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Nick laughed nervously. He’d never really considered that before. It made sense. If he was going to be a hero, he’d need someone as an antagonistic foil. A yang to his yin. “I’m not that good. Ask my dad.”

Owen reached out and squeezed Nick’s hand before pulling away again. “Maybe he doesn’t understand.”

“What do you mean?”

Owen shrugged. “You. How your mind works. How you see things. I think most people don’t get it. I mean, here you are, working your ass off trying to be something more, and what’s it getting you?”

Alarm bells blared in Nick’s head. “Oh, hey. No. It’s not that bad, I guess. He’s—”

Owen snorted. “You’re essentially a prisoner in your own house.”

“Well… yeah. That’s kind of what being grounded means.”

“But aren’t you old enough and smart enough to make your own decisions?”

Oh boy. “I’m sixteen years old. I jumped into a dirty river wearing a ring I bought on the internet from a drag queen. That’s empirical evidence that I shouldn’t be trusted with pretty much anything.”

Owen’s smile was dazzling. “Misguided, then. But your heart was in the right place. You wanted to become something more than what you are. I understand that, Nick. I do. Probably better than anyone. Dear ol’ Dad straps a gun to his waist and a badge to his chest and goes to work every day knowing there’s a chance he might not come home. And that’s scary. So you, in all your wisdom, try to make yourself into something better so you can protect him.”

Nick thought the floor was swaying beneath his feet. No one else had gotten that. Why did it have to be Owen of all people? “How did you know?”

“Because I know you, Nick. We’re cut from the same cloth. Two sides of the same coin. It’s like a dance, you and me.”

Nick sat on the edge of his bed before his legs gave out.

Owen stood only a few feet away. “I know it started as something else. Your little crush on Shadow Star is cute. But you’ve got a depth to you I don’t think people see.”

“And you can?”

Owen laughed. “Eh. People underestimate me, and that’s to their detriment. They see a spoiled rich kid who does whatever he wants without thinking of the consequences.”

“Uh. Youarea spoiled rich kid who does whatever he wants without thinking of the consequences. No offense,” he added hastily.

“Maybe. But that’s only part of who I am. You see, Nick, when people underestimate you, they tend to write you off. They don’t see what else is there, underneath the surface. You know me. I’m notjustthat.”

Owen had a point. Sure, he was a dick and he absolutely was a spoiled rich kid, but he was funny and smart, and sometimes, he could even be kind. Yeah, it was usually after he’d done something harsh and almost cruel, but Nick was no saint himself. “Your father?”

Owen winced but covered it up quickly. “It’s complicated. My parents aren’t like yours. My dad isn’t like yours. He doesn’t need protecting. He’s got an entire security team for that. But that doesn’t mean I love him any less. I would do anything for him, if only for him to see me as someone capable. As someone worthy.”

“You are,” Nick said honestly. “You’re pretty okay.”

“Oof. Thank you for the ringing endorsement. Truly. You set my heart aflutter.”

“I’m being serious.” Potentially.

Owen watched him for a moment. Then, “Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Yeah, okay. Geez. Don’t be such a sap, Bell. You’ve got a reputation to maintain. Sort of.”

Nick’s head hurt. He was exhausted, but he pushed through it. “I want to do something important. It was… okay. Before. And then it became After, and it wasn’t okay anymore. And I’mtrying.I really am. And maybe it started off as wanting to get Shadow Star to notice me—”

“Not a bad thing. You’re an obsessive superfan. Like the K-pop fandoms that go to concerts and throw their underwear onstage.”

“—but it turned into something else. And I can do this. I know I can. I just need to figure out how. I don’t want to be the weird kid anymore. I don’t want my mouth to say things before my brain even starts to think. I don’t want to take medication in order to be able to focus. I just… want to do that on my own. I want to be seen.” Nick swallowed thickly. “I want to matter.”

Owen nodded slowly. “It’s like the Extraordinaries. Shadow Star and Pyro Storm. People see them as good and evil. As black and white. But who are they behind the mask? Why did they become the people they are? Why is Shadow Star the hero? Why is Pyro Storm the villain? Don’t you want to find out?”