Chapter 29

“What game are you playing?” Ashley asked Peter the moment they all exited the court. Peter had just finished dismissing the duo who had thoroughly been stomping Ashely and Sophia, though not without a wink and some exchanges that definitely left little to Dan’s imagination.

“Tennis?” Peter said with a shrug. “I’m pretty sure I’m playing tennis most days.” He laughed, even as Ashley’s scowl intensified and her eyes blazed.

“Cut the shit Peter.” She stepped up towards him, her small frame seeming dwarfed by the athletic senior. “Something’s up with you, and I’m tired of being your plaything.”

“I thought that was last year.” Peter said nonchalantly, which resulted in Ashely’s hand blurring as she attempted to slap him. Peter’s dexterity was high for a reason though, and he stopped the slap before it could make contact, catching her wrist in his hand.

“Ashley.” His entire demeanor changed, and his voice took on a dangerous growl. “You’re making a scene, and embarrassing the school.” His grip seemed to tighten, causing Ashely to flinch a little. “If you actually want to improve, you need to work on your temper.” He let her wrist go. “And you need to stop lashing out at others for your own insecurities.”

“I’m not-“ Before Ashley could continue, Sophia grabbed her friend gently. At her touch, all the fight in Ashely seemed to fade away.

“Really Peter,” Sophia said. She was shaken, Dan could see that much. To be fair, he was uncomfortable over the whole situation too. He didn’t do confrontation well, and Peter had just gotten intense. In a terrifying way. “What is going on with you?”

Peter looked at the two girls, looked at Dan, and then shrugged. “Nothing that I can think of.” He put his hands in his pockets. “Honestly, you’d think you two would be more grateful that I stepped in when I did. Another set like that and Ashely was probably going to break her racquet.”

Sophia opened her mouth, but Peter turned away from the two, stopping the conversation. “Come one Dan.” He said quickly. “You’ve got to get going.”

That, caught Dan completely by surprise. As far as he was concerned, he had been planning on spending the rest of the day with Sophia. In his mind…the four of them were going to actually spend some time together.

“I what?” Dan looked at Peter, who wasn’t stopping, and the two girls.

“You’ve got an Uber to catch buddy. I promised your dad I would get you home this afternoon.” Dan’s mind blanked at Peter’s response. His dad was leaving that evening, and would be gone for a month. He’d completely forgotten about that, so engrossed had he been with everything going on at the tournament. Suddenly his mood dropped. How selfish was he? His dad was about to leave, and he’d given him all that grief about leaving…and yet, he’d been here, with Peter, instead of spending time with his dad. Son of the year for sure.

“Peter’s right.” Dan said sheepishly to the girls. “My dad’s leaving tonight, so I need to get home.” He started to move away from the two. Sophia’s face showed confusions, though her eyes had a slight softness too them, while Ashley’s were a mixture of defeat and anger. “For what it’s worth,” Dan said, “I thought the two of you were playing great.”

He didn’t pause to see their reactions, instead chasing after Peter. The Senior’s phone was in his hand again, and he was sending what appeared to be another message.

“Right, your Uber just arrived.” Peter said as he put his phone away. “I’ve got it covered, least I could do. Personally buddy, I would say you should grab your dad something for dinner, or maybe a movie or something, before you get home. You know, really enjoy your time with him before he leaves.”

Peter’s mood had again changed, and he was back to his easy going self that Dan had been seeing for the most part. The cold, intimidating Peter from moments ago, was but a memory. Dan had to wonder though, which side of Peter was real?

“What was that back there?” Dan dared to ask, as they made their way to the parking lot.

Peter’s eyes flashed for a moment, his smile fading for a single second. “I told you before, I’ve an image to uphold.” His voice was flat.

“That though?” Dan pressed. “Why that?”

Peter looked down at Dan, and Dan could tell he was thinking hard. The Senior glanced around, seeming to check no one was too close before he let out a sigh.

“Look Danny.” Peter started. “When you’re like me…when you’ve lived a life like mine. It would make sense. I’ve always had to be perfect, to be the best. Along the way though, I started to figure out, people didn’t get close to me because they actually liked me. They were using me, in some way. Be it status, or power, or who knew what, but I learned quite quickly, no one actually was with me for me.” Peter’s eyes looked lost. “Before I knew it, I had no one close to me, and I was alone.”

The Senior took a deep breath. “So, after being hurt more times than I care to remember, I decided I didn’t need them. I wouldn’t be the one to be used. I would be the one in control. If anyone was going to be the user, it was me. After all,” he offered Dan a sad grin, “when you’re the best, it only makes sense, right?” Dan wasn’t sure if Peter was being rhetorical, or actually asking that question. And if so, who was he asking, Peter or Dan?

“In the process of hardening myself, and building up my persona, the mask I was wearing started to…stick, shall we say? It was harder and harder to take off, and it just felt natural. The intimidating, mysterious, indomitable, perfect Peter. That was who I was. The King of Tennis, the Ruler of the Court.” He laughed darkly. “After a while, I didn’t want to take that mask off.”

“So then,” Dan’s mouth was working even as he was processing all of these things, “what am I in this whole scheme? Are you just using me?” Even as Dan said the words, he regretted it. Especially as he saw the pain flash across Peter’s face, if just for a moment.

“No,” Peter shook his head. “I mean, maybe in the begging, yeah?” The Senior’s confidence was gone. It was just raw, vulnerable Peter. “There’s something about you, that just speaks to me. It gives me hope. Maybe at first you were just a way for me to amuse myself. But now…” Peter put a hand on Dan’s shoulder. “Now, I really do want you to be my friend and protégé. I want you by my side, and I want to build you up, and I want to see how far you can go. I want to be the one to help you succeed.”

Dan stopped as he looked up at Peter. They had reached the parking lot, Peter’s car as flashy and obvious as ever. In the parking lot, a single car was sitting that wasn’t parked, engine running, and Dan guessed it was the Uber. However, part of him held there for a just a moment, as he looked up at Peter. He could tell the Senior was telling the truth. Or at least, the best he could without any possible skill to tell him if something was a truth or a lie. Could he have that power? Was that a thing?

“Thank you Peter.” Dan said after an awkward pause. It was weird…they were just standing there, Peter’s hand on his shoulder, frozen in the moment, neither really knowing what to say next. Dan could tell they were both in uncertain territory. Still, the fact Peter had said what he said, made Dan happy. Well…not the part about initially using him for amusement, that stung. But Dan could feel the bond growing between the two, and he knew from his Relationship Monitor that what Peter said was indeed the truth. And, he had to admit, it made him happy.

When you moved around a lot, like he had, it was hard to make friends. Like, real friends. The constant threat, the wondering of when you were going to move next, meant all your relationships would be fleeting, temporary. And yet here, now, Dan could feel a real relationship growing, and he couldn’t help but feel warmth rush through him at the realization of the growing friendship between he and Peter.

“Now get going and tell your Dad I said hi.” Peter said as he took his hand off Dan’s shoulder. He glanced around again, seeming to double check no one had seen the exchange. “Also, don’t expect me to let you off easy. We’re still practicing tomorrow.” Peter said as Dan walked away.

Dan shook his head and waved back towards Peter, his face broken into a large grin. He was really glad his new powers made it so he didn’t get sore. Otherwise, he was certain he would be unable to walk tomorrow considering the ringer Peter had put him through. Still, excitement flowed through him as well, because he knew it was only a matter of time, with these new powers, before he could stand on the court on his own. And he really wanted that day to come sooner than later, so Peter would be there to see.