Kitty's scream echoed up from below, her voice a mix of terror and exhiration that made Jean and me exge amused gnces. I wasn't sure who looked more eained—Jean, with her grin practically splitting her face, or the bungee instructor who'd just shoved Kitty off the bridge.

  "She's going to make us pay for that," I muttered, shaking my head.

  "Oh, e on," Jean said, nudging my shoulder. "This is payback for all the times she dragged us into ridiculous things. Besides, you're up ." She sipped her iced coffee and wi me, as if dario chi out.

  I forced a smile, gng down at the steep drop with its painfully thin-looking rope stretg down into the dizzying void. Sure, I could fly, dash across the water, and even manipute Phoenix fmes, but letting gravity yank me down like a stone was something I wasly thrilled about.

  The bungee instructor caught my hesitation and ughed. "Not scared, are you?" he teased, probably noting my expression.

  "Scared?" I scoffed. "I mean, e on. I could survive without this whole 'plunge off a bridge and bounce back like a yoyo' thing. But hey, who am I to refuse some... 'fun.'" I shot a meaningful look at Jean, who just smirked and waved cheerfully.

  The instructor started strappio the harness, double-cheg every buckle and knot, but his reassuring pats on the back didn't do muy nerves. I watched as Kitty ulled back up to the bridge, breathless but grinning. "Yoing to love it, Aron!" she yelled as they helped her onto the ptform. "It's like... flying but also falling? Just... you know, trust the rope!"

  Jean chuckled. "Take the plunge, hotshot."

  I gnced down, feeling the world spin just a bit, and muttered, "Here goes nothing."

  The instructave me a light shove, and I tipped forward into freefall. The wind rushed by me, and the ground seemed to speed up as it approached in a blur. My stomach flipped as I fought the strong desire to teleport back to the ptform. If I use my ability now, they'll never let me fet it.

  Just when I thought my heart might jump out of my chest, the bungee cord stretched and then pulled me back up, making me bounce around crazily. Kitty and Jean... Those twhing way too much.

  By the time I ulled back up, I was breathless but exhirated, catg Jean's smirk. "See?" she said. "Told you it would be fun."

  "Yeah, yeah," I panted. I'm gonna make her pay for this. "That was something else... Alright, Jean. Your turn now."

  Jean raised her eyebrow, looking from me to the dizzying drop below. "Oh, I don't think so," she said, trying to back away. But Kitty and I were ready; we each grabbed one of her arms and dragged her toward the edge.

  "Oh no, you're not getting out of this that easy," Kitty grinned wickedly. "You're the one whed us here, remember?"

  Jean shot us both a gre. "Okay, but— I thought we were just here for moral support!"

  I grinned. "Not happening. You wanted us to have fun, right? Well, fun is a two-way street." The bungee instructor joined in on the joke, seg Jean into the harness despite her mock protests. She was muttering under her breath, something about "never living this down" and "Kitty's bad influence."

  Just before the push-off, Jean took a deep breath, casting us both a look that could have melted steel. "You twoing tret this." But there was a glint of thrill in her eyes.

  The instructor ted down, "Three… two… one!" and nudged her over the edge.

  Jean's scream was loud and intense, with just enough indignation to make Kitty and me burst out ughing. But halfway down, her scream turned into something else—a whoop of exhiration that echoed back up to us.

  When she finally bounced back up, her cheeks were flushed, her hair wild, and she looked positively thrilled.

  "You looked like you were having the time of your life, Jean!" Kitty cheered when she was hauled bato the ptform.

  Jean caught her breath and poi me. "This isn't over, Aron."

  "Hypocrisy, thy name is Jean Grey," I said, shaking my head, a grin on my face.

  After the bungee adventure, we made our way over to a nearby food cart selling hotdogs, the st of grilled meat wafting through the air. Kitty immediately snagged one, drowning it ichup and mustard before taking a big bite. "Nothing says post-plummet snack like street food," she said, her voice muffled through a mouthful.

  I grabbed mine, realizing just how hungry I was now that the adrenaline was wearing off. Jean, still giving me side-eye for the whole shove-off-the-bridge moment. She took a bite, her grudge temporarily fotten as she savored the taste.

