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“You sure fell for it, though.” And then Seth immediately blanched, as if he couldn’t believe those words had come out of his mouth.

“Dude,” Nick breathed reverently. “That was hardcore. I’m impressed. Holy crap.”

Seth rubbed the back of his neck. “I didn’t mean—”

“Yeah, you totally did. You can’t take it back now. That’d be weak.”

“O… kay?”

Nick nodded. “Also, that was kind of mean. And maybe my feelings are hurt.”

“The truth often does that.”

“Okay. Like. Whoareyou? I mean, I’m sorry and everything, because you’re right. I should have said more. But also, what have you done with my best friend? Oh my god, are you Bizarro Seth? Like Batzarro the World’s Worst Detective? If you are, tell me now, so I can figure out how to get normal Seth back. I mean, it’s cool if you’re Bizarro Seth, but I really like my Seth the way he is.”

Seth squeaked.

Nick squinted at him. “Uh—you okay?”

Seth nodded furiously, his face red. “Y-yeah. I’m cool. Cool, cool, cool.”

“Good.”

“I’m not Bizarro Seth.”

Nick’s eyes narrowed. “That sounds like something Bizarro Seth would say.”

Seth took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I promise. I’m…yourSeth.”

Nick grinned and put his arm around Seth’s shoulders. “Fantastic. I believe you. What were we talking about again? I can’t remember.”

Seth shrugged, but he looked better, which was the only thing Nick cared about. “It doesn’t matter. It’s all good now.”

Nick felt Seth’s arm wrap around his waist and give him a brief side hug, and all was right again with the world. “You’ve got AP History next, right? My class is right next to yours. Let’s walk and talk. I’ve got some ideas for how Nate Belen will be saved that I wanted to run by you. You got a few minutes?”

Seth did.

Maybe today hadn’t turned out so bad after all.

It was pouring down rain when Nick was finally released from the prison known as after-school detention.

“Dammit,” he mumbled to himself, staring out the front doors of the school. He could hear shouts and the squeak of sneakers on the gym floor down the hall, and a sharp blast of a whistle, but other than that, only the rain.

He hadn’t even thought to check the forecast this morning. He’d been too distracted by wishing Rebecca Firestone would cease to exist.

The train station was a few blocks away, which meant Nick was going to get wet. He hated getting wet.

He closed his eyes tightly and thought as hard as he could for the rain to stop, just in case he’d somehow developed Extraordinary powers while in detention and could now control the weather.

He opened his eyes.

It was still raining.

He could wait it out, but according to the weather app on his phone, it was going to rain for at least two more hours, and he didn’t want to be at the school any longer than he had to be. He made thedecision that since he was a man, he could stand getting his hair and socks wet.

He pushed open the door.

His hand was immediately soaked.