The Dynamic Taser
Chapter 1: Average
Man, this sucks.
"Where's my Bio homework, Sanders?"
"I . . . uh . . . I'll have it for you by next period, Ryan."
"You'd better, if you know what's good for ya. I got better things to do than waste time on homework or getting you to do mine for me."
Yeah, like trying to figure out what rhymes with 'flannel.'
Seth Sanders was pinned to his locker by Ryan Redger, as per their usual daily ritual after 2nd Period. Ryan had Seth lifted completely off his feet, legs dangling a good four inches off the ground as Ryan held Seth's backpack around the shoulder straps. The feeling was quite unpleasant, to say the least, and not just because Ryan's spiked leather wrist bracelets were digging into the back of Seth's neck. Of course, none of the other passing students stopped to help Seth, or even acknowledged that he needed any. Apparently being a New Yorker starts early. Thankfully though, Ryan apparently was bored with his threats for the moment and dropped Seth to his feet with an unceremonial thud.
"Later, dweeb." He walked off toward his next class, his feet dragging like a Neanderthal. "And you'd better not forget what you owe me come 5th Period."
Legs wobbly from the sudden drop, Seth choked on his own breath from being nearly strangled by his own overladen backpack. He adjusted his glasses and watched Ryan as he walked away, staring daggers at the back of him.
To Seth, Ryan couldn't have looked more like a thug. His brown hair was long and stringy, and his bangs nearly covered his cold black eyes most of the time. His blue jeans were ragged and baggy, with multiple tears in them. His red flannel shirt had its sleeves torn off at the shoulder, covering a solid black t-shirt with a white skull on it wearing an army helmet. His cheap tennis shoes were worn, and their shoelaces were never tied, and Seth assumed this was because the moron never learned how to tie them. His spiked bracelets were a favorite trademark of Ryan's; he never quite brandished them as weapons, but he did know they made him more threatening, and that's what he was going for.
Seth, on the other hand, considered himself more mainstream in terms of appearance. He saw himself as pitifully average in every way, despite himself. His hair was a light brown and unkempt but not unruly. His jeans and his overshirt were loose but not baggy. His shoes were comfortable but not worn out. His wristwatch was old but functional. There was nothing about Seth that made him stand out. That was depressing in a way, and Seth knew that, but he also knew that flying under the radar kept him out of more trouble than it go him into, his scuffles with Ryan excluded.
Realizing that dwelling on what a jackass Ryan is and how inevitably his own tax dollars were going to someday pay for his prison cell, Seth collected himself and dejectedly walked to his next glass, the dreaded Gym. Seth hated Gym. He wasn't terrible at it, though. He was just as average in that as he was in most everything. He just found strenuous physical activity as time wasted on better subjects, like Math and Science. He always thought much higher of intellectual pursuits, as he knew that was where real success lay in the real world. If anything, Ryan mere existence proved that. Speaking of which, Seth figured he could at least get Ryan's Bio homework done while he sat Gym out. It shouldn't take long. After all, science was his best subject. He would breeze through the entire textbook chapter assignment easily, provided there were no distractions, that is.
—
Seth hadn't been able to concentrate all period. He sat on the bleachers in the Gym while the rest of his classmates abused each other in a game of dodgeball. He had just glanced down to reread the same passage for the fourth, not retaining a single word of it. His attention was held elsewhere, on the court.
He had been watching Alicia Ayers for practically the entire period. Not unusual for him, of course, as he had practically been watching her since he could remember. They had grown up together in the same neighborhood of Key Gardens, Queens, in the same apartment building in fact. She was his oldest friend. Well, okay, she was his only friend. Their fathers worked at the same research facility, so they bonded over their mutual extensive absence. Their mothers were good friends as well, so they spent a lot of time together, almost to the point where neither of them noticed it anymore. For nearly ten years, Seth was an only child until his sister was born, so Alicia had been the only other kid he interacted with for a long time. Well, okay, not exactly. Ryan had also been around since those days too, though Seth was loathe to think on it. She had always made time for him as they grew up, even now that they were in high school, and he loved her for that. Yes, loved her. She was gorgeous, kind, smart, athletic, funny, a stunning girl in every way. Of course she would never be interested in Seth as more than friends, as average as he was. That disheartening thought brought him back to the task at hand, namely getting Ryan's homework done for him lest he pound Seth into jelly. With that, he put his nose back into his Biology textbook and his hand to his pencil.
