Omniscience

The Supervillain's Intern: Part Four

Oh god. Please don't laugh, please don't laugh...
In a second, I'm back to the old me: awkward and nervous as hell, 24/7. Will she stay if I show vulnerability? No... That's just stupid.
Because let's face it: I. Am. Lonely. It sounds stupid to say, but it's true. I haven't had an actual friend... Ever. Sure, there were my childhood "friends", but they were more like bullies. Harassers. People who break you down every day, until you decide: frick it. I'm out of here.
Which is what I did.
Now, the girl looks at me funny. Which is understandable. I did sort of spring it on her all at once. She probably won't say yes.
"Why?" She asks.
"Why not?" Gah, that is isn't a reason, Devlin!
Her brows furrow, and I answer before she can. "Well, you have a stalker. Wouldn't you prefer to be in a hidden headquarters as to walking around the streets completely unprotected?"
She says hesitantly, "I'd be at home."
"You still need to go to school."
"I'm skipping." She blurts. "It's too dangerous to go to school, and it's getting harder every day to keep the.... Stalker.... A secret, but if I do-" She dissolves into sobs once again.
And I am officially out of my comfort zone. When you're friends are all villains, you don't exactly get a lot of experience with "emotions".
"Um. Are... You okay?" Wow, Devlin. Amazing work.
She looks up, eyes wet. "No. But, um, thanks for asking I guess?" Then she adds, "Since you're a villain and all."
"Hey!" I protest. "No... Doing that."
She looks at me, confused. "What?"
"No double standards." I state. "It gets on my nerves."
"Oh... Okay." She says.
There's an awkward silence while I think of every possible way this conversation could go wrong.
"Um. What's your name?" I ask.
She blinks at me. "Uh, should I be telling a supervillain my name?" She laughs nervously.
I shrug. "Depends. With most villains, they could probably find out exactly who you are and where you live even without your name, so."
She looks at me sternly. "Do not do that."
I burst out laughing. "You... Think that's going to stop me?" I grin. Maliciously, I might add.
The girl seems to realize she's losing ground. "Just call me... Um, actually could I go?"
"No." Her face falls, and I actually feel bad. Thought I got rid of that emotion ages ago. I sigh. For some reason, I don't want her to be sad. Maybe it's because it's been so long since I talked with someone innocent. "Just, I'm sort of a villain, remember? How do I know you won't blab immediately to the heroes?"
"I won't." She says immediately. "You can't really take my word for it though, can you?" I shake my head.
She runs a hand through her hair. She looks around the headquarters. "Well. What sort of work would I do for you?"
I light up. Does this mean she's considering it? Stay serious. And honest. "Crimes." I say bluntly.
She looks hesitant. "You ses, I don't really want to be a criminal."
"What do you want to be?" I ask.
She looks shrewdly at me. "You're just going to say being a criminal is better."
I shrug. "Well. Did you think I always wanted to be a criminal? A villain?"
She looks sort of confused. "No..."
"You're right. I didn't want to be a villain. Not always." I lean forward. "Want to know why I became one?"
She says, "Sure."
Sure.
Oh no. I have to actually tell her now. Okay. I can do this. "Um."
I let out a loud exhale. "I... Couldn't take it anymore."
She lifts an eyebrow.
"Everyone said I was powerless, and everyone..." What am I doing? She doesn't really want to know. She-
She's running away.
I stand up as she nears the door. Tentacles shoot out of my back and wrap around her waist pulling her back to the couches.