Best Friends

By: Mariah Prosterman

Mariah Prosterman 2011

Authors note
I wrote this book for an eighth grade project, and, due to deadlines, couldnt publish it in its complete form. Some time I might get around to writing book two, which would have way more action and romance and blah blah blah. I understand there are some spelling or grammar errors that I might have missed in the editing process. I hope this doesnt dampen the experience for anyone, but once again, I blame the deadlines. I would like to thank a bunch of people for this. My teacher, Mrs. Romberg, who assigned this project, my friends, who helped me edit my story, but most of all, I would like to thank my sixth grade teacher and my best friend. Mrs. Litt, I hated writing before you were my teacher,, but you expanded my mind and helped my dendrites grow ;). Colleen, even though we are far apart, I will always love you, you were my sort of inspiration for this book. I would also like to thank my family because they are just plain awesome. -Mariah Prosterman

Chapter One
There are many stories about best friends. They can be sad, or romantic; they can take many different paths, but they all start the pretty much the same way. This one starts with two boys, Jimmy and Thomas. They lived in Manala, a small town in Madagascar. Before Jimmy was born, his parents, Maria and Felix decided to honeymoon in Madagascar. They wanted to backpack around and eventually end up in Manala. They ended up extending their stay for a while before they moved back to America. They rented a house, planted a garden, and got to know the locals. Soon, they were known as locals. They decided to stay indefinitely when Maria found out she was pregnant. A surprise for them, but they were overjoyed. They bought the house that they were renting at a very good price. A honey-moon gift, the Landlord told them. She helped Maria find a suitable doctor to perform the ultra-sounds and such. They were all ready to settle in as a family until one night Felixs parents called. Hello? Maria answered. Hello, Maria, this is Agnes. I need a word with my son. Um, ok. Let me see what he is doing. She found him gardening. Felix? Your mom is on the telephone, and she sounds pissed. Do you want me to tell her youre busy? No, wed better not make her angrier. He took the phone and said, Hi mom. Mind if I put you on speaker? He put her on before she could answer. So, I guess you got my email mom? Yes, I did get your email. Is this some kind of joke Felix!? I cant believe that you would just drop this all on us without any warning! We didnt have much notice either, mom, ok? Look, is um, is dad there? Yes he is but I dont Felix cut her off, Look, mom, if you are going to make this such a big deal, I think we should include dad in this. A big deal! Of course, this is a big deal! Youre moving a million miles away with youre pregnant wife! Felixs dad took the phone and calmed everybody down. Ok, everybody, lets try to be rational here. No dont argue, Aggy. Now first I want to say hello to my son and daughter in law. I havent spoken to either of them in ages. Hi, Pop-Pop, how are you? Maria broke in. Well, Im fine. How bout youre self? Hows the kid a cookin? H is southern accent had stuck with him, much to Agness annoyance.

Fine so far; we heard its heart beat the other day. It was so wonderful. I wish you could be here. That is exactly why Im calling dear. What is all this nonsense about staying in that grungy little town? It is no place to raise a baby! Agnes had calmed down enough to try to convince them of her point. This is nonsense. You belong here! Mom Maria started Dont call me that! Mom! You're being really mean. I need you to calm down. We already have a house and jobs. We are even going to apply for dual citizenship. We live in a nice town, and it is a perfectly fine environment to raise a child! We promise to have him or her visit you when we can but youre not changing our minds, especially not when you are just yelling at us and telling us were stupid. Now do you want to continue to talk nicely about how things are going, or do you want to hang up and rant and rave all about us to your little friends at church? Felix waited and there was a long pause. I never said you were stupid! Stop making me the bad guy! Agnes whispered Good bye, mom, its been nice talking to you , but Im busy right now, and I have to go. Bye dad, Ill talk to you later. Felix hung up the phone before they could argue and turned to find that Maria was crying. He cuddled with her until she calmed down. Itll be ok, he said. It will be ok.

