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shrieked. He nearly fell over backward at the sound. Jennifer closed her eyes one last time, and when she opened them, the teen with an S-name looked exactly as he had when he'd walked in: sweaty shirt, broad shoulders and the teenage beginnings of a beard. The only thing that was different was the look of horror on his face.
    "Good meeting you, Jennifer, but I… forgot about some homework–"
    Jennifer's would-be companion grabbed his jacket off the bed and left the room much faster than he'd moved on the field.
    It took her several minutes to get back to normal breathing. When she did, Jennifer realized just how crazy she must have come off. She put her hands to her face and took in a deep breath.
    "I've gone insane." She looked around her room. "I've gone insane… and I'm talking to myself."
    Jennifer's phone snapped her back to reality. She took the phone off her desk and let herself collapse onto the bed. She swiped the screen, which then displayed a new picture of Ted and Erica sharing a moment.
    Jennifer looked away from her phone and toward the front window. She considered opening the light pink blinds to get one last look at a person she'd never see again. Instead, she examined the picture more closely. Ted had his arm around Erica and she was smiling about something. Knowing the new Erica, Jen figured they had finished the mission. After all, the mission was always the most important thing with the new version of her best friend.
    "How sweet." Jennifer looked at the words for a few seconds. She wondered what she'd type if she were being honest, as she hit the send button.
    I'd say that's not Erica . That's not my friend.
    Jennifer heard a car pull out of the driveway and speed down the residential street. She rested her head against her pillow and deleted the picture.
    My friend is dead. And I'm the one who should've protected her.
     

Chapter 7
     
    Ted felt his chest puff out a bit as the final kidnapper was loaded into the squad car. As far as he could see in front of him, the scene was one of victory. Even the jewelry store's owner had praised Ted's actions, despite him causing a little extra damage when he'd tossed the fourth kidnapper across the room. Ted dared not look behind him as the chanting continued from the Go Home Alien contingent.
    They'd feel differently if I were saving them .
    A hand touched the back of his neck and moved down his spine. When Ted spun toward Erica, she wasn't looking at him. She wasn't even looking at the mob. Wherever she was mentally, it wasn't anywhere near a strip mall parking lot.
    "We trained, we saw, we conquered." He put his hand around her midsection. "Don't look so glum."
    Erica looked back at Ted. Her beautiful smile almost hid the feelings underneath. Almost.
    "Sorry. You're right, but it looks like we've got some other fish to fry."
    Ted allowed himself to look back at the mob. He couldn't believe that so many people would come out just to yell at him.
    Didn't they see me save people's lives?
    As Sheriff Norris walked over, Ted could tell the intensity of the situation hadn't left him. He wondered how much longer the hostage negotiation would have gone on without his powers.
    "Thank you, guys," the sheriff said. "We're really lucky you could get over here. Once again, the city is in your debt."
    "How much debt?" Dhiraj appeared on the opposite side of Ted. He gave the hero a similar pat.
    "He's kidding, Sheriff." Ted wrinkled his forehead at Dhiraj.
    "I am," he said. "Just write us the excuse note for school and we'll be all settled up."
    Sheriff Norris smiled as he chewed a piece of gum.
    "You've got it." The sheriff looked at the growing crowd behind the trio. "Need any help navigating out of here?"
    Ted took a deep breath. The initial several dozen GHA protestors had grown into more than 100. The looks on their faces contained anger, and their chants and grumbles mixed to form an unintelligible wave of hatred. Every single protester had their ire focused on