The Bat and the Brain || Cisco Ramon

16

     Three days had passed since the first nightmare and I was beginning to heal nicely. The better I felt physically, however, the worse I felt mentally. My thoughts had become clouded and I felt hopeless, depressed.
     "Barb?" I was snapped back into reality as Cisco snapped a finger in front of my eyes. I must have zoned out. "You alright?" He asked, though immediately knew the answer without my response. That guy could read me like a book. He reached out and rested his hand on mine, causing me to flinch. As he pulled away, I could have cut the tension in our silence with a knife.
     "I'm sorry." I stood from the table and grabbed my keys. "I think I need some fresh air." Cisco rose to follow me. "Well, I'll come with you." Reaching, he handed me my coat and I took it as I shook my head. "No, really, it's fine." Turning, I made my way outside. "I'm sure you're needed at the lab. I've kept you for far too long anyway."
     I pulled into the parking lot of Jitters. For a moment, I just sat there, staring off into space. I felt indescribably numb. Within a moment, I leaned forward and rested my forehead on the steering wheel as the tears began to fall. It felt foreign, though, somehow. I wasn't one to cry much. Since my parents' death, I'd sworn to be strong but in that moment I felt anything but. Everything came at me at once. My problems, my regrets, my thought. All crashing into my mind like a harsh wave. The load was heavy on my mind.
     As I heaved, there was a knock at my window. "Great.." I whispered to myself, feeling as though someone had actually noticed my weakness. Who, you might ask? The bravest woman I'd met in Central City. My friend, Iris West.
     "Hey..." Her tone was sing-songs as I rolled my window down. "Hi." I muttered a response through a sniffle. Wiping my eyes, I caught a glimpse of myself in the rear-view mirror. A complete mess. Iris seemed to be sympathetic, though, even though she chose not to grill me on what was wrong. It was probably for the best that she didn't. "Why don't you come inside? You look like you could use a coffee." She pursed her perfectly glossed lips and swung my door open for me. "My treat."
     Iris pulled out a powder and dabbed under my eyes as well as across my nose. I'm considerably paler than her, but it worked nicely. Then, she loaned me a mascara to reapply and before I knew it, I looked as good as new. "How did you get so good at that?" I laughed, though she only smirked. "I've had my fair share of breakdowns in the car." Her eyes distanced for a moment, as if she recalled a particular instance. I chose to ignore it as she did for me. "How about those drinks?" I clasped my hands together and nudged my friend.
     As we sat and chatted away about any and everything, I felt my phone begin to buzz. Glancing down, I saw that there were a bunch of texts from Cisco as well as several missed calls. Iris took notice and nodded towards the phone. "So, what's the deal here?" She giggled as she stuffed part of a doughnut into her mouth. "Are you avoiding him? Is he too clingy? I get that vibe from him." She blabbered. "Oh, is he bad in bed?" I couldn't help but blush as I choked on my coffee. "I wouldn't know!" My shouters raised and then dropped in defeat with a chuckle.
     "I just... I don't know. The Mirror Master..." I paused, scolding myself silently as I subconsciously used Cisco's codename for Scudder. "He messed with my mind when I was captive." Iris' brows furrowed as she listened with concern. "He couldn't break me physically, so he chose to break my heart instead." I took a deep breath and ran my fingers through my copper locks. I'd never talked so closely with someone.
     "Have you told him about this? Cisco, I mean." Iris finally intervened, resting her chin on her fist. I just shook my head. "Maybe you should. Think about it. You're distant and sad. He's probably worried to death and doesn't even know what he did." Voices swirled around in my head, taunting me and reminding me that I'm a curse, unlovable. I hushed them with my own voice, however, as I responded. "Yeah, I guess you're right. That... That wasn't him."