Considering how much time Emily and I spent making preparations for this Thanksgiving, I'm surprised the actual Thanksgiving day went by in a blur. I think I spent most of the day worrying about Grayson and Karsyn, as did everyone else. I don't think I ate as much as I usually do at Thanksgiving, just because I was so out of it. It's not like I got a lot of sleep, either.
I'm not thrilled about the idea of returning to Corpus Christi today. Not just because I'm sleep deprived and I'm worried about driving, but also because I don't want to face Dr. Hayes about my assignment. I know Emily says she'll help me, but it's not fair to her that I got her into this mess and now she's having to help me out.
Let's not forget about the fact that my cousin and one of my best friends is in the hospital. How am I supposed to go back to college and pretend like everything in my life is normal? At least I have Emily to confide in, but my roommates don't have any idea of what I'm going through. Based on the comment Noah made about supers being freaks, I doubt he'd give a hoot about any of my super power related predicaments.
A knock on my door startles me out of my packing daze. My dad clears his throat as he enters the room, still in his t-shirt and pajama bottoms. Suddenly I'm back to staring at my bag, trying to clear my mind of all the chaos swirling around in my head.
"Are you sure you're okay to drive back today? You could stay another night."
I put on a sorrowful frown as I look over at him, "I'd love to stay, but we really have to be heading back. I'm scheduled to work tomorrow and Emily's got to get some materials together for tutoring."
Dad's eyebrows raise, "I didn't know you were working somewhere."
I shrug as I toss a t-shirt into my duffel bag, "Yeah, at Chick-Fil-A. Gotta pay the rent somehow."
Dad nods, "Right, right... it's just... Well I've been worried about your grades since you told us you were getting tutoring. Are you sure you're staying focused?"
I sigh, knowing where this conversation is going. "I'm doing my best, dad. I've got to work to pay the bills, and I'm going to tutoring to get help with my studies."
Dad leans against the door frame with a smug look. "I was referring to a different distraction, Beck."
Good luck getting out of that one, Becky. See ya!
I bite my bottom lip, trying to choose my next words carefully. Who am I kidding? He already knows what's going through my mind.
"Dad, look, I didn't know how to tell you..."
He crosses his arms over his chest before he interrupts me. "So it's that serious, huh?"
I pinch the bridge of my nose, trying to keep a headache from coming on. "I don't want to talk about this with you."
Dad chuckles, which admittedly throws me a curve ball. Am I not being busted for something here? Isn't he onto me about my poor academic career? Why is he laughing?
"I can go get mom instead, if you'd rather talk to her about it. Although, I think talking to your mom about your love life might be even more awkward than talking to your dad about it. I mean, I'm the one who had the birds and the bees talk with you-"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" I wave my hands, motioning for him to stop talking, "That's what this talk is about? My love life?"
Oh, I'm definitely back for this one, Becky boy.
"Dad, she's my tutor and my friend-"
Dad shakes his head, which makes me pause. "I don't have to be a mind reader to know that there's something going on between you two."
I scoff as I start to push him out of my doorway and into the hall. "Yeah, it's called studying."
He spins around on his heel to face me, which makes pushing him away nearly impossible now. I grouchily slump my hands into my sweatpants pockets. He points an accusing finger at me, "Then what was the distraction you thought I was talking about?"
I'm taken back at how fast the tables have been turned on me. This interrogation has really been a roller coaster. I typically like roller coasters, but this one is making me feel sick.
He raises an eyebrow as he tilts his head, "You think I don't know..."
With a deep sigh, I respond, "Dad, I'm sure you know all about love and romance, but this is really much more complicated-"
He scoffs, "You think I don't know you're a villain."
The roller coaster just went through a loop upside down, and I just got blinded by the camera taking a picture of my 'I'm going to be sick' face.
When he starts to walk away, I regain feeling in my body and rush to grab his arm. "Dad, please, hear me out. I don't want to be the villain. I'm trying to fix the mess I'm in. That's why the sooner we go back to campus, the sooner I can come up with a plan."
Dad nods along, which scares me because he just dropped a bomb on me and is acting pretty nonchalant now.
"You know your mom and I are pretty skilled when it comes to fighting off villains, Beck. If you just told me upfront, I could've helped you. But ever since you found out about my power, you've shut me out. You've never shut me out before!"
"I went into hiding, so what? You would too if you found out your dad can read minds and you just committed a crime!"
