Omega Kid
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from the Kick-Ass comic or film written by Mark Millar, or any guest characters from other Kick-Ass fanfic's they are owned by their own writers and creators. However, original characters in Omega Kid belong to me.
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Chapter 3: Am I a Hero?
Monday 15th February 2010
The weekend went by uneventful. Nothing to do but stare at the screensaver on my computer every few hours with Jenna's outburst playing on in the back of my mind, over and over again. I'd spent weeks preparing to live the dream, only to have it come crashing down on top of me...although in my case, it socked me right in the face and knocked me out. All it took was a split-second. I can't believe after all that, I still went into a fight unprepared.
Omega Kid...I kept thinking about that name as I read the comic that Rachael had given me. Fiction can make anything appear easy. If the writer wants the hero to win, or give them a happy ending, it's as easy as slipping on a comfortable coat. However, in the real world?
Even when going into a fight with good intentions, the hero doesn't always come out the victor.
I could have probably made a Fanfiction story out of what would have been my many great adventures.
Anyway, it was time to stop staring at my screensaver and get my butt into school. At least I didn't have to worry about Jason and his posse again, as they were permanently excluded from Hallblock over the weekend. Not to mention they could have been in even bigger trouble for possessing knuckle-dusters. I doubt I'd be seeing them again for a good, long while. Unfortunately, the same had to be said for Gary. He was still recovering in hospital, and from what I heard, was doing physical well. But after the trauma of the attack, you couldn't pay him to set foot near the school again.
Once I got my stuff ready, I marched downstairs to the kitchen to quickly grab an apple from the fruit bowl. Beside it, there was a little, yellow note.
'Thomas, can you please pick up bread and milk from the shop after school? Jenna. XX'
Unless the subject was about something I loved talking about like superheroes, sports or how to make Rachael smile, my memory was absolute rubbish. So I took the note with me, folding it into my pocket as I headed out the door.
At school, the moment I walked along the corridor, the atmosphere became tense. I'm talking Ang Lee's Hulk tense. I could feel the eyes burning into the back of my school as I walked past a group. It made me feel uneasy. I so use to being ignored or forgotten, to the point where I was often mistaken for a new student because some people wouldn't even recognise me, that have this kind of attention now made me feel uneasy just for existing.
I still had five minutes before my first lesson began, so I found a quiet spot near the staircase and leant back against it, trying to find a way to relax. Hopefully, I would have a little bit of peace to myself before class, without someone else looking at me like I was a bomb waiting to go off.
''Tom?'' I heard someone call out. Either my mind was playing tricks on me, or it was another Tom that was being called to. ''Tom!'' There it was again, getting closer. Before I even registered that someone was actually calling for me, a tall boy jogged next to me. ''How are you doing?'' He asked.
William Richardson…one of the most popular kids in school, just asked me how I was?
Now, don't take this the wrong way, William was a pretty cool guy. Star player for our school football team, with three Player of the Year medals to show for it. A model student that teachers loved to show off to the younger pupils starting here, like a standard to be met. I think everyone in the school admired him. Imagine if someone was told to make the perfect student that everyone seemed to like, William would be the closest you would get to that student. He certainly never said a bad word to me before…or any word for that matter. This was the first time he even acknowledged me outside of class.
''I'm doing okay,'' I answered.
''Good to hear,'' He said sincerely. ''That was good of you to stand up against Jason.''
I shrugged my shoulders and looked down at the ground. ''Well…I wasn't exactly standing up, since he…knocked me flat on my ass.''
''Still, you got a punch in. I've been wanting to do that to him for a while.''
''I think everyone's been wanting to do that to him for a while,'' I muttered under my breath. I wasn't even joking. Everyone in this school had some kind of grudge against Jason. There's even a rumour that a teacher hit breaking point once and nearly lashed out at him. It was like the guy wanted to have trouble follow him around as if he loved getting high on ticking someone off and earning a fight out of it.
''You didn't get in any trouble, did you?'' William asked me.
I shook my head. ''I think being knocked out earned me some sympathy points.''
''Hey, don't beat yourself up over it! You did a ballsy thing, and I respect you for that!''
