(Ch 6)

Graduation Day…

Max had been at the school for a while now. The ceremony didn't start until 7PM tonight, but she couldn't stay at home. She knew her parents were trying to do what they could for her, but it wasn't working. All she wanted them to do was go back to wherever they came from. She had been doing fine in life without. She sighed as she backed away from the computer, shut it down, got up, and left the school.

She saw the smiling face of her boyfriend, leaning against his car. Did her sister talk to him before she could? There was only one way to find out. "Hey Terry, what are you doing here?"

"I thought I might find you here, and I talked to your sister this morning."

"Oh, that's just great."

"She told me you were cheating on me with Batman." He laughed. "You have to admit its kind of funny."

"Oh yes McGinnis, it's down right hilarious that's why I'm laughing."

"I'll be more careful next time, I promise." He observed her body language. She seemed on edge, and he knew he wasn't the only reason she felt this way. "I think you need to relax, Max. You're so tense."

"Yeah I know."

"Let me help you relax."

"What do you propose?" She smiled.

The Arcade…

Max took off her helmet and did her victory dance. She had beat Terry on every game in the arcade including this one. Terry smiled as she did her dance. He was glad she is relaxed. "You feel better?"

"Much better, thanks Ter." She hugged him, and she felt his arms go around her, holding her close.

"Anytime."

Matt had just come into the arcade with his friend Danny who spotted the couple hugging. "Hey Matt, isn't that your brother hugging that girl."

He looked Danny's way. "Yeah, her name's Max. She's really cool."

"So, are they together or something because they aren't letting go of each other?"

Matt noticed the content smile on his brother's face. "It looks that way."

"It certainly does." Matt turned to see his mother. "Are you two ready for some ice cream?"

"Yeah, they both screamed at the same time."

The arcade was getting packed, so Terry and Max decided to leave. As they walked out into the parking lot, they saw a familiar face. It was Bruce, and his dog Ace. "Something's definitely up," said Terry.

"I'll say he came all the way here." Ace went right up to her, so she knelt and pet him.

"Another note has come up," said Bruce. He handed to Terry.

"They're only trying to kill one person," said Terry.

"There's only one person I can think of," said Bruce.

Hamilton Hill High School Graduation…

Terry couldn't help but observe his surroundings. Bruce hadn't been able to pinpoint the culprit, but he would make sure he was on his guard. He couldn't help but be worried. Someone knew his identity, someone knew he was Batman. He started to frown. It was too risky to be here. People could get hurt just because he was a target. Maybe he should leave and hope the villain would follow him.

"Terry." He spotted Bruce heading his way.

"I'm thinking of drawing the villain away from here. There are too many people here, and I don't want someone getting hurt on my account."

"That's sounds like a smart idea, McGinnis," said Max. "Just be back before they call your name." Bruce left the two alone to talk.

Terry smiled at her. "You look beautiful, Max." He felt her arms wrap around his neck.

"Trying to charm me?"

"Is it working?"

"It depends—." She brought her lips inches from his. "What are you offering me?" She looked into his eyes.

His kiss felt different from it had other times. It was sweet and gentle, and she returned the kiss in the same way. It became more heated after that. They pulled apart to catch their breaths. They smiled at

each other.

The ceremony was about to begin as the principal came to the podium to make his speech. Max looked from the stage to Terry's serious eyes. She knew it was time for him to go. "Be careful McGinnis, and kick ass."

"Don't I always." He kissed her one last time on the cheek before he disappeared from the school. She joined her fellow classmates and tried to get her mind off Terry, but she couldn't. She had a feeling deep in the pit of her stomach that something wasn't right. After she gave her valedictorian speech, she looked to her family and Terry's. She smiled at them as students were going up to receive their diplomas.

"Maxine Gibson." She went up, shook the principal's hand, and took her diploma. Before she could step down from the stage, a shot was fired and immediately Max's eyes went to Bruce's troubled ones. She ran off the stage and into the direction they were coming from. She didn't hear the voices screaming out to her to wait.

She didn't know what she was going to find, but she had to know what happened, good or bad. The shots went silent, and she heard footsteps running away. A sense of dread filled her as she felt herself trembling. 'It was nothing,' she thought. Guns had always made her nervous, but these shots shook her for some reason.

As she rounded the corner of a bush, she thought her heart stopped as she found her boyfriend lying on the earth with blood coming from his chest. He hadn't time to change into Batman before he was shot. He was unconscious as Max fell to the ground beside his unmoving body. Her hands shook as she felt for a pulse. There was none and all she could do was sit there calmly, letting the tears run down her face. The only man she had ever loved and who loved her in return was dead.

"Terry, please! You can't abandon me." She shook him. "Please wake up, you've got your family. They need you, please!" No response. She tried CPR, and it was no use. She called 911, but she knew in her mind that he was gone. "Terry! TERRY!"

Maxine's Apartment…

"TERRY!" She sat up in her bedding, breathing heavily. She felt the tears on her face. "I—It was just a dream. Thank goodness." She lied back down but couldn't shake how the dream made her feel. Then a realization came to her. "It was all just a dream." She couldn't help but feel disappointed as she looked at her clock, 3AM. School was tomorrow. How was she supposed to keep it together? It's not everyday you have a dream of your friend being shot to death. "You can do it girl," she said to herself. "You're smart. You'll just hide it like you hide everything else." Some how that didn't make her feel better but she knew it was what she had to do to keep herself protected. An hour later she was able to drift off to sleep. She knew she would be extremely tired tomorrow, but she had to try to get what sleep she could.