Who Needs Superheroes?

Chapter 3: Bad Crush, Bad Schedule, and Bad Plans

Throughout the entire drive, Klyde focused on the road and only on the road. His BMW was a manual so he shifted gears every so often, but he never once spoke a word.

I was beginning to feel awkward around him when suddenly he spoke. "I haven't seen you in a while. How've you been?"

I was staring at his face, his beautiful, beautiful face. His question jerked me out of my staring. I blinked. That was his genius way of making conversation?

"Umm. Alright, considering the circumstances." He frowned in confusion and then lifted his eyebrows in understanding. Fear had affected us all somehow.

When we were in elementary school, Klyde and I had been best friends up until Fear came to Justice. We would have play dates and go to movies and ice cream together all the time. He was my closest friend. When Fear and Battlesword came though, the girls swooned over the Supers and I guess Klyde wanted to get girls too, so he got in shape and distanced himself from me in order to hang out with the jocks. In the end, he ended up dating Prissilla, a snobby blonde rich girl. They dated for the entire sophmore year before they broke up when she slept with Fear.

To be honest, I'm pretty sure half of the female population at my high school had slept with Fear. It's disgusting how little self respect girls have now-a-days.

"Yeah, that's good I guess. Look, I'm sorry about not talking to you.." Klyde said with sincere guilt.

"You don't have to apologize for anything. It was my fault too," I said, but the second it came out I regretted it. Damn, I need to stop being so passive. It was his entire fault.

"No, it is my fault," he replied. "I thought I knew what I wanted," he mumbled to himself, thinking that only he would hear it. I didn't know what to make of it.

We finally approached my broken down truck and I told him to pull over. He did so and I got out to get my stuff. I opened the truck door and pulled out my backpack. Just in case, I tried to start my truck, but it refused to work at all. The starter must've been broken.

I went back to Klyde's car and hopped in.

"Got everything you need?" I nodded. "You know, I could probably take a look at it and fix it for you, the truck," he said shyly. Since when was Klyde Dillian shy?

"Nah, it's fine. Let's just get to school, we're running late," I responded.

Klyde drove off and the a thick air of silence once again surrounded us. Using my peripheral vision, I looked over at him, but could only make out his hard eyes staring straight ahead and I could tell something was brewing behind them. I opened my mouth to say something and at the same time, he spurted out "how is Danny?"

My mouth left open like a fish gaping for air, I blinked and adjusted my train of thought. "Uhh, he's good, I guess. He's still working two jobs though, and I worry about him sometimes."

"Oh," he replied, not knowing what to say. After all, he grew up in a family of doctors and lack of finances was never an issue in his household.

"Yep."

We sat in silence for a few more minutes. His concentration had returned to the road in front of him I decided to leave it that way.

 We pulled into the school parking lot a few minutes later. He parked his car and after getting out, I began walking away.

"Thanks for the ride, Klyde. I'll see you around." I started walking but his response made me turn back to face him.

"Yeah. I'm glad to have seen you." He gave a tight smile. "And Eby?"

"Yea?"

"If you ever need anything - and I do mean anything - let me know, okay?"

I nodded my head and turned back around to continue on my path to my first hour. 

Another wave of the gnawing feeling hit me. I just swallowed it down and stepped into school.

~*~

 "You okay, Eby?" Jeanne asked with a quizzical brow.

"Hmm..What? Oh. Yeah, I'm fine.." I responded after snapping back from my daydream. One of Klyde shifting gears in his manual.

"Hello? Have you been listening to me?" Jeanne asked a bit annoyed.

"Yeah.. Prom cancelled. Got it."

"Why are you not responding to this horrifying information?! Fear cancelled prom because he didn't like girl's wearing pink dresses. This has gone too far," she said, her voice rising in volume with every word.

"I wasn't gonna go anyways. I don't have the money."

"Yes, but I would've payed for you, you know that!"

"No, Jeanne. I wouldn't have let you. Come on, the bell's about to ring." And sure enough it did, so we headed off towards Calculus.

"You are impossible Ebony Renick."

We stepped into Mr. Puerto's Calculus class and the first thing I noticed made my heart jump out of my chest.

Klyde Dillian sat in my seat with a smile plastered on his face. I walked over to him and stared down at him in shock.

"Can you please move? This is my seat." I tried my best to remain calm and polite since he did give me a ride to school this morning.

"Only if you hear me out and agree to my plan."

"In that case, I'll be sitting over there," I said and gestured to his own seat. I began to walk towards it when he called after me.

"Wait! Please, hear me out. Please." That extra please was what made me crack. I turned around and waited.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go see a movie with me tonight."

I blinked. This had to be one of his cruel jokes.

"Funny, but I don't have time for your games, Klyde." I started to turn back around, but his response stopped me.

"I'm serious Eby, I really am. I've been wanting to go see Midnight's Paradise and I really want you to come with me," he said. His face showed sincerity, but I wasn't about to trust him so easily. After all, other than this morning, he hadn't spoken a word to me in years.

"What gives you the right to ask me to a movie after seven years of silence? You didn't seem to want to even know me a few years ago. What's changed?" He had no right to come charging back into my life.

"I'm sorry, I was overwhelmed by the whole change of...government. I don't know what to say to make you forgive me, all I know is that I want to try to make it up to you. So, give me a chance. Please."

Those damn 'pleases.'

"Fine. One shot. And it's not a date, understand?"

"Yes ma'am," he stated with a salute. He jumped out of my seat and headed back to his seat.

The rest of the class went by quickly, but I felt a pair of eyes on me the entire time. And they weren't Klyde's who was constantly checking up on me every two seconds to make sure I hadn't combusted into flames.

Eh?

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~Pattsy <3