THE SINGER AND THE SIDEKICK
CHAPTER SEVEN

     SUMMER BREAK came and went in a flash. She'd spent the weeks running around with her friends—whenever they didn't run off with the excuse of a work emergency. Jasper had been roped into their secretive second life, and Molly wondered whether she'd ever be let in on the truth, or if she'd remain in the dark.

When her friends would randomly vanish, she'd continue working on her music. Lyrics, melodies, recording, editing—she was almost finished with the song she'd started before school ended the previous year. It just needed a few more final touches and the video to be strung together.

She was confident in this song, more than she'd been with any of her past works—and that was a lot.

The video of her birthday performance did quite well, and she was excited to see if this would do just as good—or maybe even better.

Charlotte was spending the night, both agreeing that some girl-time would be grand. They'd had a fun night, full of gossip, even though Charlotte claimed to hate that stuff. Currently, they were seated in Molly's studio, listening the progress she'd made.

"Woah," the girl smiled, obsidian eyes glowing in awe as Molly finished playing her demo. "That was amazing!"

"Really?"

"Would I lie to you?" Charlotte argued, a small smile on her lips as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Molly wanted to respond, wanted to point out all of the lame and unrealistic excuses she and their friends had told her throughout her time in Swellview, but something beat her to the punch. Charlotte's phone rang, a ringtone that Molly had learned meant her boss was calling. She glanced at the time on her computer, brows furrowing—what could he possibly want at midnight on a Thursday?

Charlotte excused herself, stepping into the bathroom in the hall to answer. She didn't want to risk waking up Molly's family.

The blonde and pink haired girl shut off her setup, stepping out of the studio just as Charlotte popped her head into the room. "Hey, MJ—"

"Just go, Char." She sighed, tired of her friends disappearing. "Be back before sunrise, though. We have school."

"I'm so sorry." The girl spoke, the bun on her head swaying slightly as she made her exit.

She watched through the window as Charlotte ran down the street, her pajama pants flaring with every rushed step. She should probably go to sleep, not ask anymore questions.

But Molly Jensen was nothing if not curious.

So, against her better judgement, she quickly changed and crawled through her window, leaving a book underneath so it wouldn't close in her absence. She hiked her bag further onto her shoulder before jogging in the direction of Junk 'N Stuff.

She plugged her earbuds in as she ran, thankful she chose to throw on a pair of gym shorts and a simple t-shirt. Her hair was pulled into a high ponytail on the back of her head, swaying violently with each movement.

It was a quiet night in Swellview, not a single car wandering down the streets. There was no traffic, so she'd hoped this three-block run would pass swiftly.

When she finally arrived, she was grateful that they'd left the door unlocked. Probably in their hasty entrance to see what their boss wanted so late in the night.

Molly tip-toed through the store, letting her earbuds dangle around her neck as the dinosaur animatronic went off at her entrance. There was no sight of her friends, not even a leaf that could've fallen off one of their shoes. Or, in Charlotte's case, slippers.

Junk N' Stuff was cluttered, as expected, but it was visibly just one large room, and only one story. So where could her friends be?

She crept to the back room, panic coursing through her as there was still no sight of them. Would they be mad at her for following them? Scared for her?

Were they criminals behind closed doors?

Were they okay? Was their boss doing something horrible to them? They were just teenagers.

Her ocean-blue eyes landed on a burgundy elevator, and her stomach dropped. Why would a one-story building need an elevator?

Hesitantly, she pressed the button and stepped inside. She could already tell this wasn't a normal elevator, and quickly white-knuckle gripped the railing as the plummet began.

Molly Jensen didn't scream in helpless and scary situations, she held her breath. And boy, was she glad she did. Plummeting at this speed surely would've winded her.

The elevator jerked to a stop, allowing her to compose herself before the doors opened. Her blue eyes locked onto her friends, who were all too distracted by something else in the room to notice the dinging of the elevator.

She peered around the corner, her frizzy hair swaying as her gaze landed on the room before her. A blue and red logo was plastered on the floor and the wall, one she'd recognize anywhere. This was Captain Man's lair-hideout-thing.