Of course, not two minutes later, he felt another person sit down next to him. He looked up and nearly jumped at seeing Alicia's face over his shoulder, looking at his textbook.
"What are you doing homework during Gym for?" she asked.
"Uh . . . I figured I'd kill some time." He was having an even harder time talking to her than usual with her face so close to his. To his simultaneous relief and disappointment, she then leaned back against the bleachers.
"Killing time? After weaseling your way out of actually doing anything again?" she smirked. "How did you pull that off, by the way?"
"I'm allergic to the rubber that the dodgeballs are made of," Seth said with a small smile.
Alicia raised an eyebrow. "Since when?"
"Since twenty minutes ago when I made that up and told Coach Stowel."
"And he bought that?"
"Of course. He had to after all of the details I gave him, which I also made up."
"Uh-huh." She didn't sound impressed. "And I assume you bombarded him with medical terms until he got tired of hearing all those big words, so he gave you the ok just so you would shut up?"
Seth shrugged. "More or less." He took a sidelong glance at her, but then when immediately back to his book. It was difficult to look at her with a straight face while she was in those gym shorts. He must've stared a second too long though, as she narrowed her eyes at him.
"You can fool him, but not me, Seth Sanders. I know you far too well for that."
"Y-yeah?" he stuttered. "W-what do mean, exactly?" A million different scenes flashed in his head when she said that, none of them appropriate for young children.
"Like I know you completed that assignment you're doing now over a week ago. Who are you doing that for?" she asked, folding her arms.
Seth buried his face further into his book. It was now too close to his face for him to read it now, but that wasn't the point. He couldn't meet her accusatory eyes right now, partly because of shame, but mostly because of their brilliant blue shade that sparkled in the afternoon sunlight.
"Is it for Ryan again?" she asked, but it sounded more like a statement. When Seth said nothing, she huffed in irritation. "Seth, why do you still let that jerk push you around like that?"
"I don't like confrontations," he answered from inside his book.
"No duh. I've been pulling him off your back since Day One for you."
"No you haven't," he mumbled.
"Excuse me?"
"Not since Day One since I am two months older than you," he looked over the top of his book.
She sent him a look that shut him up instantly. She then grabbed the book out of his hands, closed it loudly, and slammed it down on his lap hard enough to cause him to wince.
"Well you need to get used to confrontations, Seth. When are you gonna stand up for yourself and be a man?"
He looked at her briefly. Again with the images.
"Why can't that ogre do his own homework anyway?"
"Because he and his piss-poor awful band are busy trying to write the next great Grunge hit. Problem is, that movement ended fifteen years ago, and they sound about as melodious as a family of howler monkeys. But maybe they're going for that."
She giggled a little. God, he loved that sound. Now that was melodious.
"Well, you're funnier than most people," she said. "At least you have that going for you."
He smirked a little.
"That's what I like to see," she said. "I'm tired of you moping all the time."
Seth was about to say something when he was cut off by the coach's ear-piercing whistle.
"Alright, period's over! Locker rooms, now!"
Seth huffed in disappointment, and oddly enough to him, so did Alicia.
"Well," he started, "I'd better move quick, so I can dodge everyone else in that inhuman hall of embarrassment." He quickly grabbed his things and sat up. He held out his hand for Alicia to take so he could help her up, which she did. His pulse nearly doubled in that brief instant as he helped her to her feet. He hoped she didn't notice it.
"Same here," she said. "You don't even want to know what kind of things are said in there. It'd kill all your brain cells." After a brief pause, she added, "So, I'll see you and your family later tonight?"
