''Where're you going?'' I asked like I always did.
''Out,'' she answered…like she always would.
It all started after the whole episode with him. It all started so subtly. We didn't notice…we didn't realize it. But I did now. I knew something was wrong, but of course I didn't see it at first; how could I?
She didn't want anything to do with the Brotherhood of Evil anymore; especially Madame Rouge. But she had insulted her and attacked her. She was mad, so of course she didn't want anything to do with Madame Rouge. And she started to go out; she said she needed alone time – meaning time away from us. Why think anything of it? That night the incident with Madame Rouge happened, she hadn't returned until the morning. She said she just took a walk, and that the rose placed on her ear, she had plucked while in the park. And so she started occasionally taking a walk, always at night. But she never told us where she went or what she did. But she always came back with a rose.
But I didn't notice at first. Not before the mood changes began. She didn't come to yell or scream when we were being loud. She just stayed in her room – something she was doing a lot, lately. Sometimes, when I passed her room, – …okay, so you couldn't pass Sector 4, since it was in the very bottom of the HQ and the only thing there was her room, so yes, I wanted to hear what she was doing out of plain curiosity – I couldn't hear anything, like her room was empty, or I'd hear whispering and hushed laughter. But if I knocked, her angry face would appear through a crack in the door, telling me to leave. She always said the sounds came from the TV, but…she didn't have a TV. I told myself, she had stolen it recently without us seeing or hearing.
But there were other things, too. She didn't come along to rob food or join us for whatever was in the fridge, or complain that there was never anything in it. Actually, she stopped eating, but never seemed hungry or anything. Did she still eat? And if so…what, how and where? Why did we never see her eat? Or even with food? Then again, there had been the time where she had gone into the kitchen, humming – humming – and going for the fridge. She got the mustard and went back to her room. She had just gotten the mustard and left – I was the only one who noticed. I found it weird but just shrugged it off. Then a short while after she came back with the mustard bottle completely empty, shaking her head and smiling in amusement.
There was the time she had come from one of her outings. Her hair was out of her usual horns, and it was completely soaked. She was carrying a bag, and she wasn't wearing the clothes she went out in – her usual black dress costume. She was wearing an oversized, red hoodie with a school name on it – a school in Keystone City, to be exact – and what seemed to be black sweatpants for guys. Mammoth had asked what had happened to her.
''An idiot pushed me in a water fountain,'' she had said.
She had seemed too calm. Just the fact that she was calm was just plain wrong. I asked her if she was okay and asked what had happened to her clothes. She had held up her bag, and then said in answer to my first question that she was just fine.
''I took him down with me,'' she had said and I thought I saw her smirking. But no, it wasn't a smirk…just a happy smile. I had never seen her smile anything but a confident smirk or an evil grin. She had headed for the elevator, when Billy asked where she got the clothes. She had stopped, hesitated and then said she'd stolen it before continuing on her way.
It might have been that that did it. She would never steal clothes like that, not to mention that she hadn't stolen anything since…since Madame Rouge and him. So I started getting suspicious and kept an eye on her, just watching what she was doing, not anything creepy. And I noticed she seemed happier…well, honestly, just happy, which she hadn't been before. She was smiling and humming, and not yelling or screaming, or hexing us or even threatening to hex us. She never plotted or grumbled anymore, or even practiced or forced us to practice combat. She just wasn't acting like herself anymore. This wasn't the Jinx I knew. She wasn't supposed to be happy. She was supposed to be angry and frustrated. Not happy!
And then she had come back from one of her outings a few days ago. She had looked beyond shocked. Her eyes had been glazed over, and she had been deaf to the outside world. The next day she had spent on the chair by the control board, but turned to us. She had kept watching us, but nobody had said anything – or maybe they hadn't noticed. She hadn't seemed to have noticed me glancing at her. The next three days were spent by the control board. Not watching us or the screen just staring into the thin air; saying nothing and doing nothing.
And then the next day, – today – she was going out.
And this time I was going to follow her.
