"Damn it, Derek," I grumbled as I slammed my eyes into the glaring light. Derek sat at my bedside, pressing his hands against my chest while I lay flat on my back, a smirk hidden beneath the covers. As I ripped the blankets from my bare torso, I flung him across my room, pushing his arched back against the crumbling wall behind him.
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"Let go," he gasped. Derek collapsed from the wall, holding his chest as I heaved myself out of bed.
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"Don't do that. Especially after last night," I yelled, running to the bathroom with my clothes.
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"Yeah, we need to talk about that," Derek shouted back through deep breaths down the hall before I slammed the bathroom door.
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About half an hour later, we were in the car. Derek drove with the police radio off for the ride. He focused on the road, looking over at me every once. "Sam is right, and I don't want you to fight that guy," Derek said.
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I sighed. "I'm all right, Derek—not a scratch." Derek huffed under his breath as he watched the road.
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"He rammed you with my car, James, with me in it. I don't want you fighting him."
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"Derek, I'm invincible. I can take it," I scoffed.
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Derek grunted in frustration, panic visible in his voice. "But what if you're not, James?" I was silent for a moment, thinking to myself.
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A younger Derek, about eleven, played with me on our home's front lawn, passing a football between us. Derek and I laughed and had fun when our ball rolled into the street. But, instead of staying put, Derek, the older brother, went after it.
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A truck was barreling down the road. The driver was on his phone, and Derek's attention was on the foreign girl across the street, sipping lemonade while tanning on a lawn chair in a swimsuit. Sam watched the scene from the window.
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I dashed after Derek at extraordinary speed, shoving him forward; he narrowly avoided colliding with the truck. Derek passed out on the grass on the other side of the road. The front bumper of the man's car crunched against my torso, leaving a hollow imprint of my body crushed into the metallic armor. As the man rushed from his truck, startled and mesmerized, I dusted dirt and tire tracks from my shirt.
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The girl in the corner lowered her designer sunglasses to look better at my brother and me. She was in complete shock, and her mouth hung open.
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"Daddy," the girl cried as she stomped back into her house.
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I grabbed the ball and led Derek back to our side of the street as if nothing had happened. Sam and Derek always said it was a miracle the truck didn't hurt or kill me. Derek would still be in my debt from that day forward.
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"I don't know, Derek, but it's better than letting them run free in Phoenix," I said.
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Derek pulled up in front of the school. My eyes wandered to Nicholas Grant, standing before the double doors. He was talking to another boy that I didn't recognize. They exchanged a few words before Nick walked off into the building. I looked over at Derek.
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"Hey, at least it's not Mark," he noted. I shoved him against his door before opening mine, watching him shoot me a dirty look as I walked toward the school.
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"Hey, mate," the kid called, stopping me as my hand curled around the door handle. He was one boy I saw at the hospital. I looked him up and down. "Do you know that guy?" He asked.
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I was four when I met Noah. Samual was sitting at a desk, watching Noah, a boy names Maximus, and I play superheroes as we pretended to fly around the room. Another boy, identical to Noah, sat in the background, watching with his head in his hand, looking miserable as Samual tried to cheer him up.
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"You okay, bud?" Samual asked him. Bryce scoffed in response, hiding his face in his knees, and looked away from his eyes. Samual slid to the floor next to Bryce and pulled the young Noah look-alike into his body. "We're going to get through this, Bryce. I promise you all; I'll save you somehow."
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Suddenly, a man was in the laboratory, and the childish laughter died, and an eerie chill ran down my spine as we froze. "Maximus, Noah, Bryce--" Bryce was the sad boy's name. He moved into the corner, falling further into Sam's arms as Alexander's eyes landed on them in the corner.
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"Come on, Alexander. They're just kids," Sam snapped. Alexander slipped his hand into Maximus's fingertips, but I angrily pulled his hand away.
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"LEAVE MY FRIENDS ALONE!" I screamed before the man shoved me.
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"I'm going to talk to your father," Alex threatened. I stuck out my tongue, taunting the guy as Noah and Max laughed.
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"GO NOW!" Alexander screamed in a rage. Maximus, Noah, and Bryce swiftly panicked and rushed past me. I knew that wouldn't be the last time I saw them. Here Noah was at least six-foot, with curly locks and brown eyes glaring at me as I sucked in a breath and did another once-over. "Uh..." The guy could pass for a younger Sam with his athletic frame and deep brown eyes, but he was much broader. "Sure," I replied. "We've spoken."
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"He's a bloody cop," he said. His eyes dragged to my brother's patrol vehicle. The front bumper caved in from last night.
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"Yeah," I replied. "That cop is also my brother." I snarled. We stared at each other before I opened the door.
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"Whatever, " He grumbled before I walked in. He didn't follow me. Instead, he stayed outside the school, standing and watching as more students filed into the hallway.
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Mr. Branden scrutinized me as I walked into the homeroom that morning. It was because I wasn't there most of the time. "James, glad to see you've made an appearance this morning," he chimed, and I slammed my bag onto my desk.
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"Yep," I replied, pulling out my notebook and pen. As Mark barreled through, Mr. Branden looked towards the door as the bell rang. His friends followed close behind.
