Page 47 of Not Until I Found You

I catch myself looking back up at them and watching for a beat too long before I force myself to look away. I go back to typing out a reply to Maxinne. Anything to keep my mind off the sharp edge of wanting something I won’t allow myself to have.

Despite myself, I grin down at the screen like an idiot.

Butterfly

Was this a test, or is there a point to this random question?

Me

A little bit of a test…but also I have a theory.

Butterfly

...?

Me

What if...

The wasp that stung me...

Was also radioactive.

Butterfly

You do know that Spider-Man is fictional, right?

Me

Yeah, sure, whatever, but sometimes movies are based on true stories.

Butterfly

He was originally a comic book character, so…

Me

You’re racking up the friendship points, Butterfly.

Butterfly

Thanks… I guess?

Me

My cheek is pulsating and hot to the touch. I can feel a change happening within me.

Butterfly

That’s called inflammation.

Me

Or… I’m slowly becoming…

Wasp-Man.

“Wait!” Wren shouts and points at me accusingly from across the table, nearly sloshing coffee over the rim of her mug. “You’re texting Maxinne, aren’t you?”