“Why don’t they understand?” Clark said to himself as he crawled into bed. “We have a duty.” He fell asleep thinking his friends were less than dedicated.
His head was pounding when he awoke the next morning. He got ready for school─ and when he realized that Sarah was not coming to see him as she did most mornings─ he decided to take the school bus for the first time in ages. He sat on the bus alone feeling nonchalant until he made it to Franklin Pierce.
“I’m sorry about last night,” he told John and Charles when he saw them in the hallway.
“No problem, Clark,” Charles said. “No one’s perfect.”
“Yeah,” John agreed. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Thanks for understanding guys, now I’ve got to go find Sarah.”
Clark searched up and down hallways until he found Sarah speaking with Chloe.
“Sarah!” he called out. She turned in his direction without waving. Clark ran up to her and apologized.
“You don’t understand how sorry I am!” Clark said. “I’ve made a huge mistake. I know I’ve been pushing all of you away. And I’m so sorry. I haven’t been treating you the way I should have.”
Chloe looked at Sarah and told her, “I think he means it.”
“Chloe,” Clark said. “If you could give us a moment alone.”
Chloe told Sarah to be easy on him and walked away.
“Yeah, you’ve been a jerk for over a week now. What did we do for Valentine’s Day? That’s right─ nothing. And what have you been doing for the past few days? Just yelling at me and everyone else because we’re not the perfect little masked superheroes you want us to be.”
“Please, please forgive me,” he said. “I realize I’ve been acting really terrible. I won’t do it again. And if you continue to date me I promise I’ll make up for everything wrong I’ve done.”
“Alright,” Sarah sighed. “But your words aren’t enough. You can, however, earn your way back into my heart.”
“Great!” Clark smiled affectionately. “I can do that.”
He asked Sarah to come over to his place after school and she agreed. He also told her that he wanted all of his best friends to come over. While in history class, Clark asked John if he’d like to come over but John told him that Charles had scored dates for the two of them.
“Okay,” Clark told him. “That sounds good. You guys have fun.”
Next Clark headed to computer class where he asked Donny and Chloe if they’d like to stop by his place. They both said sure and Clark was more than pleased that his friends were giving him a second chance. Just as Clark was getting ready to boot his computer up, the intercom in the classroom came on.
“Mr. Kelsey,” the intercom called to the teacher.
“Yeah,” Mr. Kelsey slurred.
“Principal Hayes would like Clark O’Sullivan to report to his office,” said the voice over the intercom.
“Yeah, sure!” Mr. Kelsey croaked as he sipped his from coffee mug.
The other students looked at Clark as he got up from his seat, grabbed his backpack, and exited the classroom.
“Why does the principal want to speak to me?” he curiously thought as he walked to the front office. Maybe someone found out his crime fighting alter-ego. Maybe he was being kicked off the football team. Maybe he was being kicked out of the entire school.
He pushed his glasses up to his face with one finger, gulped, and stepped into the main office. The school secretary greeted him and told him to walk back to the principal’s office. After doing so, he knocked on the principal’s door.
“Come in,” said the principal.
Clark walked into the room followed by, “Good morning, Principal Hayes.”
“Clark O’Sullivan, thanks for dropping by.”
“You wanted to see me, sir?”
“Yes, I did, young man.”
“Okay.”
“Have a seat.”
Clark nervously sat down. His hands were shaking as he dropped his backpack on the floor.
“Are you okay, son?”
“Yes, sir,” Clark said as he pushed his glasses up again.
“I’ve called you here, Mr. Sullivan, because you are a star pupil at this school. Or rather, you were. Football MVP with great grades one week. The next week you don’t show up for practice and you fail two tests. What’s going on, Clark?”
“I failed two tests?” Clark asked.
“Yes, and I see you have a number of absences over the past few weeks.”
It was true. Sometimes Clark was so tired from fighting crime, particularly the week they went out every night, that he lied to his parents and skipped school.
“I’m so sorry, sir. I’ve just been going through a rough time these past few weeks. Think of it as, like, having an identity crisis.”
“I understand,” the principal said. “Growing up in this digital age. Generation Z, that’s what you kids are. I know it must be difficult in the process of really discovering who you are.”
“You have no idea,” Clark smirked.
“You’re not allowed anymore absences, young man.”
“Yes, sir,” Clark said. “I promise there won’t be anymore. I feel like I’ve had an epiphany recently and I’ve seen the wrong of my ways.”
“Good,” the principal said, not realizing Clark was talking about something else entirely. “I want you to show up to class… on time. And pull those grades up so you can stay on the football team.”
“Yes, sir.”
“If those grades don’t get higher, you’ll be kicked off the football team. And no one wants that,” Principal Hayes told him sternly. “You’re the best thing to happen to this football team in quite some time. We all want to see you succeed, Clark.”
“Thank you, sir. Thank you for giving me a second chance. I’ve certainly needed one lately.”
“That’s all, young man. You may head back to class now.”
