Hero

Cash admitted to not liking Ben Tennyson - the little prick was way too self-righteous and his "hero" attitude had sickened Cash ever since the second grade. Ben would always be trying to help people out - even if he was just being an annoyance by doing so. And something about that bugged Cash. And for a long time, he couldn't put a finger on it. So he decided to put many fingers, curled into a fist, onto Ben's arms and face instead.

Whenever Ben stood up for the weakling in class, or tried to save another bullying victim, Cash only got more and more annoyed. Being a "hero" was pointless. It wasn't like in cartoons, where heroes always prosper and the bad guys get what's coming to them. Being a hero took hard work and rarely produced any results. That was it - being a hero took effort. Pointless effort, as far as Cash was concerned.

So why didn't he just leave the annoying Tennyson alone to go about his so-called "hero" business? Why did he make a point of it to torment Ben until well into High School? Ben was just wasting his time, breath, and that annoying effort Cash had surmised was a requirement for heroes. As Cash thought on it more, he realized that being a hero was hard work.

You stood up for people, tried to right wrongs, and rarely got any recognition for it. Sometimes, you failed and everyone hated you for it. But if you succeeded, life continued as normal and nobody really cared. And if they did care, you'd be expected to be a hero again and again. It was a losing battle.

And yet Ben chose to fight it.

Why was Ben so self-sacrificing? So naturally noble? Why did Ben have the strength, the bravery, and the determination to help people with no other agenda? What was it about Ben that made him a hero?

Whatever it was, Cash knew he didn't have it.

It was easier to be a bully, definitely. But Cash didn't want the easy route anymore. He wanted something with substance. He didn't want to be angry at nothing.

He wanted to be a hero too.

"I'll help you."

And later, rather than sooner, he had gotten his chance.

***
Kevin admitted to not liking Cash Murray. After all, the little prick was annoying as hell, and didn't have any real guts. Sure, he liked to show off whenever he got his hand on even a speck of authority, but by himself, he was nothing. Their fight had definitely made Kevin sore (in more ways than one), but what was even worse was how the jerk had gone around town bragging about how he'd beaten Kevin.

Kevin prided himself on being a tough guy - it was all he had - tough car, tough apartment, tough music he liked to listen to on his tough huge speakers. And the tough way he dealt with Gwen Tennyson.

Maybe that should've been handled with more care.

As much as Kevin hated to admit it, there was no point in trying to deny his feelings for the red-headed Tennyson girl. She had broken through his heavy shell layer by layer, eventually reaching his heart and grasping it in her tiny hand. But Kevin had been clumsy with words, even clumsier with feelings. And though she had spurred him on to pursue her, he simply couldn't - he was too afraid that he didn't have what it took.

And that brought him back to what he hated the most about Cash. There was nothing special about Cash, but he went around boasting as though he was God's gift to humanity. His confidence was almost annoying in its steadfastness. Meanwhile, Kevin, who could think of around a million things he could do better than Cash, was left with no semblance of self-esteem. He didn't even have the confidence to ask out a girl.

Cash believed in himself, albeit without good reason.

And Kevin couldn't.

It was easier to hate yourself. That was certainly true. Because once you started to like yourself, you worried about your own well-being. And with his job, that wasn't something Kevin could be concerned about. But Kevin was tired of hating himself, of pushing people away because he didn't think they'd like what they saw. He didn't want to be angry at nothing.

He wanted to be stupidly confident too.

"I love you and I think you love me!"

And sooner, rather than later, he had gotten his chance.

***
"Can we just buy those and go?" Kevin asked, rolling his eyes as Gwen stared at the pair of shoes in her hand for what seemed to be the billionth time. Gwen had practically begged Kevin to take her shopping, and Kevin, being the love-struck chauffeur that he was, couldn't say no. But now, after two hours in the shoe store, he was cursing his weakness.