"I had a thought about your brother."

The intrusion on Taylor's lunch came so abruptly that she didn't respond. Instead, she stared at Elena who had taken a seat at the table. To make sure that she wasn't hallucinating from some after-effects of her concussion the day before, she looked at Bailey sitting beside her.

Bailey eyed Elena with surprise and confusion, which confirmed that Taylor wasn't imagining a mean popular girl talking to her.

"Taylor," Elena said.

"I'm genuinely surprised you know my name," Taylor said, going back to her sandwich.

"Look, I'm sorry for all the things I did to you."

"Yeah, that sounds convincing."

Elena placed a hand on Taylor's arm to get her attention. It did and Taylor pointedly looked from Elena's hand to the girl, in warning. Elena removed her hand and took a breath, seeming to calm the frantic energy she appeared at the table with.

"Yesterday," Elena said. "You said that your brother wasn't talking to you. So if you can't ask him about the whole..." She glanced at Bailey, who had returned to reading her book, though Taylor knew she was listening. "Your accident thing, I was wondering if you could just give me his number and I'll ask him."

"No."

"Look, Taylor, please-"

"Why?" Taylor asked. "Why does this mean so much to you?"

"I told you, everyone should know."

"What if that person doesn't want anyone to know?"

Elena gave Taylor a look that reverted her back to the condescending person Taylor was most comfortable with, since it was the person she knew.

"You're joking? Everyone wants to be acknowledged for what they do."

"Maybe not this person."

Elena cocked her head in a scrutinizing manner and Taylor saw she was stepping into dangerous waters. Talk too much about the opinion of someone she was supposed to not even believe in and Elena might look at Taylor's life and random disappearances too closely. Subject change or diversion was needed.

"I saw my brother yesterday," Taylor said, throwing the verbal curveball at Elena. She took it, perking up, all scrutinizing gone. "He didn't have anything to say about the accident. There was no one that magically appeared and saved us."

Both were the truth, even if Taylor had never brought up the subject with her brother.

"Oh."

"Yeah, so feel free to never talk to me again. These last few weeks have been bliss."

Slowly, Elena stood all traces of her forceful energy gone. In it's place was disappointment and acceptance. She turned to leave but stopped, faced Taylor, paused, took a breath, and let it out.

"I am sorry for the way I treated you," she said. "I hope you can forgive me for it."

Without waiting for a response, Elena left and Taylor stared after her not sure what to think.

"What just happened?" Bailey asked.

Still staring at Elena who had morphed back into the smiling, popular girl now among her friends, Taylor shook her head.

"No idea," she said.

"What was she talking about, with your brother?"

The question snapped Taylor out of her thoughts. Deciding to start a counter-attack on Elena's growing rumor, she went with an honest answer, if not slightly mocking.

"Elena believes that some hooded figure came out of nowhere and saved her. She's now trying to prove that the person is real. Which I get it, what she went through was hard. It must have felt like it was a miracle to be alive. But a hooded figure just appearing sounds far-fetched."

Instead of agreeing with her like Taylor expected, Bailey shook her head.

"I believe her," she said.

Taylor felt her heart sink in her chest. Support for Elena's story was not what Taylor needed. She already had 'get close to possible evil super' on her list, she did not need this becoming a bigger thing.

"Why? It sounds insane," Taylor said, hoping to steer Bailey away from the rumor mill.

"No, it's not. The same hooded person saved my mom."

"What?"

Bailey nodded but she wasn't looking at Taylor, instead she gazed at the cafeteria but seemed to be somewhere else. "My mom works at city hall. One night she was working late when the fire alarm went off. She was packing up her bobbleheads when someone just... appeared. She said the person helped her with the bobbleheads then somehow transported them to the sidewalk outside. She also said she was sick afterwards."

"Interesting," Taylor said, while inside she felt completely frozen. Bailey's mother was Bobblehead Lady.

"You don't believe me," Bailey said.

"I think fear and panic can affect people."

Instead of defending her mother's story, Bailey simply nodded to this then returned to her book. Taylor felt her stomach sour at making her friend think she didn't believe her. But with Elena on the trail to prove The Shadow's existence to the world, Taylor felt all she could do was deny it.

