Rivals

Brent had reached the point of no return.

On his last algebra test, he'd gotten a twenty-five. Out of a possible hundred points. He'd been holding out hope that if he just tried really hard, really hard, he could bring his grade back from a D to a C. Now it looked like he would be lucky if he didn't fail the class.

It was just so hard to focus. So many other things were occupying his mind and even at his best he found algebra confusing and difficult to keep straight. There were all those variables and you never knew what any of them were, it was like playing solitaire except you weren't allowed to see your own cards.

Clutching the test paper in his hand he wandered through the halls, wondering what he was going to do. At least his next period was lunch. He was pretty sure he could get through his sophomore year without failing lunch.

He picked up his tray - meatloaf today, with stewed carrots and apple juice to drink - and looked up to see where there was a place to sit. He didn't often have trouble finding a seat in the cafeteria these days, but for once it looked like the place was packed. All the usual tables he frequented had students crammed into every available inch of space. He couldn't see a single open - wait. Over there.

There was a space right between two girls. They turned to look at him over their shoulders and he saw it was Jill Hennessey and Dana Kravitz.

"Did you ask everybody to fill up the tables so I had to sit here?" he asked, sliding his tray onto the table between the two of them. He saw that Dana was eating the meatloaf but had a salad instead of the carrots. Jill was eating sushi out of a tiny black plastic box.

"Do you believe in willpower, Brent?" Jill asked him. "I do. I believe that through the sheer power of my will I am capable of getting what I want. I find if I want something badly enough, I never have to actually ask for it. Please sit down. We have something to discuss. A mutually beneficial partnership you'd be very foolish to refuse."

"O-kay," Brent said, climbing onto the bench. "You want to - what? Ask me for help with something? If you want me to beat somebody up, I have to tell you I don't do that. I don't hit anyone who's weaker than I am, which is everybody."

"Fascinating. But no, that's not what we're looking for here. We're looking to help you, Brent. We're looking to help you reach your potential."

"So, um, hi," Brent said, turning to Dana. "Does she ever let you talk?"

"Hi," she said back. "Of course she does. I just find that - well - she's better at it than I am. She's better with words."

"As I was saying," Jill went on, shooting Dana a nasty glance, "you're a star, Brent. You're a celebrity. Every boy in this school wishes he was you. And every girl in this school wants your tongue in her mouth. That's a wonderful opportunity but you need to think carefully before you decide who you want to be with. You could make a horrible mistake and spend all your time with Lucy Benez - "

"Don't," Brent said, squinting. "Don't you dare say anything about Lucy or - "

" - or, you could do the sensible thing. You could do the appropriate thing, and date a girl who is already popular. Someone who can enhance your reputation. People in this school can be very judgmental, Brent. I should know. And a man is often judged by the quality of his significant other. It is very important that you be with someone who will make you look good. Now, the most popular girl in this school," Jill said, and placed one hand over her own heart, "is taken. But the second most popular girl is still available."

"I'm not sure I have time for dating," Brent said, not wanting to hurt Dana's feelings.

Jill sighed dramatically. "Listen. I'm a sympathetic and considerate person, so I've tried to be subtle and preserve everyone's dignity. I gave you a chance to ask her out on your own. I tried talking to your sister about this. Big mistake. And yesterday Dana went so far as to embarrass herself by admitting she doesn't have a date yet for homecoming, and yet you failed to rise to the occasion. What is it going to take, Brent? Do I have to offer you money? Because I will."

"Woah," Brent said, starting to get up from the table, his lunch completely forgotten, "this is going too far - "

"Brent," Dana said, and he sat back down because she had placed her hand on his arm. "Please. Jill can be - overly enthusiastic sometimes. But she's actually just trying to help me out. I told her I thought you were cute. That maybe I liked you."

"You... do?"

Dana smiled. She had a great smile. "Let's say it's a possibility. I'd like to get to know you first before I fall in love with you or anything."

"That sounds a little better," Brent said, "but seriously, I just don't have the time."

"You have to eat, don't you?" Dana asked. It sounded like she wasn't sure, as if she was wondering whether having superpowers meant Brent no longer had to do normal things like sleep or breathe or ingest mundane foodstuffs. "Let me make you dinner. I owe you at least that much for saving my life. Don't I?"

"I guess it would be rude to say no," Brent admitted. Wow, he thought. She smells pretty good, doesn't she? And he remembered how she'd felt lying on top of him when he pulled her out of traffic... "I guess - that would be okay. Maybe - "

He stopped because out of the corner of his eye he'd seen a paunchy, middle-aged man weaving his way through the cafeteria tables. It was Special Agent Weathers.

"What's he doing here?" Brent asked.

"Tomorrow night. Seven o'clock. You know where I live? I can text you the address," Dana said, but Brent barely heard her. He was getting up from the table and turning to face the FBI man.

Weathers looked sweaty. Like he'd run some distance to find Brent. The look on his face could only mean one thing - and then he said it out loud.

"We've got her," he said. "We found your sister."