Supergirl

The Confrontation

I stretched slightly and let out a breath to realize it was chilly out. I slowly opened my eyes to see I was outside and something beside me stirred. My eyes shot wide to the realization that Ellie and I had fallen asleep. Quickly I went to pushing and shaking her awake. "Ellie, get up now, we fell asleep. We need to get back, it's been... oh gosh, six hours since we've been gone."

"Hmm? Let me sleep Lenora." 

"No, wake up now, my parents are going to be so pissed!"

After much prodding I finally got her up and we went our separate ways. I sprinted through the tall corn field and when I came to the end of the row, I stopped dead in my tracks as my dad stood there in all his glory in his superman suit.

"Uh-oh..." I said nervously and a few police officers came into view shining their lights on us.

"You've got that right."

.......

"You called a search party?" I yelled as we stormed through the doors.

"Oh thank God, Lenora." My mom stood up and from her seat, told someone on the phone that they found me, and hung up. Aunt Lucy and Grandpa Sam stopped their conversation in the corner and turned their attention to us.

"Yes we called a search party for you Lenora, we were worried sick!" My dad told me loudly.

"That's so embarrassing! Now it'll be everywhere, I can see it now." I groaned. "I was just out with Ellie and we fell asleep!"

"We didn't know what could have happened to you Lenora. You could have been kidnapped or severely hurt or worse!" We were matching each others intensity the more our anger grew.

"Oh so now you care enough about me since I brought it to your attention that you weren't being a parent. Perfect! Bravo! Congrats on succeeding." I told him sarcastically.

"Don't talk to your father in that tone of voice young lady. We were very worried, and maybe it's not a good idea that you hang around Ellie anymore. She's trouble."

"Are you kidding me!?" I scoffed. "Suddenly this is about Ellie? This was not her idea. I'm the one who called her. Don't try to pin her as a bad influence when she's been the only one there for me lately. No lets get down to the real problem here." I should have just stopped. I should have shut my mouth and walked away but I was taking Mrs. K's advice and laying it all out on the table, and none too delicately.  "You two should have never even had me. It's not like you have time for me anyways. All you care about are your jobs."

"Lenora." My Aunt cautioned.

"No Aunt Lou, I need to say this. I know you have your plates full with maintaining humanity and being the upstanding people in society that you are. I get it, Really. But it really sucks when you're dad doesn't show up for the daddy daughter dance and leaves you standing their for two -hours before you finally decide to go home, but you don't say anything because that day he saved two hundred people on a train and you don't want to seem like a brat for bringing it up. Or when your mom promises you that she'll show up to your science fair but forgets because a bigger and better story arises so you have to suck it up while they play it on the big screen in the gym instead of being able to show the project you spent six weeks working on." 

I watched as both of them averted their eyes and guilt washed over them much like it was me at the time. "I know I shouldn't expect so much from either of you but just for once it'd be nice if I was your priority rather than feeling like I was the mistake."

A pin drop could have been heard and I silently walked up to my room and laid on my bed. I stared and stared at my ceiling so hard with so much going through my mind, that I could have burned a hole through the roof. Not long after I heard the door creak open and the bed dipped slightly. 

"You know, when I was your age, I remember getting in a fight once." 

I turned my head towards my mom. "You?"

She smiled and kept her eyes on the ceiling. "Wasn't my finest hour. It was much like your reason to fight that boy. Being a military kid we moved a lot until Grandpa Sam was stationed in Metropolis. At school this girl who was big and mean kept saying things about my family and one day, I just punched her. I wasn't even mad at her I just went at it with her. Oh Grandpa Sam was fuming when he came to pick me up but I was just glad he came to pick me up. He took me to an ice parlor and made me watch as he ate an icecream and gave me a stern talking to."

I laughed lightly, "That definitely sounds like something Grandpa would do."

She turned on her side towards me and I did likewise. "Lenora, you know that you are everything to me and your father right?"

I didn't move and played with the quilt on my bed. 

"Because you are. I remember when your dad and I first married, we were so scared to start a family and have kids because there was always the threat that someone would use that against us and if it came to it your father was worried he wouldn't be able to protect others the way he should. And when it came out that Superman and Clark Kent were the same person, the threat was even bigger. Then we had you." She pushed a strand of hair from my face and I looked up at her. "And a bright star shone in our lives and we decided then that we would do everything in our power to keep that beautiful star shining. And I think in that want to protect you that we somehow got so wrapped up in keeping the world a better place so that our daughter could be raised without fear that we forgot not only did you need us to protect you out there, but in here too."She pointed to my heart and I sniffled slightly. " We became the very reason that star didn't shine bright enough."

"Mom I-"

"No, Shh, Let me finish." She wiped the tear from my cheek and left her hand there. "I love you so much Lenora. I would give my very soul up for you and I know without a doubt your father feels the same way. I am so sorry that we haven't been doing a good job at parenting in the way you have needed us to. Never should we have let our lives get so busy that you weren't our main focus."

I hugged her tightly as we laid on my bed and she ran her fingers through my hair. "I'm so sorry mom for what I said and my actions. I've been so hateful and I should have done this all better than to let it sit until it blew up everywhere. I-I'm sorry."

"Shhhh, you have nothing to apologize for." She kissed my forehead and we stayed like that for a long time. "I think it's time we all get some sleep. It's been an exhausting day for us all." I sat up as she went to the door.

"What about dad?" I asked still feeling bad for yelling at him.

She smiled kindly. "I think he still needs some time to simmer down a bit. That can wait until morning." With that, she turned off my lights and tugged the door closed. Not long after I was fast asleep as exhaustion took over me.