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"Ah, Mr. Reignson, you've made it as well." Mr. Branden stared at him from under his papers.
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"I was meeting with my father and the other cops this morning if you wanted to know." For a brief while, Mark locked his gaze on me.
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Mr. Branden shifted a few papers around on his desk. Then, he excused himself and said, "Take a seat, Mr. Reignson." As they walked to their seats, Mark and his classmates monitored me. I pretended to make lines and grooves on the sheet by twirling my pencil above the paper. Nobody seemed to pay attention. Nobody appeared to give a damn about my floating pen except for a new guy who rushed in like he had a reputation. He glared at me but said nothing as I clutched my pencil tightly.
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"Ah, you must be Maximus Kinley?" Mr. Branden conveyed. Maximus was the other kid at the hospital. He could pass for Sam's younger twin with his curling black hair and deep brown eyes. It wasn't clear to me yet that Max had some connection with my family. The new kid swerved around me. His brown gaze remained fixed on Mark.
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"You must be Mr. Branden," Max muttered. Mr. Branden shifted his gaze from his papers to Max.
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"Yeah," Mr. Branden said. Max walked off, taking refuge in an empty area near Mark. "Morning announcements." Mr. Branden asserted. "The blood drive Ms. Marina and Ms. Reignson have been organizing for us is coming up soon, and aside from that, everything appears to be going as scheduled."
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I turned around to face Mia. She looked up from her book before her eyes moved toward the door like everyone else's. I stared straight at the boy I met this morning in front of the school. He glared at me, lowering his sunglasses before averting his eyes as he approached Mr. Branden's desk.
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"You're Mr. Branden," he asked. Mr. Branden looked up at the boy.
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"You must be Noah Kinley?"
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Noah nodded. "Yeah." His reddish eyes peered into my blue eyes as he pushed his sunglasses into place. Did I imagine it?
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He tossed his belongings on the desk beside me as he walked over. He looked across at me, his palms buried in his desk. I paid no attention to him for the entire class period, concentrating on my work. Not long after, the bell rang. I stepped out after putting my notebooks in my bag.
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∆∆∆
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"Hey, James. Have you met Max?" Mark grumbled behind me. I laced up my sneakers and faced Mark and the newest member of his group.
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"Hey, mate," the boy said with a wave.
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"Hey," I extended my hand. Max gripped my hand, crushing my fingers beneath his enormous power.
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"You're pretty strong, " I noted, wiggling out the pain in my joints. Max laughed as he released my throbbing fingertips. "Yeah, mate. Don't mention it." He was also dead serious about it. How could I not have figured out who this guy was in my head? I've seen him before, even when he disguised himself.
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"You're James Knight?" He pondered, looking me up and down.
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"Yeah, and you're Max, the new kid?"
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"Maximus Kinley," he said, hiding his face in his hoodie sleeves as he chewed on his hang nails. Mark frowned, annoyed that I was even talking to this guy. He'd had enough and couldn't handle the uncomfortable tension between Max and me. He reached out his hands, shoving me back against the rows of lockers.
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Mark grunted, "Freak." As the new kid came in for a second round, I clutched the back of my head and ducked.
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"Also, a bit of a bloody idiot." Max cursed. Mark and the boy chuckled as they walked away, leaving me speechless on the floor.
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My hazy vision allowed me to catch Noah, the other new guy, in the crowds of people in the corridor. He said something incomprehensible to me, but I couldn't understand him.
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"What?" I asked, dazed in confusion. Noah slammed my head against the lockers again. As I dove for the ground, my head swam in various colors. Noah continued walking while I gasped for air, stunned.
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Moments later, I was back on my feet, running into Mia halfway down the corridor. I leaped into action, catching her in my arms before she hit the ground, along with her paperwork.
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"James," she whimpered. I grinned and pulled her to her feet. Rubbing her forehead, she smiled back.
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"Sorry about that." I rubbed my neck and flushed.
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"It's okay, James," she relieved me. I could have injured Mia. Instead, I leaned down, helping her stack her pages.
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"Have you got a few minutes after school? I'm looking for a study buddy, and I was hoping you'd be the right person for the job."
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I licked my lips.
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Fuck.
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"Uh, I have to talk to my dad and uncle first--"
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"So, I'll walk you to your place after school?" She pushed on. HERE I GO AGAIN.
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"Sure," I said, biting my tongue. Yep, I did it again.
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Idiot.
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"Great, I'll meet you in front of the tree," she grinned, scrunching her nose. Yep, Sam was going to kill me, somehow.
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I handed her the last page, lifting my head to look into her deep blue eyes. "Thanks, " she said.
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"No problem." Was there a problem?
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"See you after school. " Mia grinned. I grinned wider.
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"Yep." I was screwed.
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∆∆∆
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Mia met me outside the school that afternoon, just as planned. At least she seemed happy like I wanted her to be. We strolled down the sidewalk, taking over a half hour to reach my house. We talked about anything besides my powers and my uncle's obsession with his work.
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"This is me," I said, pointing off. My white house hid behind an elegant front lawn and a massive gate. I was running late.
