The Betrayal of Renegade X (Renegade X, Book 3) by Chelsea M. Campbell

philosophy. What’s the point of doing anything if you’re not going to make a spectacle of yourself?”
    Grandpa puts a hand on my shoulder, steering me a little ways away, then glances around, as if he’s making sure no one’s listening. “Should have finished him off.”
    Well, that’s a first. “He wasn’t really a kidnapper.”
    “He was a superhero. Trying to teach you how to hunt down your own kind, isn’t that right?”
    “That’s not— I mean, sort of.” I sigh and shove my hands into my pockets. “I’m half hero, too, you know. And I’ve told you before, I want to go to Heroesworth.”
    He makes a grunting noise that’s part acknowledgment, part skepticism. “They punish you for what you did?”
    “I broke the rules, so, yeah. But I still passed the class, and—”
    “And you believe in these rules, do you?”
    I glance away. “I’m not joining the League, if that’s what you mean.”
    “And if that kidnapper had been a villain, they would have given you a pat on the back for it. Because a villain, now, he’s dangerous. I’ve been around the block more than a few times. Been on a few of the League’s wanted lists. I know how this works. And now they’ve got you hunting down villains.” He shakes his head in disgust, and I think if we weren’t at a wedding, he might actually spit.
    “It was staged.”
    “This time. But I’ve been hearing things, like that my grandson’s been getting in everyone’s way. For that damn school of yours.”
    “I’ve only been on a few missions. It can’t be everyone .” I scuff the bottom of my dress shoe against the floor. “And anyway, it’s not like I knew any of them.”
    “Not yet. But sooner or later, you’re going to run into someone on our side that isn’t just a random face.”
    “You mean like Mom ? Like when she almost got me and all my friends killed in some stupid attempt to take over the city?!”
    “I find it interesting that it was this superhero you zapped and not any of the others. Any of the villains .”
    “I didn’t know he was a superhero.”
    Grandpa sort of half shrugs at that, as if he doesn’t believe me. “You might think you don’t have a choice, that you have to pretend to be one of them. But you don’t.”
    “I’m not pretending.”
    He snorts. “Well, you’re deluding yourself, then.”
    “This is my life now. It just is. It doesn’t matter if you don’t like it.”
    “All right,” he says, still sounding skeptical. “But that school isn’t looking out for you. You’re just as expendable to them as any other villain. And when you go too far one of these days, when you piss off the wrong people, I’m not going to be able to smooth it over. And that school of yours, those heroes you know, they’re not going to stand up for you. So you be careful, all right?”
    “Yeah, sure.”
    “I mean it.” He wraps an arm around my shoulders and hugs me. “I wouldn’t want anything to happen to my favorite grandson.”

    M om has this long banquet table set up for her and the rest of the wedding party, so she can face her entourage of guests while we eat dinner. There’s even a lighting scheme directed at her to maximize the sparkle of her dress. Taylor’s sitting on her left and Xavier’s on her right. He keeps pawing at her, trying to climb over onto her lap, even though he’s way too big for that. She laughs nervously and sits him back down in his chair, whispering something in his ear that only makes him frown.
    Me and Zach are sitting at one of the small round tables scattered throughout the reception hall. Unfortunately, there’s assigned seating, and since I was supposed to be here with Kat, that means we’re sitting with her parents. I poke my fork at the sliced turkey on my plate. Mom decided to go with a “Christmas dinner” theme, so it was turkey or ham. Both options came with mashed potatoes and gravy, a side of cranberries, and some green beans. There’s also a basket of rolls on