Three big news stories today:

- The police made several arrests at a u-stor-it being used as a drug warehouse. Six gang members, one metahumanly enhanced by a new drug known as 'dyne', were hauled in. One police officer was injured, but due to the intelligence provided by several metahuman teens, damage was kept to a minimum.

- There was a mysterious fire at Walthingham Observatory, and even more mysterious was the fact that the alarm system didn't seem to activate. Thankfully, Mercy Mercedes, a local professional dog walker, was taking Snickers, an adorable Dalmatian puppy, out for an evening stroll, and saw the smoke, alerting the fire department who arrived before severe damage could take place. Simply due to smoke, however, Walthingham Observatory will be closed for a short while for repairs.

- Local rock sensation Gravediggas have finally finished up their North American tour, and are heading home. Before they take their rest, however, lead singer Beau Kenner has made a press statement saying that a very special 'mystery concert' will be held right here in Lineport! Everyone's scrambling to find out where, when, and how to get in!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday morning, rise and shine!


There's a whole lot going on at school, and a whole lot of gossip flying around after Homecoming. Who's still going with whom, who had a messy break up, why Heather Mills barfed on her date. You know, the usual verbal chaos after a big event.

Nenanero, you heard something amusing. What did you hear?

And while the banners have come down, school spirit is still relatively high. It'll fade, surely, as the classes tend to wear one down to mediocrity, but for the now, there's a pleasant afterglow to things.

How's everyone's first period class going?

As usual, Andrew was early for his first period.  He watched the kids roll in and take their seats, wondering what took the biggest part of their lives, like the business took his.

In walked Sally, and all of a sudden for the briefest of moments, Andrew wasn't a superhero pretending to be a normal kid, but a normal kid both intrigued and scared for his life.

"I'll have to talk to Sophia on how to proceed with this." Andrew thought to himself.  He risked a smile and a wave to her, hoping both that she'd notice, and that she wouldn't notice at the same time.  He wasn't sure how to proceed past that step.

Josep let out a yawn as he walked down the hall towards his first class of the day, biology with Mr. Potyen who the teen was thankful to have. The class was still easy with there being plenty of movies and the quizzes were easy enough that he did not feel nearly as stressed about making a decent grade compared to his other classes. The lack of anxiety allowed him to focus on the news going spreading through Lineport. The story about the police arresting the gang at the storage building brought a wave of relief to him though guilt hit him when he heard about the injured police officer. The team should have went to investigate the scene and maybe find some clues about what was going on in the city. First the Uber-men and now this gang with this superhuman drug could only mean this was not the last they saw of the so called dyne.

The other stories did not matter as much though he was curious as much as the next person why the Gravediggas were performing in Lineport as well as where the show was being held. He reminded himself it did not matter since he could not afford to take many more nights off from the masked life, which meant said concert would be out of his reach even if he managed to score a ticket. Aside from those headlines there were also the stories going through the rumor mill at school. It always happened around here and the dial was at an eleven out of a possible five with homecoming now over. This was how it always was and he guessed some things would never change.

That particular notion was challenged by Andrew of people who waved when Josep walked through the door of the classroom. To say this was abnormal was putting it lightly but then it became less strange or perhaps more so when he realized it was not Josep but the girl who was a couple of feet ahead of him who his friend was greeting. The girl, Sally if he remembered her name was the one he saw dancing with Andrew but there was another girl who showed interest in the boy as well. He heard some of what happened later about how Helena Ruff broke down into tears and the one responsible was the team’s resident killjoy.

It was not his place to say anything to his friend but then again maybe it was. Would what he had to say register? Maybe he should somehow figure out a way to convey it in a way that involves fighting crime or upholding justice. It was a conversation for later but he could at least make his intentions known.

“Hey Ladies Man, we need to talk later. Important business, okay?” he said to Andrew in a low voice then went and took his seat in what he hoped to be another easy morning class..

When Josep made his intentions known that he needed to talk to Andrew, it hit Andrew hard.  It had to be about the wave, it had happened shortly afterwards.  Maybe he'd broken some taboo by doing it?

