Book 2

[Chemistry, Algebra III, And Girls]

            The average seventeen year old guy has simple issues: friends, chicks, being cool, staying out of trouble, homework, and for just me: being a real life, no basic rules superhero on nights and an average dude on days. ...Now imagine having to deal with all of that when you have a Goth superman and an alien mind reader as your ‘basic’ parents and they’re also hero baby-sitters/married bosses.

            You get it?

           Now picture if the one girl you actually have ever liked in your entire life is a superhero too. She is always near you, she acts as if she could care less about you, and no matter what you can’t seem to get on her good side or impress her, because she already knows what you are going to do because she is physic.

            Say hello to my then current life. Say it. “Hello” there you go.

Okay, good, I just wanted to get you two introduced before I continue. I don’t want you to think I’m complaining. I’m not trying to be...uh...crabby (for lack of a better word.) I am simply stating the facts. This book is the first time I have been able to make sure someone can get it.

Deal with me and my problems for a few pages will ya?

Thanks. ...Now where was I?

Oh yeah...High school black ops – Year two. Chemistry, algebra III, and girls. The three most complicated things in the world for any guy. Not necessarily in that order either. Friends and my social life didn’t make the cut because I believe that those three I have listed are the ones that can cause you actual harm. Chemistry is dangerous. [I blew up a whole lab once.] Math is brain pain. And don’t even get me started on chicks...Then I would be complaining.

I looked around the classroom. BD had ‘requested’ that I go back in another year to ‘keep an eye on Shadow,’ whose mom was still dangling the ‘maintain a normal life carrot.’ It was full of your average, completely uninterested group of kids and a single, desperate teacher. He was the type of guy who tried to ‘relate’ himself to us with jokes and things like that the first week, before entering the ‘we must make it to chapter twelve before winter break’ mad race.

I preferred to keep to myself in that particular class. Prepositions, sentence structure, graphing sentences, really old poetry, older books, ancient plays, and antecedents are not the best at building any type of hype.

Now Science, that is a different story altogether. It was the one class I had that was entertaining...being a science experiment and all. I looked forward to it. Even if I never paid much attention to the work. Gym wasn’t too bad either. I was awesome in gym.

            I was ‘normally’ reduced to pushing my way towards the door when the bell rang and raced to my next class. I’d been waiting for “B” day for a whole twenty-four hours. I’d both Science and Gym then. “A” days were just plain depressing.

There was a sub that day. I scanned the room over. Like always, the kids had switched up their seats.

I met up with some of my buddies who had that particular period with me. I made a point to get as caught up as possible on the days I actually attended school. Summer parties that I hadn’t attended, concerts I had missed and didn’t really care to see, girls I wasn’t in to, (honestly, when you live with Shadow you don’t even care about the who is hottest survey.) And cars which I owned were our main topics.

I heard someone yell something over the noise of the class. The teacher, ‘Mr. Harrison’, or at least that was what was written on the ‘smart board’ looked about forty or so and had the classic ‘nice guy’ look to him. He was the silver haired, tired looking adult. He was attempting to get everyone to settle down, and was losing. ...I figured that the sub could use a break. And the Protector in me screamed ‘help the poor guy out’.

            “Shut up!” I shouted. They did. It wasn’t the smartest move I have ever made. I got about ten glares that I’d stared down at until the other wanna be bad boys sulked under their beanies.

            “Thank you...Jonathan.” He consulted his seating chart for my name.

I quickly nodded.

“I have only one thing to do before we start our lesson.” Everyone waited for him to speak. I don’t think they wanted me to yell at them again. I wasn’t nearly as oppressive as BD, but I could make and keep a point pretty well.

“Due to scheduling conflicts, you will have a new classmate. Behave, or I send your names directly to Principle Meyers.” The kids all nodded, some of them smirking at his threat to tattle. “Okay, you can come in now.”

I never would have guessed who it was. You can though; it was bound to happen eventually.

            I took in a deep, supposed to be calming breath and walked into the room. I looked around. And I died. He looked even more shocked than I was, but he hid it behind an almost sexy smirk. Thousands of kids- one thousand in this grade alone- and we end up in the same class!

