"You spent the whole evening with her?" Max says, almost shouting. Our
Chemistry teacher turns around for a moment, and then goes back to what he
was writing on the board.
"Wake the dead, why don't you. Yes, surprisingly enough we had a conversation without her threatening to hit me." I glance back at the girl myself. Lydia Meraviglia sits in her chair, looking as though she's incredibly interested in the problems written on the board. I'm probably the only one who knows that behind that face of pure scholastic interest, there's nothing but anger and some very strange thoughts running around in her head. If the teacher could see through it, he'd probably throw her out in horror.
"Dana would hit the roof if she knew you were out with another girl at night." Max says teasingly.
"Cut it out. Dana's not going to hit the roof because she's not going to find out." At least, I hope she doesn't find out. Not that I have anything to hide.
Except maybe the fact that I actually enjoyed the civil conversation I shared with Lydia Meraviglia last night.
"Perhaps, Mr. McGinnis, you could enlighten the rest of us with just what is so enthralling that you would listen to it over my class?" The teacher says, glaring up at me from the front. This guy's never liked me.
"Nothing sir."
"Then perhaps you could tell us the answer to my question?" I stare at it. I can save hundreds of people from certain death, destroy genetically engineered monsters, and fly around the city as a powerful superhero, but I have no chance whatsoever of figuring out what he asked me. The teacher waits barely long enough for me to read the problem, then immediately throws his hands up in the air.
"You never have the answers, do you McGinnis?" This guy not only doesn't like me, he hates me.
"I'm sorry sir-"
"You know, a couple years ago, when you were involved in that nasty business with that gang of yours, I pushed for your expulsion. But the school wouldn't listen to me." He still thinks I'm that messed up kid who ran with the wrong crowd, who was feared and admired for all the wrong reasons, and could have you roughed up if you looked sideways at him. I'm not, and many people know that.
But there's still some who don't.
"Maybe if you had spent less time doing such terrible things, and more time trying to live up to the kind of man your father was, you'd have- "
"Leave him alone." Every head in the classroom turns. It's Lydia. She says it clearly, but without a trace of hesitation or anger. Almost emotionless. But the sweet, fearless smile on her face tells me otherwise.
"Perhaps, Miss Meraviglia, if you feel so inclined to stand up for Mr. McGinnis, you would also feel inclined to answer the question he couldn't. Who came up with the idea of asexual reproduction?"
"Your wife?"
Is she suicidal?
Her answer not only silences the teacher, it silences the classroom. I almost laugh, but Max jabs me sharply in the side with her elbow. The teacher sputters for words for a moment, and then finally finds them.
"Get out. Get your stuff and get out. Go down to the principal's office, now." Lydia smiles brightly at him. Oddly timed smiles seem to be her weapons of choice, along with biting insults delivered in a sickeningly sweet way. She rises and exits the classroom. The teacher spends the last 10 minutes trying to regain his composure, but by the time he does, the bell's already rung. Max and I leave the classroom. Lydia is leaning against the lockers next to the door. Clearly she's got no intention of going to the principal's office.
"You're insane. Do you know that?" I say, coming up to her.
"I just saved your butt, McGinnis." She says, staring at me. "You owe me big time." Just when you think you have the upper hand, that you've triumphed over her, she swoops in and somehow turns it back into her favor. I wasn't allowed to even try to help her, but here she is proclaiming that she's rescued me?
Which is true.
"I could have handled that." She keeps staring.
"Fine. Thanks."
"Everyone needs help. You're only Terry McGinnis, not Batman." She replies, those brown eyes of her almost seeming to laugh at me. If eyes could laugh.
"I guess I do owe you."
"Lap dance in the suit and we'll call it even." I start to laugh, but stop when I notice that she hasn't batted an eyelid.
"You're not serious."
"Try me." I have to smile. Sure, she's insane and has a gift for causing chaos, but she also has an uncanny ability to make me laugh. She's also pretty fearless.
And just plain pretty.
"Terry?" Dana stands there, glaring at me. Well, not so much at me, but at Lydia.
"I'm coming." Dana steps a few feet away, waiting for me to finish. Lydia rolls her eyes at me and I have to stifle another laugh.
"Slave to the inexorable girlfriend I see."
"Believe me; dating me isn't for the faint of heart."
"I'd believe it. I'll see you later, McGinnis." Lydia murmurs, turning and walking off. I shake my head and walk up to Dana.
"So you two are getting pretty close." She says. The tone in her voice could make hell freeze over.
"She's got it tough Dana. Just moved here from a whole other country, her dad's not around, her mom's dead. It wouldn't hurt to be nice to her."
"It wouldn't hurt to be nice to me either." She says, shrugging off my arm.
"Dana come on don't be like that." I'm so sick of this. It's the exact same routine, over and over and over again. First she says.
"No, Terry, I have the right to be upset with you! Christ, you're never ever around, always working!" Then I counter with.
"I need to work, Dana! I don't have a choice! You know that." And here comes the.
"I'm sick of it Terry! You need to decide what's more important- me or your stupid job." She glances behind her at the shrinking form of Lydia Meraviglia.
"Or your new friends."
********************************************************* Yeah, I know I ripped it off from War Games. Wonderful film and an excellent joke and it started out that I was just putting it in so I could continue the story and I was going to go back and change it to something of the same elk, but then I liked it so much I left it in there lol.
