November: I Might Be A Superhero

014: Hell Of A Time

"Alright guys, I want you to do twenty laps around the field," said Mr. Ortega, the P.E teacher.

Students grumbled claiming it was worse than a punishment.

Mr. Ortega blew his whistle to silence them.

"Listen I know most of you are currently on the low with your quirks because you're scared of getting apprehended through Principal Ambers, but I'll appreciate it if none of you cheat." He told them with raised hands, and then he cast a shoulder glance at his back, only to see Principal Amber's on the bleachers, observing them with his binoculars to detect which kid had a quirk so he could call in people to capture them. "Be wise," Mr. Ortega added.

The national security team was already at Winona's High, their visits had been consistent for three days in the new week.

"Why are you looking out for us?" Someone asked him.

"Yeah, you're his employee so you're supposed to be on his side."

There were grunts in agreement to this.

"I'm not on anyone's side, I just don't fancy kids getting separated from their parents and locked up in labs for Experiments. Everyone has the right to liberty, be you quirky or quirkless," he paused and then released a breath as he stared at his students, "I mean, it's no one's fault that you got infected with the alien virus. Having infection-induced powers doesn't make you guys less human. Your help could be needed to make Indianapolis a better place, and maybe some parts of the world. And not you guys getting locked up by these politicians and mad scientists for selfish purposes."

There was a moment of silence as the students stared at their teacher, suddenly someone broke into a round of applause. One by one, they joined in like he just gave a very good speech. And this made Principal Ambers wondered what was going on.

"You should be our principal, Mr. Ortega."

"Winona's high will be less shit if you take over the position of that protruding belly, bald-headed money-gobbling asshole."

The kids scoffed and chuckled at this. And the person who made such a distasteful statement was no other person than Macey Brightside.

"You know, I'm supposed to give you detention for insulting Principal Ambers." Mr. Ortega narrowed his eyes at Macey who in turn pushed her glasses up as she stared at him, "but you won't, because you know it's the truth."

Ivar Johansson scoffed from where he stood with his best friend, Chase Adams. He was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that he was gaining interest in Macey Brightside. The girl who he never paid attention to. And it was all because of that night.

He smirked and then sent an electric charge to her glasses, causing them to fall immediately into the flattened grass.

"Who did that?" Mr. Ortega asked, looking from one kid to another. "Here I am cautioning you guys to be careful with your quirks at school and you're doing this? Forgetting the fucking fact that Principal Ambers is watching?"

"You just used the F-word on us, sire!" Chase shouted from the back, but his eyes were searching around for a particular person he had not seen.

Knowing it was Ivar who did it, Macey glared at him before squatting to pick up her glasses.

November heaved deeply as he watched the students on the field, already clad in his P.E. He was reluctant to join them, afraid his quirk would be widely on display.

One puff of tired breath, and he'd float in the air. And now that it had to do with laps in the field, he didn't know if he could control his super-speed in running. After all, he had promised his mom not to exhibit his quirk anymore. He was to let them stay in him and behave like a quirkless kid without the alien virus, otherwise, he'd get caught.

"Calhoun, what are you waiting for?" Mr. Ortega yelled at November.

"Coming!" November grinded his teeth and slowly started jogging toward them.

His heart was racing faster than normal, and at this, he knew his super-force wanted to take full charge.

"Oh, shit. Oh, shit," he muttered under his breath as he tried to slow down his speeding heart, his left hand was even vibrating, and he threw a fearful glance at crossed-leg Principal Ambers who had his binoculars focused on him.

"Shit!" He cursed under his breath and then deliberately fell because he was sure his speed was building up.

Students bursted into laughter upon seeing this, while Macey bit down on her bottom lip because she knew. She knew he was trying to appear normal, that he was unique from every one of them in the field.

Chase stared at November with a clenched jaw. His friend, Ivar had told him everything that happened five nights ago. He couldn't believe he got interested in the girly version of November, ignoring every other hot girl in the club for a boy he loved bullying at school. Worst of it all, Ivar told him how November had this super-speed and a quirk that could shred people's clothes into pieces when he was upset. Chase Adams felt jealous over this.

"Get your ass up, Calhoun!" Mr. Ortega yelled at November who was still pretending on the floor.

November stood upright and the first person who he maintained eye contact with was Sebastian Alejandrino. The Italian transferred student whom he was avoiding because the boy had seen him use his quirk at Walmart mall and then called him a freak afterward.

"Fucketty fuck!" He muttered because he was sure Sebastian's eyes had been on him for some time. The boy probably knew he was pretending.

November unknowingly puffed out a breath and then felt his legs leave the ground.

Principal Ambers tossed in his seat in interest.

And Macey's mouth flew open.

November hurriedly dived to the ground and shoved his face into the grass, earning laughter from the students.

"Maybe he was a goat in his previous life," someone muttered and Mr. Ortega, who had his arms akimbo, rolled his eyes before blowing his whistle.

"If this is an act to not join the rest of your classmates to do the laps, then detention till five." He bellowed at November.

"Sorry, Mr. Ortega. I'm recuperating from a dislocated kneecap," November lied as he got up from the ground, rubbing the side of his arm. His face was already dirt-stained and Chased murmured that it was suitable for having a poop on.

"Dislocated knee-cap my foot! Get your ass down here this instant!" Mr. Ortega pointed at him with flared nostrils, and November had no option but to continue his snail-paced jugging until he joined the rest of his students.

