"There must be a blue moon tonight because there's no way in hell we're about to have this conversation."
To double check, I lean to the side to look out of Bailey's window. I see the dark, plain night sky. The city's pollution masks away the star glazed canvas, only allowing the moon to be displayed; a moon that is not blue. "Um, nope. We've got ourselves a silver moon tonight."
"So we're not about to have a discussion of secrecy that we've kept from each other?" Bailey questions, subconsciously squinting her eyes. It's a habit of hers when she's confused and in need of clarification.
"Actually, we are," I reply back. Still sitting on the ground, I reach over and grab one of the couch cushions. I take the big soft pillow and bring it close to me, wrapping my arms tightly around it like it's one of my many plush toys. I hug the pillow tightly, lingering longer than necessary in comfort.
How, in all that makes scientific sense, can I start this conversation?!
The answer: nothing.
I have no idea how.
"So," Bailey begins, letting the one word sink into the air. She also has no clue what to say .
"So," I say too, resting my chin on top of Bailey's sky blue cushion. Maybe if I bury my head into the pillow, all my problems will go away and I'll forget everything temporarily. Then again, maybe that's not such a good idea. Not like short term amnesia would do me any good anyway.
"You knew about Chasity?" Bailey asks.
"Would we be having this talk if I didn't?" I ask back jokingly, trying to lighten the mood.
It works because Bailey cracks a smile. Sitting on the couch opposite to me, wearing a pair of jogger sweats and a loose long sleeve shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbow, Bailey is pulling off the tomboy look. She's always loved dressing up in men's clothes. The best part though is that she pulls it off.
Bailey actually looks like a dude; a handsome one too.
I can see why Chasity has the hots for my best friend.
"No, I guess not," Bailey scratches the back of her neck nervously. "You're not mad at me, are you?"
I keep my emotions in check, maintaining neutral ground. "Mad?" I ask, sounding genuinely lost. "I'm not mad. I'm furious." Bailey's faces turns pale at the sound of my calm voice. Her body goes rigid, awaiting the storm that is my fury.
Except, there isn't any fury under my stable expression. The only emotion I'm trying so hard to contain is my humor. Bailey's worried reaction doesn't help whatsoever. She appears so scared that I'm starting to wonder if she's going to pee her pants. That would be hilarious and my reaction to that shows just how great of a friend I really am.
I can't be the only friend that finds amusement at my friend's embarrassments, right?
"Shit, Zada! I'm sorry, okay! You gotta forgive me!" Bailey pleas urgently. She runs a hand through her hair, tugging at her gorgeous brown locks rather harshly. "You have no idea how badly I wanted to tell you but I couldn't break my promise to Chasity." My close friend attempts to give me an explanation but I couldn't hold it in any longer.
I broke out laughing the loudest I have in a while. My laughing fit scares the living daylights out of Bailey. She jumps in shock and topples over the couch, landing smack on her bum right in front of me. The entire falling process was too funny to watch. One moment, Bailey is on the couch looking so scared that would make any horror actress envious and then the next, Bailey is on the ground, confused as to how she got there.
I laugh even harder. Bailey tries to keep her cool. She even glances around as if she's trying to figure out how she ended up sitting in front of her couch but pretty soon, she's on the bandwagon and laughing with me.
"Oh my gosh, ha ha!" My laughing fit makes it a challenge to speak my mind. "I can't believe you thought," I take a pause to laugh some more, "that I was mad at you!"
"Mad at me?!" Bailey shrieks, immediately sobering up. "Girl, I thought you were going to unleash your fury and end me right here on my favourite couch!" Bailey pretends to wipe fake sweat off her forehead. "I thought I was done for!"
I throw my pillow at her but Bailey shields herself before the soft cushion could smack her face. "How could I hurt you with these?" I question, pointing to my other arm. My arms are so skinny that it's debatable if I have any biceps or not.
"Hmm," Bailey squints her eyes, examining my arm that I have flexed for her. Sadly, my flexed arm looks exactly the same as my non-flexed arm. "Fair point. Physically, I'm safe but mentally, I was so screwed."
