"Seriously, man, it's not that hard to talk to a girl."
Erin sighed, slamming his fingers into his phone screen to respond.
"She never talks to me. What am I even supposed to say?"
Tommy's reply was instant.
"Tell her her hair looks nice."
Erin gulped. Across the table, Elizabeth sat quietly, focused on her science notes. They shared a class, though Erin rarely paid attention to anything besides her. Tommy, sitting across the room, gave him a big thumbs up.
"What the hell," Erin thought. "I can't lose much."
He slipped his phone away and leaned slightly over the table.
"Uh... what are we working on again?"
Elizabeth looked up, blinking in confusion.
"Are you talking to me?"
Erin nodded, feeling a bead of sweat trail down his neck. "Yeah."
She tilted her head. "Do we, like... ever talk?"
He chuckled awkwardly. "Not usually, no. But I do kinda need to know what I'm doing."
She squinted at him. "Aren't you the guy who stares at me from across the parking lot?"
Erin's eyes widened. "What? No. That dude's a total creep. Hate that guy."
A long, painful silence filled the space between them.
"...Do you still want help?" she asked.
"Actually, I'd love for this awkward moment to end by any means necessary," he muttered under his breath.
As if summoned, the classroom door burst open.
A strange man in a red trench coat strode in, immediately drawing all attention. A curly mustache sat on his upper lip, and a cowboy hat adorned with two "W"s topped his head. Strapped to his back were two water jugs filled with colored liquid, and in his arms, he cradled a massive Super Soaker.
"I AM WAXER WILLY!" he bellowed. "AND I'M HERE FOR ALL YOUR CASH!"
The room fell silent.
"Excuse me?" said Mr. Bazel, the science teacher, stepping forward.
"What?" Waxer Willy asked innocently. "This is a class full of teenagers. You guys want cool stuff, right? You have to have money."
Tommy raised a hand. "Dude, we're high schoolers. We're, like, super broke."
Waxer Willy deflated. "Are... are you serious?"
The entire class nodded.
"Well then... TOSS YOUR SHOES INTO THIS BAG!" he shouted, pulling out a massive laundry sack. "I'LL SELL THEM ON EBAY!"
Before anyone could comply, the bag vanished from his hands.
Standing beside him was a figure in a blue jacket, white shirt with a yellow lightning bolt, matching pants, and a helmet with a visor and winged sides.
"Not so fast, Willy."
Waxer Willy pointed his water gun. "Who the hell are you?"
"I am..." the masked figure hesitated, "...still workshopping the name, actually."
Phones around the room came out instantly, cameras snapping photos.
"No matter!" Waxer Willy declared. "You're no match for my SUPER HOT WAX!"
YOU ARE READING
Acceleration
ActionThree weeks after being stuck by lightning and gaining supernatural abilities, Erin Evidrone decides to become his city's local Superhero. With his aunt and best friend backing him, Erin must navigate his last year and-a-half of high school while ke...
