The Siege of the Supers (The First Superhero Book 2) by Logan Rutherford

he was going to deck me. Thankfully, he went with the option behind door number two.
    He gave me a big bro-hug, patting me on the back. I patted him back, maybe just a little too hard.
    “Geez, you been working out?” he asked as he pulled away, wincing as he rolled his shoulders.
    “Just what happens when you’re cleaning up someone else’s mess,” I said with a laugh. Yes . Already mentioning my stint in Seattle, hopefully making the whole thing more believable.
    I sat back down at my desk, and Drew sat in the one next to me. “Not even a postcard?” he said.
    “Sorry, bro. I was very busy, to say the least.”
    “Oh, I’m sure. I went out and volunteered in New York, actually,” he said.
    “Really? That’s awesome! How long were you out there?” I asked. I got a little lightheaded. If Drew had volunteered in the relief efforts, he’d know how everything was run. He’d be able to see right through my bullshit. I made a mental note that I’d have to get a phone call every time he wanted to trade war stories.
    “I got back after Christmas. What made you stay in Seattle for so long?” he asked, looking at me curiously.
    I looked down at the open notebook in front of me, trying to think of an answer. “Oh, you know, they really did a number up there. That whole Space Needle thing, especially.”
    “Huh,” Drew said. He began getting his things from his pack. “Well, good to have you back. Really missed you, dude.”
    I smirked and nodded. “Yeah, it feels really good to be back.”
    Our teacher, Mr. Haver, walked into the classroom and began writing something on the board. I got my pen out, ready to take notes.
    One down, one to go.
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    I t was lunchtime , and Drew and I decided we’d eat in the cafeteria instead of going out to get lunch. We found an empty table near the back of the cafeteria and sat down across from each other.
    “So, do you know where Macy’s at? I feel like I should hurry up and let her know I’m here. If I go the whole day without saying hi, she might kill me,” I said with a nervous laugh.
    I didn’t like the look Drew gave me. “We don’t really hang out anymore, so I’m not sure. She’s probably sitting somewhere with her boyfriend…sorry.”
    My heart dropped, and my mind raced. I hadn’t expected her to wait for me after being gone for six months, but I was hoping I could find my way back into her life one way or the other. But she had a boyfriend now, and that meant that she was off limits—both as a friend or anything more. She was probably way over me, and I knew that if I tried being friends with her, her boyfriend probably wouldn’t like that.
    If she knew who I was, though, why I’d left, she’d understand. If I told her I’d been in a coma, she definitely wouldn’t. But that wouldn’t be the right thing to do. Stealing someone’s girlfriend wasn’t the hero thing to do.
    I really hated trying to be a hero at that moment. It was like I was on a diet or something. I knew it was good for me, I knew it was a thing I could do, and I knew that it was what I needed to do. Still, I felt the urge to indulge myself, and I found that denying that was a very hard thing to do.
    “Who’s her boyfriend?” I asked as nonchalantly as I could. I took a bite of my chocolate pudding.
    “Yeah, well, that’s the kicker,” Drew said. He looked down at his plate, thinking for a moment. Then he looked up at me, wincing. “Brian Turner.”
    I almost spit out my pudding. I swallowed hard. “ Brian Turner ? Holy. Shit. I…I mean…holy shit !”
    “Keep your voice down!” Drew said, trying to calm me down.
    A million thoughts assaulted my brain at once. The biggest of which was disbelief. “He’s the biggest asshole of all time! He bullied me for years !”
    Drew shrugged and took a bite from his mashed potatoes as if it was all old news. “That alley incident last year knocked a few screws loose or something. He’s like a giant teddy bear now. Everybody loves