"Good morning, Superboy," Mia greeted me, her eyes fluttering open and closed as she leaned in for a kiss, but we refrained from doing so in front of Mark. With a hint of excitement, she leaned against my desk, and I couldn't help but smile as I stared into her vibrant blue eyes.

"Morning, Mia," I responded with a faint grin. Mia giggled like an enthusiastic fangirl, trying to compose herself before taking a deep breath.

"Have you chosen a Halloween costume yet? It's just a week and a half away," she asked. Halloween wasn't something I had given much thought to since gaining my powers at a young age. It didn't interest me much.

"I'm not really into Halloween," I admitted.

Mia pursed her lips and found solace leaning on the desk behind me. I swiveled in my chair, observing her exchange with her cousin, and then she turned back to me. "So, are you volunteering at the blood drive?" she inquired eagerly.

"Probably not," I replied.

"That's disappointing," she frowned. "I was hoping to see you there, at least."

We both gazed toward the front of the classroom. Mr. Kinley rushed in, settling himself at Mr. Branden's desk. He would take over most of my classes for the day. Sometimes I wished I had more time in school.

Mr. Kinley looked at me with a scowl, which quickly shifted to a grin. Dressed in a business suit, his blue glistening in the lights above as he clicked his square jaw shut.

Mr. Kinley's brow furrowed, and he stared at me with an anger I'd never seen before. His glare was focused with a sharp squint. His eyes scanned the room, pulling back and forth across the room to Noah, then back to me.

Mr. Kinley's face is broad, his teeth bright and movie star straight, his nose thin, his skin elastic like a newborn and drenched with sweat.

"Noah," Mr. Kinley called from the front. Noah stood up from his desk, removing his headphones. He glanced at me briefly but was cautious in his actions.

"Yes, Mr. Kinley," he muttered. Mr. Kinley crossed his arms, appearing like an angered parent as he lowered his gaze at Noah. Noah leaned back in his seat, nervously tapping his thigh.

Since rumors started circulating about Noah and his connection to superheroes, the teachers and students distanced themselves from him. Despite the speculation, they tied no evidence to those rumors. Like me, he was a teenage superhuman trying to navigate high school life and a powerful secret. Maximus Kinley, the not-so-anonymous teenage supervillain, shared a similar predicament.

"Move a little closer to Mark," Mr. Kinley instructed Noah, pointing to Jameson, one of Mark's jock friends.

Noah groaned, giving me another glance as he reluctantly left his seat and took the vacant stool closer to Max. I felt defeated. After taking Noah's words to heart at the police station, I trusted him but didn't know how to help him. I wasn't even sure if I could.

Mr. Kinley looked at me, tapping his strong fingers against his desk, while Noah and I exchanged glances. "James Knight, since you've been getting too close to Noah, you can sit between Mark and Max. You're welcome," Alexander licked his lips, hiding a slight grin. Son of a...

I took a deep breath, muttering a four-letter word under my breath. Anxiety surged through me like never, but with a subtle exhale and a scowl, I gathered my belongings, rising from my seat and slamming my bag on the desk surrounded by Max, Mark, Nick, and Harrison. My backpack sank into the desk as I grimaced and shrugged at Noah.

∆∆∆

After school, I caught up with Mia in the nurse's office. She smiled, tucking her hair behind her ear, and leaned against the counter, watching me flip through a stack of papers.

"So, are you invincible or something?" she asked, her curiosity evident. I looked up from the file I was reading.

"It depends. Other supers can still hurt me, but I'm bulletproof," I replied.

"Why does your file say O negative?" she raised an eyebrow, thrusting my high school file. It surprised me that she hadn't figured it out yet.

"It's to protect my identity. I have a rare, unknown blood type. Sam tested it after he gave me one of his cures. He calls it the super chromosome or S+. Think of it as an enhanced blood type, S+ or AS+, a unique supergene," I explained.

"Hey," Mia smiled, gently tapping my cheeks. She stood on her tiptoes, brushing her lips against mine.

