it was where the youngest students ate and where Natalie did her hiding.
The plan had worked for almost a solid month, until Ted went out of his way to follow her. She was eating alone at a small table in the corner when he sat down across from her.
"I have a sneaking suspicion that you've been avoiding me." Ted's grin was just a shade shy of cocksure.
"Did you pick up mind-reading during your morning training sessions?" Natalie gazed at another table where a freshman was doing his best impression of Principal Stoll. If only he'd known the principal was watching from the entrance.
"All that time working out alone has made you snippy."
Natalie attempted to shoot laser beams out of her eyes and into Ted's face. It didn't work, but the glare was enough to take his grin away.
Ted changed his approach. He looked down at his tray and started to eat.
Natalie watched him open up the plastic container and chow down on the same chicken salad his mother had always packed him. All the little tics that used to make him seem endearing were getting on her nerves. She'd seen him chew with his mouth open nearly a hundred times, but a part of her wanted this to be the last.
"Close your damn mouth."
Ted, along with several students at the nearest table, stopped what they were doing to look at Natalie. She came off angrier than she intended, but maybe that was the tone she had to take. Maybe it would get Ted to leave her alone.
"Sorry." He made sure to chew the next bite of chicken salad with his mouth as closed as could be.
Natalie dropped her fork and let it clack against her plate. "What are you doing here, Ted?"
He looked up at her with his big, round eyes. "Checking on you."
Natalie wished he were lying. "I don't need anyone to check on me. I'm doing great, actually."
Ted smiled. "Really? Did you hear from one of your top five choices?"
Natalie growled. "Why do you care, Ted? You've got someone else now. You can finally leave me alone!" She stood up and began to walk away. Natalie felt herself being turned around as if hand grabbed her shoulder. But it wasn't a hand. Ted had used his powers on her.
"Natalie!" Ted hopped up from the table and followed after her.
She felt her fists clench tight. "Did you just use your powers on me? Did you just turn me around against my will? You're walking a fine line, Finley."
Natalie realized that everyone in the freshman cafeteria had their eyes and phones trained on her.
Let them watch .
Ted's eyes held nothing but fear. "I'm sorry. I'm just trying to say I still care about you."
Natalie pushed the center of Ted's chest. Her ex-boyfriend went flying to the ground, back first. The crowd of freshman gaped in horror.
"You care about me, Ted?" Natalie tried to approach him, but she could feel herself being restrained by the lunch aid and Principal Stoll. "You care about me? If this it what it feels like to be loved by Ted Finley, I think I'd rather get stabbed in the heart this time."
Principal Stoll tried and failed to get a hold of the strongest girl in school. "That's enough, Ms. Dormer."
Ted's eyes were as wide as she'd ever seen them. "I was just hoping we could–"
Natalie lowered her voice. "There's no we. Not as friends. Not as more. We're done, Finley."
With that, Natalie let herself be led out of the lunchroom.
She ignored most of what Principal Stoll told her during the next 15 minutes of lecturing. The end result was three weeks of before-school detention, a cruel trick Stoll had devised to hit his students where it hurt: in their number of hours slept. Natalie ignored two calls from Ted and a call from Dhiraj after she got home from school. When a different number came up, she let herself answer.
"Hello?"
"Few people go viral as often as you, Ms. Dormer," an unfamiliar voice said.
"What can I say? I have a talent for yelling at superheroes. Who is this?"
"Someone who wants to have you for an ally. You asked if you could help. And we're interested."
When
The plan had worked for almost a solid month, until Ted went out of his way to follow her. She was eating alone at a small table in the corner when he sat down across from her.
"I have a sneaking suspicion that you've been avoiding me." Ted's grin was just a shade shy of cocksure.
"Did you pick up mind-reading during your morning training sessions?" Natalie gazed at another table where a freshman was doing his best impression of Principal Stoll. If only he'd known the principal was watching from the entrance.
"All that time working out alone has made you snippy."
Natalie attempted to shoot laser beams out of her eyes and into Ted's face. It didn't work, but the glare was enough to take his grin away.
Ted changed his approach. He looked down at his tray and started to eat.
Natalie watched him open up the plastic container and chow down on the same chicken salad his mother had always packed him. All the little tics that used to make him seem endearing were getting on her nerves. She'd seen him chew with his mouth open nearly a hundred times, but a part of her wanted this to be the last.
"Close your damn mouth."
Ted, along with several students at the nearest table, stopped what they were doing to look at Natalie. She came off angrier than she intended, but maybe that was the tone she had to take. Maybe it would get Ted to leave her alone.
"Sorry." He made sure to chew the next bite of chicken salad with his mouth as closed as could be.
Natalie dropped her fork and let it clack against her plate. "What are you doing here, Ted?"
He looked up at her with his big, round eyes. "Checking on you."
Natalie wished he were lying. "I don't need anyone to check on me. I'm doing great, actually."
Ted smiled. "Really? Did you hear from one of your top five choices?"
Natalie growled. "Why do you care, Ted? You've got someone else now. You can finally leave me alone!" She stood up and began to walk away. Natalie felt herself being turned around as if hand grabbed her shoulder. But it wasn't a hand. Ted had used his powers on her.
"Natalie!" Ted hopped up from the table and followed after her.
She felt her fists clench tight. "Did you just use your powers on me? Did you just turn me around against my will? You're walking a fine line, Finley."
Natalie realized that everyone in the freshman cafeteria had their eyes and phones trained on her.
Let them watch .
Ted's eyes held nothing but fear. "I'm sorry. I'm just trying to say I still care about you."
Natalie pushed the center of Ted's chest. Her ex-boyfriend went flying to the ground, back first. The crowd of freshman gaped in horror.
"You care about me, Ted?" Natalie tried to approach him, but she could feel herself being restrained by the lunch aid and Principal Stoll. "You care about me? If this it what it feels like to be loved by Ted Finley, I think I'd rather get stabbed in the heart this time."
Principal Stoll tried and failed to get a hold of the strongest girl in school. "That's enough, Ms. Dormer."
Ted's eyes were as wide as she'd ever seen them. "I was just hoping we could–"
Natalie lowered her voice. "There's no we. Not as friends. Not as more. We're done, Finley."
With that, Natalie let herself be led out of the lunchroom.
She ignored most of what Principal Stoll told her during the next 15 minutes of lecturing. The end result was three weeks of before-school detention, a cruel trick Stoll had devised to hit his students where it hurt: in their number of hours slept. Natalie ignored two calls from Ted and a call from Dhiraj after she got home from school. When a different number came up, she let herself answer.
"Hello?"
"Few people go viral as often as you, Ms. Dormer," an unfamiliar voice said.
"What can I say? I have a talent for yelling at superheroes. Who is this?"
"Someone who wants to have you for an ally. You asked if you could help. And we're interested."
When
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