Chapter Two
Their child was born without any problems, a six pound, four ounce, healthy little boy. They decided to name him James, in honor of Felixs favorite book, James and the Giant Peach. They took him home the next day to their small home. His nursery was painted with a jungle theme. Images of lemurs and chameleons and crocodiles covered his walls. His parents fit in as many animals that lived in Madagascar as they could. It was a beautiful nursery equipped with a native-looking mobile and stuffed animals that lived in a mini jungle. All this was for their baby to play with, when he woke up of course. James grew from a bubbly baby to a rambunctious toddler. People started calling him Jimmy, and he loved the nickname. Jimmys nursery turned into a little kids bed room. He slept in a novelty jungle bed and knew the names of all the animals on his wall. When he grew a little older, his parent let him explore their yard, familiar to them, but new and exciting for Jimmy. When he was old enough, his parents enrolled him in kindergarten. Jimmy was so excited to go. He was all ready to grow up and be a big boy. Kindergarten was exiting for Jimmy. On his first day his teacher, Mrs. Sprotte assigned tables for them to sit at. He sat at a table with one other boy and a girl. He thought that he would be best friends with the boy, and the girl would go be someone elses friend, but this wasnt the case. The boy, who introduced himself as Tommy Denardo, apparently already knew the little girl. Her names Sarah an were next door neighbors. Shes my best friend, but you can be our best friend too. Tommy spoke while Sarah said nothing. Sarah doesnt talk, but thats ok cause she still heaps of fun. She doesnt play much, but shes real good at makin up stories an drawing n stuff. Jim was surprised to have made two best friends already. He already knew a lot about Sarah, and neither of them even knew his name. My names Jimmy Prezaro; I live over by the old sugar mill. Where do you guys live? We live right next to the school. Ill show you my house at recess. After that, the class had to quiet down while Mrs. Sprotte read them a story about the first day of school. At snack time, Jimmy sat with Tommy and Sarah. They shared their snacks. Sarah had baked PB&J a weird, but good, new food to try. Tommy had a mango, from his own tree, and Jimmy had a PBC. A PBC is a graham cracker broken in half with peanut butter in the middle. It was his favorite meal, but he loved sharing it with his new friends. At recess he played clubs with them. They made up a secret club with a handshake and password. Tommy showed Jimmy where he lived. After recess, the class drew pictures and Jimmy drew a picture of two boys and a girl. He titled it, Best Friends Mrs. Sprotte helped him spell , but other than that, he drew it all by

himself. He showed it to his mom when she came to pick him up and he told her about his two new friends and his day on the way home. When they got home, he showed his dad, and they hung it on the fridge. Jimmy and Tommy became fast friends. Play dates, sleepovers, and school brought their families closer. Tommy had two little sisters; they were twins, both three years old. Soon, the boys became inseparable, always seen together and usually with Sarah tagging behind. Their parents were a little bit worried that Sarah felt left out, but whenever the boys tried to engage her into doing more than an idle, unimportant part of a game, she would withdraw altogether and stop playing. Sarahs parents became worried because she was so often sick. She was experiencing memory loss, nausea, balance problems and confusion. They took her to a doctor in the big city after she had a major seizure. It was there that Sarah was diagnosed with brain cancer when she was seven years old. She was pulled out of school at the beginning of first grade for treatment. She had to stay in the big city for treatment, so she didnt get to spend much time at all with the boys. Sarahs mom explained to the boys that Sarah was very sick and had to stay in the big city to get better. They didnt understand how serious it was , and it came as a big shock when they learned that Sarah died a few months later. Tommy was a mess, he didnt believe it at first, and when he finally realized it wasnt a joke, he started sobbing. Jimmy just sat quietly, but his parents heard him crying in his room that night. He didnt know Sarah as long as Tommy had, but she was just as much his friend as Tommys. It was sad for the grown-ups to see such young children dealing with such awful things. They put together a book of memories for them with pictures of Sarah and stories about them. They left room for the boys to add their own stories, but they decided not to give it to them until the initial shock was over, and they could deal with it a little better. Going through such an awful experience changed the boys. They were more appreciative of their lives and they were very sad. Jimmy and Tommys parents decided to throw a birthday celebration for Sarah that year. Her parents had moved away from the town because there were too many sad memories there. They had a little cake and a slideshow with pictures. It wasnt that fun of an event , but they all smiled and remembered Sarah with happiness at the life she lived. When they gave the boys the scrap-book, they laughed and cried. They were only eight years old, but they were so grown up about it.

