Max fist-pumped. "And that's how you talk to a boy."

Cole smiled. "And I promise, when I get back, we'll have a real date."

Phoebe beamed. "I can't wait."

Melanie grinned. "Aww. That was almost adorable."

Cole started walking back toward his door but turned with a smirk. "Oh, and thanks for the pine cones."

Max saluted. "Night, Cole."

Phoebe let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "Oh my gosh, that actually worked!"

Melanie smirked. "You finally listened to us. I'm so proud."

Max groaned. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Can we go home now?"

Phoebe nodded, but before they could take a step—

BZZT!

The ankle bracelet on Melanie's leg sparked.

Melanie gasped. "Oh... that's not good."

Phoebe's eyes widened. "Wait—does that mean—?"

With a sudden BOOM, Melanie's powers surged, sending the three of them flying backward into Cole's yard.

Max groaned from the grass. "I knew this was a bad idea."

Melanie grinned, still sprawled on the ground. "Worth it."

Phoebe groaned as she pushed herself up from the grass, brushing dirt off her dress. "Melanie! Are you okay?"

Melanie sat up, completely unfazed, and checked her ankle bracelet. A few sparks flickered, but nothing major. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Let's go home."

Max grumbled, still lying flat on his back. "Oh sure, let's just go home. No big deal that you just set off a mini-explosion in Cole's yard or anything."

Melanie rolled her eyes. "It was barely a boom. More like a... gentle nudge of chaos."

Phoebe yanked Max up by the arm. "Come on. Before someone comes outside and asks why we're lying in their grass like weirdos."

Just as she said it, a porch light flicked on. The three of them froze.

Cole's voice drifted from the doorway. "Uh... are you guys okay?"

Phoebe forced a smile. "Yep! Totally fine! We were just, uh—" She turned to Max and Melanie in a panic.

Melanie sighed dramatically. "We're stargazing."

Max shot her a look. "What?!"

Melanie smirked. "Yep. Just admiring the beautiful night sky." She flopped back onto the grass, hands behind her head. "Oh wow, look at that one. It's so... starry."

Phoebe groaned. "Okay, we're leaving now! Goodnight, Cole!" She grabbed Melanie and Max by the arms and dragged them down the sidewalk before Cole could question it further.

As soon as they were a safe distance away, Max sighed. "Okay, real talk—what happens if that bracelet actually comes off?"

Melanie shrugged. "I dunno. My powers probably just go haywire for a minute. No big deal."

Phoebe narrowed her eyes. "No big deal? You just sent us flying into the grass!"

Melanie sighed, stretching her arms behind her head. "Look, I'm tired, I don't care, I just want to go home. If the bracelet comes off, it comes off. Worst case scenario? I explode or something. At least I won't have to walk."

Phoebe stopped walking and put her hands on her hips. "Oh no. If you're that tired, Max, give her a piggyback ride."

Max blinked. "Wait, what? Why me?"

Phoebe crossed her arms. "Because you helped talk me through that mess, and I guess I owe you. So... piggyback time. Go."

Melanie grinned. "Well, if you insist." Without waiting for Max's reaction, she hopped onto his back.

Max stumbled forward slightly. "Okay—okay! I gotcha. Geez, do you live in those combat boots?"

Melanie smirked. "They add to my charm."

Phoebe laughed as she walked beside them. "Alright, let's just hurry before something else goes wrong."

Max huffed. "Yeah, and let's hope your bracelet doesn't completely fall apart while I'm carrying you. What does happen if it fully breaks?"

Melanie tilted her head, thinking. "Huh. I guess we'll find out."

Max groaned. "Fantastic."

As they made their way home, Phoebe couldn't help but shake her head with a small smile. After everything that had happened tonight, this was somehow the most normal part of her evening.

As the comet passed overhead, the family stood in awe, bathed in its eerie glow. The sky shimmered with streaks of light, and for a brief moment, everything felt calm.

Max smirked, holding up the remote triumphantly. "Alright, thanks to my advanced puzzle skills and this super-strength glue, I have once again fixed the remote." He dramatically pressed a button. "Now, let's see where this comet is."

Hank and Barb stood behind the kids, watching as the tracker beeped on the screen.

"Oh, good," Barb said, smiling. "You guys are right on time to see the comet pass."

Billy and Nora bounced excitedly, their eyes wide as they followed the comet's trail.

"There it is!" Billy shouted.

