Junior JSA

First Date

by Drivtaan

Part 1

Star Sapphire landed on the steps of the Justice Society brownstone and punched her security code into the keypad hidden behind a piece of oak molding next to the front door. A click indicated that the code was correct and the door was now unlocked. As she pushed it open she thought, as usual, that she was the first to arrive.

“Maybe Ma fixed us some brownies,” she said as she headed for the kitchen. Stepping through the doorway she saw something that both brought tears to her eyes and made her blood boil.

Grant Pratt looked up and saw who it was and then back at the can of beer setting on the table in front of him. Seeing that his friend was speechless, he took advantage of what he knew would be his only chance to talk.

“It’s not what you think, Amanda,” the boy said as he picked up the can and turned it over. “See, it’s not even open.”

This calmed, if not confused, the girl somewhat. “Then why do you have it?”

“It was in the fridge,” Grant said. “I think it’s Wildcat’s.”

“You didn’t answer my question,” Amanda told him.

“I’ve been looking at it.”

Now, the girl was really becoming confused.

“I won’t lie, I was going to drink it. I thought it might calm my nerves and give me the courage to do something.”

Grant looked at the upside down can and then back at Amanda. “But, I realized that courage doesn’t come in a can, especially not that can. There’s nothing in there but stupidity.”

Amanda was no longer mad, but the tears were still there. She was so proud of her friend at this moment that she expressed it the only way she knew how; she rounded the table and gave Grant a big hug.

Pulling up a chair, she sat down beside him. “So, tell me,” she said, “what do you need courage for?”

Grant looked at Amanda, a hint of red coloring his cheeks. “Remember the girl from New Year’s Eve that we told you about?”

“The girl calling herself “Air Wave”? Yes. What about her?”

Grant lowered his voice even though they were the only two in the building, “Well, I’ve been thinking about her…a lot.”

“And?” Amanda was pretty sure she knew where this was going.”

“And, I want to ask her out.”

“Ask who out?” both Whiz Kid and Superboy asked as the after-images of their super-speed race began to fade.

Grant groaned and put his head down on the table.

Amanda glanced at John, and then at the beer can. He got the hint and put it back in the refrigerator. “Air Wave,” she said in response to the two boys’ question.

“Oh, that’s the girl we met New Year’s Eve,” Mina said as she entered the kitchen. “Are we going to ask her to join?”

“That’s one of the things we were going to discuss,” Batwing said, coming in behind Mina, “but, judging from Grant’s expression, I’d say that Air Wave is being mentioned for other reasons.”

“Aw, man,” Grant said as he looked at the growing number of costumed teens. “Who else is going to show up?” He groaned again and put his head back down on the table.

Amanda patted him on the back and began to explain his situation to his friends.

“So, what are you waiting for?” Cal asked. “Call her.”

“Does he have her phone number?” Mina asked.

“He sure does,” John said. “I saw her slip it to him after the Scream incident.”

“Man, that was over a month ago,” Jason said. “She’s probably wondering why you haven’t called.”

Amanda gave Grant a wink as he looked up. “You know, Valentine’s Day is next week, and that would make a romantic first date.”

“And you realize, of course,” Jason said with a grin, “that we aren’t going to start the meeting until you make the call.

John started the chant “Call her” and immediately the rest joined in.

“OK, OK.” Grant tried to sound annoyed with his friends, but his smile gave him away.

Everyone fell silent as he walked over to the phone on the wall, picked it up, and began to dial. When he heard the ringing, he turned around and found himself to be the center of attention.

“Geez. How about some privacy?”

In no time, he was alone.

“Hello?” It was Ilyssa.

“Uh…”

“Who is this?” she asked.

“Dam…no, I mean Damage. Grant. Grant Emer…No Pratt. It’s Grant Pratt.”

“Grant Pratt. Hmm. That name does sound familiar,” Ilyssa said. “Oh, wait. I gave my number to a really cute boy over a month ago. I think his name was Grant.”