Andrew nodded to Josep as the other boy took his seat.  Had he already messed up his chances with the girl he was interested in?  Was it so far gone as to be a far flung dream now?  He really wished he could ask Sophia about all this.

Mingling had been her idea, and now it looked like he'd messed it up.  Maybe he should forget it and throw himself further into his super heroic persona to compensate?  Maybe mingling with the normal kids was just something that was beyond his abilities.

P.E. is bad.

Maybe it isn't as bad with this new control over her shape. Sophia's wearing a tee that kind of fits her. Still sweatpants, though, because she isn't about to change her whole wardrobe yet, and because she likes sweatpants. Looking around the gym at the other girls, though, Sophia is struck by a surge of worry that almost makes her panic even though most of her knows it's ridiculous.

What kind of legs does he like?

It's stupid. It's so stupid. Sophie hadn't thought at all about anything like that for the dance. She'd just gone with what fit the boots and the dress and felt comfortable. And a boy kisses her and suddenly she's—No. She's not.  Not for a boy. He wouldn't want her to.

Maybe he'll skip class today. That wouldn't be so bad. Except that it would be terrible, because then she'll only see him at lunch, where there will be more competitio—No, that's also stupid. She's barely even, like, texted with him since Saturday night. Why doesn't any of it make sense?

Feelings are stupid, Sophia concludes, which doesn't stop her from having them.

Nor do any of Space Thing's internal knots prevent Coach Krupke and Coach Geralds from leading warm-ups and starting to explain basketball rules that everybody in the room already knows.

In the morning, Nenanero was... calm, or nearly so. The Homecoming ritual had gone smoothly, at least for her. 'Juana' was back to not being noticed - except by Danny, of course. She gave him another smile from her distant seat.

The gossip that reached her suggested that not everyone had such a good time. Apparently, there was a short-lived brawl. Art and Sandy reunited, only to break up again at the end... Nenanero doubted that it would last. Rumours swirled about how Andrew and Fatima could have won their election. Apparently, some people were saying that Fatima had somehow rigged it due to her unrequited crush on Andrew. Nenanero could not really see it, and besides, she was pretty sure she knew who was behind it. All in all, though, no disaster took place this time - and the funny thing was that she only realised in retrospect that she was not expecting one. To think she even let a fight pass by.

Funny it may have been, but it was also concerning. That gang was hardly the only danger in the town. She had to admit, it did feel nice to let her guard down for a bit... That was what rituals like that were for, after all - a change of pace. But now it was back to duty and vigilance. As she monitored the situation from behind her textbook, the Anenav made sure to pay special attention to any unusual smells.

Abigail kept a wide ear for rumors about GraveDiggaz, but had kept a bit to herself on it. Everyone knew this was her  wheelhouse, she had even worn shirts from the band in the past, but she didn't want to nerd out on everyone and appear obsessive.

They were a good band, by her opinion, though not the greatest thing ever. They were trying a bit too hard to copy Avenged Sevenfold's shtick, by carving decent riffs with radio friendly melodies and a fair amount of youthful sleeze. This was a shame, because aside from just being kind of uncreative, Abigail saw that there was more potential to the band than just being a "me too" fad act. The lead guitarist and founder of the band, a black lady by the rather unusual name of Resurrection Graves had some serious talent, but was being drowned out by the others. Their last album, Funeral for an Angel, was a different take and had started to go down some progressive and thrash elements, and was the first album predominantly written by Graves.

Where everyone else was just excited for the best thing out of the town to come back, Abigail was well versed enough in rock traditions to know what this really meant. The band was trying something different. They might wrote a new song or two on the road that they were trying out on an unpublished show, so that if it didn't work with the fans, they could pretend it didn't exist. More likely, there was a lineup change, and they wanted to try it out in a small venue. Van Halen did this when they got Sammy Hagar to replace David Lee Roth. Def Leppard did this when Rick Allen tried to drum with one hand after his car accident.

Or, even worse than that, they were going to commit the ultimate sin, and go acoustic. This wasn't MTV, and they aren't Eric Clapton.

