After a moment, Atticus pulled himself together.
"The next day wasn't easy for me." Atticus frowned.
"I bet..." Mo frowned back since she wasn't there then, feeling bad for him.
The next day came at the Daily Planet while Atticus thought about what Clark told him as he felt just terrible for what he had to do now, and where it didn't help that Bruce and Cherry came into the Daily Planet.
"...The Senator declined... Comment..." Lois said as she typed on the computer with a smile before getting kissed on the cheek.
"And not a moment too soon." Bruce smirked to her.
Cherry simply rolled her eyes playfully at her godfather before going over to her best friend.
"That was kind of mean of you what you did to Superman last night." Atticus said to her, his voice breaking a bit.
"Yeah... Whatever..." Cherry shrugged with a small smirk. "It was a little joke."
"A little joke? You know as well as I do that Kryptonite is his weakness even if it is just a piece of it." Atticus glared with the same result in his voice.
Cherry just shrugged with a small smirk. "What's got ya down? You look like someone just died."
Atticus looked at her.
"Oh, my God, I'm sorry, Atticus..." Cherry said, thinking that's why he was really looking at her like that.
"No, no, that's not reason why." Atticus frowned.
"Oh..." Cherry said. "What's up then?"
Atticus sighed. "Cherry, we can't be friends anymore." he then said to her the best he could without breaking.
"What?! Why?!" Cherry asked.
"...I'm sorry, Cherry..." Atticus said to her. "I... I can't be friends with someone who... Lives in the shadows all the time. All you are are just dark and gloomy, a-a-and you're insensitive towards other people who aren't yourself! All you think about is yourself!"
"I so do not!" Cherry glared.
"Oh, really?" Atticus glared back. "Then why didn't you tell me that your godfather was Batman AKA Bruce Wayne?"
"Why didn't you tell me your godfather was Superman/Clark Kent?" Cherry glared back before muttering. "And his dumb weakness."
"What did you say?" Atticus asked.
"What? Can't hear me with your super-hearing?" Cherry glared.
"I did you hear you; I just wanted you to say that again." Atticus glared back.
Lois saw this and apologized to Bruce and told him that she would be right back before going over to see what was going on. Bruce nodded as he didn't seem to mind waiting.
"Ah, I'm just saying that he's the big strong Man of Steel and yet his weakness comes from his home planet," Cherry said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to the ladies room."
"You're not a lady!" Atticus glared as he pulled her back as she walked off. "You're nothing but a Bat Pest!"
"You take that back!" Cherry glared.
"If you don't like it, why don't you crawl back into the Bat Cave?" Atticus glared back. "You call yourself a perky goth, but... YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A JERKY GOTH! I KNEW I SHOULDN'T HAVE MET A WHINING EMO LIKE YOU! Why don't you do the world a favor and just GET LOST?! NO ONE WOULD EVEN NOTICE!"
Cherry gasped as that seemed to actually hurt. Atticus soon let her go before leaving his best friend and didn't even look at his godfather as he went to the men's room.
"Well... Fine! I don't need you anyway!" Cherry called out with a glare. "Who needs a friend like you anyway?!"
Atticus wiped his eyes as he came into the men's room and looked quite emotional about what had just happened, and where that wasn't a good sign with his powers.
"Atticus?" Clark asked as he came in. "Are you okay?"
"Seven years..." Atticus mumbled.
"Pardon?" Clark asked.
"I was friends with that girl for seven years!" Atticus told him. "Sure, she's rough around the edges, but we needed to become friends!"
Crystal spikes started to appear as Atticus was upset.
"It'll be alright..." Clark told him. "You'll get over her." He then decided to leave Atticus alone for a bit.
"How can I get over Cherry?" Atticus replied as he bowed his head. "I didn't just lose a friend... I lost my sister..." he then said due to how close he and Cherry were, almost like siblings.
The crystal spikes began to appear everywhere. Cherry soon came back in with her head low as she sat down in a chair in front of Bruce as he eyed Lois eagerly. She soon saw crystal spikes appearing and where she knew what that meant.
Cherry poked one spike and flinched as it stung a bit. "Oh... Maybe I should go back and apologize..." she then wondered while suckling on her pricked finger. She soon saw Clark walking away from the men's restroom. "You did this, didn't you?" Cherry glared to him.
"What do you mean?" Clark asked.
Unknown to either of them, Atticus heard what was going on.
"You made Atticus stop being friends with me," Cherry glared. "He was just fine and then you made him act like this!"
