The Ups and Downs of Being Super

by Katrina Kahler

  I looked at Jason and saw that his expression was full of pride. It was not the face of a guy who had almost been hit by a car.

  “Why are you smiling like that?” I asked. “Weren’t you scared?”

  “No, of course not. You’re my best friend, and I know you've got my back!” he answered confidently.

  I shook my head. “Jason, you almost got run over by a car. You have to be more careful. Only dumb luck kept you from getting killed.”

  “It’s not luck,” Jason insisted. “It’s amazing! My best friend is super! This is the coolest thing ever!”

  Between friends…

  “Holy cow!” Jason continued. “I can’t believe you’re the girl who stopped the bank robbers. And then you just saved my life!”

  I lifted a finger. “One, I can’t believe you just said, holy cow.” I put up another finger. “And two, you can’t really believe that I’m super…”

  Jason looked me in the eyes. “Lia, you just stopped a speeding car with one arm! And you put a dent in the car. A big dent! You can’t deny being super. Cause seriously, that ain’t normal!”

  “Don’t say ain’t!” I told him.

  “Just making a point!” He grinned.

  I sighed. My sigh knocked him backward.

  I lunged forward, holding him up. “Oh Jason, I’m so sorry.”

  He laughed as I steadied him. “Look! You just breathed on me, and I went flying!"

  “Well, not FLYING,” I insisted. I couldn’t stop a smile from appearing on my face.

  “Girl, you are super!!” He began jumping up and down.

  I rolled my eyes. “Don’t call me girl!” I insisted.

  He steadied himself. “Okay, okay. I got a bit carried away. After years of comic reading, I am actually best friends with a super being. This has got to be the best day of my life!”

  In a way, I couldn’t help but feel relieved that Jason had figured it out. Not only was he my best friend in the world, but he was also a comic and superhero expert. He could help me understand all of this better. He could help me find my new place in this world. Plus, maybe he could help cover for me if I needed an excuse. After all, in the movies all superheroes had confidants; people they could rely on to help them. I’d always been able to rely on Jason. So it was perfect that he could be a part of this.

  I nodded, finally admitting the truth. “Yes, I am super…”

  He leaped into the air. “I knew it! I knew it!!”

  I gently put a hand on his shoulder to calm him. “Remember, it’s a secret. Right? I don’t want anybody else to know. Mom says if I tell people they would want me to do things for them.”

  “That makes sense,” Jason agreed. “So your mom is super too?”

  I nodded. “Yep, afraid so!”

  He beamed. “Well, that explains why your grandma and great grandma are so fit. They must be super as well?”

  I nodded again. “That’s what Mom tells me. I guess all the Strong women are well, super strong."

  “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?” Jason asked, eager as could be.

  I lifted my hands up. “I didn’t know until yesterday.”

  He looked at me. “You kept this from me for an entire day!” He turned away, a hurt expression on his face. “I thought we were friends!”

  My heart started to race. I couldn’t bear the thought of losing Jason over this. Touching him gently on the shoulder, I said, “Jason….I….”

  He turned to me, grinning widely and waved me off. “Just teasing you, Lia! I totally get the idea of keeping a secret identity.”

  I breathed a sigh of relief. Once again, sending Jason staggering back a little.

  “Oops, still don’t know my own strength.”

  “That will take some getting used to.” Jason realized the obvious.

  “Just be glad I didn’t have onions or garlic for lunch,” I told him.

  He laughed. “So, exactly how strong and tough are you?”

  I shrugged my shoulders. “No idea.” I paused. “Mom seems to want me to learn by doing. I know I could squish a gun like it was nothing. It felt like putty in my hands. And I knocked out those Hansons with a tap.”

  “Plus, you have really powerful breath,” Jason added. Then a sly smirk passed over his face. He pointed to his garage. “Let’s say we give you a test or two.”

  “Sounds like fun!” I told him. I was so glad that he’d found out. I knew my mom wouldn’t be thrilled, but I also knew she would understand and trust Jason, just like I did.

