How To Be a Superhero

O N E

  

To Dallan,

Today you saved me from Lex Luthor with Clark. Maybe next time there won't be such a mess.

•••••

I stood outside Fred Myers as the crowd of reporters surrounded me. Sunglasses were rested on my nose, my dark hoodie was supposed to disguise me. Or so wikihow said...

A pretty red headed reporter ran up to me and her cameraman aimed the large camera at us, giving his coworker the thumbs up.

"This is Avery Palmer with Benjamin Knight, 2016's VoltageBall winner! Tell us, Ben, what does it feel like to be a billionaire?"

Her blue eyes stared at me intently. I sighed and pulled off my sunglasses, they were useless now, "Well, it's hard to avoid reporters."

Avery let out a airy laugh, "A little joker, aren't you?"

I grimaced, imagining myself as the Joker. I don't think so. I wouldn't look good in green hair. But I would look pretty badass in a Batman suit...

"What are you planning on doing with one point five billion dollars?" She asked another question, shoving the mic in my face, "You could go to any college you wished. Any you have your sights on?"

Shoving my hands in my jacket pockets, I shrugged, "Don't think there's a college that have a course on how to be Batman."

The news reporter eyed me, glancing towards the cameraman with a look of uneasiness. She turned her attention back to me, "Batman, huh? Is that what you're going to spend your money on? Becoming Batman?"

I thought it over. Me...being Batman. That would be awesome. I can track down the League of Assassins, train with them for fifteen years, come back and save my city from the horrible mentally insane criminals. Breaking my bones and having a Bat Cave...Yeah I can do that.

I turned from the reporter and looked into the camera that sat on the shoulder of the man in front of us, "There are a ton of billionaires and none of them are Batman. I'm going to change that." I pointed straight into the camera, "Watch out criminals. I'm coming for you."

The reporter frowned a little, "Um...I don't think superheroes tell people that they are going to be superheroes."

My eyes widened in realization that I just pulled an Ironman and not Batman.

"Uh...yeah. They don't." Thinking quickly, I opened my mouth to tell whatever lie came natural, "I was just saying that because my nephew will probably be watching and I wouldn't want him to think that I'm not Batman." I shrugged my shoulder, giving my best fake smile, "Kids, ya know?"

Another reporter from was standing on the side knit his eyebrows together as he made eye intact with me, "We did research on you before coming to interview you. You don't have any nephews...or siblings."

Reaching for my phone in my pocket, I brought it to and held it to my ear, "Hello? Yes, Mom? What? Aunt Helga fell down a flight of stairs? She broke her hip again? Okay, but I'm kinda busy." I paused for a second, nodding my head as if hearing my mother panicked and angry voice on the other side of the phone, "No. I'm not at the Castellano's. I'm with reporters. Yes, okay. I'll tell them."

I put my hand over the phone as if to stop my mom from hearing what I was going to tell the reporters, "She said to fudge off."

At seeing the confusion on all their faces, I quickly explained, "She hates cussing. Anyway, I really got to go. It's an emergency."

They all looked at me oddly as I smiled into the camera, flipping up a peace sign before I ran off into the parking lot. I shoved the phone back into my pocket and ran for the safety of my car. I quickly started up the engine and drove away as quickly as I could.

I let out a sigh of relief as I left the crowd of reporters behind. The question still haunted me; what will I do with all that money?

Be superhero of course.

How do I do that?

I thought about that for a second before whispering to myself, "Google."

And started driving in the direction of my own, humble Bat Cave.