Macey looked at him, wanting to meet his eyes, but he ignored her all through. Just as she had been ignoring him because she avoided him right after the day Penny MacFarlane and her goons were caught. It was obvious Sheriff Brightside who thought his daughter was normal, had warned her to stay away from him. No doubt the man still visited the memory lane of him disappearing with Macey at the station and it haunted him.

Or Macey wouldn't have been ignoring November.

Because there were times they bumped into each other at the grocery store and she ignored his wave. They would lock eyes for a few minutes through their windows and she would rudely roll her blinds down.

Even when he tried calling her, she blocked his number. So he figured he had to stay away because they were only friends for a day. Not like he cared that much, though. He was already used to being without friends.

"On the count of three, you'll all begin. And anyone who slackens will get an F because this is considered a test." Mr. Ortega blew his whistle. "I don't care if anyone is having period cramps, a running stomach, severe toothache, feigned dislocated knee-cap," he shifted his gaze at November who bit back a snicker, "or heart palpitations. You're running twenty laps around the field."

November didn't know how his eyes got fixated on Chase's. And the boy let fire fill his eyes until the corners of his eyes started darkening.

Mr. Ortega noticed this and then slipped out a hankie from his back pocket, before using it to wipe Chase's eyes, because he didn't want the boy to get caught by Principal Ambers. Not as if Chase cared. His dad was the wealthiest prosecutor in Indianapolis who worked hand in hand with top men in the city. No one could lock him up in a lab.

They began their laps a few seconds later and although Mr. Ortega yelled at November to be fast, he carried on running at a snail's pace. He was behind everyone else, and as they laughed at him, relief flooded through him. But on the contrary, he was going to get an F.

"Calhoun, at the count of ten, I want you to increase your pace!" Mr. Ortega yelled, and November knew he had to do something to stop this, or else his speed-force would make itself known. He'd run even fifty laps in under one second.

He deliberately fell off and injured himself, something which stirred up a groan from him.

Students stopped with the laps and approached November, only to see him gritting his teeth. Perfect! His plan worked, but he was in pain.

Mr. Ortega ordered the students to take a five minutes break as he squatted and pulled November's boot off.

"Looks bad," he said because November's foot was completely swollen and purple from pain.

November blew out a puff of breath in agony and felt his body floating, but Macey came to his rescue, seated on his stomach, and shoved him back down.

Audible gasps came from the students and mostly the teacher.

"What are you doing, Miss Brightside?" He asked her when November gritted his teeth in pain.

"To ease the foot pain, Mr. Ortega," Macey answered as she dropped a first aid kit with a loud thud. Everyone wondered how fast she had gone to get it.

"Here, he sustained a bruise on his ankle," she tapped on the spot where he was bleeding. "The laps can continue without us, sir. I'll tend to his leg since the infirmary nurses are currently absent." She stood up from November's stomach and then dusted her hands. While Mr. Ortega stared at her, flabbergasted for a moment.

"When you recover, you'll do forty laps around the field because you deliberately got yourself injured." He directed this to November and then blew his whistle, "alright guys, show's over. Run along now."

In no time, they were left alone.

And November looked at Macey as she tended to his wounds.

"Thanks," he murmured. While she remained silent.

Ivar threw them a backward glance and clenched his jaw. He was kind of jealous that they were together. On the other hand, November wondered why Macey was helping him.

"I thought your dad told you to stay away from me," he said.

"I am only just helping you, November. We're not friends." Macey frowned at him, before dabbing the spirited cotton on his wound.

"Ouch! No one wants to be friends with you either, Macey Brightside." He retorted and then immediately shut his mouth when he saw Sebastian's head looming over his.

"I saw what you did there, Calhoun." Sebastian as usual had a toothpick at the corner of his mouth.

Macey paused from tending to November's wound as she looked at him with furrowed brows.

"I don't understand what you mean," November lied, although he remained unblinking as he was in a stare exchange with Sebastian, he felt a tad uncomfortable because the boy stared at him too much. He already knew his secrets.

Sebastian scoffed and then took his baseball hat off, before pulling November by his shirt, "you trying to fool everyone else that you're not with quirks."

"I don't see that as any of your business," Macey retorted for November.

"Stay out of this, Mace." November turned and ordered Macey, before returning his attention to Sebastian and swatted the boy's hand off his shirt, unfazed by him. He wondered where the confidence came from.

"What are you gonna do about it? You'll have it spread like wildfire across the school?"

Sebastian looked at him for some time, before breaking into a smirk.

"I saw what you did to the thieves at Walamart."

"Pronunciation is Walmart, Spanish. And you're welcome," Macey corrected Sebastian.

And he chuckled.

"So what?" November folded his arms across his chest as he raised his chin defiantly.

"You displayed several quirks when everyone else is having one." The boy answered.

Before November could give Sebastian a response, he was interrupted by the sound of a cough. A boy was drawing to their side, beating his chest as he coughed violently, causing his shoulders to shake along with him.

It was Timothee, the rich kid who lived on drugs because he was having health issues. Everyone thought he had forgotten to take his meds or something until he began coughing up blood and then collapsed at November's feet.

The whole students went haywire, as they began running towards November and gathering at the scene.

November exchanged a confused glance with Macey and then Sebastian, wondering what the hell was happening.

The trio squatted and tapped on him, but his body remained unconscious.

Mr. Ortega tore himself from the students in a panic and hunkered down on the floor. He put his joint fingers on the boy's nostrils and then a cloud befell on his face.

Macey upon seeing this touched the boy's wrist and then gasped when she got no movement from his pulse.

The murmuring students grew closer until Mr. Ortega yelled at them to step backward.

With her mouth still in a large 'O' of horror, Macey tipped her head up to November.

And at this, November knew someone just died on the field.