Chapter 5

The next day was a school day, which I spent most of the morning trying not to run into Jordan, Jess, or Sydney. I accessed a few students’ perspectives here and there, shifting my path slightly, ducking down corridors, staying just out of their sight. I just found another great way to use my ability: becoming a sneaky ninja.

However, Evelyn spotted me near the cafeteria. Her brow raised for a second as she saw me.

In the classroom, I lost all focus on the subject. I gave up on taking notes. My mind was empty. I stared at the projector screen like a zombie, or watched Evelyn move her pen across the notebook, taking notes. She kept glancing at me, her expression tight with worry.

“Jake ... you’re spacing out again,” she whispered, leaning a little closer.

“I ... I’m fine,” I said, avoiding her eyes.

Then she tried again. “Did you do anything fun last night?”

I swallowed hard. “N‑not really,” I stammered, heat crawling up my neck.

“Um ... did you sleep okay?” she pressed on.

“Yeah,” I said.

Her pen scratched on the notebook a little slower now. She definitely knew that something was wrong with me today. I hated that she always saw through me.

The final bell rang. Everyone poured out like the day had finally set them free. I just sat there for a moment, staring at my half‑open backpack. Going back to the Force base should’ve excited me. A week ago, I would’ve sprinted there, eager to train and prove myself as a superhero. But now my feet felt glued to the floor.

I slipped out of school slowly, letting the crowd pass me. Every step toward the bus stop tightened something in my chest. I should go to the Force base. I should be training. I should be thrilled that I was part of a real superhero team. This was supposed to be my dream.

Turns out my dream wasn’t what I expected at all. Maybe I wasn’t ready. Maybe I didn’t belong. Maybe I’d already screwed it up. Jordan, Jess, Sydney ... they all made me feel like I didn’t even belong there. The worst part was how fast it had turned into humiliation for me.

I stopped walking. For a moment, I turned around and headed in the opposite direction, anywhere but the Force base. Lucky Dad hadn’t sold our house yet.

I spent the evening alone in the house again, after everything I had done to get out of this house. I moved from the couch to the kitchen to my room without really doing anything. My phone buzzed a few times. One call. Then another. The Force. They wanted me at the Force base for training tonight. I didn’t even have the energy to care.

I sank into the couch, letting my head fall back. My mind wouldn’t stop spinning, jumping from one stupid thought to the next. I felt drained, hollow, like I’d been emptied and left on the floor. My eyelids gave in first.

I woke at some point in the night to the doorbell ringing. I stumbled to the door and opened it. Evelyn was standing there, hair slightly messy, coat on, holding a small bag.

“Hey,” she said softly. “I thought I should check if you’re okay.”

I stepped aside, letting her in. She didn’t ask questions yet, just moved around the kitchen like she owned the place. Before I realized it, she had fixed a plate of food and set it in front of me. I stared at it, barely able to lift the fork, but she insisted gently. Just being here, actually caring, made the tight knot in my chest loosen a little. It felt weird, like I wasn’t completely alone anymore.

After I ate, she sat across from me on the couch, still calm and patient. “We used to talk about everything,” she said. “So ... Come on, what’s wrong?”

I took a shaky breath and decided to let it out. “A week ago ... I found that I have a superpower. I ... I can tap into other people’s senses. See what they see, hear what they hear, feel what they feel. I also had some superhero auditions, and I got accepted to be a trainee for the Force 2nd generation team.”

Evelyn’s eyes widened a little, a smile appearing on her face. “Really? Wow ... that’s ... amazing, Jake. This has been your dream for so long. You actually did it.”

“Yeah...” I said, my voice trembling a little. “And ... I also had some lovely moments with someone in the team whom I had had a crush on for some time. It should have been amazing. But...”

“But...” Evelyn raised her eyebrows.

I ran my hands over my face. “But ... there’s this thing with superheroes. When people get powers, they also get ... really intense sexual urges. And ... Well, it turns out all of them handle it casually and openly.”

Evelyn didn’t react as I expected, no hysterics, no disgust, just a slow blink and a tilt of her head. “Ah, like ... how?”

“They fucked each other. They have a culture of casual, mutual release,” I said, staring at my knees. “And they expected me to just jump in.”

Evelyn’s fingers tapped the table once, thoughtfully. “And you didn’t want to?”

“I wanted to,” I groaned, pressing my palms into my eyes. “That’s the worst part. My crush was right there, naked and offering.”

Evelyn leaned back, crossing her arms. “What happened? Did you take her?”

“No,” I croaked. “I froze up like an idiot.”

“Jake.” She leaned forward. “You had a naked, willing dream girl right there, offering herself to you. And you just ... didn’t take it?”

“But it wasn’t ... how I imagined.” The words stumbled out before I could stop them. “I really wanted her, of course. But then she told me about their culture of using teammates for sexual release, and that she’d been doing it with the guy who’s basically my nemesis. She’s done it with him hundreds of times, maybe even in that damn shower. And she probably does it with everyone on the team.”

Evelyn snorted. Not mocking, just sharp. “So what, Jake? The point is, your superhero crush was offering a free ride, and you panicked just because she’s fucked with other people? Did you expect a hot girl to be some untouched saint?”

I exhaled through my nose. “Well ... add the fact that I don’t even know how to fuck, because I’m still a virgin, so yeah, it was pretty intimidating...”

“Wait.” Evelyn held up a hand, frowning. “You’ve never had sex?”

I sank lower into the couch. “Unfortunately, no, I haven’t...”

Evelyn tilted her head, studying me with something between amusement and pity. “Huh, and that’s why you froze?”