"Gabriel, Emily was cheating you. Gabriel… Gabe… Emily was… Emily is cheating…" Lyn sighed and continued walking. She had been practicing how she might tell Gabriel about the information she picked up the previous night.
"Hey!" she heard from behind her. She turned and saw Gabriel jogging up. "I didn't know if I was going to see you or not…"
Lyn grinned. "I'm not scared by you, yet," she said.
He looked extremely relieved.
"Emily was cheating on you," she said, staring up at him. He stopped suddenly. Lyn turned to look at him.
"What?" he asked. Lyn couldn't figure his emotions.
"She um… Well, you know my roommate, Jaz? She's like us. She has an ability. She can tell someone's secrets just by touching them."
"She touched Emily?" Gabriel asked.
"Emily came to the dorm looking for me before she found us…"
"And you're sure?"
"I'm sorry," Lyn said. "I know how that feels…"
"It feels… terrible," Gabriel said painfully. "I mean… how long?"
"Jaz said… maybe months? But it could have been less. The time thing can be difficult to know."
"Months," Gabriel repeated. "With… with who?"
"Jaz didn't recognize him. But he was apparently very… muscular." Lyn looked sorry.
"Richard," Gabriel said.
"Who?"
"The other RA."
"Oh," Lyn said. "Um. I'm really sorry."
"Was I not good enough?" he asked plainly.
"I ask myself that every day," Lyn replied.
"But you're perfect," Gabriel responded. "I'm… well, where to begin?"
"You're too hard on yourself," Lyn said.
"Oh yeah? Name one good quality," Gabriel said, obviously depressed.
"I can name tons," Lyn replied. They continued walking. "You're dangerously handsome, intelligent, clever, funny as hell." Lyn looked up at him. "And you're a damn good kisser."
He laughed out loud. "I don't know about the dangerously handsome part, but I'll take the rest."
Lyn laughed with him. "I'm sorry. This might seem random, but could you make a lightning ball thing again? I've been thinking about this for a while…"
He looked nervous. "Here? What if someone sees?"
"No one's out, Gabe. It's thirty degrees and seven in the morning."
"Um… it's just that… I don't normally use my ability… ever."
"Please?"
"You think you're so cute," he said unconvincingly.
Lyn batted her eyes and smiled widely.
"Fine," he said. He held out his hand and a golf ball sized lightning ball appeared.
Lyn put her hand forward and pulled with her powers. The ball floated out of Gabriel's hand and into the air between them. Lyn concentrated hard and tried expanding the little ball of energy. It vibrated and shot into a tree where a perfectly round hole appeared in the trunk.
"Oh my God," Lyn said, wide-eyed.
"Nice," Gabriel said as they watched the hole smoke.
"We should go," Lyn squeaked. They sped up and around the side of a building. As soon as they were out of sight of any of the dorm rooms, Lyn burst into peals of uncontrollable laughter.
"You could have hurt someone!" Gabriel whispered urgently, though he was smiling widely, too.
"Oh my God that was so cool!"
"Cool?" Gabriel repeated. "You're kidding, right?"
Lyn laughed, clutching her side. She coughed. She placed her hand on her chest and took a deep breath. It was a ragged breath. Using her powers, she focused on her lungs and opened them farther.
"Are you all right?" Gabriel asked, looking worried.
"Asthma," Lyn said.
Gabriel looked skeptical. "Do you need something?" He placed his hand on her shoulder.
She shook her head and coughed some more. "I'll be okay," she said. She was lying. And every time she told someone she was going to be okay, it killed her. Because no one knew she considered it a lie. No one knew she wasn't ever going to be okay.
