Dreams in the Stars

Troy couldn't believe it. Kasey Summers, the most popular girl in school, had called him cute. Him. The same Troy who tripped over his own feet daily. The same Troy who had to fight off an army of nerds, a suspicious best friend, and a school bully in one morning.

As Kasey walked away, tossing her golden hair over her shoulder, Troy stood frozen, replaying the moment in his head like a broken record.

"She called me cute."

A sharp elbow jabbed his ribs.

"Ow—Annie?! What the hell?"

Annie, standing beside him, arms crossed, gave him the most unamused look in the history of unamused looks. "You good there, Romeo?"

Troy grinned, still caught up in the moment. "Annie, you wouldn't believe it—Kasey Summers just talked to me."

"Yeah. I saw."

There was something off about her tone, but Troy was too distracted to notice.

"I mean, what if this is it? What if I actually have a chance?" He rubbed his chin. "Maybe I should start working out. Get some muscles. What do you think?"

Annie's face remained blank. "Sounds great."

"…You didn't even think about it."

"Yep."

Troy frowned. "Okay, what's up with you?"

"Nothing."

"Really? Because you're giving me short answers, and you usually yell at me way more."

Annie shrugged, looking at her phone. "Just tired."

Troy didn't believe her, but he wasn't sure what to do about it.

Still, he didn't push. She was his first friend—the one who stuck by him when no one else did. So, instead of complaining, he just gave her a small smile. "Well… if you ever wanna talk about it, I'm here."

Annie glanced at him, eyes softening for just a second. Then she looked away. "Yeah. Whatever."

The final bell rang, and students flooded out of the school. Troy and Annie walked side by side, their houses just a few blocks apart.

For the first few minutes, neither of them spoke. The awkwardness from earlier still lingered.

Then, out of nowhere, Annie asked, "So… what's your dream?"

Troy blinked. "My dream?"

"Yeah. You never really talk about the future."

Troy thought for a moment, staring at the sky. "I wanna change the world."

Annie snorted. "Pfft. That's kinda vague."

"No, I mean it," he said, a rare seriousness in his voice. "People look at heroes like they're gods. But most of them? They're not real heroes. They save people, sure, but they also have something darker within them ."

Annie frowned. "Darker?"

"I can't explain now but one day I will show you ,I will save everyone ."

She stared at him, as if seeing him in a different light. "…And you think you can change that?"

Troy exhaled. "I don't know. But I wanna try."

Annie was quiet for a long time.

Then she smirked. "Well, if anyone can do something stupid like that, it's definitely you."

Troy laughed. "I'll take that as a compliment."

They continued walking, and for the first time that day, Annie seemed at ease again.

Troy lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.

The whispers, the stares, the way people talked about Bubble Boy—it was all so surreal.

People knew his name.

For the first time in his life, he felt important.

Slowly, he sat up, his heart pounding.

Maybe… maybe I should go out again.

Excitement buzzed through him as he got up and pulled his makeshift costume back on. He climbed out of his window and onto the rooftops, adrenaline rushing through his veins.

Jumping from building to building, he felt free. Alive.

Then he saw it.

Down in a dark alley, a woman struggled as a man in a ski mask yanked at her purse.

Troy's pulse quickened. This is it.

He pulled out his phone and started recording.

"Alright, take two," he muttered, climbing onto a fire escape ladder. This time, no trash cans. No stupid mistakes.

Reaching the bottom of the ladder, he cleared his throat.

"HEY, DIRT BAG!"

The mugger and the woman both looked up.

Troy grinned, standing tall. "That's right, it's me. Bubble Boy."

The mugger blinked. "Bubble… who?"

Troy's eye twitched. "Oh, come on! I've been all over the internet today!"

The woman used the distraction to break free and sprint away.

The mugger growled. "You just cost me my payday, freak."

Troy cracked his knuckles. "Yeah? What are you gonna do about it?"

The man lunged at him.

Troy dodged, conjuring a sphere of hardened bubbles and launching it at his face.

SMACK!

The mugger stumbled back. "What the hell?!"

Troy took advantage, rushing in with a punch to the gut. The mugger doubled over, coughing.

Troy smirked. I'm actually winning!

He sent another bubble blast, knocking the guy into a wall.

"Ha! That's right, punk! No one messes with Bubble B—"

CLICK.

Troy froze.

The mugger stood up, panting, and pulled a gun from his pocket.

Everything inside Troy went cold.

The man's hand shook slightly, his finger resting on the trigger. "You think this is a joke, kid?"

Troy's breath hitched. "H-Hey, man, let's talk about this—"

BANG!

Troy barely dove out of the way in time. The bullet shattered against the brick wall behind him.

Panic took over.

He tried to form another bubble—but his hands were shaking too much.

The mugger lunged forward, slamming the gun into Troy's stomach. He gasped, doubling over.

A fist crashed against his jaw. His vision blurred.

Another punch sent him to the ground.

The mugger stood over him, eyes filled with rage. "You wanna be a hero? Heroes die."

Troy barely had time to raise his arms before the gun was pressed against his forehead.

His heart pounded in his ears.

He wanted to scream. To run. To do anything.

But he couldn't move.

The mugger cocked the gun.

Troy clenched his fists. I don't wanna die.

"Please," he whispered.

The mugger didn't hesitate.

BANG.

Troy's world went dark.