Superman

Chapter 5 (part 1)

It was cold this morning. The thin sleeves of my shirt were not enough. Detroit was fading into winter and the last of the autumn leaves were swished into oblivion with short gusts of wind. The street I walk on to get to the shop was empty. There wasn't much except for a couple crumpled newspapers that fluttered in the breeze.

The clouds hung low in the sky giving the already dead street and even gloomier feel. It looked like it would rain tonight. I power walked towards the shop now all of a sudden worried I might be late. Upon arrival, Nick held open the door for me as I scurried into the warmth of the store.

"It's fucking freezing." I cursed and rubbed my arms.

Nick laughed and continued stacking some Red Sox beanies. I strolled back to the counter and sat on top in my usual place. The shop didn't get much business but it paid well with lenient hours. Behind the counter I saw Nick's phone hooked up to the speaker that was playing a reggae song.

"What's your password I'm changing the song!" I called.

Nick walked hurriedly to the back where I was. He picked his phone up and typed his password in swiftly before handing it back.

"I won't tell anyone." I laughed.

"It's not that." Nick said. "It's um...nevermind."

Nick quickly scurried back to his previous spot. K that was weird. I scrolled through his music library on his phone but was interrupted by a text from someone called Adam. The prompt showed at the top and said "Did you ask her..." I couldn't read the rest.

"Nick you got a text from Adam." I said still scrolling.

He snatched his phone away again but this time typed a swift reply. Before he could walk away I made sure he explained.

"Ask who what?" I dove right into the question. I wasn't in any mood for deciphering Nick's vague responses.

"No, it's nothing...really it's not a big deal." His face turned a little red and tiny beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

"Tell me." I didn't mean to come off pushy even though I probably did anyway. "Who is she?"

Nick looked down at the floor. He studied a small rip in his black converse before looking back up. His face was still red but he had stopped sweating.

"You..." He mumbled. "I wanted to ask you out on a group date with some of my friends..."

"Nick why didn't you just tell me?" I laughed. "I'd love to."

"But Marshall..." His voice was quiet. "He'll kill me."

That struck me in a weird way. I didn't belong to Marshall. Even though I liked him, he was bad news. Nick was sweet and kind. He was a good guy. Not that Marshall wasn't good but he was different.

"I'm not with Marshall." I said harshly. "I want to go out with you and your friends."

Nick smiled for a brief moment but it faded quickly. He contemplated for a second and shook his head.

"I'm sorry Rachel." He looked me directly in the eyes. "I don't want him to freak out again. Especially not on you."

Nick turned and started back towards the shop window. I hopped off the counter and followed him. He wasn't getting off this easy.

"Nick!" I called. "He doesn't have to know. I can go out with my friends if I want to."

"That's exactly it." Nick faced me and came extremely close. "I don't like you as a friend."