Feeling the Pinch

[Gravitic]

Sean sat nervously in the headmaster's office. He'd brought in a job aplication for a job at the Burger Shack on Talos Island, but becasue he was under 16, there were some further hoops he had to jump through to complete the application. He HAD to get this job; it was only 2 weeks until the Winter Ball and Sean needed the money to pay for it all. If he started working this week, he might be able to scrape up $200 to at least treat Kierin to a night out to go with the Ball....

Sir Arthur Winston III reviewed the information that Sean had given him. A review of Sean's academic records showed that the boy could easily handle a part time job alongside his classes. Setting the papers down, Sir Arthur gave Sean a smile and said, "Well, I'm willing to sign off on you taking on this job, Sean. There will be monthly reports from your teachers to ensure that you maintain your excellent school record, but I don't think that will be a problem."

Sean breathed out a sigh of relief and smiled. "Thank you, sir....I promise that I'll keep my classwork first priority above my job." Sean was already figuring out his budget in his mind, alocating his estimated earnings towards renting a tux, cab rides to and from dinner, the price of the tickets....

Sir Arthur went through a flie cabinet in his office and produced a sheet of paper with various government agency stamps on it. "Now then, we just fill this form out, file it with the School Board, and you shuold be able to start work next week...."

Sean's smile fell away. "Next week? But I told the manager I'd be able to start tomorrow."

"I understand that you could start work tomorrow, Sean, but this paperwork needs to be filed with the County and the State to comply with the laws regarding employment of a minor. I might be able to rush things a bit, maybe letting you start Thursday, but there's no way you could start so quickly."

Sean felt his plans slipping away. He'd only have about half what he thought he would need for the Ball. "Sir...isn't there any way I could start sooner than that? I really need to start this job qucikly."

Sir Arthur looked at Sean with some concern. "Sean, are you in some kind of financial trouble?"

"No," Sean sighed as he shook his head. "I just....It's the Snow Ball, Sir. I...have a date, and I need the money to pay for it."

"Mmmm...I see. What about your family? Could they give you the money? Or even loan it to you?"

Sean shook his head. "No. We're not exactly poor, but we're a large family and money can be tight."

Sir Arthur nodded in thought. "Well....perhaps I could help you out?"

"No, that's alright, Sir." Sean stood up and took the form to fill out later. "I want to earn my own way. I'll figure out how to manage this."

"Alright, Sean...if you're sure about this."

Sean nodded as he left. "I am Sir. Thank you for your time." As he closed the door to the office behind him, Sean sighed in frustration. I'll find a way to give Kierin a great night, he htought to himself. Somehow.

[Gravitic]

The alarm clock on his nightstand showed 9:00 in gently glowing LEDs. Sean figured that now would be a good time to call home; at 6:00 Pacific Time, his family should be home with dinner still an hour or so off...

After a few rings, the familiar voice of his sister Laura answered, "Hello?"

"Hey sis, it's me..."

"Sean! Hey, how's it going bro? Hang on....Hey! Shut up, guys! It's Sean!"

Sean smiled and chuckled as Laura tried to bring the other kids in line. She was the oldest and was the ultimate authority when Mom and Dad weren't around. "How's everyone doing there?"

"Oh, the usual. Mom and dad aren't here tonight. They've both got late shifts. So, it's just about pizza time for dinner. Anyways, how're things going?"

"Umm...they're going good. I'm actually making a lot of friends here. It's a nice change, though, having actual snow in the city instead of about a foot of rain."

"Yeah...the city's flooded again. As usual. We've had some really bad winter stoms the last few weeks, so it's worse than normal. So, you saved the city yet, Mr. Hero?"

"Nah. Stopped some bank robberies and some other raids. Nothing major."

"Nothing major? Sean, you're a real superhero. That's gotta be a kick!"

"Well...okay. The flying is pretty cool."

"You can fly? That is so bitchin'! So, any good looking guys at your school? Rich would also be nice."

Sean had to laugh in spite of himself. Laura had always had a thing for superheroes; the real ones, not the ones from comics. A few hours with Hellfire would probably cure her. "Yeah, a couple....hey....ummm...did you get my email?"

"Yeah...I did. I've got everything all ready and I'll go to the shop tomorrow after school. Are you sure that you want to do this?"

Sean sighed and pushed away the slight regrets that were popping into his mind; right now, this was the only way. "Yeah...yeah I'm sure."

"Okay....it's a lot of money, though. What do you need it for?"

".....It's for the Winter Ball. I've....kinda got a date."

