Time for School Ch. 19

Chapter 19 - Hero


Note: All characters in this story involved in sexual situations are 18 years of age or older


*


About a week later, I had begun to settle into a patrol around the city. It was late night on Friday. I was soaring invisibly through the air, scouting for any possible trouble. My senses were sharpening to a point where nothing was able to escape me. I could see and hear things clearly from incredible distances. At a hundred feet overhead, I heard a guy coming out of a gas station drop his wallet. There was another man hanging out against the wall of the building that watched him. I came to a slow stop, but the first man simply scooped up his wallet and continued on his way without incident. Looked like it was shaping up to be another quiet night.


I'd also started to make it a habit of getting free car rides with strangers to keep me closer to the street. I descended downward upon spotting a roaming police car. I calmly took a seat atop the hood of the car, my legs folded, keeping a watch out. Of course, the police within the car were unable to see me. With the police cars, it gave me the chance to listen to the radio chatter for any possible crimes going down. I grinned, ready and raring to go at the first sign of trouble.


After an hour, I'd become reclined comfortably against the car's windshield. It wasn't just a quiet night, it was a dull one. The car rolled up to the local pharmacy store and parked. I groaned and sighed, letting my head fall back onto the top of the car.


"You hear something, Pete?" one of the policemen asked his partner.


"Probably a bird taking a dump on the car. C'mon, let's go inside."


I watched the two police officers got out of the car to go inside the store. I sighed heavily and casually began to ascend back into the sky. I was heading back on patrol, certain that something would happen eventually.




I really hadn't considered this heroic work to be so uneventful most of the time. Usually in TV shows, they're getting into some kind of trouble all the time. At that point, I'd find salvation in a good old-fashioned police chase through the city. I sighed heavily, not willing to give up just yet. After all - the darker it got, the shadier the characters that come out.


A short time later, I heard the very quick, shrill scream of a woman's voice. It was faint considering how far away I was, and couldn't have lasted more than a second. I could only imagine what was going on and so, I quickly began to fly towards the source. It was at the Apex, the very same building that Natalie was going to meet her friend at. As I neared, I heard a quiet voice and what sounded like a struggle. I touched down near the back wall of the ground floor parking lot. When I turned the corner, my eyes widened in surprise. Under the outside light, a man held his hand over a woman's mouth while they fought for her purse.


"Well if you want the purse so damn much," the crook said, "I'll just take something else instead!"


The woman with mid-length, dark blonde hair quickly fought for control of her own body while he tried to reach under her dress.


She managed to pull away to scream. "No! Somebody please, help–!"


I saw more than enough. Without either of them seeing me, I made my body emerge from the shadows.


"Hey!!" I shouted angrily, causing them both to look at me. "Let go of her right now!"


The two of them were equally as shocked by my presence while I stared the man down. He quickly became infuriated with me.


"Get out of here, kid, or I'll fucking kill you! I swear!"


The woman then shouted to me, "Go get help! Hurry!"


"I'm not going anywhere," I said, taking a step forward. "I'm not afraid of you, you cowardly prick. Let her go or I'll be forced to show you a whole new meaning of pain."




Then, to my surprise, he actually let go of her. She quickly backed away, staying around as she watched in terror. The coward turned to me with a big smile as he reached in his pocket. From it, he pulled a large hunting knife.


Oh, man. I then realized that guy was actually pretty huge and that knife looked really sharp ... and he was advancing straight for me.


I quickly shook off my worry, gritting my teeth and staring him down. I straightened my back, standing up as tall as I could, puffing out my chest and put on the most stern expression I could. I just had to remember to believe in my powers. As long as I knew he couldn't hurt me, then it would be so.


"Okay, kid, you wanna show me the meaning of pain? Go ahead!"


He rushed at me, rearing the knife back before driving it straight at me while the woman screamed in fear. He was moving so quickly and yet, to me, it was like slow-motion. With the calmest of movements, I casually reached up and grabbed the blade of the knife between my fingers, bringing the weapon and all of his momentum to a dead halt. Both of them gasped in shock. I gently pried it from his hand and carelessly tossed it aside.


