shoved his phone at her. He hadn’t even realized it’d already been in his hand. He didn’t even care that it was getting wet. Nothing else mattered at this moment.
She stepped back, taking the umbrella with her.
Nick was rained on immediately. That was fine. Wet everything was fine because he was standing next to Shadow Star. It could have been raining acid, and he wouldn’t have complained.
“Okay,” Gibby said. “Get close, you guys.”
Nick squeaked but managed to cover it up with a cough. He scooted sideways until he was firmly pressed up against Shadow Star. He didn’t turn to look at him so he wouldn’t accidentally kiss the side of his head again.
“Nick, you look like you’re in pain. You need to smile.”
Nick smiled.
“And now you look like you’re about to eat baby animals. Dial it back.”
Nick dialed it back.
“There we go,” Gibby said. “Shadow Star, you don’t need to smile because you’re brooding and deep or whatever.”
“Exactly,” Shadow Star said. “I breathe the shadows of the dark, and—”
“Everyone say I think Nick is super cute!”
“I think Nick is super cute,” Shadow Star and Nick said at the same time.
Gibby took the picture as Nick realized what had come out of Shadow Star’s mouth.
“You said I’m super cute,” he said in awe, blaming puberty for the way his voice cracked.
“That’s not—that’s what she told me to say.” Shadow Star sounded flustered.” I’m not—”
“So you don’t think he’s cute?” Gibby asked.
Yes, that. The most important question that had ever been asked in the history of humanity. Nick waited on pins and needles for Shadow Star to either confess his love or break his heart.
Shadow Star did neither. Instead, he said, “The dark heart of the city pulses beneath my feet. Its blood is calling for me. I have to go.”
And with that, the lights burst to life on his wrist. He pointed them at Mustache Man and Male Pattern Baldness. Their shadows grew on the walls behind them. Shadow Star grunted, and the shadows reached down and grabbed the would-be muggers, pulling them up the side of the building. Shadow Star crouched low before springing upward, landing on the wall, dark shades holding him against the brick as he ran after the criminals. He disappeared over the rooftop and was gone.
Nick stared up after him, blinking the rain away.
“You’re welcome,” Gibby told him, shoving his phone into his hand. “Now, can we go? Watching you get a boner in an alley that smells like feet is not how I expected to spend my afternoon. I need a shower.”
5
The first thing he did when he got home was lean against the door and run a hand through his wet hair.
The second thing he did was laugh hysterically.
The third thing he did was run up the stairs to his room and hug the pillow with Shadow Star’s face on it.
The fourth thing he did was pull out the autograph.
It read,
Nicholas Bell,
Always remember to keep to the shadows!
Shadow Star
The fifth thing he did was lie back on his bed, a smile on his face.
The sixth thing he did was sit back up and dig through his bag furiously until he found his phone.
There it was, saved in his photo album next to at least thirty pics he’d taken in front of the bathroom mirror, trying to track if he was gaining any muscles in his arms from the few times he’d tried to lift weights (five-pound barbells did nothing).
Shadow Star glowered at the camera as he stood next to Nick, who looked as if his smile was trying to eat his face. Or at least Nick thought he was glowering since it’d be what he did, but he couldn’t be sure. Shadow Star’s face was almost completely covered by his mask, with only his mouth visible.
Nick stared at it for a good thirty-six minutes. The picture, not Shadow Star’s mouth. Mostly.
Then he clutched the phone to his chest and sighed happily. He had to tell everyone.
Except he couldn’t tell everyone.
Right? He couldn’t, because it would get back to Dad that he’d been in an alley after leaving school late. And he was only at school late because he’d gotten detention. On the first day. And he promised his father he’d do better. That and the fact that he’d almost been stabbed in the face with a knife, and Dad probably wouldn’t let him do anything by himself ever again, much like he hadn’t let Nick go into a bank by himself since—