As usual, I own nothing in this story. All hail the great Craig Bartlett and Snee-Oosh for allowing us to play in their playground.
Peter Parker once said: "With great power comes great responsibility".
Actually his Uncle Ben told him that and apparently Uncle Ben heard it from Franklin D. Roosevelt who is, if you ask my grandmother, a superhero in his own right.
Which all circles back to me and this story.
Super powers are usually only found in the comic books or movies. There might be a joke between friends about alleged "superpowers" but usually it's the power to always miss the red traffic lights or get out of traffic tickets, or the ability to play a boss or a teacher without ever getting caught. They're never cool super powers like flying or web slinging or super soldier serum.
Then there's me. And my supposed superpower.
According to a kid in my world history class my superpower is the ability to prevent the Valkyrie from beginning Rangnarok.
Which I think, in non-geek terms, means I have the ability to stare down a raging lioness, calm her down and escape unscathed.
Which in real speak translates to I am the only person in this school who can get Helga Pataki to back down when she's furious.
And just like any good superhero, I didn't ask for these powers, they were given to me.
With great power comes great responsibility.
Unlike most superpowers, I didn't just suddenly know I had it. The realization crept upon me slowly. In fact, I think others noticed it way before I did.
Also, not like a superpower.
It started in our sophomore year. Gerald and I were walking across campus to get to lunch when this strange dark haired kid I've never seen before runs up to us, gasping for breath.
"You Arnold Shortman?" he asked, still gasping. Gerald and I shared a confused look.
"Um…yeah."
The kids waved towards the gym. "I was sent to find you. You gotta stop her before she pummels Harrison Smitz into dirt and gets a suspension."
Harrison Smitz was the smarmiest Senior in our school. He five times over needed his ass beat, but nobody I knew was going to do it. And I didn't know who this mysterious she was and told him as such.
But the kid would not be deterred.
"Rhonda sent me. She said you gotta stop Helga."
Gerald reacted before what the kid has said had sunken in.
"Ah man, Rhonda sent you? It must be bad." He tugged on my sleeve. "Come on Arnold, I want to see Helga take down Harrison Smitz!"
"What? No!" I looked at the kid. "Where are they?"
Taking a deep breath, the kid turned and began running back towards the gym, Gerald and I chasing after him.
Sure enough, as we entered the gym, we heard the commotion.
Harold, of all people, was holding Helga back. A few feet away from her Harrison Smitz watched her warily, blood dripping from his nose.
"Keep that psycho bitch away from me!" he yelled.
Helga snarled and lunged towards him, Harold barely able to hold onto her. Behind Harold, Rhonda watched anxiously, holding her arm.
"Let me go Harold!" she snarled. "I'm just going to rip his arm off!"
Gerald and the kid stopped, taking in the scene but I kept going. Not worried about Smitz or the scene around us, my attention was focused on the wild animal that was Helga, straining against Harold's grip. I hurried my steps and stepped in between the two. She snarled again, tugging against Harold's arms, her eyes planted firmly on Harrison's jugular.
She was terrifying. Helga had always been a tough girl but even now, at five ten and 120 lbs, she may not look like much, but if she got mad, like really mad -somewhere past livid- she could easily take down a guy almost topping two hundred pounds of muscle. I'd seen her topple Harold in my time. She didn't fight fair, and she always won.
Truth be told, if she got free of Harold, I was a little worried for Harrison.
I took a step forward, my eyes on her, carefully approaching her as I would a wild tiger.
Gerald always said I was a brave kid.
I finally got to where I was in her direct line of vision and reached out to place a hand on her arm.
"Helga." I said.
That's all it took. The snarling stopped and she turned her attention to me.
Harold looked a little relieved.
I didn't take my eyes from her. "He's not worth it."
"Did you see Rhonda's arm?" she exclaimed. She tugged against Harold's arm but it was almost half-hearted now. "That douchenozzle left marks!"
"Harold, get Rhonda to the nurse's office." I said. I didn't dare look over to Rhonda. One doesn't take their eyes away from a predator when facing them. Harold, for his part, look unsure.
"That means I'd have to let go."
"It's okay. Helga isn't going to do anything, are you Helga?"
Just to make sure, I stood directly in front of her, my other hand touching her other arm. I could see her almost visibly back down.
"I don't want you to get suspended." I continued, my voice remaining calm. "He isn't worth it. He'll get his."
Her eyes remained on me, and she lifted her lip in a half-hearted snarl. "He has fifteen seconds to get the hell out of my sight."
"Gerald?" I called out, still not breaking our gaze.
"On it!" I could trust him to back me up while I tried to calm Helga down. Behind me I could hear Gerald arguing with the guy.
"Man, don't say another word. You want your face pounded in? Just shut up and be thankful you're getting out of here with your dignity intact."