"What the–?!" he shouted in a rage. "You little bastard!"


He swung at me as if trying to punch through a brick wall. I side-stepped his attack like it was nothing and brought a swift knee up to his gut. He grunted loudly, the wind knocked out of him, hunched over and grabbing his stomach. I then gave him a quick strike to the back of the head, and he fell over to the ground. Just like that, he was out cold.




The terrified woman had her hands over her mouth in shock as I stood up tall over the fallen brute. I casually brushed my hands together and smiled to her.


"Oh, my god!" she quietly exclaimed. "You saved me! You're ... a hero!"


I chuckled nervously. "Well, looks like you're all good now. I was just ... about to ... go. So, have a nice night!"


"Wait!" she exclaimed as I turned to leave. "Please don't go! I'll call the police really quick. They'll know that you saved me."


My shoulders slumped over. Oh, great. I can't start getting involved with the police. What'll they start thinking when they see me at every foiled robbery? They'll start asking questions, wondering who I am, suddenly my face is on television for the world to see and wonder how 'Superkid' is stopping crime, one bad guy at a time. I really should've just made myself invisible. Better for the victim to think some freak accident saved them or maybe they assume they blacked out and knocked the perp out instead.


I sighed heavily. I got myself into this one and so, I may as well roll with it just this once. I just had to make sure it didn't happen anymore.


"Well, I– I guess I could," I replied, nervously scratching the back of my head. "I don't really want people to start thinking I've got superpowers or anything." She laughed as she pulled out her cell phone from her purse.


"Okay, we'll say it was a joint effort. He ran for it, you tripped him, I came in and knocked him out. Sound good?"


I smiled thankfully. "Sounds good."




Within minutes, the police were on the scene. Bright police car headlights and emergency lights were going off in all directions. Crap, was I nervous. I kept my cool as best as I could as we ran through our stories together for the police to write down. All the while she seemed to look over at me frequently with this really warm, pretty smile that made me feel like I'd done a ton of good. I had to admit she was actually quite beautiful. It was funny to me to think that I didn't even pay attention to her looks when I was fighting that guy off of her – I just wanted her to be okay. Head back a couple of months and, instead, I would've been drooling and falling head over heels at the very sight of her in public.


They wheeled the burly crook away on a handcuffed stretcher. He was still unconscious by the time they carted him out to the ambulance.


"You did good, kid," the police officer taking my statement said to me. "Even the littlest amount of help can save a person. That was pretty brave of you to stand up to that guy."


"Thanks," I casually said with a nod.


"We'll give you a call if we need anything else from you. Have a good night!"


"You, too!" I replied before the cop headed back to his squad car. The woman I saved, also freed up from giving her statement, slowly strode up to me.


"I don't think we've been formally introduced," she said, "– at least not without someone coming at you with a knife." I chuckled with her as we gently shook hands. "I'm Cassandra."


"Anthony," I replied with a big grin.


"Well Anthony, it's wonderful to finally know the name of the man who came to my rescue. I'm very grateful to you, truly."


"Always nice to meet a fan," I joked. She quietly laughed and smiled at me.


"You know, I~ can't just let you go without a proper 'thank you.'" I tilted my head curiously. "Come with me into the Apex. I'll buy us a couple of drinks at the bar."


"Drinks?" I asked, almost in shock. I'd never drank alcohol before. Well, aside from stealing a curious sip of someone's beer and also sneaking off with a wine cooler that one time. Those don't exactly count. I was kind of nervous about the idea. Either one of us could've gotten in trouble for it. ... But, what the heck? I had superpowers now, right? I lived for trouble.


"Sure," she replied. "You're over twenty-one, right?" With her that close to me, seeing that inviting look in her eyes, it was hard for me to turn her down.


"Of course," I replied with a casual shrug. "You couldn't tell by how grown-up I look?"


She chuckled. "You're right - my mistake." She put a hand behind my back and began to lead me toward the building. "Come on."