Chapter three
Jimmy and Tommy decided to keep adding to the memory book. Even though Sarah wasnt there, they wanted to keep a record of their friendship, and it felt like a way for them to include Sarah. They remained best friends every year. They still played in the club that they had created in kindergarten. They even made up their own language. In fourth grade they built a clubhouse/tree house. The Prezaros old landlord said they could build it on her property since it was the halfway point between the kids two houses, and she said that her house became sort of dull with no children around. Tommys dad helped them build it because he was very good at that kind of thing. They kept their favorite comics and things that they shared there. That way, they wouldnt have to go from house to house. They kept the Sarah scrap book there too. They made a secret compartment in the celling where they stored it. Jimmy suggested that they make it a little more comfortable, so they added a small couch, a portable television, and they covered the place in pillows. Once it was nice enough, they begged their parents to let them sleep over. Mom! Dad! Jimmy called out when he reached his house with Tommy. In here! his dad called out from the toolshed. Me and Tommy were wondering Son its Tommy and I. Well dad, Tommy and I were wondering if, um, maybe we could have a sleepover at the clubhouse. They stared at him pleadingly Is it ok with Nan? Nan was what they called their old landlord. She said if its ok with you, its ok with her. Well, you boys will have to ask your mothers. I dont think they want dear old dad commandeering their darling little angels into potential danger. Huh? Jimmy said Just talk to your moms. Good luck. Felix went back into the toolshed to work on some project. After a lot of convincing and calls to Nan, Tommy and Jimmy got permission to sleep in the clubhouse. They ate popcorn, pop tarts, pops, popsicles, and pop. They played Call of Duty until they started getting tired. Then they read comic books that they had been collecting since first grade. Even though they drank lots of soda they started to get tired, so they decided to get in their sleeping bags. They told scary stories but neither of them got scared so they told funny stories, and they got to talking about Sarah. Even though she was usually boring, she could be

really fun at times. Tommy ended up getting out the memory book. They added some stories and pictures that they had been saving and finally drifted off to sleep.

The sleepovers became a regular thing for Tommy and Jimmy. Nan would check on them before she went to bed, and she left her door unlocked, so if they needed anything, they could get her. She heard them a couple times when they had to go to the bathroom or grab a snack, but they usually never bothered her. It became a ritual that every time they slept in the tree house, they would go through Sarahs memory book and add their best stories to it. It became a second home to them. Of course, the boys had other friends, a group of boys they hung out with at school. They werent total wallflowers; they didnt only hang out with each other outside of school. They hung out with other boys, but they never invited anyone else into their tree house. They went there as often as they could. They made it more comfortable by bringing a radio and carpet and a mini fridge full of soda and food. They made it homey and nice.

Chapter four
In sixth grade, Jimmy went on vacation and went on a shark encounter trip for his birthday. He was allowed to bring one friend, so, of course, he brought Tommy. They had the time of their lives. They got to swim with sharks in the ocean and even got to watch the sharks have a feeding frenzy from a cage underwater. When they were on the beach later, they found a handful of shark teeth. They picked out the biggest ones and had them made into necklaces. When they got back, they wrote about the trip in Sarahs book. They added pictures and even glued on a couple of shark teeth. They had different teachers in school, so they hung out at recess. Jimmy was glad he got the teacher he got. Her name was Jay Candle. Mrs. Candle was a very creative teacher; she was very good at art, and she taught the students a lot about how the brain works. Jimmy loved hearing about dendrites and metacognition. Tommy had a good teacher, too, but they both agreed that Mrs. Candle was the best. One day, Jimmy came home to tragic news. He threw his backpack on the table, Mom, Im home! he yelled as he walked into the kitchen and saw his parents looking very sad and very serious. Whats going on? he asked. Son, his dad said, we have bad news. Jimmy stated to worry. What is it? Has someone died? No honey, his mom said. Were, we cant live here anymore. She started to cry as Felix comforted her. Jimmy stood there, stunned. What? Why! he finally managed to muster Theres been talk that America and Madagascar are going to go to war. The Congress just made it official yesterday. We, we didnt want to worry you unless we were sure that... His mom was very sad. She loved living in Madagascar, and after being there for over twelve years, it felt like home. Jimmy could see that they were trying to be calm but he knew his parents too well. He wanted to throw a tantrum or cry or beg his parents to let him stay but he could see that they didnt want to leave just as much as he did. He didnt want to upset them, so he went to his room and pretended to work on homework. He was so upset that he didnt even know how to react. Should he cry or be angry? He certainly felt like crying and throwing a fit, but it wouldnt help anything so he just sat there in shock. When he came out for dinner, everything was quiet. Dinner was usually a slightly chaotic, but cheerful affair. Tonight his family ate in an awkward, sad silence. Were going to need you to pack after dinner son, his father broke the silence. If you want help, one of us will help you organize. Im sorry to tell you that youll have to leave some things behind, we might be able to have Nan send some things before it gets too serious.

