The Conductor {Black Lightning}{Wattys2018}

Ch. 2: Knowing What You Can and Can't Do

"Okay, Eugene, I'm leaving to go run with Dad and Jen now," said Anissa. "See you at school."

"Have fun," said Eugene, absentmindedly staring at a spot on the kitchen counter. "See you at school."

"You know you can always come up with us whenever you want?" Annita told her. "I hate leaving you here. You always look so depressed and bored...like now."

Eugene abruptly looked up. "Oh, no, I'm not depressed," she said. "This is just my resting face. Like a resting bitch face, except sad."

"Whatever you say."

"I know you wanna be inclusive, but really there's no point in me coming," said Eugene. "I'm still trying to figure out how to not walk like a penguin and you three are track athletes. It wouldn't work."

"Don't be pessimistic," said Anissa. "You know you could do anything if you put your mind to it."

"It's not being pessimistic. I just know my limits," said Eugene. "Have fun!"

Eugene had Cerebral Palsy and even though she didn't always need to use a walker, Garfield's stairs alone made her winded. Anissa had good intentions, but the only thing running with the Pierces would do was give Eugene war flashbacks to the pacer test.

***

The first thing Eugene noticed when she arrived at Garfield was the strange, out-of-uniform boy approaching the front steps. While many students came out-of-uniform and then changed when they went inside, this boy looked incredibly out of place and he was also harassing Jennifer.

As Eugene took her walker out of her car, she saw Anissa trying to get the boy to leave, but he wasn't budging and Anissa was only getting more riled up. Eugene had to intervene fast because if he was part of the One Hundred like she thought he was, things could get messy real fast.

"Who is this?" she asked Jennifer. She had to confirm her suspicions before she jumped into anything.

"The scumbag I met at Club One Hundred," Jennifer replied. Eugene nodded and walked over to the boy, making an effort to stand up straight so she looked somewhat intimidating.

"Please leave," she told him. "You don't even go here."

He took one look at her walker and sneered. "Oh, yeah, what are you gonna do about it? You gonna run me over with that?"

There was a time when Eugene would've snapped at him for underestimating her because of her disability, but now she really couldn't give a fuck. If he knew the things she could do to him, he'd piss his pants and run off screaming.

"You know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna call security unless you leave now," she said calmly, moving closer to him and running over his foot with her walker. She hadn't meant to do it, but that didn't stop the satisfaction she felt from seeing the pained look on his face.

"Ow! Get that thing away from me!"

Eugene smirked. "Hurts, doesn't it?"

Apparently, her retort was the last straw for him because he lunged towards her and shoved her to the ground, making her walker fall on top of her.

Because of Eugene's powers, the fall felt like a scratch, but it was just enough to be the last straw for Anissa as well. She silently stepped in front of Eugene, punched him in the gut, and flipped him on his back in two seconds flat.

A loud chorus of gasps filled the parking lot as people marveled at Anissa's stunt. Eugene heard an inhuman noise come out of her own mouth.

Anissa had done that in heels.

"Are you okay?" Anissa asked, immediately rushing to Eugene's side.

"Yeah," said Eugene, looking up at her best friend with admiration. "I'm fine."