Super Frost: Confessions of a Teenage Superhero

The following Monday at school, I looked for the right time to confront both guys the very same day. Since that day I last spoke to Jeremy about how he was getting jealous, we haven’t been meeting after school to do our powers practice. I figured he didn’t want to see the sight of me because I was going with Tom now, but I planned on making that change. So when it came time for lunch, I prepared myself for the big breakup scene I played out in my head, hoping that Tom would be able to take it.

What I didn’t realize was that in the hallways, everyone was talking to me as if they knew me, like buddies.

It started on the bus. “Hey, are you Violet?” some guy said.

“Who wants to know?” I said.

“I just think you’re awesome,” he said. “Do you want a gummy bear?”

“No thanks, I just had breakfast,” I said.

Then as soon as I got into the building, some girl went past me and said, “Hey, Violet, looking good!”

I turned to follow her and started walking backwards. “What?” I said.

I turned around and faced a whole bunch of people playing some loud music, something I recognized from the indie rock station, “Invincible” by Ok Go. It was a pretty good song, probably fitting for our superhero school, and the kids around it were playing their air guitars and “drums” while bashing their heads when they saw me. As I passed them, they went, “Violet! Rock on, girlfriend!”

I stopped to look at them as they were giving me the nod and one of them raised their hand to high five me. I saw this as awkward, but I fived the person. Then he gave me a fist bump, which I responded back in kind. Then he made an exploding noise and made the fist bump “explode”. I paid them no mind as I went along to power control class and ignored their cheers and whoops of delight that they got from me. I still didn’t understand this.

So when I got to power class, I asked Glitch, “It’s like everyone knows me already. Did I do something to make them remember me? Or is it something else? Please don’t tell me they set up a Facebook account for me without my permission.”

“Th-they didn’t,” Glitch said. “I-I th-think it’s b-because you went to that p-p-party. Y-you’re popular now.”

“Yeah, well, I didn’t expect that,” I said.

“Y-you sh-should have, if you’re going with Tom L-Larkin.”

I whispered in response, “Actually, I don’t think you should tell anyone, but I’m dumping him today.”

“You what?” Glitch said without stammering once.

“Yeah, it turns out he’s not a nice guy like I thought,” I said. “I didn’t want to tell you, but I have to so I can clear this up. You guys are my friends. Those other girls, the people I met at the party, they’re all complete losers.”

“What about Fiona? Sh-she was at the party.”

“Well, to be fair, she just happened to be there at the wrong time. There’s something wrong going on with Tom, I just know it. And she’s been trying to tell me something that’s been going on without me or the school knowing about it.”

“You mean there’s something I don’t know?” Glitch said. “And you don’t know what it is?”

“Tom pretty much ambushed us as she was telling me,” I confessed.

“Well y-you’re not a very good friend,” Glitch said. “Y-y-you should have stopped Tom from putting his tongue down your throat and said no before the whole school found out.”

“Glitch, you know my love compass doesn’t point due north,” I said. “It wasn’t until then when I realized something was off. I could hear his thoughts. I think he’s planning something, something awful. You have to believe me.”

“I believe you,” Glitch said, getting up from his seat. “B-but y-you should have t-trusted me. J-just because I s-s-stammer, doesn’t mean I’m wrong. And Jeremy is really mad. H-h-he likes you, but he’s mad.”

“Then tell me how to fix this!” I said in a hurry.

But by the time I got the words out, Glitch left and sat on the other side of the room. Looks like I got everything the average high school girl wanted, but nothing I needed.

I did need those secret power control classes with Jeremy, but after the Friday of the party, Mr. Crow signed off on me, saying that I no longer needed the after school lessons, that I was well trained. I explained to him that I still didn’t know how to use my frost breath yet and I still didn’t know how to fly.

But he said, “I gave you about two weeks to start getting along with Jeremy and you did it. If I had known any better, I think you want him more than you need him and me. I think you’ve developed a little crush on him.”

I told him this wasn’t very funny and I still wanted someone to teach me. But he did tell me I needed to save more of my energy for Jean Harley’s class and I needed to focus more on school. I felt like he was punishing me for what I did to Jeremy.

