"Mr. McGinnis." I look up. 20 teenagers and one smirking teacher stare at
me.
"Were you planning on answering the question, Mr. McGinnis?" I sit up.
"That would depend on what the question was. What was the question?" The class giggles. The teacher himself has to grin, but he allows it only for a second.
"Never mind. Do try to pay attention. Terry." With only about 10 minutes left in the class, there's not much more to pay attention to. Nevertheless I attempt to absorb some of what he's saying until the bell rings. School's about the only social life I have left. I'm out risking my neck for my nine- to-five, only my nine-to-five is a.m. Very a.m.
"Ah, there's my long-lost boyfriend." Dana chirps as she sidles up against me.
"Hey Dana."
"So are we going out tonight, or are you still a slave to the old guy?" Do I tell her the truth, that I'm probably not going out tonight, that I probably never will able to go out again until maybe sometime around Christmas? Or do I tell her sure and blow off Wayne and Batman? Although blowing off one is like blowing off the other.
"I'll be there. I can't guarantee I'll be awake, but I'll be there." Better to die happy then to die otherwise- Either way I'm trapped. Dana smiles, but not before trying to move me out of the way of someone I'm about to walk into.
"Terry watch out!" I bump right into a girl, knocking down all her books. Both Dana and I bend to help her retrieve them.
"Sorry about that." The girl glances up at me. She's got dark features, but has a disarming smile that she uses on me to its full effect.
An effect it probably shouldn't have on me considering I have a girlfriend.
"No problem. No problem at all." She murmurs in a slightly accented voice and walks away.
"Who is that?" Dana sighs.
"I think that's the new girl, Lydia Meraviglia." Lydia. The name sort of rolls off her tongue, despite the snide way she says it.
"Oh yeah. Rumor has it she moved all the way from Italy."
"Rumor also has it she's already a total slut." Dana replies. "But you're going to be there tonight?"
"Yeah, I'll be there."
"You promise?"
"If I have to knock the guy out with his own cane, I'll be there." Not like I ever would. Or could.
**************************************************************
"McGinnis!" Wayne roars in my ear. I move away from Dana towards the table, trying to escape the dancers and pounding music.
I should have known it wouldn't be this easy.
"Yeah Wayne?"
"Where the hell are you?"
"Out."
"That's it?" My vague answer angers him. How ironic.
"Get over here now!" For a moment I think of resisting, telling Wayne to get some sleep for one night in his life, and getting back to the life of a teenager.
Dad.
Then I change my mind.
"Fine. Give me 10 minutes." Wayne hangs up without even trying to shorten my time. I move back to Dana, rubbing my neck ruefully.
She's gonna kill me.
"What happened to you?" She yells over the cacophony of the club.
"Wayne called." This has happened so often that Dana doesn't even need anymore explanation on my part. She's already got her hand on her hip and that pissed off expression on her face.
"Christ Terry." She snaps and storms off.
"Dana." I mutter, barely even trying to stop her. I can't do anything right in her eyes. She never understands that I can't be the attentive, normal boyfriend. Even when I do fight for her, my reward is this: A night of being made to feel guilty for not fighting even more.
I'm increasingly getting tired of fighting for her at all. Much less fighting with her.
I turn to leave, but stop to observe an extremely odd sight: Meraviglia, the new girl, is dancing atop one of the tables. 5 guys have got their hands all over her. And she's laughing. Dana's hearsay was right. For once.
I want to help her.
To tell her that she's throwing it all away, that this is no way to live your life.
But I don't have the right to tell anyone that.
There is a sudden crash. I blink, and Nelson Nash is lying on the ground. Meraviglia stands above him, her fists clenched and her eyes hateful. The room is silent except for the music.
"What the hell's wrong with you?" Nash demands, pulling himself up.
"You're what's wrong with me." She replies.
"I was just getting some, like any other living thing that walks would get with you." Meraviglia does not seem to notice the small crowd that has gathered around them. Her eyes glare into Nelson.
"Bastardo." She hisses in Italian. Silence. I hold my breath.
"Bastardo." He repeats mockingly, stepping closer to her.
"El whore-o." Meraviglia explodes. Her foot shoots out, kicking him in the mouth. He falls back a bit. I doubt anyone, much less a girl, has ever dared to punch Nelson unless he punched first. He looks back at her, both surprise and rage in his features.
Do I stop the fight?
Do I interfere?
Is it my responsibility?
I leave the new girl and Nash to their fight and move towards my bike. Wayne wouldn't approve of it. Batman's got more important things to do.