"Same Bat Time, same Bat Channel." It was nothing short of miraculous that he was able to keep his voice straight.
"'Kay, then. Bye." She gave him a small wave and turned to go to the girls' locker room, her blonde hair dancing behind her.
Seth watched her briefly as she left. Seriously, these images needed to stop.
—
Later that evening, Seth was back at his home apartment. His family had just finished dinner and had already cleaned up, although he, his father, and his mother were still sitting around the kitchen table. His father, Alan, was reading over some paper from work, half-listening to his son and wife's conversation. Seth's little sister, Britney, was watching some stupid kid show or another in the living room, clutching her favorite stuffed pink bear in a vicegrip.
"So, what's new at school today?" Seth's mother, Kaitlin, asked him.
"Not much to report, honestly," he replied. "I got that paper on Animal Farm back from Ms. Schies."
His mother waited for a second. "And?"
He shrugged. "She said it was one of the better ones she's seen in years. No big deal." And it wasn't to him. He didn't give much thought to his academic ability. Growing up in this family, he assumed that was standard.
His mother smiled. "Well, that's some good news. Lucky for you that you got some help on that one. Anything else?"
He hated it when she prodded like this. "Not really," he said, trying to brush off her interrogation. He started into an absent-minded report like he always did, just to get her off his back. "English was fine because of that paper, Math was fairly simple, Bio was okay, though History was a little hectic 'cause it was dark while we were watching that World War II documentary while I was trying to rush through Ryan's Bio home—"
"What?" she cut in sharply.
Seth immediately snapped back to attention as he realized he just said too much. "Uh, what I mean is, I was just checking it for him, and—"
"Seth . . ." his mother sighed.
"Fine. So I was doing his homework for him again. What's the big deal?"
His mother rubbed her forehead in exasperation. "Why?"
"It's a this-for-that kind of deal. I do his homework for him so he can waste all his time trying to write songs for his stupid band."
"And just what do you get from him in return, pray tell?"
"Um . . ." Seth stalled. He was trying to come up with a believable and at least semi-ethical lie, but his mother's boring eyes gave him the uncomfortable feel that she was telepathically prying his mind. "Let's just say 'smaller hospital bills,' and leave it at that."
His mother looked at him with shock. "Is Ryan still giving you trouble at school?"
Seth looked off to his side. "That's one way of putting it."
His father put down the paper he was reading and took off his glasses. "That Redger boy again? That does it, I'm going to have a chat with his father." Apparently, he had been paying attention after all.
"That's not really necessary, Dad."
"At this point, yes, it is," he replied. He looked at his watch for a second. "It's on my way anyway. His dad should be starting his late-night custodial shift at the lab shortly, and I have to go back real quick and check on a project." He stood up.
"Really, Dear?" His mother asked. "Now?"
"Yes, now," he answered. "I promise it won't take long. An hour, round trip, tops." He bent over to kiss her goodbye. Seth suddenly became very interested in the magnets on the fridge.
"Alright, fine," she relented as she kissed him back. Alan rarely didn't follow through on his promises, and although he didn't usually spend too much time at work, they all knew this project was important.
"Be right back," Alan said as he went out the door.
"Bye, Daddy!" Britney called from the living room, her eyes never leaving the TV screen.
Seth tried not to look his mother in the eye. With the momentary distraction of his father's departure, he thought he had just dodged a bullet. He was wrong.
"What am I going to do with you, Seth?"
Seth looked back at his mother. "Meaning what?"
"What I have told you about standing up for yourself? Especially with Ryan?"
"Yeah, yeah," Seth brushed her off. "Why do you and everybody else harp on me about this? Isn't it my problem?"
"It's my problem too! I'm your mother, and your problems are your family's problems. And I harp on you about it because it's wrong and not just the cheating. It's wrong that you allow this to continue without doing anything about it. If you sit by and do nothing, what are you going to do about anything? You have real potential, son, and I hate to see you waste it on lethargy. I want you to do something with it. You could really make a difference for yourself and for others if you honestly tried."
