Ted Saves the World

by Bryan Cohen

  Chapter 18

  Ted wasn't much of a storyteller. Despite that, he'd been asked to regale all three of his classes so far with the tale of his daring rescue at the diner. It made sense to discuss it in history and English class. But Algebra II? Not as much. Most of the students were rapt with attention. Some were as awake in school as he'd ever seen them, and he found himself getting peppered with questions he'd never even considered.

  "Do you think your powers were meant for good or evil?"

  "What if there are others out there like you?"

  "Have you ever tried to float a root beer float?"

  Ted was getting high fives in the hallway from people he'd never talked to. With all this attention, he still couldn't get the image of Erica staring right at him out of his head. She hadn't done so much as look at him in three years. If he'd known that all he needed to do was save a bunch of people from being murdered to get her attention, he likely would have gotten himself killed from such efforts.

  When Ted began to change into his shorts for gym class, he realized he had more to worry about than Erica and cold-blooded killers. Natalie was the class' resident athlete, and he still had no idea what she would think about this entire superhero business. At the beginning of the period, they would be forced to sit in lines organized in alphabetical order. Natalie came right before him. When he entered the gym, he could see her stretching in her athletic wear. She looked natural and the shorts and short sleeves gave her the chance to show off her toned legs and arms. He forced a smile as she walked past him, but she didn't acknowledge him. As they sat down, she turned her head to the side and whispered over her shoulder.

  "I'm glad you're OK."

  "Thanks," he replied.

  Maybe gym wouldn't be so bad after all, he thought. After a short warm-up, the class divided into teams for a round robin basketball tournament. Ted had height on his side, but not much hand-eye coordination. All the rebounds that came his way tended to bounce off his outstretched arms. After missing three shots and losing a steal, his team was down 5-0. He didn't mind losing; after all, it was only gym class. Coach Fowler didn't feel the same way. He blew his whistle.

  "Finley, get over here."

  Coach Fowler had a team under his command every sports season. He was all-athletics-all-the-time, and his giant biceps showed his after-hours fitness dedication as well. He squeezed the back of Ted's neck.

  "I want you to look at the other game, Finley."

  While the game he'd been playing was full of blunders, the other side of the court was another story. Natalie's team was dominating, all thanks to her. He watched her hustle to get a loose ball, perform an acrobatic spin move and lay the ball in with ease.

  "She's good."

  "Her being good isn't what matters to me, son. It's that she's trying. Gym class is all about putting forth your entire effort. It's about applying yourself."

  Ted was confused.

  "This is how I've always played, coach."

  Coach Fowler gripped his neck harder. It hurt.

  "I've seen the video like everyone else in this school, Finley. Your level of ability has changed. If you don't start applying yourself, I'm not going to give you a passing grade."

  Ted never knew his increased responsibilities would affect his gym class participation grade.

  "Alright, coach."

  Coach Fowler slapped his spine and sent him back into the game. On the next possession, Ted asked for the ball. When he reached the three-point line, he let the ugly shot exit his hands. If left to its own devices, the ball would have slammed into the backboard and missed the rim completely. Instead, Ted pointed in the direction of his errant toss and mentally guided the ball into the hoop. Coach Fowler clapped hard. The game was on.

  Ted followed his shot with an "air block" and a long three-pointer. Then he poked the ball loose from an opponent's hands from five feet away and knocked down another long shot. By the time the game was over, he'd made five consecutive shots and his team had doubled the other's score.

  "There we go, Finley," Coach Fowler said. "Now that's application. Let's get the winners on this court and the losers on the other."

  It was so rare for Ted to be on the winner's side, he nearly abandoned his team. A classmate stopped him and guided him over to the correct side. That's when he realized he'd have to face Team Natalie.

  Ted watched as the sun reflected off the side of her bronze face. She looked as beautiful and strong as ever. When the game began, Natalie called off her defender and pointed directly at Ted. Ted looked behind him and then back at his ex. Natalie dribbled as she talked.

  "I saw you over there," she said. "Don't use your powers. It's cheap."