Clark left the room. His nerves were no longer ridden with anxiety. He had been given a second chance by his girlfriend, his friends, and now his school. He was ready to make up for pushing aside everyone important in his life.
During lunch, he met up with Sarah and again apologized. She told him to stop sulking around.
“I want my normal Clark back,” she said. “Not the pushy Clark or the mopey Clark, but the real one.”
He was getting ready to apologize again but caught himself before he could. He instead promised her a great weekend (without any idea of what he’d do). After lunch he attended gym class and promised the coach that he’d never miss another football practice. The coach was cool and told him not to worry about it.
“Just keep winning, kid.”
“You got it, Coach.”
“As great as you are, Clark, I’m sure missing one or two practice days won’t do any harm,” Coach Smith said. “You’re still just as good, right?”
“Yes, I am!” Clark told him. “I’ll be even better the next time you see me on the field.”
When school was over, Sarah took to a different pace when she joined Clark on the school bus to get to his place.
“I hadn’t taken the bus in practically forever,” Sarah said when they stepped off and walked to Clark’s house.
“I know,” Clark said. “But I guess it’s nice to try something different. Who ever thought soaring through the sky would be considered normal?”
About an hour later, Donny and Chloe showed up to Clark’s house. His mother invited them in and minutes later the four of them were all in the great room flipping through various board games and eating popcorn. They were each laughing as they made cards fly through the air and attempted to balance a house of cards on top of their heads. It was the silly sort of fun that they had not enjoyed in quite some time.
“It’s nice to be doing something different outside of class that’s not about dressing up in costumes and beating bad guys up,” Sarah said.
“Yeah,” Donny agreed. “Last week, Chloe
and I brought the math team to another regional tournament.”
“Did you win?” Sarah asked.
“We kicked their asses,” Chloe laughed.
“Guys!” Clark said with urgency. They all looked at Clark who pointed to the television screen in the great room. They couldn’t believe their eyes. The Sports Channel was on and a familiar face flashed across the screen. It was Andrew Lockman.
“Is that Andrew!?” Donny asked.
“Yeah, turn it up!” Sarah said.
Clark fumbled the remote and quickly turned the volume up. On the television screen was their former classmate Andrew Lockman. Andrew’s long hair was gone. Instead he now had a short buzzed haircut. He was wearing his usual khaki pants and polo shirt. Around his neck was his near-trademark rosary. He had a cap in his hand that matched his shirt and was standing next to a news reporter.
“I’m here with Andrew Lockman,” the reporter said. “And he has quickly become a rising star in the world of golf. Andrew, who just recently turned eighteen, burst onto the scene only one month ago and recently shattered all records at the February PGA Tour. What do you have to say for yourself, young man?”
“I’ve been playing the game my entire life,” Andrew said as he looked into the camera. “I got here by a lot of hard work and dedication.”
“And, boy oh boy, must your mother be proud,” the reporter said to him.
Clark picked up his phone and quickly called Charles.
“Hey Clark,” Charles said. “I’m getting ready for a date. What’s up?”
“Turn to the sports channel,” Clark told him. “Quick!”
Moments later, Charles yelled through the phone, “That son of a bitch! What a great idea!”
Andrew left the screen as the reporter continued talking. “In the past month, the young Andrew Lockman is reported to have made as much as 1.5 million dollars in tournament winnings. So far he remains undefeated in every game he’s played.”
The television screen cut to the open fields. Andrew Lockman kissed his rosary and gripped his golf club. He teed off and shot the golf ball further than any other player. The ball flew through the air at a tremendous pace and landed only feet away from the small hole bearing a red flag.
“He became a golfer!” Clark said.
“I can’t believe it!” Charles said over the phone. “I gotta tell John about this.”
“Andrew’s playing in the big leagues,” Donny said. “No wonder him and Big Dan didn’t want to stay here.”
“What do you think Big Dan is up to?” Clark asked.
Immediately the television caught their attention again on the Sports Channel.
“And up next,” said the newscaster, “We’ll discuss another young rising star: Daniel LaRent, an eighteen year old from Cincinnati, Ohio who currently resides in London, England and is considered the next big thing in Formula One racing.
“Holy shit!” everyone heard Charles yell through the phone.
“Big Dan too!?” Clark said. “They’re geniuses.”
“Big Dan, a genius?” Donny laughed. “Who would’ve thought?”
The television program returned and flashed photos of their old schoolmate Daniel LaRent. He was dressed in a driving outfit, signing autographs, and posing with beautiful young women.
“Ohio native Daniel LaRent has quickly become the most talked about Formula One Racer in Europe,” said a British sports newscaster. “He’s eighteen years old and relocated to Europe in January. With fifty thousand euros he purchased his way into his very first Formula One event where he smoked the competition.”
“That’s what he did!?” Clark said as they all stared at the television.
“The young racer remains completely undefeated,” said the British newscaster. “With his penchant for wild antics and love of English models, Daniel LaRent has already been dubbed by the British press as ‘The Misfit with the Midas Touch.’ The American native is set to race later this month and you can bet that the bids are on his side.”
