Blaze Read Free Page B

Hudson?”
    “I’m not sure, maybe?” Mark shrugs. “Sounds familiar.”
    “Well, anyway, my dad played that guy. He’s pretty good. He’s been in a bunch of stuff.”
    “Sounds cool. Much better than my dad, who could probably be the sicko throwing bodies into a river in real life. He’s a psycho. But at least he’s out of the picture.”
    Mark says it like it’s no big deal, but I feel sad for him. An awkward silence settles around us. Nothing like bringing up a guy’s deadbeat dad to kill the mood . When I glance back at the boys, I catch Josh give me a look of relief. At least he’s happy I’m blowing things with his coach.
    “So,” Mark says finally, “what superhero would you want for a father?”
    Happy for the topic change, I launch into geek-girl mode. “Well, my dad’s pretty cool already, but Captain America does have that hyper-honorable thing going on. Then there’s the Silver Surfer showing mercy at the cost of his own freedom, not to mention Daredevil and all his charity work…” Mark seems amused by my excitement, but I can’t turn it off. My alter ego Virgin Girl! won’t let me shut up.
    I’m working my way through the various incarnations of the X-Men, selecting the most awesome mutant powers, when Mark suddenly interrupts me. “HORSES!” he calls out in triumph. “One, two!”
    “ AAAA-aaa! ” I wail and the boys emerge from their Sonic-trance to mock me.
    “That’s…what is that? Thirrrrrrrty?” Mark sings, “I have thirrrty!”
    “And how many do you have, Blaze?” Ajay asks. “Was it tweeenty-eeeight?” The entire minivan is suddenly filled with taunting boys, and I curse myself for allowing Mark to get me distracted.
    “Okay, okay, simmer down back there,” he says. “The two of us were in the middle of a very serious conversation about superpowers.”
    Josh says, “Nice strategy, Coach, getting her to talk about comics. But you should know you’ll never get her to stop now.”
    “Aw, Josh, lay off your sis,” says Andrew. “And A- jay , would you mind controlling your bodily functions?” Groans fill Superturd as the boys pull their T-shirts over their noses, making sweaty cotton gas-masks.
    “Man,” says Dylan. “I can taste that one!” Ajay smirks proudly, his thumbs still stabbing his DS.
    I glance at Mark, sufficiently mortified to have him witness my pathetic world. Adolescent boys, video games, and fart jokes. Add to that my blatant comic book obsession, and you can see a few problems with the whole seduction scene I have happening in my minivan right now.
    “So, if you could have any superpower…” Mark says, and I roll my eyes, thinking, I’d turn back time, wear something a bit more girly today, and maybe ditch the sweaty gang of cretins behind us .
    “Marvel Girl is probably my favorite superhero. You know, the original Jean Grey?” I say. “But if I had to pick one power it would have to be flight. What about you?”
    He thinks a moment and says, “I never really followed superheroes. What are some of my choices?”
    “Oh, you don’t have to pick a particular hero.” I forget to hide my inner fangirl. “For instance, Ajay would be sort of like Magneto, with control over electromagnetic radiation to enhance his gaming abilities.” Ajay looks up from the DS to grin at me in the rearview mirror. “Dylan would shrink himself into a human fly. Like Ant Man, but without the cybernetic helmet for communicating with insects.” I laugh as, behind me, Dylan pretends to style his buzz-cut. “He wouldn’t want to get helmet-head.”
    “Blaze thinks it’s so I can spy on the girls’ locker room.” Dylan leans forward, pushing his glasses up on his nose for emphasis. “But really, it’s only to consume fewer of the earth’s precious resources. I want to leave a smaller carbon footprint.”
    “Yeah.” Josh laughs. “You’d love to leave your teeny carbon footprints all over Catherine Wiggan’s cleavage.”
    Catherine Wiggan, aka