"I am glad your mom is safe," Taylor said. She stopped herself from adding 'and her bobbleheads', knowing that it could be a giveaway and also remembering cursing the bobbleheads as she shoved them into a bag.

"Thanks."

With Bailey back in her book, Taylor returned to her lunch. Across the way, she found Grayson among Elena's group, the people that most students knew. Dominic belonged in that group, but sitting at the table adjacent, he looked like he ran his own offshoot of the group.

Or maybe since the group had been the original, someone less made the secondary group. Taylor had no clue, she'd never asked Dominic about his friends. From the way he talked with her, his friends started and ended when on school grounds.

It felt understandable, after all, he hid the biggest secret of his life from them. She knew that feeling. It was an invisible wall, even if you could look through it and communicate with the people on the other side it was still there.

Taylor wondered if Clint had a wall between him and his friends now that he knew about Taylor and Dominic. It wouldn't be the same, he wasn't the one with an ability. Only Dominic understood the wall like Taylor did.

When her gaze shifted back to Dominic, he glanced at her, wiggled his eyebrows quickly before going back to his conversation. Taylor felt the tug of a smile and looked away but stopped when her attention snagged on Grayson.

The smile vanished as she thought about how she'd ended their interaction that morning. She didn't understand how Dominic and Clint thought she could get close to him when she didn't know how to talk to him like a normal human.

"Bailey, what do you know about the new student?" Taylor asked.

"You mean Grayson Krammer? Don't you already have your hands full with Dominic and Clint?"

Hands full was too apt a description, since she felt like if one more thing was handed to her then everything would fall out of her grasp.

"Wait, what do you mean with Dominic and Clint?" Taylor asked.

"Just that you always leave lunch early and meet up with both of them in the library, spend about one minute with them, and leave."

With the accuracy of this observation, Taylor felt trapped between panic and surprise. Every time they'd ever stepped into the Time Stop, Taylor checked the area, and never had Bailey been there. Unless she had the ability to make herself invisible. And with the entrance of a new super, Taylor didn't easily throw out this thought. But she voiced her second option.

"You follow me?" she asked, amazed her voice didn't come out tight and squeaky with nerves.

"No. My uncle is the librarian. He knows everything about everyone here and tells me about it."

The Praying Mantis was Bailey's uncle. Taylor should have seen it, they were almost identical: books in hand seemingly unobservant while being extremely curious and perceptive.

Knowing where Bailey got her information from, and it not being because of an invisibility ability, Taylor tried to soothe her panic. A strange meeting that didn't last long could be explained away.

"Ah. And he told you about my meetings with Dominic and Clint."

"Yeah, I was curious why you left, and seconds later Dominic and Clint followed you."

Taylor made a mental note to change up their exits and find a new meeting place.

"Dominic helps me with homework and Clint is helping me with self-defense."

Bailey looked at Taylor, waiting but Taylor didn't offer more.

"Does your uncle know anything about Grayson...uh, Krammer you said."

Though not the smoothest subject change, Bailey accepted it but Taylor had the feeling that her disappearances with Dominic and Clint weren't going to be easily forgotten.

"He previously went to a boarding school out of state. Not a sports kid but must know someone or his parents must be someone, because he's sitting over there with all of them. I don't know a lot but it's only his second day. I could find out more if you wanted."

"Really?"

"Sure. Why do you want to know?"

"Curious."

Again, Taylor had the feeling that Bailey didn't fully buy that reasoning, but she only nodded. When Taylor finished her food and knew the time to leave was approaching, she hesitated.

Bailey knew that she left to meet up with Dominic and Clint, but choosing to do it even when Bailey knew felt like she was incriminating herself somehow. In what way, she didn't completely know.

Still, on the other side of the cafeteria, Clint rose, said goodbye to his friends, met Taylor's eye, and left. Dominic watched Clint's exit and locked gazes with Taylor. There was no way she could avoid meeting with them.

Crumbling up her trash, she stood up and swung her backpack onto her shoulder.

"If you create a gang, can I be a part of it?" Bailey asked.

"What? You're thinking we're creating a gang?"

"No. But whatever you're creating I'd like to be a part of it."

"Why?"

Bailey shrugged. "I've never been part of a team and I feel like I could be a good asset. I'm good with computers."

"What do you think we're doing?"

Again Bailey shrugged as if what it did didn't matter as much as eventually getting to be a part of it.

