The Trials of Renegade X (38 page)

Alex gets up and runs off to his room.

I hear Amelia’s door open upstairs. She doesn’t come down, but she doesn’t close her door again, either, so I know she’s listening in. Because, you know, what I really need for this is an audience.

Helen sighs. “Honestly? I don’t know what you’d do right now. And what could possibly be so important?”

Me going to Homecoming. At Vilmore. Which is going to sound even worse than whatever she thinks is going on. “Never mind. It wasn’t anything.” Just my life. No big deal. “Forget it.”

I go to move past her, but she blocks me. “Damien. You don’t get to walk away when I’m talking to you.”

“Tell him whatever you want. It doesn’t matter.”

“If I have to tell him you were sneaking out to see her, that you were going to hurt him again, then I at least get to know
why
.”

“Fine.” I’m dead at this point, anyway. She’s going to tell him, and he’s going to hate me more than he already does. He’s going to keep me locked up in the attic forever, or ship me off to a place bad superhero kids go and forget about me. I’m really never going to see Kat again, or any of my friends. I’ll give Riley the personality enhancer, and he can fix Sarah, and I’ll just disappear. “I was going to Homecoming.”

“Homecoming was last weekend.” She raises an eyebrow, like she thinks I’ve lost it. Like maybe I fried my brain with all that electricity, or like all the bad stuff that’s happened has made me snap.

“Yeah, at Heroesworth. This one’s at Vilmore.”

She folds her arms, her mouth an angry, thin line. “You were seriously going to a dance with Kat
at Vilmore
? Are you kidding me?” She puts a hand to her forehead, like she kind of wishes she hadn’t asked, because now she’s going to have to tell Gordon just how bad this is.

“I know how it sounds. But her dad’s sponsoring the dance, and his publicity team’s going to be there, taking pictures all night.”

“And you wanted to make sure people saw you there?” She gapes at me in horror.

“No! I mean, her dad forbid me to go, because he thinks I’m not good enough for her, and because it’s my fault she got hurt last weekend. He doesn’t want her to be seen with me. He thinks if she goes to the dance with someone else, and people see her with someone less scandalous, then the media will back off and leave her alone. They’ll think we’re not together anymore.” I make a face, still not liking that, even if it might be for the best.

“And you don’t want people to think that.”

“Of course I don’t. But that’s not what this is about.”

“So, this is about you being jealous of someone else?”

I shake my head. “I told her to go with him. With another guy, I mean. And I told her her dad’s right, and that we can’t be seen together. Not just at the dance, but, like,
ever
.”

Helen takes a sharp breath in through her nose, understanding dawning on her. “You really said that to her?” She gives me a worried look, like I should know better than to say something that stupid and hurtful to my own girlfriend, even if she’s not on Helen’s list of favorite people.

“I pretty much told her I can never see her again. And I know what you’re thinking. I know you’re probably happy about this, because you didn’t want us together in the first place. But it’s not about what other people think, or about her going with some other guy.” Who’s going to die horribly from electric shock. “It’s about her thinking we can never be together. But, I mean ...” I swallow. “I don’t want to hurt Gordon any more than I already have. And I know what me being with her looks like. And I’m
always
going to be his son, even if he hates me, and she’s
always
going to be a supervillain. And related to your arch nemesis.” So maybe we really can’t be together, after all.

“That’s why you were sneaking out of here?”

“It’s stupid.”

“Damien. It’s not stupid.”

“It’s not like it matters. Not after everything I’ve done.” I mean, it
does
matter, to me. But what I want doesn’t factor into this.

She shakes her head. “I
saw
the video. You saved her life. You stood there with a raygun pointed to your chest, willing to sacrifice yourself for another person, and that’s
not
something you do when it doesn’t matter. When you could live without somebody. I saw you use your villain power to blow up part of the school, but I also saw you use it to
save
her. That means something. And even if I don’t like who you ...” She swallows, stopping herself from telling me for the millionth time that she hates my girlfriend. “That’s what I was trying to tell you the other day, when you freaked out on me. And now ... what? You did all that, but you’re going to just walk away?”