  After we finished eating, Kitty spotted a nearby movie theater and dragged us over, practically boung with excitement as she rattled off all the test releases. "e o's do a horror flick!" she said, practically dragging us to the ticket ter. "We survived bungee jumping, so let's see if anything on s scare us now."

  Jean rolled her eyes, but she didn't argue. "Fine, but if I scream, I'm bming you, Kitty."

  With pop in hand, we took our seats iheater, leaning bato the soft seats just as the eerie soundtrack started up. Halfway through the movie, Kitty kept nudging me during the jump scares, while Jean mao look thhly unimpressed, a slight smirk on her face whenever something creepy happened.

  But when the final scare hit—a truly ued, spiingling moment—I couldn't help but jump a little, and I noticed Jean tense up as well. Kitty grinned, her eyes glittering in the dark. "Gotcha," she whispered.

  Hahaha... It's been too long since I saw a nice horror movie.

  As we walked out of the theater into the night, ughing and teasing each other about who got spooked the most, Jean looked up at the stars and sighed, a smile still lingering on her face. "Today was… really fun." She paused, meeting each of azes in turn.

  I nodded. "It was, wasn't it?"

  "Yeah, I haven't had this much fun in a long time." Kitty grinned.

  ...

  Jean decided to drive...

  As we drove back to school while ughing and chatting as usual, our talk was suddenly stopped by fshing red and blue lights in front of us. Dowreet, two cars were speeding through traffic, their tires screeg loudly. A familiar white-and-pink figure was flying low behind them, following the fast cars: it was Ghost-Spider.

  It's been a while since I have seen her.

  Kitty rolled down her window and leaned out, staring after the fast-disappearing cars. "What's she chasing after?" she wondered aloud.

  "Probably bad guys." Jean shrugged. "We should get moving. We're heading back, right? I don't want to miss curfew."

  "Curfew shmurfew," Kitty said. "Those cops always make things harder than necessary. Why don't we help her?" She asked.

  Jean g me, raising her eyebrows.

  "Fine," I sighed as I used my teleportation power to appear over one of the bck SUVs. I made sure to cover my face with ice as usual.

  The vehicle swerved wildly as the driver noticed me on the roof, and I gripped the edge tightly, steadying myself against the momentum. I caught a fsh of white and pink; Ghost-Spider had nded oher SUV, her movements smooth as she dropped down on the hood, fingers spyed across the windshield. Her eyes met mine briefly before she raised a webbed hand and sighat she'd take care of this one.

  "Alright," I muttered to myself, turning bay own SUV. "Time to this up."

  I nning on making this easy and knock them out. But those bastards began to shoot at me. I deflected them with ice armor then a massive telekiic bst was enough to knock them out almost instantly. I watched as the car spun out of trol, but I stopped it with my telekinesis, then used my telepathy to trap their mind within insane nightmares. Hahaha... Serves them right.

  As fhost Spider, well, she was good. She avoided all the bullets and pulled those fuys with her web and ed them to the light posts, then she flipped before the car and stopped it with her super strength. Nid .

  The cops were closing in...

  Ghost-Spider nded lightly beside me, "Nice work. That was quick."

  Before I could reply, I noticed the barrels in the back of one of the SUVs, beled with chemical warnings. "What were they doing with this stuff?"

  Ghost-Spider stepped forward, her firag the bel. "Some kind of votile chemicals. Could be stolen, could be smuggled for a b somewhere." She looked at me. "Thanks for the help."

  "No problem. Figured you could use ara set of hands tonight," I replied.

  "Wait! You were that guy back then, right? Ice mask... You helped me stop Rhino?" She asked.

  Before I could reply, a loud g echoed from the nearby storm drain, and the ground trembled. Ghost-Spider and I both snapped azes toward the sound as the metal drain cover burst into the air, nding with a thud several feet away. Emerging from the opening was a hulking, green-scaled creature with bulging muscles and a long, whip-like tail.

  Wait! That's the freakin Lizard. But how the fuck is he that big?

  The Lizard's yellow eyes gleamed with predatory i as he looked between us and the overturned SUVs.

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