She never noticed me. She didn't even look back to see if she was being followed. I could probably have been walking and talking next to her, and she still wouldn't have noticed. She seemed distracted by something but what? A part of me wanted to confront her but she would deny any and everything. One of the things we learned in Lying 101 at the H.I.V.E. Academy; deny everything. And she passed that class with flying colors, just like she passed all the others too. She was the perfect villain, which was one of the reasons I loved her. Yes, I loved her. She was so pretty and amazing. We would make a perfect villain couple. People wouldn't dare mock me if I was with her.
She started to slow down. I noticed we were nearing the park. She stopped and seemed to hesitate, but then, after taking in a deep breath, continued into the park. I jumped behind one of the bushes in the park and started crawling behind them, as I followed her. She was walking toward a bench, set right next to a tree. I could see something sticking out from behind the tree. I couldn't see what it was, just that it was red. It looked almost like a leg or something. She went over to the tree and stopped. I moved forth and hid behind a tree, opposite from where she was. Confusion hit me hard and my eye turned into an exclamation sign.
''You came,'' he said, quickly jumping to his feet. Was this what she did? She went out to see him?! No, it had to be a coincidence that he was here.
''Why wouldn't I?'' She replied, standing awkwardly.
''Because you ran away,'' he said, sounding sad.
Of course she'd run away from him! She hates him just as much as we do!
''I-I'm not going to t-take it back,'' he said, nervously. ''But I won't mention it again if it means I'll lose you,'' he said, raising his hand. He was holding a rose…
''I didn't mean to run away like that,'' she murmured, taking the rose.
''Was it too soon?'' He whispered. ''I mean, we've been dating for a long time,-'' What?! ''-but I don't know where we stand, so I just wanted you to know how I felt.''
''So you didn't just say it, because you wanted me come over to your side?'' She muttered, sitting down on the bench. He frowned and sat down next to her.
''I'd never manipulate you like that,'' he said, taking her free hand. How dared he touch her?! ''Yes, I want you to dump the H.I.V.E. Five. And yes, I want you to join me. But that's because I hate seeing you stuck with those losers, who don't appreciate you,'' he sighed.
What does he know? We're not losers and she would never drop us for him!
''Kid Flash,'' she sighed and stood from the bench.
''Don't go!'' He cried out, holding on to her hand.
''I wasn't going to,'' she said, flatly.
''Oh. Heh, guess that was pretty stupid then.'' He chuckled nervously. He stood too and placed his hands on her shoulders. ''Jinx, please. Leave them. Come with me. I'll do anything you want. Please,'' he begged pathetically. I glared at him.
''Tell me again,'' she whispered so quietly I barely heard it.
''What?'' Kid Flash's eyes widened.
''Tell me again. I won't run this time,'' she said, looking sheepish. He smiled and cupped her face, causing my blood to boil; I should be the one touching her like that, not him.
''I love you,'' he said and then he kissed her. He kissed her. He was kissing her! And she wasn't hexing him away! She placed her hands on his chest but didn't push or hex him.
''Get away from her!'' I exclaimed, running towards him. He wasn't quick enough to realize what was happening and I managed to tackle him to the ground. Jinx gasped, when I started punching him.
''See-More, stop! Stop it!'' She shouted.
''You're dead!'' I growled. When I lifted my hand to punch him again, he caught both my wrists and glared up at me.
''I don't want a fight and I don't want to hurt you. Leave, and we'll forget about this,'' he said letting go of my wrists. He pushed me off and I fell on to my back. He stood and brushed his suit of dirt.
''Yeah, right!'' I growled, switching my eye mode to laser beams, aiming at him. He kept ducking but didn't run away like he should. ''You stay away from Jinx!''
''You're not the boss of her! She makes her own decisions,'' Kid Flash replied.
''See-More, stop it! Leave him alone!'' Jinx shouted. I ignored her, but was then thrown through the air, hitting the tree I had hid behind.
''You hexed me,'' I gasped.
''And you attacked my boyfriend!'' She replied, defensively. Her eyes widened as she realized what she said. Kid Flash walked over to her, grinning.
''Boyfriend?'' He continued to grin.
''What?'' She snapped. ''Not like you haven't called me your girlfriend a thousand times.''