“I’m sorry for bothering you,” Grant said as he started to hang up.

Ilyssa sensed what he was about to do, so she figured he had suffered enough. At least for now. “Don’t you dare hang up on me.”

“But, I thought you didn’t want to talk to me,” Grant said.

“Are you kidding?” she asked. “I’ve been waiting for you to call ever since I gave you my number. What took you so long?”

“I dunno.”

“So, what did you want?”

Grant swallowed. This was the big moment, and he was sure he was going to blow it. “I, uh, was wondering…well, there’s this Valentine’s Day dance at school, and, uh…”

“Are you asking me out on a date?” Ilyssa asked, trying to keep her own excitement under control.

“Uh, yeah. Yes, yes I am.”

“Hang on a second.”

Ilyssa put the phone down and ran into where her grandfather was watching television. “Grandpa! It’s him! He’s finally called!”

Larry Jordan didn’t have to ask who “he” was. Every day since their trip to New York for the New Year’s Eve party, “he” is all she talked about. How his granddaughter found out so much about the boy in such a short time was beyond him. “Oh, you mean that Pratt boy? What does he want?”

“He’s wants me to go to a Valentine’s Day dance with him” Ilyssa squealed. “Can I? Please? Pretty please?” She threw her arms around the old man and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Larry knew that this day was coming. He didn’t know when, but he knew soon. Larry had worked with Grant’s father, Al, back during the war and knew him to be a fine man. He had even gone so far as to talk to Superman about the boy, and the young man had received a good recommendation from the Man of Steel.

“I guess, but I want to meet him first.”

Ilyssa went wild. Between the kisses and the many “thank yous”, Larry told her to tell the boy that he would be in touch with him in the next day or so.

The girl ran back to the phone and tried to regain her composure. “Grant? Are you still there?”

“Yes,” Grant said, his heart racing.

“I guess so,” Ilyssa told him. “Call me later and we’ll make the arrangements.”

Grant was so excited, that it wouldn’t be until later that his mind registered the rest of what Ilyssa said.

They told each other good-bye and hung up.

“SHE SAID YES!!” echoed through the brownstone, causing Grant’s friends to share a round of high-fives.

End Part 1

Part 2

“Geez,” Grant said as he tried to find the socks that matched his suit. “You’d think we’re getting married instead of just going on a date.”

Cal was stretched out on Grant’s bed reading a comic while John kept moving Grant’s “missing” socks at super-speed. It was their way of showing their support.

“You’re a JSA kid,” John said as he put the socks back in the first place Grant had looked. “That means everything you do is a big deal.”

“We are kind of clannish, aren’t we,” Al said as he pushed the door open and stuck his head in. “Hello, boys.”

“Hello, sir,” Cal said.

“Hey, come on,” Al smiled. “You know you don’t have to call me “sir”. Al is fine, or Uncle Al, if you want.”

“OK, I’ll remember that,” Cal said.

“Hey, boy o’ mine. I just wanted to let you know that Ilyssa and Larry are here.”

“Thanks, Dad,” Grant said. “I’ll be down in a second.”

Al closed the door and went back downstairs.

“That was pretty cool of Dick Grayson sending one of the Wayne Foundation private jets to Maine to pick them up,” John said.

“That’s nothing,” Grant said. “Diana Trevor showed up earlier with a package under her arm and offered to help Mom do Ilyssa’s hair.”

“Man,” Cal said as he stood up. “I see what you mean. When one of us really does get married, I bet it’ll be a shindig and a half.”

As the boys started towards the door, the room suddenly went black, despite the fact that it was only 3:00 PM, and fog seemed to seep from the walls. A booming voice that came from everywhere and nowhere filled the room.

“There is a great injustice here.”

Slowly, the three boys turned around to find the Spectre floating in the middle of the room.

“Oh, crap,” Grant whimpered.

