Generation Why Bother

We didn’t end up running along the main streets. Too many people would be intrusive and we’d probably knock a few over out of clumsiness. Also, besides the fact that neither me nor Tegan had our own running shoes, we weren’t completely smitten with the idea of jogging when we didn’t feel like we had to. Andy said my skate shoes and her low-tops weren’t the worst shoes to run in and that they would do, but something told me he was trying to run to get something off of his mind.

He sure didn’t stop talking when we were running, though, even if I could tell he was out of breath. Tegan was behind us a few steps, her short legs taking her a while to catch up, and I could hear her panting just like I was, but Andy told us it was normal. He powered through even though he was in pain. For a second I resented his toughness. Then I kinda admired it.

“It’s exciting, what you guys are gonna get into,” he gasped. “I remember when I was struck, there was this newfound feeling of purpose and power. I know the rest of the guys felt that too, even if they don’t talk about it. It’s exhilarating, being a part of something that’s gonna save the world.”

As much as it pained me and my chest, I felt the need to carry on the conversation, so I gasped out a quick question. “How did you know you weren’t hallucinating?”

He looked over at me and smiled just as Tegan strained and sprinted to catch up to us.

“It’s ‘cause I felt it in my heart, you know? So did the other guys; we all talked about it. It was like we were being given a bigger purpose. It’s awesome when you think about it,” he laughed, keeping the pace.

Tegan kept panting at an ungodly volume, and when I looked at her some more, her face was turning deep pink as she struggled to keep up.

“You doing alright there, Tegan?” Andy asked, slowing down out of courtesy.

She nodded, but just barely, and she didn’t say anything.

He stopped on a dime and declared, “Okay, yeah, we’re taking a break. Didn’t mean to kill you.”

He led us down an alleyway that took us to a main street full of bustling crowds and cars zooming all around, and the sun was shining at its brightest. All of us were sweating through our t-shirts, but Tegan was the worst – her purple tee had turned a shade darker all the way through. We wandered around for a little while before Tegan found a bench and took it upon herself to plop down, enjoying the load off her legs.

I looked around for a moment before sitting down next to her. It wasn’t very often we got to go downtown and really stay there for a long time, and sometimes all I wanted to do was just drive into Chicago and stare at the buildings and city lights. There was a distinct flair that living in a suburb just didn’t give me.

Andy kept on standing in front of us, though, with his hands on his hips and a smile on his face like that argument with Anthony never even happened.

He breathed in some of that windy summer air and loudly said, “This is a great city, you know? Home of Jake and Elwood Blues. Home of the greatest emo band ever, Cap’n Jazz. Alkaline Trio, too. Even Smashing Pumpkins.”

“Yeah, we don’t always get to go here, but it’s nice when we do,” I added.

He turned to face the buildings that made up the main skyline. “Ah, I envy you. That makes it all the more special.” Although we couldn’t directly see his face at that point, I could just tell he was smiling genuinely, no theatrics, no faking it. “I’m really glad this is taking off so well. We’ve got two new guardians chosen and only two more to go even though it’s feeling like a lifetime of waiting, and it’s awesome that you two weren’t just the type of people to shrug it off and call us insane. You cooperated. That’s what we need the most in this situation.”

He seemed to glow in the sunlight, especially as he turned back around to face us.

“It’s not often you come across kids or just people in general who are truly willing to help each other out and respond to the call of duty when they need to. It’s always just been, like, Generation Y? More like ‘Generation Why Bother.’” Andy paused. His face froze as well with his mouth agape. Then he looked at me, he looked at Tegan, and then he said, “’Generation Why Bother.’ I like that. Nice ring to it.”

Tegan coughed, but smiled back at him and told him, “Pun-tastic. Sounds like a bad punk album, dude.”

“I think I’m gonna get that trademarked. Write a book about it, or something,” he joked, turning again to face the city instead of two out-of-shape teenagers.

Obviously, he never did get that name trademarked.