I blink at her. “First you’re mad at me for trying to leave to go see her, and now you’re pissed that I
wasn’t
? Besides, what do you care? You told me to my face I’m just some stupid kid who couldn’t possibly feel that way about her. That I couldn’t love anyone.” I know she said that because she doesn’t like Kat, because she doesn’t like that I’m with a supervillain related to her arch nemesis, but she can’t pretend it didn’t happen.

“That’s not exactly what I said, but ...” A pained look creases her forehead, like it physically hurts her to admit this. “I was wrong.”

“I didn’t mean to blow anything up. I was trying not to hurt anyone.”

“I know. And I’m sorry for what I said. About you not really caring about her. Obviously you do, and if she’s that important to you, then ...” She grits her teeth. “I might not like where she comes from, but if she means that much to you, then she couldn’t be all bad. So, I’m sorry for that, and for what you overheard me tell Gordon.”

She doesn’t know it was Amelia who overheard her, not me. “You mean when you told my dad I was going to disappoint him and not make it at Heroesworth?”

She looks at the floor guiltily. Then she meets my eyes and nods. “I was mad. Because you had Kat over, when you knew you weren’t supposed to. You
knew
how I felt about it, and you knew the rules, but you threw them in our face and had her over here anyway, so you could—” She stops herself from saying “so you could sleep with her.” Or however she was going to put it.

“So, you knew all along I was going to fail. Good for you.”

“I
didn’t
mean it. And I certainly didn’t want to be right. You’re not a bad influence. You weren’t supposed to hear that, but I never should have said it in the first place, no matter how mad I was. I’m sorry that I did, and that you had to hear it. I was wrong.”

“I wasn’t trying to hurt Gordon or anything. When all that stuff happened at Homecoming. But if it happened again, I’d still do the same thing. Because I couldn’t let anyone hurt Kat. And maybe I shouldn’t have brought her there, but Kat wasn’t going to do anything bad. She
wouldn’t
—she’s not like that.”

Helen nods, taking that in, though she cringes a little, like she can’t quite believe it. “I get it, and I understand why you were trying to leave.”

“So, are we done here? Can I go to my room now?” Where I’ll apparently be waiting for Gordon to come home so she can tell him how horrible I am. I wonder if he’ll come yell at me, or if he’ll decide I’m not worth it.

“No, you can’t.” She looks at me like I’m an idiot. “You have to go.”

“Go?” Dread prickles in my chest, because, for a moment, I think she means permanently.

She takes a deep breath, and I get the impression she doesn’t like what she’s about to say. “To the dance.”

“I can’t do that.”

“You have to. You’ll regret it if you don’t.”

“It’s at Vilmore. People are going to see us. And Gordon will never forgive me.”

“You’ll never forgive yourself if you stay home tonight.”

“You said he doesn’t need this.”

“No, he doesn’t, but let me talk to him. He’ll be mad, but he loves you, and he’ll understand. Eventually. You won’t get over losing her.”

“I didn’t say I was losing her.”

She tilts her head. “Damien, you told her you can’t see her anymore.”

“Just because I can’t see her doesn’t mean I’m not
with
her. I’m going to talk to her on the phone every day.” Until I die or decide to run away and join the circus.

“You have to go. I think you know that.”

“Yeah, but the dance is honoring Bart the Blacksmith. It was the publicity department’s idea, not her dad’s, but—”

“It’s okay.” She puts her fingers to her temples, like just the thought of anyone honoring him gives her a headache.

“Are you sure?”

“No. But you’d better get going anyway. Before your father gets home.”

Chapter 28

IT MUST BE ABOUT seven thirty by the time I get to Homecoming, since I missed the first train and had to wait a while for the next one, and the dance is already well under way when I arrive. The main door to the event hall is open, so I don’t need a
V
on my thumb to get in, and Kat already gave me my ticket a couple weeks ago, anyway. I pretty much walk right into the dance, no questions asked.

