The Teen of Steel (Supergirl Fanfic)

Chapter 4

I woke up early, sunlight streaming through the curtains, casting a golden hue across my new room. My first morning here, and it felt both exciting and nerve-wracking. I took a moment to stretch and shake off the last remnants of sleep, then dragged myself out of bed.

After brushing my teeth and washing my face, I stood in front of the mirror, debating on makeup. I didn't want to look like I was trying too hard, but I also didn't want to seem like I wasn't trying at all. In the end, I opted for a little mascara and some lip gloss, just enough to feel put together. Once I was done, I slipped into a pair of jeans and a nice red t-shirt—it wasn't fancy, but it was comfortable, and I wasn't about to overdress on my first day.

The apartment was still quiet when I walked into the kitchen, the smell of coffee and pancakes already filling the air. Kara was standing at the stove, her back to me, flipping pancakes like a pro. She'd always been good at mornings, unlike me. I could barely function before noon without caffeine.

I sat down at the table, eyeing the stack of pancakes she was preparing. When she placed a plate in front of me, I couldn't help but smirk. The pancake had a chocolate chip smile, a cherry nose, and whipped cream hair.

"Really?" I questioned, popping the cherry into my mouth with a raised eyebrow.

Kara shrugged, grinning. "Food should be happy," she said, sitting down across from me with her own stack of pancakes. She acted like it was no big deal, but I knew she'd done it to cheer me up—she always did stuff like that.

I laughed, rolling my eyes. "You're so lame," I said, but I dug into the chocolatey goodness with enthusiasm. I had a serious love for chocolate. If there was a chocolate lover's anonymous, I'd probably be the founding member. I'd practically lived off chocolate milk when I was a kid. It amazed me that, even with my Kryptonian genes, I hadn't ballooned to two hundred pounds from all the chocolate I'd consumed.

Kara wrinkled her nose as she watched me devour the pancakes. "Watching you eat is like watching a starving animal. Will you slow down? It's not like the food's going anywhere."

I stuck my tongue out at her but begrudgingly slowed down. The last thing I needed was to choke and die before I even made it to my first day. That would be a pretty lame way to go.

After I finished scarfing down breakfast, Kara got up to get ready. She came back a few minutes later wearing one of her typical work outfits—a black skirt and a blouse that made her look like a fifty-year-old librarian. I opened my mouth to say something but immediately shut it. She always hated when I made fun of her fashion sense, and I wasn't in the mood for a lecture.

We cleaned up the kitchen, stacking dishes in the sink before grabbing our things. I slipped on my jacket and slung my purse over my shoulder. Outside, the crisp morning air hit me, waking me up a little more as we headed downstairs. Alex was already waiting for us by the car, leaning against it with her arms crossed.

Kara gave me a quick hug goodbye. "You're going to do great today," she said, her voice filled with that usual Kara optimism. "I'll pick you up at 2:15 so we can get to CatCo early, okay?"

"Yeah, okay," I nodded, trying to smile despite the nerves churning in my stomach. "See you later." She gave me one last smile before heading off to find her car.

Once she was gone, Alex slipped her arm around my shoulders, pulling me in for a quick side hug. "Ready?" she asked, leading me toward her car.

"As ready as I'll ever be," I muttered, my heart starting to race a little as we drove away from the apartment building.

Alex glanced at me out of the corner of her eye. "You nervous?" she asked, her tone gentle but knowing.

I shook my head, even though it was a bit of a lie. "I'm not afraid of a few hundred high schoolers," I scoffed, trying to sound more confident than I felt.

"Uh-huh," she said, giving me a knowing look. "It's okay to be nervous. Everyone gets nervous sometimes."

I sighed. "Really, Alex, I'm fine." I offered her a reassuring smile, and after a moment, she nodded, accepting my answer.

She smiled again, this time more genuinely. "I'm just really happy you're here. It's nice having both of my sisters so close."

I grinned at that, feeling a bit of the tension ease out of me. "Yeah, now I can come over and bug you whenever I want."

"Oh, you just try that," she teased, her grin turning mischievous. "If you do, I'll get revenge. Tenfold."

"Sooo scared, Allie," I shot back, rolling my eyes. She gave me a playful shove, and we both laughed, the tension between us disappearing.

Before I knew it, we were pulling up to the school. It was a typical city school—big brick walls, metal detectors, kids milling around everywhere. The place screamed "high school," and just looking at it made my stomach flip. I'd never been a fan of school. Too many rules, too much sitting still, and not nearly enough excitement. Most people would call it ADHD, but I figured it was just my Kryptonian genes urging me to move around constantly.

Alex parked in the crowded lot, and we made our way toward the front entrance. The place was packed, kids brushing past us in a rush to get inside. Alex, of course, didn't seem fazed at all. She had this natural "don't mess with me" vibe that made people automatically get out of her way.

We elbowed our way through the crowd, finally making it to the main office. It was chaos—students were lined up, complaining about their schedules, asking for changes, and generally making the poor woman at the front desk look like she was about to have a meltdown.

Alex, always calm in situations like this, walked straight up to the desk. "Hi, I'm here to register my sister," she said, flashing a smile that instantly made the frazzled woman relax a little.

The woman nodded and handed Alex a massive stack of forms. We found a couple of plastic chairs in the corner, and Alex set to work signing her life away while I sat there, tapping my foot impatiently. The room was too stuffy, too noisy, and I could already tell this was going to take forever.

"Will you stop that?" Alex snapped after a few minutes, giving me a sharp look. "It's super annoying."

I sighed but stopped tapping, crossing my arms over my chest instead. After what felt like an eternity, Alex finally finished and handed the forms back to the woman at the desk. She looked them over, printed out my schedule, and handed me a shiny new student ID.

"Alright, I'm off," Alex said, giving me a quick hug. "Good luck today. You've got this." She shot me one last grin before heading out, leaving me to face the day alone.

I glanced at my schedule and headed to my first class—English. As I walked down the hallway, I felt a wave of dread settle over me. I hated English. It was always the same—boring books, boring essays, boring everything. But I figured if I kept my head down and got through the day, it wouldn't be so bad.

When I finally made it to the classroom, I headed straight for the back seat, plopping down and throwing my bag on the floor. The teacher, a strict-looking old man with a bald head and wire-rimmed glasses, was already standing at the front of the room. He hadn't even started talking yet, and I could already tell he was going to be a nightmare.

I took a deep breath, steeling myself for the long, boring day ahead. Time to just get through it.