Seth rolled his eyes. If he had a nickel for every time she gave him this schpeal, he could afford a solid gold Xbox. "So I don't have any immediate direction. So sue me. You know the reason that I don't do anything about Ryan is that I don't have the power to. He's way bigger and stronger than I am, and I don't have any leverage to use against him. What am I supposed to do?"
"There's no doubt that you're smarter than he is."
"Yeah, well, when that starts to matter, I'll give you a call."
"Honey, power doesn't always mean physical strength. There are other ways of handling this, you know," she said knowingly. When Seth looked like he didn't understand, she continued. "And even if you had 'power', what then? What would you do with it?"
Seth shrugged, ignoring her question. "Why do you always dump that 'change the world' bit on me anyway? If you really wanted to make a difference in the world and all that jazz, then why did you quit being a prosecuting attorney?"
She folded her arms and looked at him with an expression that Seth could not quite identify. "Because when I became a mother, I felt it was more important to make a difference in your world." She smirked at him. "You know that saying, 'the hand that rocks the cradle rocks the world.'"
He looked at her quizzically.
She smiled. "You'll understand someday, sweetheart. I believe in you."
Seth sighed, lightening up a little. "Yeah, thanks, Mom."
He decided he should let it go for the time being, and he glanced over his shoulder into the living room to see what Britney was watching. She was watching Aladdin on DVD, and it had just come to the part when Jafar was trying to find the "diamond in the rough" that he needed. As a kid, Seth didn't get what that meant, and no doubt Britney didn't either; she just liked Princess Jasmine. But even now, Seth still didn't really comprehend what that movie was talking about. He always figured it was some nonsense saying that the creators had made up for the movie.
While Seth turned away to watch TV, his mother continued to eye him behind his back as if she knew something he didn't. "You know," she said to the back of his head, "Alicia believes in you too."
That brought Seth out of his reverie. He snapped his head around. "What?"
"Nothing." She paused. "What's she been up to lately?"
Seth looked away. "H-how should I know?"
She raised an eyebrow. "Well, I just thought you would . . ."
Seth really didn't like that knowing look in his mother's eye. Before his suspicious hesitation prolonged enough for her to probe further, at that moment, the front door opened, and speak of devil, Alicia walked in.
"Hey, all! How's life?"
Such an unceremonious entrance didn't bother them in the slightest. As close as their two families had been, nobody of either party ever bothered to knock, and such a formality was considered unnecessary. After all, they said that the best of friends never had to do that. If nothing else, Seth could appreciate that kind of familiarity with her of all people.
Britney, shaken from the entrancing spell that the TV had her under, turned around excitedly. "Hi, Ali!"
With Alicia's welcome interruption, Seth breathed a sigh of relief from being released from his mother's interrogation, but also took in a new breath of anxiety at all the possible paths her presence could take the conversation. He looked back at his mother from the corner of his glasses. "There, you can ask her yourself."
Seth couldn't quite identify the expression on his mother's face now, and that greatly unnerved him. Now he was convinced that she was reading his mind.
Alicia waved at the two of them in the kitchen as she strode into the living room. "Oooh, what'cha watching, Brit?" she said as she sat down next to her on the floor and the two began talking. Seth noticed that they conversation quickly switched to one of whispering, and the paranoia in him allowed his imagination to run wild as to what their topic was. If Britney told her about that piece of paper he had written that she found yesterday, he doubted he would survive the night.
Seth's mother said nothing more to him and got up to join her daughter and Alicia in the living room on the couch.
"So, Alicia," Kaitlin said, "how have you been? Anything new with you today?"
"You know, same old. Bored. Kinda lonely. You know, all by myself in that big empty apartment. So I figured I'd come and visit you guys."
"John and Marla each pulling another double shift at the hospital?"
