Acceleration

Chapter 32: Prom Weak

"Come on, come on, come on!" Liz dragged Lisa toward the Prom photo booth, her excitement contagious. Erin strolled behind with Tom and Marlin in tow. Prom week had finally arrived, and no one seemed more thrilled for the dance than Liz herself.

The girls held up goofy props to their faces as the flash burst, leaving them momentarily blinded.

"So... are you and Liz dating now?" Marlin asked casually.

Erin shook his head. "No. We're just friends."

"Dude," Tommy gawked in mock horror, "she was practically wrapped around you on New Year's."

"That was three months ago."

"YOU KISSED!" Tommy's voice carried down the hall.

Erin raised his hands defensively. "One time."

"One time is enough, man," Marlin elbowed him with a grin. "Trust me, first time Lisa and I made out, "

"Don't need to hear that," Erin muttered, pressing a finger to his lips.

"Come take a picture, Erin!" Liz called, racing back and grabbing his arm.

He smiled at his friends as she dragged him toward the booth, then felt something impossible. His left foot wasn't on the ground anymore. He had... tripped?

That had never happened since getting his powers. Normally, instinct took over and he'd accelerate to catch himself. But this time, he was already hitting the floor.

His chin cracked against the tile. Blood spurted instantly, staining the floor. Liz shrieked and dropped beside him.

"Babe, are you okay? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pull you too hard, I, "

Erin rolled over laughing. The cut sealed itself before her eyes, skin knitting in seconds. He climbed to his feet, wiping his mouth.

"You called me babeeeee." His singsong tone made Liz's face light red. She shoved him back down, flustered.

"Dude, that's the most dating thing ever," Marlin chuckled as he helped him up again.

***

Erin slid into his seat in math, for once without his usual exhausted look. His mom was warming up to Liz and letting him go fight crime, he had a girl who genuinely cared about him, and he'd finally finished that ridiculous math project that,

His stomach dropped. He opened his bag and froze. His math folder wasn't there.

Panic surged. Everyone else had already filed in. No way to blink out of class, grab it from home, and return unnoticed.

"Your project, Mr. Evidrone?"

Erin glanced up to see Mr. Techard looming. Even though Erin stood a good two feet taller when upright, he felt small under the man's stare.

"I think... I left it at home," Erin admitted with a weak smile.

"I told you there would be no extensions." Techard scratched a bold, unmistakable F onto his clipboard. "Please try harder next time to remember."

***

"I swear, I put it in my bag when I went to bed," Erin groaned, leaning against Liz's locker.

She swung her bag over her shoulder, unconcerned. "Maybe it fell out on your way to school?"

"No way," Erin said as they walked out. "I zipped it shut."

They climbed into her car. Liz twisted the key. The engine coughed, sputtered, and died.

"What the, " She tried again. Same result.

"What's up?" Erin asked.

"It won't start." She shoved the key again. Nothing.

Erin slid out and popped the hood. His breath caught. The engine wasn't just broken, it looked mangled, twisted into shards as if another car had rammed straight through it.

"You're gonna hate this," he muttered. Liz joined him, then unleashed a barrage of curses that made Erin step back.

"This car is new! WHO drove up the sidewalk to hit my engine!?"

A fair question, the outside of the car was untouched. So was the interior. Only the engine had been obliterated.

"How much is this gonna set you back?" Erin asked.

Liz shot him a death glare. "I don't have a job. This puts me in the negatives. Gramps has engine experience though, maybe he can help."

"You want me to carry it to your house later?"

Liz blinked at him, waiting for the punchline.

"I'm serious," Erin said flatly.

"...Are you really that strong?"

"Yes."

"Huh."

***

Carrying a car turned out to be exactly as hard as it sounded. Erin collapsed onto his beanbag, his arms and back screaming. Prom was just days away, and all he wanted was to focus on finding his suit, he didn't want this dance with Liz turning into another disaster.

He dug through the box of clothes he'd brought from home. Finally, his hand brushed against fabric, his father's old suit. Relief flashed, then drained into dread.

The suit was nearly shredded, the threads torn and frayed.

"Damn movers," Erin muttered. A sob threatened to climb up his throat. He slammed the box lid down in frustration, splintering it across the floor.

The shards skittered to his mother's feet.

"Sorry," he breathed, lowering the ruined suit.

His mom walked over, wordless, and wrapped her arms around him.

"What's wrong, sweetie?"

Erin collapsed into her embrace, his voice muffled. "Nothing's going right. I tripped three times at school, Liz's car broke, I dropped it on my foot, I failed a project I know I finished, and now Dad's suit is destroyed."

She sighed and pulled him tighter. "Baby... don't let these things tear you up."

He slumped back into his beanbag. "I know, I know. It's just a bunch of little things. They pile up."

Tanya sat beside him, her voice calm but firm. "Erin, you're a superhero. You're my hero. None of this is worth breaking yourself over. I love you more than anything. No matter how bad things get, I'm always here for you."

The frustration in his chest finally dulled, fading into something quieter. He kissed her cheek as she carefully lifted the suit from the crate.

"I'll stitch it up as best I can, honey. No need to worry."

She turned toward her room, but paused in the doorway. Erin caught a glimpse of her hand brushing her cheek, a tear glinting in the light before she spoke once more, a message she always told him when he was young.

"Don't ever let your anger take control of you..."