I have to pack all my stuff? Jimmy asked. But what about school and stuff? Youre not going to school Tomorrow honey, His mom said. The American embassy will be here to pick us up early in the morning. Mrs. Reynolds from the big city will be with them. We have to be ready to leave by around six in the morning. Six in the morning?! Jimmy yelled. but I wont even have a chance to say goodbye to anyone! Mom! What about me and Tom? Son, its Tom and I Mom! Honey Im sorry but weve been instructed not to make contact with the enemy, if at all possible. His mom told him gently. But hes not our enemy! Jimmy shouted and then stormed up to his room. He was all packed by nine o clock. Luckily he was good at packing and didnt have a lot of things because his parents took him camping a lot. His dad came into his room. Son, your mother and I, we want you to know that we understand how you feel. We have friends here too. This has been our home for almost half our lives. Your mom is taking this really hard, I need you to be strong for her sake, and my sake, ok? he asked. Jimmy nodded. Were going to help each other through this. His dad said. Dad? Im gonna go to bed now. OK? Jimmy said. Ok, see you bright and early. His dad left him to go to sleep.

Chapter five
Jimmy tried to sleep but his thoughts were racing. At around 10:30 pm he decided to text Tommy. In order to do this though, he would have to go get his cell phone from the kitchen. He slipped on a pair of socks and grabbed a flashlight. He slowly opened his door as it creaked and squeaked. His whole house seemed to moan as he tried to quietly make his way past his parents room. Luckily they were heavy sleepers and didnt hear him. He texted Tommy as soon as he was in his room. You have a new next message! 10:45pm Jimmy: Hey r u up? I really need 2 talk 2 u. Tommy: I am now. Whats up? Jimmy: were moving! Im leaving in the morning Tommy: what?!? Jimmy: im not even allowed 2 talk 2 u Tommy: Why?! Jimmy: something about war Tommy: am I gonna c u again? Jimmy: no! I dont know wat 2 do! Tommy: can you sneak out? Jimmy: What! No im not even allowed 2 txt u Tommy: please! Just meet me at the tree house. Jimmy: I cant Tommy: just a couple of hours to say goodbye Jimmy: ok fine, but this is ur idea Tommy: Ill bring popcorn Jimmy left his parents a note in case they woke up and went to check on him. He got dressed in his black hoodie and climbed out of his window into the night.

Chapter six
Walter sat in a mango tree, bored to death. He drank some coffee to keep him awake, but it was hard to stay alert in the middle of the night. He lazily swatted at a mosquito on his leg as he sipped more coffee. It was bitter and lukewarm, but his boss would skin him alive if he was caught falling asleep on the job. He was supposed to be looking for any suspicious activity, a reason to advance on the Americans. They called his organization a terrorist group frankly; Derik didnt care what they were. He was paid good money for a job where he did practically nothing. He was starting to doze off to sleep when suddenly, he heard something! Something, or someone, was down there. He rubbed his eyes and scanned the area. At first nothing, but then he saw a flashlight! He watched closely and saw that it was a boy. After a couple of minutes, another one appeared, and they ascended into a tree house in the backyard of an old lady. He radioed his team, and they were there in twenty minutes. Walter smiled and grabbed a gasoline can. Cmon guys, we have work to do.

Chapter seven
It was a weird night for Tommy and Jimmy. They werent really sure what to say about the war, so they treated like a normal sleepover. They played video games and ate candy late into the night. Then they got out Sarahs book. It was now very thick with pictures and stories. They laughed and smiled at their memories and entered one last entry. They wrote a story of their lives and a description of the horrible night they were having. Jimmy wrote down his grandparents address, and they promised to write each other as soon as it was allowed. They ended the night by trading each other shark-tooth necklaces and set an alarm clock for 4:30am and went to sleep. Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Jimmy rubbed his eyes and moaned. He got out of his sleeping bag to turn off the alarm clock. He wanted to sleep in, but he didnt want his parents finding out that he had snuck out. He woke Tommy, and they prepared to go home. While Jimmy was cleaning the tree house, Tommy went to look out the window to Nans house. He was surprised because he saw someone sneaking around. Hey, he whispered, Theres someone out there. What? Lemme see. Jimmy walked over to the window. There was definitely someone there, and it was clear they were up to no good. Hey! he shouted, Get outta here before we call the cops! The person jumped, taken by surprise. They threw a lit match on the house and ran off. The boys watched in horror as they realized what was happening. Nan! Jimmy ran to save her. Call the cops! he yelled to Tommy. He ran into the kitchen. Smoke was everywhere, and it was burning. He violently coughed as he looked for a way to Nans room. Suddenly, the fire blazed and Jimmy had to run out. He wanted to run home, but the police told him and Tommy to stay put. Suddenly there was a rush of people. People were crowding around him and talking all at once, and someone put a blanket on him even though he wasnt cold. A US soldier moved him toward a helicopter. Ok, were taking you to America now, kid. But what about my parents? And my stuff? Jimmy asked. The soldier knelt to the ground and looked into his eyes. Jimmy, he said, Im sorry but, there was also a fire at your house, and we didnt get there on time, your parents didnt make it.