I could tell when Harrison was completely out of the building because Helga finally relaxed. She let out a deep breath and gave me a glare that had no force behind it.
"Jerk isn't worth getting suspended over."
I smiled. "Nope. Come on, let go grab some lunch."
Like a shadow, Phoebe appeared beside her. "A most comforting idea. Helga, I believe it is pizza day."
And like that Helga was back to herself. She let out a huff and shrugged.
"Sounds good. I'm starving."
That was the beginning.
No lightning, no magic words or ancient curse. No radioactive mutation.
It took a couple more times before the true scope of my newfound superpower became apparent to me, but, of course, by that time everyone else had already figured it out.
Including Helga.
Even so, it was like she was powerless to stop it. I could see it in her eyes one time as I stood between her and the latest person careless enough to invoke her rage.
Her blue eyes shown with an intense, wild fury. I watched it drain once she focused on me. She tried to fight it and for one very brief second I thought I was getting pushed aside in favor of her pounding someone but, in the end, I could see the anger slowly leave those blue eyes.
It was in that moment I truly understood the amount of power I held.
The incredibly amount of power she allowed me to hold over her.
A less responsible person would wield that power to their advantage.
But then again, a less responsible person wouldn't have access to this power to wield.
So it continued, the dangerous balancing act nobody ever spoke about aloud but, over the next two years of our school career, had grown into rumor and legend of such caliber that Fuzzy Slippers himself would have kept the tale.
There's another saying: "Absolute power corrupts absolutely."
A quote from Lord John Action, yes a real person, that was rearranged to describe the Dark Phoenix.
It always goes back to Superheroes.
Not that I am at all corruptible.
I will always believe that people are inherently good.
But…
Everyone has their limits, right?
It was finally spring of our Senior year.
Winter had given up, the trees were turning green and we were all beginning to come down with Senioritis.
I'd thrown my books in my locker while Gerald leaned against the locker next to mine discussing how he was planning his "Promposal" to Phoebe.
Prom.
I hadn't even given the event an ounce of thought.
"Are you Arnold?"
"Mmmmm, you know it's Spring when Pataki gets into her first fight of the season." Gerald joked, pushing away from the locker. I sighed heavily as I shut my locker door.
I don't know how Peter Parker does it.
"Where is she?" Gerald asked the kid.
"Courtyard," Came the answer as the kid jogged to keep up with us as he headed that direction. "I was told to hurry. She's going to kill him."
Gerald and I hurried our pace, pushing through the double doors that led to the courtyard. We pushed through the crowd of kids and I pushed aside the last spectator to stumble into the clearing.
The fight had already started.
Helga was on this guy's back, choking him with his own polo shirt. I raced forward and grabbing her by the waist, pulled. It took a couple of pulls but finally she let go and the three of us toppled over.
I held onto her, trying to get into her line of sight without getting clocked as she thrashed, screaming insults and vulgarities at the guy climbing to his feet.
I finally managed to get to my feet, and stand in front of her, both hands on her shoulders.
"Helga!" I shouted at her, trying to get her to look at me.
Her nose was bloody, her cheek was swollen and her eyes were wild. But she recognized I was there, and my light grip was enough to keep her from launching at the guy again.
"It's not worth it Helga." I said loud enough for her to hear me. "He's not worth it. Just walk away."
She looked at me then. Her eyes were red and behind the anger was something else.
Sadness.
"Arnold."
For the first time ever, I looked away from her, because the tone in Gerald's voice demanded it. I didn't get a good look at the shaking bundle in his arms but the flash of images I did see: Dirt, ripped blue shirt, terrified sobs. It told a story.
The guy behind me filled in the rest.
"Fucking bitch, you need to be put down. Keep your damn nose out of my business."
The sound of someone spitting behind me as I looked back to Helga.
She was shaking.
"Your goddamn orphan charity case needs to tighten your leash. Maybe if you got laid you wouldn't be so goddamn frigid."
Our eyes met once more. Mine shocked, hers pleading for me to understand.
And in that moment something passed between us.
Remember what I said about limits?
I let go.
I'm not sure if she realized until I took a step back, our eyes still locked. The pleading look turned curious.
I lifted my hands up and out to show her I no longer held her back and then said one word.
"Go."
With one last look, those blue eyes turned feral again and alighted back upon the idiot who dared hurt her best friend. With a roar she shot past me and attacked the already bloody guy who was now trying to back pedal and escape.
I unleashed the Valkyrie.
I uncaged the raging lioness.
I chanced a glance back at Phoebe still wrapped protectively in Gerald's arms and saw a hint of perverse satisfaction behind her bent frames as we watched Helga proceeded to pound some respect into the now begging guy.
With great power comes great responsibility
And I take my responsibility very seriously.