It’s kind of loud in here and really crowded. There are pictures of Bart the Blacksmith up on the walls, and of some of the power-binding jewelry he made, plus a couple of Wilson Enterprises banners strewn across the ceiling. I ignore all that and make my way through the crowd. I think I might recognize a few people from back when I still lived with my mom, before I got my
X
, but it’s hard to tell, and I don’t exactly stop to make sure. People seem to recognize
me
, though, or at least think they do, because some heads turn as I walk by.

And I’m not even in my swimming trunks.

Then I spot Kat. With Tristan.

She has on this light-purple dress that I’ve never seen her wear before, and she’s shapeshifted her hair to have streaks in it to match. He’s wearing a tux, and they look like any other couple here. Both of them have
V
s on their thumbs. Both of them go to this school. And everyone’s going to see the photos of them from tonight and think they belong together. Like him having a
V
on his thumb and
not
being the son of the Crimson Flash makes him better for her than me.

I thought I could handle it. I thought I could just walk up to them and tell him to get lost. But seeing them together makes my blood boil and electricity run up my spine. And it’s not even that he’s touching her or anything, because he isn’t. They’re just standing there together, hanging out, but then he grins and says something to her, and she
laughs
. A lot. Like whatever he said was really, really funny.

I’m
supposed to make her laugh. Not this jerk who has bad taste in movies and nothing in common with her, other than going to the school
we
were supposed to go to together. He thinks he can take my place as her partner in crime, but he can’t replace me as her boyfriend, or as her
best
friend, or as the guy who makes her laugh like that.

And that’s when I lose it. Something inside me snaps.

I’m going to punch him.

I’m going to punch that douchebag right in the face.

Kat notices me first. She blinks, not believing I’m here, and then her whole face lights up. “Damien? What are you doing—”

I shove Tristan in the chest with both hands, startling him and knocking him back a couple steps. “Get the hell away from her!”

“Dude, I don’t know what your problem is, but—”

“
You’re
my problem!” Can’t he take a hint? I mean, seriously.

I lunge at him. I’ve never actually punched anyone before—though I have been on the receiving end once—but this seems like a good time to start.

“Damien, stop!” Kat shrieks. “I didn’t come here with him!”

I pull my arm back. “You what?”

“He’s not my date! I came alone!”

She did? Does that mean I can’t hit him? “But he asked you, right?”

“Well, yeah.”

Good enough for me.

Except before I can hit him, Tristan gets his bearings and shoves me away. Fire flares to life in his hands, and he says, “Dude.
Back off
.”

It’s like he
wants
me to kill him. Electricity arcs between my palms. There’s no way he didn’t watch the videos, so he’s seen me blow up part of a school, and he still wants to do this?

It’s right about now that I notice people are staring at us. Nobody gets too close, but everybody takes pictures.

Kat moves between us and holds her hands up. “Both of you, just stop!”

“He started it,” Tristan whines.

“You asked my girlfriend to Homecoming!”

“And she turned me down! She said she only wanted to go with
you.
You don’t have to rub it in!”

The lightning in my hands subsides a little. I look at Kat. “You turned him down? But I thought—”

“I couldn’t do it.” Kat stares at her feet, looking embarrassed and kind of guilty. “I was going to, and
you
even said you were fine with it, but ...” She sighs. “
I
wasn’t fine with it. I didn’t want to be here with anybody else, not even just as friends, and I almost didn’t even come.”

“Then why did he post
Can’t wait for Friday!
on your wall?”

“Uh,” Tristan says, “because it’s
Friday
. Also, I post that every week. It’s kind of an in-joke.” He says that like there’s than unspoken “you wouldn’t understand” at the end.

Great. He has in-jokes with her. But at least he’s not her date.

Then a familiar and very angry-sounding voice says, “What the hell is going on?!” Kat’s dad marches up to us and takes in the situation. He looks really annoyed when he sees I’m involved. Not surprised or anything, but annoyed.

I make the rest of the electricity disappear and put my hands down.

Tristan hesitates, like he doesn’t trust me, then does the same with his fire.

The crowd stops staring at us, though I know they’ve probably already posted pictures of this online. I can see the headline now:
Son of the Crimson Flash Picks Fight in Supervillain Love Triangle
. I wonder if anybody got video of it and how many views there will be by tomorrow.