Blackwell

There is a very, very good chance that I'm going to go to jail, actually it's not so much a question as it's pretty much a guarantee, sooner or later people are going to ask questions about how we paid off our debts so quickly, about how were affording all of these new books, new computers, and new everything. They're going to ask questions about the trust I was able to set up for the school, about a lot of things. I've skirted so many laws, bent, begged, and overlooked things that this house of cards is more or less guaranteed to fall on my head.

I'm pretty sure it's going to be Sophia's fault but I'm not blameless either, but all I can do is give the kids a future, a fighting chance. It's not easy and it's not fun but I think I can turn Winslow around, I think... huh bugs, lots of bugs. I sipped my coffee and listened to the reverberating sound of mimicked voices. I was ok with this, the school would survive even if I wouldn't.

"If you're going to kill me, do it."

I sat down on the park bench and just enjoyed the sunset, it had been another day with a whole lot of paperwork.

"You arn't scared?"

Skitter... hm I heard about her, the good and the bad.

"I have to manage a school filled with gangmembers, I had to bury friends who dared to have discipline in their classes, I deal with people who try to sell pot, Meth and even cocaine at my school. I have had goddamned supervillains come in and threaten me in my office because one of their boys couldn't pass their classes. I'm too goddamned tired to be scared. So tell me what you want and if I disagree I will tell you to go fuck yourself. Be aware that I'm probably going to tell you to go fuck yourself."

There was some buzzing and she appeared out of a swarm.

"Why are you protecting Emma Barnes?"

I shrugged.

"Her dad's a lawyer, and the fucker has the ear of some of the most important people in the city. One of those people controls the funding the school recieves from the city and those pricks are always looking for an excuse to cut our funding, and give it to Arcadia. Thing is, the students I teach they can't get into Arcadia. If Winslow isn't around they're not going to have a chance."

"Winslow's a shithole."

"Yeah it is."

She tilted her head in surprise.

"What? I love the school, I dedicated most of my life to it, but it's like a family member with cancer. The condition's critical and the person who controls their medication is a prick who wants your baby to die. So you endure the insults, the slights, the general issues and fight so it lives."

I paused.

"I'm guessing she fucked you over, I would like to say that narrows down the list but honestly Emma is such an unbelievable cunt that you could be anyone."

Skitter seemed to be surprised.

"You don't like her?"

I took a sip of coffee.

"You know we're not that different you and I."

"We're nothing alike."

I stared at my cup, and decided to bullshit.

"Once there was this guy named Bill, Bill sells insurance, he works 50 hour weeks, his wife is sick and his boss is half his age. He's not getting overtime, he works those extra unpaid hours just to keep his job, because his boss cuts corners, and his family needs the money. The boss owns this magnificient Mustang that he calls 'the stang' because of course he does. Bill drives around in a beat up Pick up that's about to die."

I took another sip of coffee while Skitter stared at me.

"One day Bill gets bit by a radioactive pidgoen and gets pidgoen powers."

"That isn't how powers work."

"Roll with me, anyway this is the first good thing that has happened to Bill since his last kid was born, he's ecstatic. He flies around, he's happy and he goes to work. Then while he's at the gas station he notices his boss's car, that shiny perfect car bought with daddy's money and sees this massive wallet full of cash that junior's going to blow on drugs and hookers anyway. There are no security cameras and his wife's bills just keep getting larger."

I stopped.

"There are a million Bills in the world Skitter, smart money is that you're one of them, can't honestly say I'm any better I just don't have superpowers."

She seemed to be angry.

"It isn't fair."

"Yeah a lot of things in life aren't fair, I agree with you there. If you manage to find a way to change things please tell me because I'm doing the best I can with what at least 30 years on you and I'm still not able to change the world."

I looked down into my coffee.

"And I really wanted to do that, make things better, give kids a future worth having. Life has a way of pissing in your cheerios, doesn't it?"

I looked up.

"You're not worth it."

She turned around and vanished in a swarm of bugs, I looked at my coffee filled with flies and other things. I shrugged and took another sip, it was crunchy but I've had worse.