My dad tugs on his curly brown hair, "I haven't been infiltrating on your thoughts, Beck! You made it pretty clear that you were hiding something from me when you wouldn't say more than a couple words to me without rushing off. That's just plain suspicious!"
I throw my hands up in the air, "Maybe I didn't know if I could trust you!"
It's his turn to pinch the bridge of his nose, "But then you started avoiding your mom. That just showed you were feeling guilty about something. Beck, all three of us have always had a good bond. You were never afraid to talk to us about anything when you were growing up. Even when you dented my truck, you confessed on the spot," He sighs as he sits down in my desk chair, "Now, I know circumstances have changed and my power isn't really a comforting one, but I want you to know you can still come to us. Because even though I can read minds, I don't like to. I want us to be open with each other without me having to pry. Got it?"
I run my hands down my face, taking in his little speech. "Okay, yeah, I got it."
Dad nods, "Good. Now I need you to tell me about Emily. Is she putting you up to this villain nonsense? Is she blackmailing you?"
My hands on my face pause at my nose, and I uncover my eyes to look at him like he's a mad-man. "Emily? No way! She's helping me out of my mess."
Dad holds his hands up in surrender, "Okay, my bad, lover boy," I let out a grand sigh, "So she must know you're a super."
I massage my temples, "Yeah, dad, she knows I'm a super. Now, as much as I'd love to fill you in on the backstory behind our cute little blind date, we have to pack our bags and get going before The Undergrounds terrorize our city while we're gone."
Dad's eyes grow wide, and I know I've struck a chord with him by mentioning The Undergrounds. But I don't have the time to listen to his 'back in my day' stories. I have my own story I need to get back to.
***
After I drop Emily off at her dorm, I head back to my apartment to see what kind of damage Noah and Derek have done to the place since they beat me home. I wonder how Noah and Jessie managed over the break. Did they actually get along for a weekend?
"Anybody here?" I ask as I drop my keys down on the table by the door.
"In the kitchen!" I hear Derek's voice call back. When I walk in, I see Derek watching something on his phone and eating a Pop-tart. He's sporting a bright green bathrobe with a dinosaur printed on the chest, and his hair is soaking wet. I take a seat across from him, trying to ignore his attire, because frankly, I'm afraid that the bathroom flooded, and I don't want that confirmation. "Where's Noah?"
Derek shrugs, "Heck if I know. Him and Jessie came in and they were bickering about something. Next thing I know, she's walking out and he chased after her."
I roll my eyes. "So the normal Noah and Jessie bit?"
Derek pauses what's playing on his phone. "I'm honestly surprised they made it a whole weekend without strangling each other."
I stand up to grab a bottle of water from the fridge. "It's honestly a miracle."
Derek finishes his Pop-Tart to look up at me. "So I heard you brought Emily home for Thanksgiving."
I take a sip of water. "Yup."
He gives me a goofy grin, "Bout time y'all started dating."
I nearly choke on my water, "Are you and Noah placing bets or something? Stay out of my love life!"
Derek stands to his feet. He starts to move closer to me, having a hard time containing his laughter. "Aww, don't be mad at me Beck." He makes kissing faces at me the closer he gets, and while I can't stop laughing, I find him unbearable and decide to go to my room.
I'm fully aware of my feelings for Emily, don't get me wrong. This weekend showed me her true feelings too. I just don't want this relationship between us to come to a screeching halt because of anything that happens to us as supers. If things blow up between us when we're out fighting villains, I don't want to have to explain to my friends and family why Emily and I aren't together anymore. It's best that I just keep pretending like Emily and I are "just friends" in front of everyone.
You're sure you're not just trying to protect your own feelings?
Reggie, for once, I need you to not voice my inner thoughts. Thanks.
My phone chimes on my bed as I'm unpacking my duffel and putting dirty clothes in my laundry basket. It's probably a text from Emily. She must have forgotten something in my truck. I plop onto my bed to read the text.
We've got an issue. Can you meet me at the FroZone?
The hair on the back of my neck stands up. I type: What's wrong?
I'll explain in person.
Wait Em, what's going on??
No response.
I swear, if I have to rescue her from The Undergrounds again...
I grab my keys and dart out of my bedroom. Derek's still at the kitchen table playing a game on his phone. "Derek?"
He looks up at me, "Yeah?"
I have a bad feeling about going out. Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but I feel like I need to let someone know where I'm going in case I don't come back. Emily sounded like we were in deep trouble. I'm not taking any chances.