"A junk store as a cover?" She thought, "Talk about unassuming."

Henry stood a few feet away, holding a man with a blue shirt by his collar. She begged whatever higher power was up there that they wouldn't see her, but that hope quickly diminished when his hickory eyes flickered over and found her ocean blue ones.

Even though he'd definitely seen her, she ducked behind the corner of the elevator, hoping he at least wouldn't announce her presence to everyone.

Henry hoped he'd imagined it. Prayed, even, that he'd imagined it. Right now, though, he had to deal with Ray. "Are you crazy?!"

"What?" She heard the man, presumably an unmasked Captain Man, say. His voice was a higher pitch than what she'd heard on the news, raised by confusion and an airiness that she guessed wasn't normal for him.

The boy furrowed his brows, "You can't just bring some... stranger down here in the Man Cave!"

Ironic, considering what—who—he'd just seen.

"Oh, Gwen's not a stranger." The man smiled, giving a dismissive wave.

"How long have you known her?"

"Almost three hours." Ray smiled, leaning against Henry's shoulder lazily.

The blonde shoved him off, eyes wide. "Three hours?! What?!"

As if he hadn't heard him, the man perked up with a grin somehow larger than the one he'd had. "Oh! That reminds me! I gotta tell her you're Kid Danger!"

Molly froze, eyes widening slightly as the sounds of Henry's protests faded into a muffle. She hadn't been given the chance to process this, yet, too distracted by not being seen. Henry is Kid Danger?

Henry Hart? Her best friend, Henry Hart?

And Charlotte and Jasper work with him?

Holy fucking shit.

Before she'd even zoned back in, her friends were shoved into the elevator, the three of them staring at her with wide eyes and frozen expressions. She quickly composed herself, leaning against the wall with a single eyebrow raised. "Huh, your boss really hates you."

"Where the hell did you come from?" Henry hissed, hurriedly stepping toward her as the elevator door closed.

Before she could respond, they were shot upwards; their eyes remained locked on one another's, despite Jasper's girlish screams echoing through the metal box. She couldn't tell whether that was anger, fear, or panic in his tone. Maybe all three?

When they got back into Junk N' Stuff, Henry grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the store. He couldn't risk Ray checking the cameras and seeing her—even in the weird lovey-dovey state he was in with a complete stranger.

Once outside, he spun her to face him, Charlotte and Jasper on either side of them. "Molls, please tell me I'm imagining this right now. Please tell me you didn't just show up here."

"Did you follow me?" Charlotte chimed, her voice calm with an undertone of panic.

Molly suddenly felt guilty, her blue eyes trailing to her shoes in shame. It was rare for her to feel bad about something like that, but this was a whole new can of worms—her best friend was Kid Danger, and their other friends were working with him.

She wondered if she could have saved them all the trouble from this that day her family were watching an interview with Swellview's heroes—if she wouldn't have walked out before Kid Danger came on screen.

At her silence, the group ushered her away from the store. She noted Jasper's American flag pajamas and the blue curlers in his hair before realizing that Henry wasn't even in pajamas. He was still in the same clothes he'd worn to school that day.

The group walked toward the Jensen residence under a tense blanket of silence, the chill of the night air failing to nip at their skin—unfortunately for Molly, she had to deal with the cold. Rubbing her arms, her eyes remained locked on the sidewalk beneath her, refusing to meet her friend's eyes.

Henry was walking beside her and, despite his panic and anger, took notice of her actions. Wordlessly, he shrugged off the flannel he was wearing and draped it over her shoulders. She muttered a polite "Thank you" before slipping her arms into the sleeves and continuing the silent journey.

The flannel smelled like him—she didn't really know how to explain it. A blurred mix of oak and oranges. It was odd.

When they arrived, Molly went to hand him back the flannel, but he pushed it back toward her. The four of them climbed the tree next to her window, filing in one by one as the tension in the air seemed to thicken.

She sat on her bed, fiddling with her bracelets and avoiding their eyes. She felt like a child.

