by Lisa Yee
“Hey, Barb…um, Batgirl,” he said. “I’m so sorry, but I think I need a minor adjustment.”
Batgirl knew Cyborg, who was part boy, part computer, really well. In the past, she’d served as his tech troubleshooter whenever he malfunctioned, which was often. She reached for the micro tool kit in her Utility Belt, and with a simple adjustment to his internal circuitry, he was good to go.
Batgirl didn’t mind when Cyborg asked for help. He was a computer and electronics expert himself. She found it comforting to have a friend whose eyes didn’t glaze over when she mentioned kilobytes, digital integrated circuits, and mega metadata. So many Supers took their special skills and powers for granted. But Batgirl was always on the cutting edge, constantly learning and updating her technology.
To fall behind could mean the difference between success and defeat.
Batgirl had always loved school. Whether studying a new math formula, an historical treaty, or a computer program, she enthusiastically jumped right in. So it was no surprise that she sought to study her fellow Supers. After all, if she was to fit in and succeed at Super Hero High, what better role models did she have?
As Batgirl observed her peers, she was amazed that the social interactions were not all that different from the ones at Gotham High. There were the leaders, like Wonder Woman. The sometimes snobbish, like Star Sapphire. The rule followers (and enforcers), like Hawkgirl. The optimists, like Bumblebee. The jocks, like The Flash. The artists, like Katana. The goofballs, like Beast Boy. The naturalists, like Poison Ivy. The introverts, like Miss Martian. The extroverts, like Harley. And the teachers’ pets, like…well, like her.
Doc Magnus was always praising Batgirl in class, which she found embarrassing. Other teachers were impressed by Batgirl, too. She was acing Super Hero History, and in Weaponomics, Mr. Fox was quick to point out that Batgirl could turn an ordinary object like a bottle opener into a functional weapon. PE, however, was another story.
Wildcat, their phys ed teacher, stood with his hoodie up and a clipboard in his paw. “Go! Go! Go!” he yelled out every three seconds. With each “Go!” someone took off. Batgirl watched in awe as Hawkgirl, then Super Girl, then Bumblebee, then Wonder Woman all shot into the sky and flew laps around the school.
When it was her turn, Batgirl stood poised at the starting line.
“Go!”
She was off, running as fast as she could. Soon someone was passing her. “See ya!” Cheetah said, smiling.
“I got this!” Harley said, running backward, then doing a couple of flips while still holding her camera.
“Why be a boy when you can be a gazelle?” Beast Boy asked, turning into one and gracefully galloping ahead.
And so it went until every Super had passed her.
“Three minutes and nineteen seconds,” Wildcat grunted, clicking his stopwatch. “Not bad.”
Not good, either, Batgirl thought, crossing the finish line last. She knew that with no superpowers, she was going to have to be in top physical shape.
“Um, Supergirl,” she began, her attention drawn away for a moment as Green Lantern and Star Sapphire walked off, comparing their glowing power rings again. “How are you adjusting—you know, to life on Earth…Super Hero High?”
“Fine, thank you.” Supergirl tied her shoelaces. “How are you doing, Batgirl?”
“Fine, too, I guess,” Batgirl said, not too convincing.
“Why? What? What’s the matter?” Supergirl felt her forehead. “You’re not sick, are you? I’m supposed to help you adjust. Are you having a problem? Oh, wow. You’re having a problem, aren’t you? Do you want to talk about it? Or see Dr. Arkham? Let’s go see him right now! Together.”
Batgirl laughed and put her hands on Supergirl’s shoulders. “Dr. Arkham’s great,” she said. “But what I really need is to talk to you, bestie.”
Supergirl slowed down. “I would love that,” she said. “Capes and Cowls Café?”
“Capes and Cowls!” Batgirl agreed.
As always, Capes & Cowls Café in downtown Metropolis was busy. There were students from Super Hero High, CAD Academy, and Metropolis High, sometimes at their own tables, sometimes sharing one. The cozy couches and board games gave the place a homey feel, yet the awesome color scheme and energetic vibe made this the trendy place to be.
“Hi, Supergirl!” the server said. When Steve Trevor smiled, his silver braces glistened. “Is Wonder Woman going to join you?”