Chapter eight
Jimmy was shocked; he just sat in the road in a daze. Someone carried him to the helicopter because he wouldnt move. The firefighters had already salvaged whatev er they could from his now burned house. Jimmy didnt bother to look through it; he just tried to ignore everyone. Mrs. Reynolds, who had arrived with the helicopter, kept trying to hug him and talk to him. He couldnt take it when she started crying, so he pretended to go to sleep. As he was sleeping he overheard the adults discussing what happened. He could only make out little snippets like planned it all out and followed the boys and terrorist activity. After listening long enough, he had pieced together a gruesome explanation. There had been a group of extremists keeping an eye on the town apparently looking for any excuse to cause mayhem, and an American meeting with a Malagasy in the middle of the night right after war had been declared was good enough for them. First, they tracked Jimmys footprints back to his house and torched it. Then they did the same to Nans, thinking the boys were in there. They were just about to do the same to Tommys house when the helicopter arrived and scared them off. Jimmy started crying. He hadnt even wanted to sneak out, it was Tommys idea. If it wasnt for him, Jimmy realized his parents would still be alive; it was all Tommys fault! Jimmy was seething, Tommy was the one who caused all of this, and now people were probably praising him for being a hero! He was probably even taking credit for trying to save Nan! It wasnt fair, and it made Jimmy very sad. Jimmy wanted to ask where they were going, but he figured he already knew. He was going to live with his grandparents. His grandpa, Felixs dad, had divorced Agnes and remarried. He got to know his new grandma very well, especially after Agnes died. In fact, he knew her better than his real grandma. After a couple of stops they moved to a bigger airplane that flew them across Africa, where they put him on a civilian airplane headed to Austin, Texas. It was a long flight, and Jimmy didnt have anything to do. He wasnt pretending to sleep anymore because he ended up dozing off in the other plane. Also, he didnt need to avoid anyone since no one around him wanted to talk. He tried reading a magazine at first, but it was just too hard to concentrate. When the inflight movie came on he thought hed watch that, but he didnt have any headphones or money to buy a pair. He closed his eyes because he was afraid he would start crying again and slowly drifted to sleep.

Chapter nine
Jimmys grandma isnt like other grandmas. She doesnt knit or bake. She isnt frail or forgetful. She teaches a belly dancing class and a writing class at the community college. She is a very eccentric woman, and Jimmy was not in the mood for her cheerful disposition. Luckily, it was his grandpa who picked him up from the airport. His placid mood was calming to Jimmy. When he got home, his grandma gave him a big hug, but he hardly noticed. She was talking a mile a minute, but Jimmy didnt mind. He wasnt talking at all. In fact, he hadnt said a word since he left Manala. After a couple of days in silence, and many late-night conversations between his grandparents, they decided to keep him out of school for the rest of the year. His grandma thought he needed therapy, but his grandpa said he just needed love. His grandpa won that argument, but they always kept a close eye on him.

