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Robert stamped the word denied over a piece of paper.

"Denied? You're denying my claim?" An old woman asked. "But I don't understand. I have full coverage."

Robert Parr sat at his desk looking exhausted. His stomach was bigger, and his hair was thinner and he just looked older.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Hogenson, but our liability is spelled out in paragraph 17. It states clearly..."

"I-I can't pay for this." She sobbed.

They were interrupted by the phone ringing.

"Excuse me." Bob picked up the phone. "Claims, Bob Parr."

...

"I'm calling to celebrate a momentous occasion." Bob's wife Helen said, as she was giving her baby a bath. "We are now officially, moved in."

...

"Yeah, well, thats great, honey. The last three years don't count because..."

...

"Because I finally unpacked the last box. Now, it's official. Ha, ha, ha." She boasted. "Why do we have so much junk?"

...

"Listen, honey, I've got a client." Bob explained.

...

"Say no more. Go save the world one policy at a time honey. Oh! I gotta go pick up the kids from school. See you tonight."

...

"Bye, honey." He hung up. "Excuse me. Where were we?"

"I'm on a fixed income, and if you can't help me, I don't know what I'll do." The old woman sobbed.

Bob poked his head out of his cubicle and looked around.

"Alright, listen closely. I'd like to help you, but I can't." He picked up a pad of paper and a pencil and handed it to the old woman.

"I'd like to tell you to take a copy of your policy to Norma Wilcox on the third floor, but I can't. I also cannot advise you to fill out and file a WS2475 form with our legal department on the second floor. I wouldn't expect someone to get back to you quickly to resolve the matter. I'd like to help, but there's nothing I can do." Bob grinned.

"Oh, thank you young man."

Bob shushed her. "I'm sorry ma'am. I know your upset!" He announced loudly.

He leaned down and whispered to the old woman. "Pretend to be upset."

The woman pretended to sob and left the cubicle passing a very angry, very short man who stormed into Bob's cubicle.

"Parr! You authorized payment on the Walker policy!" His boss yelled.

"Someone broke into their house, Mr. Huph. Their policy clearly covers..."

"I don't wanna know about their coverage Bob. Don't tell me about their coverage. Tell me how your keeping Insuricare in the black. Tell me how that's possible with you writing checks to every Harry Hardluck and Sally Sobstory that gives you a phone call!"

Mr. Huph stormed out of the cubicle leaving Bob alone and even more miserable.

...

Helen entered the principal's office and saw the principal and a teacher standing there.

"I appreciate you coming down here Mrs. Parr." The principal told her.

Helen glanced over to a little boy with blonde hair who was sitting in a chair.

"What's this about? Has Dash done something wrong?"

"He's a disruptive influence and he openly mocks me in front of the class." His teacher explained.

"He says." Dash whispered.

"Look, I know it's you! He puts thumbtacks on my stool."

"You saw him do this?" Helen asked.

"Well...not really. No. Actually, not." He muttered.

"Oh, then how do you know it was him?"

"I hid a camera. Yeah, and this time I've got him." The teacher said.

Dash gasped and glanced at his mother who was glaring at him.

The teacher turned on the camera and it showed him sitting down and jumping back up in pain.

"See? You see? You don't see it?"

He rewound the tape and pointed. "He moves! Right there! Wait, wait! Right there! Right as I'm sitting down!" He yelled.

"I don't know...I don't know how he does it, but there's no tack on my stool before he moves, and after he moves, there's a tack. Coincidence? I think not!" The teacher ranted.

"Uh...Bernie?" The principal started.

"Don't 'Bernie' me. This little rat is guilty!" He screamed and pointed at Dash.

"You and your son can go know Mrs. Parr. I'm sorry for the trouble." The principal said quietly.

The teacher looked outraged. "You're letting him go again? He's guilty! You can see it on his smug little face. Guilty, I say, guilty!"

...

Helen and Dash were in the car and Dash was leaning against the window.

"Dash, this is the third time this year you've been sent to the office. We need to find a better outlet. A more constructive outlet."

"Maybe I could, if you let me go out for sports." Dash muttered.

"Honey, you know why we can't do that." Helen told him.

"I promise I'll slow up. I'll only be the best by a tiny bit." Dash begged.

"Dashiell Robert Parr, you are an incredibly competitive boy. And a bit of a show off. The last thing you need is temptation."

"You always say 'do your best,' but you don't really mean it. Why can't I do the best I can do?" Dash asked.

"Right now, honey, the world just wants us to fit in, and to fit in, we just gotta be like everybody else." She explained.

"But dad always said our powers were nothing to be ashamed of. Our powers made us special." Dash argued.

"Everyone's special, Dash." Helen sighed.

"Which is another way of saying no one is." He grumbled.

...

A young boy with purple hair named Vince who was wearing a purple top and jeans was standing near the stairs that led to his school. His hair fell over his face, concealing most of it.

The school bell rang and he immediately turned his attention to the entrance as students started flooding out.

The first one out the door was a teenage girl with (h/l) (h/c) hair and pretty (e/c) eyes and (s/c) skin. Vince looked up at her and smiled dreamily.

This was his long time best friend (Y/n). The two had known each other since they were kids and was one of the very few people who knew that his family were supers. (Y/n) didn't have any powers herself, but that didn't make her any less special to him.

"Hey, (Y/n)! Wait up!"

(Y/n) turned back around as the most popular boy in school, Tony Ridinger, walked up to her.

Vince frowned deeply as the two talked with each other. Wishing he knew what they were saying. Eventually, Tony waved her goodbye and walked off.

(Y/n) then looked over to where Vince was and he quickly made his head invisible.

'She looked at me!' He thought with both excitement and nervousness.

The girl looked around before smiling and walking over to him.

"Vince, I know you're there." She smiled.

Vince turned visible again, and gave her a weak smile. "Oh, hey (Y/n). I didn't see you there."

(Y/n) just hummed in amusement.

Suddenly, a car honking got there attention. They both looked over and saw Dash sticking his head out of the car window.

"(Y/n), Vince, come on!" He shouted.

The two teenagers rushed towards the car and hopped in.

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