The yell on the other end of the line forced Sean to move the cell phone away from his ear. "A date? You? No way! Oh my God! Sean! That is so cool! Who is she? What's she like? Can you send us pictures?...."

The questions came fast and Sean did his best to answer them. Soon, though his other siblings were on extention lines all asking about Sen's date, 5 voices all asking him questions at once. The furor over Sean's sudden social life lasted for half an hour before Laura begged them all off , saying it was time for them to order the pizza. Sean's younger brothers and sisters all said good night and finally, it was just Sean and Laura talking again. "You know, you could always ask dad for some money."

"No....things are tight enough for mom and dad as it is. I mean, the Church is paying my way here, but Mom and Dad still have you five. It's goign to take too long for the paperwork for me to get a job to go though, and the dance is next Saturday."

"Okay....like I said, I'll go to the shop tomorrow and deposit the money after that. You should have it for Friday or Saturday."

"Thanks, sis."

"Hey, no problem, bro. This Kierin must really be special for you to be doing this."

Sean smiled to himself. "Yeah....she is."

[Gravitic]

Sean rubbed his eyes as he looked away from the computer screen. Getting access to the Paragon City University library was incredibly exciting from a research standpoint, but he was definately feeling the toll after 4....no 5 hours, he corrected himself as he noticed the time. His laptop had multiple open documents and quick sketches as he came up with new ideas for gadgets to improve the eficiency of his powers as he searched through theoretical physics dissertaions and journal articles.

After turning his head to stretch his neck some, Sean figured it was about time to head back to Saint Joe's before it got too late. Sean logged out ot the library terminal and started packing his computer and his notebook. As he exited the library, a familiar voice called out to him. "Doing some more research, Sean?"

Sean turned and then smiled at the gray-haired gentleman that was near the entrance. Dr. Alexander Metcalf was a professor of theoretical physics at PCU, and had been conducting experiments to analyze Sean's abilities. "Oh, hey Dr. Metcalf...Yeah, I was just going through some on-line journals. That last round of experients kinda got me thinking."

The professor chuckled heartily. "Well, that's more than I can say for some of my students. I would like to thank you, Sean. By letting us examine and analyze your gravitational powers, you're helping us make great strides in artifical gravity technology."

Sean shrugged off the comment like he did with most praise. "No problem. I'm enjoying getting to see some of the lab equipment in action. It's a real thrill for a science geek like me."

Dr. Metcalf nodded and stroked his beard in thought. "Well, you have shown quite a bit of intelligence in the questions you ask during the experiments. So, I have a bit of a proposition for you. I was speaking with your headmaster about your participation in my seminars and he mentioned that you had been looking for a job. I happent to have need of an assitant to do some data entry and recording. Would you be interested?"

Sean's heart almost stopped at the offer. "Would I? Yeah...but, wouldn't one of your students be a better choice than me?"

"Not really. The cream of the crop, so to speak, gets snatched up for internships with Portal, Kord, Crey, and other high-tech companies. The ones that are left are usually not capable or not interested. Besides, from what I've seen, you're smarter than half of my students anyways. And it's a good opportunity for you, especially since your headmaster says that you're interested in early graduation from Saint Joes."

"Umm...yeah. Yeah I'm looking into that....And yes, I would love to do the data entry."

Dr. Metcalf nodded at the response, "Well, bring by the paperwork tomorrow and we'll get it sent in. I can't pay you much, only $150 a week, but your headmaster said that you were needing the money for an upcoming school function?"

"Well, I did, but I was able to raise the funds I needed. I sold off some collectables. Some of my comics collection to be precise."

"Nothing too valuable, I hope?"

"Not really, just a lot of mid-range issues I had. Nothing that I can't live witout."

"Well, perhaps it's all for the the best. 'When I became a man, I put away childish things', eh? Anyways, bring the paperwork from your school by tomorrow and we should have you starting on Monday."

Sean nodded in excitement. "Right! I'll drop them by during your office hours! Thanks, Dr. Metcalf!"

"My pleasure, Sean. You'd better get going before it gets too late."

Sean nodded and started running off. With a quick skip, he took off flying, drawing looks from some of the University students who still weren't used to seeing people flying around campus in colorful tights, much less the casual clothes Sean was wearing. As he gained altitude to soar among the tps of the skyscrapers of Steel Canyon, Sean couldn't help but smile wide. I'm realtively well liked at school. I've got a great girl that cares about me. And I've got a job helping out with some cutting edge scientific reaserch.....Looks like things are changing for the better for me.