The police were starting to pull away as the two of us headed off under the very regal overhang above the entrance to the building. The rhythmic sound of her heels tapping the pavement was quite enjoyable. I noticed the valet guy wave to her before we entered the front automatic doors. I thought the outside was regal enough, but the lobby was even more incredible. Golden pillars, leather sofas, marble floor - everything spotless and shiny.


"Hello, Miss Cassandra!" one of the security guards greeted her as she walked in.


"Good evening, Paolo," she replied. "You're looking well."


"So are you! That was a lot of police cars out there! Are you all right?"


Cassandra merely shrugged. "Nothing I couldn't handle," she said with a smirk as she began to walk away with me.


"Have a good evening!" Paolo called out.


I was really loving the cool and confidence she exuded. As we calmly walked together, I found myself gazing over at her. I was already finding her quite sexy - and I don't mean that just because of how she looked, even though she was gorgeous. Something about her tone of voice, the way she talked and how she carried herself were just dripping with sultriness. I actually found myself a bit intimidated when she glanced over at me from the corner of her eye with a casual smirk.


"So, have you ever been here before?"


"The bar?" I asked in confusion. "Oh, yeah, me and my ... pals ... go, uh, clubbing just all the time."


"I meant the Apex," she replied with a laugh.


"Oh!" I exclaimed with some embarrassment. "No, actually. First time here. It's very ... upscale, I must say."


She humphed. "Most of the people here are a bunch of uptight stiffs. None of them are a lick of interesting. The men are millionaires and the women are the gold-diggers that married them. All seriousness, no fun, totally boring." She then smirked to me. "None of them would've stepped in to help me like you did."


I just smiled and tried not to get completely embarrassed by how thankful she was to me.




We walked into the open entrance of a large dining hall. She led me down a few steps onto the floor, heading straight for the bar in the very center of the whole thing. A pianist played a soft melody on the piano nearby. Yes, I know – pianist. All the while, Cassandra remained courteous and polite to those 'uptight stiffs' that greeted her as she walked by. She certainly seemed to know a lot of them. I felt really out of place escorting someone who was rubbing elbows with millionaires.


She took a seat at the nearest bar stool and sighed quietly. She placed her purse on the counter while I took a seat next to her. Again, I found myself a little intimidated. I'd never drank, therefore I'd never ordered drinks before. I only remember being told to stay away from the bar as a kid, since that was always 'grown-up territory.' The many hundreds of alcohol bottles lining the circular wall behind the bartender confused me. What do I even order? I racked my brain trying to remember the names of mainstream drinks, but all I could remember was Shirley Temple.


"Good evening, Cassandra," the bartender with a smooth voice and slicked-back hair said.


"Evening, Ron," she replied with a much more exasperated voice than before. Looked like she was finally letting her hair down. "Give me a scotch - neat."


The bartender nodded and then looked over at me. His expression turned to confusion before glancing back to Cassandra.


"He's twenty-one, right?" he quietly asked. She laughed as she looked over at me.


"It's fine," she replied. "After all, he saved my bacon out there."


Ron looked surprised. "Oh, that was you that nearly got robbed out there?" Cassandra closed her eyes and nodded. "I heard the mumblings from people that went out to go look. Wow. Are you okay?"


She grinned. "I am now. Thank you, Ron."




The bartender then turned to me, awaiting my order.


"Uh," I replied before deepening my voice a little, "... I'll have ... what she's having." I cleared my throat and leaned back on the stool in an attempt to look casual. The bartender seemed more confused than anything, but then shrugged and began to pour our drinks. He handed them to us and I stared at my glass in surprise. I was actually drinking.


"Thank you," she said. He nodded to her and went to go tend to another customer. She put the glass to her lips and gazed over at me from the corner of her eyes with a grin. "You know, you don't have to look like that. Nobody's going to ask questions when you're with me." I quickly straightened my back, feeling like an idiot as I quickly grabbed my glass of scotch.


"You also don't have to look like you're in school, either," she added. I laughed and hunched over a little. She quietly laughed, taking a long sip of her drink and sighing in relief.


I pressed the lip of the glass to my own lips. The smell of the drink was unlike anything I smelled before. I quickly shook off my intimidation of the entire situation, wanting to show Cassandra that I could be as cool as she was. Well, here goes nothing.