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Sam stood watching from the brick pathway to our house in the yard as I held Mia's hand and guided her inside. She rested her head on my shoulder and nestled into my arm at one point.
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"What the hell are you doing?" Sam cursed.
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"Sam, this is Mia. Mia, this is Sam."
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Mia held out her hand. "Hello, Mr. Knight. It's a pleasure."
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"Yeah, " Sam ignored Mia's tired arm. She pulled it down with no success.
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He turned to Mia and said, "James, I need to talk to you privately. If it's not too much trouble."
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With a shake of her head, she grimaced. "I don't think so." Sam grabbed my hand and yanked me away from Mia to the side. "Did you seriously bring a girl home with you, James?"
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I corrected him. "I like Mia."
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He shrieked, "I don't give a flying fuck who she is or if you like her. We don't know yet how this will..." he gestured to Mia. "Influence your powers."
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"You mean a girl?"
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"Yes, James," he growled. "You cannot risk bringing a girl home."
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"What if I love her?" I asked Sam. I glanced at her, watching her inspect my home with an eye swipe and a ratifying smile.
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"It makes no difference to me." He murmured, "Make the girl leave."
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"No," I said, grunting. "I'd like Mia to join us."
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"Yeah, because your horny teenage hormones are raging, you damn well do."
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I let out a deep roar. As much as it bothered me that Sam brought it up, I knew he was right. "I already promised to help her study."
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He inquired, "On what?"
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"Science." Knowing that was his favorite subject, Sam winced. "How many days and for how long?"
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"Just for a few days," I answered. I didn't realize that a few days would be a few weeks.
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"Okay, but you know your dad will be mad if he finds out."
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"I can handle that." Or at least I thought I could. I looked back at Mia. She swayed in the driveway to her beautiful humming and smiled when she saw me.
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"Do you want to go inside?" I offered. Her smile brightened, and she skipped my way.
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"Gladly." I led her in, and we began our study session. I displayed our crisp white walls and a chandelier suspended from the center of the ceiling. Mia's gaze drew to the lovely old stairwell, which led to the upper rooms and the living room and kitchen on opposing sides. I dragged her into the kitchen, and Sam trailed close behind.
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Sam took refuge in the kitchen's left corner. He thought that this was more of a date than a study meeting. I did as well.
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I took two drinks from the fridge and popped one open, placing it next to her on the counter. She laughed as I pressed my fingertips into the side of the bottle, and the cap popped off, soda gushing from the top. She laughed, watching me suck the gushing soda from the bottle. I was feeling more than invincible.
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"How did you do that?" she asked with a grin.
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"What?"
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"What's with the exploding soda thing?" She inquired. "How did you do that?"
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"It's one of my several superpowers." I gave a wink.
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Sam sighed and rolled his eyes. Yeah, I know I was foolish with this girl. But she seemed to crave it. She laughed, a stray strand of hair tucked behind her ear. She rummaged through her bag for her things.
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I sat beside her, digging through my bag for my book, pens, and notebook. We'd been working on a new page this week, so I flipped to the new one. But her hand slammed on my book, and she stared me down.
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"I don't mean that page," she chuckled. I had uneasy butterflies in my stomach and felt almost weightless. Just in case, I gripped the countertop.
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Sam eyed me with vigilance. "I mean last week's work. I wasn't in class." Wasn't she at school?
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"Oh." I furrowed my eyebrows. She flipped the pages, and I leaned forward, nearly bumping heads again.
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"Oops," she smirked.
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I took a big breath and exhaled slowly. Losing control of my superpowers and screwing up this situation with Mia terrified me. The front door opened outside the kitchen, and Derek entered the hallway.
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My brother saved me again. "Oh, hey, " He beamed at Mia.
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"Hi." Mia stood there watching as my brother yanked his belt from his waist. "It's Derek, isn't it?"
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"You must be James' crush," he said. Mia chuckled at the thought. Derek was not wrong, but I hissed at him, angered by him s commitment to humiliate me in front of Mia. Then, he justified himself with a cheeky smile. "I mean, friend."
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She pondered, "So, you like me?" I took a drink of soda and blushed.
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"Either you two do something, or you two will finish this another day," Sam snarled, his invisible watch ticking. I gave in. We had done nothing serious since we settled on the kitchen counter. Mia left moments later with all the attention in the room alone. I couldn't say I blamed her, but my heart broke. Thanks a lot, Sam and Derek.
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"Whoa, James. Someone appears to have a girlfriend," Derek cracked a joke.
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"She isn't my girlfriend," I snapped. I chewed my bottom lip and tightened my teeth. "She's hardly a friend of mine."
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"Why?" Sam asked.
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"She's Mark's cousin," I replied.
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Derek bit his tongue and burst out laughing. "That's a big move for you," he mumbled.
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I admitted, "Yeah." Mia seemed perfect, but something seemed off about her. My mother always told me never to judge a book by its cover. The same rule applies to people. Especially the ones you like a lot. I also learned to trust my gut with people like her and never let my guard down, even when I think it's safe to do it. She seemed like a good girl, but something told me otherwise, and I was due to find out the truth sooner or later.
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