When it came time for lunch, I got to the cafeteria and found Jeremy, sitting alone in the back again, like an outcast. I wanted to go up to him and apologize, but then Tom came over and put his arm around me, dragging me towards the senior courtyard.

“Hey, babe!” Tom chirped. “So, are you ready for the ball this weekend? I hope you picked out something pretty to wear.”

I took a breath and kept walking.

“Anyway, I want you to come with me and the rest of the seniors,” he said. “I know you’re a freshman, but I’m sure there’s a little wiggle room where they’ll let you out there with me. As long as I have you here, that is.”

Ok, dummy, just tell him.

“Tom, I need to tell you something,” I said.

“What?” he said. “Do I have to wear a boutonniere? I’ll get you a pretty flower to wear on your arm, but I’m not wearing a stupid rose on my jacket.”

Oh, you did not just say that, you ass, I thought. If only he could read my mind right now. I turned and looked him in the face, taking his hands. “Ok, I think I’ve had enough,” I said. “Tom, you’re a really great guy, but I can’t go with you to the dance. I’m really sorry.”

The reaction I got was something I wasn’t expecting. I was expecting Tom to be all kind of cold and mopey about it, but instead, he looked pissed off. It was almost as if he wanted to pick a fight with me and start tossing me around like his paddle ball. “Are you dumping me?” he said in a growl.

I backed away and said in a smaller tone, “I’m not dumping you… I’m telling you I don’t think you’re a good fit for me. I don’t think we… mesh well.”

“In other words, you’re dumping me,” he said. “Why are you ditching me? Is it because of what I said about jealous Jeremy?”

Oh, now he was pissing me off. “You want to know why? Because you’re insensitive! You would rather stay at the party than make sure that I got home safe! I had to walk home alone to find my parents worried about me and they grounded me for two weeks! I can’t even go to the dance anyway!”

“Ok, listen,” he said, putting his hands on my shoulders. “I’ve been telling you to stay away from that fool ever since you started hanging with him. You remember what he was like when he fought you in battle class. He’s an even bigger asshole than I am! Also, you just got popular. You would be nothing without me!”

How dare you, I said telepathically. I don’t know if he heard me, but I was practically shouting at him with my thoughts. So I said, “The only person I need to be is me. I don’t need you to be a cool person. Not one person will ever define me, but me. So I’m sorry. If you can’t handle that, then I don’t need you.”

I removed his hands from my shoulders and said, “You’re dumped. Bye.”

And I went off in search of an empty table where I could eat alone. Unfortunately, there was no other empty spot except for where Jeremy was sitting, and it was very clear that he didn’t want me there. Though, I could have sworn he heard me when I let Tom have it, but I wasn’t sure. I felt pretty bad that even though I was the newly popular, no one wanted me to sit with them because I had just dumped the coolest guy in school. But he wasn’t really cool to me anymore. I wasn’t even sure I’d count him as my boyfriend, or my ex boyfriend, really. We were only together for two nights, one night that we spent with my parents at dinner, and the other night at the party. Somehow, I hated myself for making all of this happen, for I pretty much ruined my freshman year experience as a hero in training, or more accurately, an adult in training. I was sure my mom would make some remark that this was just a learning experience and I would learn things as I get older, but it certainly didn’t feel like it now.

I was falling in love, and the fall was killing me, instead of giving me this exhilarating feeling of romance and happiness. Love was painful for me that I crashed into it. I realized it then as I sat alone in the hallway outside the cafeteria, biting into my ham sandwich.