''Really?''
He nodded confidently. I had to admit, I did not expect this when I got up this morning, to be earning respect from the most respectable kid in school. Now I started to see why he was so well liked around here. I was a nobody who got floored in front of the whole school, and here he was, offering me encouragement over what I did. It made me feel better about the whole situation. ''Listen,'' He said, bringing me out of my thoughts. ''Do you know the chicken shop by the bus stop a few minutes away from here?''
''Yeah, why?''
''I was wondering if you would like to head up there with my sister and me after school? If you've got nothing else planned.''
''You have a…'' I stopped myself before I blurted out about his sister. I didn't even know he had a sister. I would have thought that being related to the most popular guy in school would have made her a star in the building herself, but her head must be lower to the ground than mine if I've never even noticed her. Would it be weird if I just asked him about her? Maybe, so I decided to not continue with my inquiry. ''Uh…well…'' I stuttered trying to move on from the subject of his mysterious sibling.
''If you can't make it, that's fine, it's only if you've got nothing else planned.''
''Yeah…uh…sorry, I've got to go shopping for my sister today.''
''Alright, another time then.'' He turned his shoulder and started walking down the hall, as he kept facing me. ''And if anyone starts giving you trouble, tell me about it and I'll sort it out.'' Finally, he looked the other way and dashed off to class before the bell rang.
I wanted to yell out thanks, but I was still a bit stunned by the whole scenario, so I remained silent. I've never had someone in school want to defend me before. It felt kind of good like I actually mattered.
The class was going to start any second now, so I made my way down the other side of the hallway, only to bump into someone before I even had a chance to look up.
''Sorry.'' We both said at the same time. I recognised that voice instantly and nearly yelped in surprise seeing Rachael standing in front of me.
She looked kind of annoyed at first, but when she saw that it was me she crashed into, her face softened and she gave me a lovely, warm smile. ''How about that? Don't talk with each other for the first couple of years, then we see each other twice in a few days.''
''Yeah,'' I mumbled, then silently prayed I wasn't blushing red like an apple. ''How are you?'' Before she could answer me, three other girls approached from behind her and stood by her side.
While, like I said before, Rachael doesn't normally hang around with too many people for too long, these three girls with her would be considered her best friends and who she would often spend the most amount of time with. There were the two sisters, Sophie and Chloe Derrick. Short, pretty and lean, with similar-looking faces that were dotted in freckles, thankfully I could tell the difference between them as Sophie had a blonde plaited ponytail that went past her shoulders, while Chloe's hair was long and straight. Both were apart of the school's football team after they campaigned for a mixed-gendered sports team.
I've always wanted to be a part of the school football team…except I'm no good at it. These two were leagues above my level of skill. I would say they were almost as good as William.
The other was Stella Diana. Ironically, though she wasn't apart of the football team or any sports team for that matter, she was the toughest of the four girls. Standing taller than even me, she was quite well built with a bit of bicep muscle on her arms. Short hair that just came down past her ears, and wearing gold love heart earrings. Though something stood out about her today, as she seemed to have a small bruise on her cheek. She's also quite a whizz at biology, as she passed with flying colours when she was in my class last year.
The school considered them the quartet of hotness, which I did agree with, as each was beautiful in a different way…though Rachael more so in my opinion.
Eventually, they noticed that I was there, and it seemed to click in their minds as they remembered me. ''You're Thomas, right?'' Sophie questioned.
''Yeah…'' I responded, though my voice cracked in the middle of that word causing me to gulp. So much for my nerves not showing, I know for certain I'm blushing now.
''Rachael said how you stood up for her cousin against Jason. Good one.''
Did I just hear that right? Were they thanking me? First William, and now the quartet? I had to still be dreaming.
''Yeah, he was a prick!'' Chloe cut in after her sister. ''I wish I was the one that hit him.''
''I just…'' I wanted to say something cool…I wanted to say something heroic…I just wanted to say something. But once again, my throat went dry and I was left standing there like an idiot.
After a few seconds of me babbling and unable to form a single, coherent sentence, they shared a giggle amongst themselves before Sophie poked Rachael on the shoulder. ''You're right, he is cute.'' She immediately tried to hush her friend as they giggled some more.