"I'm going to the FroZone, I'll bring you back the usual?" I ask for confirmation, just to make sure he's listening to me.
He perks up, "Triple Chocolate?"
I give him a thumbs up as I dash out the door.
***
My foot taps against the floor in anticipation. How did I beat Emily here? She lives on campus! This isn't good. Maybe I should call her to see if she's okay. Oh, but what if I blow her cover by calling her? What if she's hiding from someone? Or being chased?
Suddenly Emily appears, sliding into the booth in front of me. I'm startled but simultaneously relieved. I point an accusing finger at her, "You've got some explaining to do. I felt like I was going to have a heart attack waiting for you."
She waves me off, "I'm fine, I just had to sneak out without them noticing me, which took longer than it should have."
A thought occurs to me, "If you're having to sneak around someone, should we even be seen in public right now?"
She shakes her head, "We're out in the open here, so no one can do anything to us. And we can't go to my dorm or your apartment to talk."
I look around and drop my voice to a whisper. Even though there is literally no one else in here. "Why not?"
Emily leans in across the table, "Because our roommates work for The Undergrounds."
Hang on stomach, we're going for another roller coaster ride.
"What?!" I exclaim quietly.
"I know it's a lot to take in but I overheard Jessie and Noah talking in my dorm when they got back. I was in the bathroom when I heard them yelling at each other, per usual, and then the yelling stopped all of a sudden. I heard Jessie say 'Okay, I don't think she's here. She would've tried to stop our bickering by now. Plus, her bag isn't here.' So they were clearly talking about me. And then Noah said 'What if she already unpacked? Quick- go check the bathroom!' So obviously I had no choice but to think fast and go into the bathroom stall and stand on top of the toilet. Jessie burst through the door in a matter of seconds, and left when she thought the coast was clear. That's why it took me so long to get here - I had to wait for them to leave."
Since she's paused to take a breath, I decide to seize the opportunity to ask, "How did you get them to leave?"
Emily smirks, "It was easy. I texted Jessie that I went straight to the library when you dropped me off and I was headed back to the dorm. I also told her that I forgot my lanyard with my key on it in your truck, and we had gotten into a fight so there was no chance I was asking you to deliver them. So then she frantically told Noah to leave because I 'might have something to spill about Beckett' when I got back."
I wave my hand to stop her, "How did she open the door for you if you were hiding in the bathroom?"
Emily shrugs, "I texted her that someone else was standing by and let me in before she had the time to go down to 'meet me'."
I sigh and run my hand through my hair. "So where does she think you're at now?"
"I told her I was going to get coffee since we were out of coffee in our room. She looked kind of upset that I didn't have anything to dish out about you, but I'll make up something later."
I lean back against my seat, impressed with her ability to stay cool, calm, and collected during chaos. "So what now?"
Emily shrugs again, "Talk to Professor Hayes?"
I gawk at her, "You're kidding, right? I've already tried to get out of the assignment once. It didn't go so well."
Emily's eyes plead with me, "But you have to make him understand that you already did your part this time. You can't be held responsible for breaking Jenga out."
I scoff, "I doubt he'll see it that way."
Emily grabs my hands and begs, "Please, Beck, it'll give us a starting place."
I jerk my hands back, "It's a suicide mission! He'll never hear to it. I have to face the facts that I'm stuck as a double agent."
Emily looks away, quiet for a moment, and then she looks up at me with a newfound confidence. "So if he says you can't get out of it, you just do as he says - bring Jenga back in The Undergrounds."
My face scrunches up in confusion, "What?"
Emily begins to nod along with whatever the crazy voices in her head are saying. "It could totally work! I'll have the sidekick team break me out, and you can already be in The Undergrounds so they'll know you aren't part of the team. And then-"
She pauses, leaving me in anticipation. Her eyes grow wide and she presses her hand to her forehead with what I assume to be a brilliant, yet insane idea.
"And then I fake my death!"
Yep, just what I thought. She's bonkers.
—>A/N<—
Hi everyone. It's been a while.
Since I last posted, the world has gotten a little stranger. The corona virus has left a lot of us in odd circumstances and we're all facing abnormal routines now. It's a crazy time we're living in, but we just need to have faith that the end of the chaos is near. The main thing to keep in mind is stay healthy.
I love each one of you, and I'm praying for you. Please let me know if I can be praying for you in any specific way. This is impacting everyone globally. So let's band together globally.
Take care everyone.
Til next time,
Always, Sunny ☀️