Batgirl noticed his grin waver slightly when Supergirl said she was not.
“But I do want to introduce you to Batgirl!” Supergirl said. “She’s new to our school.”
“Nice to meet you, Batgirl,” Steve said as the two shook hands.
Batgirl looked away, pretending to be interested in Hawkgirl and Poison Ivy at a nearby table. They looked like they were telling secrets. Would Steve recognize her? Batgirl wondered. As Barbara Gordon, she frequented the café after she had completed her tech assignments and to do her own homework. Their strawberry smoothies were the best.
“Batgirl?” Steve repeated, staring at her. She looked back at him, happy to be wearing her mask and hoodie. “Can I ask you something?”
“Yes, um. Sure,” she said. “What is it?”
“I hesitate to say this, but…”
Batgirl gulped—Oh, capes! He recognizes me!
“…that’s my order pad you’re holding.”
Batgirl looked at her hands and started laughing. Sure enough, she had picked up Steve’s pad by mistake and was crumpling it.
“So sorry,” she said, still laughing with relief. “Here you go!”
“Um, okay,” he said, backing away. “Just let me know when you two are ready to order.”
“The usual,” Supergirl said. “Thanks, Steve.”
Batgirl watched as some boys from CAD Academy called him over. Before she could warn him, Captain Cold pulled out his cold gun and created a slick of ice on the floor. When Steve slipped and fell, their table erupted in laughs.
Batgirl hurried to help him up, but Supergirl got there first.
“I’m fine,” Steve said. His face was bright red.
“That wasn’t nice,” Batgirl said to Captain Cold.
“Who are you?” Captain Cold asked, looking her up and down. Ratcatcher, his vile-looking buddy, snickered.
“I’m Batgirl,” she said, meeting his glare. It felt weird to be saying that in public.
“Gnat Girl?” Captain Cold sneered.
Batgirl felt an icy chill go through her entire body.
“Ice to meet you,” Captain Cold said. If he weren’t so mean, he might be handsome, with his square jaw and piercing blue eyes.
Batgirl pressed the heat button on her Batsuit to get her temperature back to normal.
Captain Cold looked at Steve. “Hope you had a nice trip. See you next fall,” he quipped.
Ratcatcher let out a high-pitched laugh. Could he be more annoying? Batgirl wondered.
“Come on, Batgirl,” Supergirl said, pulling her away. “Let’s not waste our time with these two.”
“Smart thinking,” Batgirl said.
They returned to their table to find that their order had arrived. As the two sipped smoothies, Batgirl confided, “School is harder than I thought it would be.”
“I know!” Supergirl said. “The tests are so hard!”
“Well, not those so much as learning to navigate the social circles.”
Supergirl played with her straw and nodded. “Less than a year ago, I was at school on Krypton, my home planet. I knew everyone there. I had grown up with them. And then suddenly, I find myself at Super Hero High. And with powers I couldn’t even imagine! I’m still trying to adjust.”
Batgirl took another sip of her smoothie. She liked that Steve used fresh strawberries. “But at least you have powers,” she said. “I’m just a regular girl.”
Supergirl laughed so hard that after a while no sound came out. Catching her breath, she gasped and said, “Batgirl, you
are anything but regular. You’re smarter than anyone I know, and you can fix and make anything.”
“Thanks, Supergirl,” said Batgirl. She wanted to talk about her dad, but she remembered that both Supergirl’s parents had perished on Krypton when the planet exploded. Suddenly, she felt silly for feeling sorry for herself. “I’m so glad we’re best friends.”
“Me too,” Supergirl said. “We make a great team!”
Katana slid into an empty seat at their table. “Beast Boy is at it again,” she said.
They looked over to see him showing some kids from Metropolis High how he could turn into a grasshopper, then leaping from table to table.
“I can turn into anything!” Beast Boy boasted when he was back to his normal green self.
Batgirl watched Katana fold, then slice her napkins into paper warriors. She watched Supergirl lift the refrigerator so Steve could retrieve a lemon that had rolled under it. She sighed. Barbara Gordon had always been herself: smart, techy, athletic…normal. Barbara Gordon didn’t know any other way of being. But Batgirl realized that she needed to step up her game if she was to compete with flyers, shape-shifters, and mind readers. But how?
