Survival Of The Fittest

"It's ok Gloria. You didn't really interrupt anything," Dirk reassured her.

"Seriously, it's fine," Simon agreed. "Um...you're shaking."

Was she? Gloria looked down at her arms. Sure enough, she was shaking...pretty badly, by the looks of it. Simon's hand was on the armrest beside her own, and if he could feel it from there..."I'm sorry," she whispered again.

"Don't worry. Look, the movie's at the climax now."

Gloria looked back towards the screen, hugging her knees again. This way Simon wouldn't be affected by the shaking. She focused on the screen now, trying to lose herself in the movie. I'll apologize again afterwards, she told herself, feeling her shaking slowly lessen. It's the very least I can do...

When the movie finally ended, and the lights came back on, Gloria looked back at the boys. "You don't have to pretend...If y-you got mad at me, p-please let me know...I'm r-r-really sorry. It was an accident."

Simon dutifully clapped as the credits began to roll. Actually, he liked that. Maybe he should start watching movies more often. There really wasn't much of a differences between a book and watching a movie after all; it was just different ways of telling a story. Simon liked reading novels better then any other form of media, but he couldn't help himself from getting annoyed when people cited "new media" like the internet, video games, and TV, as ruining the current generation. He had played video games with better storylines then some of the books he read; what was the difference, anyway? Sometimes, people really did grate on Simon. Not that he'd ever admit that out loud; in general he was one of the least cynical and most naive people he knew.

"Um, I'm not mad. Geez, Glory. It's just me. Don't you think you would know by now if I got mad at stupid little things?" Simon blinked. "Okay, wait. I do get mad a stupid little things. But never at anything like this. I've got better things to be angry about. Like the fact that I lost my Tale of Two Cities report and had to start over. Or that my head's been hurting since, like, two days ago."

Simon looked around. "Anyway, we should stay a bit. Somebody told me there was something after the credits." Usually, he stayed and watched the credits anyway, but this time he had a reason to.

"Yeah, we're not mad at you. You didn't do anything wrong. In fact, it's part of the moviegoing experience, like people throwing popcorn at you when you talk too loud." He glanced up at the screen again as it opened to a bar, with Iron man talking to someone about Shield, the big company that had been trying to talk to him through the entire movie.

"That was awesome!"

At Simon's words, Gloria clammed up, looking at her hands sheepishly. He was right...She really didn't have to apologize. Not to him. He wouldn't get mad at her, wouldn't hate her. Simon doesn't leave, she told herself.

"Anyway, we should stay a bit. Somebody told me there was something after the credits."

Oh..." Gloria looked up, watching to see what it was. If there was one thing she liked about movies, it was the after-credits treat. She'd heard that they were called "Monk's Awards," though she wasn't sure why. What kind of a monk would sit in a movie theater anyway? Her eyes widened as the scene began...and she blinked as it ended, hearing Dirk clapping enthusiastically.

"That was awesome!" he cried.

Gloria smiled at him, nodding. "Y-Yeah...was a really good movie." She had to admit, it was fun. Superheros were fun....saving the day and protecting everyone from danger. She looked at the now-black screen again, thinking about something. "You suppose Dad would've made a good Iron Man?" she mused. "He'd be a lot different from this one, but...It'd be nice if he was."

"Wait...people actually throw popcorn at you if you get too loud? Really? I always thought that kind of stuff only happened in books. Or at the Rocky Horror Picture Show." Simon didn't know much about the Rocky Horror Picture Show, but he was faintly aware that it involved throwing things at intervals. Maybe. "So...basically...if I'm really loud, then I get free snacks? You should have mentioned this before, Dirk." Not that he would bring attention to himself in the movie theater, even if someone paid him.

Dirk was clapping loudly. "That was awesome!"

Gloria nodded in agreement. "Y-Yeah...was a really good movie." She looked at the screen again. "You suppose Dad would've made a good Iron Man?" she mused. "He'd be a lot different from this one, but...It'd be nice if he was."