I tipped the glass back and nearly spilled it on myself as I was under the assumption that drinking faster meant looking more adult. Within seconds I had downed the whole thing and nearly choked on the attempt - literally. I sighed just the same as she did before coughing. Wow, that was some strong stuff.


"Thirsty, huh?" she playfully asked me, finding my antics infinitely amusing.


"You know it," I responded in a raspy voice as I placed down the empty glass. She laughed and shook her head before taking another sip of her drink.


"So," she spoke again whilst placing down her half-full glass, "tell me about you."


I coughed again to clear my throat before I could speak normally again.


"Well, I'm just going to school right now," I said before quickly adding, "er, college! Yeah, I'm, you know, getting my ... degree."


"I bet you're used to all those wild college parties, right?"


"Oh ... yeah! It's just, you know, this stuff is a little stronger than what I'm used to."


"Uh-huh," she replied, grinning. "And where do you live?"


"In the first building right across the street," I said with a nod, "totally on my own. I moved out of my parents' dump a while ago." She smirked before taking another sip of her drink. "So, uh, I was wondering," I said.


"Hmm?" she asked as she placed the glass down.


"Why do so many people here seem like ... they're trying to get on your good side? I thought you said they were a bunch of stiffs."


"That's because I'm the manager here," she replied with a laugh. I was surprised to hear that. "So, they try to sweet-talk me and think if they cozy up to me that I'll let them micromanage this place. That's not gonna happen. I'm not a dictator, but I'm also not going to cut someone's rent in half because they think they have an 'in' with management."


She then lifted her arms high over her head. As she stretched, I couldn't help but look up and down her body.


"So, uh, ... do you have a man in your life?"


Her eyes lit up with intrigue. "Ooh, getting to the personal questions already, huh?" she playfully asked. "No, I don't have anybody. I've been out of love for ... oh, three years now. The men I meet are usually just assholes. Every so often a nice guy like you comes along, but ... it just doesn't work out between us." She smiled weakly as her eyes gazed away, seeming to get lost in reflection. She then glanced over at me. "And how about you? Do you have someone you have your heart set on?"


"Well, ..." I trailed off with a slight grin, "there's this one girl..."


"Oh?" she curiously asked. "What's her name?"


"Sarah. She's really amazing. ... But, she and I aren't actually together, though. She already has a ... boyfriend."


"Oh no, you got crushed." She placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "I can tell you love her, though," she added, surprising me. "I saw it in your eyes the moment you said her name."


"Guess I do," I replied with a smile. "It took me a while to actually admit that to myself."


"It's okay," she softly said. "I've been there before. It takes some time to heal a broken heart, but you'll heal."


"Thanks," I replied.




She rubbed my shoulder as she gazed into my eyes with a smile. Something about the way she was looking at me made me think she was getting ideas.


"I think you are incredibly adorable," she remarked. "You were like a rottweiler out there fighting off that huge guy with ease. Inside, though, you're like ... a puppy. It's sweet." Her hand drifted down my arm and continued downward. "I have to admit, I like cute guys like you...."


She surprised me as I felt her hand slowly going up and down my leg.


"Barkeep!" I exclaimed as I kept my eyes affixed on hers.


"Yes?" Ron asked as he came over. I nudged my glass toward him.


"Another, please," I said.


"Another one?" she asked, seemingly impressed. "You going for the high score?"


"Definitely," I replied with a nod.




By the time she was halfway through her second drink, I was done with seven. Yes, seven. The empty glasses were scattered about in front of me like my trophies. Needless to say, I was very, very drunk at that point.


"Ya' know, I gotta tell ya," I spoke in a drunken slur, "... a woman like you ... turns me on so much..."


She grinned at me as her finger traced the lip of her glass.


"Oh yeah? Why's that?"


"Because, ... you're so~ hot." I pointed my finger at her, finding it hard to keep my balance. "You don't take crap from anybody around here."


"Well, I can't let the stiffs think they can walk all over me. I wouldn't have lasted as long as I did."