"Well, I don't think I know what to do with this information now." Of course Simon knew something was off with Bram- he's an incredibly cute, and incredibly smart boy. That combination should almost be illegal. Simon never thought something like this would ever happen.
Although, this story should start at the beginning, shouldn't it?
Of course Simon thought it would be another normal day- why wouldn't it be? He woke up dreading his alarm clock, brushed his teeth with Elliott Smith playing in the background, and poured himself a heaping bowl of Oreo-O's. So far, just like any other day.
Simon pulled into his parking space at school, Nora in the passenger's seat beside him. They parted ways as soon as they entered the doors of the school, and simon checked his phone. 15 minutes until school started- surprising. Normally, they get to school much, much later. Of course, Simon isn't complaining. Suddenly, for some strange reason, an overwhelming sense of dread washed over him. He couldn't shake the feeling. It was as if he was being… watched? Of course nobody feels comfortable in the halls of a high school, but this was much different.
"Yo, Spier!" A boisterous voice rang out as a hand clapped on Simon's back. Involuntarily, Simon jumped six feet into the air, and turned around. Garrett recoiled. "Woah, didn't mean to spook you."
"Oh, no, it wasn't you. What's up?" Simon asked, the cloud of tense energy lifting from his head.
"Ah, not much. Hey, have you seen Greenfeld or Eisner anywhere? Can't find them for the life of me." Garret asked nonchalantly. However, something seemed off with Garrett. Simon noticed the redness in his eyes and the slight dark circles. How much sleep as he gotten? Simon shook it off, thinking his mind was playing tricks on him.
"I just got here- couldn't tell you. Have you tried calling them?" Simon said. A snide look painted itself on Garrett's face.
"Spier, you're a genius! Why didn't I think of that." Garrett exclaimed incredulously. Garrett looked over Simon's shoulder, into the distance, as if he saw something.
"I uh… I gotta go, Spier. Catch ya later." Garrett said dismissively, before shooting off into the other direction.
"O-okay," Simon choked out, unable to make heads or tails of what was so important to Garrett. Simon checked his phone again. There was still seven minutes before class started. He decided that if he just went very, veeeeeeeeeery slowly, he could make the walk to Mr. Wise's class seven minutes long. Simon felt his phone buzz in his pocket, and took it out to see who it was. He saw a text from Leah.
U at the school yet???
Simon swiped to reply.
Yeah. Wbu?
In the front atrium
Omw
Simon started the journey to the front half of the school, passing through the maze of high-ceilinged hallways and minty green lockers. Simon was just glad to have a distraction from the seemingly never ending, oppressing atmosphere of unease around him.
Simon spotted Leah and immediately made a beeline in her direction. She had a stern look on her face and soon laid eyes on Simon.
As soon as they were within talking distance, Leah declared, "Dude, we need to talk." Simon looked at her quizzically. What is up with everyone today? "Don't tell me you haven't heard about the Big Blue yet? Not with how much I've talked about him."
Of course. "Is that why everyone's been acting so weird today?" Simon asked incredulously.
"Well, wouldn't you be freaked out if a burglar got suplexed by some kind of a magic vigilante?Right under your nose? Honestly, it's like we're living in an alternate universe or something." Leah's eyes lit up whenever she heard about the Big Blue- after all, it's like living in a comic book.
"Yeah, it is pretty freaking weird," Simon said. The first bell rang, signaling the end of their conversation. Simon waved Leah goodbye and hurried to english before the late bell. He took his seat next to Garrett and Nick on Mr. Wise's couch. Garrett fist bumped Simon as he sat down and Nick regarded him with a simple smile. The late bell rang as all the final stragglers ran into the classroom, and Mr. Wise began the day's lesson. Simon felt as if he could fall asleep, until he realized something- Bram Greenfeld was nowhere to be found. Oh, Bram. He's been in the background of Simon's life since freshman year, quiet, on the soccer team, smart, and hopelessly cute. Sometimes he thinks that combination should be illegal. It's a rare occasion for him to miss class. Simon felt his phone buzz gently in his pocket. He stealthily took it out of his pocket and took a look at the screen- a new alert. He saw the words "Big Blue" and immediately looked up to see everyone glancing at their phone screens and looking at each other with excited eyes. A thrilled din rose in the classroom, and Mr. Wise tried his best to calm the class down. The electric energy bursting through the classroom could not be assuaged. Simon read the headline further.