The day of the big dance was the day I tried to call Jeremy to say I was sorry. Mom told me that when the September Ball came up, she would let me go to the dance, provided that Jeremy would accept my apology and ask me out, then mom and I would go shopping for a dress. Sadly, I tried and tried all week to talk to him and apologize, but he didn’t want to even look at me. I spent lunchtime the rest of the week eating alone, and I didn’t know how to go about sitting with my old table again because Glitch and the other guys didn’t want to talk to me either. I was basically screwed as the school’s most popular outcast because I ditched the student body president. No one wanted me around after that. It was like what Alice was telling me about this book she was reading, this story by Nathaniel something. It was a book she had to read for English class where this woman cheated on her husband by having sex and getting pregnant by a man of God, and after she spent days in jail and gave birth to her daughter Pearl, she had to wear a red letter A on her chest. Alice told me that the A was meant for “adulterer”. She also said that the prose was really boring and she didn’t really like it because poor Hester had to go through so much bad crap, and her husband was evil and corrupted anyway.

To be honest, I’m kind of glad I’m not in that school taking that English class right now.

Anyway, I spent most of the afternoon and the evening after dinner calling Jeremy’s phone number, trying to reach him on his cell, until it kept going to voice mail. I was sure he probably got sick of me calling him that he blocked all of my calls. He never once returned any of my phone calls no matter what I did. I texted, I called from my parents’ house phone, and I must have called him by my phone at least 20 or 30 times. But then as my parents went out on another superhero errand to go save another person from getting mugged, the doorbell rang.

Standing on the porch was Alice, who had managed to make it all the way out to see me. “Hey, Jen, I figured I’d come over because you didn’t call me in a while. Nice jammies, by the way.”

Oh, yeah, I just realized I was still in my pajamas. The top that went with the fuzzy black pants had a big cape silk screen on the front, which had the words, “I (heart) Superheroes” on it, with a heart instead of the word love.

“Thanks,” I said. “So what are you doing here?”

She came through the doorway, letting herself in. “I kind of wanted to just hang with you, because I know you said it’s the September Ball tonight, and from the looks of things, you don’t look ready to go, so I’m guessing you’re not going.”

“I told you, I’m technically grounded because I broke curfew and went to a late night party,” I said. “Also, I screwed things up with Jeremy, I dumped Tom, and I have no date to the dance, so I never made time with my mom to go shopping for a killer dress.”

“Well, I’m sure there are still some dress stores open,” Alice said. “Maybe if you come with me, we can still catch Ross before they close and find some gorgeous cocktail dresses for under thirty bucks.”

“Didn’t you hear what I said? I’m grounded! That means I’m not going to the dance. I tried to make things up with Jeremy, and he won’t talk to me, so my mom basically said if I don’t have a date to this dance and I haven’t made things up yet, I’m not going.”

She put her hand on her hips. “Well that sucks,” she said.

“I know,” I said. “I know you’re already through the door, but do you want to come in? My parents are out, so I think we’re safe until they get back. But once they get here, you’ll have to go home. You know that, right?”

“Yeah, I know,” she said. “Thanks for not throwing me out.”

“Hey, I could use the company right now,” I said, shutting the door and letting her through to the living room. We sat on the couch where I kept my purse next to my coat on the edge of the armrest. “I’ve also pretty much lost my friends at school after the big party last week, and no one really wants to talk to me after my big breakup with Tom. You’re kinda the only friend I have.”

“Aw,” Alice said, giving me a hug. “No chance you could ever get rid of your powers and come to school with me? I’m sure you can still get a guy before the homecoming game.”

“I’d rather not jinx it,” I said. “Besides, I still don’t know how to get a handle on these new powers correctly. I’m still pretty weak.”

“I don’t know, you did hit your teacher pretty hard, the last time I checked.”

I laughed. “Ok, that’s true. But that was just a moment of rage, it comes in quick bursts. I don’t know about the next time something like that will happen.”

“You never know,” Alice said, patting my hand. “Now, I’m sorry, remind me, who is Tom again and why did you dump him?”

“Tom, he’s the most popular guy in school,” I said. “He’s also a terrible jerk. Did you know that he didn’t want to take me home after I said I didn’t want to be at that party anymore and I wanted to go home?”

“Wow,” Alice said.

“And did I mention that when I told him I wasn’t going with him to the dance, he pretty much stomped on my heart and made me sit alone at lunch?”

“Ok, it’s official, he’s a creep.”

