John Maloney stood at the edge of the playground in his blue superhero suit, watching the other kids play. He needed a team. Not just any team — a team that would stay, that would be his. The friend who left still hurt, like a bruise he kept pressing. He wouldn't make that mistake again. This time, he'd build something that couldn't fall apart. But then a girl with a purple diary tucked under one arm walked straight toward him. She stopped near the tall rainbow statue — the one that looked like a woman made of swirling colors — and smiled. "Hi. You must be John, right?" She held out a bright friendship bracelet with a smiley face on it. "Can I please be your friend?" John stared at the bracelet. Nobody asked like that. Nobody just walked up and offered. His first thought was to slip into her head and check what she really thought of him. Make sure she meant it. Make sure she wouldn't leave. His power hummed under his skin, ready. He took the bracelet instead. Slid it onto his wrist without checking her thoughts. "Yeah," he said. "Okay." The girl grinned and set her diary down on the bench, the pink note on the cover catching the light. John looked at the bracelet again. Maybe this time he wouldn't need to use his power at all. Maybe this time someone had chosen him first.

The next morning, John was still turning the bracelet around his wrist when a girl named Samantha jogged up to him on the blacktop. She was out of breath and smiling too wide. "John," she said, "I was thinking — could you come to my pool party?" John froze. His power buzzed awake, ready to peek inside her head and see if the invite was real. Samantha held out a glittery card covered in pearls and seashells. A purple rose curled in the corner. "It's mermaid themed," she said. "I only invited my closest friends. You're one of them." John read the swirly letters twice. His power pushed harder against his skin. He pushed back. He thought of the bracelet. He thought of choosing to trust. "Okay," he said. "I'll come." Samantha squealed and grabbed his hand. She tugged him across the field to show him the setup. A heart-shaped pool sat behind her fence, water shining bright blue. Pink chairs lined the edges. Two older girls in green swimsuits laughed in the shallow end. On a small stage, another girl belted a song into a rainbow microphone with golden trim, eyes squeezed shut with joy. Then John saw them. Three kids from his class, already in swimsuits, already laughing with Samantha's friends. They had not invited him. Samantha had. His chest pinched tight. These could be his team. His team, not hers. The buzz under his skin returned, louder now. He had said yes to the party. But he had not promised to leave with the same loyalties he came with.

John stepped closer to the three classmates, ready to test a smile, when the side gate banged open. Blair Firespark stormed in, cheeks red, voice loud. "John! You came to HER party and not mine?" Heads turned. The music dipped. The three classmates stopped laughing and looked straight at John, waiting to see what he would do. Blair marched past the pool and climbed onto the flaming stage at the back, the one with the speakers shaped like torches. She held up a pale pink rose, petals shaking in her fist. "You forgot this," she said. "You said you'd be MY hero." The three classmates slid onto a turquoise swing wrapped in purple roses. They sat shoulder to shoulder, eyes locked on him, like he was the show. John's power buzzed hot under his skin. He could push into Blair's head right now and switch her loud anger into quiet shame. Easy. But the swing kids were watching. If he froze Blair on stage, they would see a boy who fixed things in secret. He wanted them to see a leader. So he walked to the stage, took the rose, and said clearly, "I didn't promise you anything, Blair. But I'm sorry I hurt you." Blair's mouth opened, closed. She climbed down and ran out the gate. The music swelled back. On the swing, one of the three classmates nodded at John, slow and impressed. The other two scooted apart, leaving a turquoise space in the middle. John walked over and sat down. He had not used his power once. And still, they had made him room.