She didn’t come.
I didn’t think she would have.
“See you later, Ms. Nicole,” I said, waving goodbye to her as I began my trek home. One step after another.
It felt emptier than usual, even though I was walking alone. There weren’t any sounds of passing cars, talking people, or even radios annoyingly playing the newest tracks.
I just had to listen to my deep thoughts.
My hair bobbed up and down as I continued to walk. I closed my eyes for a few moments, trying not to think about anything. Everything just… hurt.
My father’s mad at me, and my mother… I don’t know what to think about her… My only friend is gone, because of my powers…
It’s all because of me.
“Leave me alone,” I said to myself. I didn’t think it would work either.
A short buzz came from my pocket that tossed me right out of my thoughts. I didn’t want to answer it, but it could be someone important.
Someone like Monticlaire?
“No,” I said aloud.
Someone like your parents?
I sighed and plucked the phone from my right pocket. There were text messages from my mother waiting for me.
Come to The Nook after school. We should talk again. I flinched. I didn’t want to talk to them right now.
All I wanted to do is be alone.
Another text message came through. This one simply said:
Please.
I began to rush off to my family’s diner. If they wanted to talk again, so be it.
They already ruined my life, why not just control it even more?
-~-
The door slammed shut behind me as I turned my head to the dining section. My mother sat in one of the booths, sipping a cold milkshake of her creation. I slid into the other side, placing my bags to the side.
“Where’s my dad?”
“Not coming,” she sighed, holding her head. “Listen, Novella. You know I love you, right?” the mother desperately asked. I nodded slowly.
“Of course I know that, Mom. Why would you think otherwise?” I spoke. She hesitated for a few moments, looking off to the side.
“Because… you said that you hated your powers. If you truly hated them, then that must mean that… you hate us. Your birth parents,” her somber tone flooded her voice as the mother was trying to hold back tears. I grimaced, pulling my hands up to my face. For once, they were being normal. They weren’t glowing, or emitting light.
They were controlling themselves. For once.
“Mom… I didn’t mean it like that. But at the same time, you know that I’ve… despised these powers for a long time. They’ve made me feel special, sure… but… they run the risk of me not feeling normal,” I admitted, looking down at the wooden table.
“I know, sweetie… I absolutely understand what you mean.”
Mrs. Nook pulled her own hands up to eye level, gazing at them with wonder.
“These hands can do so much more, when given the opportunity. I feared them too, when I was younger. I could never touch a doorknob without it being freezing cold for the next person to touch. I could never hug anyone, or give a decent handshake. But, by the time I was getting my driver’s license, I figured out a way to regulate my abilities.” Her smile was beaming. I raised an eyebrow.
“…and the trick is…?” I muttered out.
“Finding someone to confide in,” she simply said. I blinked, shaking my head.
“No.”
“Yes, Novella. Your ‘someone’ is Monticlaire. That’s what I’ve been trying to show to your father, and somewhat to you as well,” she crossed her legs.
“Who do you think planned the sleepover, or brought it up in the first place? I wanted both of you to get to know each other. She’s your ‘someone,” Novella. I want you two to be as close. That way, your powers will fade into the back of your mind,” she said, placing one of her hands on my own. I winced, expecting her hand to feel like ice. However, that wasn’t the case.
It felt like a normal hand.
“I don’t want you to feel bad about Monticlaire. Whatever happened that night is something that she will eventually overcome.”
“But… she left because of my powers. W-We were holding hands, and my hand was heating up with hers…” I stammered while blushing hard. “It’s a long story.”
“Uh-huh. Interesting,” my mother said, holding her chin. “Just to be clear, she still doesn’t know about your powers, correct?”
“No, Mom. I promise you she doesn’t.”
“Oh, I know she doesn’t,” the mother admitted. “How?”
“That prosthetic right hand of hers would have been able to feel the heat that was given off by your hands. If you say that you gave off a lot, and she didn’t comment on it or anything, then that means that—”
“She couldn’t have felt anything,” My eyes lit up. “So that means that she’s not mad at me because of my powers! She must have been mad because of my dad barging into the room!” I exclaimed happily, almost wanting to leap from my seat.
“Exactly. I should have just gotten up and done it myself, but…” she trailed off, giggling to herself.
“Listen, Novella. Your father and I love you very much. What I want for you is to be happy. It’s still your father’s decision for you to go to prom or not, but I still want you to see Monticlaire no matter what,” my mother stated, grinning at me once more.
“And… I believe you’ve earned it,” an unknown voice spoke from the kitchen. Mr. Nook treaded out of the shadows, placing his spatula on a nearby counter. The man imitated my usual move of hopping over the counter, almost tripping in the process. He rose to his feet shortly after.
“Novella, I apologize about earlier today. I shouldn’t have yelled at you about something that wasn’t in your control. However, what is in control should be your powers. But, as your mother previously stated, your powers will never be in control unless you have someone to balance the act out.”
Mr. Nook walked over to my mother and gave her a kiss on the forehead.
“I want you to go to prom, and to hang out with Monticlaire. I want you guys to be the best of friends,” he said, placing one of his burly hands on top of my head.
“Now, go and… do your homework or some-OOF!” I leaped from the booth to give him a big hug.
“Thank you so much, Dad. Thank you.” I spoke, my voice muffled due to talking into his shirt.
“I love you too. Just... don’t pick a too expensive prom dress, alright? We’ve still things to run around here,” he said, chuckling slightly.
-~-
“So, you’re not mad at me anymore?”
Our mothers dropped us off at the park later that day. We figured that it would be a good place to convene. It was a bit chilly, but we both could handle it.
“Novella, I was never really mad at you per se, but just at the situation. I thought we were in a private area, you know? I didn’t expect anyone to burst in on us. I just thought… we’d be alone.”
Monticlaire slowly kicked her legs back and forth on the swing, gripping the chains tightly as she began moving.
“Yeah. My dad said he was sorry about the whole thing.” “I’ll accept it.”
“So we’re cool now?” I asked with anticipation. “The coolest,” the girl said, smiling back at me.
“Alright then. Get ready for prom.”
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