it wrong?”
“No one will get hurt and the bank won’t miss a few cash drawers. We’re not taking the vault or anything insane. And we’ll use the money to help us do more heroic stuff later on. Promise.” Jake winked, and I swore I heard Jamie chuckle.
I breathed out very slowly, letting it puff out my lips. To be Spiderman, struggling to get by every day while balancing work and heroism, or to be Batman, never wanting for a thing? The team needed the money. I could understand that. No one would get hurt, and it would help us save people in the future. I wanted to agree, wanted to justify doing this.
I tried to shut off the part of my brain saying no, no, no, no, no, and focused on Jake’s smile. It didn’t help. That fake smile. How much of him was real at all? Everything felt wrong.
A physical pain bloomed in my chest and I realized I was scared of him. Scared of what I was doing. Terrified of all of them and what they would do if I didn’t cooperate.
Jake watched me, waiting for my response. I put the wig on. I tried not to let my emotions show.
Emma tilted her head and giggled. “Donnie, drive around the block a couple of times while I sort out this girl’s hair.”
***
Donnie waited with the car down the street and Emma and I walked into the bank first. A reasonably large place, old fashioned like she said, standing in a row of mostly closed businesses in a dying business district. Only a pawn shop, second hand clothing store and tobacco shop were still open nearby. Inside the bank, a musty smell rose from the threadbare carpet, and the wooden counters looked more like something out of an old western movie than a modern bank. Perspex dividers had been bolted on top of them, and a ticket machine stood at the front like a welcoming robot, but they were the only parts of the place that didn’t feel like they were from the 1950s. Even the customers inside were generally old, mixed in with a few builders and laborers.
We were seriously going to rob a bank. I played through my memories to how I ended up here. So much was a blur, compelled by these perfect people. But I couldn’t blame them. I’d made decisions, I had wanted this. Well, maybe not this , exactly. I made sure my oversized sunglasses were still in place and tugged downwards at my wig as though I could cover all of my face with it. If I still felt bad when this was all over, there had to be a way I could back out gracefully, right? Would Jake just let me go?
Emma scoped a security guard and went to do her job, flirting with him and keeping him entirely occupied. I just had to take a seat and keep watch. Only the bank was busy and there were no seats left. Small detail, but I had to breathe through an anxiety attack as I tried to stand casually in the corner.
Jake and Jamie came in not long after us and took numbers. I practically counted the seconds waiting for them to be called to a teller. I considered doing a runner, but knew Donnie was watching the street.
Jake was called, and Jamie a split second after as two tellers cleared. They were middle-aged ladies who I could tell were already swooning at their approach. Maybe this would be easy after all.
I admit it was fascinating to watch. Jake leaned forward, his lips almost up against the Perspex barrier. I could see the attraction oozing from the lady. She probably would have played with her hair if it weren’t back in a very tight business-like bun. She kept on talking and giggling with Jake as she pulled a cash bag from the desk and opened the cash drawer. She cleared it into the bag a wad at a time.
That’s when coldness filled me. I hoped it just meant the air-con had kicked in, but this felt familiar.
The teller with Jake froze, and her flirty grin dropped into a frown. She looked at the bag in her hand like she had discovered she was holding a dead fish. I couldn’t see what she was saying, but her jaw wobbled up and down. I couldn’t tell how she was feeling either.
“No one will get hurt and the bank won’t miss a few cash drawers. We’re not taking the vault or anything insane. And we’ll use the money to help us do more heroic stuff later on. Promise.” Jake winked, and I swore I heard Jamie chuckle.
I breathed out very slowly, letting it puff out my lips. To be Spiderman, struggling to get by every day while balancing work and heroism, or to be Batman, never wanting for a thing? The team needed the money. I could understand that. No one would get hurt, and it would help us save people in the future. I wanted to agree, wanted to justify doing this.
I tried to shut off the part of my brain saying no, no, no, no, no, and focused on Jake’s smile. It didn’t help. That fake smile. How much of him was real at all? Everything felt wrong.
A physical pain bloomed in my chest and I realized I was scared of him. Scared of what I was doing. Terrified of all of them and what they would do if I didn’t cooperate.
Jake watched me, waiting for my response. I put the wig on. I tried not to let my emotions show.
Emma tilted her head and giggled. “Donnie, drive around the block a couple of times while I sort out this girl’s hair.”
***
Donnie waited with the car down the street and Emma and I walked into the bank first. A reasonably large place, old fashioned like she said, standing in a row of mostly closed businesses in a dying business district. Only a pawn shop, second hand clothing store and tobacco shop were still open nearby. Inside the bank, a musty smell rose from the threadbare carpet, and the wooden counters looked more like something out of an old western movie than a modern bank. Perspex dividers had been bolted on top of them, and a ticket machine stood at the front like a welcoming robot, but they were the only parts of the place that didn’t feel like they were from the 1950s. Even the customers inside were generally old, mixed in with a few builders and laborers.
We were seriously going to rob a bank. I played through my memories to how I ended up here. So much was a blur, compelled by these perfect people. But I couldn’t blame them. I’d made decisions, I had wanted this. Well, maybe not this , exactly. I made sure my oversized sunglasses were still in place and tugged downwards at my wig as though I could cover all of my face with it. If I still felt bad when this was all over, there had to be a way I could back out gracefully, right? Would Jake just let me go?
Emma scoped a security guard and went to do her job, flirting with him and keeping him entirely occupied. I just had to take a seat and keep watch. Only the bank was busy and there were no seats left. Small detail, but I had to breathe through an anxiety attack as I tried to stand casually in the corner.
Jake and Jamie came in not long after us and took numbers. I practically counted the seconds waiting for them to be called to a teller. I considered doing a runner, but knew Donnie was watching the street.
Jake was called, and Jamie a split second after as two tellers cleared. They were middle-aged ladies who I could tell were already swooning at their approach. Maybe this would be easy after all.
I admit it was fascinating to watch. Jake leaned forward, his lips almost up against the Perspex barrier. I could see the attraction oozing from the lady. She probably would have played with her hair if it weren’t back in a very tight business-like bun. She kept on talking and giggling with Jake as she pulled a cash bag from the desk and opened the cash drawer. She cleared it into the bag a wad at a time.
That’s when coldness filled me. I hoped it just meant the air-con had kicked in, but this felt familiar.
The teller with Jake froze, and her flirty grin dropped into a frown. She looked at the bag in her hand like she had discovered she was holding a dead fish. I couldn’t see what she was saying, but her jaw wobbled up and down. I couldn’t tell how she was feeling either.
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