Generation Why Bother

As we walked down the street, Shira kept a close eye on Chuck and Riley, careful to make sure that they wouldn’t make a run for it. She didn’t even have to say anything and they were following her quietly, probably so defeated they didn’t have the nerve to object.

We weren’t headed back to the same place we landed. Shira had that knowing look of concentration on her face like she knew exactly we were going, and before long we were out of the neighborhood and into the forest surrounding the area.

The darkness overtook us and blanketed the group in uncertainty. Though I guess it was better to be safe and not attract attention in a neighborhood full of people who were just waking up, it wasn’t really fun without having a flashlight.

Chuck broke the silence, timidity shaking his voice. “You’re not gonna kill us, are you?”

I answered, “Nah, man,” but Tegan took it a step further by adding, “That would be counterproductive.”

Riley turned around to shoot her a funny look, but then he glanced back at Chuck and exchanged that expression with him. “Don’t worry dude, if they pull any weird shit, we’ll just make a run for it,” he reassured Chuck, patting his back.

That didn’t do anything to comfort his partner-in-crime, though, and we could all tell from the way he kept throwing his head over his shoulder to see how far we were from the forest’s entrance. With every step, we were further from civilization, and with every backwards glance, he looked more and more like he wanted to just split.

“Um…I’m not sure you guys are legit,” he finally said quietly.

Riley smiled at him mischievously, elbowing his side and leaning over to whisper something in his ear.

“That’s, like, the dumbest idea I’ve ever heard,” Chuck objected flatly.

“Hey, it’ll be fun,” Riley cackled.

Shira turned around quickly and demanded, “What will be fun?”

Riley blurted out, “Nothing.”

Suddenly, Chuck stopped walking with the pack, prompting everybody else to stop as well, waiting for what he had to say and what his next possible move was going to be. Although he looked like he was doing it against his will oh so hesitantly, he finally stood up for himself. “Uh…you know, to be honest, I don’t think any of what you guys are saying is true, and uh…I’m gonna go back home now and I’ll just go to school on my own. Bye, Riley.”

When he turned around and started walking back towards the entrance of the forest, Riley just got this dumbfounded look across his face and held his hands out as if to question him without words.

“What the hell are you doing?” he snapped, looking back in desperation.

“I’m going back to safety,” Chuck said, furrowing his brow like it was obvious.

That’s when it got just a tad…weird.

Riley grunted out a growl that echoed throughout the forest, and although he was dark-skinned, I could make out the flush of red that crawled over his cheeks as he stomped the ground in frustration. I shouldn’t have been surprised when he got so angry at Chuck for doing what a pretty normal person would have done in such a situation.

I think it’s safe to say we all were surprised when his one stomp through pinecones and maple leaves triggered the earth to sprout underneath Chuck’s feet, forming a crater underneath him that forced him five feet into the air, sailing due to the sheer force.

We all completely froze in our tracks, even Shira. We couldn’t do a thing to save Chuck from his fate – landing on his back right at the bottom of a tree, curling up in a fetal position with moans of pain slipping out. More importantly, the fact that Riley had just formed a crater in the ground with a stomp of anger had pointed us in another direction.

“Did he just…?” Tegan started, looking to me.

“I…I think so…” I answered, uncertain as hell.

Riley’s face of aggravation had disappeared at the sight of his best friend being forced into the air, and after Chuck hit the ground, even from behind I saw him wince in regret. He paused for a moment while Chuck writhed on the floor. Then in the blink of an eye, he had sprinted over to his side, slipping on the leaves and sliding on his butt to get to his side, mumbling apologies here and there as if to make up for what he had done.

Chuck didn’t have any of it, though, and instead declared in a voice so strong I almost didn’t believe came from him, “Don’t touch me.”

Thus, Riley’s attempt to lay a hand on his shoulder in comfort had been thwarted. Looking like a Rottweiler that just got kicked, he then turned around and stared at the three of us, wordlessly asking for help.

His eyes watering, he whimpered, “…What’s going on?”

Meanwhile, Chuck sat up and rubbed the back of his head, cringing from landing on branches and not the cushy comfort of something better.

Shira, a cocky smirk plastered to her mug, shuffled forward and kicked a few pinecones out of the way as she walked. “Well, I think a few things just happened. One of them being that you control the ground and can manipulate it in any way you please.”

“The fuck does that mean?” he demanded.

“I’m guessing it means you can create giant craters on command in order to try and kill me,” Chuck muttered snippily, brushing the dirt off his arms.

Like old times, Riley glared at him. In a change of heart, though, he glanced at his arms and the almost blackened scars in the shape of lightning that ran down them to his elbows. “I…I did that?”

“Well, you stomped your foot and moved the earth underneath him to send him flying…” Tegan said, trying not to sound too sarcastic but failing miserably. (He didn’t appreciate the sass, as evidenced by that intensified stink-eye.)

Riley stood up on his own two feet with little difficulty and a heavy heart, while beside him, Chuck was groaning and holding onto a tree for support in order to stand just on his knees. When he did, limping a bit forward and panting from exhaustion, he pushed his glasses back up his nose.

“Well, uh…I think I officially understand now,” Chuck uneasily stated. Riley tried to help him up further, but he swatted away his hand and just snapped, “I told you not to touch me.”

The noise of twigs snapping was all that sounded when Riley gave his buddy a slightly dejected frown and then took it upon himself to throw Chuck’s arm around his shoulder and help him stand up on his non-gimpy leg. Despite his weight, Riley didn’t even seem to struggle, by the looks of it.

“So are you coming with us, or what?” Shira asked, rolling her eyes.

For the first time, the expression they exchanged looked genuine and not made at the expense of one another. It was as if to say, “We’re in this together whether we like it or not.”

With tired eyes, they looked at the three of us and nodded.