I roll my eyes. "How could I have breached your highly secure mental walls up there?" I ask, tapping my head. Bailey was one of those people who valued her brain more than her heart. I decided not to chose a side given the fact that I can't live without either organ.
"Excuse me? Did you hear yourself?" Bailey asks back, raising an eyebrow. When she notices my wary expression, Bailey elaborates. "You were all like 'I'm not mad, I'm furious' with a monotone voice any robot would sell their metallic soul to have! I was seconds away from jumping out the nearest window to save myself. If you hadn't blown your cover, I would have shit myself!"
I laugh again and lean against the couch behind me to rest. Bailey chucks her pillow back at me but it playfully lands in my lap.
"Not cool, Zada."
"It totally was! Besides, I kept the same secret from you so why would I be mad?" I point out, stunning Bailey.
Lost for words, it takes a couple of seconds for Bailey to come to turns with the fact that she over reacted. "Oh...right." Bailey drawls out. "I guess we're both back stabbing b*tches."
"No," I quickly state, refusing to agree with Bailey. "We decided to keep the each other from a truth that would threaten our safety."
Bailey scoffs. "That's one way of putting it."
All I do is glare, unimpressed.
"What?" Bailey asks. "There's nothing wrong with defending your cruel actions." Bailey hold up her hands in surrender when I threaten to throw the pillow at her again. "Calm down, girl! I was only joking."
"Clearly you don't know what I joke is." I mumble but loud enough for Bailey to catch.
"Oh sure I do! Remember that time when-"
We get interrupted by a loud bang. Bailey and I snap our heads in the direction of the sound to find Bailey's bedroom door wide open and a fuming Chasity standing by it. "I left to give the two of you some privacy so you could discuss your friendship and share your secrets. Instead, you two can't overcome the first obstacle: your guys' ADD!"
"Um, we're not dudes. We're dudettes." Bailey states matter-of-factly, fueling her girlfriend's rage. I lightly bite my bottom lip to prevent myself from bursting into a fit of giggle that would most definitely ignite Chasity's annoyance.
Chasity sends her girlfriend a glare and smirks. "Oh, I know your a dudette," she spits the last word. "I've seen you in bed, babe. Your gender has been confirmed."
I couldn't hold in my laughter because if I did, my bottom lip would be bleeding a lake of blood. I laugh out loud again while Bailey's face turns bright red. Chasity's grin widens in satisfaction. Revenge can be sweet like that.
"So, I decided to give you two idiots a hand before you ramble off and start discussing how resourceful the Weather Network is!" It's funny because it's true. Bailey and I have debated, on numerous occasions, the reliability of the Weather Network.
Chasity walks back over to the living room of Bailey's apartment and sits on the couch, right behind Bailey. She swings her legs and rests them on Bailey's shoulders. Bailey doesn't mind though. She wraps her arms around Chasity's legs and massages them.
I resist the urge to gush out in awe. They look so cute together.
"Chasity is right!" Bailey exclaims but I can see the mischievous glee twinkling in her eyes. "It's difficult to trust in meteorologists. You can never truly know mother nature's intentions."
Chasity playfully smacks Bailey's head just to the point where she messes up Bailey's hair, earning a frown form Bailey and a chuckle from me. "Shut up for a second will you?" Chasity begs, sounding exhausted.
"A second isn't really enough time to talk," I mention, receiving a glare from Chasity while Bailey grins at me in approval.
"Don't you start," Chasity warns and I don't. I'm know when it's time to stop, especially with a superhero like Chasity.
Chasity sighs, relishing in the silence before she continues on. "You both know that I'm apart of the Super Trio."
Bailey and I nod our heads simultaneously. We would have commented if we weren't afraid of Bailey's girlfriend's wrath.
"That's the only bit of information that the both of you share. The next is something I have shared only with Bailey."
That catches me off guard. Bailey knows more than me? What?! "What do you mean 'only with'? Like you..." I leave my sentence hanging for Chasity to catch on to it.