"Okay," Taylor said. "I'll keep that in mind if we decide to start a gang."

"Thanks."

Taylor hesitated not sure how to leave but Bailey returned to her book, giving Taylor a way to exit. As she did, she noticed Dominic saying something to his friends and gathering his stuff.

Reaching the exit, Taylor glanced once more at Grayson, he caught her gaze and winked. She stared back without reaction for a half second then left. She still didn't know what she was supposed to do with a wink. Maybe she would ask Dominic about it.

The chance to ask him came as he joined her halfway to the library.

"What do you do when someone winks at you?" Taylor asked.

"I've never been winked at. If any winkage were to happen it would probably come from me."

"Winkage?"

"The act of winking or enticing someone with the blinking of a single eye."

"That's not a word and you made up that definition." 

"Sounded convincing though, right?"

Grinning, Dominic winked at Taylor. Determined not to echo his grin, she smacked his arm. But that didn't feel like a reaction she could give to Grayson when he winked at her. Also, he'd done it from a distance making it an impossible action. Maybe she would ask Clint.

At the library doors, Taylor paused. "We need a new meeting place. The librarian has noticed us."

"He's noticed us since day one. I think his only interest in life is watching teen drama. Lucky for us, we never experience that."

Taylor almost laughed at the lie but remembered their drama was on a larger scale than high school. She didn't know if that reality was gratifying or daunting.

"Come on."

Dominic pushed through the doors and Taylor trailed after him. The Praying Mantis was in his usual spot, unassumingly reading a book as if he were oblivious to the world.

But as they passed, he flicked his eyes up, noting their entrance. Dominic nodded in hello and Taylor wondered if they were in danger of being found out by a man who never seemed to leave his desk. But that was a concern for another day.

"What do you do when someone winks at you?" Taylor asked as they found Clint in their back corner spot.

"Who's winking at you?" Clint asked.

"Grayson."

"He did yesterday," Dominic said.

"And today," Taylor added.

"Uh..." Clint blinked, moved his mouth without speaking, wrinkled his brow, and crossed his arms. His obvious lack of knowledge on the topic made Taylor bite her lip. Seeing the guy who always seemed in control floundering was endearing to her. "I've never... No one has ever winked at me and I've never winked at anyone so I wouldn't know."

"Here," Dominic said and winked at Clint.

All of Clint's uncertainty vanished, replaced with a flat expression mixed with irritation.

"There you go, Tay, you just need to look really pissy," Dominic said.

"Thanks, very helpful," Taylor said.

"You're welcome. Now why are we here?"

Clint relaxed but shifted away from Dominic, stopped and sighed. "You need to take us into the Time Stop."

Dominic rolled his eyes. "Why can't I ever be used for my looks or witty personality? Only used for my ability."

He touched the tip of his shoe with Clint's but cheekily held out his hand for Taylor to hold. Staring at him unamused, she drew closer to him and connected their shoes. Dominic dropped his hand and as he did the Time Stop fell over them.

"What is it?" Taylor asked.

"I think," Clint said. "We need to get into Principal Kent's office and read Grayson's file."

"What?" Taylor said at the same moment Dominic said, "Who is 'we'?"

Clint held up his hands silencing both of them even as together they crossed their arms.

"I know I was the one to shut it down yesterday," Clint said.

"Yeah you were," Dominic said.

"-But I think we need to do it." He gestured to Taylor. "We're asking her to get close to him but we know nothing about him. I don't want to put her in a situation that could go bad and we could have avoided it by knowing more about him. That's why I think we should just check his file."

"There's that 'we' again," Dominic said. "But actually there's only Taylor and Me, you would be an unnecessary addition if we took you. So that means the crime is on us, not you. That's what you mean."

"Are you blaming me for not having an ability?" Clint shot at Dominic.

"No, I'm blaming you for being high and mighty yesterday about finding a legal way but going back on what you said knowing full well that it would be on Taylor and me."

"You think I don't want to do this myself!" Clint shouted. "I spent the entire night trying to figure out a way to keep Taylor safe without doing anything wrong. But couldn't think of anything. But what if something in that file warns us? Keeps Taylor from getting hurt. You don't think that's worth it?"

