Getting Physical

As a sharp yelp echoed in the woods, Chops' pick caught on the guitar string and slipped between his finger and thumb. He pursed his lips, furrowing his brow as it bounced off his knee and into the grass. He ran his fingers through his hair, a frustrated sigh huffing past his lips, the grunts in the distance all the more louder now that he had ceased playing.

JT lowered his harmonica from his mouth and tapped it on his thigh. "That's the third time those rascals made ya drop yer pick," he said, shaking his head. "Darn it all, they're goin' at it like cats and dogs again."

"You know it," he muttered, rolling his eyes. Bending over, he brushed through the grass and found his pick nestled among stray pebbles. He tucked it into his palm and pulled his fist back, resting it on his knee as he raised his head to glare at the ones who distracted him.

Just off the beaten path and in front of the rickety, rusted fence were Raz and Bobby. They were involved one of their many arguments. It seemed a single summer day would not go by without them fighting over whatever pinched their nerves. It do not matter where they were, what words were shouted back and forth, or whether they came to blows; the inevitability of their fights became a daily occurrence at Whispering Rock.

"Oooh, you think you're so special! That's why you're in a special class!" Bobby barked, his hands on his hips.

"Jeez, Bobby, I know you're jealous that I'm getting extra training, but this is ridiculous," Raz sneered, crossing his arms. "If you want help, Sasha said his door is always open."

He spat out a laugh. "No chance in hell am I jealous of a circus freak like you! And I'm not getting my brain scrambled like you are in that freaky machine!" He ran his hand down his neck and scoffed. "That egghead's gonna screw you over, and when it happens, I'll laugh my butt cheeks right off."

Raz raised his eyebrows and grinned. "Oh, really? Then, how come I found you waiting near the GPC watching me come out of his lab?" His grin stretched into his cheeks as Bobby choked on his own gasp. "Y'know, I thought you hated that place."

"What's it to ya?" Bobby jabbed his fist near Raz' chin. "I just happened to go that way when I saw you moseying out of there actin' really smug!" He growled like a wild animal and leaned forward. "You're not better than me, ya got that? You're not better than me!"

Chops groaned as they continued squabbling. Bobby's voice hit another piercing octave, and Raz' cackling was no better. He knew it was useless to ask them to stop. Bobby would find one way or another to continue the fight or drag him and JT into a needless showdown.

All they wanted to do was practice. During the fiasco with Elka Doom, JT's harmonica playing had become as rusty as the nearby fence, which creaked as Raz shoved Bobby into it. They needed time to catch up and relax after everything that had happened so far with the showpony and the coach. As Bobby swore at the top of his lungs, it seemed they would have to leave their usual spot in the woods and seek out another quiet place.

But Chops did not want that. He knew he should not have to listen to them starting to punch each other, too. Blows raining down on each other, grunts filling the humid air, his skin started crawling as Raz smashed his elbow square into Bobby's chest. Bobby gagged on his spit and stumbled backwards, falling into the fence, but Chops jerked his head away when Raz pounced.

Despite his talents with psychic boxing and hockey, he avoided violence. He preferred peaceful solutions, even if it had once allowed Elka to walk all over him. Although he felt the adrenaline flowing through his veins and the sweat beading on his brow during a good, clean hockey match, it was entirely different from a real brawl, which ended with a sore loser and a braggart winner.

"Maybe we should just keep goin' and ignore 'em," JT suggested, drumming his fingers on his harmonica.

Chops sighed and slumped his shoulders up and down. "I dunno, man. It's a good idea, but-" He nearly bit his tongue as Raz yowled like an infuriated cougar cub. Peering back at them, he tugged his collar and watched Bobby sling his arm around Raz' neck. "Pretty nasty headlock, eh?" he mumbled as Raz floundered and struggled to pry Bobby's arm off.

JT rubbed the brim of his hat. "Doggone 'em, I say. We should find some new pastures. Might be a spot over yonder near the-"

Chops furrowed his brow. "No way. We shouldn't have to move because they're fighting," he interjected, and he jumped to his feet. "You know what? Stay here. I got this."

Concern creased JT's vowels as he asked what Chops was planning. He smiled over his shoulder, telling him not to worry as he sauntered towards the boys. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and tilted his head. He embraced the sunshine filtering in through the long branches and the scent of the wildflowers drifting in the wind, comforting him as he approached them, trying his best to ignore the enmity flowing between them.

"Hey, guys," he called, keeping his grin level.

Raz and Bobby were on the ground. Their hands clutched the other's faces, squeezing their jaws and chins. Raz' knee was pressed into the spot where he jabbed earlier, the fresh, dark bruise already contrasting with Bobby's sky blue skin. Bobby's jagged fingernails dug into Raz' cheeks. Bloody pinpricks pooled in the scratches, and Bobby dropped his hand, losing strength in his arm when he realized Chops stood over them.

"What do you need, Melvin?" he snapped, Raz rolling off Bobby and waving to him.

Chops' lip curled into his cheek. He folded his hands by his stomach and put his weight on to his right leg. "I was just wondering if you guys could take your relationship problems elsewhere," he said as cool as a cucumber. "Me and JT are trying to practice, and it's pretty distracting hearing you guys getting so physical with each other."

Never in his life did he see the light fade faster from someone's eyes. The cawing of the distant seagulls and crows filled the silence. Squirrels chattered and raced through the grass. Bees buzzed in a nearby hive. He could have sworn he even heard the waves lapping on the sandy shore of Lake Oblongata, the silence so deafening it reminded of his time as a brain in a jar of translucent fluid.

Bobby's pupils grew so dilated that they nearly filled his irises. The color drained from his face at the insinuation. Raz took a moment to register what Chops had implied, and as soon as he did, his jaw dropped.

"What the hell did you say! What the hell did you say to me!" Bobby shrieked, his voice breaking in half.

"Whoa! We-! That's-! That's not-! I-I mean, you have the wrong idea!" Raz blurted, pushing off his knees and hurrying to stand. He shook his head, goggles shaking so quickly they fell off his helmet and landed around his neck.

"Could have fooled me," Chops sang. "With all that touching going on, it just looked that way, eh?"

Bobby shoved himself off the ground and threw his arms out. Spittle flew past his teeth and landed on Chops' shoes. "If you ever think or say that again, then I'm gonna rip your vocal chords out and ram them through your asshole and pull 'em out again! Got that?" he screamed, his calloused knuckles grazing Chops' chin.

Chops instinctively took a step back, footsteps echoing behind him. He felt JT's hand clutch his shoulder, his fear pulsing into him. He glanced at him, a reassuring smile on his face. He cleared his throat and said, "Oh, crystal clear, man. I'm glad I-" He glanced between Bobby and Raz, the former enraged and the latter shell-shocked. "-have a better picture now of what's going on with you two."

"I, uh, I don't think you do," Raz said, but Chops turned around and walked away. He cast JT a pleading look, but he was crestfallen when JT left with Chops to their log.

The boys shared a conspiratorial glance. Their smiles pressed into their cheeks, hearing Bobby and Raz quickly depart in opposite directions. Raz made a beeline by them as he raced for the lake, his face redder than the roses his girlfriend adored. They did not care to watch Bobby leave, knowing they would be safer if they did not give him a second glance.

"Partner, I gotta hand it to you," JT said as they sat down on the log, a chuckle in his voice. "That was a mighty fine way of bringin' back the peace. I reckon they ain't gonna fight for weeks now."

Chops laughed and took up his guitar. Twiddling his pick between his fingers, he grinned at his friend and said, "Anything for a little bit of peace and quiet, JT."