"Because you're too smart and too determined. You'll figure it out." Bruce closed his locker and looked at her directly. "And for what it's worth, I think you're going to do great things. Whatever you decide to pursue."
Selina blinked, caught off guard by the sincerity. "That's... actually really nice. Thanks, Bruce."
"Just being honest."
The warning bell rang. Students started moving toward classrooms.
"Walk you to class?" Bruce offered.
"Such a gentleman." Selina's tone was teasing but her smile was genuine. "Sure, why not."
They navigated the crowded hallways. Bruce was hyper-aware of everything around him: conversations, body language, the subtle social dynamics playing out. His enhanced perception made reading the room effortless.
He noticed Derek watching them from across the hall, the quarterback who'd been trying to ask Selina out for months. The jealous look on his face was almost comical.
"You've got an admirer," Bruce said quietly, nodding toward Derek.
Selina glanced over and rolled her eyes. "Derek's been bothering me since September. He doesn't take hints."
"Want me to give him a clearer hint?"
"What, you're going to beat him up for me?" Selina's tone was amused.
"Nothing so dramatic. Just a conversation. Guy to guy."
"My hero," Selina said sarcastically, but she was smiling.
They reached her classroom. Advanced Literature, a class Bruce wasn't in.
"See you at lunch?" Bruce asked.
"Yeah, probably."
"Try not to collect any more admirers before then."
"No promises."
She laughed and headed into class. Bruce continued to his own first period, Advanced Physics with Dr. Chris.
The day proceeded normally on the surface. Classes, assignments, social interactions. But Bruce was operating on a different level now. His mind processed information faster. His perfect body never got tired or uncomfortable. He could track multiple conversations simultaneously while appearing to focus on just one.
During lunch, he sat with his usual group: a mix of high-performing students who accepted his presence without fawning over his wealth. Selina joined them, sitting directly across from Bruce.
"So Wayne," one of the guys said. "You figure out where you're going to college yet? Every Ivy League school probably sent you acceptance letters."
"I got accepted to a few places," Bruce said casually. "But I'm leaning toward staying in Gotham. Wayne Enterprises needs fresh leadership, and I want to be involved in the city's future."
"That's actually kind of noble," Selina said. "Most people with your resources would run far away from Gotham."
"Gotham's my home. For better or worse."
"Even with the crime rate? Did you see the news this morning? Another unsolved murder in the Narrows. That's the third one this month."
Bruce had seen the news. He'd been tracking Gotham's crime statistics obsessively for nine years.
"The city has problems," he acknowledged. "But that means it needs people who care enough to try fixing them."
"One person can't fix Gotham," someone else said. "It's too broken."
"Maybe. Or maybe it just needs the right person trying in the right way."
The conversation drifted to other topics, but Bruce's mind stayed on the crime statistics. The unsolved murders Selina mentioned were part of a larger pattern he'd been observing.
After school, Bruce drove straight home to Wayne Manor. He had work to do.
---
Alfred greeted him at the door. "Welcome home, Master Bruce. How was school?"
"Educational as always. I'll be downstairs if you need me."
"Of course, sir. Dinner at seven?"
"Perfect."
Bruce descended into his private lab. The space had evolved over nine years from a simple training room into a sophisticated operations center. Computer banks lined the walls. Multiple monitors displayed data streams. Equipment for chemical analysis, biological research, and materials engineering filled workstations.
And at the center of it all: NEXUS.
"Welcome back, Bruce," the AI said as he entered. "You have seventeen new alerts from the monitoring systems."
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