"Don't you dare make it seem like I don't want to keep her safe in this situation. I'm only pointing out your hypocrisy!"

"I am fully aware that I am-"

"Stop." Taylor didn't say the word loudly but it had the desired effect, both guys fell silent.

Closing her eyes, she let out a long breath. Whoever thought having two guys fight because of them was out of their mind. Though outwardly it could look heartening to have them care so much, being at the center of it was draining. She felt like the rope in the tug-a-war, eventually, she would be the one to snap.

"Can we not?" she said.

To their credit, both of them looked ashamed of their outbursts.

"Clint you think Grayson could be dangerous?" Taylor asked.

"I don't know. But his file would give the reason for his expulsion and I think that's worth knowing. Especially, if it means we could avoid a bad situation."

Taylor nodded and calmly focused on Dominic. "You don't think we should know?"

"I think we should. I'm only pointing out that Clint was the one-"

"So we'll go," Taylor said.

Dominic swallowed the rest of what he was going to say. "Yeah, we'll go." Clint opened his mouth but Dominic pulled his foot away, leaving Clint frozen with what he wanted to say trapped in his throat. "Take us."

Taylor held out his hand, knowing it would be more stable with their hands locked together. Dominic linked his hand with her but she didn't take them to the Principal's office, she kept them there.

"You have to stop blaming him for not having an ability."

"I wasn't blaming him for not having-"

"You are. You always are, Dominic. He can't change it. You talked about how it would feel to lose something that feels like a part of your identity now. Imagine never having something like that and constantly being around two people with it?"

"He has to stop acting like our abilities are free for him to use and play with."

"You're right, you both have to stop being a pain."

Dominic looked sufficiently chastised. Taylor looked at Clint, petrified next to them. She'd have to talk to him as well. The frustrating thing about being in the middle was understanding both sides.

She knew how Dominic felt, could see where he came from. But she could also see Clint's side. He was the kind of guy who'd spent years taking part in karate competitions. Competitions that he never failed to walk away from with the first prize. He was capable of amazing things but in comparison to Taylor and Dominic's abilities, what he could do would feel paltry. 

But simply because she could see and understand both sides didn't mean she knew how to connect them. Right then the only connection was her and the pressure was starting to get to her.

"I'll work on it," Dominic said.

"Thank you."

The library flipped to Principal Kent's office. Luckily, it was completely empty. And the only ones to know about what they were going to do were the walls. But thankfully, they knew how to keep a secret.

"Do we have to search through every file until we find the name Grayson?" Dominic asked.

"His last name is Krammer."

Dominic raised his eyebrows inquisitively and in return, Taylor rolled her eyes.

"I found out from someone else."

"Well, that works for us."

Locating the drawing holding the student files with the last name K, Taylor pressed her hand to it. Concentrating, she imagined her ability enveloping the drawer, and with a thought it disappeared and reappeared on the desk.

"Nicely done," Dominic said.

Taylor smiled, unable to hide her pride in her accomplishment. It was an accomplishment that couldn't be acknowledged without thinking of Clint. Without his encouragement to explore, she'd never guessed the ways she could use her ability.

Standing next to the desk, Dominic touched her shoulder with his free hand and let go of her hand. With both hands free, Taylor flipped through the files until she found Grayson's and removed it.

"What do we even look for?" she asked.

"Maybe a big stamp saying 'this guy is dangerous, proceed with caution'."

"That would be nice. But I'm not seeing any stamps."

"Then it's only the boring task of reading left."

"You like reading."

"Interesting books. Some guy's file is not interesting."

There was no argument for that since dry information didn't offer anything interesting.

"Next page," Dominic said.

"I'm not done with this one."

"I am and there's nothing there slow poke."

"Judging me on my reading speed is not called for."

"No, but it's fun."

Taylor elbowed Dominic but he avoided her attack, laughing in response. Together they resumed the task of reading. Eventually, they found what they were looking for. Though not alarming, Taylor made a face. She knew the file wouldn't hold any clue as to whether Grayson was some super but still, it would have been nice. An easy answer in her life.

"You look disappointed it doesn't say he was kicked out because he knifed someone instead of skipping classes and arguing with teachers."

"I never wanted it to say that. It's fine."

It would be fine. She'd figure out some way to get close, hopefully not making a huge idiot of herself, and they would get answers. She would still go to the party. It wasn't that she hadn't been to parties, it just had been a while.

