A Guide to Being Super

Rule #5

Rule #5: Make sure you and your sidekick's colors don't clash (just because Batman and Robin could pull it off doesn't mean you can, besides, people only mention Robin half the time). I know, I have yet another rule about outfits, but outfits are super important to superheroes (okay, saying super about anything to do with superheroes sounds weird, I'll stop now) because like I said, aesthetics are everything. No supervillain is going to take you seriously if you and your sidekick clash.

Even though I was completely exhausted the next morning (which was sadly becoming a common occurance for me, even today I wake up feeling tired), I still had to go to school. And since my mom needed her car that morning, I had to ride with her and Rachel (usually the embarrassment of showing up at school in a minivan is lessened by the fact that I'm driving it). Even worse, Rachel called "shotgun" so my mom, who totally loves her more, made me sit in the backseat. Let me tell you, you've never felt embarrassment until you have to leave your mom's car through a sliding door while your mom waves goodbye to your little sister.

"Bye Rachel, I love you!" my mom screeched from her open window. My sister, who was still too young to admit that she cared about what people thought, waved back. I walked next to her (but only because there was no where else to walk), wishing that my powers involved invisibility. But knowing me it would be the kind of invisible that didn't take my clothes with me. A guy could dream.

The one silver lining was that my mom actually agreed to stop at the gas station on the way to school, even though I hadn't asked her beforehand (she's very serious about car etiquette). I was practically falling asleep in my seat and when I'm that tired, the only solution is gas station coffee. Neither my mom or Rachel understood why I chose to fill my body with "that gunk," we had one of those ridiculously expensive French things at home, but nothing woke me up like the black coffee filled with toxins only gas stations could provide.

I had also gotten a cup for Ike, even though I was still annoyed with him (and he still didn't know that I was annoyed at all). If I had gone anywhere else I wouldn't have gotten him anything, but we had a pact that said whenever one of us got gas station coffee before school, we had to get the other some. And even though he had pissed me off, I wasn't pissed off enough to cross that line. I wasn't a monster.

Rachel sprinted away from me (well, as much as she could sprint in her heeled boots that could have doubled as weapons) as soon as we reached the sidewalk. Not that I was complaining. With my training going on, I had been spending far too much time with my sister. I didn't care where she went as long as she went far away.

Ike was waiting for me at the front gates, as usual (our friendship included a lot of pacts like the coffee one and waiting for each other at the front gates was another one), looking far too cheery for so early in the morning. Obviously he had enjoyed his night's sleep. I didn't smile at him and instead just handed him his coffee as I brushed past him and into the school. He followed me, his cheery expression quickly turning into a worried one. Stupid empathetic bastard.

"Dude, what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Are you sure? Cause you look like you have your grumpy pants on."

"Whatever pants I'm wearing is none of your business," I said, reaching my locker. Unfortunately, Ike already had everything he needed and didn't leave. He just kept watching me like a kicked puppy.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"Jeez, there's no reason to act like my girlfriend. We're not going steady, Ike, there's no need to be so dramatic."

"Come on, Matt," he said. "We both know that you're pissy about something."

I slammed my locker shut. "Yes, in fact I am pissy about something."