Override (Glitch)

a small machine that seamed the pieces together with thread. My side of the table was empty except for my tablet. Even though I’d been sitting and staring at the screen for an hour, I couldn’t remember a thing I’d read. I’d been like this all week. I couldn’t seem to concentrate on anything.
    “What?” I asked, looking up.
    “Well you two haven’t been sitting together as much lately, and you always leave class early without waiting to walk with him. Are you mad at him or something?”
    I hadn’t meant to be so obvious in avoiding him. “Do you think he thinks I’m mad at him?” He hadn’t said anything. But then, we hadn’t really talked since the mirror incident, and that was almost two weeks ago. We’d say hi and joke around in the Caf. But we hadn’t had a real conversation, the kind that went below the surface, in a long time.
    “Are you?” Ginni pressed.
    “No, I just…”
    I just felt helpless when it came to my powers and I was afraid of hurting him again. Part of me wanted to com him and ask if we could meet somewhere alone, but then his mother’s words would echo in my mind. Stay away from my son.
    I didn’t want it to be true, but Sophia was right. Strong emotions made my power unpredictable, and being alone with Adrien was always inherently emotional. As much as I wanted his arms around me, how could I willingly put him in harm’s way?
    Before I could think of what to say to Ginni, Xona burst in.
    “Looks like I’ll be joining you for meditation during lunch tomorrow,” Xona said, tossing her tablet case roughly on the ground and then flopping onto Ginni’s bottom bunk. “I got sentenced to extra sessions all week.”
    “What happened?” Ginni dropped the two squares of fabric she was holding.
    “I caught that ex-Reg Cole following me on my way to a private training session. It’s not the first time either.”
    Ginni looked at me, a secret smile playing on her face. She got that look whenever one of us started talking about a boy at the Foundation. She’d always nudge me with an elbow or nod and wink. It probably had something to do with the books she was always reading. She’d pause periodically to look up from the words, clutching her reading tablet to her chest and sighing loudly.
    “And…?” Ginni prompted.
    Xona smirked, leaning back to lazily entwine her fingers behind her head. “And I gave him a quick elbow to the throat. Now he knows better.”
    Ginni gasped.
    “City saw me do it and reported straight to Jilia. So, anger management meditation it is.”
    “But what if he was following you because he likes you?” Ginni asked. “Maybe he just wanted to talk.”
    Xona glared at her, all traces of humor gone from her face. “Don’t try to turn ex-Regs into romantic heroes like in your books. They’re killers. That’s all they know how to do.”
    “Well it’s not like we have a lot of options.” Ginni’s face soured. “Adrien’s with Zoe. All the other students are too young. Which only leaves Rand.”
    Xona scrunched up her nose. “Oh honey, you can do better than Rand.”
    Ginni looked down at her sewing again. “He seems to like City anyway. They’re always flirting.”
    “Rand flirts with everybody,” Xona said.
    “You should give Cole a chance,” I said to Xona. “He’s not like the other Regs. He even smiled at me when I knocked him over during training.” Sophia had brought him in to train with me after I’d thrown her against the wall a second time. She figured an ex-Reg could take the hits better.
    “Are you finally getting control of your power?” Ginni asked excitedly.
    “Sort of.” I sighed. “I can call it up sometimes, but usually only when Sophia gets me mad. And then I never direct it the way I’m supposed to. I just knock things over. I might as well not have the power at all.”
    “Well as long as you’re banging up a Reg, it sounds great to me,” Xona said.
    “And it does sound like you’re getting somewhere,” Ginni said, with a comforting smile.
    “Maybe.” It wasn’t exactly progress, but maybe it was something after all. I hadn’t had any more seizures because I was releasing my power regularly. I still had to be Linked when I slept, but that wasn’t so bad.
    “So do you think they’ll let you go on a mission soon?” Ginni asked. She averted her eyes and flattened the fabric on the table.
    Xona looked over at Ginni curiously. “Why? What do you know?”
    Ginni bit her lip. “Well, I might