Joe POV
At the cafeteria of Lillian Middle School, my friends and I approached a table with absurdly overladen tray of food (If you know much about Charles' appetite of course). We sat down and Alice slipped passed us on her way to our female friends. Just as she passed and slipped on a puddle of spilled orange juice. I reacted out at Alice, catching her tray and dropping her right shoulder enough for me to grab onto. Alice regained her balance and looked impressed. "Great reflex." I shrugged and Alice took her tray back. "Thanks." "You know, I almost thought I saw Martin having green eyes." Alice pointed out. "You ever see him in contacts?" "No." There was an awkward pause as my friends were speechless. "Well, see ya." said Alice as she walked off across the cafeteria. She looked back over her shoulder, smiled and sat at crowded, popular table right next to Grady, and our female friends.
I sat down at my table and began to eat. (Actually, Charles began to chow.) Feeling thirsty, Martin sat down his fork, but it was stuck to his hand as part of a cruel prank. Then Charles said "I have a minty idea!" He was going to test Martin's self-esteem and self-defense mechanism. He swiped Jean Mayer's tray as she was talking to Gemma on the right and yanked it off the table, sending it flying toward Martin as he ducked, the tray sailing over his head. I turned to see that Grady was wearing Jean's lunch. Alice covered her mouth, laughing at Grady but trying to hide it. "You…you freakshow!" yelled Grady. Martin, horrified, turned and hurried out of the cafeteria, the rest of us hid under the table.
Martin POV
I stopped next to a row of lockers, breathing slightly, surreptitiously checking out the undersides of my wrists, trying to figure out what Charles wanted to do with me. I heard Charles' voice shout "Duck!" and what I saw in the back of me was a fist, Grady's fist closing in on me. I whipped around and darted to the side, a split-second ahead of Grady's thrown punch, which banged into the locker where I was standing. "Think you're pretty funny, don't you, nerd?" teased Grady. I winced to see Charles with his Super 8 film camera and the rest of my friends were rooting me on.
Alice ran in "Grady, it was just an accident." "My fist breaking your teeth, that's the accident," Grady retorted. "C'mon, Grady, stop." "I don't want to fight you, Grady." I said. "I wouldn't want to fight me neither." Grady replied. A crowd formed around us and Grady took two more swings, but I evaded them, and fast, leaving the big jerk completely puzzled.
With Charles cueing an attack at the time, I suddenly ducked. One of Grady's friends, who sneaking up behind me was left grabbing in thin air. I stood and flipped the guy off his back. Enraged, Grady roared and lunged at me. At Charles' cue I ducked four punches, darting my torso so fast like a blur. Joe, impressed, gave a look to the person standing next to him, who happened to be Alice. Joe turned back to the fight, then did a double take back at Alice as she returned the look. "Help him, Joe." said Alice. Joe was confused "Which one?" he replied.
Joe eventually joined me and Grady again lunged at me and as Joe tried to hold him down I grabbed his arm, regurgitated in his face and threw a punch that landed solidly on Grady's stomach and sent him sailing back against the lockers, hard. He slumped to the floor unconscious. Everyone cheered as I was thrilled by my own strength. "Jesus, Martin, you such freak. You scare me." said Sandra as she backed away in fear and confusion. Cary was more sympathetic. "That was amazing, Martin!" Alice looked at my face, which had a smear of upchuck around my cheek, I wiped it off. I turned on my heels, then turned away. The others went after me.
Charles POV
We followed Martin down an alleyway, as we were alone; I managed to give some of my own cues that affected Martin making hand gestures instantly: "Go!" "Fly!" "Up, up and away!" Shazam!" "Go!" "Go!" "Go, Martin, go!" He eventually found something to swing on at a playground and uttered "Tallyho." And with the help of a thin spider web-like wire, his swing from one playground equipment to another was truly a success.