In her peripherals, she could see Henry pacing. Charlotte stood with her arms crossed like a disappointed mother, and Jasper made himself comfy on one of her bean bag chairs. She felt horrible, but she also didn't expect that to be where they run off to.

Molly felt like she wasn't entirely at fault.

"Why would you follow me?" Charlotte sighed. "It's past midnight!"

The girl's head snapped up, a fire igniting within her irises. She no longer felt bad, now she was simply annoyed—almost angry. "Why would the owner of a junk store need his underage employees past midnight?"

They all stayed silent.

"Exactly." She snapped, shooting up from the bed. "We're fifteen! Obviously I'm gonna be curious about where the hell you disappear off to! For all I know you guys could've been part of a fucking cult, or something!"

"That doesn't make any sense!" Henry interjected, ceasing his pacing. She looked to him as he ran a hand through his hair, clearly stressed. "Why couldn't you just let it go, Molls?"

She scoffed, "What would you have done? Hm? If you moved across the country and your only friends all disappeared randomly and wouldn't tell you why?"

"That doesn't mean follow us!"

"I was worried!" Her voice rose, loud enough to be heard but not loud enough to wake up her family. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself as she continued, "I was worried, okay? Ever since I moved here, you guys just vanished at random ass times, and sometimes you'd come back with bruises—"

Henry furrowed his brows, "What're you talking about?"

Molly rolled her eyes, "Oh, please. If you wanna hide bruises on your ribs, you should probably invest in some longer shirts."

He wanted to pick on her about looking at him when his shirts rode up, but even he knew it wasn't the time.

"Molls, you really shouldn't have followed Charlotte," Henry said, his tone heavy with a mixture of frustration and concern.

"You think I didn't realize that the second I saw you guys in the Man Cave?" Her voice wavered slightly as she let out a sad, dry laugh. Shaking her head, she moved to sit on the edge of the bed, gripping it tightly with both hands as if it could anchor her racing thoughts. Her legs bounced anxiously, a telltale sign of her internal struggle. "For all I know, whenever your boss finds out—and gets in his right mind—he'll kill me."

Henry sighed deeply, running a hand through his hair before glancing at Charlotte and Jasper. They exchanged a silent look, an unspoken agreement passing between them. Charlotte gave a small nod, and Jasper reluctantly followed her to the studio area. With a soft click, the door shut, leaving the two of them alone.

He hesitated for a moment, watching her carefully before stepping forward and sitting down beside her. The bed dipped slightly under his weight. Tentatively, he placed his hand over hers, the warmth of his touch startling her into stillness. Molly's gaze stayed fixed on the dresser in front of her, her thoughts swirling too chaotically to look at him.

Henry noticed everything about her in that moment. Her usual Converse were still on, the edges scuffed and worn, paired with gym shorts that looked like they once belonged to her dad and a loose gray t-shirt. His flannel was still draped over her shoulders, slightly too big but oddly perfect on her. Her blonde and pink-streaked hair was frizzy and pulled into a messy ponytail at the back of her head. Even like this—disheveled, frazzled—she managed to look effortlessly pretty. It baffled him how she could do that, even when the world around her seemed to be falling apart.

"Molls," he said softly, his voice a stark contrast to the panic that had gripped him earlier. "Look at me."

She didn't move, her lips pressed into a thin line. Henry hesitated only a moment before using his free hand to gently turn her face toward him. The second her eyes met his, it was like the air between them shifted. He almost forgot how to breathe, caught off guard by the storm of emotions in her gaze. Regret, fear, anger—they all swirled like waves crashing against her mind.

"He's not gonna kill you," Henry said firmly, his tone carrying a quiet conviction. "Ray isn't like that."

Molly dropped her gaze, her teeth briefly tugging at the skin of her bottom lip. Her voice came out shaky but steady enough to betray the fragile control she was trying to maintain. "Then what's he gonna do? Lock me up?"

"He's not gonna do anything," he reassured her. "I promise you."

