by Drew Hayes
"Sad to see you go, big boy," Chris said. "You were the weak link in the team anyway."
"Dude," Ben snapped at his friend. "Be nice."
"Fuck you, I've never been on board with this 'coddle the freshmen' idea," Chris shot back.
"It's fine," Hershel said with a grin. "I was the weak link. It's true, so how bad could it be that he said it?"
"I'm sorry," Ben apologized. "My friend can be an asshole when he's competing and drinking."
"Like I said, it’s fine," Hershel shrugged.
"Yeah, Ben, it’s fine. He knows he can't drink. Next game, I say we take on the broad and the pussy who wanted to watch," Chris said with a snicker.
"Hey!" This was actually snapped by Alice, Alex, and Nick simultaneously. In addition to yelling, Alex was searching for something not too property damaging to throw at Chris. Alice, unfortunately, lacked such means of recourse, but was unhappy nonetheless. Before any of them could take any action, though, Hershel acted first. He held up his right hand in a swift, stopping motion honed from years of commanding troops. Elf troops battling an orc invasion admittedly, but command skills were command skills, regardless of the venue in which they were acquired.
"Alex," Hershel said in an oddly still voice. "May I have your drink, please?"
"Um, sure," Alex said, handing Hershel his cup and the remaining liquid inside.
"Thank you," Hershel replied, swallowing the last of it in one gulp. He handed the cup back to Alex and walked back over to the table.
"I thought you didn't drink whiskey," Alex commented.
"He doesn't," came a deeper, rougher voice from Hershel's throat. A slow ripple seemed to move across Hershel's body, giving him an amorphous appearance. His torso and limbs lengthened, muscles emerged where only fat had been, and his face became leaner and more chiseled. It happened in the matter of seconds, and then someone totally different was standing where Hershel had been.
"I do," said Roy, his eyes hard and a smile that seemed more dangerous than joyful slicing across his face. "Now I'm going to show you what happens to the poor bastards who question the drinking skills of a Daniels man."
56.
Roy had changed the game, and not in a figurative sense.
"Whiskey," Roy reiterated.
"Excuse me?" Ben asked, trying to understand.
"Your boy called me out, so I'm upping the stakes. We play with half cups of whiskey instead of beer, unless you girls think you can handle full ones," Roy replied. Mary might bitch him out for being condescending, but given the circumstances he was confident he could talk his way out of too much earache.
"Half is fine," Chris said, answering for his partner. "Mind if Ben changes first?"
"Be my guest," Roy replied with a generous smile. Ben's features melded together, his skin becoming scaly and thick while his hair retreated into his head. His pupils became vertical slits and small, dagger-like claws grew out from his hand. "Snakeman?" Roy asked when Ben's transformation was done.
"Closer to lizard, actually," Ben corrected with a shrug. His voice sounded a bit more like sandpaper rubbing together than it had before, but there weren't any of the drawn out S sounds that one might have expected from his appearance.
"Hope that form comes with improved aim," Roy said.
Ben grinned, an act which had become several degrees more disturbing. "It does."
"Good. You won last game, so you shoot first once the cups are filled," Roy said.
"Agreed," Chris said. "We'll get the whiskey."
"Fine by me," Roy said. Once the two had ventured off to the kitchen though, Roy immediately turned his attention on Nick. "Please, please, please tell me you can at least halfway hold your liquor."
* * *
"This took an interesting turn somewhere," Vince said as he sidled up to Alice and Alex, joining in the slowly-growing crowd watching the cups be filled.
"I feel like we should have expected it somehow," Alex replied. "So, who are your friends?"
"Oh, right," Vince said, reddening at his blunder. A quick round of introductions later and everyone was gathered to observe the beginning of the rematch.
"So I get Roy doing this, but why is Nick going along with it?" Alice wondered aloud.
