The Betrayal of Renegade X (Renegade X, Book 3) (24 page)

“But you were there with him. You said all those things, and it’s obvious you meant it. You chose that. Just like you chose to keep secrets for a man who’s killed superheroes. With lightning,” he adds, as if I didn’t know that part.

“I’m not my grandpa.”

“No,” Gordon says, sounding relieved, “you’re not. And I really hope you stay that way.”

P
EOPLE GLARE AT ME at school the next morning. They make a point of bumping into me really hard in the halls. Gordon and Helen thought maybe I should stay home. Just until this “blows over,” as Gordon said. I pointed out that that could be never, and I’m pretty sure Helen agreed with me. She just also agreed with Gordon that a school full of superheroes who all watched that broadcast might not be the safest place for me right now.

But I don’t care how much the kids at school hate me. I’m not giving them the satisfaction of not having to deal with me.

Someone jostles me again, this time with an elbow aimed at my ribs. I try not to wince or show any sign that it hurts, even though it does. A lot. I kind of succeed, but then someone else flat out shoves me, and I accidentally crash into Amelia, who gets squished against the wall.

“Ow!” she yelps, glaring at me. She dusts off her arm where I ran into her, as if I’m covered in filth or something. She takes her time readjusting her backpack and says, “You
don’t
have to wait for me.”

I lean against the wall, out of the way of the crowd. Maybe if I just stay here until the bell rings, I’ll be able to get to class with some dignity intact. “Come on, Amelia. What kind of brother would I be if I didn’t wait for you?”

“The good kind.” She says it all snotty, and I know the only reason she walked into the building with me was because Helen was watching, since she insisted on driving us to school. But then Amelia glances over at me, looking worried for a second. “You’re not going to zap anyone, are you?”

“Wow, you think so highly of me.”

“I just mean, because everyone’s mad at you. And pushing and stuff. I’ve seen you get freaked out before.”

“Do I look like I’m freaked out?”

She bites her lip, looking me over. “Not yet.”

“It was a rhetorical question. I’m not going to zap anyone.” That’s just what they want me to do. Not that anyone here wants to get zapped, but if I did lose it, then at least they could point to me and say they always knew I was bad news. And I’d probably get kicked out of school again.

“And you’re not going to blow anything up?”

“
No.
Just go to class already.”

Amelia opens her mouth, like maybe she’s going to protest. She hesitates, then says, “Who was that boy?”

“What boy?” I ask, even though I know exactly what she’s talking about.

“The one in the video. He had red hair.”

My stomach knots up. No one in Gordon’s family knows about Xavier, or that he’s my all-villain replacement. “I don’t know. Just some kid.”

She doesn’t believe me. It’s obvious from the way she scrunches up her eyebrows and takes a step closer to me. “He was staring up at you. And he was standing
really
close. You knew him.”

“I was watching him for his mom, okay? He’s a relative, but I don’t know him that well.”

“Oh.” She sounds like she wants to believe me, but like something about that doesn’t sit right with her.

I hate that she can tell that I’m lying. Or at least keeping something from her. I could just say, “That’s my brother,” because it’s not like she would know Mom had him after I left and used some weird growth formula on him. But I can’t help feeling that it would be obvious that Mom likes him better than me. What with him actually living with her and everything.

Before Amelia can ask any more questions, I tell her I have to get to class and head down the hall, not waiting for a response. I get a few more shoves, and one girl actually tries to trip me, but I avoid her. Riley’s waiting for me outside the door to my first-period class, even though his is all the way across the school.

“You’re going to be late,” I tell him.

He looks mad. A little relieved to see me in one piece, but still mad. “I want to know what the hell happened. I tried to call you yesterday.”

“You and everyone else I know.”

“I get that you’re probably in trouble, and that maybe you couldn’t answer your phone. But that’s why I’m here now.
Tell me
what’s going on.”

“Later, okay? You’re going to be late for class, and that’s probably going to look bad for your scholarship or whatever.”

He clenches his fists in frustration. “Will you let that go already?!”

“I didn’t mean it like that.” Well, maybe a little. “Just... I’ll tell you at lunch.”

“Tell me now, X.”

“Why? Because you’re worried I’m part of the Truth and you don’t trust me anymore? Or you don’t want to be seen with me?”

He shakes his head. “I know you’re not part of the Truth.”

“How? You saw that video, just like everybody else.”

“Because you wouldn’t. I know you wouldn’t.”

I could have. I was tempted. Really tempted. And only a year ago—maybe even only six months ago—I would have been all over it. But Riley’s so sure I wouldn’t have done it. Maybe he’s right, or maybe he only thinks that because it’s what he needs to believe. Either way, his faith in me feels misguided.

“Listen, Perkins, I—”

I don’t get to finish what I was about to say, because someone comes at me from the side and slams me into the wall.

“
You
,” the guy who just pushed me says. He’s taller than me. A lot bigger, too, and he has this look in his eyes like he really wants to kill me. “You’re going to pay for that little stunt you pulled.”

I assume he means that video of me, which wasn’t really a “little stunt.” If it was a stunt at all, I’d say it was a pretty big one. “Yeah, now’s not really a good time for me. There are, like, a ton of people in line ahead of you who want to tell me I suck, and you can’t just cut in front of them. You’ll have to take a number and try again later.”

Riley’s eyes go wide, and he motions for me to shut up.

Which is probably a good idea, but it’s also not going to happen.

The guy glares at me. “You think you’re so smart, but all you villains are exactly the same.
Worthless
.”

“Great. Another fan. Autographs are five bucks.”

“He’s kidding,” Riley says.

“Yeah. For you, ten bucks.”

