Foresight
You might as well save face and get it over with. Letting out a resigned sigh, you start heading in the direction of the baseball field.
When you walk onto the field you make note of the crowd, a good thirty people. They've all come to see some blood shed. All of them are looking to see you beaten to a pulp. Bastards.
At the front of the group stands the asshole who is going to do it. Robert Malone. He calls out to you in all his pompous glory.
"I was wondering if you'd have the guts to show," he says.
"Well," you say, letting your bookbag slip to the ground. "Here I am."
The crowd forms a circle around the two of you. There will be no escaping. You're fucked. You swallow hard.
Robert adresses the crowd. "I knocked on this dipshit's door yesterday after school," he says. "He opened the door and kicked me in the nuts. Then he just closed the door. Today he pays."
"You were about to punch me!" You say in your defense. "All I did was open my door and you were going to punch me!"
One of his groupies starts laughing. "Dude, you went over to his house just to punch him?"
"Yeah," Robert laughs. "That's awesome, right?"
"Totaly!" His goon replies. The crowd gets a good a laugh out of it too.
When the crowd stops laughing, Robert continues his speech. "But before I could hit him, this fat fuck kicked me in the nuts." He turns to you and points. "And now you pay."
"Before we start there is something I want to say," you announce. The crowd offers a vaguely amuzed silence. "I know that Robert is a tough guy. He's strong and powerful, and you can tell because he is willing to fight me... A weak, fat, near-sighted guy who doesn't talk to or bother anybody. If that doesn't speak volumes of his unequaled strength, I'm not sure what can."
One solitary person in the crowd laughs. Robert does not appear to be entertained.
"Don't try talking your way out of this you little shit."
"Oh I'm not trying to talk you out of beating me up," you say. "I have never mistaken you for a man of reason and am sure that wouldn't work. I was just pointing out to the crowd that your ability to beat me up isn't remotely impressive."
You're not sure where you gained the courage to talk like this, but you are kind of digging on the tough guy talk. which spews from your mouth.
"You know what?" he says. "Enough of this shit. Let's do this."
He takes two steps towards you and comes in with a strong jab that you see coming before his arm even moves. You easily dodge his attack as well as the next three he throws.
He stops for a moment and glares at you. After shaking his head, he comes in again. As before, you see his fists coming in before he moves, shadows of attacks that you easily avoid.
You slam a fist into his face. The punch hurts, and you shake your hand in pain. You sense something as you are shaking your hand, and Robert lands a solid fist into the side of your head. You have to pay attention.
His attacks are simple to dodge, and you get the feeling after a while that even without your power you might be able to dodge his predictable punches.
You almost feel bad for him as you tear him apart, counter punch after counter punch as he misses you again and again. The crowd seems shocked. This is not what they were expecting, yet they seem unable to turn away.
Eventually Robert hits the ground, a cloud of dry dirt pluming in the air upon impact.
"Are we done?" You ask him.
He nods. You take some satisfaction at the fear evident in his eyes.
You agree and turn to walk away.
You see it happen before he even rises. He stands up and charges you. It takes little effort to step out of the way and trip him. You do it without even turning around. He lands hard.
You leave him there, a mess of embarassment and frustration. You know the feeling. It seems that karma has come around full circle for Robert. You try not to laugh with joy as you make your way home.
School is easier for you after this incident. You gain respect from other students and are not picked on nearly as often, and people actually talk to you on occasion for more than just homework. You can even claim that you have friends.
You try not to use your power often, though. It has always freaked you out and you figure that it always will. You still "listen" to your forsight when it presents itself, but you don't go out of your way putting yourself into situations where your power may present itself.
One day, years later, as you are walking down the street, you sense some immenent danger nearby and see a child standing in the path of a truck. Without thinking, you move in and shove the boy out of the way.
The truck hits you without mercy and you don't remember anything else until you wake up in a hospital room several weeks later.
You are hailed as a hero. Flowers and balloons and cards line the room.
