I'm Gonna Go Cry In The Shower Now...

She knew. She knew who I was. Who I really am. But how? How did she know that Malcolm Chidike was Maximum, the famous-well infamous superhero? The first superhuman and first superhuman star. I mean I’ve read the Reddit forums and Twitter pages trying to figure out my identity but really? Her? 

I peeked through my hoodie across the hallway at her. Gaia was still beautiful, even though she was probably traumatized after almost dying from the hands of a psychotic pyrokinetic who wanted to burn our school down. But other than that, her golden curly hair and smooth tan skin seemed untouched. But her eyes. Emerald, but not lively like I remember it. She’s changed. I should know all about what changed after a traumatic event. At least her parents are still alive to worry about her, maybe get her a therapist. The tightness that was in my belly at the thought of my parents wasn't what made me feel nauseated. It was the next thing I was going to do.

“You’re going to do it?” Daniel nudged my shoulder. I jumped when he spoke, almost ripped my locker off. “Are you going to ask her?”

I nodded. I looked over to Gaia. She was gorgeous. I felt a pull towards her. I wanted to be by her. I needed to be by her. Daniel did that funny trick he always did, where he weirdly read my mind and said “Don't be weird. Don't be a creep. Otherwise you’re going to be the next meme of the week.  And I will post it all over Twitter.” he grinned. He raised his hands writing in the air. “Maximum: Great hero, but trash at grabbing women.”

“Shut up,” I whined. I took a deep breath. It was now or never. I looked over at her again. She was grinning at her phone as she grabbed her books out of her locker. I got this. I got this. I can do this. I will do this. I’m a beast. I’m Maximum after all. I can do anything. Right?

I turned back to my locker and sunk my head so far into it, I hoped it would take me to a garden with rabbits and a Mad Hatter. I cursed as Daniel groaned. “Come ooon bro. How many times am I going to have to hype you up? Did you forget you can leap tall buildings in a single bound? You literally tossed an armored truck before. And you’re fireproof. You have over five hundred thousand subscribers on Youtube and twenty thousand on Instagram. Hottest discord server right now? Your Twitter page is bustling, literally trending at number 2. Hear me? Bustling? Trending?“

“I know.” I moaned in the dark locker. “What are you doing? You’re looking like a damn fool! Oh, thank goodness!”

I yanked my head out to see Mira striding towards us-me specifically. She looked pissed, but when didn't she? Her streaming earth brown hair bounced as she stopped in front of me and her dark eyebrows caved into an even meaner look. “This is why you can't get a boyfriend,” I mutter. “Resting bitch face right here folks,”

She punched me on the arm, and actually, it hurt. “Don't seem so Maximum when you’re whining over a girl huh?” she grinned. She grabbed me, then turned me to Gaia. She eyed the girl. “She’s waiting on you. Just waiting on you. Your Mary Jane to your Peter Parker.”

“Gwen Stacy,” Daniel interjected.

“Your Lois Lane to your Clark Kent. Your Selina Kyle to your Bruce Wayne.”

‘More like Silver St. Cloud.” Daniel commented.

“Shut up,” Mira said through gritted teeth. She turned back to me. “On the count of three okay? One-”

Both of them pushed me into the center of the hallway, causing me to stumble right in front of Gaia. She turned from her locker and gave me a curious look. I cleared my throat, my heart ready to rocket out of my chest. Now or never.

“Hey, Gaia. How’s it going?”

She nodded. “Pretty good…?” she looked confused. “Yea so...heh. About the other day.” I looked around to make sure nobody was eyeing me. Only Mira and Daniel sunk daggers in my eyes to keep going. I leaned in close and started to whisper. “About last week. I didn't want you to find out that way y’know? It was supposed to be a secret y’know? Is it a secret, right? Wait, that sounds threatening- I mean I didn't realize you would recognize me. But I had to take that risk okay? I care about you and...I really like you. Like not ‘best friend’ like you, but ‘boo-thang, Chris Brown, Drake songs at night’ like you.

“So I couldn't risk him hurting you. I took a risk and...well here I am. Trying to ask you out. To a ...date. A date? Yea, a date. I mean could we go to the movies?  Or maybe the arcade? Ice skating? I mean I would like to explain a few things to you y’know? Like how I got the...y’know..powers and all that. But what do you think y’know?

