"You're such a nerd, Chase," a familiar voice taunted, playfully knocking my head. Allie couldn't contain her laughter.

Turning to my side, I saw Addison casually pull up a chair beside me and join our table. "Hey, Addison," Allie greeted her with a warm smile.

Damn it, Addison.

I couldn't resist asking, "Addison, why are you here?" She responded with a mischievous smirk.

"Am I not allowed to join my brother and his friend for lunch?" she quipped.

"Sure, why not?" I retorted with a touch of sarcasm.

"Oh, come on, Chase. Don't be like that. She's your sister," Allie kindly interjected, attempting to keep the atmosphere light.

Addison seized the opportunity to wink at me, further exacerbating my frustration. "Fine," I conceded with an eye roll.

Two more chairs materialized beside Addison as if on cue, and Nathan and David settled in at the table. I couldn't help but exclaim inwardly, Oh my god, why do they have to do this to me?

"... And I guess the crew's all here," I snarkily remarked.

David extended his hand toward Allie with a friendly introduction, "Hey, I'm David. You're Allison, right?" Allie accepted his handshake, her smile shining.

"Yep," she replied cheerfully.

Nathan followed suit, offering his hand for Allie to shake, and she did so gracefully. "And I'm Nathan."

An impending sense of dread washed over me as Nathan said, "You know what? I like this... us sitting together like this."

I mentally pleaded, Please don't.

"Yeah, this should be our new thing," Nathan added with a mischievous grin.

Damn you, Nathan!

Addison probed, "What do you think, Chase?" All eyes turned expectantly in my direction, waiting for my response.

Nope!

I reluctantly mumbled, "Sure," immediately regretting my words. It seemed I was fated to endure lunch with my family, too. I inched my seat closer to Allie, seeking solace in her presence.

Ever the provocateur, David remarked, "You two are cute together." I froze, unsure how to react, and Allison appeared to be equally taken aback.

Attempting to clarify the situation, Allie said, "Well, I think he's cute, but we're just lab partners."

I nearly choked on my food; her candid response caught me off guard. Did she say that in front of my siblings?

David, never one to let an opportunity for mischief pass, teasingly probed, "Are you sure?"

Allie sighed deeply and affirmed, "Yep," releasing a pent-up breath.

David had a knack for making me uncomfortable, and this was undoubtedly one of those times. I couldn't believe he was putting me through this.

Later, when David invited Allie to watch our practice, I couldn't help but wonder if he was aware of how nervous I got around her.

A loud bell disrupted our lunch, signaling the end of the meal and the start of a fire drill.

The bell saved her!

During baseball practice, I found myself stationed at second base. Coach Markell was absent that day, but the course went on as usual. Our star player, David, stood on the pitcher's mound, hurling the ball toward me with impressive speed. Catching it required minimal effort, surprising even myself.

I marveled at how quickly I adapted to this sport; it became unexpectedly enjoyable. After catching the ball, I threw it to Manny, our third baseman, who swiftly passed it to Sam, our first baseman.

"Wait... So, you can fly now?" Sam asked, tossing the ball back to me.

"Yep," I replied calmly as I caught the ball.

"That's awesome!" Cameron, our shortstop, exclaimed with genuine enthusiasm.

David shifted to his right, and I effortlessly launched the ball to Jeremy, our catcher. Jeremy returned the ball to me, and we maintained the practice rhythm.

Mike, our center fielder, received a throw from Jeremy and, in turn, tossed it to Andre, our right fielder, who then directed the ball to Jacob, our other right fielder.

"Yeah, he flies in his sleep," David chimed in with a smirk, provoking a round of chuckles from the guys.

Cameron's curiosity got the best of him. "Is that like sleepwalking but flying?" he queried.

"Uh... kind of," I replied with a sheepish grin.

Jacob launched the ball to Matthew, our left fielder, who then sent it to Adam, our other left fielder. Finally, Adam returned the ball to me.

Amidst our practice, Allie appeared at the fence, capturing everyone's attention. We turned towards her, and she greeted us with a wave.

"Hey, Allie," I called out with a smile.