"Because it's fun," Alex answered automatically. The other threw him a speculative look, so he clarified. "I sense thoughts and emotions too, remember? Just because I don't pick up with the clarity of Mary doesn't mean I can't feel the waves of enjoyment flooding off of Nick."
"He does love being the center of attention," Vince pointed out.
"No, the kid who wears sunglasses all the time likes people looking at him? I never would have put that one together," Stella snickered.
"Hush, you," Violet chided her. "It can't be easy to have a power like luck. I mean, how are you even sure when it's working or if it's just coincidence? That has to make it difficult staying afloat in the HCP."
"Knowing Nick, I think he just assumes everything good is his power at work," Alice said.
"Knowing Nick, I'm not so sure that it isn't," Vince countered.
Alice opened her mouth to say otherwise, then thought better of it. "I hope luck powers come packaged with a new liver or the ability to turn alcohol into water, otherwise we'll be carting him out of here if they lose."
"I guess that means we're hoping they win," Alex said.
"Of course," Vince said automatically.
"Then shut up and cheer because they're starting."
* * *
Roy's powers didn't actually make him any better at beer pong than Hershel. Sure, his senses were a little sharper, and of course he had strength and endurance far beyond the human threshold; however, none of that made bouncing a Ping-Pong ball into a cup an easier task. What did help, though, was a wealth of experience playing drinking games, a nearly endless alcohol tolerance, and more confidence than a rooster in a hen house.
"Suck it," Roy called as the ball left his hand, hurtling through the air and landing deftly in one of the few remaining cups on the other side of the table. Chris’s hand hesitantly picked up said cup, removed the ball, and choked down the contents. He and Ben were veteran beer pong players, using his power and Ben's skill to triumph over nearly every opponent. Since they usually won, though, they had to drink less, and as they worked their way through an ocean of whiskey it had begun to dawn on the duo that this had a significant disadvantage at times. Ben was holding up well thanks to his own enhanced endurance, but Chris's awareness and focus were deteriorating by the minute.
"Your shot," Nick said cheerily. Chris nodded in acknowledgment and took several deep breaths. He cleared his mind and held the ball firmly. His eyes locked on the area over one of the remaining cups on Nick and Roy's side, and with a burst of energy the ball snapped out of his hand in a puff of smoke. It reappeared almost instantaneously, dropping straight down toward the cup. Chris's aim had been off though, and the ball struck the cup's rim rather than the brown liquid below. It took a bad hop and struck the table once before landing on the carpet.
"And that's the game," Roy announced, plucking the ball from the ground and dousing it in a cup of water.
"You think you've won just because I missed once?" Chris challenged.
"I know we've won because you've hit the point where you can't focus properly. Ben is good, but not good enough to take on both of us, and my money says you've always used your power so you don't have any real skills at this game," Roy explained.
"I'm fine," Chris spit back defiantly. "I just slipped."
"Right, and as more alcohol is digested and enters the blood stream, you're going to find it easier to teleport things precisely," Nick said. "Never thought I'd say this, but Roy is right. Out of respect for your partner we'll let you take the remaining cups and walk away from the game so you don't have to slam them down."
"Fuck you, take your shot," Chris replied.
"Now hold on, man," Ben said, butting in. "I'm not staying in shifted form all night, an
d when I go back there will still be a lot of alcohol in my system to process. They're actually being nice and letting us call it here, so I say we take them up on it. They upped the stakes and played better, no big deal. It's just a stupid game of beer pong."
"I am not giving up," Chris said. "And I am not losing to a damn freshman."
"So be it," Nick said, shrugging. He took the ball from Roy and tossed it casually into the air. It sailed effortlessly into one of the remaining three cups.
"I'm not drinking anymore," Ben declared as Chris's eyes fell on him. "I told you I wanted to be done."
"Fine, I'll do it myself then," Chris countered, snagging the cup and forcing it all down in one swallow. "Your shot," he said, wiping his mouth and handing the ball to Ben. In response Ben's skin grew pink as he shifted back to his regular form.
