Free Opheliac by J. F. Jenkins

slight nod and then frowned.
    She couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. “Something on your mind?”
    â€œPlenty, I’m more than just a pretty face.” He winked.
    â€œYou know what I mean. If you don’t want to tell, that’s fine, just saying I notice when the gears are turning.” And the fact he wasn’t trying to hide it from her was another indication he might want to talk about everything.
    His mouth opened, and for a second she thought she’d broken through another of his barriers. Instead of talk, he exhaled and shook his head. Angela respected his decision to not elaborate on his thoughts. A small victory had been made, and when it came to him, those were the moments that counted the most.

Chapter Six
    Keep the faith, I gotta keep the faith. JD had always been big into exuding positive vibes, and making sure he surrounded himself in good thoughts. Ever since his breakup with Cadence, that attitude was getting harder to maintain. He’d messed up, but he didn’t understand how the whole thing was his fault—a fact that was killing him inside. How could he fix anything if she wouldn’t tell him anything?
    Hopefully, the silence would be ending. Her text saying she wanted to talk to him lifted his spirits significantly. They hadn’t had a decent conversation for a long time. Probably not since before they dated, and that had been at least three months. What happened? How did his best friend become a stranger?
    As JD walked into the Apartment, he couldn’t help but wonder where he’d gone wrong. Cadence was the one who freaked out at him for telling a horrible joke, she was the one who didn’t communicate that she had issues with their relationship, and she was the one who set the pace for what happened between them. All I did was what I thought she wanted me to do. It’s not all my fault. He grasped the doorknob to the outside door so tightly his hand started to cramp up. He pulled the door open with a lot of force, and it slammed shut behind him again. If anyone was around to hear it, they didn’t respond.
    The Apartment was a part of Orlando’s mansion. The place was so big it had an entire wing attached to it that could pass for a normal-sized house. In this wing was where the group made their headquarters. Because Orlando’s family was never around, his house was always unnervingly empty. JD could hardly stand it and was grateful it wasn’t him who had to live there.
    According to Orlando, no one in his family knew how to get inside the wing to begin with. JD had a hard time buying that the area was that well-kept of a secret. If Orlando could find it during his free time, so could his sister. For the time being, it was hidden. JD didn’t even have to hide his car when he parked it because the wing was far enough down the road where he could find a spot on the street and have it be close to a small park. The bus stopped right in front of it too. Everything about the location was perfect, almost eerily so.
    Inside the Apartment was everything the group would need to help Alan with his work. The basement consisted of a practice area where those who had more aggressive powers could make a mess and not have to worry about disturbing everyone else in the house; nearby was a smaller room with shelves upon shelves of dusty, old books and a computer where they could do research. Cadence spent a lot of time in there conducting experiments as well. On the floor above that was the War Room, which was more like a living room, containing a couch and a number of chairs for them to sit and meet in. A small kitchen and bathroom were also on that floor, creating a living space. Above that was a full bedroom and larger bathroom, complete with a jetted bathtub to relax in. Finally, at the very top was an attic for all of their storage needs.
    JD could move into the space and live there for the rest of his life if he thought he could get away