She held her opinions to herself, unless someone asked about it. For now, she had some catching up to so with the team. Thankfully, Fatima shared the same class.

"Well, Your Majesty, how does it feel to return to the land of the commoners?" Abigail said with a teasing smile. She thought Fatima of all people becoming the Homecoming Queen was ironically funny; she was against most of these dated traditions as much Abigail was.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:23, Mon 01 June 2020.

Fatima had come in early to hand in her article on the short-lived Homecoming game. The nature of the game's interruption had given her an opening for a scathing take-down on the long-standing patriarchal tradition; and though she cleverly avoided explicitly connecting Dyne's usage to their very own players, a halfway observant reader would be left to consider that the abuse of such substances was an inevitable result of glorifying the toxic masculinity that was ever present in the sport.

It was the kind of article she'd never have gotten away with if the whole school wasn't already on edge from the commotion at the stadium. Brian Deloris had even brought in an alternative take, that wasn't really alternative at all, with three full pages of bravely defending the status quo. And under other circumstances, their editor might have published his instead. Ollie Mason was a notorious people pleaser, and didn't think his paper should go out of its way to rock the boat.

Fatima couldn't fathom why on earth he'd ever gotten into journalism.

Still, Ollie was adept at sensing the school's overall social and political climate, and reacted to it like a weather system reacts to barometric pressure. People didn't want platitudes, not with Homecoming cut short, and field trips canceled, and white supremacists tagging students' lockers. They wanted the truth. Or at the very least, some damn good gossip, and if nothing else, Fatima's article was more interesting.

So by the time she got to first period class, Fatima was feeling a little bit smug at having gotten one over on Brian. With a couple of days and a minor victory between her and the dance, she'd honestly forgotten the whole Queen thing. It took her a second to parse what Abigail was saying. For half a heartbeat, she thought the royal title was a backhanded reference to the imperious way she'd taken charge of the conflict. Among other things, it had seemed to be something of a sticking point between the two of them at the time. Truthfully, Fatima was a little surprised Abigail was talking to her at all.

But no, Abigail was teasing her, Fatima realized with a start, and at last it clicked what the other girl was referring to. In response, she tilted her nose into the air. "It's all so pedestrian," she said with feigned conceit in her tone and a twinkle in her eye. "How ever do you stand it?"

"Oh, by biding my time as best that I can," Abigail played along, looking whistfully in the distance "I consider this meager existance a temporary exile, and soon my dear prince will wisk my away, clad in shining armor to rescue me.." In exaggerated dramatics, she wilted away in her seat, as if exhausted by the very notion, before returning to form with a cantankerous laughter. As if she'd be the kind to wait for someone to rescue her!

Her laugh ended as short as it started, and Abigail regained her poise, edging closer in her seat, leaning on the desk to speak quietly "Hey, speaking of the dance, I gotta ask you something. You went with Andrew, obviously. Are you and him...you know..." Abigail felt so weird even asking this question, it was so unlike her to pry into other people's business "..a thing?"

Nenanero: Right before second period you get a text from Danilo. It's an odd one. First it's just a seemingly nonsensical string of emojis. Then simply 'I LOVE YOU' all in caps. Then...
'Sorry! Asshole stole my phone. Uhm...'
there is a long pause.
'You wanna go get tacos tonight?'

Rook: Right after second period, you get button-hooked in the hall by Edi Caudill. At first it's a bit of a shock seeing that she's carrying a notebook with a stylized sticker of your alter-ego on the cover, but she quickly flips it open and gives you a knowing grin. "So bad boy, what happened at Homecoming?"

Sophia: Well. It goes without saying. The mean girls talk shit about you having shaved your head. Not close to you, though. Just far enough that you can barely hear them, and they can walk away denying it. It's like a battlefield art to them. But hey, you get to learn about basketball. Again.
On the other hand, you get a quick text right after gym from India. It's got a picture of her Irish setter and her giving a peace sign next to it. 'Took this last night. U like? Also, you wanna do tacos tonight? My treat?'


-------------------------------------------------------

LUNCH PERIOD!