  "Coach Fowler said he'd fail me if I don't."

  Natalie growled, which was sort of a turn on for him. She moved the ball from one hand to the other and easily went around her former beau. Before he could turn toward the net, the ball was already in the hoop. On his team's possession, Natalie chose to guard him. Once again, he shot the ball from long range, but Natalie blocked it out of the air, dribbled all the way down the court and tapped the backboard as she laid the ball in.

  Ted looked over at Coach Fowler. He gave Ted a thumbs-down.

  "Give me the rock," Ted said.

  "Oh, you're real street," his teammate replied as he passed the ball.

  Ted drew Natalie again and moved to the top of the three-point line. He passed the ball toward an open teammate and Natalie moved over to double-team. There was only one problem for Natalie. The ball never reached the teammate, as Ted chose to keep it floating in mid-pass. He brought the ball back to his hands and took a wide-open three, guiding it right into the hoop. When Natalie's team went down the court, he used his powers to make the ball go off the point guard's foot and right into his hands. He dribbled, shot, and hit another three. After Natalie made a mid-range jump shot, she guarded Ted tightly up and down the court.

  "No more tricks."

  "Just try and stop me," Ted said.

  While he was enjoying giving Natalie an athletic challenge for once, he could tell she was actually getting heated. When he stepped back to heave up a long three-pointer, Natalie ran into his legs and fell on top of him. He moved the ball into the net as Coach Fowler blew his whistle for a foul.

  It only lasted two seconds, but Natalie temporarily lay across Ted's body. Ted remembered the last time the two of them had kissed. They'd cleared off a few piles of junk on the couch in his basement and went at it. Natalie was on top of him then too, and the two of them made out for 20 minutes before his mom knocked on the door. That had been just a week and a half ago, but for Ted, it felt like a different life. He wondered what would happen if he put his arm on Natalie's lower back. Perhaps she'd remember what it was like to be together. He tried to catch her eyes. In the split second their eyes locked, he swore he could see a hint of sadness. Maybe Natalie felt the same way that he did. Then again, she might have just been mad that he hit the shot. She got up and walked away before he could know for sure. She'd neglected to help him up.

  Ted focused more on the foul than his team's victory after class. When they were dating, Natalie would wait outside the girl's locker room for him. Her chemistry class was only a few rooms down from his study hall. Ted looked over at her spot. There was nobody there, so he walked alone.

  During study hall, Ted continued to think about Natalie when a hand rested on his shoulder. He looked over to see Erica smiling at him. A new wave of nervousness spread through his stomach. Ted thought of the hours he'd spent looking through old yearbooks and pictures when Erica disappeared. He recalled weekend sleepovers and late nights watching movies. He also remembered the pain he'd felt when Erica dropped their friendship and changed his life forever. He didn't know how to feel, but he did know that she'd looked at him for at least three seconds without a word being exchanged.

  "Hi," he said.

  "Hey, Ted. I need you to do something for me."

  His words caug
ht in his throat for a second before he found them.

  "I didn't think you had study hall now."

  She put her finger up to her lips.

  "I came here to talk to you. I'm going to pretend to go to the bathroom. Get a hall pass and meet me in the band room in five minutes. K?"

  A day earlier he'd had his heart broken. Now, the only other girl he'd ever wanted to be with was asking for a secret meeting. His heart could only take so much, but he nodded in agreement anyway. Erica's smile in response was beautiful.

  After nearly blowing it by running into the assistant principal, Ted opened the clear glass door and walked inside. He'd played the clarinet in middle school and recognized the familiar musty smell of the acoustically modified room.

  "Erica?" he whispered.

  "Shhh."

  He turned to see her hiding to the side of the door.

  "Come in."

  Ted walked on the red carpeting until he was all the way inside. Erica sauntered over to the door and gripped the handle.

  "I've been waiting to talk to you all day long."

  "Oh, really?"

  Ted's heart was pumping blood at an incredible rate. He tried his best to seem cool and collected.

  "Really," she said.

  Erica closed the door behind them.