Invincible

Chapter Nine

Ryan was gone, and Brad had gone to bed. I, on the other hand, am still awake, spending the last half hour thinking about what I'd said to myself.

Is it really possible for me? To be compared to a superhero? Or worse, to be one?

Part of me thinks that this is a bad idea, but another part of me thinks that this wouldn't be so bad. The police need help, I can help. People want to be safe, I want them to be safe, and because of that, I should help. I could give the people hope and something to believe in.

Yes! I could. And I would.

I run to the computer and do some research on superheroes. From what I saw, it seems as though these heroes are actually normal people. Nerds, billionaires, lawyers, even scientists and reporters. It was amazing! They lived normal lives until danger suddenly occurred, and were forced to put on their suits and fight crime.

I've notice how these people change their appearance by suits and other methods to differ themselves. That way, no one could tell who was who.

The nerd look really interested me and I thought—as if I had any choice—that that was a good one to work with. And since I didn't know much about myself, leading on this persona wouldn't be so hard.

First, I would have to get glasses—which I didn't think would be so hard. The hardest challenge, though, would be acting the part. I'd have to be clumsy, have a different way of doing things—I'd have to be 'mild-mannered'.

I grab my coat and head outside to practice, thinking about the hard work I'll have to do, tonight and in the morning.

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When I wake up, I tell Brad that my eyes were getting heavy and my vision was blurry. He thought it was something that would go away, but I told him that it's been happening for a while now, and got even worse during our dinner with Ryan. He then did the how-many-fingers-am-I-holding-up? thing with three fingers in front of my face, and I lied and said it was five. He moves his fingers farther away, and that's when I give him the correct answer.

After that, he agrees to take me to visit an optometrist after school. I was surprised at how fast he could make this happen, and that's only because the guy owed Brad a favor, and thought this would be the best time. I thought it would take at least a few days, but hey, the plan was going better than expected, so why should I complain?

Before Brad goes off to work, he hands me a note to give to my homeroom teacher about my eyesight. After he leaves, I walk out of the house and run a few distances before heading into a sprint.

During my run, I start to worry about what would happen when I got back to school. I knew it would be different from the last visit because by this time, Rick would have returned.

I didn't know what he would do, what he would say when he saw me, but at the same time, I wasn't really worried. After all, I do have powers.

Now that I think about it, this should teach him a lesson. Even though I was going nerdy—which would probably give him even more reason to pick on me—I could still take him.

I slowed down when I got close to the school, and then walked the rest of the way. When I arrive, everyone looks at me. I was really annoyed by this, and began to wonder how long their gazes would last. As I look around, I see the crutch-wielding, anger-filled Rick looking at me alongside his girlfriend and the rest of the Jocks, whispering to each other, their words inaudible.

I considered using my super-hearing to hear what they were saying, but at this point, I didn't really want to know. I had other plans in mind for today, and that plan was to start my new persona.