Shadow Star and Pyro Storm. Even if Cap and the mayor thought they were a menace—in fact, all Extraordinaries were a menace, according to Cap—no one could deny how cool they were. If they tried, they were wrong. Period.
Still, he should have done more. Seth deserved as much.
Seth was at his locker when Nick found him, banging his head against it repeatedly, muttering, “Stupid, stupid, stupid.” Nick reached up and put his hand between Seth’s forehead and the locker, so when Seth tried to hit it again, he met a bony hand instead.
“Hey,” Nick said. “Do you want me to kill him? Because I will.” He was very serious about this. He’d learned how on the internet before Dad had tightened the parental controls. He just needed to find some sharks.
Seth sighed. “No. Then you’d go to jail. I’d visit you, but it wouldn’t be the same.”
“Probably. But then I could get a teardrop tattoo and be all badass. That might be worth it.” Nick frowned. “Unless there was a big guy named Enormous Gregory who wanted me to keep my hand in his pocket at all times. I don’t know if I could do that.”
Seth stared at him. “Your brain.”
“I know, right? It’s—whatever. It’s what the Concentra’s for.” Nick looked away, tapping his fingers against the locker, quietly hating that he always needed to be moving.
“There’s nothing wrong with you,” Seth said, and Nick felt even worse for not sticking up for him. He needed to be a better friend. Seth always had his back, no matter what. Nick should’ve done the same.
“Maybe,” Nick mumbled. “Takes some getting used to. I feel a little whacked out, you know? But the doctor says that’s normal, and it’ll even out eventually, kind of like with the ones I had to take before. Except they won’t make me a cracked-out zombie like last year.”
“Good,” Seth said, and Nick could hear the smile in his voice. He glanced at Seth, still a little startled they were eye level. “I thought I was going to have to take out Cracked-Out Zombie Nick with a headshot.”
“It’s the only way to kill ’em,” Nick agreed.
“I’m glad your brain is okay.”
Nick was absurdly touched. “Yeah.” He took a deep breath. “You can’t let Owen get to you, man. He wants to get under your skin.”
Seth’s smile faded slowly. “I know. It’s part of his charm.”
Nick rolled his eyes. “I wouldn’t call it charm.”
“You sure fell for it, though.” And then Seth immediately blanched, as if he couldn’t believe those words had come out of his mouth.
“Dude,” Nick breathed reverently. “That was hardcore. I’m impressed. Holy crap.”
Seth rubbed the back of his neck. “I didn’t mean—”
“Yeah, you totally did. You can’t take it back now. That’d be weak.”
“O … kay?”
Nick nodded. “Also, that was kind of mean. And maybe my feelings are hurt.”
“The truth often does that.”
“Okay. Like. Who are you? I mean, I’m sorry and everything, because you’re right. I should have said more. But also, what have you done with my best friend? Oh my god, are you Bizarro Seth? Like Batzarro the World’s Worst Detective? If you are, tell me now, so I can figure out how to get normal Seth back. I mean, it’s cool if you’re Bizarro Seth, but I really like my Seth the way he is.”
Seth squeaked.
Nick squinted at him. “Uh—you okay?”
Seth nodded furiously, his face red. “Y-yeah. I’m cool. Cool, cool, cool.”
“Good.”
“I’m not Bizarro Seth.”
Nick’s eyes narrowed. “That sounds like something Bizarro Seth would say.”
Seth took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I promise. I’m … your Seth.”
Nick grinned and put his arm around Seth’s shoulders. “Fantastic. I believe you. What were we talking about again? I can’t remember.”
Seth shrugged, but he looked better, which was the only thing Nick cared about. “It doesn’t matter. It’s all good now.”
Nick felt Seth’s arm wrap around his waist and give him a brief side hug, and all was right again with the world. “You’ve got AP History next, right? My class is right next to yours. Let’s walk and talk. I’ve got some ideas for how Nate Belen will be saved that I wanted to run by you. You got a few minutes?”
Seth did.
Maybe today hadn’t turned out so bad after all.
* * *
It was pouring down rain when Nick was finally released from the prison known as after-school detention.
“Dammit,” he mumbled to himself, staring out the front doors of the school. He could hear shouts and the squeak of