His hand remained on her face, the contact warm and grounding. They both seemed to forget it was there, lost in the proximity they now shared. Silence settled over them, but it wasn't uncomfortable. It felt heavy with unspoken things, a quiet conversation that neither of them dared acknowledge out loud.

Henry found himself studying her in a way he hadn't before. From this close, he could see every tiny detail of her face—the troubled blue of her eyes, the soft way her lashes brushed against her cheekbones, the faint freckles scattered across her nose. Even in this state of vulnerability, she looked beautiful. It wasn't just her appearance, though—it was the fierce determination she carried, even now.

Molly noticed it too, her breath hitching as she let herself truly look at him. The concern and warmth in his hickory eyes, the subtle tan of his skin, the faint freckles she'd never been close enough to notice before. Even his plump lips, slightly parted as he seemed to be searching for something to say. The way he was looking at her—like he wouldn't let anything bad happen—made her believe him. Maybe it was because he'd stood up for her before, or maybe it was just because it was Henry.

They hadn't realized how close they'd leaned in until the muffled sound of Jasper's voice broke through the thick silence. "Can we come out now? I'm tired, and I have to tinkle."

The spell shattered. Both blondes jerked back slightly, clearing their throats and putting a polite amount of space between them. Molly was the first to speak, her voice calm and steady despite the storm still brewing inside her.

"Yeah," she called, keeping her tone light and unaffected. Her gaze stayed carefully away from Henry, unwilling to risk catching a glimpse of whatever emotions might still linger in his eyes. One crack in her armor, and Charlotte would pick up on everything she wasn't ready to admit—to herself or anyone else.

✰

"Maybe she has a trampoline."

Molly had clearly caught the tail end of a conversation, chuckling as she stepped into the store. Considering the events of the previous night, she could connect the dots on what she'd missed. "Yeah, because having a trampoline definitely screams 'Wife me up,'."

"Hey, MJ."

"Hey, Molls." Henry greeted, chest tightening at the familiar flannel she was wearing. She looked better in it than he did--way better. Her blonde and pink hair was down, cascading over her shoulders and swaying with each step she took towards them. She was wearing Henry's flannel, a plain white shirt, jeans with a rip in one knee, and her Converse. She looked weirdly energized, given their late night. He almost asked why, until he spotted the Red Bull in her ringed fingers. "What's up?"

She shrugged, stopping in front of him with a smile. "Nothing. Got bored, figured I'd see what you guys were doing." Her eyes trailed over his shoulder, landing on Jasper with a confused expression, "Is he being bullied by a plant right now?"

"It wants to eat me!"

Molly laughed, walking over and taking the watering can from him. She gently approached the plant, a small smile on her lips. "You thirsty, buddy?"

It grunted in response--something she definitely didn't expect--but she didn't let it sway her. Slowly and calmly, she approached the angry plant and began pouring some water in its pot from a safe distance.

"What the hell?" Jasper whined, "That's not fair!"

"Maybe it wants a pretty face around," Molly shrugged, her eyes still on the plant.

Henry nodded from behind Jasper, "Yeah, Jasp. Maybe it's a shallow plant."

"So you're agreeing, Hart?"

He gulped, "What? No--I just--"

The girl chuckled, placing the watering can back in their friend's hand. "Relax, I'm messing with you."

Henry sighed in relief, the corners of his lips flicking upward as he watched her wander the store. He'd broken up with Bianca months ago, but was still struggling with whatever was going on with him and Molly--they almost kissed last night. He knew he didn't imagine that. But he didn't know what was going on between them; Molly hadn't given any hints of it still being on her mind, so was it just a heat of the moment thing?

"Where's Char?"

He jumped, having not noticed her reclaim her spot beside him. "Uh--downstairs."

Molly simply nodded, chewing the inside of her cheek in thought. Should she leave? Yeah, she now knew what they'd been hiding, but would their boss believe she was just a friend visiting them at work?

Just as she was about to make her decision, the bell above the door rang. Their eyes found Gwen entering the store, and she could see the evil glint in the woman's eyes. She decided it'd probably be better if she stayed--just in case something happened to her friends. Right?

"Henry." The woman greeted, "Jasper."

