“I’m a h…” I mumbled halfheartedly

“What? Speak up! You know I hate it when you mumble” Eliza reprimanded me

I take a deep breath. It all feels like a mistake now, but I know there’s no going back she’ll just force me to tell her in the end. So here goes nothing.

“I’M A HERO!!!” I screamed at her. My lungs burning from the effort.

I couldn’t afford to catch her gaze. I don’t even know why I felt so guilty. Maybe because I kept it a secret from her. My best friend. Maybe so as to not look into her betrayed eyes and see myself in them, the root of it all. I keep my eyes on the ground scoring the cracks in the worn floorboards waiting for her to get angry. She deserved to. I was a bad friend.

“I KNEW IT. YESSSSS!!!” She exclaimed excitedly.

“What? What do mean you ‘knew’? You couldn’t have I kept my identity very secure. Did I mess up? Oh my god this is bad? What if she can track me?

Oh no they’re not safe anymore-“I was cut short

“Hey. Your mumbling again” Eliza pointed out calmly

“So…you’re not angry with me” I whispered, voice wavering dangerously.

“What! No, of course not. Why would you think that” she questioned

“I just thought-Oh never mind”I trailed off. I’m just glad she not angry

“I’ll get back to that after, don’t think I’ll forget. But do want to hear a secret of mine?” She whispers trying to some sort of suspense to the question

I was caught off guard but agreed non the less “Sure! What is it?”

“…Well I’m the villain in your story”

“What!”

“Yep. I wasn’t planning on telling you at all but then you came to me and said ‘I’m a hero’ and I couldn’t find it in my heart to lie to you. You have been my bestie since diapers after all” she says nonchalantly whilst shrugging as if she didn’t just drop the biggest plot twist on me.

“What!” I repeat my vast swarm of emotions summarised in one word

“Yeah, yeah I know it’s a shocker but you kinda shocked me too. Though not a lot. I had my suspicions from the beginning” Eliza explains

“Then why didn’t you confront me

“Well, I guess I was in denial. For a while I was 100% sure but then I was like ‘No. Micheal. Little Mikey. My little Cinnabon Mikey. The same guy who hid behind me on the first day of secondary, ” she starts to list

“Well it was a scary time for me” I counter

“the same same dude who got stuck trying to get over the garden fence, ” She continues, not faltering in the slightest

“You put me in that situation. It was actually your fault I was even there. You guilt tripped me!” I argued

“Oh really so it isn’t you who would trip over AIR!’

“Hey! You know that’s not my fault. You know someone is putting some black magic on me or something” I defended. She knew that, and I knew she knew from the way she flashed me her mischievous smile

“Well anyway I thought it could never be you but also the fact you cant really keep a secret. Even when you had that little crush a little while back on that girl at the coffee shop. I knew before you did but I just waited for you to figure it out yourself and when you told me acted surprised. You know like a good friend”

“Wait you did! I really thought you didn’t know!” I blushed madly like I just got caught in a lie.

“You betcha I did. But anyway now that’s off my chest how about we order out. I don’t really feel like cooking today and you know your forbidden to cook after when happen to that poor chicken on thanksgiving and all your various other attempts” she pointed blatantly.

“But-but what about- your a villain- we can’t do this!” I quarrelled with my emotions

“What? You mean to say we can’t be friends because your a ‘hero’ and I’m a ‘villain’.” Eliza drawls

“Well, yeah that’s how it’s suppose to be…right?” I question

“Nah man. We’re only enemies in costume and nothing has to change we can still be the same people we were out of costume be fire we found out each others identity. How ‘bout it? She reaches out her hand

“Well…” I pause “ohhh alright but let’s get Chinese I’ve been craving it all weak and your buying by the way”