The First Love

I want to be a cyberman; they don't have emotions.

My Mum came home an hour later and called up the stairs to me in my bedroom like she did every day. "It's burgers and beans for tea, Bruce! Seven o'clock!" I said nothing in reply, as usual. She left me to my own devices - literally. Every evening I'd do my homework and then do a ton of research into my favourite part of Physics: radiation.

Gamma is the most interesting though. This evening however, I was lying on my bed awaiting a text from Tony. 7 o'clock came and there was still no message from him. I went downstairs, phone in pocket, and ate dinner with my Mum.

A majority of the meal was eaten in silence. I scooped up the last lot of beans and shoved them into my mouth. "So how was school?" my Mum asked. She had never asked before. "Ok I guess?" I knew why she was asking, what she wanted to find out. She wanted me to tell her what I had talked to the nurse about. I took my plate into the kitchen and excused myself, going back up to my bedroom.

It wasn't long before she followed me upstairs and sat on my bed. I continued doing my research into Gamma radiation and ignored her, trying to show I didn't want to talk. "I'm not leaving until you tell me what you told the nurse Bruce. I'm your mother and it hurts that you told someone else your problems before me."

My phone vibrated on my desk; '1 new message: Tony Stark' the screen read. My heart began to beat faster; I wanted to read the text but I didn't want my Mum to know. "I just told her about the school bully." I was short with her and I think it upset her. "Ok, I see." She said quietly. "Well I'll leave you to your research then. Don't stay up too late?" The door closed swiftly behind her and I grabbed my phone.

I clicked the screen and opened the message. "Hi Bruce. Um so about earlier? Lets just say that didn't happen ok? Don't get mad at me like you did at Nat 'cause that's not fair. You asked a favour and I agreed but I need time to think. Maybe it's best if we don't talk to each other tomorrow or even Monday. See ya, Tony."

I felt my stomach drop and all emotion seemed to flow out of me as I fell into a heap on my bed. I wasn't sad as such, so I couldn't cry. At the same time, I felt anger and loneliness. It was so bizarre but then everything that week had been strange.