make yourself into something better so you can protect him.”
Nick thought the floor was swaying beneath his feet. No one else had gotten that. Why did it have to be Owen of all people? “How did you know?”
“Because I know you, Nick. We’re cut from the same cloth. Two sides of the same coin. It’s like a dance, you and me.”
Nick sat on the edge of his bed before his legs gave out.
Owen stood only a few feet away. “I know it started as something else. Your little crush on Shadow Star is cute. But you’ve got a depth to you I don’t think people see.”
“And you can?”
Owen laughed. “Eh. People underestimate me, and that’s to their detriment. They see a spoiled rich kid who does whatever he wants without thinking of the consequences.”
“Uh. You are a spoiled rich kid who does whatever he wants without thinking of the consequences. No offense,” he added hastily.
“Maybe. But that’s only part of who I am. You see, Nick, when people underestimate you, they tend to write you off. They don’t see what else is there, underneath the surface. You know me. I’m not just that.”
Owen had a point. Sure, he was a dick and he absolutely was a spoiled rich kid, but he was funny and smart, and sometimes, he could even be kind. Yeah, it was usually after he’d done something harsh and almost cruel, but Nick was no saint himself. “Your father?”
Owen winced but covered it up quickly. “It’s complicated. My parents aren’t like yours. My dad isn’t like yours. He doesn’t need protecting. He’s got an entire security team for that. But that doesn’t mean I love him any less. I would do anything for him, if only for him to see me as someone capable. As someone worthy.”
“You are,” Nick said honestly. “You’re pretty okay.”
“Oof. Thank you for the ringing endorsement. Truly. You set my heart aflutter.”
“I’m being serious.” Potentially.
Owen watched him for a moment. Then, “Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Yeah, okay. Geez. Don’t be such a sap, Bell. You’ve got a reputation to maintain. Sort of.”
Nick’s head hurt. He was exhausted, but he pushed through it. “I want to do something important. It was … okay. Before. And then it became After, and it wasn’t okay anymore. And I’m trying. I really am. And maybe it started off as wanting to get Shadow Star to notice me—”
“Not a bad thing. You’re an obsessive superfan. Like the K-pop fandoms that go to concerts and throw their underwear onstage.”
“—but it turned into something else. And I can do this. I know I can. I just need to figure out how. I don’t want to be the weird kid anymore. I don’t want my mouth to say things before my brain even starts to think. I don’t want to take medication in order to be able to focus. I just … want to do that on my own. I want to be seen.” Nick swallowed thickly. “I want to matter.”
Owen nodded slowly. “It’s like the Extraordinaries. Shadow Star and Pyro Storm. People see them as good and evil. As black and white. But who are they behind the mask? Why did they become the people they are? Why is Shadow Star the hero? Why is Pyro Storm the villain? Don’t you want to find out?”
Yes. Yes, he did. “That’s what I’ve been trying to—”
Owen waved his hand dismissively. “Oh, I know. You’ve been trying. It’s endearing.”
That word again. “That’s one way to put it,” Nick muttered.
“What if…” Owen shook his head. “Nah. That’s probably not a good idea.”
Hook, line, and sinker. “What?”
Owen smiled tightly. “I get it. Sometimes, I get dumb ideas in my head too. I thought of something, but it probably wouldn’t work. Best we don’t think about it.”
“What is it?” Nick demanded. “Tell me!”
Owen looked dubious. “I mean, it’s dangerous. And it’d be a lot of hard work. We couldn’t tell anyone about it.”
Nick felt like he was about to explode. “What do you know?”
Owen glanced at the door, like he was making sure it was still shut and no one was listening in. “What if I told you there was a way to become an Extraordinary, and all you had to do was take a chance?”
Goose bumps prickled along Nick’s arms, the hairs standing on their ends as if electrified. “What are you talking about?”
“I probably shouldn’t be saying anything,” Owen said gravely. “But I don’t know who else to tell.”
“You can tell me,” Nick said. “I can keep a