74.
Mink was mad at me.
Really, really mad.
We were sitting on the floor of our motel room leaning against the bed watching Spongebob on TV.
We hadn’t talked since leaving McDonald’s.
We had tried to sleep but couldn’t. Maybe because we had only one bed and my thoughts weren’t exactly pure. Maybe because she refused to even look at me since the fight. Secretly, I’d hoped she’d be pleased by the way I handled those guys, but I’d learned that things were never that simple with Mink.
Besides, I would have done it anyway.
I didn’t know Mink’s reasons for not being able to sleep. I just knew that after a while she got out of bed, sat on the floor, and turned on the TV. I’d expected her to turn on some old movie channel or something, but when I heard Squidward’s angry voice, I got up and joined her.
We’d been sitting for over an hour. Not a word between us. I was too tired to argue anyway.
Finally, without looking at me, she said, “You didn’t have to do that.”
“I know I didn’t have to. I wanted to. What’s the point of having these powers if you can’t take down some bullies every once in a while.”
“You were the bully, Max.”
“What?” That one surprised me. “How do you figure?”
“They never had a chance to defeat you and you knew it. Yet, you goaded them into a fight. That’s the definition of a bully.”
I looked at her and smiled. “Debate Club, right?”
“Three years.” She tried not to smile, but couldn’t help herself.