"Wake the dead, why don't you. Yes, surprisingly enough we had a conversation without her threatening to hit me." I glance back at the girl myself. Lydia Meraviglia sits in her chair, looking as though she's incredibly interested in the problems written on the board. I'm probably the only one who knows that behind that face of pure scholastic interest, there's nothing but anger and some very strange thoughts running around in her head. If the teacher could see through it, he'd probably throw her out in horror.
"Dana would hit the roof if she knew you were out with another girl at night." Max says teasingly.
"Cut it out. Dana's not going to hit the roof because she's not going to find out." At least, I hope she doesn't find out. Not that I have anything to hide.
Except maybe the fact that I actually enjoyed the civil conversation I shared with Lydia Meraviglia last night.
"Perhaps, Mr. McGinnis, you could enlighten the rest of us with just what is so enthralling that you would listen to it over my class?" The teacher says, glaring up at me from the front. This guy's never liked me.
"Nothing sir."
"Then perhaps you could tell us the answer to my question?" I stare at it. I can save hundreds of people from certain death, destroy genetically engineered monsters, and fly around the city as a powerful superhero, but I have no chance whatsoever of figuring out what he asked me. The teacher waits barely long enough for me to read the problem, then immediately throws his hands up in the air.
"You never have the answers, do you McGinnis?" This guy not only doesn't like me, he hates me.
"I'm sorry sir-"
"You know, a couple years ago, when you were involved in that nasty business with that gang of yours, I pushed for your expulsion. But the school wouldn't listen to me." He still thinks I'm that messed up kid who ran with the wrong crowd, who was feared and admired for all the wrong reasons, and could have you roughed up if you looked sideways at him. I'm not, and many people know that.
But there's still some who don't.
"Maybe if you had spent less time doing such terrible things, and more time trying to live up to the kind of man your father was, you'd have- "
"Leave him alone." Every head in the classroom turns. It's Lydia. She says it clearly, but without a trace of hesitation or anger. Almost emotionless. But the sweet, fearless smile on her face tells me otherwise.
"Perhaps, Miss Meraviglia, if you feel so inclined to stand up for Mr. McGinnis, you would also feel inclined to answer the question he couldn't. Who came up with the idea of asexual reproduction?"
"Your wife?"
Is she suicidal?
Her answer not only silences the teacher, it silences the classroom. I almost laugh, but Max jabs me sharply in the side with her elbow. The teacher sputters for words for a moment, and then finally finds them.
"Get out. Get your stuff and get out. Go down to the principal's office, now." Lydia smiles brightly at him. Oddly timed smiles seem to be her weapons of choice, along with biting insults delivered in a sickeningly sweet way. She rises and exits the classroom. The teacher spends the last 10 minutes trying to regain his composure, but by the time he does, the bell's already rung. Max and I leave the classroom. Lydia is leaning against the lockers next to the door. Clearly she's got no intention of going to the principal's office.
"You're insane. Do you know that?" I say, coming up to her.
"I just saved your butt, McGinnis." She says, staring at me. "You owe me big time." Just when you think you have the upper hand, that you've triumphed over her, she swoops in and somehow turns it back into her favor. I wasn't allowed to even try to help her, but here she is proclaiming that she's rescued me?
Which is true.
"I could have handled that." She keeps staring.
"Fine. Thanks."
"Everyone needs help. You're only Terry McGinnis, not Batman." She replies, those brown eyes of her almost seeming to laugh at me. If eyes could laugh.
"I guess I do owe you."
"Lap dance in the suit and we'll call it even." I start to laugh, but stop when I notice that she hasn't batted an eyelid.
"You're not serious."
"Try me." I have to smile. Sure, she's insane and has a gift for causing chaos, but she also has an uncanny ability to make me laugh. She's also pretty fearless.
And just plain pretty.
"Terry?" Dana stands there, glaring at me. Well, not so much at me, but at Lydia.
"I'm coming." Dana steps a few feet away, waiting for me to finish. Lydia rolls her eyes at me and I have to stifle another laugh.
"Slave to the inexorable girlfriend I see."
"Believe me; dating me isn't for the faint of heart."
"I'd believe it. I'll see you later, McGinnis." Lydia murmurs, turning and walking off. I shake my head and walk up to Dana.
"So you two are getting pretty close." She says. The tone in her voice could make hell freeze over.
"She's got it tough Dana. Just moved here from a whole other country, her dad's not around, her mom's dead. It wouldn't hurt to be nice to her."
"It wouldn't hurt to be nice to me either." She says, shrugging off my arm.
"Dana come on don't be like that." I'm so sick of this. It's the exact same routine, over and over and over again. First she says.
"No, Terry, I have the right to be upset with you! Christ, you're never ever around, always working!" Then I counter with.
"I need to work, Dana! I don't have a choice! You know that." And here comes the.
"I'm sick of it Terry! You need to decide what's more important- me or your stupid job." She glances behind her at the shrinking form of Lydia Meraviglia.
"Or your new friends."
********************************************************* Yeah, I know I ripped it off from War Games. Wonderful film and an excellent joke and it started out that I was just putting it in so I could continue the story and I was going to go back and change it to something of the same elk, but then I liked it so much I left it in there lol.