“And we thought you were taking advantages of you powers by winning a high school football game!” Donny told Clark.
“Meh,” Charles said over the phone. “I would have done that but I’m already rich. No need.”
And there it was. Andrew and Big Dan had left Cincinnati in order to become world famous sports stars. Their powers were not being used to help nor hurt others. Their powers were being used to solely benefit themselves.
The rest of their time at Clark’s house was spent talking about their dismay at the real reason Andrew and Big Dan departed. The shock didn’t seem to end. Clark felt he had been lied to while Donny and Chloe continued to ask why they had not thought to do something similar.
After a while Donny and Chloe were off. Their chatter about Andrew and Dan wound down and Clark offered to walk Sarah home. She obliged and Clark suggested they fly. So they left Clark’s home just as the sun lowered. It was the sort of time that lied right between night and day as the sky glistened. After walking together out of the neighborhood and reaching a set of trees, they flew off. But Clark didn’t take her the usual route. He wanted something romantic. He wanted to fly Sarah over the river. And they peacefully soared over the Ohio River, Sarah was won over.
“Romantic enough?” Clark smiled.
“Yeah,” Sarah laughed. “We’re getting there.”
“Just wait,” he told her. “I have something huge planned for Thursday.”
“Thursday? Don’t you have a football game to play on Thursday?” she asked.
“As long as you’re there to cheer for me, I do.”
They came to a halt in the air to enjoy the view from above. Then there came the sound of a loud snap. It sounded as if metal ropes were ripping apart. Clark looked down and pointed. He and Sarah watched as a small portion of the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge collapsed into the Ohio River.
“Oh my God,” Sarah clasped a hand to her mouth.
A school bus was hanging off the section of the bridge that had collapsed. Its rear tires floored backwards in an attempt to pull the bus further onto the bridge.
“I’ve got to help,” Clark said.
“Like this?” Sarah asked.
“I’m prepared,” Clark told her. He ripped his shirt open and Sarah laughed when she saw that he was wearing his costume under his clothes.
“You can’t be serious!” Sarah said.
“Come on. There are lives at stake,” Clark said. “Let’s land.”
They darted downward and landed on the edge of the bridge. From afar Clark and Sarah both honed their skills as they concentrated on the large bus full of small children. The bridge moved slightly. The broken piece of the bridge crumbled further as if something had been chipping away at it. Suddenly the school bus plunged off the bridge. Sarah screamed as Clark reached his hands out. He was struggling as a normal man might struggle while lifting large weights. But the bus did not plunge into the river. It was suspended below the bridge in midair.
“Help me!” Clark said to Sarah.
Sarah looked at the bus and concentrated. The school bus began to move. It rose up by itself─ higher and higher. Together Clark and Sarah focused until the bus was properly lifted onto the bridge. When they were done Clark fell to his knees as if mentally lifting the bus was the hardest task he had ever accomplished.
“Come on,” Sarah said as she hugged him. “You’ve done more than this before. Remember, we once put a train back on its tracks.”
“You’re right,” Clark said as he coughed. “I don’t know. That was straining.”
“Come on,” Sarah said. “We need to get out of here.”
She helped Clark pick himself up and they walked across the portion of the bridge that had not broken. Along the way they passed a fire truck and multiple police cars who were responding to the school bus. Once they made it past the bridge, Sarah looked around and quickly shot into the air as she gripped Clark by the waist. Clark was dizzy for a moment. He rubbed his f
ace and realized he was flying in the air when he looked down.
“Thanks,” he said to Sarah. “I think I feel better.”
“I’m still going to hold you,” Sarah said. “Wouldn’t want you to lose your concentration and fall.”
“I think you just enjoy holding me,” Clark quipped with a smile.
“That too.”
***
Later that evening, John was at Charles’s place, preparing to go out, when his phone rang. He took a look at his cell phone and didn’t recognize the number.
“Hello?” John said.
“Hey, son,” said a grumbled voice on the other line.
“Dad?” John asked.
“Yeah, son. It’s me,” his father coughed.
“I’m gone,” John said. “You no longer have to see me so what are you calling for?”
“I’m so sorry, John,” his father rattled. “I’m so sorry.”
“You’re calling to tell me that you’re sorry?”
“I need your help, John. I need you to come get me, son.”
“What? What are you talking about?” John said, confused.
“I’m in the county jail,” his father coughed.
“What? What the hell are you doing there?”
“I’m sick, son. I need help.”
“What does that mean?”
“Please, son. My bail is five hundred dollars.”
Before his father could say any more the call was disconnected. John was shocked, not because his father was finally in jail, but because he was begging his son for help. His father’s raspy voice was worse than usual and was enough to make even John think twice.
“Hey, what’s up?” Charles said as he walked into the room where John was sitting. “You ready to head out this evening?”
“I’m sorry,” John said. “Something’s come up.”
“What is it?” Charles asked.
“It’s my dad. He’s in jail. I don’t like him, but he needs my help.”
Ascension (The Ascension Series) Page 19
