Chapter 4
As the night wore on, Kent grew more relaxed and more attracted to Bliss. No one else had ever made him feel this at ease. His usual anxiety about someone finding out about his ability had been pushed into a far corner of his mind. Maybe it was the dancing, or the couple drinks he had, or maybe it was just that he had spent so long avoiding everything that he had forgotten how much fun life could be. Either way, he didn’t want the night to end. He felt like he always imagined it felt like to have one of the useful enhanced abilities. He felt like a superhero for the first time in his entire life.
“Want to get some air?” He said close to her ear.
She nodded.
He took her hand and led her through the crowd. Outside the night air was much cooler than inside, though still had the warmth of a summer night. It was quieter, calmer outside.
“I’d like to kiss you, if you don’t mind.” Kent smiled.
“Please do.”
When he kissed her, her hair smelled like lilacs and roses, her skin was soft against his hands. She slid one of her hands down to the waistband of his jeans. Subconsciously he tensed.
“What’s wrong?” She whispered.
He tried to figure out why he felt suddenly tense. “We’re in the middle of the street, anyone can see.” That wasn’t the reason why, but it was the best reason he could come up with.
“Everyone’s inside, the street’s quiet.” She kissed just below his ear and he closed his eyes.
Suddenly everything lost the soft, glowing, happiness that had been there and Kent’s eyes snapped open. Imogene was standing with her hand on Bliss’s arm.
“Goddamn it, Bliss. You swore to me you wouldn’t.”
She smiled like she had a secret. “He just needed a little confidence.”
It slowly dawned on Kent that he never did find out just what Bliss was capable of and he realized that maybe he had found out after all. He looked to Imogene.
“Kent, I’m sorry.” Imogene started, her hand still on Bliss’s arm. “I made her swear she wouldn’t do anything.”
He felt betrayed, angry, foolish. “What exactly do you do?” He looked at Bliss.
She shrugged and at least had enough compassion to look like she was sorry. “I can manipulate dopamine, endorphins, and serotonin. They’re the chemicals in your brain that make you feel happy.” She paused. “I never meant to hurt you, I just wanted you to have fun.”
“Does anyone like you without you making them?” It was cruel, but he was angry.
“I didn’t do anything until after we had been here a few hours.” She paused. “Did you like me then?” She looked like she might cry.
He did, but how could he believe her. “Imogene, I’m going home.” He turned and started walking.
“I’ll give you a ride.” She reached for his arm.
He spun to face her. “I think you’ve done enough. Just let me be. You’re always trying to make me happier, friendlier, more social. Maybe I’m none of those things, maybe I didn’t get that either in my genetic code.” He closed his eyes for a moment. “Stop trying to make me into something I’m not. I can’t be like you, nobody is going to call for my help, nobody needs me when something happens. Goodnight, Imogene.”
He walked away from her. Anger and shame burned hot in his stomach. He should have known, he should have pressed Imogene for what Bliss could do, he should have figured there’d be some trick to it. It wasn’t the first time Imogene tried to “help” him. Sometimes she forgot what they went through in middle school when there were far more average kids than enhanced ability kids. She forgot what it was like to not fit in. Unfortunately, Kent felt like he never left middle school.
His phone rang a few blocks from his apartment building. The two mile walk had cooled him down enough. He looked at the screen and saw Imogene’s name, he let it go to voicemail. He was still mad at her, even though now he could see that she did honestly try, she did tell Bliss not to do anything. He wondered why everyone was so concerned with his dating life.
Imogene called two more times, or at least he assumed it was her. She was really the only person who called him and she had a habit of being very persistent. Maybe he’d talk to her tomorrow, he’d let her explain and he’d forgive her. She was one of the few friends he had, so he really didn’t need to go getting rid of her. She invite herself over with a six pack of his favorite beer and they’d watch crappy movies and everything would be fine between them again. That was the founding principal of their friendship; the person who messes up makes up with it by bringing beer and bad movies.
He finally arrived at the safety of his apartment. He turned his phone to vibrate so that it was easier to ignore if Imogene kept calling. He threw his clothes in the hamper and fell onto his bed. He could see his shadow on the ceiling from the light beaming from his butt. It wasn’t a glow, like those plastic stars that kids stuck to their ceilings, it was more like a lantern. He amused himself by thinking of what his superhero name would be, if he were a superhero.
They all had them, even if nobody really called them that. Dex was The Encyclopedia, Imogene was Imagination, The Shield was bulletproof, Crypto could break any code, Nitro could withstand sub-zero temperatures.
Kent could be The Firefly, lighting up the darkest of nights by removing his pants, not even remotely as sexy as it sounded. Lost your keys in the dark? Call The Firefly! Flashlight ran out of batteries? The Firefly will light your way! Want to cut your electricity bill in half? Why, The Firefly can light up any room. His last thought before he fell asleep was wondering if anyone else in the E.A.A. group had thought about what their name would be if they were important enough to have one.
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