"Hey, Chase!" she responded, her smile mirroring mine.

The guys exchanged knowing glances and began inching closer, their curiosity palpable. Sam raised an eyebrow, clearly gesturing towards our budding connection.

David and I simultaneously shook our heads to signal that Allie wasn't aware of my abilities.

Allie's voice brought us back to the moment. "You guys are just going to stop?"

Now positioned behind me, David laid a hand on my shoulder and decided to make an announcement. "Actually," he began, "we were going to do a bit of batting practice, and Chase will go first." A sly grin crossed his face.

The guys eagerly returned to their positions, thrilled to watch me hit a baseball.

Turning to face David, I expressed my concerns, "David, are you serious? Do you remember the last time I tried to hit a ball before her... And now I'm even stronger."

With a reassuring tone, David urged, "Oh, my God, Chase, you'll be fine. Just go get a bat..." He pushed me towards the dugout.

I grabbed a bat, walked over to the batter's box, and twirled it in my hand, nerves building. David and I locked eyes for a moment, the unspoken challenge clear.

"I'm going to throw it hard," David declared.

"Go right ahead," I replied confidently, trying to hide my trepidation. Standing behind me, Jeremy couldn't contain his laughter, adding to the pressure.

"This is going to be good," Jeremy smirked, smacking his mitt with anticipation.

David's grin widened as he wound up for the pitch. Determined to make the best of the situation, I choked on the bat to get a better grip.

Looking at Allie, I noticed her intense focus on the impending pitch. David released the ball, and I swung with all my might. The bat's unmistakable crack filled the air as the ball soared over the fence, landing beyond the center field.

"Yes... And that's how you hit a ball!" David exclaimed excitedly, making his way over to me.

Allie cheered from her spot by the fence, showing her support, and I couldn't help but smirk at my achievement. Jeremy, filled with enthusiasm, stood up and playfully punched me on the shoulder.

"Yes! We are so going to the finals again this year!" Jeremy exclaimed.

However, David's expression abruptly shifted, and he quickly positioned himself before me.

"Uh... Chase?" he hesitated, his hand on my shoulder, pushing me down.

Alarmed, I realized my feet were no longer touching the ground; I was hovering about two inches above it.

David stepped before me to shield Allie from witnessing my levitation, using his super strength to lower me back to the ground gently.

"I think you should take a break," he suggested concern in his voice.

I nodded, fearing I might start levitating again if David let go of my shoulder. The last thing I wanted was for Allie to witness my powers.

With his hand still on my shoulder, David walked me to the dugout, where we sat.

Meanwhile, the other guys resumed tossing the ball around, unaware of the strange occurrence.

"You told Dad you had control of your powers," David reminded me.

I sighed, admitting my struggles, "I know. I thought I did, but I get nervous around her... I feel like I will lose control whenever I'm around her. I like her, though."

David offered a sympathetic look, understanding the depths of my feelings.

"Do you remember when I got my powers?" he asked, shifting the conversation.

I nodded, intrigued by his story.

"Can I tell you something?" David continued, his voice softer. "This is something I've never told anyone, not even Dad."

I nodded, signaling my readiness to listen.

"When I first got my powers, I thought everything would work out great." David recounted, reminiscing about his journey. "But then, I met Farrah, and it was a windy night, and I was kind of forced to use my powers in front of her." He took a long, hesitant breath and sighed.

"I thought you said, Farrah, the long-distance relationship wouldn't work?"

"Nope!" David said. "She saw me use my superstrength on that tree and never spoke to me again." He released pressure on my shoulder after I stopped struggling, and gravity kicked in, keeping me grounded. "But," he clicked his tongue, averting my eyes toward Allie in the distance. "I don't think you have much to worry about with Allison." He added. That was a relief to hear, not that Allison and I were dating, but I liked her.

"Did you try contacting her to ask her what happened?"

"I probably won't ever contact Farrah again. It's not worth it." David said. "Nice talk. We should get back on the field." David patted my back. "Batter up." I rolled my eyes, watching Allison momentarily before heading to the field.