Super Picked Last

20250514

Prompt from DailyPrompt.com

Mik scanned the equipment at the end of the sports hall. Nope. Not dodgeball. Which meant…
Sighing, he flumped onto the bench and got comfortable.
Coach picked Rose and Daisy as captains, of course. The twins were both sporty and hyper-competitive, especially with each other, so if they weren’t officially running the team they’d have muscled in to calling the shots before the halfway break.
Mik tucked his hands behind his head and waited, awash in dull morbid curiosity, to see which twin he’d be stuck with today. Or, as they’d put, which twin would be stuck with him.
Ashley took a seat next to him and grumbled “Softball again? I can’t wait for the weather to get better.”
“We’ll be out in the open air soon enough.” Mik offered a bracing smile. Not snipping that at least her superpower was viable for more than one game, not to mention had immense employment potential out in the ‘real world’. Flying was always going to be in demand.
“And hey, you’re getting better at softball.” Wesley - Mik refused to call him Wheezy, no matter how many times the guy swore he didn’t mind - said encouragingly. “You were only in the last, like, forty percent last time.”
Ashley brushed this off. “Mostly ‘cus Liz broke her leg.”
“Nah, you are getting better.” Mik nudged her. “We might have to kick you off the deadweight bench soon.”
“Pfft.” Ashley grinned - but then it faded and she softly asked “Would… would you guys mind if, like, I was considered good at…”
“Oh come on!” Mik gave her a proper shove this time. “Do either of you care that I’m in the top five for dodgeball? None of this matters.”
“Heh.” Wesley smirked down at his inhaler. A bitter, defensive expression. “Yeah, I should kick both of you off the deadweight bench and have it all to myself.”
He looked up at them and his smile became genuine. “But… then you might not humour my science experiments. And I’d hate to lose my assistants.”
“And I’d hate to miss out on your mad science.” Mik grinned at him, then absently glanced over at the growing teams. About halfway through the process. Daisy and Rose had devolved into arm wrestling.
“Once school is over I’m never setting foot in a stupid gym again.” Wesley grumbled. “I’ll go on hikes. That’s a way better way to keep fit.”
“Certainly better than sitting on a bench.” Mik rolled his eyes, and the other two snickered agreement.
Ashley encouragingly added “Plus, you don’t have to fear bears or anything. Just gotta puff and they’ll run off coughing and crying.”
“Hey, I’d start with the mild stuff.” Wesley said firmly. “Pretty sure a bear in the woods counts as a bystander, y’know?”
“Er, probably?” Mik scratched his head. “But, like, an armed one.”
“Well, yeah.”
Mik smirked. “And they have a right to… bear arms.”
With synchronised groans Ashley and Wesley both swiped at him - and he turned incorporeal.

Prompt was “Write a piece which embodies the feeling of being picked last.”
[Pretty sure I failed on this one, whoops. 😄 Probably shouldn’t have given Mik friends, that kinda ruined the pathos I think I was meant to be going for. Ah well. I’m still happy with how this turned out.]