Page 29 of Flash Fire (The Extraordinaries 2)

Gibby stared at him for a long moment before saying, “Are you askingforme or to make yourself feel better?”

“Probably a bit of both,” Nick admitted. “But I know it’s notaboutme. And seriously, tell me the truth, okay? Or don’t, if you don’t feel comfortable. You’re important to me, Gibby.”

Gibby groaned. “It’s too early for feelings. What the hell, Nicky.” She gnawed on her bottom lip before squaring her shoulders and looking at Nick dead-on. “Okay. Honest?”

“Honest,” Nick agreed.

“No. Your dad has never done anythingto meto make me uncomfortable.”

Sagging in relief, Nick said, “That’s—”

But she wasn’t finished. “Notdirectly. But Nick, he’s—he’s a cop. And even though I know him, that still doesn’t change what that means. You see a badge and the uniform, and you think ofsafety.Isee the badge and uniform and think about how often people like him have failed people like me. It’s not just about your dad; it’s aboutallof them. And it doesn’t help that your dad did what he did. I know it was a few years back and it was a white guy, but if he assaulted someone once, who’s to say he won’t do it again?”

“Yeah,” Nick muttered. “I get that now. I’m not going to pretend that what Dad did was justified. It wasn’t. And I think I kind of … I don’t know.”

“Glossed over it?” Jazz asked quietly.

“Maybe,” Nick said with a wince. Someone bumped into him on the way toward the stairs, and he scowled over his shoulder before looking back at his friends. “No,notmaybe. I did.” All he’d been thinking about was how he’d act if someone was talking shit about his mother like that. He had to find a way to reconcile that with who he knew his dad to be. At least, who hethoughthis dad was. Now, he wasn’t so sure.

Gibby shrugged. “I get that your dad was grieving, but that doesn’t give him an excuse.”

Nick shook his head. “I know. Thanks for being honest with me.”

Gibby snorted. “When have I ever not? We’ll figure it out. Just … think. Really think. Can you do that?”

“Yeah,” Nick said. “Of course. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”

She rolled her eyes fondly. “Gee, Nick. Thanks.”

Jazz laughed as Nick scowled. “Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up. Oh hey, I have an idea I wanted to float by the both of you.”

“Uh-oh,” Jazz said as Gibby took her by the hand, pulling her toward the stairs that led to the streets above. “I get chills when you say stuff like that.”

Nick trailed after them, pulling his hoodie up and over his head to keep his ears warm. They reached street level as the sky began to spit flurries. “This is a good idea. I’ve thought this through.”

“For how long?” Gibby asked. “Because your idea of thinking things through usually means you just thought of it two seconds ago and didn’t think it through at all.”

Nick rolled his eyes. “I’ll have you know I first thought of it on Saturday, so that’s almost two whole days of percolation.” Gibbywas about to speak, but he cut her off. “Andno, this doesn’t involve me becoming an Extraordinary. I’ve given up on that. This is about Team Pyro Storm.” He bopped his head and wiggled his hips as they passed a group of buskers on the street, banging on plastic buckets. One grinned at him and flashed a thumbs-up, which he returned in kind. God, he loved the people in this city. He pulled out a few crumpled dollar bills and tossed them into a small box set before them and then moved on, blowing into his hands to warm them up.

“Does this have anything to do with the abrupt left turn your fic took?” Jazz asked. “Because I was a little disappointed I didn’t get to read about you and Seth—oh, I’m sorry,NashandPyro Storm—getting down.”

“Gross,” Gibby muttered. “I told you not to read that stuff. There’s no looking away once you see what goes on in Nick’s head.”

“I’ll pretend that was a compliment. Thank you, Gibby. And Jazz, I appreciate you reading my work and leaving a comment. Comments are life.”

“You’re welcome,” Jazz said. “Even if it didn’t go like I was expecting it to—though, if you think about it, it’s a really weird way to tell Seth you love him.”

Nick almost walked into a pole. “Saywhatnow?”

Jazz squinted at him. “That’s the whole point of the fic, right? It’s a love letter to Seth.”

This … this was news to Nick. “It is not! I don’tlovehim. Oh my god, we’ve only been dating for like four months, seven days, and sixteen hours!”

“Nope,” Gibby said. “Nope, nope, nope. I sat through the cluelessness, the pining, the longing looks that made me want to yell at the both of you. I don’t have the strength to listen tothisnow.”

“But—”

“No. You’re a boy, you’re stupid, and I don’t care.” Gibby pulled Jazz further down the sidewalk, leaving a dumbfounded Nick staring after them.