Tough Girl

20: My Superman

This chapter is dedicated to BoomerT2016 and Ashenry! You guys are fantastically wonderful!

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I had gained more confidence by the time I stepped back into the room. Maybe it was because the worst part was over, or because the best part was just starting. This is where the boys entered my story.

"So then my sophomore year started. Nothing very exciting. Just school. I would be sitting alone without Carter at my side, brand new and without friends. The new girl in school. The first day started out pretty normal, except then I met this kid named Lucian Taylor." I stop to laugh, and the boys expressions soften, their lips curling up into smiles.

"He asked me who I was but I didn't know what to say. I'm a different person to a lot of people. Then Luke asked me if I was committing identity fraud... I said maybe which was probably a mistake. Thank goodness the police didn't show up that night. That night...there was a fight. I had come home with a bruise from school when someone was in a fight and hit me on accident.

"I tried to explain the situation but only made it worse. I was forbid from eating the next two days, as well as I was hit on my cheek. My mother sent me to my room and yelled it out with Andrew. My mother ended up getting hit too. That night I snuck out of my room-"

"How?" Nathan asked. I rolled my eyes.

"I climbed out of my window, duh. I just opened it and jumped off the roof, remember? We've been over this?"

He laughs and nods, and North huffs and crosses his arms.

"Anyway, while I was out in the woods, being a mess of sobs and wishes and whatnot...two people came to me. One of them was named Luke, but I didn't know the other one except that he had stared at me from his driveway." Kota blushed.

"I ran away from them at first, pretty much until I tripped and fell. Then I basically decided I should talk them out of leaving me alone...that didn't work. So then Luke lured me into Kota's house and tried to make me talk to them and I tried to run away from that, too and actually got away! So fast forward to the next day........"

I continued to explain to them for the next forty-five minutes how I met all of them, with a couple interruptions, and then decided to ask for questions. I told them I might not answer them all, but that they should ask. They agreed. Kota raised his hand shyly. I smile and point to him.

"What happened to your father?" Kota asks softly. I inhale sharply. "You don't have to tell me," he said, covering his eyes. He knew that sometimes the authority and curiosity they held sometimes tipped the scale on my decision, so this way I wouldn't feel more obligated to answer.

"I think it's alright for you to know."

"Is it alright for you to talk about it?"

I nod. "So, mostly he worked from home, but every once in a while he'd have to drive down to another city to turn in business and work files. He was almost back home when the storm started. Rain and hail hit everything...It was pretty bad. There was an accident...They got to my father in time to get him to the hospital. I visited him as soon as possible, every week for a few weeks. The doctors did everything they could to keep him alive but they couldn't..."

"Were you there when he died?" Victor asks quietly. I nod. Everybody gives me hugs and then I smile and ask for more questions.

"Where did the bruises that your parents didn't make come from?" Silas asks. I nod. I forgot only Sean already knows this.

"Well, a lot of pointless fights use to break out at my old school. Sometimes they would beat people up because a scrawny kid crossed their line of sight! I was one of the few kids that helped stop those fights rather than encourage them. I didn't usually fight anyone, but that didn't mean they didn't try to hit me instead."

Silas whistled, which confused me, but everyone smiled.

"It was good of you to be the bigger person. Although I can't imagine you beating anyone up," Sean says, chuckling. I blush.

"I can fight!" I say, trying to defend myself. He nods, unbelieving.

"Can you prove it?" Sean asks, and I nod.

Mr. Blackbourne raises an eyebrow. "You know Sean, you really shouldn't underestimate Ms. Sorenson."

He shrugs.

"I'll believe it when I see it. Besides, who's she going to fight?"

All the boys shrugged, half raising their hands. "I'm not going to fight any of you! I don't want to hurt you!" I exclaim, not liking the idea.

"You said you could prove it. Don't you want to?" I frown.

"Okay. Which one of you is likely to get the least hurt?"

Luke shrugs and points to Nathan. "He's our best fighter. I feel like Silas probably won't get hurt that much though. He's like a pillow...or a brick wall."

I laugh as Gabe hits Luke on the head. "Those are two completely different things. You can only pick one."

I laugh again and walk to Silas. "I'm going to fight you, okay?" Silas nods and chuckles. "Are you going to fight back?"

"Yeah. But not well enough to hurt you unless you're as bad as Sean thinks you are."

I nod and the boys back away to one side of the room, giving us space. I stretch myself out. Then I run upstairs and back downstairs and back upstairs again, searching through my closet until I find my headband. I tie my hair up and run back downstairs.

Someone yells "three, two, one, fight!" And I focus in on Silas. "I'm sorry if I hurt you."

~after the fight~

Haha! I won! So now, Silas has a bruise on his face and probably a couple on his stomach too. I feel really bad about it, so I'm sitting on his lap, careful to watch his torso. Sean got what he deserved. Everyone was impressed, even Mr. Blackbourne.

I laughed as Sean hung his head in defeat. "I told you I didn't usually fight anyone, not that I couldn't."

Everyone laughs and Sean sticks his tongue out at me. I stick my tongue out back and curl closer to Silas. He kisses my hair and then leans his head back on the couch. His big arms hold me tight, like I can only imagine Superman would. I smile.

"Hi Superman," I whisper, trying it out. Silas raises his eyebrow at me, understanding I'm talking to him, but doesn't protest. I giggle. My Superman.

I think I fell asleep there, on my Superman, but that's okay as long as I didn't hurt him too much. I had gotten it all off my chest. I didn't care anymore what would happen in my family. I had a new family, a new start, and a new hope. Everything would be okay. They had reassured me time and time again we would come up with something for me, and until then, they would always be right there for me.

I was going to be okay.