"Like only Bailey knows." Chasity finishes my sentence while Bailey looks around her living room, avoiding any eye contact with me.
"Like just Bailey and nobody else? Even the rest of the Super Trio?" Chasity sucks in a deep breath, clearly annoyed by my pestering. The rate we're going, I might actually get to experience Invisi-Girl's ability first hand.
Maybe it's best that I don't attempt to push a superhero's buttons.
"Bailey's the only one who knows, okay?!" Bailey and I both cower in fear at the fierceness in Chasity's exasperated cry.
Mentally noting to never annoy Chasity, I keep my voice low when I ask my next question. "And what does she know?" I give Bailey a scrutinizing stare only to find Bailey staring intently at her hands like their the most fascinating thing on the planet.
"Babe, will you do the honors?" Chasity looks down at her girlfriend, running her hands through Bailey's faux hair cut. The style doesn't suit many, Bailey not being one of them.
Bailey brings her hand over her mouth to cover her cough. "Ahem, well... Zada," Bailey bites her lower lip, struggling to find the right words. Afraid of Chasity's wrath, I remain silent and patiently wait for Bailey to spill the deets. I don't need another warning glare from Beacon High's cheerleader. She may be famous for her cheers during any competitive team sport but man, that girl can make a raging bull change directions with just one raise of an eyebrow.
"Chasity isn't actually a superhero."
For a second there, I thought I was hearing voices, ones that wanted to leak lies and complete bull into my ears. If I am to be honest to myself, I strongly believe I misheard. To double check, I look around me to see if there are any ghosts in the area.
Not that ghosts are real.
Not that ghosts are not not real.
I better stop right there before my brain goes into overload and starts to malfunction.
...then aging, I'm pretty sure it already is malfunctioning.
I want to keep a straight face but release a few giggles. "I'm sorry but did I hear you right?" I laugh some more until I notice that Chasity and Bailey aren't laughing with me. I instantly sober up. "Are you serious?"
The two lesbians nod their head, not sure how to respond because they fear what my reaction might be. At this point, I hope they've prepared their ears for a laughing riot.
"Oh come on! I've see you turn invisible before; how can you explain that?!" I exclaim, crossing my arms over my chest. So far, I am not convinced.
Chasity lifts her legs off of Bailey's shoulder's and swings them over so she can plant her feet on the carpeted floor. Without a single word of what she plans to do, Chasity walks away from Bailey and I. We watch her enter Bailey's room again and come out moments later with a duffle bag. Chasity doesn't say a word as she walks over to me, dumps the bag right in front of me, and goes back to sit on the couch in her previous position.
Bailey wraps her arms securely around Chasity's smooth legs while Chasity crosses her arms over her chest, mirroring me. "Go ahead. Open it."
Cautiously, I uncross my arms and lean forward. I peer at the cliche pink with gold striped duffle bag, making it appear as though Chasity is nothing but a girly girl with an unhealthy obsession for pink.
Gah, I'm not a fan of that colour but my curiosity out competes my disgust. I hesitantly reach over and unzip the bag, revealing to me a neatly wrapped tech...blanket? The light grey colour puts emphasis on the beaded material pattern. I look up to give Chasity and Bailey a questioning look. Chasity nods her head slowly, urging me to pull out the object.
So I reach into the bag and touch the blanket, surprised at how soft the material it. I'm even more surprised when I lift it, to find it barely weighing anything. Once the blanket is fully out the bag, I shake it a bit to allow the fabric to unfold. With just one firm shake, the material unfolds, showing me to arm sleeves and two long sleeves for the legs.
My eyes widen, realizing that I'm holding a suit, not a blanket.
"Now think about invisibility," Chasity instructs.
Feeling a bit skeptical, I listen to her order instead of sharing my thoughts. As odd as it seems, I concentrate on the powerful ability of Invisi-Girl and how cool it must be to go, at will, unseen by the public eye.
