A Hell of a Time

Apparently, being part of my Party meant that I could call upon Sicily in a fight even if she wasn't physically present with me... Though I'd need something called a dimensional gate before I could call on her from anywhere. Whatever, I'd figure it out later. Besides, she was like nine in angel years. Who the hell brings nine-year-old to a cape fight?

Anyway, that info dump had been the highlight of my morning. You see, when I got to school, everyone was staring at me. As it turns out, "spinning things" amounted to the PRT playing up my involvement in Coil's defeat to the media and adding a few implications that my abduction was part of the reason the PRT had come down so hard on Coil-"this is what happens to villains who attack young heroes in their homes." Or, in other words, I'd been all over the news this morning.

I found this out in Mr. Gladly's class. You see, today we were to begin a minor two-person research project, and, due to a combination of old habits dying hard and myself being quote "incredibly intimidating now" end quote, the only person willing to partner with me was Greg.

...Who would not shut the fucking Hell up about how awesome it was that I was a hero who'd taken out a full-fledged crime lord on my first full day. About halfway through the class, Greg had managed to be so loud and obnoxious that the whole freaking class, notably excluding Madison and the lackey she was partnered with, began discussing what had happened last night... and getting half the details wrong.

Ten minutes later, Mr. Gladly had given up on getting the class back on topic and had resorted to declaring it a group discussion. I don't know what happened after that because I spent the rest of class pounding my head on my desk.

That brings me to the current moment, I, standing in front of my locker with a splitting headache, hoping to God that that was the worst of it, and desperately wishing that I was home schooled.

"Sup hero." Oh God Damn it all straight to the bloodiest bowels Hell. I closed my locker and turned to see Sophia Hess, the Psycho Vigilante herself.

"What do you want, Sophia." Please be something short and stupid so I can just get this over with.

"I heard about what you were up to last night," the probationary Ward replied, "you did good, hero. Why don't you come hang out with us today?"

I blinked. "What?"

"You're cool now," she said in answer, "so hang out with us."

I took a deep breath, and then, ever so calmly I told her "no."

"Oh come on, why not?" ...Was she seriously that stupid?

"Because," I began ever so calmly, "your little prank" I tapped my locker, "put me in the hospital for a week. Or maybe it's because you did something that twisted my best friend into a psycho like you?"

Sophia blinked. "You need to get over that. You were weak before, now you're not. Come hang out with us."

"...What? Weak, strong... Make sense. Now."

Sophia responded by putting an arm around my shoulders. God damn it what was it with assholes touching me this week? "You see," she said, "there's two kinds of people in the world. There's the strong, like us...Then there's the weak like you used to be." The little bitch actually smiled at me. "Predators and prey. Survivors and victims. I didn't do shit to Emma, she just realized that you were weak and left you behind. Everything we did to you? It was because you were a victim. Now, you're a survivor. Come on, hang out with your fellow survivors. With someone as strong as you, we could rule this school."

My god. She... The stat screen was right, she is a psycho. I slipped out from under her arm, looked her in the eye, and said: "fuck off."

"What?"

"I said 'fuck off.' You? You're a lunatic, and I will not associate with you," I turned to leave. "You're dismissed."

I walked away, only to hear her shout behind me, "Guess I was wrong, you're still weak!" I turned back and noticed that the hallway was surprisingly empty except for the two of us.

"And what are you going to do about it, bitch!?" I shouted back at her, a toothy grin on my face. "Do you have any idea just how many bullets and laser blasts I shrugged off in the last two days? You can't hurt me, no matter how hard you hit me.." I laughed, "wanna shove me in another locker? I'm strong enough to break out, easy. Maybe I should thank you for what you did," I said in an arrogant tone of voice, "because of what you did, I was able to awaken a power that was just what I need to be done with your shit for good."

Sophia was glaring daggers at me, practically burning with rage, but just as she opened her mouth to say something, I cut her off. "Oh, and another thing-I've been keeping records of everything you, Emma, and bitch number three have been doing. Every bit of spilled juice, every punch, every nasty lie about me has been recorded in detail, down to the minute it happened. Every E-mail telling me to kill myself, or go into prostitution because it's the only way a "twig like me" will ever get laid? Saved, and recorded, and I've got backups." Well, I was going to make backups, so technically the truth. "Your boss may be a bit interested to know the kind of shit you and your friends get up to when you're off the clock, and she did give me her number..."

Her glare became, if possible, even more intense. "You wouldn't."

I glared right back. "Try me."

It became a staring contest in the middle of the still strangely empty hall, but after a minute Sophia faltered. "Well played, Hebert," she said simply, then turned and left. I smiled, having gotten my catharsis for the day, and went to my next class... I was late, but it was worth it.