Okay, I'm going to faint! Did Rachael, of all people, think I was cute? This definitely has to be a dream, there's no other explanation. Luckily, before I could pass out, the bell sounded for the first lesson. That had to be the longest five minutes of my life so far. Rachael gave me one last look, almost like a hope I see you around kind of look, before turning to head to class with her friends.
I was so caught up in the buzz of what just happened, that I almost failed to notice that Stella was still standing in front of me. As I was about to walk past her, she placed a tender hand on my shoulder, getting my attention. ''Thank you.'' She whispered before dashing off to catch up with the other girls. There was no time for me to ask what that was about. What did I do to have her thank me?
Despite that whirlwind of a morning, the rest of the school day was very uneventful. Other than a few looks my way, no one actually came up and spoke to me. I have to admit, though, even with my nervousness, it felt rather good to be the centre of attention for once. To have people come up to me and tell me I did a good job and did the right thing, it was nice. But the one thing that still stood out in the back of my mind, was the possibility that Rachael thinks I'm cute. My head was buzzing at the thought, and I probably got a few more weird stares from other students whenever I smiled to myself, but I didn't care.
Anyways, school ended and that was that for the day. Maybe things will get better for me, or maybe they'll go back to usual tomorrow and I'll be completely forgotten about again. Speaking of forgotten, what was the milk that Jenna wanted me to pick up again?
Crap, I stared at the different milk bottle labels for a solid five minutes in the shop, and I still couldn't remember which one it was I needed to pick up. At least the shop wasn't that busy, so I wasn't rushed into making a decision on what to buy. It might not have seemed like a big deal, but Jenna was very picking about the type of milk she drank. Light drizzles swept over outside, and the streets started to go dark with the streetlights flickering on. Hopefully, by the time I find the stuff I'm looking for and get out of here, the rain will stay soft.
''Everyone on the ground!''
BANG!
My heart literally stopped as I instinctively dropped to the ground, followed by everyone else in the shop. I hid behind a row of shelves whilst everyone else either tried to find someplace to hide or make a break for the door. Some were lucky enough to escape as whoever was giving the orders started to yell again. ''Give me everything you have, right now!''
Taking a big risk of getting my head blown off, I carefully peeked around the corner to see what was going on. It wasn't hard to miss the crazed gunman with a hoodie, who continued to threaten the man working behind the counter while waving his handgun around uncontrollably. However, there was something else that caught my eye that really made my stomach drop. The gunman was holding on tightly to the hand of a little girl, probably no more than six years old. This was more than just a robbery…it was a hostage situation now. I panicked and retreated to hiding behind the shelves again as the girl's screams got louder and louder until the gunman told her to shut up or else.
This is insane! Standing up against a drunken bully was one thing, but going up against a lunatic with a gun was on another level. There's no way I can go up against him, right?
''Please let her go!'' Someone else called out. I glanced around the shelves once again and saw a man trying to plead with the gunman while keeping his eyes focused on the little girl. He had to be her father. The gunman was having none of it, and this time aimed his gun at the man, forcing him back onto the ground as the girl kept screaming. It was like déjà vu, seeing this crazed person towering over defenceless innocence. Everything that had happened over this past weekend played in my head over and over again. I had to do something, superhero or not. This guy looked ready to pull the trigger on someone, even if he got the money. Not even a little girl was safe from him. If I was going to do something…it had to be now.
''Hey!'' I shouted and moved out from my hiding place. The gunman turned around to face me while keeping the little girl close to his side. Yeah, real smart idea.
''Get on the ground now, or I swear I'll shoot!'' He hissed at me.
Frozen on the spot, fearful that he'd shoot me just for breathing, I tried to talk to him. ''Come on…why are you going to do this?''
''Why? You're asking me why?'' He shouted at me as if I insulted him. ''Why do you think? This is the only way I'm going to be able to afford my next few meals…''
''You're going to ruin your life for a couple of quid and some takeaway!'' I retorted. I didn't even mean to shout back at him, it was like I was on autopilot at the moment, evident by the fact I was trying to slowly move closer to him so I could reach for his gun.
