"Morning, Superboy." Mia startled me, her eyes flickering open and closed as she leaned in for a kiss. But it didn't happen. At least, not in front of Mark. She fluxed with little excitement, leaning against my desk in front of me. I smiled, staring into her blue eyes.
"Good morning, Mia," I replied with a weak grin. Mia giggled like a manic fangirl, trying to remain calm and compile herself, taking one big breath.
"Do you have a Halloween costume yet, because Halloween is in a week and a half?" she asked. I have not considered dressing up for Halloween since I gained my powers at six. It didn't interest me that much.
"'I don't care for Halloween," I admitted.
Mia pursed her lips, taking refuge in the desk behind me. I revolved around in my seat, watching her argue with her cousin, and she turned back around. "So, are you volunteering at the blood drive?" She consulted with enthusiasm.
"Probably not," I replied.
"That's disappointing," she scowled. "I hope to see you at least there."
We looked off at the front of the classroom. Mr. Kinley bolted into the room, getting comfortable at Mr. Branden's desk. He took over most of my classes that day. I needed more time in school.
Mr. Kinley watched me while gulping water from his bottle. Then his gaze drifted to Noah, sulking in the back row next to mine.
"Noah," Mr. Kinley called from the front of the class. Noah stood up from his desk and took his headphones out of his ears. He gave me a sidelong glance but was cautious in his actions.
"Yes, Mr. Kinley," he muttered. Mr. Kinley crossed his arms against his chest and lowered his eyes to Noah like an angered parent. Noah leaned back in his seat, shaking his thigh.
Since rumors spread about Noah and his affiliation with the supers, the teachers and students alienated him. Even if it was speculation, they tied no evidence to the rumors. Like me, he was a teenage superhuman juggling everyday high school life and a big secret. So was Maximus Kinley—the not-so-anonymous teenage supervillain.
"You're a little closer to Mark," Mr. Kinley ordered Noah to swap seats with Jameson, one of Mark's jock friends.
Noah groaned, giving me another glance as he pulled from his seat and took advantage of an empty stool closer to Max. I felt defeated. After taking to heart what he told me at the police station, I trusted Noah but didn't know how to help him. I wasn't even sure I could help him.
Mr. Kinley looked at me, tapping his strong fingers against his desktop, watching Noah and I stare at one another. "James Knight, since you've been getting too close to Noah, you're moved between Mark and Max. You're welcome." Alexander licked his lips, hiding a tiny grin. Son of a bitch.
I sucked in air, muttering a four-letter word. I had never had so much anxiety coursing through me, but with a subtle breath and a scowl, I gathered my things and rose from my seat, slamming my bag on the desk surrounded by Max, Mark, Nick, and Harrison. My backpack sank into my desk as I grimaced and shrugged at Noah.
∆∆∆
I caught up with Mia in the nurse's office after school. She smiled, pulled her hair behind her ear, and leaned against the counter, staring at me as I flipped through a dozen papers.
"So, are you invincible or something?" she questioned. I looked up at her from the file I was reading.
"It depends. Other supers can hurt me, but yeah, I'm bulletproof."
"Why does your file say O negative?" her eyebrows rose, shoving my high school file in my face. It surprised me that she didn't figure it out.
"It hides my identity. I have a rare, unknown blood type. Sam tested it out after he gave me one of his cures. He calls it the super chromosome or S+. Consider it an improved blood type, S+ or AS+, an abnormal supergene."
"Hey," Mia smiled, grabbing my cheeks. She lifted onto her toes so her lips could brush mine.
"That's cute, Superboy." She tapped her hand against my cheek twice and got back to work.
"Someone stole the cure the other day," I informed her, grimacing and her chewing grey. She pursed her lips. I would have guessed Max, but I would have never imagined Mia.
She paused, reaching for a bundle of papers off to her side. "Because I have two new stacks for you to go through when you finish those." I bit my tongue. Damn. She pressed her index finger against the bridge of my nose. My brows wrinkled in bewilderment.
"Get-to-work-Superboy." She broke up the words in a cute voice, puckering her lips. I pouted.
"All right, " I replied. I began at the top of the stack and worked my way down, memorizing the files.
Marina was just around the corner, and I stood at a standstill as she walked in. Mia's expression shifted, and I changed the file to my right.
"Hey, James, " Marina smiled. "Hey, Marina, " I smiled back.
"Are you coming to the blood drive?" she asked.
I shook my head. "I'm not planning on it. I'm fearful of needles." I admitted. Marina let out a sigh. Mia began looking through papers in the background when she looked up and stared at me, her long nails sliding down my spine.
"He means he's considering it," she clarified. To be honest, I was. Even if Sam had said no, I wondered whether I should be on a volunteer list.
"How about I get back to each of you once I speak with my uncle and father?"
Mia grinned. "That's fine with me," she said. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and kissed her on the brow. That is what I would do.
∆∆∆
When I went home that day, I wandered straight to Sam's room, knocking on the door to ensure he clothed himself and walked in.
"What's up, James?" He swayed, drunk.
"I wanted to ask you about the blood drive?"
"James," he chastised. "You know needles can't push through your skin. You're invincible. Speaking of that—" he trailed off.
"Sam, focus!" I yelled. He laughed, wasted, falling back against the mattress. "I want to volunteer, not donate my blood," I said. Then he sat up straight.
"Good," Sam muttered. "Even if you could give blood, mixing your plasma with humans might not be good." His eyes trailed to the bottles of liquor sitting in his cabinet. "I thought you were afraid of blood?"
I frowned, reminding him, "It's needles." Not that it mattered, anyway. There was silence for a moment. "What if I find and use the cure?" I asked him as I paced. An uneasy feeling hit the pit of my stomach.
With a shake of his head, Sam disagreed with me. "That's what I'm saying. It wouldn't be safe for anyone, even if I took away your powers, especially since your genetic coding differs. It's simply not a good idea."
I didn't want to get into a fight with him. He was far more intelligent than I was and always knew best. Sam understood me and had been collecting my data for years, so he, like me, could only guess what my blood could do to others. But I wanted to help Mia and planned to do so.
"Hey, when do you think my dad will admit that he knows I have powers?" I asked him. He groaned, wobbling, and sat down on the bed.
"He's your father, James, and he cares a lot about you. If he fears you, let him. He'll get over it. Remember when I first learned about your powers?" He stood and wobbled to his dresser piled with unopened liquor, grabbing another beer and a bottle opener off to the side. The bottle clicked and hissed before he took another swig. "Of course, my reaction was a little more subdued because of my work," but I was still shocked," He added.
Sam was a scientist and an inventor. I gave him hope for whatever he reached on the fateful day I had powers.
He swallowed his drink and fell silent as he sat back in his beanbag seat in the corner of his room. I was silent for a long time as I watched him drift out, his beer bottle slipping from his grasp and crashing to the floor.
"I'll leave you here," I nodded at Sam. He snored, cuddling against the mattress. "Yep, that's what I'm going to do. " I pointed off to the doorway and walked out to my room, closing the door, feeling uneasy about my choices; however, my love for Mia made me relentlessly persistent, and I would help her at the blood drive, just not in the way you're probably thinking.
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfs78VCP4Ka