Having a bad day? Don't worry, just go invisible and the problems will all go away. Literally because no one would be able to see you. Hence, invisibility!
It's times like these where I come to the conclusion that I would make a great advertiser. Something to think about if the plan for my future decides to go sour.
Jeez, distracting myself with my thoughts truly is a thing I do on a regular basis. Today, it nearly cost me witnessing the most valuable evidence.
The suit vanished.
One moment I'm thinking about how cool the ability to disapper is with the slight side track and the next, I'm staring straight at Bailey and Chasity instead of the light grey suit.
Where did it go?
Wait a minute, I can still feel it. I scrunch my eyebrows together in confusion as I focus on my clenched hands. Even though I can't see anything, I can still feel the soft fabric underneath my fingers as if I'm still holding onto the suit.
What is going on?
"Don't panic, Zada," Chasity softly speaks, "just think about the suit and how it looks like." I do as told and envision the suit in my mind. I picture the grey beaded material and the perfect shape of it. The spandex suit is probably an athletic outfit wanted by many. I just want to be looking at it again so I don't have to confirm that I'm crazy.
Concentrating hard, while looking right where the suit should be, I see the suit materialize right before my eyes. I gasp in surprise, dropping the suit while I jump back up on the couch behind me. The grey suit falls to the floor, not making even the slightest sound.
"What the," I whisper, eyes wide and focused on the fallen suit.
"That," Chasity announces, walking towards me, "is my invisi-suit."
"Or to be more precise," Bailey adds in, "the Unseen 10,000!"
Chasity visibly cringes. "Please don't ever call her that. I hate the name the lab boys came up with." With that said, Chasity picks up her invisi-suit. She holds it up with one hand in front of me and it disappears, only to reappear the next second. "This is how I'm able to be Invisi-girl."
"So you're not really a super hero," I say, repeating the same words that I was told minutes ago. The only difference is that I didn't believe them then. Now...
I'm speechless.
Chasity nods her head. "I'm one hundred percent human. Nothing special about me. And come to think of it, neither is Fortis. He's just a man that was injected with a drug stronger than one hundred steroids. He still requires a regular dosage of the drug to remain functional. So, overall, when you look at it, the only real superhero ever created is Double M."
My heart sinks at the bare mention of Reece. I knew, all along, that he was special. Chasity just confirmed the truth for me. Reece really is one of a kind.
Until now.
"But he's no longer the only one," I tell Chasity and Bailey while my body relaxes against the comfy couch. My back sinks into the massive cushion behind me, making me feel as if my problems are being engulfed along with me. That peace doesn't last long until I stabilize against the couch, still in the same living room as Chasity and Bailey with the massive threat known as Mr. Caraveo lurking somewhere in the city.
"What does she mean?" Bailey asks Chasity and her girlfriend informs Bailey of the horrifying events that took place in our biology classroom hours ago. But, Chasity leaves out the fact that Reece and Cameron were among us. Somehow, Chasity made it seem as if she and I were the only ones that witness Mr. Caraveo share the same capability of morphism as Double M. Bailey sucks in a sharp breath. "Oh, shit! For real?!" Chasity and I nod our heads. I wish I could tell Bailey otherwise. "What are you going to do?"
"Me? I can't do anything. In the end, only Double M can compete against Mr. Caraveo." Chasity rubs her hand along the back of her neck. She appears worn out which, for me, is quite the shock. I'm used to shielding my eyes from Chasity's radiating glow of power and beauty. This women looks like she can take on the world twenty four seven. It feels foreign to me to be staring at an exhausted Chasity who seems like she wants nothing more than to cuddle with Bailey in a bed and sleep.
Then again, there's nothing Chasity can do at the moment. There's nothing neither of us can do but wait until we hear back from Reece and Cameron. Speaking of those two...
"Bailey? Did Chasity tell you the identities of Fortis and Double M?" I ask.
Bailey's features change to one of disappointment. "No," she then perks up, "do you?"
