The Siege of the Supers (The First Superhero Book 2) by Logan Rutherford Page A

him. He loves everybody. He’s like the Buddha of Ebon High.”
    Even though my mind was in a frenzy, Drew’s humor penetrated my thoughts, and I couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m sure he loves that nickname.”
    “That’s the thing!” Drew said incredulously. “He doesn’t care! You could go up to him and say, ‘Hey, Brian, just wanted to let you know that your mom’s the fattest person ever, and your sister’s a whore—I’d know,’ and he wouldn’t care.”
    I winced at Drew’s example.
    “Yeah, well, we can’t all bat a thousand,” he said with a sigh.
    I laughed, as did Drew. I felt my guard falling down, like I was becoming Kane Andrews again. Sitting in the cafeteria with Drew, laughing about Brian, felt normal. Well, almost. There was an empty seat next to Drew where Michael would have sat, and in the back of my mind, I wished he was there. I would’ve loved to hear what he had to say about Drew’s lackluster insults.
    “There’s a party tonight at Zach’s place, if you wanna come,” Drew said, changing the subject.
    “A party on a Monday night?” I asked, giving him a look.
    “His parents are out of town but just for tonight, so pretty much yeah. Nothing too crazy, though, just hanging out and stuff. Chilling.”
    “Sure, I guess,” I said. It wouldn’t hurt anything.
    “Cool. Where’re you living? Want me to pick you up?”
    “Huh? What?” I asked, but then I remembered. He must’ve heard about Mom and Dad selling the farm. “Oh, we live in an apartment downtown,” I said. “I remember how to get there, though.”
    “That’s pretty cool about your dad. He’s a pretty good lawyer, I hear. I’m glad you guys decided to move back to Ebon.”
    “Yeah, there’s no place like home."

14

S&T, LLC
    I walked into apartment 2407 at the York Towers in downtown Indianapolis—home sweet home.
    “I’m home, Mom,” I called.
    Mom peeked out of the kitchen, which sat to the right of the front door. “How was school?”
    I set my backpack down on the couch and walked into the kitchen, where I got a glass of water. “Fine. Drew was cool, didn’t ask too many questions.”
    “And Macy?”
    I didn’t want to answer that question. “She’s good, I guess.”
    “You guess?” Mom stopped making her protein shake. “You mean you didn’t talk to her?”
    I shrugged as I placed my glass in the sink. “She’s dating Brian Turner, and we didn’t have any classes together, so not really. I flew home right after class was over.”
    “Oh, honey,” Mom said. She looked at me with pity in her eyes. “I’m so sorry.”
    “It’s okay, Mom. Really.”
    I heard a door close down the hall. I hadn’t been aware anyone else was home. I looked out the kitchen doorway and saw Dad come walking down the hallway and into the living area.
    “You’re home from work already?” I asked.
    “I took off early. Wanted to be here when you got home,” he said. He leaned up against the back of the couch, crossing his arms.
    I walked out and climbed up to sit on the bar that extended from the kitchen to the living area. I swung my feet back and forth beneath me.
    “How was school?” he asked.
    “Fine, I guess. Nothing special.”
    “Macy’s dating Brian Turner,” Mom said.
    “Zoe,” Dad said, giving her a look that simply said, ‘Really?’ “You okay with that?”
    “Yeah, it’s whatever, Dad,” I said. I really didn’t want to talk about it. “I didn’t even get the chance to talk to her, anyway.”
    “Not even a hello?”
    “Nope. I might see her tonight, though. I’m going to a party.”
    “On a Monday night?” Dad asked, surprised.
    “Well, it’s not really a party. Just hanging out and stuff.”
    “Well, make sure you’re not out too late. You don’t have homework, do you?”
    “Yeah, but I’ll get it done before I leave.”
    Dad nodded, satisfied with my answer. “Well, I’m gonna head up to the office and try to get some work done.” He grabbed his briefcase