Kitty's scream echoed up from below, her voice a mix of terror and exhilaration that made Jean and me exchange amused glances. I wasn't sure who looked more entertained—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, come on," Jean said, nudging my shoulder. "This is payback for all the times she dragged us into ridiculous things. Besides, you're up next." She sipped her iced coffee and winked at me, as if daring me to chicken out.

I forced a smile, glancing down at the steep drop with its painfully thin-looking rope stretching down into the dizzying void. Sure, I could fly, dash across the water, and even manipulate Phoenix flames, but letting gravity yank me down like a stone was something I wasn't exactly thrilled about.

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

"Scared?" I scoffed. "I mean, come 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 strapping me into the harness, double-checking every buckle and knot, but his reassuring pats on the back didn't do much for my nerves. I watched as Kitty was pulled back up to the bridge, breathless but grinning. "You're going to love it, Aron!" she yelled as they helped her onto the platform. "It's like... flying but also falling? Just... you know, trust the rope!"

Jean chuckled. "Take the plunge, hotshot."

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

The instructor gave 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 platform. If I use my ability now, they'll never let me forget 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 two were laughing way too much.

By the time I was pulled back up, I was breathless but exhilarated, catching 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 who dragged us here, remember?"

Jean shot us both a glare. "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, securing 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 two… are going to regret this." But there was a glint of thrill in her eyes.

The instructor counted 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 laughing. But halfway down, her scream turned into something else—a whoop of exhilaration that echoed back up to us.

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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 back onto the platform.

Jean caught her breath and pointed at 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 scent of grilled meat wafting through the air. Kitty immediately snagged one, drowning it in ketchup 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 forgotten as she savored the taste.

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

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

With popcorn in hand, we took our seats in the theater, leaning back into the soft seats just as the eerie soundtrack started up. Halfway through the movie, Kitty kept nudging me during the jump scares, while Jean managed to look thoroughly unimpressed, a slight smirk on her face whenever something creepy happened.

But when the final scare hit—a truly unexpected, spine-tingling 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, laughing 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 our gazes 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 laughing and chatting as usual, our talk was suddenly stopped by flashing red and blue lights in front of us. Down the street, two cars were speeding through traffic, their tires screeching 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 glanced at me, raising her eyebrows.

"Fine," I sighed as I used my teleportation power to appear over one of the black 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 flash of white and pink; Ghost-Spider had landed on the other SUV, her movements smooth as she dropped down on the hood, fingers splayed across the windshield. Her eyes met mine briefly before she raised a webbed hand and signaled that she'd take care of this one.

"Alright," I muttered to myself, turning back to my own SUV. "Time to wrap this up."

I was planning 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 telekinetic blast was enough to knock them out almost instantly. I watched as the car spun out of control, but I stopped it with my telekinesis, then used my telepathy to trap their mind within insane nightmares. Hahaha... Serves them right.

As for Ghost Spider, well, she was good. She avoided all the bullets and pulled those four guys with her web and wrapped them to the light posts, then she flipped before the car and stopped it with her super strength. Nice and clean.

The cops were closing in...

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

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

Ghost-Spider stepped forward, her fingers tracing the label. "Some kind of volatile chemicals. Could be stolen, could be smuggled for a lab somewhere." She looked at me. "Thanks for the help."

"No problem. Figured you could use an extra 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 clang echoed from the nearby storm drain, and the ground trembled. Ghost-Spider and I both snapped our gazes toward the sound as the metal drain cover burst into the air, landing 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 intent as he looked between us and the overturned SUVs.