This is my first posted fanfic, so I'd appreciate some reviews. As for what it's about: well, it's pretty short, so if you want to know, just read it.
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A dark-skinned teen on a motorcycle races along the rain-slick street. He holds twin lasers, their blasts lighting the night in bright red flashes. Ordinary citizens like my younger brother and myself flee in terror, but we are far from the destruction, so we remain.
"That's right!" he yells. "Run and hide! The streets belong to Johnny Rancid!"
But out of nowhere, another rider on a bright red cycle appears to challenge him. "End of the road, Johnny," he says authoritatively, the two riders swerving to face one another.
"Robin," the delinquent addresses his pursuer. "A little birdie name for a little birdie boy. You can't stop me. You can't even catch me." He revs his engine and turns to continue, prompting the Boy Wonder to follow, then tips over a crate of oranges into the street behind him. Robin dodges the crate, but slips on the spilled produce and nearly falls. "You can't fight, you can't ride, and you can't win." The battle is still several blocks from where Ryan and I stand, so we continue to watch.
Robin accelerates, chasing after Johnny. The hooligan begins shooting randomly once more, drawing ever closer. I gently tug at Ryan's wrist, signaling that we should go, but he doesn't seem to notice.
A split second later, he is screaming, and then it is silenced. A stray blast from Rancid's laser has hit the building behind us, and rubble falls on top of my ten-year-old brother. "No!" I yell desperately, trying to lift the pile of debris off of him. It is too heavy; I cannot manage it myself. "Help!" I call out. It occurs to me that Robin is a master gymnast, and trains his muscles regularly. He must be strong enough to lift this. "Robin! Help me!"
But he does not hear, and he and his opponent zoom by without a second thought. I grab Ryan's hand, the only part of him not covered by rubble, and feel his thumb.
There is no pulse.
I begin to cry.
Robin may be a hero. But when I needed him… when Ryan needed him… he was gone.
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One Week Later
Robin and the Titans attend Ryan's funeral. I am surprised. Surely they don't have time to do this for everyone. But they are there.
After the service, Robin takes me aside to talk. "I'm really sorry," he says, hanging his head.
"That won't bring him back."
"I know," he admits. "But I feel responsible for what happened. We're supposed to protect you, and we failed."
"We?" I question him. "There was no we the night Ryan died." I gesture to his friends in the crowd of teachers, social workers, and family members I never knew I had. "Any one of them would have been able to save him. The only one who failed that night was you."
"A very wise person once told me you should always try, even if that means you risk messing up," he replies. "I was trying to protect people like your brother from Rancid that night. I'm sorry I messed up." He glances at his right elbow.
"What's that?" I wonder. "Did you get hurt? Maybe next time you'll be smart and stay on the normal part of the bridge like the rest of us. Ryan was being smart that night. He made sure I was with him when he went outside. He was smart and you weren't. Now you're still here and he's not. Don't even try to compare them. Just don't." I turn and walk angrily away.
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Please review!