''Don't try and talk me out of this! This needs to be done!'' His hand holding the gun was shaking violently, although probably not as much as I was while edging closer to him.
For the first time, I got a proper look at the girl's face as she stared back at me, tears falling from her eyes. I had to convince this guy soon, otherwise…God, I didn't even want to think about that. ''What has to be done? Taking the money and killing that girl or me won't suddenly make your life easier! It' won't! Look, just put the gun down and run.''
''What?''
''I won't tell the police! I'll play dumb and say I couldn't see your face properly under your hood! No descriptions, nothing, it'll be like you were never here. But to do that, you need to put the gun down! Please.''
At first, I thought my pleas were getting to him, as he lowered the gun so that he was no longer aiming for me. ''Don't try and be a hero!'' BAM! Before I could react, he smacked me across the forehead with his handgun. I dropped to the floor in a heap. My head felt like it was caving in and I could see blood leaking onto the floor in front of me. ''You get up again, and I will shoot!'' He warned me one last time, then turned his attention back to the worker behind the counter, demanding for the money yet again.
A knuckle-duster punch from Jason was like getting whacked by a pillow compared to this. My vision went blurry as I held my head in my hands, blood starting to drip down my arms. I was too afraid to close my eyes, thinking that I might go unconscious. Looking up, the gunman now had his weapon pointed right at the little girl's head as her father looked on in distraught. I remembered when Jason had Gary pinned to the ground, beating him to death…I was stuck in a similar situation.
The only difference between then and right now…I'm still conscious, and can still fight back!
Quickly leaping up, I did the bravest and dumbest thing of my life...I grabbed the gun. I pointed it up towards the ceiling as the guy fired two shots. BANG! BANG! I then used my other arm to hit the guy's hand that was holding the girl. BAM! BAM! After two solid hits, he let go and the girl ran towards her dad. But in doing that, he now had a free arm and gave me a good dig to the face. BAM! I couldn't back down now, I kicked at his knees and he crashed down onto them. BAM! He punched me in the stomach, and I fell to my knees as well.
With both of us nearly down, we struggled for the gun. I held the gun up to the ceiling again and using his finger we pulled the trigger a couple of times. BANG! BANG! BANG! CLICK! CLICK! The gun was finally out, and that is when I knew I had a chance. Letting go of it, I gave him a left and a right hook to the face and kicked him in the chest. As he was getting up, I ran behind him and got him in a sleeper hold, or at least my makeshift version of a sleeper hold. I clutched tightly as he struggled, tossed and turned. Just when it looked like he was down, he elbowed me in the gut a couple of times and I had to let go. BAM! He turned and punched me in the face again, causing me to stumble back. He rammed into me like a bull through a shelf and into the next isle.
It felt like I had broken my back as we crashed through the wooden shelf and the contents that once lay on top of it. I couldn't feel my left hand as my whole arm felt like it was being jabbed with pins and needles, I thought I was going to vomit at one point. The guy limped in my direction, his hoodie fallen back to reveal a bloody and grizzled face, with eyes that screamed fury and death. As I tried to crawl away from him, I noticed a broken piece of wooden debris next to him. At this minute, anything I could get my hands on was my only line of defence. Before he could land a finishing blow, I grabbed the wooden debris and cut him across his leg, leaving a nasty, deep gash.
He screamed in pain and dropped down to tend to his wound. I rushed to stand back up and put all my strength into one last punch. Swinging my whole right arm back, I brought it forward and clobbered him in the face. BAM! He was down, and this time out for the count.
Finally able to take a breather, I collapsed onto my back and lay on the ground, huffing and puffing as my head throbbed terribly. After a few seconds, I couldn't stop the laughter coming out of me…I did it! I actually did it! It was tough, and it hurt a lot, but I did it. And that final swing I gave him was pretty cool, I guess I could call that my Omega-Swing!
Soon enough, everyone else in the shop rushed over to see if I was still alive and well. I tried to pick myself up, as some offered a helping hand to get me standing properly on my own two feet. The shop owner was already making the call to the police. There were some people congratulating me, while others were asking if I needed any medical assistance or wanted to call an ambulance. I couldn't hear the exact words from certain people as my head was still buzzing and pounding. ''I just want to go home,'' I stated simply and started to limp out of the shop.