The Spectre’s face showed no emotion as he reached into the shadowy folds of his cloak and withdrew a box. “Open it,” he said as he handed it to Grant.

There were very few people in the world who would tell the Spectre no, but none of them were currently in this room. Grant did as he was told.

He wasn’t sure what he would find, but he wasn’t expecting what he found. Grant looked at the box’s contents, and then back at the Spectre.

“Wow,” was all he could say.

“I assume it is still customary for a young gentleman to present a corsage to the young lady he is attempting to…woo,” the Spectre said.

Cal clamped his hand over his mouth hoping the Spectre didn’t notice he was trying to stifle his laughter.

“Yes, sir,” Grant said, “but this is incredible.”

“It comes from a world where all plant life is crystalline. Feel free to touch it.”

The boy lifted the corsage from the box to show his friends. It did, indeed, feel like the orchid it so much resembled. The Spectre moved just enough for a shaft of sunlight to strike the flower; the result was nothing short of amazing. Colors began to dance across the petals like a liquid rainbow.

When the boys looked up, the Spectre was gone.

Grant called his name a couple of times. “Spectre? Spectre? Thank you.”

After a moment of silence with no answer, Cal began to laugh. “Guys, I can’t believe I heard the Spectre use the word “woo”.”

John spoke up. “I guess he really is starting to get back in touch with his human side.”

By the time the boys got downstairs, Mary Pratt and Diana Trevor had already whisked Ilyssa away to the Pratt’s bedroom.

* * * * *

“You just wouldn’t believe how many times Grant has stopped and just stared at the telephone,” Mary was saying as she led Ilyssa and Diana into her and Al’s bedroom. “His father thought he had gone off the deep end, but I suspected it might have something to do with a girl.”

“And for Grant to find one of such beauty,” Diana added. “It’s a shame he waited so long to call you.”

“Thank you,” Ilyssa said, hoping her cheeks were as red as they felt. “Would you believe he almost hung up on me when he finally did call?”

Both women laughed.

“Thank you so much for offering to help me get ready,” Ilyssa told Mary and Diana.

“Think nothing of it, dear,” Mary replied. “I just couldn’t picture your grandfather being of much help to you.”

“No, I guess not.”

“Let’s see your dress,” Diana spoke up.

The girl retrieved a garment bag from the bed and unzipped it. Removing her dress, she held it up for the two women to see. Black and strapless, the full-length dress had a pattern of black, sequin roses climbing from the hem up her left side; it was split up to her thigh on the right side.

“Very elegant,” both women agreed.

“Before you change into that,” Diana said, “may I show you something?”

“Of course,” Ilyssa told her.

Diana began to unwrap the package she had brought with her. As she lifted the lid, both Mary’s and Ilyssa’s mouths dropped open.

“It…it’s gorgeous,” Ilyssa stammered. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“I would be surprised if you had,” Diana smiled. “This was made by Aphrodite herself.”

Ilyssa was speechless.

Diana continued. “Every so often, the goddess will look down from Olympus and take a special interest in young lovers. She is especially fond of the custom of first dates, when everything is fresh and new.”

Ilyssa wasn’t sure if she completely believed what she was being told or not, but, who cared. Wonder Woman was offering her the most beautiful gown in the world.

“And this is for me?” she asked.

“Of course it is.”

“Oh, wow. Thank you,” the girl said s she threw her arms around the Amazon and gave her a hug. Then she turned to Mary and gave her a hug as well. “Thank you both.”

“Now, into the bathroom and let’s get that hair washed so we can start getting you ready,” Mary said. “We’ve only got a couple of hours until the dance.”

End Part 2

Part 3

Why is he staring at me? Ilyssa asked herself. Is there something in my teeth?

She turned her face towards the window and ran her tongue across her teeth. Nope, they’re clean. She was about to breathe a sigh of relief when a second, more horrible thought popped into her mind.

