SUP Chapter 9: School and the Rebellious Desk Mate

The next day.

Morning.

Soft sunlight spilled into the Kent family kitchen.

Lois, the lady of the house, rose early, humming a cheerful tune as she prepared a hearty breakfast for her three boys. She opened the cupboard, expecting a stockpile of ingredients, but her smile froze.

The cupboard was spotless.

Impossibly so, not a crumb of cereal or cookie remained. Lois rubbed her eyes, confirming she was awake, then rushed to the fridge.

Milk, frozen pizza, eggs, chicken nuggets—gone. Only a few opened boxes of her face masks remained, as if someone had checked them for food.

“What’s going on?”

Lois gasped, a bad feeling rising. Her first thought was a thief, so she checked the family’s valuables. Luckily, nothing valuable was missing. Unluckily, not a single edible item could be found.

She inspected the doors and windows, no signs of tampering.

“Clark!” Lois stood in the living room, brows furrowed, unable to fathom a thief who only stole food.

Clark, yawning, came downstairs at her call.

“Didn’t you hear anything odd last night?” Lois eyed her Superman husband, who could hear cries across the city, yet seemed oblivious to a home invasion.

“Maybe rats.”

Clark glanced at the kitchen, understanding her question. His expression was odd, hesitant, before settling on a flimsy excuse.

“Rats?”

Lois almost laughed in disbelief.

“I’ll handle it.” Clark vanished, reappearing seconds later with bags of groceries.

“Hm?”

Lois scrutinized her husband, suspecting he’d binged the food himself. Nothing else explained the vanishing supplies.

She wanted to press him, but her shout had roused Jonathan and Jordan, who were coming downstairs. She and Clark weren’t ready to reveal his identity to the kids.

“We’ll settle this tonight!”

Lois shot Clark a look before turning to fry eggs.

“Morning, Dad, Mom.”

Jonathan grabbed a carton of milk, possibly chilled by Superman’s “frost breath”—from the now-stocked fridge.

Jordan sat silently at the table, waiting for food.

“Jordan, get Ian up,” Lois said, busy at the stove without looking up.

Jordan, still half-asleep, propped his face with one hand. “I heard him leave early.”

Lois frowned.

“Didn’t we tell him to rest a few days?”

Her tone carried worry. Clark, expressionless, helped set out fried eggs and toast for the boys.

“You can’t cage a bookworm. He loves studying.” Jordan shrugged, a hint of admiration in his voice. He was impressed, Ian looked like a ghost after last night’s “missile launches” yet still got up early for school.

No wonder his grades were stellar.

“I’ll talk to Ian tonight,” Jonathan offered, taking on big-brother duty. He mixed milk and coffee with his protein powder.

As a football player, this was his standard breakfast.

Flesh was weak.

Only science and grit could carry him through brutal games.

…

Metropolis Public High School.

Sunlight streamed through windows, casting bright patches on desks. The classroom was nearly empty. Ian propped his chin, staring at his invisible system panel.

[Extraordinary Occupation: Berserker LV1 (6/10)]

His leveling speed was slower than hoped. No luck exploiting system bugs for infinite grinding.

“No mana bar, but my skills aren’t spammable either.” Ian sighed, feeling as old as eighteen.

“First, I need a stronger body.” He planned silently. “I’m stronger now, but only a tougher physique can handle fiercer grinding, speeding up my extraordinary occupation to punch Dad a few times when teenage rebellion hits.”

Ambitious Ian schemed his youth. Lost in thought, a strong perfume scent approached. Without turning, he knew his desk mate had arrived.

“Yo, isn’t that Ian, the one-day truant? Where’d you go yesterday?” Madison Montgomery plopped beside him, her blonde hair whipping a dazzling arc.

“Metropolis.”

Ian didn’t turn, giving a curt reply.

“What’s fun in Metropolis to make a study freak like you skip Monday?” Madison pouted, rolling her eyes dramatically.

Her makeup was meticulous—mascara perfect, lips vivid rose-red, shirt buttons undone to show off a trendy necklace.

“I hit Hollywood Saturday and Sunday. No eagle-eyed scouts, but I met a guy hotter than you outside a bar called ‘Light Lounge.’” Madison, ever eager to share, mostly fed her vanity.

“But hot or not, he wasn’t my type. Refusing me entry because I’m underage? Lame.”

“In your words, a total loser. Come on, do I look fourteen? I’ve snuck into Metropolis bars twice!”

There it was.

Her bragging, late but delivered.

Ian wasn’t into bars but was drawn in by her words. He stared at his desk mate, eyes wide with surprise.

“Gotta say, little rebel, you’ve got guts.” Ian praised sincerely, setting down his book to give her a thumbs-up.

Madison paused, “Obviously!”

She grinned smugly, thinking Ian meant her bar escapades. In truth, Ian’s heart jolted at “Light Lounge.” If he recalled correctly, its resident was one of the few beings on Earth his dad couldn’t beat.

At least, not normally.

[NEXT CHAPTER]