Sudden Superhero

14. (I'm Sorry, But I Couldn't Think Of A Chapter Title)

AFTER SCHOOL, the dance prep committee stayed after to help set up. The dance was at the end of this week, and out of some happy mood, the principal had decided to let us set up early and allow us to not have gym for the next few days. Needless to say, we were all ecstatic.

The previous assignments didn't really matter; we were all over the gym, doing whatever job we saw or that needed to be done. I was currently on the top rung of a ladder, hanging up one end of the banner as Ben hung up the other. Fei was on the ground, directing us left and right or up and down to get the banner in perfect place.

Kelsey, the head of the committee, was going around making sure everyone else was doing their work properly. I had to admit—she'd done a great job coordinating this thing. The balloons would be put up on Friday, but almost everything else was set up. Streamers hung along the walls, washing the gym in our school colors, and a cardboard cutout of our mascot stood in one corner where people could pick up photo booth props and take pictures with each other. A DJ stand was almost set up.

Ben and I were finally able to get Fei's approval for the banner, and after I climbed down the ladder and took a few steps back to see it from a distance, I was happy to see that it was straight. Mostly. It was good enough; I didn't think anyone would grill us if the banner was a degree or two off.

Getting the banner up had been the hard part—with Ben holding one corner and me holding the other, we had climbed the ladder very carefully to keep the banner from folding or wrinkling. It had taken so long to simply go up the ladder, and with Fei's passion for straightness, we took a lot of time setting it up, and everyone had finished everything else there was left to do already.

So, I picked up my backpack from the ground and left. I decided that Red Soldier needed something better to do than witnessing things, running into an alley to change, and then helping, so I figured out that I'd do something similar to patrol. In truth, since we hadn't had a superhero in years, I had no idea how people would react. Would they just look and leave me alone, like I wanted? Or would they take out their phones and record every move I made? I hoped it was the former.

I changed into everything this time: the mask that covered the space around my eyes, the jacket, and because I had time, I actually put on the pants and the sneakers. I left all of my stuff in my backpack in my room, and since Mom was at the bakery, I didn't need to worry about her.

I stood on top of a building, looking down below, trying to calm my nerves. I flexed my fingers in my gloves. A little boy saw me and pointed at me, tugging on the hem of his mother's dress. She saw me, waved, and then pulled her son along into a sandwich shop. He waved at me and smiled as he was taken away. I waved back and returned the smile.

I was out for only an hour and a half. The first half of that was spent with me stopping a robber who'd stolen a purse, and then I had to look for lady who owned it. She turned out to be a sweet old woman who insisted on giving me a hug, and of course I'd obliged. The rest of the time was uneventful, just me going around, being on my phone occasionally, and waving at friendly people who waved at me.

When I got home, I went through my own room's window, because it wasn't on the front of the building and no one would see me. I quickly changed and then stepped out into the rest of the apartment. I was doing my homework while eating a croissant when Mom got home. She entered with a huff, tossing her bag onto the couch and then plopping down next to it.

"Busy day?" I asked after I swallowed a bite of croissant.

"Mmmhmmm." She stood up, pushing strands of hair away from her face. "We leave at seven."

I had to stop myself from groaning. I hadn't forgotten about going to Dana's house tonight, but the sudden reminder had me feeling annoyed again. I quickly shoved down the rest of my croissant and hurried to finish my homework, because I knew Dana would have some snarky remark to say if I had to finish it at her house.