Flash Fiction Friday: Growing Pains

Back in the Supers Universe this week, and this time, we're back with Stanley and his family several weeks after the events of "Emergence."

“Go away, I’m training my mind for battle.”

“You’re playing video games.”

“Exactly. Training. Now go away, you’re distracting me.” Stanley waved a hand at his cousin, hoping she’d get the hint and go away. The action made him miss a combo, and his character was shot and killed. “Crud!”

Laura laughed and flopped down onto the other end of the couch. “I hope you fight better than your character, or your debut’s gonna suck.”

“Hardy har har,” Stanley snarked.

“I thought you were a teleporter.” Laura picked up one of his mom’s magazines off the coffee table and started flipping through it. “How exactly is this game supposed to help you train?”

“Reflexes.” Stanley restarted the level. “Like you could do any better,” he grumbled to himself.

“I don’t know. I bet I could do at least as well as you are, Stan.”

“Stay out of my head, Laura.” Stanley smashed the buttons harder than necessary. He couldn’t wait for this family reunion to be over. He hated being around telepaths.

“Sorry,” Laura mumbled. “I haven’t gotten the hang of turning it off yet.”

“I know.” Thinking hard on his game and nothing but, Stanley tried to block out any other thoughts.

Laura’s eye twitched, and she rubbed the side of her head. “The game’s loud enough, Stan. You don’t have to shout about it.”

Stanley paused his game and set the controller down on the coffee table. “Sorry,” he apologized. “I can’t shield, and it’s all I could think of.”

“I don’t care about your crush,” Laura said with a roll of her eyes. “And it’s not like I’m gonna go blabbing. Just, don’t go fantasizing about them or anything, okay?”

“Wasn’t planning on it!” Stanley yelped.

“Good.” Laura gave a relieved laugh and then shuddered. “Some things should not be seen.”

“You haven’t…”

“I’m a telepath who can’t shield who goes to junior high, Stanley.”

He winced. “I’m so sorry.”

“Me too.”

“If it makes you feel any better,” Stanley started, “I keep bamphing in my sleep.”

“Really?” Laura closed the magazine she’d only been halfway reading and tossed it back onto the table before turning toward Stanley. “Where’d you end up?”

“The toilet.”

“You teleported yourself onto the toilet?”

Stanley nodded. “I guess I had to go?” he said with a shrug. “Found out why Mom makes such a fuss about leaving the toilet seat up.”

Laura burst out laughing. “Oh man! That must have been a rude awakening.”

“Very cold.”

“Nurse McGrady did say hiccups were normal when your powers are still new,” Laura mused once her laughter died down.

“Yeah, Mom and Dad keep saying the same thing.”

“Still stinks.”

Stanley nodded. “Yeah, but as long as I can keep from waking up in the school parking lot in nothing but my boxers again.”

Laura snorted before dissolving into a fit of giggles. “Ugg, I didn’t need that visual. Control your mind, dude!”

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Each story in this series is 500 words or less and is prompted by a first line taken either from a random first line generator like this one or reader suggestions like "Don't Forget Me" and "Culture Shock." I much prefer working from reader suggestions over generators, but to do that, I need to hear from you.

If you have a prompt you'd like to see done, comment below, send it to my Tumblr asks, Tweet it at me, or leave a comment on any of the audio stories from this series. I'll screen shot it, write it, and post it for you.