Chapter ten
He started to hate the country where he spent most of his life. Whenever a news report came on about the war, he would leave the room. Time passed quickly, and suddenly, he was in high school. People called Jim instead of Jimmy. Even though he barley spoke, he had a lot of friends. He didnt have a best friend, though. He slowly forgot about his old life. His friends didnt know much about him. They knew that his parents were killed when he lived there, but they knew nothing else. He wasnt a happy person, but he was happy. He loved his grandparents and became used to his new life, liked it even. For as little as he talked, he was a very social boy and did well in school. His grandparents were pretty loose about their rules. Jim even dated a couple of girls, but it didnt last. One day, in the middle of his sophomore year, a new girl enrolled in his class. He saw his friend Gavin showing her around at lunch time. He ran up to them, Hey, he said. Oh, Liz, this is Jim. Jim, Liz. Gavin said. Hi, Jim, Liz said. So you know Gavin? Jim nodded. Yeah Ive known Gavin since I was little, so hes showing me around, Liz told him. Jim nodded again. Cool, he said. Ill come too. They showed her the school all lunch period. Soon, other kids joined them, and when the lunch bell rang, she went off with a group of girls to go to the girls locker room. Jim found himself watching her. She was very pretty and nice. Jim smiled as he walked to his next class. He and Lizzie became pretty good friends. They hung out with the same people, so it wasnt hard to get to know her. At first, she was curious about Jims silence but Gavin quickly explained, Jim only talks when theres something to be said. Liz came to accept his muteness like everyone else. Jim found himself liking her more and more, they became close friends. Lizs bubbly attitude balanced out Jims dark persona perfectly. Liz was confused by Jim. For someone so silent, he was very engaging. She got used to her new school, but not this new boy. Did she like him? She wasnt sure, but she was liking him more the more she got to know him, which wasnt very much at all. Who was this mysterious boy?

Chapter Eleven
Things were finally beginning to settle down for Jim. He stopped thinking of his old life. He still avoided talking about anything to do with the war. He did pretty well in school. He had straight As, so his grandparents decided to take him on a vacation. He did all his school work ahead of time so he could enjoy the trip. It reminded him of the time he went on a vacation with his parents and Tommy to see sharks, but he pushed it to the back of his mind. Besides, that was Madagascar, not St. Thomas. He stayed on the island for a week. He went swimming every day and even took a scuba diving class. It was really relaxing for Jim; he deserved it. One day he a met a girl running on the beach with her golden retriever, her name was Melody and her dogs name was Carmel. Jim had just finished swimming and was toweling off. He got to talking with Melody She was twenty years old and lived in Alaska. That really impressed Jim. He told her he was from Texas, and she laughed at him for being from the second biggest state. They met a couple of more times before Jim left and exchanged emails. Then Jim flew back to Texas. He had the weekend to rest before he went back to school. When he did, people envied his tan and his stories about the fish and Melody. Things were going well until he went to history. Apparently, while he was gone, his teacher decided to have people give presentations, on the war.

Chapter twelve
It was Lizs turn to do her presentation. She was pleased with herself. She thought she had done well. She smiled as she walked up to the front of the classroom. She glanced at her notes and started. "My report," she said, "Is about the effect the war is having on the citizens of Madagascar. She paused and went on. Only a small percentage of Madagascars people are involved in the terrorist activity. 95% of them are innocent. She shuffled her note cards. Now, Ill need a volunteer. Jim, come up here. Jim, looking stony faced, walked up to the front of the classroom. Now, said Liz, imagine you are a child living in Madagascar. You know everyone in your village very well. Theyre all nice people who have no say in what that 5% of terrorists do. Your life has been destroyed because of the war. Your village burned down, your parents killed. She stopped and looked at Jim. His face was red and he looked weird. Jim? she whispered. He looked up at her with tears in his eyes, and ran out of the room. It was silent for a moment, and then Mr. Litt stood up and said, Why dont you finish that Tomorrow Liz. Im going to call the office momentarily. Silent study until Im done. Then he went to call the office. The teachers knew about Jims tragic past and understood that he needed to go home, but Liz didnt. What happened? She asked her friends. They explained about where Jim came from and what happened. Im so stupid, She said to herself. I have to go apologize.

Chapter thirteen
Jim sat in his car on the side of the road breathing heavily. He pulled over because he was crying too much to drive safely. He knew the school would call his grandparents to let them know, but they couldn't leave work until late. He knew one of them would call him, and he was waiting for one of them to call before he drove home. As expected his grandma called first. "Jim?" she sounded distressed "Hey gramma, I'm ok," he told her. "Where are you?" she asked. "I'm on the corner of Duchess and Bishop," he told her. "Are you coming home?" she asked him. "I don't know," he said. "Well call me if you need anything, ok?" Yeah ok Grandma, I love you, bye." he pulled back on the road. His grampa texted him when he was a few blocks away from his house. You have a new text message! 1:17pm Gramps: hey Jim. U ok? Jim: ya Gramps: you sure? I could get off work early if u want Jim: naw im ok. I already talked to gramma Gramps: ok. Im here if u need me son Jim: i just wanna be alone ok? I gtg cause im driving Gramps: k love u Jim: bye Jim pulled onto his road as he said goodbye to his grandpa. He threw his phone on the passenger seat and parked his car in the driveway. He grabbed his backpack and went inside. It was quiet in there. Jim sat on the kitchen floor and sobbed. Today Liz made him revisit memories he had forced into the corner of his mind and then he humiliated himself by running out of class crying. He pounded the side of the island in the kitchen and bruised his hand Crap! he tried to calm down and got up. He walked into his room and looked around. It was light blue with navy curtains and a navy comforter. It was pretty messy; he had clothes on the floor and books all over. He grabbed his laptop off the top of his dresser and sat on his bed. He

