The bell rang, cutting through the lazy morning atmosphere of Monday.
Sol sat at his desk in the middle row of Room 2-B, elbow propped up, head resting on his palm.
His eyes were focused on the board, but his mind was far away.
"Sol?"
The teacher's voice sliced through his mental fog.
Sol blinked, snapping out of his daze. "Yes?"
It only took a quick instant before he realised his name was called by the teacher to answer the question on the board.
Without missing a beat, he said, "The answer to number 12 is 43.7 millivolts — assuming standard synaptic resistance and current thresholds."
A moment of silence passed.
"...Correct," the teacher said, slightly baffled. "Though it wouldn't hurt to at least pretend you're paying attention."
A few students chuckled. Sol offered a wry smile and went back to staring at the board, or more precisely, past it.
His thoughts circled back to the upcoming Oscorp trip and other more important matters.
When the bell rang again, signaling the end of the class, Sol gathered his things lazily and walked into the crowded hallways of Roosevelt High.
...
Cindy moved quietly through the halls, her books clutched tightly to her chest.
Her mind kept replaying the night when she got saved by that vigilante!
However, it was at that moment that Cindy noticed some unpleasant people ahead of her.
Jessica leaned against a locker ahead, her eyes lighting up when she saw Cindy. Her little entourage — three girls with perfectly coordinated makeup and zero independent thought — snickered on cue.
"Well, look who decided to crawl out of her science lab," Jessica said mockingly.
"Did you ever find a social life in that microscope, Cindy? Or did it scurry away like you always do?"
Her friends were laughing beside her.
Cindy froze. Her fingers tightened around her books. Normally, she would keep her head down, walk past, and treated the words like air. But today…
Today was different.
Maybe it was Sol rubbing off on her. Maybe it was because she'd had enough.
There was a time she wouldn't have dared speak as she was a quite reserved person, finding it difficult to make friends. She was commonly known as that invisible girl — the weird and quiet one who existed in the corners of classrooms.
Jessica, one of the popular girls, had bullied her since freshman year
That was when Sol had stood up for her for the first time.
It started with him picking up her books after Jessica had thrown them down a flight of stairs, and indifferently reprimanding them.
As one of the popular kids as well, Sol didn't have much difficulties intervening. While he was smart like her, he didn't give off the impression of a socially awkward person...
What she thought would be a one time thing kept occurring. Sol would constantly help her for the next few days. And, being embarrassed, Jessica would get her brother to help her out, which ended up in a school brawl.
Unexpectedly, Sol kicked his ass in a one-sided fight.
It wasn't long before they became friends as, while a little reserved, Cindy wasn't blind enough to not see his good intentions and her chance at making a friend.
Though, she still didn't know why he chose to help her, much less become friends with her. But ever since then, she hadn't been quite the same.
So now, as Jessica sneered, Cindy didn't look away.
She tilted her head slightly and said, "Funny. I could say the same thing about your brain. Must've missed it under all that makeup."
Jessica blinked, momentarily thrown off. Her friends paused, their laughter caught in their throats.
"What did you just say?" Jessica asked, baffled. It was like seeing a little mouse speaking up to a cat...
Cindy's heart pounded, but she stood her ground.
"Didn't know you have hearing problems, too," she continued, clearer this time, "But I'll repeat it for you. Try using your brain. It might make you slightly less pathetic."
Jessica blinked, genuinely stunned this time. The smirk on her face faltered, lips parting slightly as if she couldn't decide whether to laugh or lash out.
Cindy didn't wait for a reply.
She adjusted her books in her arms, turned slightly, and casually walked right past Jessica. Or at least, that's what she made it look like.
But inside, her emotions were in turmoil. Her hands trembled slightly against the covers of her textbooks.
'What did I just do?'
Her face remained impassive. But she could feel the stares and the silence. It was a rather suffocating feeling.
Still, she kept walking.
Step by step.
Until she turned the corner and finally exhaled.
The noise of the hallway picked back up again around her.
She saw Sol at his locker tucking a notebook away. His usual half-awake, unbothered demeanor was in full effect.
A genuine smile bloomed on Cindy's face.
Without thinking, she hurried up to him, the nervous weight in her chest finally lifting.
"Hey," she said in a slightly breathless voice.
Sol glanced down, then showed a smile when he saw her. "Hey Cin. You alright?"
He noticed that she seemed slightly awkward, which made Sol also somewhat nervous.
She couldn't have figured out his secret identity already, right?
"I think I just... insulted someone," she replied, eyes wide like she wasn't sure it actually happened.
"You did?" Sol raised a brow, inwardly relieved, yet also curious.
She nodded. "It was Jessica..."
Sol stared at her with an unusual expression.
Cindy narrowed her eyes slightly. "What's that look for?"
Instead of answering, Sol casually reached out and placed his palm flat against her forehead.
Cindy froze. "Wha—?!"
Her cheeks instantly flushed a warm pink. "What are you doing?"
"Checking if you've got a fever," Sol said, his voice completely deadpan. "You sure you're Cindy Moon?"
Cindy batted his hand away with a pout, flustered but trying very hard not to show it. "You're so annoying."
Sol shrugged slightly with a smirk. "I'm just doing my job as an upstanding citizen. Don't want the CDC knocking down the school doors if you've caught something contagious. Like... confidence."
Cindy puffed her cheeks in protest, then narrowed her eyes with fake indignation. "You're lucky I don't like hitting my friends!"
"Friends? There are others?" Sol said with amusement. "Plus, you'd definitely miss."
Cindy showed an expression as if two knives were lodged into her chest. Why did Sol have to hit her where it hurts with that first comment!
"No I wouldn't!" Cindy replied.
"Mmhm."
Despite herself, Cindy gave a giggle that she failed to muffle with the back of her hand.
Sol leaned back against the lockers, watching her with a somewhat prideful expression, as he asked, "So what happened? What'd you say to her?"
Cindy hesitated, looking down at her shoes. "Something about... her brain being buried under all her makeup."
Sol let out a laugh. "No way. I bet she was seething, hahah. I didn't know you had thay in you."
"I panicked!" she said quickly, face heating again. "I wasn't trying to be mean, it just... slipped out."
"Was it wrong of me?" she asked suddenly.
Sol looked at her. For once, his expression sobered slightly.
"No," he said with a smile. "It was about time you stood up for yourself, and I'm glad you did."
She looked up at him, and for a second, their eyes met — just long enough to make her chest flutter again.
Then Cindy blinked and looked away, suddenly feeling the weight of all the stares around them.
"Thanks," she whispered after a moment, almost to herself.
Sol raised an eyebrow.
"For what?"
"For being my friend."
Sol smiled like it was no big deal.
They lingered there a moment longer and continued talking to each other until they both went to their next lessons.