"I told you, I'm out. And you should be, too; you're going to be sick as a dog."
"Who gives a shit?" Chris said, weaving his body back to facing the table.
"Me." The voice that made that declaration was very calm, very relaxed, and contained not so much as an iota of threat in its tone. At the same time, everyone in range discerned a simple truth from that voice, something that radiated down and registered on a primal level.
The owner of that voice was not to be fucked with.
"Now Chris," Angela continued, walking up to him as the crowd parted before her. "We know that you're an asshole, but you're our asshole. We put up with your crap out of love and camaraderie. I'm going to be feeling a lot less love if you start throwing up in my house."
Chris's gaze locked on the tall girl in front of him. She was smiling placidly and had open, caring body language. Physically she seemed the opposite of daunting. It was more like a gentle kitten asking a favor. Chris had been in class with her for a year and a half, though. He was intoxicated and rapidly getting worse. He wasn't drunk enough to make the mistake of crossing her, though. It was hard to imagine the poor bastard who ever had been that drunk.
"Good game, guys," Chris said, stumbling away from the table. "Sorry I got a little too competitive there."
"No problem," Nick said graciously.
"Come again anytime," Roy sniped as Ben led Chris away, presumably to the bushes or an unoccupied toilet to try and forcibly reduce the amount of alcohol assaulting his system.
"Now, as for you two," Angela said, turning her attention to the winners. "Nice game. Try to keep the pissing matches to a minimum in the future, though. If someone gets angry and a fight starts, all of our identities are in danger. Not to mention two Supers can tear up a house in no time flat."
"My apologies," Nick said. "Things got a bit out of hand and our drive to win got the better of us."
"You're fine, Chris's liver will recover, and you provided some excellent entertainment. I'm just saying be careful who you challenge around here. Looks can be very deceiving."
Roy and Nick nodded agreement, and if Mary were there she would have heard all four of her other dorm mates sharing almost the exact same though simultaneously. There were variations of course, with Roy's being a bit more racy and Vince's leaning more toward a guilty self-admission, but the overall wording was inherently similar:
"Lady, you don't know the half of it."
* * *
"Surely there must be something more interesting to do on a Saturday night than playing chess," Mr. Numbers commented while Mary was pondering her next move.
"Nah, I'm not much of a party girl. Besides, they can't into that much trouble without me," she said.
57.
The days on the Lander campus slipped by and finals season went into full swing. Students in the HCP were expected to maintain at least a C average in their normal courses, so even though many would have preferred to let schoolwork fall by the wayside, the Super community found itself stressed out and studying hard. Adding to the anxiety of the freshman class was fear of the unknown, manifesting in terror and rumors regarding their end of semester exam in gym. Coach George had announced it would take place on December 17, the day after all normal finals were wrapped. Anyone who didn’t show up was assumed to be dropping out of the program. Different students were dealing with this looming challenge in different ways. Some were hoarding information, rumor-mongering in a desperate attempt to find anything that would give them an edge. Others were throwing themselves into their other classes, working hard in a sort of cosmic trade-out for the class they wished they could be preparing for. Some, though, had altogether unique coping methods entirely.
“I really don’t see how having a Quantum Leap marathon is an appropriate way to spend the last Saturday we have for studying,” Vince said as Nick rearranged the furniture to allow for more viewers.
“I still have a math final. Isn’t quantum a mathy word?”
“Seriously, Nick.”
“Look, people need to chill out today,” Nick explained. “Research shows that relaxed people test better than stressed out ones. I’m offering that opportunity in the form of classic sci-fi television. No one is making you partake in it.”
“Except that you commandeered the boy’s lounge,” Vince pointed out.
“You’ve got a room and a library left,” Nick countered. “Though you more than any of us could use a day to do nothing. You’re worrying so much I think your hair has started to shift in hue from silver to white.”