Chasity steps in at this time. With the suit already in her pink duffle bag, Chasity tackles Bailey on the couch. "Yes, Zada does but she won't be the one telling you. That's something that the boys can only do." Bailey playfully squeals when Chasity accidentally hits a tickle spot. The two girls struggle with each other, fighting for dominance but even though Chasity is smaller than her girlfriend, she declares herself alpha the moment she's on top of Bailey, straddling Bailey's hips.
Wow! Clearly that's my cue to leave. I start to get up but Bailey shots me a glare that instantly freezes me on the couch. Does my good friend except me to watch?!
But Bailey has something different in mind. She places her hands firmly on Chasity's slim waist and gives her a squeeze, causing Chasity to release an unwanted giggle. It's payback time as Bailey tickles Chasity, distracting her girlfriend so that Bailey could push Chasity gently off of her, making Chasity fall onto the other side of the couch.
"Hey!" Chasity exclaims, gripping the side of the couch for balance. "What the hell, babe?!"
Bailey tsks at Chasity, waving a finger up in a no-no manner, aggravating Chasity even more. "As much as I would like you to ride me, babe, we don't want to hurt Zada's virgin eyes."
Chasity immediately turns an adorable shade of bright pink as realization strikes her. Slowly, she turns her head over to me and smiles awkwardly. Personally, I don't know if I should laugh or stay more still than a statue. I opt out for the latter, staying silent and watching Chasity in shock. Never in my entire lifetime would I think that I would ever see Chasity experience embarrassment.
And to think that I'm the reason for it!
Priceless
"It's okay, these virgin eyes have seen a lot worse. It's what happens when your friends with someone like Bailey." I reassure Chasity while dodging an incoming cushion from Bailey for my teasing.
"You're lucky you have an awesome friend like me!" In addition, Bailey flexes her arms dramatically and Chasity shoves Bailey over to the other side of the couch. I roll my eyes at the sight. Maybe I should leave these two in peace because at the rate their going, my virgin eyes are going to start hurting.
"So, Zada, how you been?" Chasity jokingly asks while she leans on top of Bailey who is trying to pry her girlfriend off of her. Chasity yelps in surprise when Bailey actually succeeds.
"That's a very good question, babe," Bailey replies, now leaning on Chasity. Having more body weight than Chasity, Chasity can't easily push Bailey over. Without paying any attention to Chasity, Bailey stares at me intently. "What's your plan to deal with Reece?"
"What plan?" Chasity and I both ask though it's harder for Chasity to speak since she has a person using her as a cushion.
Bailey ignores me but answers Chasity, bring Chasity up-to-date with my situation with Reece.
"Damn," Chasity replies after Bailey finally finishes explaining. If I could, I would have buried myself deep inside this soft couch and hid there for the remainder of my high school year. "I didn't think the guy would be so stubborn!"
"I know right!" Bailey agrees. "You'd think the guy would be ecstatic to find out that the girl he loves, loves him back but no! He wants to maintain his douche bag status." Bailey huffs, crossing her arms over her chest while she continues to lean on Chasity.
"Well, Zada could make Reece realize he's made the biggest mistake of his life," Chasity proposes, catching Bailey's attention. I'm still contemplating if I want to become one with the couch.
"How do you except her to do that?! The only way is to... oh... oh!" Bailey gets off of Chasity so that Chasity can see the approving smile on her girlfriend's face. "You're a genius."
Chasity smiles gratefully. "I know."
I still want to hide for a very long time but I can't fight the new spark of curiosity. "What are you two talking about?" I dare ask.
Bailey and Chasity turn their attention to me. Both of the ladies are grinning mischievously which worries me. Maybe I shouldn't have asked.
"You're going to make Reece jealous," Chasity tells me.
"With Charlie," Bailey specifies.
I can feel my blood turned a few degrees cooler at the thought. I can't help myself but remember the conversation Reece and I had at my apartment. Reece admitted to the jealousy he felt whenever he was forced to watch me interact with Charlie and I wasn't even trying to ignite that sort of emotion in him on purpose. And now Bailey wants me to go full throttle and see what I can stir under Reece's calm facade.
