I don't own Static Shock or the Bronze Bombers.
"Virgil? Time to go, honey. Don't want to be late on your first day."
"OK, Mommy."
Five-year-old Virgil Hawkins finished packing his book bag with the latest Samurai Rabbit comic book and his superhero action figures. Sharon called them his dolls, but everyone knew they were action figures. Dumb girl.
The little boy with short black curls followed his mother to the car and watched quietly, if not motionlessly, as she buckled him into his car seat. Pretty soon he wouldn't have to sit in the 'baby seat.' He was going to kindergarten; that meant he was a big boy for real. Now Sharon wouldn't be the only one who got to tell Mommy and Daddy about all the neat things that happened at school.
His mommy kept him occupied on the drive by telling him stories about her work. He loved those stories. His mommy was a real hero; she was a kind of like a doctor and got to wear a cool uniform and ride in an anbu- ambla- the van they used to take sick people to the hopsittle. Virgil had ridden in it once and got to turn on the siren. It was coooool.
Fifteen minutes later, they pulled up to the little red brick building. Mommy unbuckled his seatbelt, and he climbed down, his bag clasped tightly to his chest. It was a little scary. There were bunches of kids running around screaming and laughing and playing before it was time to go inside. The little kids, like Virgil, were being led into the building by their mommies and daddies.
Virgil allowed his mom to lead him through the throngs of children and finally to his new classroom. As she reached for the doorknob, a man stepped outside. He was a giant! He was even bigger than Daddy! The giant had short blond hair and a mean face, which got meaner when he saw Virgil. The man shouldered his mom aside then stomped down the hallway and out the door. His mommy just sighed then smiled down at her son.
"Let's go, baby."
The room inside rang with childish laughter as a dozen five- and six-year-olds expended their excess energy before class. He saw two little girls playing with Legos in the corner. One of them he knew because they lived near each other. Her name was Frieda, and he heard her call the other girl Daisy. A few feet away, one of the bigger kids, a boy with flame-red hair was watching them. When they had built up several towers, he darted forward and stomped them all down.
"Francis! That's not how we play with our classmates or how we take care of the toys. Come over here and sit until it's time for class to begin." The redhead, Francis, sulked as he sat in the little chair next to the teacher. The kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Irwin, looked nice. She had hair with snow like Grandma, and Virgil was close enough to tell that she smelled like chocolate chip cookies.
His mommy spoke with his new teacher while Virgil wandered around the room. Daisy and Frieda were on the floor next to a wall of shelves. The multi-colored shelves were stuffed with books, toys, games, and art supplies. This looked like it was going to be a lot of fun.
A soft sniffle captured his attention. He peeked around the bookcase where it didn't quite meet the wall. He found himself looking down into the biggest blue eyes he had ever seen. Surrounding the eyes was a thin, pale face belonging to a thin, pale boy. The boy had hair so blond it was almost white. Virgil thought it looked really soft like the belly fur of the puppies that Frieda's dog Raisel had last year. He reached out to touch the hair and was surprised when the little boy whimpered and pulled back even further.
"Don't cry. I not going to hurt you. I'm Virgil. Who are you?"
The little blond sniffled again and wiped his runny nose on his shirtsleeve. He looked up at the brown-skinned boy with the gentle brown eyes. He didn't look like a crinimal. That's what his father sometimes called people who had brown skin - crinimals. This boy looked…nice. Maybe he could be Richie's friend?
"I'm Richie."
"Why are you sad?"
"Francis pushed me. When I wanted to play with the action figures, he called me a baby and said I played wiff dolls and then he pinchded me."
Virgil glared at the dumb redhead with his fiercest five-year old glare. Francis responded by sticking his tongue out at the boys.
Virgil wasn't sure why, but something inside him wouldn't allow him to leave the little blond feeling sad. He set down his backpack, reached inside, pulled out his favorite toys, and gave one to Richie.
"Whoa! High-Tech! He's my most favorite of all the Bronze Bombers! Dad won't let me have one, though."
"Yeah, High-Tech's cool, but I like Kaboom best. See?" Virgil and Richie began to play together and were soon involved in a fantasy of being superheroes out saving the world. Virgil was so caught up with Richie that he didn't even notice when his mom smiled softly and left him in the care of the teacher.
Eventually, all the children arrived and school began in earnest. Virgil had been right. It was a lot of fun, but it was also a lot of hard work. They practiced math and their letters, and then listened to music and to stories that Mrs. Irwin told from her big storybook.
They got to have a snack and then they all lay down for a nap. Richie snuggled next to Virgil who threw an arm around the smaller boy. He made sure that mean Francis stayed away from Richie. While they were supposed to be resting, Daisy and Frieda were instead whispering and giggling about something.
"Hey," whispered Virgil to Frieda, "what's so funny?"
Frieda smiled at Virgil and told him that Daisy really liked the dark-haired boy Chris. She said he was cute and that she was going to marry him when they grew up, and Frieda was going to marry Abraham. Virgil looked at Richie. Richie was cute. Way cuter than Chris and even cuter than Raisel's pups.
Naptime was over and, much too soon for Virgil and Richie, it was time to go home. Virgil introduced Richie to his mom. The little blond, no longer shy, greeted Mrs. Hawkins with a dimply smile and a handshake.
"Say good-bye to Richie now, Virgil. We still have to pick up Sharon before meeting your father."
Virgil hugged the stuffing out of Richie, who returned the gesture enthusiastically.
"See you tomorrow, V. Bye!"
Virgil walked away with his mommy, his small hand in her larger one. He looked back over his shoulder at his new best friend and smiled.
"What are you smiling about, sweetheart?" asked his mommy.
"Richie," said Virgil. "I'm gonna marry him someday." He waved farewell with his free hand.
Someday.
Just a brief respite from InHuman Touch. I will update that this weekend.