This is for The Hero

When I woke up, I noticed Trenton was gone, as he said he would most likely be last night. I was glad that he let me know that he was leaving, rather than just leaving without a goodbye. The people that I brought home from Breaker before I knew Trenton always let me wake up alone, always making me mad. The feeling I had from those guys from Breaker just leaving without a goodbye showed that one night stands were just not my thing, and that I just needed someone that I would find in the bed with me each time I woke up.

My bed wasn't useful for two unless they were spooning, anyways, so I never really understood how they were able to leave the bed without me waking up.

I rose my body up off the couch, which is when I noticed that what was covering me was not a blanket. It was Trenton's jacket, which made me wonder because hadn't noticed that he brought it with us. In fact, I don't think he did bring it because we were in such a hurry to get off campus. How did it get here?

I must have not been paying attention enough. I'm oblivious to certain small details as such. I got up and stretched out, letting out a giant yawn as my left arm reached up and my knees locked. I walked around the sofa and towards the kitchen, hoping to find something good in the fridge. I opened it up, only to find nothing but butter and an egg carton with only one egg left. Mina must have been fired again, and looking for a job because this is what their fridge looked like when the Wal-Mart that Mina worked at closed down. She had two jobs, and the money she made at Wal-Mart as assistant manager was what they used for mostly paying the rent, but considering that she got a discount for her groceries there, that was another factor that she loved her job. The rest was used in saving up for a house that her and Jaro could live in. It wasn't much to be saving each month when she got her paycheck, but she was consistent with her saving plan for the three years she worked there, even before she was assistant manager. Soon enough, though, the city had a Supercenter up for construction, and the regular sized Wal-Mart was set for shutting down. After they finished and opened up the new, bigger Wal-Mart, the other disappeared. Mina was offered a job at the new store, but she would be a cashier again since they had already found an experienced and trained businessman to fill the spot of assistant manager. She felt wronged in the action and declined.

Her other job at Wendy's as a cashier was relevant for their food supply. Since she had lost her job at Wal-Mart, they didn't have the store discount anymore, and they had to cut down how much food they bought and had to start settling for Great Value products, as it was cheaper. This led to them having to use their savings to pay the monthly rent until Mina could find a job that was closer to what she made at Wal-Mart for rent. Soon, as she was about to go into desperation, she struck gold for a spot as a concierge at a Marriott Suites and Inn. She found that it was good pay for the rent as she worked overtime and extended hours, and soon got the raise that she wanted. Then, as the manager and assistant manager were shot during a three man robbery, she was offered the job as manager from the owner, and despite the aftershock of seeing two people die in her workplace by a murder, she took the job. The inn had suffered being closed for a few weeks, but then the owner finally had the money to open it back up, feeling as though the inn would become a profitable possession again. Though that inn was seen as a death wish for a couple of months, the amount of customers had seen a big increase when Superstition started coming out more frequently, and people wished to see, knowing that he was the only superhero in existence. People across the nation kept reserving spots for hotels in Springside, hoping to catch the glimpse of him during their stay. This led to the expansion of Mina's building, adding another story for more customers and receiving her a pay raise.

How Mina pulled it off still makes me curious. She went to the top, then nearly hit the bottom, but came back up to the top with the luck of getting a job that seemed near impossible to get.

I walked into the living room again, turning on the TV to the news, and the headline shocked me.

"Barcarole University's Memorial Building Destroyed; Was It Meant For Murder?"

The anchorman was speaking as photos of the damage popped up on screen. "The aircraft was identified as a stunt plane, and the passenger of the plane had been burned and most likely killed upon impact. There were none reported dead, but seven reported injuries from students and one professor. What puzzles citizens is one question: what was the purpose of this catastrophe? Many suggestions have been made, but what seems to be the most popular rumor is that Shane Davies, the alleged sidekick of Superstition the superhero, was meant to be assassinated in this crash. Though this accusation has only been a rumor that came up merely hours ago, it also has the most logical explanation. Davies is a student at Barcarole University, and the closest building to the boys' dorm, where he does stay, is the memorial building and has been seen by a few witnesses outside the building itself." I didn't bother listening to the rest, as it began to start recapping the events of these past five days.

This really sent a chill down my spine, as I do spend time around the outside of the memorial doing homework since my dorm can get a little stuffy at times. The feeling of being hunted down by people that wanted me dead was extremely unnerving and made me sick to my stomach. Also, even though it may have been a sheer coincidence that it hit the memorial, there was also the possibility that there could have been people around the school, giving out information about me being at that building during certain times to someone other than the news. Though it seemed somewhat unlikely, it still surprises me that it hit a place that I go to at least once a week.