The guy shoves me into the wall again, and this time I bang my head. “My
dad
was in those pictures!” he shouts, even though I wouldn’t think he’d want to advertise that.

“I guess villain-hating runs in the family.”

A couple people have stopped to see what’s going on, though none of them attempt to break it up. No teachers appear either, despite us being right next to a classroom.

“My dad taught me everything I know. He wouldn’t do those things.”

“Really? Because you’re about to attack a villain right now. Did he teach you that, too?”

“He taught me not to back down from a fight. Especially one involving a villain.”

A fight
he
started. “You don’t want to mess with me. Seriously.” Lightning prickles beneath my skin, and I let it cover my arms and collect in my hands.

I hear Riley swear under his breath. Like he thinks I’m actually going to use it, when really I’ve got everything under control.

The guy—who someone in the gathering crowd just referred to as Brad—makes a really ugly, very unimpressed face. “No,
you
don’t want to mess with
me
.” He holds up a hand, which starts glowing. I’ve seen this power before. It’s an energy ray that burns like hell and could actually, you know, kill me.

I’m so going to die right now. Why did Riley let me say all those things? Why did Gordon and Helen let me come to school today?! I wonder if I can somehow leave a message for Kat, telling her I love her and could she make sure there’s a good turnout at my funeral. And to serve pirate-themed cupcakes. First Mate Suckers can do the eulogy.

“I’d prefer to punch you in the face a couple times,” Brad says, making his hand glow even brighter, “but I can make do with this.”

Crap.

How is this actually happening? I’m supposed to be the dangerous one at this school.

“Stop!” Riley shouts, stepping between us, even though there’s not a whole lot of room between my lightning and Brad’s ball of energy. “Just let it go.”

“He doesn’t belong here,” Brad says. “And if you like villains so much, maybe you don’t belong here, either.” He raises his hand to fire, whether Riley’s in the way or not.

I make my lightning die down long enough to shove Riley out of danger without zapping him. He stumbles into a couple people in the crowd. There’s nowhere for me to go, and if I use my lightning, I’ll get expelled. For good this time. And Brad’s still going to mess me up either way. I can’t help the zaps of electricity that run along my arms and up my back, making crackling and snapping sounds. My hair stands on end, making my head tingle. Maybe I should just let him punch me in the face and get it over with, but I’m not sure I could keep from zapping him. And it won’t matter who started the fight or that he had a huge part in it—all anyone will take from it is that the half villain used his villain power again. This time on another student.

Brad doesn’t look smug or anything when he realizes he’s got me. He just looks disgusted, like he thinks this really is what I deserve and beating me up is just part of his daily chores. The energy in his hand grows. He’s going to do it.

And then I hear running footsteps, and someone shouts, “Shut your eyes, Ry!” and the whole hallway gets blindingly bright. So bright, I can’t see
anything
. My eyes snap closed, and blobs of color appear behind my eyelids.

“Not okay,” the voice says scoldingly, I think to Brad. And this time, I recognize it.

I’m not sure which is worse: getting burned to death with energy rays, or getting saved by Mason.

Using his stupid light power.

In front of
everybody
.

“I
don’t want to hear it.” I glare at Riley. We’re in his car, on our way to his house after school.

He scrunches up his eyebrows, not taking his eyes off the road. “I didn’t say anything.”

“But you’re going to.”

“Okay. Would it be so bad to admit that Mason totally saved your ass this morning? Because he did.”

“That’s why I don’t want to talk about it.” The last thing I need is Mason showing me up with his lame ability. Which is
not
better than lightning in any way, even if it was maybe useful just this once.

“You could at least, I don’t know, go easy on him.” His eyes shift over to me real quick, then back to the road.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I’m just saying that you don’t have to make jabs at him all the time. Or roll your eyes whenever he’s talking.”

“It’s not my fault everything he says is pretentious.”

Riley sighs as he slows down to turn the last corner toward his house. “You would have gotten expelled today if it wasn’t for him.”

“He shined a light. Big deal.”

Riley smacks his hand against the steering wheel. “It
was
a big deal! And I’m not asking you to like him. But after today, you can see why he makes a good partner.”

Better than me, he means. “Because he showed up at the last second?”

“Yeah, because of that. And he doesn’t pick fights.”

“Geez, Perkins. You were
there
. You know I didn’t start that.”

“No, but you didn’t have to antagonize him so much, either.”

“So, what, I was just supposed to stand there and take it?”

“I don’t...” Riley trails off as we pull up to his house, and it’s pretty obvious why. Curtis’s car is in the driveway. Riley hesitates after getting out, and for a second I think he’s going to say we should go to my house instead. But he doesn’t.

“Wow,” I tell him as we follow the stepping stones that lead across the yard. “I really thought your mom would have moved on by now.”

“He’s not so bad,” Riley mutters, but the stiff way he holds his shoulders makes it pretty clear he doesn’t believe that. Not that I couldn’t have guessed anyway.

“Yeah, you sound real thrilled about it.”

He shrugs. “He makes my mom happy.”

“I find that extremely hard to believe.”

Riley ignores me and unlocks the front door. “We can talk in my room, okay?”

I still haven’t explained how I ended up in that video for the Truth. It was too crazy at lunch time, plus everyone kept staring at me, and Mason wouldn’t shut up about what happened this morning. Plus, Riley’s not the only one who deserves an explanation. “Sarah’s not here yet.”

“Yeah, but...” He glances over at Curtis’s car. “We should go to my room anyway.”

“He’s been dating your mom for a couple of weeks, and he’s already controlling whether or not you have friends over?”

“It’s not like that. But everyone in Golden City heard what you said yesterday, X. And not everyone agrees with it.”