It's tuna surprise (surprise, it's ... awful), pizza squares, or plain ol' PB&J to go with the tater tots today. Or perhaps you've brown-bagged it.

Whatever the case is, rumors are flying around about what went on at the homecoming game, and what went on at the dance. There's a lot of curious eyes towards the young Andrew D'Vincent. And even more towards Fatima. The reviews are split: Some are looking at what happened as a triumph, and some are wondering how the hell it happened. There's even one guy (Dale. Such a jerk.) who is claiming that 'the democratic process was corrupted!' (shut up, Dale!)

Whether sitting together or enjoying lunch with other friends, there's one thing that draws all students' attentions about two thirds the way through the period. The PA speakers whine to life, and a familiar voice rings out.
"This is Mister Hughes, your principal. I just want to say--"
What he says is best left for less censored media, as it involves his carnal love for chickens and goats. It also stops sounding like his voice half-way through. There's a blatant whine of feedback, and a pop as a small wisp of smoke comes out of a device with a microphone in front of Ross Isaacs.
"Give that here, young man!" Coach Ristil, working his shift as lunch monitor, begins to walk towards Ross. Ross, for his part, whoops like a cartoon character and starts running towards the door, laughing like crazy.

Any / all of you could be in his path, or in the path of Coach Ristil. Or not. Up to you.

Ross, like most teenaged idiots, didn't think his actions through. Namely, he was too focused on looking behind him and running away from Coach Ristil, than he was on where he was going. Running forward while looking behind you like that is likely to get someone hurt. In this case, Ross. Going as fast as he could in the narrow hallway made it all the more painful when he had a sudden impact with another student; someone who had seen him coming and planted themselves in preparation. Someone tall, strong, and with little patience for delinquent pranks.

Abigail.

She braced just at the last second to keep her feet under her, something Ross didn't have the benefit of. Falling squarely on his back, racked in pain and confusion, the Coach was easily able to catch up and handle it.

Playing it off as if she hadn't deliberately gotten in his way, she let out a simple dismissal as she walked away, nonchalantly "Watch where the hell you're going dude! You could have hurt someone running around like that"

Josep could not tell which bothered him more. The fact Edi Caudill of all people stopped him in the hallway or the fact there was a Rook sticker on her notebook. Were people making money off his likeness? Could he cash in on that? Probably not but maybe he could learn who was selling them then talk to them about a portion of the money made go to a charity. At least some good would come out of it though he doubted people were buying up anything to do with Rook. The others on the team were a lot cooler than him so he imagined if someone was falling behind in sales it was also the one doing so when it came to being an actual hero.

His self-loathing was put on hold because he had a headache to deal with in the form of the school’s leading authority in gossip and so called Rook fan. Her question and the way she referred to him as a “bad boy” brought a perplexed expression out of him. Did she know he rigged the vote to homecoming, or was it him causing a fight? That was the only things he did that night that could be considered “bad” or “awesome” as he would have put it. Unless she was referring to him taking his “aunt” to Homecoming but would that actually be enough to cause a blip on Edi’s radar.

“Let’s see, I danced, hung out with friends and had this drink. I think someone called it punch.” For now playing dumb was his best and only move. “What’s up Edi? Why are you bugging me about Homecoming?”

Sophia taps back a text of her own. Fun! Sure thing. Take out so I can meet your dog?

At lunch, Sophia mostly ignores the shenanigans. It's sort of funny, but the principal's an easy target, and relations with goats aren't especially creative. Hacking the PA is worth some bonus points, though. In any case, student idiocy is the principals' problem, not Sophie's.

Human technology still gave Nenanero pause. It was not so difficult to use, but much of it seemed thoroughly counterintuitive and clunky. Communications technology was doubly so; she could use it in a pinch, but it was much harder to understand humans without access to their expressions and innermost thoughts. The messages sent from Danilo's phone only reinforced this. Apparently, anyone could just write messages from someone else's phone, and it would be impossible to tell the difference.

Did you retake it? she wrote in response, deciding to assume for now that it was probably Danilo on the other side. No one else here had any reason to try and lure 'Juana' out, as far as she knew. Without waiting for a reply, she added: As for tacos, where and when?