"That's cute, Superboy," she playfully teased, tapping my cheek twice before returning to her tasks.

I informed her regretfully, "Someone took the remedy earlier," then noticed Mia's tight-lipped expression. Suspicious of Max, I never envisioned that it could have been her.

She grabbed a stack of papers from the nearby shelf. "On a similar note, I have two new piles for you to read once you're finished with those," she said. I bit my tongue to keep quiet. I watched as her finger inched toward my face. I bit my tongue and waited with anticipation. Her finger's trajectory was off by a few millimeters. It was as if she was trying to prod my nose or touch my forehead-no real aim.

"Get to work, Superboy," she playfully broke up the words in a sing-song voice, puckering her lips as her fingertip pressed into the tip of my nose.

"Alright," I replied, starting at the top of the stack and working through the files.

As Marina entered the room, I found myself momentarily frozen. Mia's expression changed, and I quickly shifted the file to my right.

"Hey, James," Marina greeted me with a smile. I returned the smile.

"Hey, Marina," I replied.

"Are you coming to the blood drive?" she asked.

I shook my head. "I don't think so. I have a fear of needles," I admitted. Marina sighed in response. Meanwhile, Mia was busy perusing through papers in the background until she looked up and locked eyes with me, her long nails shivering down my spine.

"He means he's considering it," she clarified. I was considering it. Even if Sam had advised against it, I wondered if I should be on the volunteer list.

"That works for me," Mia grinned. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and kissed her forehead. That's what I would do.

∆∆∆

When I arrived home that day, I headed straight to Sam's room, knocking on the door to ensure he was decent before entering.

"What's up, James?" he slurred, clearly intoxicated.

"I wanted to talk to you about the blood drive," I said. "James," he interrupted, "you know needles can't penetrate your skin. You're invincible. Speaking of which..." His voice trailed off.

"Sam, focus!" I exclaimed. He laughed, clearly drunk, and leaned back against his bed. "I want to volunteer, not donate my blood," I clarified. Suddenly, he sat up straight.

"Good," Sam mumbled. "Even if you could donate blood, mixing your plasma with humans might not be a good idea." His eyes drifted toward the bottles of liquor on his shelf. "I thought you were afraid of blood, though?"

I frowned, reminding him, "It's needles." Not that it mattered anyway. There was a moment of silence. "What if I find and use the cure?" I asked, pacing anxiously. A sense of unease settled in the pit of my stomach.

Shaking his head, Sam disagreed. "That's what I'm saying. It wouldn't be safe for anyone, especially considering your unique genetic coding. It's simply not a good idea."

I didn't want to argue with him. Sam was far more knowledgeable than I was and always seemed to know what was best. He understood me and had been studying my abilities for years, so he, like me, could only speculate on what my blood could do to others. But I was determined to help Mia, and I had a plan.

"By the way, when do you think my dad will acknowledge that he knows about my powers?" I asked him. He groaned, swaying slightly before settling on the bed.

"He's your father, James, and he cares about you deeply. If he's afraid, let him be. He'll come to terms with it. Remember when I first found out about your powers?" He stood up, wobbling over to his dresser stacked with unopened liquor bottles, grabbing another beer and a bottle opener. The bottle hissed open as he took a swig. "Of course, my reaction was a bit more subdued due to my work, but I was still shocked," he added.

Sam was a scientist and inventor who had found hope in whatever breakthrough he made on that fateful day I gained my powers.

He finished his drink and fell silent, settling back into his beanbag chair in the corner of his room. I remained quiet for a while, watching him drift off, his beer bottle slipping from his hand and crashing to the floor.

"I'll leave you here," I muttered, nodding at Sam. He snored softly, curling up on the mattress. "Yeah, that's what I'll do." I pointed towards the door and returned to my room, closing the door behind me. A sense of uncertainty weighed on my mind, but my love for Mia fueled my determination, and I would assist her at the blood drive, just not in the way you might expect.