Just One Look

Boom Boom Pow

"Not much to say today, huh?" I asked once we were seated in the library.

"I'm not in the mood." He grumbled as he stared at his paper.

"Alrighty then." I responded, I looked to the entrance of the library and watched another class walk in. I caught a glimpse of Karen, she was talking to another girl. Her gestures were large and animated. I bet you Bruce Wayne's fortune that she's talking about Batman. She saw me and waved, made her way over and crouched next to me on the other side.

"Did you hear?" She asked, her voice perky and eager. I saw Jared glance our way but he was ignoring us.

"No, not if you haven't told me." I said watching her eyes light up.

"They named the criminal, they think he's the same person." She said lowering her voice. "They named him Red Hood." She whispered, I nodded.

?And what has that got to do with anything?" I asked turning to my computer screen. Jared was tapping his pencil on the counter, staring at his lined paper. Now, with two parallel lines.

"Well, I don't know. I just think you need to know things like this." She said standing up. "Well, I'll see you later."

"Bye." I said watching her walk away. I glanced at Jared again, he leaned in close to his paper and leaned back in his chair again. He rocked back and forth, his face in deep thought. He looked as if he was in pain. "Jared?" I asked, his head snapped up and he looked at me frightened. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah." He said distracted. The lines on his face deepened and darkened. He looked old and worn.

"You haven't been getting much sleep lately have you?" I asked, he shook his head.

"No, I've been busy." He said. He went back to tapping and rocking, that was the end of the conversation.

***

When I opened the front door of my home, I was welcomed with the smell of cinnamon and sugar, baking slowly into the crust of my Grandmothers apple pie recipe.

"Mom!" I scolded, I walked into the kitchen. My Mom looked up alarmed, "You're so bad!" I teased, she immediately caught on.

"Oh, I didn't do anything." She said innocently tapping her fingers on the counter.

"You're so bad Mom." I repeated.

"I don't know what you mean, I just thought it would be a good treat. To make your Grandmother's homemade apple pie."

"Yeah, I'm sure." I eyed her as I went up to my room to change. I came back downstairs in my sweatpants and sat down to eat dinner. My Brother and my Father joined my Mother and I at the dinner table shortly after my mother screamed at the tops of her lungs up the stairwell that dinner was ready. They came down and sat at the table.

"Hi honey." My father said kissing my mother on the top of her head as she set the main course in the middle of the table.

"Hey." She said setting the chicken down. She turned around and pecked his cheek.

"How was everyone's day?" My dad asked before we dug in. He looked at my brother waiting for a response from the chatter box. Dean went off like a firework.

"Everyones talking about Batman and Red Hood." He started.

"Oh God." I mumbled, my mother kicked me under the table. I flinched and listened to my brother.

"They don't know who to hate more. Everyone's mad about Batman not getting caught and about Red Hood, not even knowing who he could be."

"I know, everyone's on edge down at the station. We have no leads. None." My dad said.