"Why, what's wrong?" I ask. I can't tell what's going on. This is why I hate texts and phone calls. I always feel so far removed from the situation.

Anthony's face drops when he sees mine. He crawls through the window to approach me, but I duck away. I need space to think and I don't need the comfort. Besides, I don't want the sound of his breathing to muffle Liz's sharp, breaking voice.

"He showed up at my house earlier, super drunk." She begins, panting. "And hurt. He was... was bleeding. I tried to get him to go to the hospital, but he left."

"Shit," I mutter. I decide that we need to keep Liz from getting involved, if she's got crazy ideas like bringing Dantae to the hospital. Not only can we not afford it, but we do not need Mama knowing about this until absolutely necessary. "Do you know where he might have gone? He isn't here."

"I don't know," she begins, her voice panicking. "We used to go to hang out on the Brooklyn bridge. There's a spot in Central Park with a big rock too, that he mentioned. Do you know what I'm talking about?'

Vaguely.

"I can go there," she begins, "if you want to go to the bridge."

"I got it," I tell her, thanking her quickly. Without another word, I hang up the phone. I take the shoes from the box, pulling them on to my feet. I grab my jacket as well, throwing it on.

Anthony's eyes are wide open, waiting for an explanation from me.

"Dantae is wasted," I let him know. "I'm going to go look for him. You should stay here."

"I can look too," he offers, grabbing my arm. His eyes are full of panic. I'm still not good at dealing with emotions, and mine are too much for me, let alone coupling them with his. "Where are you going?"

I shake my head back and forth. "I think the last person Dantae wants to see now is you. Just wait here in case he shows up. Please."

Anthony nods uncertain, letting me go. I leap out of the window, rushing down the stairs. The fire escape is just easier to use than running through my house, explaining to Damien where I'm going, and listening to my little shit brother call Mama and Papa.

I know that he used to go to all sorts of places with Liz, but the idea of Dantae, drunk, teetering on a bridge freaks me out. If I wasn't such an idiot, I would've brought Anthony with me. I call Dantae as I run through the streets to the subway. The phone rings and rings and rings.

This is Dantae Delmar. I can't get to the phone right now but leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

My foot bounces as I cling on to the pole. It's jittering is relentless, and I can't stop it. Just like I can't stop the tears in my eyes, and I can't stop calling him. Again. And again.

I call him again, and again.

This is Dantae Delmar.

This is Dantae-

This is D-

This-

This-

No matter how many times I call, I get Dantae's voicemail. The phone rings, and rings, for possibly twenty minutes at a time. He doesn't answer during the thirty-minute subway ride either. My phone's batter is draining quickly. Every passing second it goes down and down and down.

I stop calling Dantae at my stop, getting off and running up to street level. I push through people, although thankfully there are no women pushing babies in strollers for me to injure.

I run on to the bridge, dodging tourists looking out. I've never understood why people are so fascinated by a bridge where so many people kill themselves every year. Besides that, it's barely more than a hunk of metal. It isn't special. It isn't even interesting.

Halfway down the street, I spot him. Dantae's shouting at someone who I can't see. They both have their backs turned away. I push through the crowd, trying to get to him as fast as I can. Tourists keep glaring at me as I steamroller them down, but I don't give a shit.

Dantae shoves the man across from him. I jump on to him, trying to hold him back from the other guy. He smells like alcohol, as if he's bathed his clothing in it. There is blood on his white t-shirt. The other guy is wearing the same bandana that stuck out of Manu's shirt.

He's a gangbanger.

"Comeatme, huh?" Dantae barks.

"Quit it," I order Dantae, trying to drag him backwards. The worst part about trying to tackle your big brother is the BIG part.

As the man steps forward, I hear someone shriek behind me. The gangbangers in front of us go running, as Spider-Man lands down in front of us. His goggles bob as he pauses to look at me. I think he might recognize me as the girl who has been harassing him, but I can't be sure. God, I hope not.

It would ruin this moment as the only one where I've been grateful for his presence.

"Let me at 'em," Dantae keeps yelling. His words slur together, not at all rough like the liquid he has clearly overconsumed.

"They're gone," I insist.

Dantae doesn't listen to me. He lurches forward, shoving Spider-man backwards. I reach for Dantae's arms over his shoulders. Dantae grabs my arms, pulling me off of him and pushing me on to the ground. I land on my side, hitting the sidewalk. My head is barely protected by the hood of my jacket as my ears begin to ring.

I pull myself into a sitting position. Dantae is going at Spider-man, swinging at him. When he moves with his fist, Spider-man catches it and holds Dantae still. Tourists are gathering around now, taking pictures of them. I pull myself off the ground, ducking in between the two. Purple bruises spread across Dantae's face. He has a black eye, a split lip, and he has dried blood under his nose.

Someone behind me is calling the police.

"We need to go," I tell him, grabbing his arm. "Cops."

Dantae lets go, taking off and running down the streets.

I move to follow him, but a hand on my shoulder holds me back. It's Spider-man. Instinctively, I knock it away.

"Who the Hell are you?" I ask, looking him down. "Why are you even here?"

"I wanted to help," Spider-man replies.

"Yeah, by causing a scene?" I demand, gesturing to the people around us. As I look, I realize that Dantae has disappeared. Just my luck. I lower my voice. "My brother is on probation. If he gets caught picking fights with a bunch of gangbangers, he is going to prison."

Sirens erupt behind us. Spider-man wraps a hand around my waist and shoots a web. I cling to him and scream as we go soaring through the air. He throws another web, and we continue to fly. I want to ask him to put me down, but I can't stop screaming as I cling on to him for dear life.

We land on a nearby rooftop. I can feel my stomach churn as I put my hands on the roof. Suddenly, I am very grateful for the earth. Though I've never been on a plane, I know I certainly don't want to now.

"Sorry, I was trying to get away from the police," he says, touching my shoulder.

I swipe him off of me and stand up. A new passion has ignited in me to find out who he is. "My brother might still get caught, thanks to you."

"I'm sorry," he continues, "but that man had a gun."

He isn't sorry. At least, not in the way he is supposed to be. There's no way that man would've pulled a gun and shot my brother in front of all those people. I don't know him, but I doubt that anyone is that stupid. It would've been fine. "I don't care if he had a nuclear bomb. Don't you see what you are doing?"

"I'm trying to keep people safe," he insists.

"No," I tell him. My voice breaks into sobs. "Your... your weird antics aren't about keeping people safe. They are about policing people who... who are already in trouble. Since when do you get to decide who is safe and who isn't? I think my brother might have gone there to jump. Is the solution to send him to jail?"

I roll my eyes, and wipe away my tears.

"Let me take you down," his voice is quiet. Though it's muffled, it almost sounds like it's coming from a real teenager. I don't care if I've hurt his feelings. He has hurt my life.

Spider-shit wraps a hand around my waist and brings me down to the ground. I don't even bother to look at him as he zooms off into the night.

Maybe I was going to give Spider-man the benefit of the doubt, but now I don't bother. He's just another privileged guy in a mask, just like the rest of the superheroes running around New York. He doesn't understand the people, or their thoughts and feelings. I bet you he's some rich boy, who bought powers rather than earned them.

I shiver goes up my spine. Spider-man begins to swing off a building. He spares me one last glance.

Asshole.

By the time I've made it back to my place, it is past midnight. I climb in my window and see Anthony gone. My phone died a while ago, so I've got no idea if he went to check on Dantae, or if left a while ago. Inside my apartment, I check to make sure that Dantae is home. His shoes are at the door, and since he only has one pair, he has got to be home.

Satisfied, I go to bed and sleep.