Taylor opened her locker and papers tumbled out, cascading to the floor. She stared down at the mess, mustering up the energy to move. After a minute, she crouched down, dropping her backpack to the ground and setting down her coffee cup. Around her, the school buzzed with footsteps and voices.

With turtle-like movements, Taylor reached out, gathering up the scattered papers. The bandage on her hand poked out from underneath her hoodie's sleeve. After two aspirins, her knuckles and wrist only throbbed, but it was a constant pulse that held the night's event always in Taylor's mind.

She had messaged Weston, asking about if he had heard about a woman being attacked and what had happened to the culprit. He told her the woman was okay, but the man hadn't been caught. Taylor still didn't know if that was a relief because her brother wouldn't get to see the damaged she had done, or if it was a new source of guilt knowing the man had gotten away. Either way, she was left with a sickening feeling in her gut.

As she tiredly neatened the papers, a knee collided with her side, making her lose her balance. She caught herself, but the action knocked her backpack which in turn hit her coffee cup. Taylor jerked forward in an attempt to catch the cup, but it fell over and the lid popped off, letting the liquid run free. Frozen, she watched as her source of staying upright for class trailed along the floor and ran against the wall.

"My bad," a familiar voice said, holding not a single trace of remorse.

Inside, Taylor was a rope with fraying edges that finally snapping apart. She spun on Elena.

"What the hell is your problem!" she yelled.

Elena took a step back, clearly not expecting the explosion. Taylor stalked forward.

"What have I done to piss you off? Huh?" Though the question was hurled at Elena, Taylor didn't give her a chance to respond. "I haven't done anything to you but you feel this need to make my life hard and for what? Cause you think I deserve it? Why can't you just leave me alone!"

Elena blinked, shocked by her victim whom she obviously expected to be passive over the small occurrence. Taylor turned back to the spill only to find Bailey kneeling, cleaning it up. What little energy she had spent, Taylor joined the girl and dried up what was left of her coffee.

"You alright?" Bailey asked.

Taylor nodded, not having the strength for words. Behind her, she heard an unconcerned huff followed by the retreating of high heels. Gathering her stuff and the now empty coffee cup, Taylor headed to class as the first bell rang.

"See you at lunch," Bailey called out.

Again Taylor only managed a nod. When she entered her history classroom, Elena sat with her friends and pretended not to notice Taylor walk in and sit down. It was a small reprieve that Taylor was barely aware of. Crossing her arms, she laid her head on them, wondering how long she could sleep before she was sent to the principal's office.

"Do you mind if I have this seat?"

The voice was right beside Taylor and she turned her head, but Dominic had his back to her and talked to the boy next to Taylor. The boy gave Dominic a baffled frown before picking up his backpack.

"Thanks, man," Dominic said, sliding into the desk seat.

Taylor rested her chin on her arms, staring at the front of the class.

"Did you already finish your coffee?" Dominic asked.

"No, it spilled."

Dominic set his cup on her desk. She looked at it like she wasn't sure what it was.

"You look like you need it more than I do."

Pushing herself up, Taylor took a sip.

"Thanks," she said.

"Sure."

Dominic slouched in his seat as Mr. Wood rose as the second bell rang. "Alright, we are going to continue where we left off, with Nixon's administration."

Taylor knew she should take notes. Knew she should get out her notebook at least and look like she would take notes, but she didn't move. She gazed at her hand and tugged at the bandaged that hid the bruises and cut on her knuckles.

That morning she'd had to pull her sleeve up to her fingertips so her parents wouldn't notice. And they hadn't. What they noticed was her face. Barely having looked in a mirror, she must have looked awful for when she entered the kitchen they had exchanged a worried glance. Her mother had cupped Taylor's cheeks, her wrinkles deepening with concern.

When asked about her night, Taylor gave them the truth. Well, a fraction of it. The night had been rough with thoughts of her Aunt Eda. Worry was turned to sympathy and joined by grief. As her father kissed Taylor's head, she could see his loss in her eyes. Hating to see how the mention of his sister hurt him, Taylor wished she had lied.

Taylor was pulled back into the present by the sudden absence of pain in her hand. If she hadn't been concentrating on it, she might not have noticed at all. Following this development was an awareness of an utter lack of sound. She raised her head and started.

She no longer faced the front. Her desk had been rotated so that she now was head-on with Dominic, who twisted in his seat, leg stretched out that his foot made contact with hers.

"Okay," he said. "I can't wait any longer. I didn't say anything this morning cause you looked half-dead and I was going to wait till lunch but I can't, you have to tell me what is going on with you."

Taylor glanced around, as expected the room was filled with statues, only half of them wearing the appearance of students who were actually paying attention while the others were covertly on their phones.

"Taylor," Dominic said, forcing her attention back on him. "Talk."

She sank back in her seat and shrugged. "It was a more challenging night than most."

"No," Dominic said, forcefully. "That is not an answer." He leaned forward. "Do you know how much you freaked me out last night?" This surprised Taylor since Dominic hadn't seemed at all startled by her presence. But then again he could stop time, he could have ranted at her for an hour and she wouldn't know. "I wake up and find you with bloodied knuckles, crying on my floor. I think I preferred the soaking wet, shivering wake up call more."