From out of the corner of my eye, I could see the little girl and her father holding each other securely. The father had his eyes fixed on me, and I could see him whisper. ''Thank you.''
I merely nodded and continued on my way, heading for the door…until I realised that I had forgotten something.
I made my way over to the shop owner, who had just placed the phone down after finally getting through to the police. When he saw that I was coming towards him, he looked at me with great interest. ''Where do you keep the milk with the blue label?'' I asked.
Quickly closing the front door, I placed the shopping bag on the ground and rushed into the bathroom before Jenna could see my bloody and bruised face. ''Thomas, is that you?'' Jenna called out.
''Yeah!'' I replied, making sure to lock the door. When I switched on the light and saw my face in the mirror, I nearly gasped at the sight. My lip was swollen…I think. My nose looked bruised…I think. It was hard to tell because of the dry blood on my face. Jesus, I can't imagine what people thought of me when they saw me walking down the street.
''I've been trying to call you for half an hour!'' Jenna yelled out.
I turned on sink tap and filled it up with water so that I could wash the blood off my face and hands. ''Sorry, I had my phone off. You know school, if they see a phone out, I won't be seeing it again until the end of the year!'' I wasn't about to tell Jenna that I had got mixed up in a shop burglary, even if I did save the day. She freaked out over the Jason situation, I can't even begin to imagine how she would take the news that I stood face-to-face with a guy who had got his hands on a handgun. She'd never let me leave the house again, and probably hire bodyguards to protect me 24/7. It would have to stay my own little secret…my own, cool, superhero-like secret.
''Thomas, there was a stabbing!'' Jenna called out. Immediately, I stopped what I was doing and listened intently. ''I was trying to call you because it happened in the area, I wanted to make sure you were okay.''
''Oh crap,'' I muttered to myself, before calling out to Jenna. ''I'm sorry, if I had heard about it, I would have called you. Did they say who it was?''
It seemed like she hesitated to answer me, as there were a few seconds of silence before I heard her answer. ''It's on the news now, they revealed his identity about five minutes ago…it's that boy in your school!''
I didn't even care if Jenna saw my bruised face and started questioning me; I had to see this for myself. Dashing out of the bathroom and into the front room, where Jenna was watching the news closely, I turned to look at the TV and saw a photo of the victim. My heart twisted painfully and my head went numb, more so than it already was, as I looked at the photo and name over and over again to make sure it really was him.
''I just talked to him this morning,'' I said, as they news channel showed more photos of William Richardson. ''What happened?''
''They're still not sure,'' Jenna replied. ''All they know at the moment is that he was attacked at a bus stop, and stabbed to death.''
''Death?'' I didn't even check to see if he was alive and being taken to hospital or…this must have happened right after school if they have already confirmed he's…oh, Jesus. I sank back into the sofa, unable to tear my eyes away from the news. There was nothing about a killer; he must have fled the scene before the police arrived.
Why William?
He was a good kid, with so much going on and a good life ahead of him. I couldn't think of anyone who would want to hurt him out of some malice. This had to have been a random attack, William was just in the wrong place at the wrong time…and I could have been there with him. If I was there, maybe he wouldn't have been attacked, or I could have helped fend off the killer?
But I wasn't there…I didn't go with him, and he's now gone.
Tuesday 16th February 2010
Next morning, the school held an assembly dedicating it to William and filling in any information that other students didn't hear about what happened yesterday. Normally, school assembly would be quite a disruptive time, as students would like to talk over the teachers or try and cause a ruckus. Not today, though. The only one speaking was the head teacher of our school, talking about safety and then going on about how great a student William was. I was so wrapped up in my own thoughts about it, that I couldn't even remember what exact words the head teacher said. I imagined if things were different, if I had gone with William, maybe I could have done something?
At the front of the hall, sitting to the side of our head teacher were William's parents. It added another level of grief seeing them hold hands and try to comfort each other. I heard how they divorced five years ago and hardly spent time with each other. That never seemed to get William down, though, if someone tried to bully him about it, he'd shrug his shoulders and turn the other way.
