A hard fist cracked across Sam’s jaw, dropping him to the ground. The boy that stood above him smiled sadistically while the cronies behind him stifled their laughter. Much of the summer had gone this way this year. Sam’s resistance to the insults had been shattered by a more recent development in his life.
His brother, James, had flunked out of his second year at university and that information had somehow spread quickly around their little, suburban neighbourhood. The new taunts, “You’re brother is a loser just like your dead dad” and the like, had forced Sam’s hand into retaliating. A stupid mistake, one that he regretted as he’d been outnumbered four to one.
“So, Sammy,” the boy sneered, “have enough yet?”
Samuel knew they wouldn’t stop regardless of his response; instead he stared at his attacker defiantly, admiring the dark purple bruise he had caused before he’d been ambushed. He raised the middle finger on his right hand, making a rude gesture. The boy responded by stomping down on his stomach.
Sam groaned painfully, he knew that was going to cost him. The boy had gripped his hair and was forcing him to his feet. His fat attacker was breathing rapidly, as he struggled to keep his muscles supplied with oxygen. He shoved the boy into one of his friends.
“Jordan,” he said through his breaths, “throw this piece of garbage out, I’m done with him. Come on guys.”
The young, black, athletic male named Jordan Johnson nodded as he turned to Sam. He gave an almost imperceptible, sympathetic smile, before digging his fist into Sam’s gut, causing the frail boy to fall to his knees. At the same time, Sam knew he had held back. He looked up to see the boy watching his friends leave, when they did he held out his hand to help Sam up.
“Sorry about that man,” Jordan said embarrassed, “but you should know not to mess with Tyler and them by now.”
Sam slapped the boy’s hand away, “Screw you,” he muttered
“Aw come on, man,” J.J said, “you know I ain’t mean it.”
Sam turned his back to Jordan and began to hobble away, “All I know is you don’t have the balls to stand up for yourself.”
He ducked under the rock Jordan threw in anger and began to sprint, as best he could, home. Jordan wouldn’t chase him, he was too soft-hearted for that, but he wanted to get cleaned up before he was seen by his mom regardless.
After a few moments, he heard a familiar voice cry out his name, and turned his head, muttering a swear word under his breath. He turned his head and his eyes confirmed what his ears already knew, he’d been caught.
“Hey bro,” he said sombrely.
“Hey, yourself,” James replied a grin on his face as he peered out his car’s window,” got the shit kicked out of you again, eh? Mom’s not gonna be happy. I mean how stupid can you get? Picking fights with the same guys all the time? You ought to know better.”
“I don’t start the fights, James.” He said angrily, eyes burning intensely.
“Sure you don’t,” his brother mocked. “You look like you want to kick my ass right now.” James laughed, “Hell I was going to give you a ride, but I changed my mind. See you at home little bro.”
“Whatever,” he replied indifferently and calmly, hoping his brother would change his mind. He didn’t.
Sam heard James’ laughter as he sped off, and rolled his eyes. How stupid was he?! What did his brother think – he enjoyed getting beat up on a regular basis. He muttered angrily to himself as he walked; what had he done to deserve this?
----------------------------
Of course, it
had to rain.
As Sam stalked his way back home, the rain had begun to fall – heavily. He stared up at the dark sky, cursing his luck. It would rain on him, on top of everything else that had happened today he should have seen this coming. He wondered if his brother would come back to get him –
Yeah, right! He didn’t have that kind of luck. You know; the good kind.
The young boy kicked a crushed pop can that lay on the sidewalk to ease his frustration and that was when something strange happened. For a single moment – a lone, imperceptible, moment – it had seemed like the rain had stopped. However, it hadn’t stopped raining
around him. Samuel had glanced up as he felt this sensation – it looked as though the water was hitting a small glass window positioned above his head.
As soon as that thought registered, the barrier seemed to vanish. The rain hit his face again, but Sam knew what he had seen. He had stopped moving altogether now, his neck tilted backwards as he gazed at the dark clouds above him. He willed the barrier to come back, somehow he knew – just undoubtedly knew that he had created that layer of protection. He knew it, and he would do it again.
Several minutes passed by with all of his will straining to create an invisible wall that had seemed to stop the rain. For a fraction of a second, he could have sworn he had it. That was when the car horn honked, and his eyes shot downwards to look at the cause of his distraction. It was his brother, of course. That was his luck after all, he knew he had done it again, and his brother was there to take away his proof. The car pulled up next to him and the window rolled down.
“What the hell you doin’, squirt?” His brother asked in a concerned tone. “It’s pouring out here! Come on; get in before you catch a cold.”
“No thanks,” Samuel muttered icily.
“Awww, don’t be that way.” James replied. “You know I’m not gonna leave you like this.”
Sam glared at him for a moment, deciding between the growing contradictions in his mind. On one hand, he really wanted to get of the rain, on the other he wanted to keep trying to make his wall, besides his brother wasn’t exactly his favorite person in the world. But he knew his older sibling wouldn’t relent and so he grudgingly got into the car.
His brother gave him a relieved smile, “God damn man, you’re soaked.”
James cranked up the heat and pulled off his jacket handing it to his younger brother. The kindness of the gestures going unnoticed by Sam, he was still too angry to appreciate anything his older brother did for him.
“You know,” James smiled again, “I gave you less credit than you deserve, now that some of the blood’s washed off you don’t look too bad at all. I guess you really gave it to those punks today, huh?”
Sam recognized the compliment, but again he didn’t want or appreciate it. If that was his brother’s way of apologizing it was inexplicably feeble in Sam’s mind. He simply pulled on the coat – he was cold after all – and let his brother drive them back home.
“Sammy,” James began again, his tone serious. “You know, I was only pulling your leg before, right? I mean if I hurt your feelings then I’m -”
“Give it a rest, Jay,” Sam said crossly. He wasn’t in the mood to be sweet talked by his brother.
James stopped talking and simply continued driving. Sometimes – well, most of the time – he didn’t get his brother. It always seemed that whatever he said drew Sam’s ire. If he offered to help with the boy’s homework, he was implying that Sam was too stupid. If he offered to help with the bullies, he was saying that Sam couldn’t take care of himself. And now, even when he was apologizing, his brother took it the wrong way. He shot a worried glance at his brother – the kid needed to lighten up. As James eyed the boy’s tight set jaw and determined, angry eyes he sighed. He’d have to warn Susan, their sister, that Samuel was in one of his ‘moods’, and from the looks of things this was going to be a bad one.
Sam’s mind drifted from his angry thoughts about his brother to the exhilarating thoughts about the mysterious barrier. The boy was convinced that he was responsible for creating it. It was something in him – he knew it. If only he could learn to master it! Maybe he was like one of those mutants he read about in comic books. For a moment, he imagined using his power to beat up the boys that harassed him. Then, he shook the thought from his head. Those people in those books always used their power to help people and that’s what Sam would do. He’d control this mysterious skill and use it to make things better. Better for himself and better for everyone, if he was given this kind of skill he had to use it and he would – he would use it for the greater good.
by Guest Wed Oct 07, 2009 8:01 pm