"I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't know where else to go."

"I'm not asking for an apology. I'm asking for an explanation."

She frowned. "I gave one last night. About my aunt-"

"Yeah, I know. I'm asking for an explanation of why you are killing yourself."

"I'm-"

"Yeah, you kinda are. Today you look like crap and I wish that was the only time this was true, but it's really not. You live on coffee and I have to stop time just so you can sleep. Are you sleeping at all during the night or do you spend it dealing with muggers and taking care of people?"

Taylor shook her head like she couldn't understand what he was saying. "Are you saying I shouldn't be taking care of people?"

"No, I'm asking you if you're taking care of yourself? Cause from what I've seen it doesn't look like it."

Struck by his words, Taylor hugged her arms tighter to herself. She didn't feel the pain of her hand, but that didn't mean the bruises weren't still there. Beyond the physical scars were the internal ones, the thoughts about her aunt, the bloody mugger, the helpless woman. The emotions of guilt, weariness, responsibility. 

"What do you want me to say?" she said. "Yeah, I don't have the best nights. Sometimes I stay out later cause I know when the bars close drunks cause trouble. But I can't stop. You know how the saying goes: with great power comes-"

"Soul crushing responsibility that will ultimately destroy you under its weight."

"You and I remember that a bit differently."

Frustrated, Dominic dragged a hand through his head, messing up the perfectly styled locks.

"Taylor, you're not hearing me. Yes, I get it that we've been given amazing abilities, but you forget that other people have been given abilities too."

Taylor raised her eyebrows at this.

"They have," Dominic continued. "They have been given abilities to take care of themselves. To learn how to make their own decisions to stay safe. Of course there are things people can't account for, but you are not responsible for all those lives."

Taylor didn't know how to respond to this. It didn't feel that way. She had the chance to save people, to make sure others didn't lose loved ones.

"I get that," she said, slowly. "But you don't think it's worth it to try and help as many people as you can?"

"At the sake of your own life, no. 'Cause you know what?" Dominic snapped his fingers. "Someone just died and you didn't stop it from happening." Taylor opened her mouth but Dominic snapped his fingers again. "A baby was born and you didn't nothing to make it happen. The world will go on moving, it will go on being a messed up place with or without you."

Anger sparked in Taylor's chest. "What? I should do nothing? Just sit around and read books?"

Dominic didn't rise to her jab, instead he shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe not. You're missing what I'm saying. Yes, you can help people, but if it's at the cost of yourself than what is it worth?"

"If it means saving someone's family from pain then it is worth it!"

Dominic leaned back in his seat, arms crossed. "Yeah? And how much pain will it cause your parents if they lost you?"

The statement snuffed out what little indignation Taylor had managed to kindle. She thought of her parents' concerned faces and the grief they still held for the loss of Eda. Sighing, she palmed her eyes.

"How can I just sit back, knowing I could help people?"

"I'm not saying you stop."

Taylor leveled him with a flat stare. "That sounds exactly like what you were saying."

"No, I'm saying that you don't have to do it as intensely. That you need to take care of yourself as much as you take care of others. You don't have to go out every night. Do you do anything outside of school that doesn't involve homework or taking down bad guys?"

"Does sleeping count?"

"It would if you ever did it."

He had her there.

"Taylor, I'm fine helping you do homework and nap if you need to, but I'm not okay sitting by and watching you fall to pieces." He swallowed as if his next words were lodged in his throat, but he hardened with resolve. "I will not help you though if it means I'm prolonging your self-destruction. You have to get a life outside of being the savior of the city. If you don't then..." He shook his head, determined. "I won't help you. I watched my sister self-sabotage, I won't watch you do the same."

Besides the fear that came with thinking about how she might lose something that was helping her stay afloat, was the fear that she could lose a friend who knew everything and cared. She dropped her shoulders and sighed again.

"Does taking up reading count as getting a life?" she asked.

Dominic smiled slightly but she could still see his conviction. "It's a start."

**********************************************************************

"Reminds me of Budapest!"

Calling all supers, calling all supers! Report in supers! What's your statue on the chapter? 🦹‍♀️🦸‍♀️🦸‍♂️

Not going to lie at the beginning of this book I got all gung-ho about being super geeky with the super reports and everything then totally failed to be geeky through the whole rest of the chapters. Oh well tittaliepum. (tit-ta-lee-pum. It's what my mom says and I love it!)

Okay, I'm not going to lie, it's been a rough week so that author's note you wanted where I made you laugh because I'm really odd and quirky is not happening this week. I'm sorry. I feel like Sunshine Girl is letting you down.

But even Sunshine Girl has a down days. It's takes Supers like you to cheer me up because you're wonderful and kind and supportive! So thank you for being you! Know that even without super powers, you've effected someone's life positively today! 😘

Hecho de la diversión (Spanish): Robert Downey Jr. snuck snacks onto the movie sets. In the first Avengers he even offers Chris Evans and Mark Ruffalo some in the film. (Steve refuses but Banner takes some)

Vote, comment, follow, but only if you stand for taking care of yourself! Because that's super important and not to be overlooked.