7 Chapter 7: Velocity

Saturday finally came and Blaze refused to tell Mo what he planned for their date. Mo hated surprises and preferred knowing beforehand what was going to happen if she could help it. She tried to give Blaze a list of pre-approved of surprises which she was sure he ignored. All her pre-approved surprises could’ve been done in town. There was no reason they had to go into the city.

Mo stared him down, hoping to break him with peer pressure. Blaze only smiled at her and kept his attention on the road as he drove. Her anxiety heightened as she watched the view outside his car. She couldn’t even panic-Google because Blaze confiscated her phone earlier, declaring a no-phone policy on their date.

“Give me a hint,” Mo insisted. “Just a teeny-tiny one.”

Blaze smiled wider. “You’re so cute, and the answer is no.”

“Please?”

“Trust me.” He reached for her hand and kissed the back of it. “You’re going to love it.”

“How would you know that I won’t hate it?”

He didn’t let go of her hand. “It’s going to be the best date of your life.”

“That’s a bold statement,” she pointed out. “Are you sure you want to make claims like that?”

“I’m sure.”

Mo watched the car pass through the city and tried to guess where they were headed. When he parked the car outside the William Peace Arena, she had to compose herself. She knew what event was headlining in the arena that night. She didn’t want to hope and only be disappointed.

“Please tell me you got us Taylor Swift concert tickets. Don't let this be a joke,” she whispered, too scared to talk in a higher volume.

He reached over and opened the glove compartment. There were two tickets inside. He replied, “Premium VIP.”

“How?” She was nearly hysterical from surprise, excitement, and possibly delirium. “Those were sold out! I couldn’t even get a ticket.”

She tried for days. She couldn’t afford VIP unless she sold one of her kidneys but the cheap seats were the first to go. She nearly cried when she realized she wouldn’t be able to go. She had to make peace that listening to the latest album was all she would be getting.

Blaze shrugged. “I have my ways. Now, are you going to get out of this car or are we going to have to listen to the music from here?”

He didn’t have to tell her twice. She wrapped her arm around his as they made their way to the priority entrance. There was a waiting lounge where they had dinner and drinks. There was no meet and greet for this tour but it didn’t make her any less ecstatic to know Taylor was nearby.

“How did you know?” Mo asked. “That I loved Taylor Swift?”

“I can do my research. I stalked your Spotify playlists and your Instagram stories. And I noticed the Taylor Swift pins on your backpack.”

She touched one of the newest pins she stuck on her jacket. Her obsession wasn’t exactly subtle. She was still impressed that he went through all this effort. And she remembered how much those tickets cost.

“This is too much,” she said. “You spent a small fortune on a first date. That’s insane, Blaze.”

“Maybe, but I can’t get those tickets refunded so we might as well enjoy the concert.” He raised his glass and clinked it against hers. “To the best date of your life.”

As the concert started, they were escorted to their seats. Mo had never been this close to a stage before. She nearly lost her voice screaming when Taylor ascended the stage and started singing ‘Blank Space’. Blaze laughed when Mo practically burst into tears.

He hugged her from behind, resting his head on her shoulder as she sang along loudly and off-key. He swayed with her as Taylor and her back-up singers performed ‘Me’. After the song ended, Taylor addressed the audience, “Hello, New Welch. My name is Taylor…”

Mo was sweaty, exhausted, and drunk from happiness when the concert finally ended. Blaze held her hand as they walked out of the arena. They were given their VIP gifts and Mo was eager to go through them in the car. Mo clutched the box to her chest like it was a baby as they made their way to the parking lot.

“Thank you for this again,” Mo told him. “I’m going to remember this night for the rest of my life.”

“I told you it was going to be the best date. You can tell your grandkids about it.”

“It’s on the itinerary.”

He smiled and she couldn’t believe she was on a date with this handsome, nice boy who got her concert tickets for her favorite artist at the last minute. He even smelled good. His green eyes stared down at her lips and he leaned down. She closed her eyes and waited.

There was a loud boom and screams followed. They looked up in shock as the top of the arena exploded. Concrete and steel rained down from the sky and straight towards them. Blaze moved instinctively and pushed her out of the way.

She landed on the ground, dropping the VIP gift. The wind was knocked out of her. Her eyes widened as she saw burning concrete about to hit her. She wouldn’t be able to move away in time.

She closed her eyes and braced herself for impact.

It never came.

She was in the air. A man in a metal suit was carrying her in his arms. She stared in surprise at the metal mask he wore. His glowing purple eyes were blank.

He asked, “Are you okay?”

She nodded, speechless. He gently descended to the ground, and she was back on her feet, her knees wobbly from adrenaline. She was more than a little dazed as she stood in front of Electrick. He was the new superhero.

“Thank you,” she said. “You saved my life.”

“No problem, ma’am.”

He saluted her. Surprised, she laughed and saluted him back. He flew off like a rocket. His metal suit stood out like a bright star in the night sky.