I ran towards the bathroom with my stomach acting up. I clenched it in pain, feeling extremely sick and queasy. I lifted the toilet lid with the dizziness multiplying by the second, and dry heaved a few times. My throat was on fire and when I was done, and the dizziness wasn't wearing off. I flushed the toilet, then I laid down on the bathroom floor, not caring about the germs and only wanting the dizziness to fade. I shut my eyes, feeling nothing but nausea taking over my body, soon making me it's prisoner. I knew I didn't have the strength, nor the gut power to stand up, so I kept myself on the floor, waiting it out.

After a few minutes, though, barely anything had subsided, and the nausea peaked again, making me get up for the toilet. The movement had caused my nausea to be riled up, making me even more dizzy and causing me to dry heave a few times. It hurt at an unexplainable level, and I heard Jaro's voice by the door.

"Oh, my God, Shane, are you okay?!" She swiftly came to my side and patted my back. I didn't say anything, as the sick feeling scared me enough for me to not want to do anything but lie down on the floor.

Jaro ran out of the bathroom and began yelling for Mina, wanting her to help me. Soon, the yelling disappeared, and my consciousness began to fade.

This all just happened so fast...

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"-have no idea what was wrong, Mina. I got up from my room, and I guessed right: he was up chucking in the bathroom. I swear, if Trenton had anything had to do with this, I have a new bone to pick."

"Calm down, he only passed out because he didn't have any fresh air. He's the reason we're out here looking like idiots while his passed out ass looks more pathetic than he usually does, sprawled out on the porch."

"Mina, you know how much pressure he's under with this Superstition shit. At first, I thought it was cool. Now, he's getting all of this unwanted attention. I could understand that it's really stressful for him."

"Ever since that Stephen incident, he has been nothing but a complete wreck, and I can't stand to be around him. He sleeps with a different guy from the bar every night, he drinks more than he should every night, and now, he's becoming the most hated person in the town by all of this Superstition shit. Honestly, Jaro, I can't handle his shit anymore."

"What do you mean 'after the Stephen incident'? That was not his fault and completely out of his control!"

"You know what I'm talking about, Jaro."

"Are you talking about our apartment?"

"That's exactly what I'm talking about. That is why I don't like him being around. Everything he does says 'danger'. I understand that it wasn't under his control, but he could have warned us about it before it happened. He knew we were in danger, but didn't tell us."

"Well, at least he made up for it."

"Whatever."

It seemed to be the end of their conversation, so I faked gaining my conscious back.

"Shane. Are you okay?" Jaro said.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Why are we outside?" I was fully aware, but I still had to act clueless because they didn't know that I woke up and started eavesdropping.

"You passed out on the bathroom floor, and we had to get you fresh air." Jaro said. "What happened?"

Though it was somewhat of a blur to me, it clicked into my brain. "Last night. I think that plane crash was meant for me."

"Mina told me about that." Jaro said. "What makes you think-"

"The memorial building was a place where I worked on my homework every now and then. It could have been a warning." It seemed silly to say out loud, but I was sure about this.

"You never know, Shane, it could have just been a coincidence." Jaro tried to be comforting.

"No." I said. "Someone wants me dead. They just don't care how they do it or if they hurt anyone innocent, they just want me gone."

I looked away from Jaro and spoke again. "I think I'm going to go live with my parents for a while. They noticed that this got out of hand, and they offered me their guest room. I really need to go some place safe and away from everyone, especially the media."

There was a pause. I looked at Jaro, and then she said, "As long as you're safe."

"Thank you for helping me, guys." I got up, trying to see if I still had balance. I stumbled a little bit, but I stayed standing. "I always know who to depend on, even if it is to carry me out for fresh air or for a tranquil place to sleep at night."

"Don't wear out your welcome too much." Mina said as she walked back inside. I understood where her hatred for me came from now. She basically called me a moving target for danger. I should have known that was why, but I still had that oblivious thing going on with me.

I turned to Jaro. "I'll talk to you guys later. I have to start packing." I hugged her.

"Stay safe." Jaro clenched on to me.

"I'll try." I smiled as she let go.

I waved bye and walked back to my car, thinking about this whole pandemic. Whatever happened after this was nothing that I was gaining control of soon.