I had to look down at the floor to keep my emotions in check. William isn't the first teen to be stabbed and killed in London, but he's the first that I personally knew. It doesn't make his death more important than others that have happened, but it's…different when you knew the person. It makes it feel like that conversation I had with him yesterday was just a dream.
After assembly, we still had half an hour before our next class, so most students went outside and out of the stuffy hall. I went down a hallway that led to a water fountain. I splashed water on my face to cool myself down and to a place to myself. As I took one last sip, I could hear a noise coming from inside of the girl's bathroom next door. I listened carefully and could make out it was someone crying. Maybe someone who knew William? Emotions were running really high in the school at the moment, so I couldn't blame her.
I was about to turn and head outside for some fresh air, but I stopped myself. The girl's sobs were quiet like she was trying not to be heard. My curiosity got the better of me, as I wanted to know who it was. Of course, I can't just go walk into the girl's bathroom to check, so I quietly knocked on the door. There was a sudden gasp, then silence.
Whoever it was, they didn't respond. I should have taken that as she probably didn't feel like talking, but my helpful nature got the best of me. ''Are…are you okay in there?''
She hesitated to answer me at first. I waited patiently for a response. ''Who is it?''
''Uh, Thomas!'' I answered, and then mentally slapped myself. I'm an unknown in this school, there's no way she's not going to know me just from the first name alone.
''You're the one who…stood up to Jason?''
Oh yeah, guess after that incident I have a bit of a reputation now. ''Yeah! Look, I'm sorry, I heard crying and I just wanted to see if you were okay…um…'' I mumbled awkwardly and thought about making a run for it before I probably upset her even more.
''Can you…come in for a second, please?'' She asked softly.
''But, you're in the…''
She must have realised what I was getting at, as she quickly added in a quiet, broken voice. ''No one's in here! I just need someone to talk to.''
I stood self-consciously at the door and quickly looked around to make sure no one was watching. It would look very suspicious if I just waltzed into the girl's bathroom, and this girl clearly doesn't want to attract attention. I went in and closed the door behind me. Standing over the sink was a pretty, very petite girl, trying to wipe away the tears that clouded her eyes. Once she saw me, she started to coil and shrivel herself backwards, like she was intimidated by me. I never imagined I would be able to intimidate someone.
''You okay?'' I asked her.
She shook her head while looking at herself in the mirror. ''I…I couldn't go to that assembly. It was too hard.'' I wanted to say something to her, but I didn't know her and so I didn't what to say. ''William mentioned you yesterday.'' She said.
Then it clicked in my head. I finally realised who I was talking with, and knowing that I wanted to hug her as much as I could if I knew that would make her feel any better. But I just stood there, afraid of scaring her or troubling her. ''I'm so sorry.''
She folded her arms around herself like she was trying to comfort the girl she was staring at in the mirror. I can't imagine what she's going through right now. ''I…I didn't see who…'' She paused, as her breathing grew heavier and her eyes began to water again. ''It happened so fast. I was inside the shop…he was at the bus stop…then I heard a scream and saw him…''
She looked so close to breaking that I had to say something. ''You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. But, I am here if you do want to talk. I know what it's like…'' I stopped myself from going on and gave myself another mental slap. ''I'm sorry. I don't really know the exact feeling. But, like I said, if you want to talk then I'm here for you.''
Her body shifted so that she was facing me fully. ''Thank you, I'm Megan.'' She said again with a quiet voice, but the crack in her tone was starting to fade.
''Thomas…I already said that earlier, didn't I?''
She nodded shakily. ''What happened to your face?''
I was bewildered by the question, but then I remembered my brawl with the gunman yesterday. I still had the cuts and bruises from it; luckily I had left the house this morning without Jenna noticing. That's probably why I looked intimidating. ''I…uh…pigeon tried to nick my sandwich.'' I blurted out the first thing that came to mind. That's a hat trick of mental slaps. While I groaned at my own terrible excuse, Megan actually started to giggle shyly at my explanation.