"Hey, Gwen." Jasper greeted from beside the counter.

Her eyes then fell on Molly, an eyebrow raised in curiosity. "Who's pretty little thing?"

"MJ." The girl stated, her tone casual but her eyes untrusting. Her gaze flickered to the blue container in the woman's arms, noting what looked to be muffins inside; she already didn't like this.

Henry sent Jasper downstairs, but Molly refused to leave. He knew he'd fail at convincing her, allowing her to lean against the counter as he confronted Gwen. The woman didn't even acknowledge her presence any further, placing down the container and approaching the blonde fifteen year old.

"Y'know, Henry... I got the feeling last night that you don't want me to marry your friend Ray."

"Huh." He replied, arms crossed, "Well, I'm glad you got that feeling. Cause that feeling is exactly what I want your feeling to be. Ya feelin' me?"

Molly had to stop herself from groaning. This kid takes down grown men in fights almost every night? Seriously?

How embarrassing for them.

"I'm sorry, one more time?"

"No, I'm sorry, cause I don't repeat stuff." He announced, following her as she made her way through the store again. "I know Ray. And there's no way that he'd meet you and then ask you to marry him on the same day, unless you—unless you did something."

Molly watched from her spot by the counter, eyes narrowed onto the purple and black clad woman. Her fake leather jacket was so painfully obvious, it was borderline nauseating to look at and her tie-dye purple top screamed 'I'm stuck in 2007'.

This woman did not have trustworthy fashion.

"Y'know, Henry..." She began, her voice airy as she placed a random trinket back onto the shelf. "I was hoping we could be friends. But now... I'm sorry that I... made you these muffins."

Molly knew a trick when she saw one, and that's whole-heartedly what this was. She made her way over, plucking one of the muffins from the container and taking a bite. Gwen looked at her with hateful eyes, while Henry stared at her in confusion.

Just as the woman was about to urge a muffin toward him, a familiar voice ripped through the store, startling both blondes. "Henry, don't swallow that muffin!"

"I didn't, Molls took one before I could—"

"Molly!" She exclaimed, taking a hand-vac from a small man next to her and trying to suck the muffin from her friend's mouth.

The Jensen girl was confused, backing up to escape her friend and the vacuum. She took a misstep, falling and hitting her head on a nearby crate; Henry panicked, rushing to her side with wide eyes. "Charlotte!" He scolded.

"I'm sorry! I was just trying to—" a thought popped into her head, "Wait, Henry! Give her mouth-to-mouth."

He looked at her, confused. "What? But she's not drowning—"

"JUST DO IT."

Henry didn't argue, slightly scared of his friend's tone. He whispered an apology to Molly, placing his lips on hers and blowing air into her lungs. This felt stupid. She wasn't drowning, she hit her head!

Seconds later, Molly groaned, wincing at the dull ache in her head. Henry quickly helped her up, worry pooling in his eyes; he hadn't noticed Charlotte's smirk from the other side of the room. "Molls. Molls, are you okay?"

When her vision cleared, he saw her eyes glow a strange purplish-blue when she looked at him. "I love you."

"Youwhatnow?"

✰

After Gwen had smugly convinced Ray to kick them out of the store, the group trudged back to Henry's house. Schwoz, still grumbling under his breath, trailed behind while Molly, lovestruck and dreamy, clung to Henry like he was her lifeline. She gazed up at him with wide, adoring eyes, her expression so sweetly earnest that Henry felt a mix of embarrassment and... something else he couldn't quite bring himself to admit yet.

Her hand was nestled in his, a connection so small and simple, yet it made his pulse race.

"Your eyes are so pretty," she murmured, her voice soft and full of wonder.

He gulped, willing himself to stay calm, and mustered a smile. "Yours are too," he whispered, his voice almost cracking under the weight of her gaze.

Molly's face lit up like the Fourth of July. "Aww, thank you!" She beamed, letting him guide her inside the house. "You're the best."

He tried not to think too hard about the warmth of her hand in his or the way her voice seemed to linger in his ears long after she spoke.