threw the book he had been reading the previous night on the floor and opened his laptop. No one was online, they were still in school. He left his laptop open and looked around. Seeing his room, you could never tell that he had a whole different life as a child. He had nothing showing from his past. He blinked back tears, why couldn't he just go on normally and forget all of this? He went to his closet and dug around in it. In a shelf in the back, he found and old hatbox. It was round, with and old fashioned map of the world on it. Yellowing and peeling, the box looked like an antique, and it was. It had belonged to his mother, her mother gave it to her to play with when she was a little girl, and then she gave it to Jim because he liked it. It had survived the fire because he kept it in his tree house. He set it on his bed and stared at it, he was scared to open it. Finally, he took a deep breath and lifted the lid. The box was only a box, made of some cardboard, fabric, and paint, but it held so much meaning for Jim. His whole childhood, or what remained of it, was in that box. In it was; a bouncy ball, an uncompleted deck of cards, a piece of paper with Tommys address, a picture of Tommy, Sarah, and him, and a plastic figurine from some old cartoon movie. He took those all out and laid them on the bed. In a baggie underneath that all was what was salvaged from the house fire. It wasnt much, a ring of his mothers, a piece of an old plate, the cufflinks his father wore at his wedding, and a semi-melted toy car. He laid these things next to the others. He stroked the toys and was stuck with a pang of sadness. They were the best years of his life, and he could never go back. He lost everything, and he could never get it back. He started putting the stuff back in the hat box, when he saw that there was one more thing in the box. He slowly lifted it out, almost with horror. It was a shark tooth necklace. That was the snapping point for him he couldnt take it. He had been dealing with depression ever since he left Madagascar. He had tried to lock it away, but he couldnt do it, he just couldnt do it anymore. He didnt want to deal with it anymore; it was too painful to be worth it. He wasnt thinking straight and he grabbed his grandmas hand gun

Chapter fourteen
He held the gun to his head, and pulled the trigger. There were no bullets in the gun. Jim cursed and threw the gun across the room. He sat on his bed rocking back in for the, hyperventilating. It was what he might call a low point in his life. He fumbled through his house, looking for bullets. He was so disoriented it took him extra-long, but he finally found some in his grandparents sock drawer. Looking around his grandparents room, he felt sorry for them. They tried so hard to help him and he knew they would feel awful when he was, when he was gone. Back in his room, he decided to write them a note. He opened up word and after much revision heres what he had,

Not your fault, sorry

He titled it suicide note, though it pained him, he didnt want to think of it like that. He stared at his note when all of a sudden, a chat box popped up. He groaned, it was the last thing he needed. He went to close it down when he saw it was Liz. Oh no! She would feel awful when she heard he had to tell her that today was no big deal. He still had time, he had to reply. Right?

Chat room Ninja-Kiwi has been joined by DizzyLizzie

4:15 pm

DizzyLizzie: Jim!?! R u there? please b there! DizzyLizzie: Jim! i no ur online. Please I want to apologize, I didnt understand. I feel so stupid. please just tell me u r ok. Jim-the-Prez: im ok DizzyLizzie: thank god! Jim I feel so bad . i want to make it up to you. God I was so stupid to do that. are you sure ur ok? Jim-the-Prez: no DizzyLizzie: oh Jim! im so sorry DizzyLizzie: do u want me 2 come over Jim-the-Prez: no DizzyLizzie: can we meet somewhere? I wanna make sure ur ok Jim-the-Prez: no DizzyLizzie: Please! Jim-the-Prez: fine. Latte land in 20 minutes Jim-the-Prez has left chat room Ninja-kiwi DizzyLizzie: Wait! (send as message?) DizzyLizzie has left chat room Ninja-kiwi

They met at Latte Land. Jim got a cup of coffee, and Liz got an Oreo freeze with whipped cream. Ew, you like your coffee black? she asked him Like my soul. He smiled at her. She laughed. They started out just having a light conversation, school work, movies, family and such; but then they started getting into more heavy stuff. He told her everything, she was the first person to get the full story, he even told her about trying to shoot himself. He saw that he was upsetting her and stopped. They sat in silence for a few minutes, then Liz asked him, And youre going back there alone? After all that? He nodded. She put a hand on his arm, Ill stay with you until your grandparents come home, if you want. He nodded again. She left her car at Latte Land and drove to his house with him.