Simon glanced over at Gloria. At times like these, he truly wasn't sure what to say. At would be nice, damn great, to have Dirk's talent with people. Wasn't that what he thought before the movie began? It was times like these that gave him those kind of thoughts in the first place. How did you address a situation like this? Simon's family had never had a personal loss since he was born. Well, best to answer honestly; see where it goes from there.

He looked up at the ceiling, before quickly casting his eyes back down. "I think so." Simon answered simply. Now that the noise of the movie was over, Simon could picture Mr. Benson more easily. Yes, definately.

Dirk stood and helped Gloria up before heading towards the door, "So, Iron man was sort of like your dad? That's pretty cool. I'm guessing not with all the powers though. I'd like to meet him sometime."

"I think so." Simon answered simply, making Gloria smile a bit. She looked at her hands for a moment, picturing her dad again, and nodded. Yeah. She and Simon were both right. He'd have made a fantastic Iron Man. Dirk moved in front of her to help her up, and she let him.

Gloria was about to smile and nod, mumble a quiet "Thank you," but Dirk said something first. "So, Iron Man was sort of like your dad? That's pretty cool. I'm guessing not with all the powers though."

She laughed a little, twirling a tendril of hair. "W-Well, his personality was completely different," she whispered. "H-He was a lot nicer, see...B-B-But I do think...he'd make a great super-hero. Just like Ir--"

"I'd like to meet him sometime."

The smile suddenly slipped off her face, and her fingers stopped moving between her hair. She stared straight ahead for a few moments, seeming to blank out. Though there was very little sound in the theater, most of the patrons having left already, she could swear she heard a sort of dull roar in her ears. Slowly, her hand dropped to her side and she tilted her head towards the ground, still with a blank expression. Swallowed a few times, trying to regain composure.

"Hey, Little Glory...You do a good job today, alright?...I should be home in time for dinner, it's been such a quiet week, nobody thinks anything'll happen..."

"Y-You can't..." Gloria whispered, hugging herself as she shook slightly. Her eyes met with Dirk's again, a bit teary. "He g-got shot two years ago...Carjacker got him." She swallowed again, rubbing at her eyes. "E-Excuse me..."

"Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't know."

Simon looked down at his feet. "Yeah...Really messed up..." He glanced around the theater. There were only a few spectators left, some of them looking tentatively at the group of teenagers. Simon gave them each a look before the turned away. Geez, didn't people have anything better to do than gawk?

"Hey, Glory, do you want to sit here for a second?" Simon sat back down in his seat, and leaned backwards a bit. When Gloria got upset, he really had no idea what he was supposed to do. Simon was useless at comforting people; his basic response was to sit quietly and wait to see what happened. There had to be a better way that that.

The theater was now very close to empty, other than them. They'd probably have to leave soon if the janitor came in. Still, if it was just for a little while, nobody would probably mind. It was worth a try at least.

"Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't know."

Gloria shook her head at that statement, her arms lifting up to her chest as her hands balled into fists. She stared at the floor, tears collecting in her eyes. Of course he didn't know. He couldn't have known...But even so, it still hurt. She wasn't surprised when he did or said nothing else. They'd just met, hadn't they? Dirk probably didn't know what to say.

Simon, however, had a bit more to say to her. "Yeah...Really messed up..." There was a pause, before he continued with "Hey, Glory, do you want to sit here for a second?"

Gloria nodded, sinking into her chair again and curling into a fetal ball. Her body had begun to tremble again, and she hugged herself even tighter. For a long time, she stared at the floor, trying not to cry too loudly. It wasn't fair...It just wasn't fair...He was a good dad, a good person, so why did they have to..?!

She wiped her eyes, lifting her glasses up to get to them. Drawing in a shaky breath, she apologized. "I'm s-sorry...I jus-st ruined our ev-ev-evening..." she half-sobbed. Replacing her glasses on her nose, she swallowed a few times and tried to say more. "Y-You know...he was sup-p-posed to take me dancing. H-He promised...when I gr-graduated, we'd a-all go d-dancing together...And b-before that..." She gave a weak laugh, hiding her face in her knees. Gloria couldn't remember how many times he'd helped her out, visited with her friends on occasion. Even volunteering for school events.

