"This is what passes for superhero training? You guys just chucking tennis balls at each other like a really violent country club?"

"We're trying to help Max get his thundersense back," Phoebe explained as she jogged into the room, fastening her wrist guards.

Melanie smirked. "Yeah, I can see how this is gonna work." She dodged a rogue tennis ball as it whizzed past her head. "Nice aim, kids."

Billy beamed. "Thanks!" Then he immediately pelted Max in the shoulder.

"Ow! Billy, do you even like me?" Max groaned, rubbing his arm.

"I do! That's why I only hit you at half speed."

Barb sighed as she watched her son struggle, her mom guilt in full force. "Oh, my poor brave little hero." She reached into a bag she had been carrying. "I'm just gonna put this new and very expensive supercomputer down in your lair."

Max's head shot up. "Very what?"

"Nothing!" Barb chirped, scurrying out before he could press for details.

Meanwhile, Hank frowned as he observed Max's lack of progress. "I'm going to check on Phoebe. Be right back." He zoomed off, leaving the rest of them in the disaster zone.

Nora twirled a tennis ball in her hand, looking unimpressed. "Max, are you even trying? At this rate, even Billy would dodge better than you."

Billy gasped. "Hey! Wait, is that an insult?"

Melanie sighed and walked up to Max. "Alright, move over. You clearly need some actual coaching."

Max rolled his eyes. "Oh, great. What words of wisdom do you have, oh mighty one?"

Melanie smirked. "Just don't get hit."

Max scowled. "Wow. So helpful."

"I know, right?" Melanie clapped him on the back. "Now stop whining and get back in there. You're embarrassing me."

Max grumbled but squared his shoulders, trying to focus.

"Okay," Phoebe said, stepping up. "Let's try this again. Billy, Nora, take it easy on him this time."

Nora and Billy exchanged looks. "Define 'easy,'" Nora said.

Melanie just laughed. "Oh, this is gonna be fun."

As Phoebe beamed with pride, Cherry continued gushing over her heroic moment.

"Oh, I don't know, Cherry. I wouldn't say hero..." Phoebe said, flipping her hair. "But you can keep saying it."

Cherry giggled. "You're so amazing, Phoebe! We should totally start a fan club. Fanatics for Phoebe—ooh, I love that name! What do you think?"

Before Phoebe could bask in the glory any further, Melanie, who had been lounging in the corner, let out an exaggerated sigh.

"Okay, okay, let's reel it in," Melanie cut in. "Before her ego gets so big it crushes us all."

Phoebe shot her a playful glare. "Melanie, a little support?"

Melanie smirked. "I am supporting you. I'm supporting the rest of us from being drowned in your self-congratulations."

Cherry pouted. "So... no fan club?"

Phoebe gave an apologetic shrug. "Uh... maybe later?"

Melanie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, hero of the day, big moment, blah blah. Look, I gotta go."

She turned on her heel and made her way downstairs. The moment she stepped into the lair, her eyes flickered toward Max, Billy, and Nora, who were huddled together like a trio of guilty-looking conspirators.

Without missing a beat, Melanie crossed her arms and smirked. "So... how long were you planning on lying about having your thundersense?"

Max stiffened. "W-What?! That's the most outrageous, absurd thing I have ever—" He stopped mid-sentence when Melanie arched an eyebrow at him. "...You can't prove anything."

Billy gasped. "Wait, you do have it?"

Nora smirked and nudged Billy. "Told you."

Max groaned. "Ugh, fine. Yes, I have it. But you cannot tell Mom."

Melanie smirked. "Oh, don't worry. We won't."

Max narrowed his eyes. "Why don't I trust you?"

Nora grinned. "Because in exchange for our silence, we want something."

"Oh, great. Here we go. What do you want?"

Billy clapped his hands excitedly. "A tangerine!"

Nora groaned. "Billy, I said a trampoline."

Billy's eyes widened. "Ohhh! That's way better!"

Melanie chuckled, shaking her head. "You better get them that trampoline, Max."

Max sighed dramatically. "Fine. But if this backfires, I'm blaming you."

Melanie just grinned. "Good. I love being blamed for things."

As Billy and Nora ran off, excitedly chanting "Trampoline! Trampoline!", Melanie grabbed Max by the sleeve and yanked him to the side.

"Are you serious right now?" she hissed, lowering her voice so the others wouldn't hear.

Max yanked his arm free and rolled his eyes. "Mel, what's the big deal? So they found out. Who cares?"

Melanie crossed her arms. "I care, genius! You were supposed to keep this under wraps! Now, instead of Mom's bribery money going just to me, we have to split it with Billy and Nora because you couldn't take a few more tennis balls to the face?"

