Page 58 of All Superheroes Need PR

“Not sure.”

“What do you mean, not sure?” She scoffs.

“I did it because you pissed me off, and because I pissed me off. Wanted to prove to you that I could do it and maybe prove it to myself too. But when I was up there, it was all mechanical. Brute determination and grit. Just one thing after the next after the next. I don’t think I even realized how exhausted I was until I saw some of those pictures Monika took.”

“She’s incredible, huh?”

“Crazy. The wildest part is that she was so discreet. I didn’t even realize she was there most of the time.”

Vanessa nods. “The best.”

“And you want to know what made it all feel worth it in the end?”

Vanessa blushes, like she knows what I’m gonna say before I say it. “What?”

“The way you looked at me when I knocked on your door. Like I was the most impressive thing you’d ever seen.”

“You kind of are.”

My chest heats. I exhale smoke and shake my head, a lock of my already-disheveled hair drooping across my forehead, Shandra’s whole aesthetic out the window. “Youare.”

“Me? I’m just a nervous wreck who can’t talk to people.”

“Who runs her own company. Who’s fucking badass.” I cock my head. “And what do I care if you can’t talk to people? You can talk to me. In fact, it’s better you can’t talk to people, because anytime anybody talks to you, I wanna kill ’em.”

“You’re insane.”

“Yeah.”

“And also really sweet.”

I laugh hard. “Shut up.”

“You are,” she insists, picking at her dessert. She hasn’t offered to share, and even though I don’t care about key lime pie, I still enjoy stealing bites from her plate and seeing the annoyed, almost involuntary way she flicks my fork away. “What you did for those kids was insane.”

I shrug. “They deserve it. They didn’t have to help you.”

Her blush is deep, and she’s nodding. “Still, I should have been the one to thank them.”

“No.”

“No? I was the one who fell ...”

“And you were all right. I wasn’t. When the COE called me and told me you were hurt, I lost my damn mind. I was expecting the worst. Wasn’t expecting you to be smiling and a bunch of kids to have your back. Made me feel better. And definitely saved those reporters’ lives.”

Nessa snorts and polishes off her pie. “Seeing you skateboard with those kids was hot.”

I laugh. “You drunk?”

She blushes and quickly blurts, “Tipsy! I promise I’m not gonna throw up.”

I laugh even harder and order the bill. Vanessa insists on paying because I’m “poor now” after giving all my money away to those kids. I let her. Don’t give a shit about money. She can have all mine so long as she buys me sweats every so often and maybe a couple new pairs of underwear.

Fat and happy, we take some pictures with the damn waiter, Moroney or whatever, and by the time we get home, I’m feeling more satisfied than I ever have in my life. Until I go to the bathroom and wash my hands and realize ...

“What the ...”

My nails grew half an inch and are sharp as goddamn razors.