  Testing…

  Jason’s garage was filled with weights, exercise machines, punching bags, and dummies. His dad, the chief, happened to be very big on staying in tip-top shape. He always told Jason and me that a good cop’s best weapons were his mind and his body, in that order. Guns were messy, and a good cop never had to use one.

  First Jason set up a weight bar for me. “How strong do you think you are?” he asked.

  “No idea,” I replied honestly. “Strong enough to stop a car and pull doors off a car. I also pulled one of the Hanson guys out of his car like he was nothing.”

  Jason grabbed a couple of big weight plates and put them on the bar. “My dad only owns 500 pounds of weight. We’ll start with that.” Jason grinned. “If it turns out to be too heavy, which I am guessing it won’t be, then I’ll remove a few plates.”

  “Plates? They look like weights, not something you eat off.” I said, kind of joking.

  “We’re going to have to work on your witty comments. They’re not that funny!” He chuckled anyway.

  Standing up on a concrete platform, Jason made sure the weights were steady. After locking in the right and left sides, he walked to the middle of the weight bar and tried to lift it. It didn’t budge. “I can’t even begin to lift this weight. So I can’t help you.”

  I hopped up on the platform. Something inside of me, I wasn’t sure what…told me I wouldn’t need Jason’s help. “That’s okay,” I assured him. “Just to be on the safe side though, you’d better stand back, in case I lose control.”

  I was extra cautious because once again I could tell this was going to be very easy. I also somehow knew it would be safer for Jason to stand back.

  He reluctantly moved back to the other side of the garage. When I figured he was safe, I reached over and grabbed the bar with my left hand, then hoisted it over my head like it weighed nothing. I smiled proudly. I also smelled something, something like two-day-old cheese mixed with a skunk. That odor emanated from my left armpit. It definitely had a kick to it, but surely it wasn’t that bad? I looked over at Jason. His eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he dropped down as stiff as a board. I lowered my arm down and locked my arms to my sides. I guessed that the thought of Jason getting hit by the car had caused me to burn through my deodorant.

  OMG! I just killed my best friend with super BO! Now that was a phrase I’d never expected to be saying to myself!

  I stared at Jason and saw that his left foot begin to twitch. His chest began to rise up and down. I hadn’t killed him after all. He was probably lucky I’d only lifted up one arm. My first thought was to run right to him. But then I figured if I did that, a whiff of me from up close might REALLY kill him. I jumped off the platform and grabbed my bag. Ripping open the bag, I pulled out my special deodorant. Before applying it though, I blew on each of my underarms, hoping to force the sweat and smell off. I coated my skin with deodorant.

  Then I raced to Jason’s side. Kneeling down beside him, I gently shook his arm. “Jason, Jason!” I coaxed.

  His eyes slowly opened. “Wow, did you get the number of that train that clobbered me?”

  I shook my head in dismay.

  He sat up. “That was crazy! I’ve never been hit that hard in judo or lacrosse. My head is still spinning.” He hesitated for a moment and then smiled with realization. “So, that’s what they mean by seeing stars.”

  “See! This power of mine is too dangerous!! You got knocked silly by one wh
iff of my armpit from across the room! If I lifted both arms, you might have died. Nope, no more power for me!”

  Jason laughed. “You’re so cute when you panic.” He grinned at me encouragingly. “Look, Lia, you have this power for a reason. Sure, you’re going to have to learn to control it. But I know you can do it.”

  “What makes you so sure?” I asked.

  “Because I know you, you can do whatever you put your mind to!” He patted me on the shoulder. “It’s obvious you’re way super strong. And I don’t have nearly enough weights to test you. So, let’s try the treadmill and punching bags instead.”

  “You sure you want to keep doing this?” I asked, frowning.

  He stood up with my help. “Of course I do! I was born to do this kind of thing. I’ve been waiting for my whole life!"