            “This is Cynthia.” I said a brief hello under my breath. “Why don’t you go sit next to...?” His eyes searched the availably of chairs around the black slate tables. “Jonathan.” Out of sheer force of will, I did not show my protest or worse, blush. “Will you stand so she knows where to go?” I think I am going to kill them both. He did this on purpose! You used your power of getting people to like you on ME, my MOM, and the TEACHER! And hacked the system! Scheduling conflict! Bah!

He simply flicked his wrist upwards. I could just see his wheels turning. I comforted myself in knowing I would be able to kick him once I sat down and get to kill him later that night. I pulled my backpack higher up on my shoulder. I knew I was the center of everyone’s attention, and loathed it. My mom had made me do competitions to get over my stage fright. They’d never done their job.

You somehow saw this coming! Even if I didn’t! You planned this whole thing! I knew that it wasn’t possible, well it was actually. All he’d to do was hack into the school’s computer system.

“Hello Cynthia.” He held out his hand. I felt the eyes of everyone in the room still on us so I shook it. They returned to their texting.

“You did this on purpose!” I hissed under my breath. He put up an innocent act. His friends weren’t paying enough attention to what I said to have heard me chewing him out.

“No. I didn’t. If anyone planned anything it was you.” He accused a second later. I kicked him under the table. He huffed. His friends turned their attention to us.

“Tech glitch huh... that’s cool I guess. I’m Josh.” The brown haired, skater type guy in front of me said with a flirty edge to his voice. He looked at the guy next to him after, giving him a nod. Shift rolled his narrowed eyes as he went to get something from his backpack.

“I’m Cynthia.”

“So are you a real blonde right?”

No comment. ...Although I wanted to kick him too, mainly because of the unstated expression that went with the superficially innocent question.

I kept my eyes down, praying for Stargazer to show up and save me.

That fear wasn’t the same as the kind Shadow got over our gigs. As ‘Shadow’ I could kick your butt and see your future and kill your computer. There wasn’t much insecurity in being Shadow, but Cynthia has major issues...especially right then.

 “She’s not interested. Lay off. Now.” I looked up at Shift in surprise. He was staring very, very harshly at who I had previously thought was his friend. I’d never heard him be that serious, over anything. They were all looking at him the same way I was. Is he telling them to leave me alone because he knows I don’t have the guts to do it? Aww, that is kind of nice of him-Unless he is officially saying he has already called dibs…? I didn’t care exactly why he’d done that, I was just glad he had.

“Sorry man... Chill okay? She your girl?” The guy was pretty close. I mean in no way was I Shift’s girl, but we were more than friends ...Let’s see, dynamic duo, work partners, roommates ...we were more similar to brother and sister than friends or boyfriend-girlfriend. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t have minded being his girlfriend at some point, though I wouldn’t admit it, even to myself.

“‘She’ is sitting right in front of you.” I strictly, or Shadow reminded the guy. ‘We’ didn’t like him.

“We got quiz today.” The guy turned to the stunned ginger to his left. He was obviously avoiding the un-chill, un-normal, un-explainable Shift who was sitting next to me. The other guy just edged away, wanting nothing to do with any of us. Smart kid.

“Thanks.” I whispered.

“No problem.” He shrugged, but his jaw was clenched. “They think because you are...” I knew the word he looked for and went pink. Make your own conclusions; we’re trying to keep this thing PG-13. Thankfully, he decided to improvise. “New-looking, that you are prime, uh, dating material. You really should consider that homeschooling thing.” He kept his eyes focused on the table. His hands were in fists at his sides. “BD wasn’t wrong. Apparently you do need a babysitter.”

“Do not hide yourself from him either.” Stargazer’s words rang in my head. Aliens have a way of making you remember stuff they say. What am I supposed to do? Tell him I like him?! That isn’t happening! Ever! He’s so...Something!

 “Well I’m glad to have this class. Science with a...” I lowered my voice, “A science experiment may be fun.” His head shot up and he laughed roughly. At least he wasn’t mad anymore, but the laugh made the entire room turns toward us. Again.

“All right then. I will do my best to keep this fun...first we need to get you a better seat. I’m betting the sub will realize that everyone is switched up sooner or later.”

“Okay.”

“And I also recommend you not answer every question that he asks. That isn’t going to help you.” He smirked.

“You think I’m that dumb?”

“You’re blonde remember? Can’t be too careful.”

I considered kicking him again, but, in light of the last few minutes decided not to.