Only somehow I feel like I'm passing up helping this new girl to help 100 others.
"Were you planning on answering the question, Mr. McGinnis?" I sit up.
"That would depend on what the question was. What was the question?" The class giggles. The teacher himself has to grin, but he allows it only for a second.
"Never mind. Do try to pay attention. Terry." With only about 10 minutes left in the class, there's not much more to pay attention to. Nevertheless I attempt to absorb some of what he's saying until the bell rings. School's about the only social life I have left. I'm out risking my neck for my nine- to-five, only my nine-to-five is a.m. Very a.m.
"Ah, there's my long-lost boyfriend." Dana chirps as she sidles up against me.
"Hey Dana."
"So are we going out tonight, or are you still a slave to the old guy?" Do I tell her the truth, that I'm probably not going out tonight, that I probably never will able to go out again until maybe sometime around Christmas? Or do I tell her sure and blow off Wayne and Batman? Although blowing off one is like blowing off the other.
"I'll be there. I can't guarantee I'll be awake, but I'll be there." Better to die happy then to die otherwise- Either way I'm trapped. Dana smiles, but not before trying to move me out of the way of someone I'm about to walk into.
"Terry watch out!" I bump right into a girl, knocking down all her books. Both Dana and I bend to help her retrieve them.
"Sorry about that." The girl glances up at me. She's got dark features, but has a disarming smile that she uses on me to its full effect.
An effect it probably shouldn't have on me considering I have a girlfriend.
"No problem. No problem at all." She murmurs in a slightly accented voice and walks away.
"Who is that?" Dana sighs.
"I think that's the new girl, Lydia Meraviglia." Lydia. The name sort of rolls off her tongue, despite the snide way she says it.
"Oh yeah. Rumor has it she moved all the way from Italy."
"Rumor also has it she's already a total slut." Dana replies. "But you're going to be there tonight?"
"Yeah, I'll be there."
"You promise?"
"If I have to knock the guy out with his own cane, I'll be there." Not like I ever would. Or could.
**************************************************************
"McGinnis!" Wayne roars in my ear. I move away from Dana towards the table, trying to escape the dancers and pounding music.
I should have known it wouldn't be this easy.
"Yeah Wayne?"
"Where the hell are you?"
"Out."
"That's it?" My vague answer angers him. How ironic.
"Get over here now!" For a moment I think of resisting, telling Wayne to get some sleep for one night in his life, and getting back to the life of a teenager.
Dad.
Then I change my mind.
"Fine. Give me 10 minutes." Wayne hangs up without even trying to shorten my time. I move back to Dana, rubbing my neck ruefully.
She's gonna kill me.
"What happened to you?" She yells over the cacophony of the club.
"Wayne called." This has happened so often that Dana doesn't even need anymore explanation on my part. She's already got her hand on her hip and that pissed off expression on her face.
"Christ Terry." She snaps and storms off.
"Dana." I mutter, barely even trying to stop her. I can't do anything right in her eyes. She never understands that I can't be the attentive, normal boyfriend. Even when I do fight for her, my reward is this: A night of being made to feel guilty for not fighting even more.
I'm increasingly getting tired of fighting for her at all. Much less fighting with her.
I turn to leave, but stop to observe an extremely odd sight: Meraviglia, the new girl, is dancing atop one of the tables. 5 guys have got their hands all over her. And she's laughing. Dana's hearsay was right. For once.
I want to help her.
To tell her that she's throwing it all away, that this is no way to live your life.
But I don't have the right to tell anyone that.
There is a sudden crash. I blink, and Nelson Nash is lying on the ground. Meraviglia stands above him, her fists clenched and her eyes hateful. The room is silent except for the music.
"What the hell's wrong with you?" Nash demands, pulling himself up.
"You're what's wrong with me." She replies.
"I was just getting some, like any other living thing that walks would get with you." Meraviglia does not seem to notice the small crowd that has gathered around them. Her eyes glare into Nelson.
"Bastardo." She hisses in Italian. Silence. I hold my breath.
"Bastardo." He repeats mockingly, stepping closer to her.
"El whore-o." Meraviglia explodes. Her foot shoots out, kicking him in the mouth. He falls back a bit. I doubt anyone, much less a girl, has ever dared to punch Nelson unless he punched first. He looks back at her, both surprise and rage in his features.
Do I stop the fight?
Do I interfere?
Is it my responsibility?
I leave the new girl and Nash to their fight and move towards my bike. Wayne wouldn't approve of it. Batman's got more important things to do.
Only somehow I feel like I'm passing up helping this new girl to help 100 others.