Two nights ago:
I run down the stairs, almost tripping as I do, gasping for breath as I finally reach Wayne. I'm a half hour late.
"Where's the fire?" Wayne mutters blandly, staring up at me from his chair, that disapproving look of stone on his face.
"I'm sorry." I wheeze.
Yesterday evening:
I peek around the corner. Wayne isn't in the chair. Maybe, just maybe I can sneak into the suit, in the car, and be out being Batman before the old guy realizes I'm late.
"I hope you're not planning on making a habit out of this McGinnis." Wayne says, stepping out from the shadows.
Tonight:
Tonight's the same story- I don't even bother to try and hide myself from Wayne, nor run to make myself a few more seconds on time.
"You're late." Wayne says, staring at the screen. It's maybe the first time I've heard him state the obvious. It's the 3rd night in a row that I've been late, and the annoyance in his voice tells me that he's not going to put up with it much longer.
"I could apologize, but I know you'd say that sorry doesn't fix things." I almost know the guy as well as he knows everything else. Wayne turns around.
"You could explain just where you've been lately." If I tell him, will he understand? Probably not, because I don't even understand why I've been spending the hours between being Terry and being Batman with Lydia Meraviglia. Possibly because I want to help her and give her advice. Also possibly because she doesn't try to help me or give me advice- she just listens.
"I was hanging out with Lydia."
"The other girl?" He doesn't seem surprised. But then again it's pretty hard to surprise Bruce Wayne.
"Hey, you're the one that told me that it was my job to figure her out." He raises an eyebrow. He knows just as well as I that it was a clumsy attempt to avoid the fact that I'm late for Batman because of a girl.
Just a girl.
"Will she tell anyone who you are?" He asks.
"No. Never." I'm completely convinced of that. While Lydia might be stubborn and a rebel without a cause, she's definitely not a liar.
"Then your involvement with her is done. Suit up." He turns back to the computer. When he realizes that I'm not moving, he turns around, glaring at me. I know that look means I'm supposed to shut my mouth and become the Batman that he needs me to be. But I can't let it go at that.
"Wayne, I have a problem. I don't know exactly how I feel about this girl." Although it wouldn't take a genius to figure it out. I admire her gutsy-ness. I find myself smiling every time she throws one of her perfectly-executed insults at someone. I spend hours after school on top of a roof talking to her about everything from the mask I wear at night to the mask everyone wears during the day.
I'm even late to being Batman because of her.
"McGinnis," Wayne says, interrupting me. "I don't care about your love life. Bother your friends with that. I don't have time for it." Just like that, the degree of separation between boss and mentor is blaring in my face. We've gone from Bruce and Terry to Wayne and Batman.
In the space of 2 sentences.
But he's half right. I shouldn't be letting anything affect me as Batman. I shouldn't let a girl of all things keep me from helping people that really need me. I shouldn't be slacking off the job that I had to fight for.
But I also shouldn't have to feel like it's an obligation and not a privilege. I shouldn't have to feel like he's my boss and I'm an employee.
I sigh and begin to put on the suit.
"Sorry. For a second there I thought you were my friend."
I run down the stairs, almost tripping as I do, gasping for breath as I finally reach Wayne. I'm a half hour late.
"Where's the fire?" Wayne mutters blandly, staring up at me from his chair, that disapproving look of stone on his face.
"I'm sorry." I wheeze.
Yesterday evening:
I peek around the corner. Wayne isn't in the chair. Maybe, just maybe I can sneak into the suit, in the car, and be out being Batman before the old guy realizes I'm late.
"I hope you're not planning on making a habit out of this McGinnis." Wayne says, stepping out from the shadows.
Tonight:
Tonight's the same story- I don't even bother to try and hide myself from Wayne, nor run to make myself a few more seconds on time.
"You're late." Wayne says, staring at the screen. It's maybe the first time I've heard him state the obvious. It's the 3rd night in a row that I've been late, and the annoyance in his voice tells me that he's not going to put up with it much longer.
"I could apologize, but I know you'd say that sorry doesn't fix things." I almost know the guy as well as he knows everything else. Wayne turns around.
"You could explain just where you've been lately." If I tell him, will he understand? Probably not, because I don't even understand why I've been spending the hours between being Terry and being Batman with Lydia Meraviglia. Possibly because I want to help her and give her advice. Also possibly because she doesn't try to help me or give me advice- she just listens.
"I was hanging out with Lydia."
"The other girl?" He doesn't seem surprised. But then again it's pretty hard to surprise Bruce Wayne.
"Hey, you're the one that told me that it was my job to figure her out." He raises an eyebrow. He knows just as well as I that it was a clumsy attempt to avoid the fact that I'm late for Batman because of a girl.
Just a girl.
"Will she tell anyone who you are?" He asks.
"No. Never." I'm completely convinced of that. While Lydia might be stubborn and a rebel without a cause, she's definitely not a liar.
"Then your involvement with her is done. Suit up." He turns back to the computer. When he realizes that I'm not moving, he turns around, glaring at me. I know that look means I'm supposed to shut my mouth and become the Batman that he needs me to be. But I can't let it go at that.
"Wayne, I have a problem. I don't know exactly how I feel about this girl." Although it wouldn't take a genius to figure it out. I admire her gutsy-ness. I find myself smiling every time she throws one of her perfectly-executed insults at someone. I spend hours after school on top of a roof talking to her about everything from the mask I wear at night to the mask everyone wears during the day.
I'm even late to being Batman because of her.
"McGinnis," Wayne says, interrupting me. "I don't care about your love life. Bother your friends with that. I don't have time for it." Just like that, the degree of separation between boss and mentor is blaring in my face. We've gone from Bruce and Terry to Wayne and Batman.
In the space of 2 sentences.
But he's half right. I shouldn't be letting anything affect me as Batman. I shouldn't let a girl of all things keep me from helping people that really need me. I shouldn't be slacking off the job that I had to fight for.
But I also shouldn't have to feel like it's an obligation and not a privilege. I shouldn't have to feel like he's my boss and I'm an employee.
I sigh and begin to put on the suit.
"Sorry. For a second there I thought you were my friend."