The Sleepover

One

Being a kid is tough. One minute you're ready to spread your wings and fly to prove your independence, and the next minute you're ready to crawl in a hole and hide, sheltering yourself from the challenges the world throws at you. It's like being a brave knight ready to slay a dragon, but then you realize the oversized lizard breathes fire, and your only weapon is a tree limb. I'm pretty sure that's not going to end very well, but hey, you'll have a cool torch to carry around with you when it gets dark. If you survive it...

The same can be said about school. Yes, we have to get up early, go through our morning rituals, and motivate ourselves to walk to the bus stop. Upon arriving, we dodge wedgies and wet willies from friends and foes while scrambling from our lockers to our classrooms. There, we must defeat the assignments our teachers give us with our trusty pencils, made from the same tree limbs we use to slay fire-breathing dragons. Can you see the connection?

School isn't all bad. I mean, we get to see our best friends when we get there, and we can hang out during lunch and complain about how terrible the food is. That makes it a little better, I think. Unless your best friend is a little ambitious about things and looking to get noticed to achieve some sort of imaginary celebrity status. My best friend, Devin, is like that. He's always saying stuff like, "Hey, Jacob, we can be famous if we do this," which is usually the worst idea in the history of ideas.

You see, Devin is thirteen, and he's kind of like the knight I mentioned, but he's not the sharpest sword in the armory. Don't get me wrong, he's a cool guy - tallish, strong, and very brave - but he often gets lost when it comes to thinking things through. It's like he can see the end result and the reward for doing something, but he doesn't always have a clue how to get there. I'm not saying he's dumb, no way! He just acts sometimes without having a full plan or a backup if the original idea goes to poop. Maybe he's distracted by the girls- who knows? Dad says he's a good kid, but he's a little reckless and grandiose. I'm not sure what that's supposed to mean.

As for me, well, let's just say I'm the opposite. I'm twelve and pretty smart - not bragging or anything, but I skipped a year, so that says something. I'm built like a runt and fairly small for my age, very thin and not at all strong, which makes me an easy target for bullies like my nemesis, Brian (more on him in a bit). I don't really like attention and would rather lay low and not be on the radar. Devin, on the other hand, wants to be the biggest blip on it. I'm not brave like he is - in fact, I get scared easily sometimes, especially during storms. They're the worst. My dad calls it astraphobia. He also says I have OCD tendencies, a strong fear of failure, an unfounded thought of not being good enough, and I tend to overthink nearly everything. It seems we all have our struggles, don't we?

Now about Brian - he's a weirdo. He loves to bully and pick on other people, including me. I think most of it is just for show so he can look tough and in control. At least, that's what my dad says. Usually, I just ignore him, like my parents told me to do, but sometimes I can't help myself and respond, especially if I have an opportunity to correct him or make him look dumb in return. It often gets me in more trouble, like being shoved, punched, or getting a wedgie so deep that it takes days to pick out. It hurts, trust me. Brian talks all the time and is very annoying. Honestly, if he couldn't talk, I believe he would violently and ferociously fart himself to death. He has a 'thing' for Sara, but he doesn't have a chance.

Sara seems very cool and nice. She's polite and soft-spoken. I don't know her well, but lots of guys look at her. Maybe it's because they're hoping for a girlfriend. Then again, it could be the way she carries herself. Sara is sort of popular, and I guess that gets you a lot of attention and friends. Devin notices her sometimes, which gets annoying when I have to repeat myself because he's staring at her. I don't know what goes on inside his head sometimes...

I guess by now you've noticed that I've mentioned my dad a little bit. He's a doctor at a mental health facility that specializes in juvenile cases. Sometimes he works long hours and cares a lot about his patients. He's a great dad, very smart, and very caring. Sometimes I wish he would spend more time with me, but he tries. My mom is pretty awesome too. She stays at home and takes care of things. Mom is the one that keeps everything in order and my stomach full. I eat like a bird, which probably annoys her to no end, but she never complains. Even though my parents are kind of strict, they do it to protect me from the dangers of the world. I love my mom and dad both very much.

We all live in a small town in Vermont. It's not all that populated, but that's a good thing in my book. Small towns give a sense of security to the area (something else my dad says). Everyone knows one another - in fact, most everyone here has grown up together, with the exception of a few new families that move in from time to time. It's sort of cool, but sort of boring at the same time, if that makes sense.

My favorite thing to do, besides hanging out with Devin, is exploring the outdoors. When we can't hang out at each other's house or meet up, I love going out and exploring hiking trails. Often times, I'll stop, kick back, and look up at the branches that reach outward, trying to touch one another. Their leaves are turning different colors and beginning to drop because of the cool, crisp air. Sometimes I walk through the dense forest to reach the stream and read while the water babbles in the background. Other times, I just sit, listen, and relax. It's a great way to think about stuff that's on my mind - which lately has been this overnight party coming up soon. I keep getting bad feelings about it. It's hard to explain, but it's eating at me. Maybe I'm overthinking again and just anxious about it. I'll keep trying to psych myself up about it. The last thing I want to do is disappoint Devin and lose my best friend.