Max scoffed. "Oh, I'm sorry, did you want to stand there and get pelted like a human piñata?"

Melanie threw her hands in the air. "Yes! Yes, I would have! If it meant I was the only one getting a cut!"

Max smirked. "Wow, and people call me the selfish one."

Melanie poked his chest. "I didn't spend all day playing along with your poor, sad, 'I-don't-have-my-thundersense' act just for you to blow it because you got scared of a few rubber balls!"

Max shrugged. "What can I say? Instincts kicked in."

Melanie groaned. "Unbelievable. Now we're gonna have to split everything three ways instead of two. Which means less stuff for me!"

Max smirked. "Aw, poor Mel. Guess you'll have to settle for only half a supercomputer instead of a whole one."

She gave him a glare so sharp he actually took a step back. "You think this is funny?!"

Max raised his hands in defense. "Whoa, okay, calm down. I'll figure something out."

Melanie huffed, but before she could argue more, Barb's voice echoed from upstairs.

"Max, sweetie! I was thinking—how about I get you that supercomputer and a new gaming chair?"

Melanie turned back to Max with wide eyes. "Okay. You know what? I take it back. We milk this."

Max grinned. "Now that's the Mel I know and love."

Melanie smirked. "Let's go, partner. We've got some serious scamming to do."

☆

The school hallway buzzed with energy as students bustled from class to class, but all eyes were on Phoebe as she stood with Cherry, a growing crowd gathering around them. "Come on, Pheebs, tell the story again!" Cherry grinned, nudging Phoebe's arm.

A chorus of students joined in, chanting, "Yeah, yeah, tell it again!"

Phoebe waved her hands dismissively. "Guys, it really wasn't that exciting—"

"Hit it, Cherry," Cherry cut in, dramatically clearing her throat as she gestured toward Phoebe like she was introducing a legend.

Phoebe sighed but couldn't hide her small smile as she straightened up. "Okay, fine."

The crowd leaned in eagerly as Phoebe set the scene, her voice taking on a storyteller's cadence.

"There I was, walking through the halls, when out of nowhere—bam!—pounds of self-serve Tex-Mex destruction came barreling down, ready to take out an innocent victim."

Cherry gasped dramatically. "It's true! I was there!"

Before she could continue, another voice piped up from the crowd. "Actually, I think you mean I was there, because—"

Phoebe held up a hand. "Tyler. My story."

She turned back to the audience, eyes sparkling as she reenacted the moment. "I instinctively knew what I had to do. So, without hesitation, I reached out and—"

Just then, a familiar tingle shot down her spine. Her thundersense.

Phoebe's eyes widened. "Excuse me a sec. Talk amongst yourselves."

She spun around as the sensation intensified. Something was about to happen. She needed to act fast.

"Don't worry, I'll save you!" she declared, springing into action.

But in her rush to intervene, something went terribly wrong.

A second later, there was a whomp—then chaos.

"Ow!"

Phoebe froze as an entire row of cheerleaders toppled over like dominoes. The football team's star quarterback went flying backward into the snack table. A student screamed as her biology project met an untimely demise. And worst of all...

"Oh no! My award-winning roses! Cherry wailed.

A stunned silence fell over the hallway. Then, the angry murmurs started.

"She took out our quarterback!"

"And the cheerleaders!"
"And... and... my nachos! Why do you hate this school?!"

Phoebe's stomach dropped. "No, no, no! This wasn't supposed to happen!"

Before she could process the disaster, a shriek rang out.

"Aahhh!"

Everyone turned to see Cherry sitting on the ground, clutching her head.

Phoebe rushed to her side. "Cherry, are you okay?"

Cherry let out a dramatic gasp, looking up at Phoebe with wide eyes. "How could you do this?" Then, dropping her voice to a whisper, she added, "Sorry, but everybody's mad at you. You broke the whole school."

Phoebe groaned, putting her head in her hands.

Cherry sighed, then patted her arm. "But don't worry. We're still besties. Now, get out of my sight!" Then she grinned. "Call me later."

Phoebe watched as Cherry strolled off, still fixing her hair.

"Everyone at school hates me," Phoebe muttered.

A voice from behind her piped up, "Not everyone—just the ones in the hospital."

Phoebe turned to see Melanie standing there, arms crossed, an amused smirk on her face.

Phoebe groaned. "Thanks, Mel. Super helpful."

Melanie shrugged. "Hey, I am impressed. You took out the quarterback, the cheerleaders, and a flower bed. That's got to be some kind of record."

Phoebe sighed, rubbing her temples. "I don't understand. My thundersense has never been wrong before."

Melanie tapped her chin. "Unless... you weren't wrong."