My nose! Omigosh, I’ve got something in my nose!

Before she could turn back to the window, Grant spoke.

“You look so beautiful,” the tremble in his voice betraying his nervousness.

“Thank you,” Ilyssa smiled, “again.” So that’s why he was staring. “I love the corsage you got me; I’ve never seen a more beautiful flower.”

“It looks a lot prettier on you than it did in the box,” Grant told her.

Oh, wow, Ilyssa thought. “Thank you.”

Grant looked like he wanted to say something else, but, instead, he just smiled. Ilyssa decided she liked the sound of his voice, so she decided to keep him talking.

“It was so cool of you to get this limo for our date,” she said.

“It was Mr. Grayson’s idea.”

“You’ve got some pretty powerful friends,” Ilyssa told him.

Grant glanced at her corsage. “You’d be surprised.”

Up front, Alfred Beagle slid a cassette tape into the limo’s tape player, then hit a switch which caused the tinted glass that separated him from his passengers. They both looked at the rising glass in confusion, then the music started to play. Ilyssa reached over and put her hand on Grant’s as Joe Cocker’s “You Are So Beautiful” began to whisper from the speakers.

* * * * *

“Yeah, right,” Steve Aparo said as he slid his arm around his date’s waist. “If Pratt shows up with a date, I’ll quit the football team and join the chess club.”

“That’s mean, Steve,” his date said.

“Well, Aparo,” Coach Giordano, one of the chaperones, said as he walked up and put his hand on the boy’s shoulder, “we’re sure gonna miss you on Friday nights.”

“What do you mean, Coach?”

“Well, before you go inside, you might want to take a look behind you.”

The blond-haired halfback turned around in time to see the object of his ridicule exiting a limousine. As the driver held the door open, Grant held out his hand.

“Hey, Coach,” Steve said as he glanced at the chaperone, “if she barks, I get to stay on the team.”

“Kid, I hope you can tell the difference between a pawn and a knight, ’cause this girl is definitely not barking.”

Steve turned around and all he could say was, “Coach, can chess players get a scholarship?”

All heads turned as Grant walked up the sidewalk with an attractive Vietnamese girl on his arm.

Mr. Kane, history teacher and another one of the chaperones, met the couple at the door. “Good evening, Mr. Pratt.”

“Oh, hi, Mr. Kane.”

“And who is this attractive young lady?” the teacher asked.

“This is Ilyssa Jordan, my date,” Grant said grinning from ear to ear.

“Miss Jordan,” Mr. Kane said, “we are overjoyed that you are with us this evening.”

“Thank you,” Ilyssa said.

“May I say that your dress is absolutely incredible. It appears to be fashioned after the style worn by the Greek women of the early third or fourth century. And with your hair up like that with the tiny curls, it looks like you’ve stepped straight out of a museum. Exquisite. Absolutely exquisite.”

“Thank you, Mr. Kane.”

Mr. Kane opened the door to the gymnasium and held it for the young couple. “Go on in, have fun, and Happy Valentine’s Day.”

Once inside, Grant and Ilyssa were once again the center of attention. The first to approach was a group of girls, dance committee mostly, who had come over to greet them. Before the boy knew what had happened, they had swept Ilyssa away from him and were showing her around.

Knowing he didn’t have a prayer of “rescuing” her, Grant made his way over to the snack table. He had just poured himself some punch and was about to take a drink when a hand on his arm stopped him.

“Hey, Pratt,” a boy much larger than Grant said, “who’s the babe?”

“She’s a friend from out of town,” Grant said. “Her grandpa and my dad used to work together.”

“Oh,” the boy said. “So, how did you get her to come with you? Was this a mercy-date, or are you paying her to be here so you don’t look like a dork?”

“Nope,” Grant said. “This is an actual date.”

Ilyssa had finally gotten away from the dance committee when she spotted Grant. She had a pretty good idea what was going on, and decided to help him out.