“I don’t know what it is. I used to have feelings for him, and he was the guy I always wanted for a boyfriend. But when Jeremy and I formed a truce and we started seeing each other after school, I don’t know. We sorta… clicked. And I also get this weird nauseous thing in my belly, and my heart skips when I see him.”

“Sounds like you’re falling for Jeremy,” she said.

“I think I might be in love with him already,” I said. “It’s weird, it’s only been a few weeks since I’ve started going to Falcon High. And I tried apologizing for what I did to him, but he won’t talk to me or answer any of my calls.”

“Maybe you just need to wait for him to call you back,” she said. “You took some time out to let him heal, so right now, you need to let him come to you. Maybe the next time you see him, he won’t feel so bad for whatever you did and he’s willing to forgive you.”

“I don’t know how long that will take,” I said. “Maybe he won’t believe me when I tell him I’m sorry and that I love him.”

Then Alice reached for my purse, which I noticed was buzzing. She pulled it out and said, “Your phone’s ringing. I guess you can tell him yourself. It’s Jeremy’s number, right?”

She handed me the phone as it continued to ring. Jeremy’s number was indeed calling me according to the caller ID. But I was too scared to take it from her hand. So I said, “You answer it first.”

“Are you sure?” she said.

“Yeah. If he wants to speak to me, he should hear your voice first and get your permission to talk to me.”

“Uh… ok.” So Alice answered. “Hey, Jeremy, it’s Alice. Violet can’t talk right now.”

“This is not Jeremy,” I heard the phone voice say. “You take one step towards the door or call the police and I will smash through your house and strangle you. Put the woman on the phone or I will make sure you don’t make it to your quinceanera.”

Quivering, Alice held the phone out to me. “It’s for you,” she said quietly.

I put her phone to my ear and said, “This is Violet.”

The happy-go-lucky voice of Tom rang clear in my ears. “Hey, girl, you coming to the dance with me?”

“Are you kidding me?” I said. “I thought I told you for the last time that you’re an asshole and I wouldn’t-”

His voice suddenly turned cold. “I figured you’d think I was flirting with you. How sweet. Come to the September Ball tonight or I will make the whole school fall out of the sky, and kill your sweet boyfriend.”

“I don’t have a boyfriend, in case you didn’t notice,” I corrected him. “I dumped you eons ago and there’s no one I’m remotely involved with.”

“Oh, yeah? Guys! Get this, she swears she has no boyfriend!” Other people around him laughed over the phone.

“Give the phone over to him,” a girl’s voice said. I heard footsteps, then the voice changed over.

Jeremy Russel sounded cool like he always did, but this time something in his voice didn’t sound right. He was scared… frightened. “Violet, is that you? It’s Remy.”

“Hey…” I began. I was going to ask him if he was ok, but he cut in again.

“Listen, I know I promised I’d take care of this whole thing for you and I’m keeping my promise. There’s a little bit of a situation here…”

“Little bit of a situation?” I asked. “What do you mean?”

“Sons of bitches hijacked me and tied me up with fireproof cords. I don’t know what the plan is, but it’s not good. Do me a favor, get the word out to everyone at the school and tell them to get out. Evacuate the whole school and get your parents to help the citizens of Metrocosma get to safety.”

That sounded serious enough, but I wondered how he’d get out. “What about you? Can you move the cords with your mind?”

“There’s one material I can’t move that’s fireproof.”

Damn it. The cords were flame retardant coated titanium, his one weakness. “How will you escape? You need to get out of there!”

“I’m sorry, Vi, I’m sorry, ok? Don’t worry about me, just stay out of harm’s way. I wish I could undo this whole thing. And before I go, I want to tell you…” He trailed off when something hit him to make him scream. It was too painful to hear, especially when I heard his last cries of “Help! Help me!” before someone gagged him.

Tom got the phone back and began talking like some villain worse than Loki and the Red Skull put together. Hearing Tom’s voice over the phone sounded worse than a monster’s, like a dark elf without the British accent and giving that snarling growl. “You have one hour, Violet. One hour, or I will suck the air out of his fire until he is snuffed out and… frozen dead.”

Click.