"Why don't you just mind your own business?" Clark sighed to her. "It's rude to stick your nose where it doesn't belong."
The crystal spikes started to go towards Clark now. Clark soon looked down and flinched.
"You did do it!" Cherry said to Clark. "You made Atticus upset!"
"You're right, Cherry." Atticus said as he came out.
"Why?!" Cherry asked Clark.
"Because of him." Clark pointed firmly to Bruce.
Atticus thought back of last night found this unimpressive.
"Clark, keep an eye on Bruce, will you? I'll be right back." Lois said as she decided to leave the room.
Atticus soon calmed down and where the crystal spikes went away.
"Jeez, those things are scary." Cherry muttered.
Atticus looked to her and Cherry acted like she didn't say anything.
"She never stops, does she?" Bruce smiled about Lois.
"No, she does not." Atticus said.
"Not that I've noticed," Clark added. "Any luck finding The Comedian?"
"Three nights and not so much as a green hair..." Bruce replied in regret.
"Well, you have been dividing your time between work, Cherry, and Lois." Clark said.
"Is that a problem?" Bruce replied.
"Let's just say I'm concerned," Clark defended. "Your reputation is... Dubious. In and out of costume."
"Don't worry. I'm taking Lois quite seriously," Bruce smiled. "Besides, it seems to me, you had your chance."
Cherry was heard grunting as she banged her head on the wall as Bruce continued to swoon over Lois. She just groaned as she begged for it to stop, but it seemed as though it wouldn't. Atticus looked concerned to Cherry's actions.
"So, Mr. Wayne, ready to sweep me off my feet?" Lois smiled to Bruce.
'Please let this end, please let this end, please let this end.' Cherry thought to herself.
"Be seein' you." Bruce smirked to Clark as he linked arms with Lois and they walked off together.
"You didn't plan this, did you?" Atticus asked Cherry.
"No! Honest!" Cherry defended.
"Driving you crazy?" Atticus guessed.
"You have no idea." Cherry said.
"Do you like Lois?" Atticus asked.
Cherry shrugged. "I never really got to spend any time with her, but I know that she's important to Clark."
"She sure is," Atticus said. "And how about Bruce? Does he have anyone that's important to him?"
"Lots of girls come and go..." Cherry shrugged. "No one really seems to stick around very long."
"Whoa." Atticus said.
"Lois is just falling into his trap," Cherry said. "Bruce is just a ladies man."
"Again, whoa." Atticus said.
Clark looked over to them. Cherry looked back and stepped several inches back from Atticus. Atticus knew exactly why she did that and understood.
"I really hope that friend of yours is being good to Lois." Clark said to Cherry as he came toward the two, trying to hide some jealousy.
"Um, I'm sure he is, sir," Cherry replied. "Bruce is always a gentleman."
"With how he's dressed, I'm not surprised." Atticus said.
Clark gave a small pout.
"Uh, I better go." Cherry said before she suddenly dashed away.
"You know, this might be a sign that you have to start making a balance between your hero life and your personal life with Lois." Atticus told Clark.
"You really think so?" Clark asked.
"Totally." Atticus nodded.
"Hmm... Perhaps you're right." Clark replied as he paused to think about it.
"Hopefully nothing bad happens." Atticus said.
Clark just sighed about that since the girl of his dreams was with Bruce. Cherry poked her head out as she watched them since she wasn't sure what else she could do with Bruce out with Lois again, and where she just decided to follow them.
"Oh, Cherry..." Atticus sighed a little softly.
"It's better than doing nothing." Cherry said.
Atticus frowned, but wasn't upset enough to make his crystal spikes and bowed his head.
The teenagers couldn't help but frown to Atticus as that had to be hard on him since he and Cherry had been friends for what felt like their whole lives.
"I'm starting to think that those two were kind of jerks." Tony said, referring to Superman and Batman.
"Did you include Superman in that thought?!" Atticus asked.
"Atticus, calm down." Mo told her husband.
"Well, you did kind of make it sound like Superman and Batman were kind of being jerks." Akito told his dad.
Atticus looked to them before sighing. "Well, that's how I remember it anyway... I guess they did get a little cocky back then..." he then said to them, having to admit that Tony had a point.
"So, what happened next?" Megan asked.
"Cherry decided to catch up with Bruce and Lois... And, that was the downside of Cherry at the time..." Atticus said before sighing. "Man, I wish I could've been there to help."