And because Nick had a heart, messed up though it might be, he had to ask. “It was just … sparring, right? Not—” He hesitated, unsure if he was overstepping.
“Not what?”
“Not your dad?” Nick blurted before he could stop himself.
Owen looked taken aback, but he recovered quickly. And for a moment, the mask slipped again. “Nah. He wouldn’t raise a hand to me. Never has. I promise, okay? It’s not like that.”
“If you say so.”
“I do. Now, shall we go see why they’re talking about us?”
“How do you know they’re talking about us?”
Owen winked at him. “Because they’re trying to act like they aren’t.”
Nick looked over at the table. Sure enough, Gibby was waving her hands at Jazz and Seth, whispering something that Nick couldn’t hear. Both Seth and Jazz turned their heads to look at Nick and Owen.
“Great,” Nick muttered.
“Eh,” Owen said. “If people aren’t talking about you, then you’re doing something wrong.”
* * *
If breakfast had been uncomfortable and the train station awkward, then lunch was absolutely excruciating.
It didn’t help that Jazz was staring at him weirdly, or that Gibby kept muttering under her breath about idiot boys. And Seth seemed barely able to meet Nick’s gaze for more than a second or two before he’d look away, pulling at his polka-dotted cravat. Nick also wanted to pull on it.
And it absolutely did not help that Owen seemed to be more … hands-on than usual. He leaned into Nick, bumped his shoulder, laughed quietly as he whispered in Nick’s ear. Seth scowled at Owen for almost the entirety of lunch, his forehead wrinkled, cheeks flushed.
“So,” Nick said, trying desperately to make things normal again. “I’ve decided to move on to Phase Three.”
“I assume that Phase Three is better than One or Two,” Gibby said through a mouthful of what appeared to be peanut butter and strawberry jam.
“It is,” Nick said, shoving Owen away after he flicked his ear. “It’s the best phase. Everyone says so.”
“Who is everyone?” Jazz asked.
Nick ignored her. He didn’t have time for things like facts. “I plan on implementing Phase Three this Saturday, and I expect all of you to be there. This could potentially be one of the most significant experiences of my life, and I will need your support when I make the transition from normal to Extraordinary.”
“How is this going to be any different than the other times?” Gibby asked.
“Because it will,” Nick insisted. “The other phases were all child’s play compared to this. Phase Three is the big one.”
“What are you going to do?” Seth asked. Nick looked over at him, and then sighed inwardly when Seth turned away almost immediately.
“It’s a surprise,” Nick said. “Trust me, though. This time it’ll work.”
“Is it illegal?” Owen asked. “Because if it is, I am totally down.”
Nick glared at him. “No, it’s not illegal. My dad’s a cop. I wouldn’t do that.”
“You were looking up plans to break into a nuclear power plant,” Jazz reminded him.
“Right, but I didn’t do it. It’s one thing to think of doing something illegal, but it’s another to actually do it.”
“Your moral compass might need some fine-tuning,” Gibby told him. “Just for the record.”
Nick waved a hand dismissively at her. “Whatever. The point is that I’ve got the most perfect plan of all plans. You need to be there. Agreed?”
“Agreed,” Jazz said, because she was amazing.
“Fine,” Gibby said, sounding bored. She was slightly less amazing.
“Maybe,” Owen said, because he was a jerk. “If nothing better comes up.”
Nick turned to Seth, who was picking at a smashed sandwich. “Seth?”
Seth shrugged. “If you think it’s right.”
“Maybe try that with a little more enthusiasm.”
Seth scowled a little harder. “Yeah, I’ll be there.”
“Good,” Nick said brightly, clapping his hands. “Then let Phase Three commence!” Then, “Well, not right this second. Because we still have school. And it’s not Saturday. So.”
* * *
“Nick!”
Nick turned to see Seth rushing toward him down the steps. He’d been waiting for his friends after the last bell before they headed for the train. Nick looked behind Seth to see if Gibby or Jazz were coming, but Seth was alone.
“Hey,” he said. “Where is everyone?”
Seth stopped in front of him and rubbed the back of his neck. “Um. They’re … not here.”
“I can see that. Thank you for stating the obvious.”
Seth sighed. “It’s just us today.”
“Oh. Okay. That’s … great.” It wasn’t great. Or maybe it was the greatest. Nick was instantly covered in flop sweat. Was