''I'm sorry.'' She tried to cover her mouth and stop herself from laughing, but it made me smile to see her smiling.
Suddenly, the door burst open and I nearly jumped out of my skin. ''I swear, I'm not doing anything!'' I shrieked, fearing it was a teacher who thought I was up to something inappropriate.
I probably scared Rachael just as much as I scared myself with that outburst. Her face was the personification of surprise when she saw me, that is until she then noticed Megan standing behind me, and her face softened. ''Are you alright?''
''Yeah…'' Megan whispered. Her body tensed as she wiped her eyes one last time. ''I should probably go, my parents might be looking for me.'' Before I even had a chance to say anything else, she dashed past me with her head ducked down and left as Rachael held the door open for her, while offering her a warm smile of comfort. I think Megan must have noticed, as she slowed down and looked at Rachael before leaving.
Once she was gone, Rachael turned back to face me. ''Was that William's sister?''
''Yeah, I heard her crying, so I came in to check on her. I didn't know it was her at the time…but…yeah.''
''I can't imagine what her family are going through right now.'' She sighed. ''That was sweet of you to check on her.''
I tried to thank her, but my lips were glued shut and my throat went dry after hearing her say I did something sweet. ''I just…'' I wanted to say something, however, the words just got jumbled in my brain and I was afraid that I might say the wrong one or start babbling like an idiot again.
My blushes only got worse though when Rachael took a step closer to me. ''I think you might want to leave before someone else comes in here.''
''Oh yeah.'' I blurted out, nearly forgetting I was still standing right in the middle of the girl's bathroom. I hurried to the door and quickly peered outside to make sure no one else was around. Once I knew the coast was clear, I started to head out the door.
''She really needs a friend,'' Rachael said as I stepped out the door. ''She'll probably be off school for a bit, but when she comes back…''
''I'll be her friend,'' I said confidently. ''And if you want…'' I froze before I had a chance to continue that sentence as I could feel a towering presence behind me. I glanced over my shoulder and saw a teacher looking down at me suspiciously. ''I swear, I'm not doing anything.'' I whimpered, while Rachael giggled from behind me. Well, at least I made Rachael laugh, that was one good thing about this situation.
Thankfully, Rachael had explained to the teacher why I was standing outside the girl's bathroom with the door opened without making me look like some kind of pervert. Seriously, I'm like one of the most virtuous kids in school, how could it take the teacher half an hour to convince him of my innocence? I nearly missed my next lesson trying to plead not guilty.
The rest of the school day was uneventful and very quiet. The shockwaves of William's death still hung around the other students, and the fact that the killer or killers haven't been identified yet didn't help the situation. I still keep imagining what would have happened if I had gone with William and Megan, could I have done something?
But then something else came to mind…what would have happened at the shop?
If I weren't there, would someone else have stopped the gunman?
I stopped him! I did something that I never thought I would do in a million years, all because of my desire to want to help and do good, like the superheroes that I admired. I'm never going to get this dream out of my head, so why not just go for it?
Later that night, as Jenna slept in her room, I was busy planning and designing what my superhero costume would look like. The colour was a pretty easy choice, going with my favourite, blue. As for whether to have a cape or not, I think 'The Incredibles' has taught me capes might not be the best thing. I grabbed a sheet of paper and began drawing my idea. It took a few attempts and different styles to see which suited my vision best. I was never much of an artist, but finally, I had the one that stuck out with me the most.
A pretty simple design to some, nevertheless, it was just what I wanted. A silver belt to go around my waist, and silver streaks that went down my arms and came up to my shoulders, going along with what looked like a chest piece going down over my chest. In the middle, standing out would be an Omega symbol, kind of like Superman's 'S' symbol. It made me excited just looking at it; it wasn't done yet, though, as I had to order the materials. It was easy to find a blue all-body, spandex suit, and I could find silver materials and extra bits over the next few days while I wait for the delivery. I couldn't contain my exhilaration. I was ready and I knew...
The Legend of Omega Kid begins...
To Be Continued…
If you'd like, you can follow my original stories on Wattpad. My penname is Thomas-LF. Thank you for your time, if you do read them, I hope you enjoy them.