As for the cafeteria incident, Lady Liberty seemed to have it in hand. Such disruptions did not seem overly dangerous, though Nenanero could not help but find them disturbing.

Andrew
Helena Ruff isn't hard to find. She sits by herself at lunch, looking at an old e-reader, listlessly poking at her now-empty food tray with a plastic spork. She almost flinches when Andrew approaches, and looks up at him with both reproach and a little fear. “What do you want?”

Nenanero
'Yes, my phone has been reclaimed. And the dick who took it dealt with. Uhm... Taco Movil out on Lexington? My treat? Like, around six?' Danilo adds a picture of himself, a grinning selfie, as if to 'prove' his phone is back in his possesion. 'I gotta take my mom to the doctor right after school.'

Josep
“Punch. Fascinating!” Edi nodded, giving a look as if she were a scientist learning about a new phenomenon. She then laughed and nudged Josep in the shoulder with hers. “A little bird tells me that woman you went with wasn't exactly your 'aunt'. Sneaking in an older woman. I gotta know what the story is there. You know there were girls who were waiting for you to ask, right?”

Sophia
'Yes yes yes! Say we meet at Taco Movil at six? You can meet his paw-ness. He will beg for nachos. DO NOT GIVE IN NO MATTER HOW SAD A FACE HE GIVES YOU! I do not want to be gassed out of my own home!'

Fatima and Abigail
“Hey.”
It's Becky Landy. Minor mean girl, and she of the was-likely-going-to-win-the-homecoming-crown. She's staring a little at you, as if trying to read your soul through looking at your lunch choices.
“What the hell?” She adds. And it really seems less like she's trying to start a fight, and more like she's trying to get an explanation of just why the WORLD IS SO UNFAIR?

But then Abigail takes down Ross, and Ristil picks him up. “Aright, detention, right now.” Before dragging off the teen techie, however, the hulking coach looks to Abigail. “Nice stop there, Abrams. You're a tank.”

The light begins to twinkle in Becky's eyes. She's immediately figuring out how to use this to her social advantage.

Abigail was always a bit of a sucker for adoration from adults. This was no different. "Thanks coach," as she adjusted her backpack and quickly ran a finger through the side of her hair. "Dad's idea of bonding time, believe it or not" She wanted to expand, but realized Coach wasn't asking for how or why she knew, and opted to keep stories to herself.

"I wanted to say that I was a jerk to you during the dance.  I'm sorry, and have no excuse for treating you that way." Andrew said, as he tried to draw out the memories of what he'd done to her.

Edi’s snooping about why he brought Mrs. Aderoju to the dance was a relief to Josep. Compared to the incidents he was involved in that night that could bite him in the butt the girl’s question could not bring much grief his way. Sure if the school faculty caught wind of it then he could get in trouble but then they also have to explain how an adult was brought into the dance without any of them catching on to the lie.

That thought made him wonder who told Edi about Mrs. Aderoju not being his aunt but he chalked it up to Brian Sheen as revenge for what happened at the dance. If not then Josep thought his little sister might be responsible because if there was one thing siblings are good at it’s being a pain in the neck. The one responsible hardly mattered compared to the headache that Edi could pose if she did her normal thing and made this more than it actually was.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’m sure there’s a lot of girls who wanted me to ask them” he said sarcastically since he thought his popularity had taken a hit since he quit the basketball team. “If you know who they are then give me a list and I’ll go apologize.”

His words reminded him of a conversation he had earlier that very day…

---

FLASHBACK: in the hallway after first period.

After Mr. Potyen’s class ended Josep was quick to grab his bag and make a beeline for Andrew. “Time for that chat, Casanova” he told the other teen then left the classroom. Once they were both walking down the hallway he spoke. Thankfully this was not a topic that required them to speak softly since this was concerned the trials and tribulations of being a high school students rather than their lives as superheroes.

“First let me say, good to see you man. We don't talk enough and we should fix that” he said with a smile. “Now I’m not one to pry into someone else’s personal life. Live and let live, right? Also I’m not one to believe any rumors that go about but I heard someone involving you I have to ask.” The smile was gone now as he looked Andrew dead in the eyes.