"I'm so-sorry, guys...I-It's not ev-even your prob-blem..."

Dirk leaned against the seat in the next row up, just thinking, 'I can't believe I did that! I should have caught a hint or something! Come on Think! What should I do!?'
He ended up just standing there trying not to say anything stupid(er).

Simon adjusted his glasses and put his hands on his knees, swinging them forwards and back again absentmindedly. Okay, so maybe he wasn't good at comforting people. That didn't mean he shouldn't even try. Especially for Gloria, one of his closest friends.

"I...didn't know that...You know, Gloria, I think the two of you are..." Simon thought out his words carefully. "a lot alike, actually. Loyal, kind...remember that time I almost set your house on fire when we were making the churros?" That was before Simon had discovered enjoyment in cooking. "Anyway...I think he'd be proud that you turned out like him...And I'm sure if you keep that in mind, he'll be there with you at graduation..."

Okay, so maybe that was lame. But trying was trying. Simon leaned back in the chair again, staring at the celiling. He didn't say anything else or move from that spot for a little while.

Through her sniffles, Gloria could hear Simon speaking to her, trying to soothe her. She covered her mouth with her hand and bit into it, so she could quiet herself enough to hear him.

"You know, Gloria, I think the two of you are..." There was a pause, and she briefly wondered what he was going to say. "A lot alike, actually. Loyal, kind...remember that time I almost set your house on fire when we were making the churros?"

Despite her sadness, Gloria couldn't help but laugh a bit at that memory. "Y-Yeah...all our smoke detectors went off, one right after the other...and the dog got scared," she sniffled. Gloria herself had been scared too, running off to one corner of the kitchen and screaming about the smoke. Her dad had opened the windows and sprayed the fire extinguisher right onto the churros, making them look like they had whipped cream on them. She'd thought he'd be upset, but he ended up spending the next five minutes laughing and out of breath.

"Anyway...I think he'd be proud that you turned out like him...And I'm sure if you keep that in mind, he'll be there with you at graduation..."

Gloria finally looked up, wiping her nose and taking her glasses off. She stared at Simon for the longest time, mouth twitching, and then let out another sob...And smiled. "Y-Yeah...Y-You're right about that...Isn't that what the minister said, too? He'd still be here?" She wiped at her uncovered eyes, trying to smile again. "I-I'm sorry, Simon....You're right, and thank you..." Taking a few deep breaths in order to calm down, GLoria turned and aimed a small smile at Dirk. "S-Sorry about that, to you too, Dirk...I'm okay now."

It took a few moments for her to realize she hadn't put her glasses back on yet.

"I understand. I lost my grandfather a few years ago, to a heart attack. He was a great guy, told the best stories, taught me right from wrong." Dirk looked down at Gloria, "Wherever your dad is, I'm sure he's probably having fun, maybe he even managed to get in the theater. That woulda been hilarious if he'd just poofed into the middle there."
He pointed up at the huge open space in the middle of the room, "My grampa woulda been right next to him, talking through the whole movie."

Simon grinned, standing up from his seat and stretching his arms out. Gloria always listened to him, no matter how stupid or ridiculous he sounded. That's probably why he found it easy to get along with her. There were some people he was always on edge with. Dirk, he had realized, was an easy person to get along with too.

"Oh geez, my legs." He looked down. "And I wasn't even in the seat that long. Usually this kind of stuff happens only on long car rides." Simon's legs felt tingly and weak. They probably had fallen asleep at some point in the movie. He shock even one out separately, taking care not to fall over. How pathetic would that be?

Simon opened his side bag, which served as a backpack during the day and a carrier of his miscellaneous items in the evening. He rummaged through his DS, PSP, a couple of games for both system, a beat-up copy of Good Omens, a few bookmarks, his homework, his copy of a Tale of Two Cities, his state alchemist pocket watch (Jessica had gotten him it as a joke for Christmas. He kept it because it never seemed to stop or break, unless his wristwatch), and an iPod before pulling out what he was looking for: a packet of tissues.

He handed a tissue to Gloria. "Here you go." Her face was a little red, but she was smiling now.