Alicia sighed. "Yeah, they both pretty much live there now. I swear, they sleep more in the on-call room then they do at home. I mean, they are both attendings now, so guess that's what they have to do now, but I dunno . . ." She slumped back into the couch.
Kaitlin patted Alicia's arm. "No, they don't really have to do that. They just choose to, for their own reasons, which I'm sure they have thought out. I'm sure they want to be there for you more often, they just feel they can't as much anymore. I've talked with Marla quite a few times about that, you know, so she knows what I think, but she has the right to do what she feels is best. Tell me, Alicia, have you ever talked to them about what you think about their working all the time? Have you ever directly told them you wish they didn't work as much?"
Alicia shrugged. "Not really. It's kinda hard to bring that up at all, you know. Not to mention they're hardly around enough to us to have a real conversation anymore."
Kaitlin put her arm around Alicia's shoulder in a small hug. "Well, keep trying, dear. And you know that you can tell me anything. And that you are always welcome here."
Alicia smiled as she hugged Kaitlin back. "Yeah, I know. Thanks."
Seth was still uncomfortable about watching Alicia and his mother during their heart-to-heart. He was glad that Alicia had someone to confide in, he just wasn't sure yet what he felt about that someone being his own mother. At any rate, that was something for another time. Nonetheless, he was thankful that the focus was no longer on him, so Seth figured he would quietly slip out of the kitchen and into his own room. His mother's incessant questioning of him left him far too self-conscious to speak to Alicia at the moment, and he figured he would be better off right now in a place where the conversation had a considerably less chance to devolving into one about Barbies. He quietly and slowly got up from his chair, not drawing attention to his movements. He started to turn toward the hallway, careful not to make a sound.
"And just where do you think you're going?"
So much for his budding career as a ninja.
Seth turned back toward the living room to see both his mother and Alicia humorously looking at him with their arms folded and tapping their fingers. When the two of them synchronized like that, it terrified him beyond the capacity of human language.
"Come on, son, you weren't going to be a recluse now, were you?"
"Well . . . I figured you would all rather have some girl time, or whatever, and I thought that—"
Alicia waved her hand. "Nothing of the sort. Now quit being a stick-in-the-mud and come in here!"
She scooted to her left, making a spot on the couch between herself and his mom. Seth stared at that spot like a deer caught in headlights.
There is no conceivable way in Heaven or in Hell that this could possibly end well.
Out of both excuses and rational thought, Seth meandered in the living room, compelled by a power not his own. As he semi-reluctantly took the spot on the couch between his mother and the girl of his dreams, he was quite certain that he would shortly be dead from heart failure. The looks that all three of them were giving him, none of which he felt comfortable to dwell on, were not helping to alleviate that belief. Using every last scrap of willpower within him, he miraculously managed to put together a coherent sentence.
"A-and just w-what did you, um, have i-in mind . . . ?"
Okay, mostly coherent.
"MARIO KART!" Britney exclaimed the title of her favorite video game, jumping into the air.
Normally, his little sister's utter lack of tact and mood awareness were annoying to the point of sometimes being physically painful, now, for Seth, it was nothing short of a godsend. He would have jumped at any suggestion to get him out of that quagmire of shyness that he was just stuck in, including putting up with watching a movie about personality devoid but still physically attractive vampires.
"Good idea, Brit. I'll get the Wii out."
As he hastily got up, he saw Alicia and his mom exchange another look that unnerved him to his core, but he was too involved in extricating himself from his embarrassment to dwell on it. Still, has he got more comfortable, he didn't even dwell on his embarrassment as it evaporated. Within a few minutes of playing with everyone, he loosened up to the point where he could utter more than five words at a time. And although he was normally very good at video games, he wasn't doing that good tonight, and Britney was kicking his sorry butt. Every time he moved his arm just a little bit to his left, he bumped into a certain someone, causing him to lose his concentration, which in turn caused his character to careen off the nearest edge. His score was low, but at least his spirits were high, and all in all, he thought this night wasn't that bad after all.