Phoebe frowned. "What do you mean?"

Melanie pointed at Cherry, who was still fixing her hair. "Cherry was in danger, right? And she did hit her head. Maybe your thundersense picked up on that, and you just miscalculated the... execution."

Phoebe groaned. "So, basically, I saved Cherry while taking out the entire school?"

Melanie grinned. "Yeah. But in, like... a cool way."

Phoebe flopped onto a nearby bench with a heavy sigh. "This is a disaster."

Melanie patted her on the shoulder. "Cheer up, Pheebs. At least now you're officially famous."

Phoebe shot her a look. "I broke the school."

Melanie grinned. "Yeah. But hey, I bet nobody will ever forget it." Phoebe sat on her bed, hugging a pillow while Cherry paced dramatically in front of her.

"Everyone at school hates me," Cherry groaned, throwing her hands in the air.

Phoebe gave her a sympathetic look. "Not everyone. Just... the ones in the hospital."

Cherry gasped, clutching her chest. "Phoebe!"

Phoebe winced. "I'm so sorry about that. How's your head?"

Cherry sighed and ran a hand over her perfectly styled hair. "I'm fine. It's just a little bump. My hair covers it perfectly. See?"

She flipped her bangs dramatically, but as she did, Melanie, who had been lounging in Phoebe's desk chair, suddenly shot up.

"Ah! Spider!" Melanie shrieked, pointing at Cherry's head.

Cherry let out an ear-piercing scream and flailed, nearly falling off the bed. "Where?! Where?! Get it off!"

Phoebe leaned in, then shook her head. "Nope. False alarm."

Melanie grinned. "Sorry, I thought I saw something on your bump—uh, lump—uh... floor."

Cherry narrowed her eyes. "Not funny, Melanie."

Before Melanie could reply, a sharp knock at the door made them all jump.

"Phoebe, can I talk to you?"

It was Hank.

Phoebe shot an apologetic look at Cherry. "Sorry, I gotta go."

Cherry sighed dramatically. "Me too. I gotta get back to my walnuts." She mimed crunching them in her hand. "Crunch!"

Melanie stared after her as she left. "That girl is so weird."

Phoebe snorted, shaking her head as she stood. But just as she reached the door, Melanie grabbed her arm.

"Wait, wait, wait. Before you go—can we talk about how insane that save was today?"

Phoebe frowned. "What do you mean?"

Melanie stared at her like she had grown a second head. "What do I mean?! You freaking launched across the street like some action hero and caught that woman before she became street pizza!"

Phoebe bit her lip, trying to play it cool. "I mean... yeah. I guess it was kind of a big deal."

Melanie scoffed. "Kind of?! Phoebe, people were literally chanting your name. I half expected them to lift you up like in one of those sports movies."

Phoebe blushed. "It was nothing."

Melanie smirked. "Uh-huh. Sure. So, be honest—was it the thundersense, or are you just that good?"

Phoebe hesitated, then grinned. "A little of both."

Melanie chuckled. "You better hope it doesn't go to your head. I will knock you down a peg if it does."

Phoebe laughed. "Noted."

Hank knocked again, more impatient this time.

"Coming, Dad!" Phoebe called, before turning back to Melanie. "Talk later?"

Melanie gave her a thumbs-up. "You bet."

And with that, Phoebe slipped out, leaving Melanie shaking her head with a smirk.

"Thunder Girl saves the day. Who would've thought?"

Hank sighed as he stood outside Phoebe's room, shaking his head. "What do you want, Dad?" Phoebe's muffled voice came from inside.

"You've got to come out of your room sometime and talk about this," he said gently.

The door creaked open just enough for Phoebe to poke her head out. "What's there to talk about? I turned a perfectly structured pyramid of cheerleaders into a heap of broken arms and shattered dreams."

Hank stepped inside, closing the door behind him. "Like I said, the thundersense is tricky. Don't be so hard on yourself."

Phoebe groaned and flopped onto her bed. "Yeah, well, what if instead of cheerleaders, it was a pyramid of buses filled with orphans?"

Hank blinked. "Why are orphans stacking buses into a pyramid?"

"No, no, no," Phoebe sat up, exasperated. "The orphans aren't doing the stacking! They're in the buses!"

Hank raised a brow. "Then who's stacking the buses?"

Phoebe groaned and buried her face in her pillow. "Just forget it! I don't want to be a superhero anymore. I don't have what it takes."

Hank frowned. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. That's silly." He reached for the doorknob. "I'm coming in."

"Sorry, it's locked."

Hank paused. The lock clicked, and the door swung open.

He grinned. "Hey, hey, hey! Looks like somebody's got their telekinesis working!"

