“No.”
“You both suck,” Ava mumbled as she slunk back in her chair.
“She was never this active; I used to have to beg to get her to go anywhere,” Mia told me offhandedly as she continued to work. “Then she falls in love with a footballer, and now she’s all about the social events.”
“Why?” I asked Ava curiously. “To be seen with Jett?”
“Huh?” Ava blinked at me in confusion. “No, I just enjoy being with him,” she said as she once again lost her smile. “I’m not using him, Quinn.”
I couldn’t deny I had thought it before, and I thought it now, and I felt bad. “It’s my instinct to protect them.”
“I know, but not from me,” Ava said and waited for me to believe her.
“So, I have an idea,” I told them as I shared a look with Mia.
“Tell me,” Ava urged, and I did, and chuckled when she moaned in protest even as Mia saidyesenthusiastically.
* * *
We were all in my apartment, and I had to give Mia credit: the girl had skills with a makeup brush.
“Is there anything you can’t do?” I murmured as I inspected my eyes.
“Cook,” Mia told me immediately, and I laughed as I looked her over.
“I don’t think your future guy is going to mind,” I said honestly.Mia was smoking hot, even painted blue. She was wearing a blue skintight jumpsuit that Ava’s friend Bea had altered for her.
Mia combed her hair back again and looked at me, her cat eye contacts believable in her blue face.
“You are seriously hot, Mystique,” I told her.
“You’re looking good too.” Mia smiled at me and looked over my own jumpsuit.
“I think an assassin suits me,” I mused as I looked at the black band of face paint across my eyes.
“A man killer, you mean?” Mia teased me as she fixed her lipstick. With a grin at me, we looked at the bedroom and waited. “She might chicken out.”
“She can’t, she needs to complete our supervillain trio.”
The door opened, and Ava stood there, looking at us uncertainly. “I don’t care how many times you tell me that this jacket hides me, I’m still showing more skin than either of you.”
“It’s what the character wears in the comics,” I told her again. “White jumpsuit, diamond cutout on her stomach, and a white fur-trimmed cloak, which we altered to make a cute fur-trimmed coat.”
“Why did I have to be Frost?” she complained again.
“Because you’re blonde,” I reminded her. “I’m dark-haired, therefore Black Widow. Mia is a redhead, therefore Mystique, and you, my dear blonde, are Emma Frost.”
“I could have worn a wig,” she muttered.
“Mia is wearing less than you are; she just looks covered because she’s painted.”
Ava looked at her best friend, and her jaw literally dropped. “Shit, Mee, you are hot as shit.” Ava looked at us both. “Okay, you both look drop-dead gorgeous.”
“Wealllook drop-dead gorgeous,” I said to her. “I’m genuinely excited. I never got to do this with the guys,” I told them as I looked at my cell and my purse and started to narrow the things Ineeded down to the bare essentials that I could hide in my costume.
“They don’t do costumes?” Mia asked curiously.
“Nope, their idea of dress up is their football uniforms. Has been every year since I’ve known them.”