  I reluctantly agreed but made sure to take care this time, and continued training under Jason’s watchful eyes. First, he asked me to run on the treadmill. After hooking me up to the heart monitor, he set the tread to move at the highest speed and resistance. I started moving my legs in rhythm. In less than a minute, I had the treadmill churning faster than the speedometer could measure. The bottom of the treadmill began to ooze smoke.

  “Stop! Stop!” Jason shouted, waving his hands in front of me.

  I slammed my legs down through the pad of the treadmill, and although the tread stopped moving, the machine kept smoking. “Oops!” I said, hopping off the machine.

  Jason grabbed a fire extinguisher and sprayed it down. “I think I can fix this. Luckily my dad never uses this machine, so it should be okay. Meanwhile, I think we can determine that you are way fast.”

  I nodded. “Yeah, I guess that’s a safe bet.”

  Next, we moved to a big heavy punching bag dangling from the ceiling. Jason pointed to the bag. “This is the heavy bag, take it easy with it.”

  I curled my hand into a fist and gave the bag a light tap. It went flying off the hinges and crashed into the far wall.

  “Oops!” I said for the second time.

  “OMG!” Jason’s face was a mixture of surprise and shock.

  Looking over my shoulder, I explained to him. “Yeah, that’s why I only tap people to knock them out.”

  He shook his head adamantly up and down. “Yep, that’s smart.”

  I walked across the room and picked up the punching bag. Hoisting it up on the hinge, I patted it down, smoothing it out. It didn’t seem that beat up and looked like it had barely been used.

  Jason gave me a solid metal bar which he actually had trouble lifting.

  “So, what do you want me to do with this?” I asked. “It’s not heavy at all.”

  “Twist it!” Jason ordered.

  I promptly went and tied the bar into a knot and then another knot. I displayed it for Jason by balancing it on one finger and popping it up and down.

  “Okay, stop showing off!” he laughed. “Now please put it back to how it was.”

  I untangled the bar and put it back on the floor. Then I looked at my phone. “This has been fun, Jason, but it's getting a bit late, and I have homework to do. I’d also like to clean up a bit before Mom gets home. She’s going to want to talk about my day. I’m sure she won’t be thrilled to hear that you know about my powers.”

  “But I’m cool!” Jason said.

  “Yeah, let’s hope my mom agrees!” I answered with a smile, but a worried feeling was creeping into the pit of my stomach.

  “Oh, BTW, you better start thinking of a name for your alter-ego. Super Girl is what everyone is familiar with in the DC comics. Is that what you want to be called?”

  “Okay,” I replied with a nod. I hadn’t even thought of that. But I figured sooner rather than later, the media would name me.

  Heading home…

  On my way home, I noticed a heap of birds on the ground in the area around Jason’s garage. They appeared to be shaking. After a closer look, I quickly figured that they must have been blasted when I blew the smell off my underarms. I really did have to be careful with my powers. I just hoped that the birds would survive!

  I heard a familiar voice shouting, “Hold the bus. Hold the bus!!”

  Looking down the street with supervision, I saw Jan, the janitor, running toward a city bus. The bus had started its engines and was getting ready to take off.

  I couldn’t let that happen. I knew Jan had not only served our country in the past, but she had worked way hard today. I needed to hold that bus. I just had to do it carefully, without being super if I could. I was quite confident I could hold the bus in place, but I had to be more subtle-like. I needed to use my head here.

  I leaped forward to the bus, but instead of grabbing it, I walked up the stairs towards the driver, a short, skinny woman.

  “Swipe your bus pass please,” she said, pointing to a scanner next to her.

  “Okay,” I replied, reaching into my book bag. “I’m sure it’s here somewhere!” Looking over my shoulder, I saw Jan closing in on the bus, but I still needed more time. I dropped my bag on the floor. The bus driver rolled her eyes as I began to search through my pockets. First, I pulled out my side pockets. Then I pulled my wallet out of my back pocket. I slowly started going through each item. “Will my school ID help?” I queried slowly.

  The bus driver shook her head impatiently.