Phoebe crossed her arms. "Who cares? If my powers don't work right, what's the point?"

Before Hank could respond, the door burst open again, and Melanie walked in, arms crossed, looking unimpressed. "Okay, drama queen, that's enough of that."

Phoebe shot her a glare. "Melanie, not now."

Melanie ignored her and snatched something from Phoebe's dresser—a neatly folded super suit. She tossed it to Hank.

"What's this?" Hank asked.

Phoebe sighed. "My super suit. I'll never wear it again." She hesitated before adding, "Well... except for the belt. That'll go great with my orange top."

Melanie rolled her eyes. "You are so dramatic."

Phoebe sat up. "Excuse me?"

"You made one mistake, and now you're throwing in the cape?" Melanie scoffed. "Do you know how many times I have messed up? But you don't see me giving up and crying into a pillow about it."

Phoebe glared. "I'm not crying into a pillow!"

Melanie gestured at the damp pillow. "Uh-huh. Sure."

Hank chuckled but quickly straightened when Phoebe shot him a look. "Mel's got a point, sweetie. You're a hero. Mistakes happen. You just need to get back on that super horse."

Phoebe groaned. "There's not gonna be any super horses for me, Dad. I'm done saving people."

Melanie folded her arms. "Fine. Then I'll be the family's golden child. I've always wanted to see my name in lights."

Phoebe scowled. "You would love that, wouldn't you?"

Melanie smirked. "Yup. And I'd look way better in the suit too."

Phoebe shot up from the bed. "You take that back."

Melanie leaned against the doorframe, grinning. "Make me."

Hank watched as Phoebe narrowed her eyes. For the first time all day, a spark of determination lit up in them. He grinned.

Maybe Melanie knew exactly what she was doing.

Melanie sighed, running a hand through her hair as she paced Phoebe's room. "Okay, look. I get it. You feel awful. But you can't just quit being a superhero because of one mistake."

Phoebe stayed sitting on the edge of her bed, arms crossed, staring at the floor. "It wasn't just one mistake, Mel. I hurt a lot of people."

Melanie softened. "They'll be okay. I mean, yeah, you turned a pyramid of cheerleaders into a human game of Jenga, but—"

Phoebe shot her a glare. "Not helping."

Melanie sighed and sat next to her. "What about Cherry? She's your best friend. You saved her today."

Phoebe flinched at the mention of Cherry. "And then I put her right back in the nurse's office." Her voice cracked, and she shook her head. "I almost broke her arm, Mel. If I can't even protect my best friend, what kind of hero am I?"

Melanie stared at her for a long moment, trying to come up with something—anything—that could change her mind. But Phoebe just looked so defeated.

Finally, Melanie stood up and sighed. "Fine. You wanna mope? Go ahead. But sitting here and feeling sorry for yourself isn't gonna fix anything."

Phoebe didn't respond.

Melanie hesitated, then walked to the door. She stopped for just a second, glancing back, hoping Phoebe would say something—anything.

Nothing.

With a frustrated sigh, Melanie walked out, shutting the door behind her. She leaned against the hallway wall, exhaling slowly. "Great. That went well."

Now she had to figure out what to do next—because if she couldn't fix Phoebe, she needed another plan.

Melanie stood off to the side, arms crossed, tapping her foot impatiently. She was so over this. She'd already helped Max fake his way through this whole act, and now she had to sit through his dramatic, over-the-top performance for a trampoline?

Billy and Nora, meanwhile, were hanging onto Max's every word, eyes wide with anticipation. They had fully bought into the scheme, and Melanie had to admit—it was impressive how quickly Max could turn on the waterworks.

Max sniffled loudly, rubbing his eyes as he wailed, "Ah, no one understands me!" He even threw in a dramatic little foot stomp for extra effect.

Barb, predictably, melted on the spot. "Oh, oh, okay, okay! I'll—I'll get you the trampoline!"

"Thank you! Thank you! Aye! Love you so much!" Max threw his arms around her, flashing a nervous grin at Melanie over Barb's shoulder.

Billy and Nora fist-bumped in victory. "Trampoline secured!" Billy cheered.

Nora smirked. "And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you play Mom like a violin."

Melanie rolled her eyes. "Great. We did it. Can we please be done now?"

Max smirked, pulling away from Barb as she walked off, already dialing a trampoline store. "Aw, come on, Mel. That was a masterclass in manipulation."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Melanie muttered. "Now that we got what we wanted, I don't wanna hear you complaining about one single tennis ball ever again."

Max grinned. "Deal. But I do reserve the right to complain about wedgies."

Melanie groaned. "I hate you."

Billy grinned, already running for the