“Funny,” Vince said. “How can you be so calm about all this? In four days we have to take our semester final for gym, a test that’s going to determine if we’re still in the program after Christmas, and no one has any idea what it entails.”
“Oh, plenty of people know what it is, they just aren’t telling us freshmen. I can only assume it’s what constitutes hazing around here. Psychological torture, if you will,” Nick said. “Besides, every test we take will be determining if we’re still in the program. Better to learn how to go with the flow now and save yourself from an ulcer by the time we’re juniors.”
“We could be spending this time studying for our other tests at least,” Vince said.
“Buddy, this whole last month has been almost nothing but study group and reviews. I don’t know about you, but I am burned out. Me rereading the same crap today isn’t going to do a lick of good. Spending some time with my friends, though, that one might have some positive effects. Given the two choices, I’m going with the one that involves time travel and popcorn,” Nick said.
Vince laughed a bit in spite of himself. “I don’t know how you do it, Nick. You’re the only person here who can just roll through things so carefree. I’m seriously beginning to believe that’s your actual power.”
“Just an easygoing guy, I guess,” Nick lied. “Let things fall where they may and do the best you can. Take our gym final, for example. Sure, I don’t know what’s coming, but neither did any other class before me and they still seem to have students graduating.”
“Far fewer than we do currently, though,” Vince said.
“So maybe this will weed out a few more of ours. And maybe I’ll be one of them. If I thought spending the day holed up in my room agonizing over the possibilities would help then I’d... no, even then I still probably wouldn’t do it. That’s beside the point, though, since it doesn’t help,” Nick said.
“Too bad. I’ve logged some serious hours pursuing that strategy,” Vince quipped.
“Never too late to change horses,” Nick said.
“Until the race starts,” Vince replied.
“You’d be surprised some of the things I’ve seen happen on a race track,” Nick said. “That will have to wait for another day, though, because I need to finish moving all this crap before the others arrive.”
“Who all is joining in your little festivity, anyway?”
“Mary took her last final yesterday, so she’s down. Hershel, Alex, and Will all said they’d be coming. Alice has said she will ‘stop by’ but wouldn’t commit to any more than that. Oh, and I think Will’s sister might come,” Nick said
, ticking off the attendants on his fingers.
“Her name is Jill. It’s one letter off from Will, why is it you can’t ever seem to remember that?” Vince asked.
“Because my brain is just too damn chocked full of knowledge to take on anything new at this point. See what I mean about needing a day off?”
Vince raised his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay, you win. Put me on the list, I’ll spend my day watching television with you guys instead of expanding my mind.”
“If you’re looking for mind expansion, I’m pretty sure those guys who play Ultimate Frisbee on the lawn and listen to indie music keep some on them,” Nick informed him.
“Huh?”
“Never mind, should have known you wouldn’t get that joke, Boy Scout,” Nick said. “So you going to invite your woman?”
“Nah, she’s visiting her parents this weekend,” Vince said.
“Oh, that’s cool that they live close by,” Nick commented.
“They live in Seattle,” Vince said.
“Right. Forgot to adjust normal expectations, my mistake,” Nick said. “Well, if you’re staying then you can help me with the couch.”
“Sure,” Vince agreed. They went to each end of the couch and hefted it up. As they were inching around the room a thought struck Vince.
“If everyone is coming why aren’t we doing this in the main common room?”
“Because Mr. Numbers and Mr. Transport occasionally come through there and I thought they might be a bit of a buzzkill on our day,” Nick said in a strained voice.
“Hey, they aren’t that bad. They’d always been really nice to us,” Vince said.
“Not denying that, but they’re adults. Today we’re blowing off legitimate work to piss the day away having fun. That is most definitely adolescent behavior and I feel it will be more enjoyable without any judgmental gazes being cast our way from the kitchen.”
“I thought you said this was a valid stress management technique to improve test performances.”
“Oh Vince, you can’t believe everything you hear these days. Now let’s get to the video store before someone steals my idea and checks out the first season.”