  For a second, I thought about searching in my shoes, but then I got worried I might I have super stinky feet that would knock out the entire bus. While it would keep the bus in place, it would also defeat (or defeet) the purpose of holding it for Janitor Jan.

  “Girl, do you have a bus pass or not?” the driver demanded.

  “Must have left it at home,” I apologized. “Can you wait?”

  “No!” the driver said firmly.

  I heard Janitor Jan’s footsteps on the road nearby. I nodded to the driver and hopped off the bus. Just to be safe, I put my hand on the door so the driver couldn’t close it.

  Janitor Jan reached the bus door. “Lia, what are you doing here?” she asked me, panting.

  “Just holding the bus,” I explained.

  “Thanks, Lia!” I could hear the gratitude in her voice. “It’s been such a crazy long day; I’m so glad I didn’t have to walk home.”

  I smiled as I watched Janitor Jan get on the bus. The door closed and the bus drove away. I felt good about myself. I had solved a problem without using superpowers. Well, without really relying on them.

  Feeling more pleased than ever, I headed for my house.

  Home Sweet Home…

  I got home and dropped my book bag on the floor. Plopping down on the couch, I pulled out my phone. Shep came over and licked me, tail wagging. He could sense I’d had a long day.

  “Thanks, Shep, nice to know I can always count on you!”

  I had to admit that I was dying to see what my social media feed had to say about Super Girl or whatever they were going to call me. It turned out most people were calling me Super Teen. Not sure how they could tell I was a teen, but I kind of liked the name.

  As for the comments, they were mostly positive.

  Super Teen is way cool.

  She took out those evil Hanson Brothers like they were nothing.

  Man, I wish I could rip doors off cars.

  If I were her, I'd use my powers to rob the bank. Well, okay I’d be tempted.

  There was already a hashtag #SuperTeenRocks. I had to admit that made me feel excellent. I was becoming famous. Sure, I was becoming famous in disguise, but that was okay. I knew they were talking about me. Plus, I was doing my thing to help make the world better. As well, I could still live a normal life. Well, at least as normal as I could, being super.

  Then there were the questions asking who the girl was, and of course, negative stuff that mostly came from Wendi. In the previous hour, Wendi had tweeted or posted:

  I think she’s fake.

  She must be ugly because she doesn’t show her face.

  It’s easy doing good when you ha
ve superpowers.

  Let’s talk about something real. How about our practice? That cheap hit Lia put on poor Lori!

  That last comment got to me a bit. Wendi just couldn’t admit that somebody else was good at something. But I felt my anger drop when I saw Lori’s comment.

  Wendi, cut it out! That was a clean hit by Lia. Stop talking bad about one of our teammates!!!

  Then there was another comment…

  Seriously, it’s great that both you and Lia played so well. Your team is going to dominate!

  I beamed as I read that one because it was from Brandon. It was so cool that Brandon had not only noticed me but also thought I’d played well. Brandon, the best-looking boy in school, if not the world, had defended me. I felt so good that I could have floated off the couch. But then a couple of city warnings popped into my newsfeed bringing me back down to earth.

  “Two Hanson Brothers remain at large!”

  “Citizens who spot either of the two should IMMEDIATELY contact the police chief, Captain Michaels.”

  “These men should be considered armed and dangerous. Their capture should be left to the professionals.”

  I knew that last comment was aimed at me. Speaking of comments aimed at me, a text popped in from my mom.

  MOM> Just got out of surgery. I saw what you did. Part of me, the Strong part, is proud. The Mom part in me says, be careful! Love Mom.

  I texted her back.

  LIA> Don’t worry, I’m always careful!

  A fly started buzzing around my face. The fly darted back and forth, first to my face then around my feet. It seemed to be circling me, kind of taunting me. Even its buzz appeared to be a challenge.

  When it hovered around my feet, I kicked my shoes off. They’d been on all day, and I was dying to get them off. I just didn't dare do it when there were any other humans around.

  The fly instantly stopped buzzing; it nosedived to the floor.