“I know you wouldn’t upset anyone intentionally but did you really make Helena Ruff cry during the dance?” The one he used was not accusatory but he seemed to be taking the conversation seriously which for someone like Josep was saying something.

"Did I make Helena Ruff cry during the dance?"  Andrew repeated as he tried to recall even interacting with Helena during the dance, "Not that I'm aware of.  As far as I remember, we didn't even interact with each other during the dance."

Seemingly discarding the question as answered and dealt with, Andrew continued, Can you keep a secret?  I've got something to ask you about that I don't want getting back to Abigail and the others."

Josep crossed his arms at Andrew’s words. He said nothing while he tried to figure out what was going with the boy but decided to put a pin in it for now.

“Sure, I can keep a secret. No one’s better at it than I am” he said confidently. “But why does it matter if the others hear about it especially Abigail? I know you two don’t get along though I still can’t decide if it’s that or if you two just have a thing for each other." He paused  again, this time he seemed to be having some sort of internal debate with his head even tilting one side to the other.

“Eh, not really my business and it’s not like it will be the first time the team has to deal with teammates dating. So what’s up? What’s got you being secretive?”

"It's something silly really.  I mean I hope it's real, but with our lives it's hard to tell how serious it could get," Andrew stammered, "Well here goes.  You know that girl I was dancing with?  Sally?  Well we got talking, and I'd sort of like to see things go a bit further than friends.  That's something I was never trained for though.  I'm not even sure how to flirt with her, let alone do an actual date."

“So you have a crush on Sally and don’t know how to ask her out much less talk to her? You must be smitten and also desperate if you’re telling me this. Though I do appreciate you coming to a friend when you have a problem.” Josep’s smile was easy though the look turned ice cold. “I don’t appreciate being lied to though because I saw Helena talk to you at the dance, so either your memory is crap or you’re just an asshole.”

He held up his hands and shrugged. “Lying aside I still want to help but you have a whole mess of problems now thanks to Helena. People are saying you made her cry and I’m inclined to believe them now. That means this Sally girl will also hear the rumors and what makes you think she’s going to want do a damn thing with you when people say you’re acting like a heartless bastard?” A sigh left him at the situation his friend was in even if this was one that Andrew might have caused for himself.

Before Andrew could answer Josep stepped forward and poked him in the chest a few times. “You have to make things right with Helena. Even if you’re not in the wrong you have to do damage control. And if you did make her cry the least you owe her is an apology. And whether she forgives you, slaps you or anything else you take it in stride without complaint, got it? Then you can worry about Sally.” His icy demeanor dropped as he clapped Andrew on the shoulder. "And I'll be sure to help you however I can, Mr. Homecoming King."

"I honestly don't remember talking to Helena.  I'm not sure how I could have made her cry. I guess I can apologize to her, but I'm doing it unsure how to when I'm not sure what I'm apologizing for." Andrew replied, "Thank you for helping me with the Sally situation, and your discretion with the rest of the troops."

Josep palmed his face, it was the only way to stop himself from rolling his eyes while also giving him a second to collect himself. “Let’s tackle this one point at a time.” He held up his index finger. “One, gee I wonder why Helena would be mad. She talked to you, probably wanting to you know get to know you or at least dance because why else would someone approach another at the dance? You blew her off so badly you can’t even remember her, which is a next level snub.”

He stopped, his expression turned to one of bewilderment. “How can I figure this out but you can’t. Huh, I guess I’m not the dumbest one in our group… This is more unsettling than comforting unlike I thought it would.” The teen shook his head, a gesture meant to clear his mind since he knew he was getting sidetracked. “Anyway, if you did make her cry then that’s likely why. That would upset anyone especially with so many people seeing her be rejected.”

The more he thought about it the angrier he got and if it would have been anyone else than a friend he might have slugged them on principle. That was why he moved on to the next topic he wanted to cover which was represented by him holding up two fingers. “Two, you have to learn to be a person.” The next part was said quieter to avoid anyone hearing them.

