Consequences of the Rush

Brain was a well-mannered kid, the kind of guy who could sit through a session of Saturday school without being resentful. The most boring of field trips still entertained him, and teachers loved him for his dignity and grace despite his young age. He was THAT kid, the one who followed every rule and had his own rules too.

But he broke one of those rules and he faced dear, dear consequences for it.

It was a rainy Sunday afternoon. Brain was with his mother in the kitchen reading a science book that was written in Latin. He'd been teaching himself the language since second grade and now he was almost fluent.

But that's not the point here.

The point is that his mother was baking, something she loved to do on rainy days. In the oven were three types of cupcakes: chocolate, vanilla, and a special holiday blend she called the Fruit Cake Special. In several mixers were blends of frosting, multiple flavors and colors, and in small bowls around the room were candies and sprinkles. It was a sugary paradise for Mrs. Powers, but Brain was oblivious.

One of Brain's main rules involved sweets. While he could indulge occasionally, his position as ice cream scooper in his mother's shop meant he had to control himself. So, he limited himself to a very scientific formula to keep him from having too much sugar.

As he read, the smell of cake filled the room. He ignored it. Then the scent of fresh frosting floated towards him, but he continued to read with a blank expression. Nothing could phase him...or so it seemed.

When the first cupcakes were finished, his mother asked him to try one. They were made from scratch, and since she planned to give them to friends and neighbors, she wanted them to taste good. What if she added a bakery to the ice cream shop? She had to be prepared.

"Of course I will, Mother. I'll help you taste test your cupcakes," Brain smiled to her, closing his book and fulfilling his favorite rule: Doing what his parents asked.

But after the first cupcake, he still had several flavors to try. The frosting was easy to sample: Just take a fingertip full and put it on your tongue. But cake had to be consumed once it was baked.

One after one, Brain ate the cupcakes, not even thinking about the sugar, the carbohydrates that would be converted into sugar, or the hidden sugar within the toppings and frosting. He ate until he was full, a strange feeling keeping him from putting another one into his mouth.

And then it happened.

Brain's eyes changed, and his body began to twitch. His mother looked at him with concern as he stood in the center of the kitchen, staring into space as his limbs twitched.

"Alan...? Are you okay?" Mrs. Powers asked slowly.

"SUGAR!" Brain hissed. "MUST HAVE MORE! MUST HAVE MORE SUGAR!" he cried, lunging towards the counter.

But Mrs. Powers was fast, and before Brain knew it, all of the sugary treats were hidden in their spacious refrigerator, which she blocked with her body. She looked at her son with concern, but also with a menacing look that said she'd done this before-

Which she had. As an ice cream shop owner, she was used to small children running in circles around her store, knocking over chairs and tables before crashing or throwing up, whichever came first. They weren't used to sugar because of their young age, but kids Brain's age should be used to sugar.

But it had been a while since Brain had any, and Mrs. Powers could see it in her son's eyes.

"Alan, go run outside. You'll feel better," she said with an even, calm voice.

"SUGAR!" he hissed.

"No, you can't have any more. You go outside and you run around the block until you feel better. Go. Now," she said. It was a command but her tone was too soft. He didn't listen at first, so she went up a notch. "Outside! Go, Alan! Go outside and go for a run!"

He spelled it out for her: "SUGAR: 'ess', 'yoo', 'gee', 'aaa', 'arr'! SUGAR!"

Mrs. Powers shook her head. She eyed her options in her mind. He was obviously out of his mind from the rush, but could she find a way to stop him?

"Honey, I'm off to-What's going on in here?" Mr. Powers asked, freezing in the doorway.

Brain stormed him, knowing he had to have sugar on him, knowing he had to be in possession of the most wonderful treat of all time.

"Run!" Mrs. Powers cried.

He did. He ran through the main hallway and out the door, into the pouring rain. Brain followed, running with him through the grass and onto the sidewalk. He followed him as far as Mr. Powers could go, his age showing as he leaned on a telephone pole covered with smeared "LOST DOG" posters, panting heavily.

Brain rounded the corner-

And crashed. He dived into the bushes, retching loudly. His father walked up to him and patted his back. He knew it was over now.

The two walked home, where Mrs. Powers had taken all of the sugary items and threw them away. Brain never asked about them as he grabbed a glass of water and went upstairs to his room.

"We need to talk to him about his rules," Mr. Powers said. His wife nodded, handing him a towel. He thanked her before moving into the master bedroom to change.

Mrs. Powers went into her study, contemplating whether or not to post about the incident on social media. As she thought about it, she decided it was in her best interest to not mention her son's sugar rampage. He was a good kid and he deserved better. So she opened Candy Rush and played it instead.

~End

Theme 007: Sugar Rush

A/N: I completed this for a one-shot challenge I'm doing with TheUltimateCombo. We've posted the lists on our profiles, so feel free to join us. I'll also be posting these stories on deviantArt under the name SS-Chrys. Feel free to join me there as well.

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