He gestured to the screen in front of them where their picture was being shown. Henry was right, she did have a pretty smile when she laughed. In the picture, he was smiling, too, just as wide as hers was. He also was looking at her with that smile on his face while she stared straight ahead. "See? It turned out perfectly."
"I guess I won't kill you for tickling me because I do look good." She drew out 'good' just like he used to do a lot when he was younger. His eyes sparkled at her. "What's our next pose going to be?"
"Well, you have your judgy face perfected, so we can do that."
"You really are ruthless today, aren't you?"
"Maybe."
As the time counted down, she put on her best judgy face, the one she used the most at work with Ray, Jasper, Henry, and Schwoz. She always wore it around them because she was surrounded by "manly" guys who couldn't see past their testosterone. She really did need another girl with her there to help balance things out a little. Even though she hated being the only girl there, she loved all four of them, but she did judge them a lot based on what came out of their mouths.
"You look terrifying," Henry said as their second picture flashed across the screen. Charlotte smiled at the photo, happy with how it turned out. He pointed to her eyes, saying, "There's something in your eyes that scare me a little."
"Good."
"But I know you're just a softie on the inside of that tough exterior."
She rolled her eyes at him. "What's our third pose going to be?"
"Silly faces."
Charlotte crossed her eyes and stuck her tongue out at the camera while Henry pulled his cheeks out with his fingers. She almost started laughing at the crazy look in his eyes, but she was able to hide her laughter. She didn't want to ruin their third picture by laughing.
As the photo flashed across the screen, Charlotte racked her brain on what to do for their last photo. She couldn't think of anything, so she asked, "What's our last pose going to be?"
"Something romantic," Henry said to her, and she frowned. "Like, you kiss my cheek, or I kiss your cheek. Or we can kiss for real."
Charlotte quickly shook her head. She definitely didn't want to kiss him right now. She didn't want to kiss him ever, actually. Her dream would be coming true, just in a different place, and she didn't want it to come true. She was terrified of her dream becoming reality.
"Come on," Henry said quickly. Charlotte furrowed her eyebrows when she realized that he was trying to convince her to kiss him. Did he really want to kiss her? "We have to kiss sometime, and this is the best place to have it. No one's going to watch us have our first kiss. Isn't that what you want?"
"Henry --" He took her face in his hands, making her throat suddenly stop working. There was something strange going on with her heart as he stared into her eyes. She couldn't say no to him now, not when he had a good reason as to why they should kiss right now. "Just a quick kiss, okay?"
"Okay." She cleared her throat nervously. "Next time you try to kiss a girl, though, don't push her to do it. That's mean."
"Got it."
Before she was even ready, Henry kissed her. It was short and quick and something she hadn't ever pictured herself doing before in real life. She always woke up before she could kiss him in her dream. But this was real. This was what a kiss with her best friend felt like. It felt nothing like she thought it would. It felt . . . better than she thought. That was what scared her the most.
"Okay, we should probably get out there to get our pictures before one of my many fans steal them from us," Henry said, his voice cutting through her thoughts. When she finally opened her eyes, she saw that red painted his cheeks.
"Good idea," she said. Her voice sounded so strange to her, like she didn't know who she was. Maybe she didn't anymore. "That's a good idea."
"Thanks."
Charlotte jumped out of the photobooth as quickly as she could. It suddenly felt like it was stifling in there with him, like she couldn't breathe. Sucking in the fresh air, she glanced around the area. People were surrounding the photo booth, and it felt like the air was knocked out of her body. Was this what it felt like to lose her mind? She wasn't really sure right now. It was getting a little hard to think about anything else other than him and the people around them.
Because she was the first one out of the photobooth, she took the two slips of paper out of the holder. Thankfully, no one else had taken them before she got out there. She didn't want anyone to see the pictures they had taken together. The crowd around the photobooth started cheering when Henry stepped out of the photobooth. His cheeks weren't red anymore, which was good. Charlotte couldn't say the same about herself. She wasn't really sure what she looked like right now, but she knew that her face was probably betraying her.
"Are you ready to go?" Henry whispered in her ear. He took her by the hand so they wouldn't get separated in the crowds. She held on tightly to his hand, not really wanting to let go. "Because I am."
"Yeah," she whispered back to him, not trusting her voice. "I'm tired of all these people."
"Me, too."
Henry kept her close as they walked through the crowd. Thankfully for them, all those people parted to let them through easier. Charlotte couldn't really pay attention to anything around her besides Henry. All the features around her blurred into a rainbow of colors, burning brightly across her vision. She wasn't sure what was wrong with her right now. Something was different now. Something had changed now. She didn't know whether it was good or bad, but she did know that she didn't like it. She didn't like it one bit.