Jack admits. "It was strange, really. He just sat there, watching us as we did a debut. I had Ward and Brandon on crowd duty, right? It was going fine until Brandon saw him in the audience and started freaking out."
"What happened then? Did he attack?" Max asks.
"He didn't do anything. And he didn't say anything—in fact, he didn't even seem to recognize me or the guys. There was this… glazed look in his eyes." He stops as a group walks into the park, looking like complete nerds. "I knew they were here, but not HERE here!" he says, grinning widely again. "OYE!" he bellows, jumping to his feet and stepping onto his board.
"They're undercover, you moron!" Max snaps even as Jack races away. “Wait, why ARE they here?” he asks himself.
"Hey, you dorks!" Jack says, flying over to the group and completely ignoring Max. "Just what do you think you're doing here?" he demands. "I'm claiming this park for myself!"
"What?" Emily asks, looking over to a group of girls before looking at him. "You idiot, you're ruining our cover," she hisses before going on, "This is a public place! What would your mother say if she knew you were terrorizing a playground?"
"My mom would say you asked for it by looking like such dorks," Jack says shamelessly. "Especially you," he goes on, heading straight for Justin. "Did you dress in the dark or something?"
"When was the last time you brushed your teeth, man?" Justin asks. "Your breath REEKS."
The group of teens to the right are starting to freak out by now, and Max can hear at least one of them trying to explain what's happening over the phone. The others are recording it. "I brush twice a day—you're probably smelling your own B.O.," Jack mutters. "What does a little nerd think he can do to me, anyway?"
"Hey! Stop being a bully," Malina says, stepping in front of Justin and placing her hands on her hips. "What would your GIRLFRIEND say if she knew you were acting this way?" she demands in a threatening tone.
"Wait, Cold Steel has a girlfriend?" one of the teenage girls asks, sounding shocked.
"Are you threatening me, little girl?" Jack demands, stepping off the board and crouching down in front of Malina with a glower. She stares him straight in the eye, her hands on her hips.
"I am," she says. "I'll write your stupid school and tell them you're bullying harmless people!" Her voice lowers, "And I'll call up Aubrey and tell her you blew our cover, mister. Don't try and play big and bad—I've seen all those love letters you've sent," she adds, poking him in the chest.
Freddy chokes, looking away as his shoulders start shaking. The three behind Max start laughing their heads off silently, as well. Even Justin is grinning evilly.
"For someone so cute, you're seriously mean," Jack complains, rubbing his chest dramatically. "And for your information, I wasn't talking to you—I was talking to nerd boy, there," he says, looking at Justin. Before Justin can reply, though, someone starts yelling.
CHAPTER FIVE
"Hey!" one of the girls in the park says, heading for us. She's got chin-length pink hair, I think a bit blankly. She's also built just like a—I glance up in the direction Jack had come from, realizing abruptly that he hadn't been alone. Max sits on the roof of the restrooms, lounging lazily as if watching a show. He even has the gall to wave cheekily at me. "Who do you think you are, picking on poor innocent people?"
She's a super. NOT the healer super we were looking for—she's a normal super. Think she's Max's debut? It would explain why he's here, but since when has Max been explainable? "What do we do?" I hear Freddy whisper.
"I got this," Emily says silently. "Jack, I'm bringing in Divine Justice—prepare to run, would you?"
"But I got stuff to tell you," Jack says just as silently. The pink haired girl is looking back and forth between us and him, her pale blue eyes widening as she makes the connection.
"Call us on the system, moron," I tell him as a poof comes from
"What happened then? Did he attack?" Max asks.
"He didn't do anything. And he didn't say anything—in fact, he didn't even seem to recognize me or the guys. There was this… glazed look in his eyes." He stops as a group walks into the park, looking like complete nerds. "I knew they were here, but not HERE here!" he says, grinning widely again. "OYE!" he bellows, jumping to his feet and stepping onto his board.
"They're undercover, you moron!" Max snaps even as Jack races away. “Wait, why ARE they here?” he asks himself.
"Hey, you dorks!" Jack says, flying over to the group and completely ignoring Max. "Just what do you think you're doing here?" he demands. "I'm claiming this park for myself!"
"What?" Emily asks, looking over to a group of girls before looking at him. "You idiot, you're ruining our cover," she hisses before going on, "This is a public place! What would your mother say if she knew you were terrorizing a playground?"
"My mom would say you asked for it by looking like such dorks," Jack says shamelessly. "Especially you," he goes on, heading straight for Justin. "Did you dress in the dark or something?"
"When was the last time you brushed your teeth, man?" Justin asks. "Your breath REEKS."
The group of teens to the right are starting to freak out by now, and Max can hear at least one of them trying to explain what's happening over the phone. The others are recording it. "I brush twice a day—you're probably smelling your own B.O.," Jack mutters. "What does a little nerd think he can do to me, anyway?"
"Hey! Stop being a bully," Malina says, stepping in front of Justin and placing her hands on her hips. "What would your GIRLFRIEND say if she knew you were acting this way?" she demands in a threatening tone.
"Wait, Cold Steel has a girlfriend?" one of the teenage girls asks, sounding shocked.
"Are you threatening me, little girl?" Jack demands, stepping off the board and crouching down in front of Malina with a glower. She stares him straight in the eye, her hands on her hips.
"I am," she says. "I'll write your stupid school and tell them you're bullying harmless people!" Her voice lowers, "And I'll call up Aubrey and tell her you blew our cover, mister. Don't try and play big and bad—I've seen all those love letters you've sent," she adds, poking him in the chest.
Freddy chokes, looking away as his shoulders start shaking. The three behind Max start laughing their heads off silently, as well. Even Justin is grinning evilly.
"For someone so cute, you're seriously mean," Jack complains, rubbing his chest dramatically. "And for your information, I wasn't talking to you—I was talking to nerd boy, there," he says, looking at Justin. Before Justin can reply, though, someone starts yelling.
CHAPTER FIVE
"Hey!" one of the girls in the park says, heading for us. She's got chin-length pink hair, I think a bit blankly. She's also built just like a—I glance up in the direction Jack had come from, realizing abruptly that he hadn't been alone. Max sits on the roof of the restrooms, lounging lazily as if watching a show. He even has the gall to wave cheekily at me. "Who do you think you are, picking on poor innocent people?"
She's a super. NOT the healer super we were looking for—she's a normal super. Think she's Max's debut? It would explain why he's here, but since when has Max been explainable? "What do we do?" I hear Freddy whisper.
"I got this," Emily says silently. "Jack, I'm bringing in Divine Justice—prepare to run, would you?"
"But I got stuff to tell you," Jack says just as silently. The pink haired girl is looking back and forth between us and him, her pale blue eyes widening as she makes the connection.
"Call us on the system, moron," I tell him as a poof comes from
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