“How sweet,” she said as she walked up to him, “you got me some punch.” She took his cup, kissed him on the cheek, and slid her free hand into his. “If you are finished talking with your friend, maybe we can find someplace a little more private.”

“Uh, oh, yeah, sure,” Grant said. “Sorry, Mike, but the lady wants to be alone.”

As they left Mike and the boys who had just joined him with their mouths hanging open, Ilyssa added a little more wiggle to her walk. She gave Grant another kiss on the cheek and whispered, “You owe me big time.”

They both laughed.

Finding a small table, they sat down and began to talk. While they talked, Ilyssa sipped on Grant’s punch.

“So,” he said, “did you get the grand tour?”

“I only got to see what was on the way to the bathroom,” Ilyssa answered.

“Oh,” was Grant’s reply.

“They wanted to get me alone so they could find out why I was here with you,” she told him.

“Oh.”

“Don’t you want to know what I said?”

“I don’t know,” Grant said. “I guess; if you want to tell me.”

“I told them we met in New York on New Year’s Eve, and that you were one of the sweetest boys I ever met. I also told them that you were very romantic, and that you were possibly the best kisser I had ever known.”

Grant was glad the lights were lowered somewhat so that Ilyssa couldn’t see his cheeks turning red.

“And now,” she said as she emptied the cup, ” I want to dance.”

“But, I’m not really that good of a dance…” He didn’t have time to finish his sentence before she grabbed him by the hand and pulled him onto the dance floor.

The music was already playing and Ilyssa fell into step like a pro; Grant, on the other hand, struggled to keep up. He was just getting the hang of it when the music stopped. Before he could lead her back to their seats, the band began to play a slow song.

“We can sit this one out if you want to,” he told her.

“Nonsense,” she replied. “You invited me to this dance, and that’s what we’re going to do. Now, put your arms around me.”

Grant did as he was told. Ilyssa reached back and slid his right hand down to the small of her back, then placed one hand on his shoulder and the other in his free hand.

“One more thing,” she said. “Both hands better stay where they are, if you catch my drift.”

As they began to dance, Ilyssa put her head on Grant’s shoulder and let him take the lead. Grant could smell her perfume and took a deep breath, hoping to imprint her scent into his memory forever. Neither of them noticed when the music stopped.

* * * * *

“I had a wonderful time,” Ilyssa said as she held tight to Grant’s hand while he walked her to hotel room, another expense covered by Dick Grayson.

“Me, too,” he said.

“Where did you learn to slow dance like that?”

“Uh, Amanda showed me,” he confessed. “She was so excited when she found out that you were going to the dance with me, that she insisted I learn to dance at least a little bit.”

“I’m glad she did,” Ilyssa smiled.” But, from now on, I’m the only one who gets to teach you how to dance.”

“You mean that?” Grant asked. “You really want to go out with me again?”

“Let’s just say that you’d better not wait another month before you call me, or you will be in big trouble.”

Grant checked his watch. It was almost midnight. Both of their curfews had been removed for the evening since Alfred was chaperoning them away from the dance, but, nevertheless, they knew it was time to end the date.

“Well, here’s my door,” Ilyssa said, still not releasing his hand.

“Yeah, I’d better go.”

Their fingers remained intertwined.

Grant checked his watch again. “I really don’t want tonight to end,” he confessed.

“Me neither.”

After a few more minutes of holding hands and staring into each other’s eyes, Ilyssa glanced at his lips.

“Could I, uh, kiss you good night?” he asked.

“If you don’t, you can forget about calling me again,” she told him.

Grant took her other hand in his and stepped in closer. Ilyssa closed her eyes and tilted her head slightly to the left. Their lips met and time stood still.

When they finally pulled apart, Grant told her good night and turned towards the elevator. Ilyssa waited until the doors slid closed and he was gone before opening the door.

“Well,” she whispered, “I guess I told the dance committee the truth after all.”

 

The End