Batgirl looked around the room and smiled. The answer was all around her.
“Higher!” Katana commanded. They were outside on the grass near the Amethyst Tower. “Higher, and hold it like you mean it!”
Batgirl gripped the sword and tried to mimic Katana’s battle stance. Always resourceful, Batgirl had realized that she was surrounded by superheroes, so why not take advantage of that? For martial arts training, she had enlisted the granddaughter of the world’s first female samurai super hero. Katana had been drilling her in basic sword moves and stances for the last half hour.
“Thanks so much!” Batgirl said as they parried back and forth.
“No, thank you!” Katana lowered her voice. “I’m hoping to become the fencing team captain, and one of the responsibilities is to help train the team. This is great practice for me, too! Now it’s time to move on to your roundhouse kicks and punches.”
Batgirl set the sword down. It was heavier than it looked. She bent down to touch her toes for a stretch, but before she could stand, she heard, “Block!”
Instinctively, Batgirl blocked Katana’s swift roundhouse kick. Soon the two girls were sparring. Batgirl weaved back and forth and bobbed up and down to avoid getting pummeled.
“Come at me harder!” Katana instructed. “Don’t be afraid to show your strength.”
They sparred ferociously until Katana got Batgirl in a headlock, by which time a crowd had gathered, cheering for them.
“Oomph!” Batgirl said, her voice sounding muffled. “Thank you!”
“You’re welcome,” Katana said, letting her go and giving her a deep bow. “Tomorrow, we’ll work more on your kicks. Be sure to do a hundred squats tonight, then a hundred more.”
Before Batgirl had a chance to rest, Harley came cartwheeling over. “My turn!” she said, leaping up, swinging around a tree branch, and sticking her landing. “You ready for this?”
Batgirl looked surprised. Was it already time for Harley’s gymnastics lesson? She took a deep breath and nodded. All her life, Batgirl had wanted to learn from the best, and now she was doing exactly that. Still, it was daunting. Her friends and classmates were willing to give her their time and help with their specialties, but that didn’t make it any easier.
As the afternoon wore on, Harley coached her in gymnastics; then The Flash ran with her around the school, giving her tips along the way—“Remember to breathe!”
Arrowette was in charge of archery training. “Focus! Batgirl, focus!” Arrowette commanded, taking a gleaming arrow out of the quiver on her back. “Watch and learn.”
Batgirl’s jaw dropped when Arrowette effortlessly pulled back her bow and released. The arrow soared, cutting through the sky with a sound like metal being sliced. It ripped through the stem of an apple hanging on a tree, and before the apple hit the ground, Beast Boy caught it.
“Thanks for the snack, Arrowette!” he called as he walked away happily munching.
“Arrowette says it’s all about the aim,” Batgirl told Big Barda later.
“It’s all about the punch,” Barda told her. “Like this!” Batgirl tried not to flinch when Barda hit a padded target so hard it flew across the workout room. “Now you try!”
Batgirl made a fist, pulled it back, and struck hard. The target barely moved.
“Again!” Barda barked.
Batgirl hit it again, and again, and again.
Barda sighed. “You’re pretty strong, but you can’t toss cars or push over buildings,” she said.
“It’s not all about strength,” Batgirl noted. “I’m pretty agile, and I have my weapons, gadgets, and gear.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Barda said, adjusting the belt around her yellow costume. “But when you meet new people, you should always hit them hard, and if that doesn’t work, hit them harder. Remember to always lead with a punch. BOOM!”
“When I meet someone new, I prefer to lead with a smile,” Batgirl said, offering her one.
Barda looked at her with suspicion. Batgirl knew that Barda was fairly new at the school, having been recruited by Vice Principal Grodd. As a former member of the evil Granny Goodness’s Female Furies, Barda had once tried to destroy Super Hero High. And now, here she was a student at that same school.
“Are you trying to mess me up?” Big Barda asked. Her fists were clenched.
Batgirl shook her head. “I’m trying to be your friend,” she said.
“Why?” Barda asked. Her eyes narrowed. “You know what people around here think of me.”
