The Greatest Superpower by Alex Sanchez

Author:Alex Sanchez [Sanchez, Alex]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: 9781684462780;9781684463275;fiction;Capstone Editions;Alex Sanchez;Mexican-American heritage;family stories;LGBTQ;LGBTQ+;transgender;sibling stories;twins
Publisher: Capstone
Published: 2020-09-22T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 22

“Zoey, wait!” I chase after her as she marches down the street. She’s moving so fast her red-and-white hat flies off and bounces across the pavement toward me.

“Got it,” I say, scooping it up. I brush the grit off the fuzzy felt. “I’m sorry about—”

“No need to apologize,” Zoey interrupts, yanking the hat from my hand. “What you do with some girl is none of my business.” She jams the hat back onto her head and resumes her march.

I trot after her. “Would you let me explain, please?”

“What for? We’re not a couple. I told you I’m not ready for a boyfriend.”

While she keeps walking, I sprint ahead, turn to face her, and jog backward. “Then why are you mad at me?”

“I’m not.”

“You’re not? You could’ve fooled—”

A bump in the road snags my heel. Before I can eat blacktop, Zoey reaches out to catch me. My stumble brings us close, like when we danced.

Zoey quickly lets go of my arm. “You’d better turn around before you break your neck.”

When she starts walking away again, I stride beside her. “If you’re not angry, then why’d you run out of the party?”

She stops and faces me. Head held high. Feet wide apart. Fists on hips. Standard superhero pose. “Because you lied to me. You said you weren’t interested in Emily.”

“I’m not.”

“Do you always make out with girls you’re not interested in?”

“No, I’ve never even kissed a girl before.” As I say the words, I cringe inside. I didn’t mean to admit that. “She kissed me.”

“Aw, you poor defenseless thing.”

“Okay, you’re right—I messed up. I’m sorry. But I was only interested in her because you said you’re not ready for a boyfriend. I told you I like you.”

Her gaze bears down on me, as though her X-ray eyes are testing if I’m lying.

“I really like you.… and if you were ready for a boyfriend…” My heart is beating a million beats a minute. “I’d like it to be me.”

The light of the setting sun makes Zoey look shimmery and fragile. She pulls at her fingertips, working herself up to say something. At last she says, “I like you too.”

I swallow the knot in my throat. “You do?”

Her lips curve into a shy smile. “Yeah, I do.”

“Oh. So… does that mean you’d like me to be your boyfriend?”

“Yeah, I’d like that. But… you have to be honest with me. A hundred percent. I don’t want my heart broken again. Okay?”

“Okay but, like, wait—so, we’re a couple now?”

Her smile grows bigger. “Yeah. We’re a couple now.”

“Great,” I say. “That’s great. Really great. More than great.”

Zoey stares at me like she’s waiting for something other than me blabbing. Should I kiss her? What if I’m misreading her? What if she doesn’t want to kiss me after I just kissed Emily? What if a car drives up the street? What if, what if, what if?

“So, um… do you want to go back to the party?” I ask.

She shakes her head. “Not really. Do you?”

“No. I think it’s nicer out here.

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