Chapter fifteen
Liz and Jim started seeing each other outside of school more and more. They had liked each other from the start and by the end of the year, they were going out. Liz convinced Jim to go to therapy again, so he begrudgingly went every Thursday at 3:00pm. They went out at least once a week, usually to Latte Land, but not always. They rarely fought, and were voted cutest couple by their classmates. They usually went out in a group, either with their friends or occasionally, they went out with Gavin and his boyfriend. That was quite a shock for everyone, but they didnt really mind. Gavin and Kyle were pretty nice people. High school went by fast for Jim. He soon found himself at the end of his senior year, and still with Liz. He smiled as he thought that. He had been with her for three years, and he planned to stay with her. He looked at the ring he bought for her. He wouldnt ask her just yet. There was still time. He would wait until after graduation; no scratch that, after collage. He didnt want to rush things for her. Graduation day was a fun affair. Jims grandparents went, even though his grandpa had fallen and broken a hip earlier in the month and was currently in a wheelchair. Afterwards, he went to a party with a bunch of his friends, Liz left early to have dinner with his parents. Jim had decided to have his graduation dinner at his house the next night. He had fun. They decided to each make a dish and surprise the others. Jim made the first course, Mexican casserole. His grandpa made the second course, peanut butter and jelly tortillas with chocolate chips. A very, strange meal, but it was good. Finally his grandma came out with dessert. Monkey bread, Jims all-time FAVORITE dessert, and he hadnt had it in years. It was biscuit dough in little balls, stuck together with sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter, then baked. His grandma had it fresh out of the oven, with four candles stuck around the edge of it. His grandparents started singing happy birthday except with the words, Happy Graduation. It was a fun dinner. Jim had a pretty easy summer, he got a summer job at Wal-Mart. Liz was going to go to college in Seattle, and Jim was going with her. He wasnt going to college; one, because he couldnt afford it, and two because he was unsure of what he wanted for his future, besides, that way Liz didnt have to work and could focus on passing. They moved into an apartment at the end of the summer. They had gotten a good deal on it because Lizs mom was friends with the super. They were unsure whether they should live together at first, but decided it was a good idea by graduation. It was exiting for Jim. Like an adventure, he was looking forward to living as an adult.

Chapter sixteen
Seattle was very different from Texas. It rained a lot there. Coming from a small town, Seattle was overwhelming to Jim. Their apartment wasnt quiet in the suburbs, but it wasnt the city either. Jim got a well-paying job working a construction site. He usually rode his bike there because he sold his truck and Liz usually needed her car to go to college. They broke into a routine, every morning at 7:00 am they would wake up and have alight snack then they would load Jims bike into the car and drive to latte land. There they would eat and talk until 7:45. Then, Liz would drive to collage and Jim would ride his bike to work. Jim didnt have the weekend off, but Liz did, so then they would usually both ride their bikes. After Jim went off to work, Liz would ride home and do housework. She worked as a gardener on the weekends, because money was tight. She almost quit when she became a teachers aide, but she couldnt afford it. She was an aide to a fourth grade class room, she told Jim about them often, and he even met them on a few occasions. One day, when Liz walked into the classroom after her lunch break, all her kids were in a group with their backs to her. When she asked what was going on all the kids turned around, and surprisingly, their teacher too. We got you a present. He smiled at her, Go ahead, open it. Liz approached the large box. It came up to her belly button, and was as wide as a desk. She was blown away, she hadnt expected this. She started to thank them but they stopped her Just open it. They told her. She pulled off the top, and inside, was a slightly smaller box , and in that one a smaller one. She kept opening boxes until she got to the last, very small box. It was about the size of a ring box, and it was beautifully wrapped. Liz was fascinated now. She unwrapped the paper to reveal that it was a ring box. She opened it slowly and gasped. Inside, was a gold ring with a small, round diamond on top, with two smaller teardrop-shaped diamonds on either side facing pointy side out. She looked up at her class. She saw her fourth graders holding signs spelling out Will you marry me Liz? and Jim kneeling on the floor. How bout it Liz? he whispered, Will you marry me?

End of book one