Once inside, they left Schwoz on the porch, while the four of them gathered in the living room. The Hart family's cream-colored couch sagged slightly under their weight as they piled on. Henry had barely settled into his spot when Molly slid in right beside him, resting her chin on his shoulder.

He froze.

Her warmth seeped into him, her breath brushing the side of his neck as she tilted her head to look at him with that same infatuated smile. Henry's heart thudded painfully in his chest, like it was trying to escape.

Was this how she'd act if there were no muffin involved? Clingy, affectionate, and looking at him like he'd hung the stars in the sky just for her? The thought both thrilled and terrified him.

"Okay," Jasper broke the silence, pulling him back to reality. He cleared his throat and shifted slightly, but she stayed close. His blush deepened.

"Tell me why Gwen would use tainted muffins to make Ray fall in love with her," the brunette demanded, arms crossed.

"And me," Henry added, glancing briefly at Molly's sparkling blue eyes before quickly looking away. God, she was really staring at him. His heart was thundering. "Why would she try to give me one? She's, like, twice my age."

Charlotte paced back and forth near the coffee table, shaking her head. "Think about it. If Captain Man and Kid Danger are so in love they can't fight crime—"

"—then she gets away with whatever she wants," the blond finished, his voice firm. He chanced another glance at the girl beside him, who was still looking at him like he was her whole world. His stomach flipped. How was she doing this to him with just a look?

He forced himself to refocus. "We need to figure out how to reverse the muffin's effects."

Before anyone could respond, a familiar voice screamed from upstairs. "JASPER!"

They all turned as Piper stormed down the stairs, her eyes locked onto the brunette. "Did you go into my bathroom and take my curling iron?!"

Jasper paled. "Uh, yeah, but I—"

"Piper, leave him alone," Henry sighed, running a hand through his hair. "So he used your curling iron. You don't need to—"

"He jacked my girly curly!" she shrieked, lunging at Jasper. Before anyone could stop her, she grabbed his face and yanked out several of his eyelashes.

"PIPER!" The older Hart sibling yelled, standing to intervene.

"Shut up!" Piper snapped, spinning toward her brother with a fiery glare. "He's your idiot friend, so this is your fault too!"

She lunged at him next, and he instinctively raised his free hand to block her. The other, still held firmly by Molly, was useless in his defense. She settled for flicking his forehead repeatedly, each hit accompanied by a sharp sting.

"Leave him alone!" Molly's voice cut through the chaos, her usual warmth replaced by a surprising fierceness. She reached out to push the girl away from him, her expression determined.

"Stay out of this!" Piper shot back, her focus unwavering.

"PIPER!" She yelled, her voice sharp and commanding. Suddenly, she froze, her body seizing as her eyes fluttered shut.

Everyone stopped.

Piper's face turned pale, and she bolted upstairs, shouting something about calling Alana.

"Molly?" Henry's voice was panicked now, and he crouched in front of her, steadying her shoulders one-handed. "Molls!"

Molly's body went limp, her head lolling forward before she groaned softly. Slowly, she blinked her eyes open, her expression dazed.

Henry's hand tightened slightly on her shoulder. "Hey. You okay?"

"Holy shit," she muttered, wincing. "What the hell was in that muffin?" She glanced down, her brows furrowing. "And why am I holding your hand?"

"Wait, you're not in love with Henry?" Jasper blurted, still nursing his face from Piper's earlier assault.

Molly's face turned a deep shade of red. She snatched her hand away from Henry's, her wide eyes darting to their friends in horror. "What? No! What the hell—oh, shit. The muffin."

"Yeah, the muffin," her blond friend echoed, scratching the back of his neck. He tried to hide the sting of disappointment beneath a forced chuckle. "Don't worry. You didn't do anything too embarrassing."

She groaned, burying her face in her hands. Meanwhile, Henry leaned back on his heels, his mind swirling. He tried to focus on the problem at hand, but all he could think about was the way Molly had looked at him earlier and the strange, unshakable ache it left behind.

— b speaks!
woah! two updates in one day? the world must be ending!

reminder: don't be a silent reader <3

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