Hank grinned. "Three, two, one!"

Everyone cheered as the comet streaked across the sky, leaving a glowing trail behind it.

Melanie stood off to the side, arms crossed. While the others were celebrating, she was staring at her ankle bracelet with narrowed eyes. Finally, she huffed. "Alright. Enough of this." With a quick motion, she zipped the ankle bracelet off and tossed it to the floor. "Finally free!"

A second later, the lights in the house flickered, a gust of wind rushed through the living room, and a small shockwave rippled outward, sending Max stumbling backward onto the couch.

"Uh... was that an after-effect of the comet?" Nora asked, glancing around.

Melanie stretched her arms above her head with a satisfied sigh. "Yeah, let's go with that."

Barb pinched the bridge of her nose. "Okay, kids, time for bed. We've had enough weirdness for one night."

Hank nodded. "And, uh, Melanie, are you sure taking off that bracelet was a good idea?"

Melanie grinned. "Nope! But it's done now."

Max groaned. "Great. Just what we need—an unstable super with no power limiter. Fantastic."

Billy nudged Nora. "I give it five minutes before something explodes."

Melanie rolled her eyes. "Oh, please, I have perfect control over my powers."

At that exact moment, the TV remote in Max's hand sparked and then stuck fast to his palm.

"Uh... what the—?" He tried to shake it off, but it wouldn't budge. His eyes widened in horror. "Is this glue?!"

Melanie burst out laughing. "Oh my gosh! You glued the remote to your own hand?! That is classic."

Max scowled. "I did not! It must've been—" He paused, glaring at Melanie. "Wait a second. You did this, didn't you?"

Melanie smirked innocently. "Oh, Max. Why would I waste my brand new freedom on something so childish?"

Billy and Nora snickered.

Barb sighed. "Max, just get it off and go to bed."

"I can't get it off!" Max shook his hand wildly, but the remote stayed stuck. "This is your fault, Melanie!"

Melanie smirked and wiggled her fingers. "Who's to say? Maybe it was the comet."

Max groaned. "Ugh. I was gonna watch a movie!"

Melanie shrugged, already walking toward the stairs. "Guess you'll be watching it hands-free."

Billy grinned. "That sounds kinda cool."

Nora smirked. "Or really, really annoying."

Max scowled. "I hate all of you."

Melanie laughed as she disappeared into her room, leaving Max to deal with his unfortunate predicament. Tonight had been totally worth it.

☆

Later that night, after the chaos had settled and everyone had gone to bed, Melanie found herself wide awake. The thrill of finally being free from the ankle bracelet had given her an adrenaline rush, but now, alone in the dimly lit hallway, she felt... off.

Max was still in the living room, grumbling as he tried—and failed—to unstick the remote from his hand.

Melanie leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. "So... did you actually mean it?"

Max glanced up at her, confused. "Mean what?"

She tilted her head. "That you hate all of us."

Max let out a half-hearted chuckle. "Mel, if I actually hated you, would I let you stand there rubbing it in?"

Melanie smirked but didn't let him off that easy. "That's not what I meant. I meant... before all this. Before we got caught up in this mess. Before you started dating." She hesitated, looking at him seriously. "Did you ever actually like me?"

Max opened his mouth, then closed it again. He shifted on the couch, avoiding her gaze. "Before I started dating..." He exhaled. "Yeah. I did."

Melanie's heart did a weird little flip, but before she could say anything, Max kept going.

"But then you became my little cheerleader. You always had my back, always hyping me up, and I guess I just... forgot about you that way."

Melanie blinked. "You forgot?"

Max cringed. "Okay, bad wording." He ran a hand through his hair, still avoiding her eyes. "It's just—when someone's always there, you stop thinking about what could've been and start just... expecting them to be there."

Melanie crossed her arms tighter, suddenly feeling like an idiot for even asking. "Right. That makes sense."

Max finally looked up at her, something in his expression shifting. "Mel, I didn't mean—"

She forced a grin, cutting him off. "No worries, Max. You were busy gluing remotes to your hand. I get it." She turned on her heel. "Goodnight."

Max watched her go, a knot forming in his stomach. He wasn't sure why, but something about the way she walked away made him feel like he'd just messed up—badly.

Hey guys, it's two chapters in one day, hope you love this! This chapter was extremely short so I just decided to do it all in one day! Too much work on my mind, love you guys!