She stared at me blankly. Like for a good while. My thoughts were having a marathon. Was I some freak to her? Some celebrity? Or maybe she was going to tell everyone? All of Snapchat? I could feel my anxiety creep up from my belly until it was starting to sizzle throughout my body. I was on the verge of sprinting off, maybe crashing through the ceiling and to space until she laughed. No-giggled. She gave me the I-don't-know-what-you-are-talking-about-but-you-are-adorable-look. The same look I saw plenty of girls give Daniel before they held back the urge to pat his short black hair and send his short ass on his merry way into the friend zone.

“Do I know you?” 

I gawked at her. What? I looked around the hallways again. “It's me. Y’know? Superhuman? The guy? Y’know..” I made a gesture of leaping over a truck, a few punching sounds, yet she still looked at me like I just told her the White House was filled with pink gelatin aliens. I grinned. I laughed. “Ohhhhhh. Undercover I see. Don't wanna expose my identity. I get it. But seriously. You know? Like...everything?”

She shook her head. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Who are you though?”

“Malcolm. Malcolm Chidike? The...superhuman.”

She nodded. “Malcolm...right. I’m sorry Malcolm but I don't know what you’re talking about.”

My mind went blank. I stared into space until she turned to leave. “Wait! I mean- okay. But. How about a date? You know when you’re free? How about this Friday?”

She looked back and forth between me and the end of the hallway. “yea...I have a softball game this week.”

“Oh okay. How about next week then?”

“I’ll be studying for finals.”

I nodded, my heart dropping to my stomach as I realized what she meant. “Oh okay then. Sorry. About... Y’know all of this. Thought that...nevermind,” I started to pace backward but bumped into an annoyed senior. “I mean like-see you around.” I nodded, but by then, she was already walking away. My mind was left a blank canvas, leaving me in the middle of a crowded hallway filled with cursing classmates mad a plus size freshman was in their way. It was Mira who pulled me back to my locker. My head was a heat-seeking missile, going straight for my locker door. It was probably too loud because through my assembling thoughts ready to chew me up about my failure, Mira was muttering to classmates. “Keep walking. Nothing to see. There you go.”

Humiliating wasn't the word for it. It was more like one of those dreams you had, y’know where you are naked in front of the whole class. That but you were slathered in cat pheromones and now a bunch of girl cats was ready to go to town on you. That kind of feeling. That's multiplied by two. By three. I couldn't feel anything. Only the impact of my head against my locker door. It took Daniel and Mira to grab me to prevent me from sending a fist through the brick next to me. “Ok ok ok. Thataboy. No need to be a simp’ about it. Proud of you man. “

“I...I’m so…”

“It happens. “ Mira rubbed my back. “Yep. Besides, you gotta explain to this guy why you damaged your locker.” Daniel said under his breath, then I heard a hall monitor yell over the chattering of students. Ugh. That’s the word. Ugh.

I yanked my head out of the locker. “How’s my hair look?”

“You afro is impeccably picked,” Mira said. “Gorgeous darling,” Mira grinned. 

“Great, at least I can be on point before I have ISS,” I said as I turned to meet the hall monitor. Great start to a great week. Great indeed.

.

.

.

She watched as the boy banged his head against the locker door. His friends were nice. Especially the Arab girl. A keeper for sure. Her straight forward attitude was admirable but would be a problem for the future. She knew Maximum would be fine. First crush rejection is always the hardest. Besides, it was for the best. Gaia wouldn't be able to handle a guy such as him. So it was a wise decision when she erased the girl’s memory and sent her on her merry way to class, oblivious to Malcolm’s secret and only remember him as the weird kid with a small twitch following and a modder on one of those role-playing games her guy friends always went on about. Her memory would be erased later on as well since she didn't know what Malcolm said to her. No traces. That’s what they taught her. Her new abilities helped with completing that objective. She grinned to herself, as she gathered her books then went on to class, ignoring the tall hall monitor heading Malcolm's way. She knew he would harm the boy. If he did, then he’d be dead the same day. That was her job. Nobody-nobody-was to harm Malcolm Chidike. It was that or death for them. Nobody could jeopardize the world’s first superhero.

He had a bright future ahead of him after all.