“I know what I think of you. And why wouldn’t I want to be your friend?” Batgirl said. “My father says that everyone deserves a second chance. That’s when you see what people are really made of. Besides, when I see you, I think of who you will be tomorrow.”
Barda looked curious, so Batgirl continued. “A lot of kids around here remember me as Barbara Gordon, hired help. Tech whiz from Gotham High. They can’t imagine me as one of them, a future super hero. Can you?”
Barda’s face grew serious, but what she did next took Batgirl’s breath away. She smiled. Big Barda had the most beautiful smile Batgirl had ever seen. Her entire face lit up.
“Wow!” Batgirl said. “You should do that more often!”
Barda blushed, then frowned. “Don’t get too used to it,” she growled. But Batgirl noticed that when Barda walked away, a hint of a smile returned.
The teachers at SHH were as supportive as the students. Each one was determined to help turn Batgirl into the best super hero she could be.
“Did you see the article Lois Lane wrote?” Doc Magnus asked as he plucked a metal leaf from his hair.
“Not yet,” she said.
Batgirl was helping him clean up after class. One of Poison Ivy’s robotic plants had exploded, and thorns and leaves were everywhere. Batgirl was using an old-fashioned magnet to pick them up.
“Well,” Doc Magnus said, looking pleased. “She interviewed me, and when she asked who my most promising student is this year, I said you!”
“Oh. Thank you!” Batgirl said. “But there are so many great Supers here.”
“Yes, but you have special skills in science and robotics that I have not seen before. Batgirl, you are poised to be a leader in the tech field!” he told her.
“Um, does my dad know how you feel?” she asked.
“Yes, yes,” Doc Magnus assured her. “I told him that you are a prodigy and that I am thrilled to have you as a student.”
Batgirl nodded again. If only her father were as proud of her as her Robotics teacher.
In Weaponomics, Mr. Lucius Fox strolled past Batgirl, then backed up to watch her. She was putting the finishing touches on a B.A.T. bola—four lengths of reinforced ropes with metal balls on the end that could be thrown to ensnare a villain’s arms, legs, or whole body.
“Let�
��s see if this works, shall we?” Mr. Fox said, looking around the room. “I need a volunteer. Beast Boy? You’ll do!”
“Huh? Wha—” Beast Boy began. But before he could finish his sentence, Batgirl had flung the bola so that it wrapped around him, pinning his arms to his sides.
“Good job!” Mr. Fox said cheerily as Star Sapphire accidentally-on-purpose poked Beast Boy. He wobbled and fell over with a thud.
When Batgirl ran over to help him up, the floor turned to ice and she slipped and fell.
“Oopsie! My bad,” Killer Frost said.
“Leave her alone,” Cyborg ordered. “It’s not her fault she’s smarter than you.”
“Oh, ouch!” Frost said. “Looks like someone needs a bodyguard.”
Batgirl ignored them as they began to bicker, instead helping Beast Boy up and apologizing.
Later, in PE, Batgirl approached Cyborg. “Hey,” she said, “thanks for defending me, but you don’t have to do that.”
“I don’t mind,” Cyborg assured her. “That’s what friends are for.” Even though half of his head was metal and robotic parts, his face was expressive.
Batgirl cleared her throat. “Okay. Um, let me phrase this another way: Please don’t defend me. While I appreciate it, I need to fight my own battles.”
Cyborg’s red cybernetic eye gleamed mischievously. “Okay. Sure,” he said. “I thought I was helping. You know I’ve got your back if you ever need it.”
“Back atcha,” Batgirl replied just as Wildcat called out, “Students, all eyes on me! Today is gonna be rough!”
Everyone groaned. Wildcat had a reputation for being tough. Fair, but tough.
Batgirl stretched and flexed her muscles. She knew that this class would be harder than Weaponomics or Robotics. It would be the real challenge. The good thing was that Batgirl always relished a challenge.
But an hour and several exhausting maneuvers later…
“Ooooh, ouch! I thought I was in great shape,” Batgirl groaned as she left Wildcat’s class. She could barely walk. Her legs felt like jelly from all the squats and sprints, and her arms hung by her sides as if bereft of muscles. At least now was free period. She could use a little rest with her friends.