Just One Look

Goosebumps

The science project is now one-hundred percent half way done, I feel so proud of myself for utilizing my time and completing half the project. Now only to complete the rest of the task.

"Catrina!" My Mother yelled from downstairs.

"Yeah?" I called back, she was distracting me from my work.

"Catrina!" She yelled again, I groaned getting off my bed. I went downstairs and tended to my mother's needs. I ended up cooking dinner, yes, how exciting. My Father did not turn up for the meal, and didn't bother to call. Mom got upset and called him a few times after Dean went to bed. I stayed on the couch and called Karen. She was still fangirling about Batman. I ended up trying to stop the conversation. "Karen."

"Yes?" She asked, her voice perky and annoying.

"Stop with the fangirling shit." I said harshly.

"But, I CAN'T!" She screamed into the phone.

"Karen!" I scolded.

"Fine, fine. I'll try to think of anything but Batman." She said glumly.

"Good." I said, my mother came into the room and sat on the couch next to me. "I'll see you tomorrow at school." I hung up the phone.

"Your father will be sleeping on the couch tonight." Mom said flatly.

"Why?" I asked,

"Because I'm mad."

"And why is that?"

"Because, I'm angry." She scorned, I nodded and decided to not further discuss her anger.

***

Nothing happened for a week. No Batman news. No Red Hood news. Not a thing. Karen took this way too far and started gossiping on how Red Hood must be planning something big. Something really big and Batman must be trying to track him down. I got so sick and tired of hearing her drone on and on and on about this guy. I sought refuge whenever I heard her booming voice from down the hallway.

"I swear to god! He has to be hiding out somewhere." Her voice rang in my ears, I perked up and listened more intently to find out where she was. "I have to find this guy, he's my lifeline!" She was behind me, I picked up my pace and headed for the library. A wall of sophomores walked down the hall just as I was entering a doorway with the push doors open. I pressed my body onto the side of the hallway and kept walking trying not to run into anyone, I felt a sharp pain in my arm and inhaled sharply. I got to the library and put my books down, I then looked at my arm. A bright red mark oozed blood down my arm. I sighed and got a pass to go to the nurse's office. When I got there, I was not the only person in the room.

"Hi Catrina." Bruce greeted with a small smile curving over his thin red lips.

"Oh, hi Bruce." I said as I signed into the health room.

"What happened?" He asked, I half laughed.

"I ran into a door." I laughed at myself. He looked at me with surprise.

"A door?" He questioned. I chuckled and nodded.

"Yeah, a door."

"Wow."

"Don't judge." I teased, he laughed and shook his head.

"Don't worry, I'm not." He smiled and got up from the chair he had been sitting on. His arm was all bandaged up.

"Speak for yourself, what happened to your arm?" I asked, pointing.

"My dog was playing a little too rough and he bit me, I got stitches and they started to ooze." He explained, his voice a little tighter than it was before. I nodded my head and watched the nurse calmly work on my cut. She cleaned and patched it up, Bruce talked to her while he sat there. He kept rambling on about how he doesn't think that the school is protected enough during the school day.