Could I make Reece jealous? If what he told me is true and he does care, then yes. Yes, I can and Charlie is the perfect candidate to help me succeed.
The question is do I want to?
I think back to our biology class we shared together where Reece kept referring to me as his 'love'. Reece has no idea what kind of emotional roller coaster he forces me to ride whenever he calls me by that word. My heart instantly flutters in delight but quickly plummets in despair the moment I remember his flat out rejection. He refuses to be with me therefore he shouldn't be leading me on.
Maybe jealousy will open his eyes. If Reece can experience even a fraction of the roller coaster I've been on then maybe, just maybe, he'll finally accept me.
So do I want to go along with Chasity's and Bailey's plan? Do I want to make Reece feel jealous by witnessing me interact with Charlie? Do I want him to feel the gut wrenching, stomach twisting feeling that is envy? I know, from experience, how much jealousy sucks. Before Mr. Caraveo shot me, I had to endure the feeling of having your insides turn in ways unimaginable at the sight of the perfect couple that was known as Reece and Chasity. I didn't know at the time that the two of them were faking it. They made their relationship look so real.
They looked like a legit couple to the point where I couldn't stand being in the same room as them.
Do I really want this sort of vengeance on Reece?
"No."
Completely stunned, it takes a couple of seconds for Chasity and Bailey to compose themselves. "Are you sure?" Chasity asks, being the first of the two girls to get it together.
I nod my head. "Jealousy sucks, believe me. I know." I sigh, looking down at my feet that are loosely hanging off of Bailey's couch. I'm not that short for a girl but it's because Bailey's parents decided to go with a a pair of really tall sofas that I feel like a kid again as I swing my legs for fun.
"Well, I'm not going to make you do something if you're not comfortable with it." I give Bailey a thankful smile, happy to have an understanding friend like her. If Bailey feels as if she's pushing a friend into uncomfortable territory, she'll back off. Bailey's respectable like that and it's one of the many reasons why I love our friendship.
"Reece doesn't know what he's missing." Chasity tells me truthfully.
I would agree with her statement if I didn't think it was false. Honestly, I think Reece knows what's he's missing and I don't mean to sound obnoxious. I strongly believe Reece loves me and that his part time job as a superhero is what is getting in the way of us having a relationship.
Gosh, how much I wish Reece wasn't Double M.
I mentally cringe at that thought, regretting it instantly. How can I be so selfish? It's not Reece's fault that he's like this. It no ones fault. It's just how fate plays out sometimes. What matters is how we let our choices affect our lives and right now, Reece is making a pretty lame decision.
I need to change his mind.
And jealousy won't be the tool I'll use.
A sudden ringtone emerges from the silence. All three of us snap our heads to the table stand of to the side of the couch where Bailey and Chasity are sitting. On that stand, Chasity's phone vibrates, shaking the table while the sound alerts us all.
My heart skips a beat in anticipation while I watch Chasity reach for her phone and read her new text. When her green eyes connect with mine, my thoughts are confirmed.
"Bailey, Zada and I got to go."
Reece and Cameron finally contacted her. They finished their mission.
Whatever that means.
__________
I was so happy with all your guys' voting and commenting that I couldn't stop writing (thank you so so so much @Bigbearaletto for your sweet words, they made my day gurl! That's why this chap is dedicated to your awesomeness!). So I'm updating early and it's because of you guys. I don't care about reaching the what's hot list, having a million reads, and what not. What makes me stoked beyond belief is the votes and, especially, the comments you give me. I love the feedback and the funny thoughts some of you share.
A quick shout out to @Volades ! Thanks a bunch for the votes and you have a wickedly cool profile pic btw :)
Picture of the magnificent Chasity up top (aka the amazing Jennifer Lawrence! Just to be clear, I don't mean to offend anyone. I just picture Chasity looking very similar to JLaw, regardless of the actress' sexuality.)
That is all!
~Till Next Time XD