“I get it, you’ve been trained to be a hero your whole life but you have to understand you’re Andrew, a person then a hero, got it? Until that clicks you’re going to keep coming up short in both regards. I don’t care how much training you had or if you came outta your momma swinging a sword.” He spoke at a normal tone again. “And we’re friends, not troops. Same goes for the others. Friends trumps troops and what I think you need more.”

"The troop comment was meant as a joke, something I see I fail at as much as flirting. I'll try to find Helena, and apologize.  Maybe tell her that my mind was, at that time, on something serious going on at home?" Andrew said.

"As to my needing to be a real boy, you're the second person to tell me that.  I'm giving it a shot, hence the wanting the relationship I mentioned to go further.  That's not something a hero does, but something a person does.  I just hope I'm not putting her in deep trouble if she accepts."

“Yeah, kinda hard to tell you’re joking when you’re always speaking in that deadpan way. Might want to try smiling or something to help sell it.” Josep commented though he really did not know how else. Joking was the sort of thing that should come naturally to people. This was a conversation he could see him having with Nenanero more instead of Andrew which said a great deal about the boy in front of him.  “Don’t make an excuse when you talk to Helena just admit you were a jerk and that you’re sorry.”

Unless there was something else that needed to be added to that topic he moved on to the more pressing one. “Not something a hero does? Please,” he said and waved Andrew’s words off. “That’s not true at all. What about police officers? Firemen? Or you know, your parents and whole family for that matter? We’re all allowed to have relationships regardless of what we do in life. Heroes just as much as anyone else.”

The urge to make a joke struck him but after what just transpired he decided against it. “Being a person and a hero don’t have to be separate things all the time. And I think you’re thinking too far ahead. Take it a step at a time, irst thing is you ask Sally out on a date. Then if you two hit it off you can go from there." An idea struck him then and a snap of his fingers followed to signal it. "And if you’re nervous about being alone with her you could always make it something where it’s a double date with another couple. Like Abigail and her boyfriend, Jonas and Sophia or Juana and Dani. I know you don't want them to know but it might help to have the buffer”

He patted Andrew on the shoulder. “Something to think about anyway” he smiled then left with there not being much time before the next period began.

END OF FLASHBACK

---

Now he thought maybe a girl had dropped a hint about him asking and he completely missed it. Maybe he was as bad as Andrew well almost as bad since as far as he knew he did not make anyone cry. His social missteps aside he focused on explaining his choice concerning his date to Homecoming.

“Mrs. Aderoju is a widow, her husband suddenly passed away. One of the greatest guys I’ve ever met, probably the best. Both of them have treated me nicely and after he was gone I thought maybe she could use a night of fun.” He put his hands in his pockets. “You know, just because the most important person in her life is gone doesn’t mean she can’t still have some fun even if it was at a lame dance.”
This message was last edited by the player at 17:59, Tue 23 June 2020.

Nenanero focused on her memory of the town's layout. She did not know where this taco site was, but Lexington was easier to figure out. I will be there. Why are you taking your mother to the doctor? It somewhat belatedly occurred to the Anenav that this might be an inauspicious development.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:32, Sun 28 June 2020.

As things went, the rest of the day was relatively quiet. Sure, homework, and the many peer moments that can make a heaven or a hell of teenage life, but there were no exploding buildings, no swarms of demonically-possessed hamsters, no interdimensional dodgeball games. Just a normal teenage day.

And there were tacos later. Just friends, hanging out, enjoying carnitas and salsa. Some small things came to light; at Homecoming, Helena had approached Andrew, asking if he wanted to dance, and he'd ignored her, leaving her a little humiliated. Edi might've been flirting with Josep a bit, but either she wasn't very good at it (likely) or he wasn't very good at noticing (also possible.)
Danilo was a little late to it all. His mother had been all sorts-of fatigued, and needed to get some blood work done.
People got to meet India's great big dog, who would beg for tacos and give enormous puppy eyes about it. Thankfully, belly rubs are a good substitute for the foods doggos aren't supposed to have.