Big Blue Strikes Again- Local Grocery Store Saved From Gunpoint Robbery. Simon couldn't help but wonder- who alone could have so much courage? The temporary excitement from Big Blue faded as soon as it had appeared, and soon enough the bell had rung. Soon it was lunch, and Simon sat with the usual gang- Abby, Leah, Anna, Morgan, Nick, Garrett, and surprisingly enough Bram had shown up after all. Simon began to wonder if Bram was okay- he missed class this morning, and now at lunch he's barely eating and has dark circles under his eyes. He seemed constantly on edge, every little noise and movement making him jump. Halfway through lunch Simon dropped his ketchup packet, making a loud smack!, and Bram nearly fell from his seat.
Not long after, while everybody else talked about whatever new movie was in the box office or Big Blue, Simon turned to Bram and decided to break the silence. "Hey man, you okay?" He said, as tenderly as possible, so as to not scare Bram.
Bram started anyways. "Uh, er, what?" His voice had a brittle quality, stretched thin throughout the air, and he shook like a baby chihuahua.
"I mean, you just seem kind of… stressed out right now. Is everything alright?" Simon hated to see Bram suffering, even if they barely talk.
"Oh, uh… yeah. Just school." Bram choked out. Simon decided to take his word for it, not wanting to push Bram too far.
The rest of Simon's day went uneventfully, dragging his feet through math and science, all the way until the final bell rang. Simon met up with Nora and they both clamored into his car, driving back to their home. Bieber greeted them at the door, and everything was normal again. As Simon was doing homework, he stumbled onto YouTube and ended up seeing eyewitness videos of Big Blue. He had to admit, he was pretty cool… Simon couldn't help but feel attracted to him.
Well, who wouldn't?, he thought to himself. I mean, it's a freaking superhero! Simon knew he wasn't getting any homework done tonight. He decided he needed some fresh air. Simon went downstairs and put a leash on Bieber, then stepped out into the cool night air. It was early November, Simon felt the post-Halloween energy throughout the neighborhood as everybody prepared for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Simon decided to skip going to Nick's house and just be with his thoughts for a while. Simon had almost lost track of time, and when he finally snapped back into reality he was in an area he didn't quite recognize. He had probably only been in this part of town once or twice in his entire life. It was past dark, the night air sent a chill down Simon's spine. None of the street lifts were functioning. Bieber tugged slightly on the leash, whimpering to go back home.
And of course, that's when Simon felt strong hands grab his shoulder, when Bieber started barking and ran off into the night, when Simon felt himself be taken down by an unknown force. A ski-masked face looked down at Simon as he lay on the ground, helpless. The unknown man had his knife drawn, looming over Simon.
"Where's your wallet?" he hissed, brandishing the knife.
And of course, that's when Simon's vision got filled with blue light, and the masked man screamed outside of Simon's vision. He sat up quickly, looking around to see the thug pinned against a wall by a lean figure, prickling with electricity. Big Blue.
"What the hell?" Simon muttered, and both Big Blue and the masked thug directed their attention to Simon. Big Blue straightened up, and let go of the man, who scurried back into the night. Simon heaved himself onto his feet, and quickly realized that Big Blue was making his way towards Simon. "Oh, uh, thanks for… saving my life." Simon stuck out his hand for Big Blue to shake. From this angle, he seemed much more human- not as confident and badass as he is on the eyewitness videos- he appeared more… timid, hesitant to shake Simon's hand.
"Er… uh…" Big Blue spoke gently, awkwardly, as if he were struggling to say something. His voice felt familiar, but Simon couldn't see his face through his Power-Rangers-esque mask. Suddenly, Big Blue reached up his gloved hand and lifted the front part of his mask- revealing a familiar face. Simon choked.
"Oh. Bram?"
"Uh… hey." Bram seemed surprised at himself for his sudden identity reveal. "You sound disappointed." He said dejectedly.
"Oh, not at all. This is actually freaking cool." Simon felt his cheeks heat up as he looked into Bram's dark eyes. He couldn't help but look at his lips. Bram noticed, and took a deep breath.
And soon enough, Big Blue- er, Bram- got closer and closer, gently, awkwardly, until Simon felt fireworks on his lips and magic spread through his whole body.
"Well, I don't think I know what to do with this information now." Of course Simon knew something was off with Bram- he's an incredibly cute, and incredibly smart boy. That combination should almost be illegal. Simon never thought something like this would ever happen.