The next day you are surprised with a visitor. It is the little boy whose life you saved and his father, Robert Malone.
When you walk onto the field you make note of the crowd, a good thirty people. They've all come to see some blood shed. All of them are looking to see you beaten to a pulp. Bastards.
At the front of the group stands the asshole who is going to do it. Robert Malone. He calls out to you in all his pompous glory.
"I was wondering if you'd have the guts to show," he says.
"Well," you say, letting your bookbag slip to the ground. "Here I am."
The crowd forms a circle around the two of you. There will be no escaping. You're fucked. You swallow hard.
Robert adresses the crowd. "I knocked on this dipshit's door yesterday after school," he says. "He opened the door and kicked me in the nuts. Then he just closed the door. Today he pays."
"You were about to punch me!" You say in your defense. "All I did was open my door and you were going to punch me!"
One of his groupies starts laughing. "Dude, you went over to his house just to punch him?"
"Yeah," Robert laughs. "That's awesome, right?"
"Totaly!" His goon replies. The crowd gets a good a laugh out of it too.
When the crowd stops laughing, Robert continues his speech. "But before I could hit him, this fat fuck kicked me in the nuts." He turns to you and points. "And now you pay."
"Before we start there is something I want to say," you announce. The crowd offers a vaguely amuzed silence. "I know that Robert is a tough guy. He's strong and powerful, and you can tell because he is willing to fight me... A weak, fat, near-sighted guy who doesn't talk to or bother anybody. If that doesn't speak volumes of his unequaled strength, I'm not sure what can."
One solitary person in the crowd laughs. Robert does not appear to be entertained.
"Don't try talking your way out of this you little shit."
"Oh I'm not trying to talk you out of beating me up," you say. "I have never mistaken you for a man of reason and am sure that wouldn't work. I was just pointing out to the crowd that your ability to beat me up isn't remotely impressive."
You're not sure where you gained the courage to talk like this, but you are kind of digging on the tough guy talk. which spews from your mouth.
"You know what?" he says. "Enough of this shit. Let's do this."
He takes two steps towards you and comes in with a strong jab that you see coming before his arm even moves. You easily dodge his attack as well as the next three he throws.
He stops for a moment and glares at you. After shaking his head, he comes in again. As before, you see his fists coming in before he moves, shadows of attacks that you easily avoid.
You slam a fist into his face. The punch hurts, and you shake your hand in pain. You sense something as you are shaking your hand, and Robert lands a solid fist into the side of your head. You have to pay attention.
His attacks are simple to dodge, and you get the feeling after a while that even without your power you might be able to dodge his predictable punches.
You almost feel bad for him as you tear him apart, counter punch after counter punch as he misses you again and again. The crowd seems shocked. This is not what they were expecting, yet they seem unable to turn away.
Eventually Robert hits the ground, a cloud of dry dirt pluming in the air upon impact.
"Are we done?" You ask him.
He nods. You take some satisfaction at the fear evident in his eyes.
You agree and turn to walk away.
You see it happen before he even rises. He stands up and charges you. It takes little effort to step out of the way and trip him. You do it without even turning around. He lands hard.
You leave him there, a mess of embarassment and frustration. You know the feeling. It seems that karma has come around full circle for Robert. You try not to laugh with joy as you make your way home.
School is easier for you after this incident. You gain respect from other students and are not picked on nearly as often, and people actually talk to you on occasion for more than just homework. You can even claim that you have friends.
You try not to use your power often, though. It has always freaked you out and you figure that it always will. You still "listen" to your forsight when it presents itself, but you don't go out of your way putting yourself into situations where your power may present itself.
One day, years later, as you are walking down the street, you sense some immenent danger nearby and see a child standing in the path of a truck. Without thinking, you move in and shove the boy out of the way.
The truck hits you without mercy and you don't remember anything else until you wake up in a hospital room several weeks later.
You are hailed as a hero. Flowers and balloons and cards line the room.
The next day you are surprised with a visitor. It is the little boy whose life you saved and his father, Robert Malone.
