"What did you guys do!?" I shout dropping the bags in my hands.

Well... let me back up a bit:

I'm a superhero.... I guess.

Not like the whole Superman thing but I kinda joined this group by accident and somehow I'm their leader...

This group is very... uh... well... You know those freaks- sorry people who run around late at night in costumes pretending to be superheroes?

That's them.

Did I want to join the Galactic Defenders? Not even close. So how did my best friend and I get into this mess? I'll give you the short version:

A few months ago (right around Halloween) my older brother Josh was being an ass as usual. This time he was being an ass to some other kid.

My best friend Carly- sorry Silver Arrow and I we're coming back from a costume party. I ran into Josh, but the guy's an idiot and the idiot and didn't realize it was me.

Silver Arrow and I got him off the poor kid who ran away and since he didn't realize it was me I couldn't help but punch him in the face. When Josh ran off Carly and I were laughing and walking away when the freaks came.

Three of them. Turns out the freaks have a name for themselves: The Galactic Defenders. Or Mega Girl, The Speeding Bullet and Mister Anarchy (I don't know how he came up with that).

Now, somehow Silver Arrow and I are in charge of the Galactic Defenders. And my name is Reaper.

And that's brings up to now. Months later...

"What did you guys do!?" I shout dropping the bags in my hands. I stare at the chaos in front of me. Mister Anarchy stands a fire extinguisher in hand. Silver Arrow, Speeding Bullet and Mega Girl are covered in what was in the fire extinguisher. Behind them is the green house of Mr. Welsh... With two windows broken...

"THIS IS THE WRONG FREAKING HOUSE!!!" I scream. "And we were just going to graffiti the place! And where the hell did you get the fire extinguisher!?"

"There was a snake..." Mega Girl says sheepishly.

"I.... found it..." Mister Anarchy says slowly.

"You're an idiot," Silver says.

I facepalm and groan running a hand under my hood and through my hair. "How am I supposed to explain this!?"

"...Aliens..."

"Aliens."

I sigh once more and check my watch. "I'm getting home before things get worse. This is your fault, clean it up."

~~~~

"May I take Mr. Derring please?"

My eyes snap forward as Mr. Welsh walks into my English classroom. I quickly pack my bag and walk out of class pretending all eyes aren't on me. I follow the guidance counselor silently as he leads the way back to his office.

I walk in and he frowns. Behind his glasses his green eyes show disappointment. "I expect more from you Lucas," He sighs.

"Sir I-"

"I had truly thought you had stopped this nonsense. I told you already why I have not dragged your parents into the situation but I will have to if you keep this up. Listen closely: You are not a real superhero. And you had no right to destroy my home."

"I'm sorry the windows were already broken and the stuff from the fire extinguisher when I got there and-"

"And the graffiti?"

I pause. "What graffiti?" I ask aloud.

"So your telling me that you admit to breaking my window and but not the graffiti that says Galactic Defenders? Honestly Lucas." He sighs and gets himself a glass of water and takes a sip.

"Mr. Welsh," I start. "Our plan was simply to spray a few things on a house- not yours. Someone on your street though. The cops hadn't arrested him so we were going to spray paint his house to get the word out. When I got there with the spray paint things were already destroyed. I got fed up and dropped the bags and left. I'm sorry for everything though. But the orders didn't come from me. That means they would have gone through..." I trail off not wanting to continue that sentence, but he understands.

He scans my face for traces of a lie before he sighs once more and reaches under his glasses to rub his eyes. "I guess I must speak with my daughter ...again..."

I say nothing else and he makes a shoo motion with his hand. I walk into the hall as the bell rings. I grab my stuff from my locker when a voice sounds behind me.

"You ratted me out didn't you?"

I turn around to meet the accusatory glare of Carly Greenwood. Her green eyes bore into me. I don't respond. She frowns and turns around stomping off her long brown braid trailing behind.

I groan. Why did I always have to be in the middle of these fights.

Well if you didn't guess it already: Carly and her dad do not get along. At all.

Long story short and in the simplest way possible:

Mr. Welsh had abandoned Carly and her mom when Carly was seven only to return last year (8 years later) as guidance counselor at our school. I met Carly not long after he left so I hadn't known him. And when I started going to see him because- well one story at a time. So I went to see him and we became kind of close leaving me in the middle of a family quarrel. Fun.

~~~~

"You can't leave!" Mega Girl shouts.

"Your a big part of this team Silver!" Speeding Bullet adds. "You can't just leave us."

She sighs and gives me a glare. "I don't want to leave. But he has threatened to tell my mom if I stay." Her voice then turns cold. "Don't worry you still have Reaper. Unless he turns on you too."

She turns and stalks out without another word leaving all eyes on me.

"What did you do?" Mister Anarchy asks.

I shake my head but don't answer. I just watch the way she had walked off a frown on my face.

~~~~

You are not a real superhero.

Those words had been ringing in my head since he told me them two days ago. And even more so since Silver left the team yesterday.

You are not a real superhero.

I'm not. I'm average. I'm average height. Average weight. Average grades.

You are not a real superhero.

I'm no one special. I have no friends outside the Defenders now. Silver- Carly refuses to speak with me. But I can't talk to the other three in life and I'm not dragging them into my problems.

You are not a real superhero.

But Mr. Welsh is right. I'm not a real superhero. I'm not even a superhero at all...

I'm average.

But I have helped people. I may not have super powers but I can be someone's hero.

I stopped that robbery two weeks ago.

I helped a guy who was getting mugged a week before that, even though I got a nice bruise in the process.

And months ago I stopped my jerk of a brother from beating on some poor kid.

I'm not a superhero. But doesn't mean I'm not a hero.

I sit up in my bed and grab my phone. I grab my hood.

~~~~

I lean against the the slide of the shut down playground as Carly rounds the corner.

"No costume?" I question. "I said wear it."

She holds up her hand and holds up a bag (as I had expected) shaking it. She then drops it on the ground in between us. "I'm not doing anything until you tell me what you want. I told you already. Because of you I'm done with the superhero stuff."

I try not to flinch. Not wanting her to see how much her words affect me. "Your done being a superhero right?"

"I just said that."

"What's the definition of a superhero?" I question.

She rolls her eyes. "I'm not answering stupid questions."

"Humor me."

"Fine. A person who swoops in and saves people and stuff."

"Wrong," I deadpan.

"What-"

"The Merriam Webster definition is 'a fictional character who has amazing powers (such as the ability to fly)'."

"What's your point?"

"What's the definition of a hero?"

"Seriously?"

"According to Merriam Webster 'a hero is a person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities or a person who is greatly admired'."

"Thank you Mister Dictionary. I now know what your name should've been. But now tell me in the next minute your point or I'm leaving. 60. 59. 58."

"Are you fictional?" I ask her disregarding completely her threat.

"She is," Carly says kicking the bag in which her costume is hidden.

I nod once. "The Silver Arrow is infact a superhero. A fictional character with super powers. But I asked if you Carly Greenwood are fictional."

"Last I checked, no."

"Then your not a superhero. But you can still be a hero. Think of all of those people we have saved. Sure we hadn't wanted to join this but, we're stuck now." I pull off my hood and cloak.
"I'm nothing more than an average ordinary everyday high schooler but, I can still be a hero. So can you. So just cause you have to stop the superhero business doesn't mean you can't still help people. What you wear or call yourself doesn't matter, your still a hero."

There is a short silence before a small smile slowly creeps on to her face. "Give me fifteen minutes to change, and call the others. Let's patrol the east side tonight."