Closing the file, she slipped it back into place and concentrated on the drawer. With a single thought, it popped back into its place in the file cabinet.

"Back to Gym Boy," Dominic said.

"Dominic," Taylor admonished him.

"Fine, back to Clint."

The office vanished and the library back corner returned, their position shifted away from the frozen Clint. Dominic adjusted them, making contact with Clint and bringing him into the bubble.

"I'm sorry for-" Clint cut himself off as he took them in. "You went."

"Yeah but what were you saying?" Dominic said, smugly crossing his arms and angling his ear towards Clint. "Were you apologizing for abusing our-"

"Dominic," Taylor warned.

"I mean please continue," Dominic said.

"I wanted to say I'm sorry," Clint said. "I'm sorry I asked you to do something I couldn't take part in and take the part of the blame for if something were to happen. That's not fair."

"Oh."

Taylor stopped herself from rolling her eyes at Dominic's deflated state. But deflated was better than smug, she guessed. Dominic glanced at Taylor and it was her turn to cross her arms, silently reminding him of their talk.

At her unspoken command, Dominic's deflation only lasted a second but the smugness didn't return at least.

"It's okay," Dominic said. "You were thinking of how to keep Tay safe. I didn't need to jump down your throat like that."

Taylor breathed and left like it was the first deep breath she could take in a long time. The awkward uncertainty that followed both guys' apologies was preferable to their constant antagonism. And though it felt like it would be good payback for their arguments to let them stand there being awkward, Taylor knew they had to move on.

"We didn't find anything in Grayson's file to cause worry," Taylor said. "I'll be fine. The worst that can happen is I don't know how to talk and it goes disastrously because of that."

"Don't worry," Clint said. "You'll be fine."

"And we'll coach you."

Taylor sighed inwardly. Could they coach her? Yes. Did she think it would be one more way where it could cause tension? The past month told her yes.

"Okay, today after our training," she said. She looked to Clint. "I can train again, right? My head is fine."

"Yes, but we'll keep it on the shorter side just to be safe."

"Great. Break!" Dominic clapped once.

The Time Stop faded away and Taylor let the world rush in, filling her ears with the noise that had been missing. As Taylor exited the aisle, both guys following her, she spotted the librarian at his desk. Thoughts of Bailey came to her and with it the time in the cafeteria. Spinning around, she held up her hands stopping Dominic and Clint.

"I almost forgot. Elena. Her account about The Shadow," she said. "We need to find out more about it."

"I did," Dominic said. "Yesterday. I told Clint and we decided not to tell you right away so you could rest. You don't have to worry about it. It just sounds like a bunch of crazy people."

"Oh." A bunch of crazy people. Taylor didn't know whether that was a good thing or not. After all, sometimes it was the crazy stories that got the most traction. "Okay. She approached me again, should I-"

"Don't stress it," Dominic said. "If she talks to you again I can talk to her."

"Okay." Though her response was affirmative, Taylor didn't feel completely affirmed that she shouldn't stress.

Dominic placed a hand on her shoulder and shook it lightly, getting her attention.

"Hey, it will be fine. Besides you have enough to deal with. You have to learn how to talk to a boy!"

Taylor wished Dominic was wrong but sadly, he wasn't.

**********************************************************************

"You didn't see that coming?"

(Sorry, is that still a sore spot?)

You know how this works! 🗯💬💭🌚

Reader Joy: I think I need to say something.

Writer Joy: Do you really?

Reader Joy: Yes! It needs to be said! Why won't you let me say it?

Writer Joy: Well I was thinking that since we're the same person you could save your breath by not saying it and just thinking it and therefore I'll know it because we share the same brain.

Reader Joy: Oh, sure that works.

*stares intently in the mirror*

Reader Joy: Got it?

Writer Joy: Yup.

Reader Joy: Did you also get my passive aggressive tone indicating how I feel about the choices I believe you have already made and are putting into place and therefore doing something I'm not sure whether I want you to do or not?

Writer Joy: Yes but I'm ignoring the tone.

Reader Joy: I kinda hate you.

Writer Joy: Sounds like a You Problem to me.

Vote, comment, follow because I don't know about you but talking to myself is vastly amusing to me!