''Yeah, but you've never-'' Kid Flash started saying, but while he was distracted, I shot him with an eyeball, causing him to be thrown back and away from her.
''Jinx, come on. Let's go,'' I walked over and took her hand. She ripped her hand from my grasp and shot me with another hex, then ran over to Kid Flash.
''KF!'' She exclaimed, worriedly, kneeling by him. ''Are you okay?''
''Fine.'' He smiled, rubbing his head. ''But, what about See-More?'' Both of them looked over at me. I glared at Kid Flash at first, but then looked at Jinx, pleadingly. Both stood, but I stayed on the ground.
''I'm sorry, See-More, but I can't do this anymore,'' Jinx said, taking Kid Flash's hand in the one that wasn't holding the rose he gave her.
''But why?!'' I shouted. ''Just because he says he loves you?! I love you!'' I yelled. She sighed and her shoulders slumped.
''I know,'' she said. ''But I don't love you,'' she said, and then turned to look at Kid Flash. ''I love him,'' she said, softly.
''Really?'' He grinned. She nodded.
''I just needed time to realize it,'' she said and then looked back to me. ''I'm sorry,'' she repeated. ''Goodbye,'' she sighed.
And then she turned her back on me, turned her back on all of us. Kid Flash wrapped his arm around her shoulders. He glanced back at me, looking genuinely sympathetic, but there was another look in his eyes; happiness. That smug jerk was happy that she turned her back on us. I watched them from the ground, as they slowly went out of eyesight. I felt absolutely humiliated. I tried to fight him, and he won. I tried to make her come with me, and she casted me aside. I admitted to her I loved her…and she said she loved him and not me.
I stood and was about to walk away, when I saw something carved into the tree by the bench. I walked over to it with a frown. It was one of those stupid carvings, where people made a heart and then wrote their initials in them. On the tree stood:
Bewitching J + WW 4eva.
I didn't know who they were, but I didn't care. I clenched my hands into fists. Love was overrated. Love was pathetic. Love was…painful and humiliating.
''Snotbrain! Pick up!'' Gizmo's voice shouted. I got my communicator and opened it.
''What is it?'' I asked.
''The Brotherhood of Evil called. They want us to help them take down those pitsniffing Titans. They said they've already sent Jinx out to get that loser to Kid Flash,'' he told.
''What?'' My eyes widened. I started to smirk. I knew she wouldn't really pick him over me, uh, us. ''I'll be right there,'' I said, closing the communicator.
If I do this, I might impress Jinx. And then she'll love me back! I thought, although a part of me knew I was lying to myself, and that I really knew the truth.
JPOV:
''Wally, I have to tell you something,'' I said, after he finished setting up the couch for him to sleep on; he refused to let me sleep on it, stubbornly insisting I took the bed.
''Don't worry, I'll get your stuff tomorrow.'' He smiled, as he sat down on the couch, dressed in his pjs. I sat down next to him, dressed in one of his T-shirts and sweatpants. I didn't exactly have any clothes myself, obviously. ''I'm so glad you decided to switch sides,'' he said, leaning in to kiss me. I placed my hand on his mouth, sighing.
''I have to tell you something else,'' I said. He frowned.
''Mhot?'' He asked, his question muffled by my hand.
''The same day you told me you loved me, the Brotherhood asked me to take you down, since I'm the only one who's been capable of catching you. I said I would, so they wouldn't send anyone else after you; like Rouge,'' I told. ''I'm telling you so you won't hear it from somewhere else, and think I've been lying to you,'' I added, taking my hand back when I was done.
''I'd never think that. I trust you.'' He smiled and took my hand.
''I trust you too, Wally,'' I said, scooting closer to him.
''And also I love you.'' He smiled.
''And is that why you carved that cheesy thing into the tree?'' I teased.
''You can't just say it back, can you?'' He sighed, leaning in to kiss me, again. I placed a finger on his lips. He groaned. I smirked, removing my finger. ''What now? I wanna kiss you, Jinxy!'' He whined.
''I love you too, you idiot,'' I said, causing him to grin. This time I leaned towards him and he continued to grin, even when I pressed my lips to his and we shared a loving kiss.