The State Files

Rocket Man!

Even though he currently has his hair stuck in the vent, he'd like to say that he was pretty smart.

It was one mistake! Just one...and a hundred more throughout the past few centuries.

"Bless yer heart..." Savannah sighed and got her scissors ready.

"It was an accident! Honest!" Jackson insisted.

His older sister sighed and started to cut his blonde hair out of the vent.

Jackson groaned and huffed. His sister was the typical Southern heart. She had curly dark ginger hair, and green-blueish eyes, and her skin was dark and tanned. Despite her proper and caring attitude, she could be quite stern.

"I told ya not to put your arm into the vent again ya know," She mumbled under her breath. Her voice was soothing, but not enough.

"I had to grab it!" He defended. "My rocket fell down the bars! I had to get it, I just had to!"

"You mean you dropped it because you were distracted..."

"It fell!" He said.

His hair finally cut away, freeing his head and allowing Jackson to pull himself away from the vent.

"Oh my...What the heck happened to your hair!" Merrivale spat and snickered.

Jackson turned toward his Northern brother and frowned. The right side of his hair was a lot shorter than the rest, almost like a bald spot. "Stop laughing!"

Merrivale burst out laughing, hunching over. "Oh, my-... this is gold!"

"Shut it yank!"

"What's going on- woah." Bradford stared at the spot on his head.

"Go away Buckeye!" Jackson huffed, his hand fidgeting with the rocket figure he had gotten back from the vent.

Michigan laughed hard, and Ohio snickered, trying to hold it in.

"You're such an idiot!" Merrivale howled.

Jackson turned red, his whole face lighting up. "At least have a good football team." He ignited.

"I do have one!" Vale and Brad said at the same time.

They turned around to look at each other. "No, I do!"

"Oh my..." Savannah exhaled.

They sneered at each other and started to fight, ignoring Jackson as they walked away.

"...Don't add coal into the flames..." Savannah tried to scold him.

Jackson gripped his figure, the smirk that was forming slowly disappearing. "...But-"

"No buts, we don't need more fights..." Vannah tried to sound comforting, but it just sounded mocking to Dixie.

His lips pulled downwards as he stood up. "Im going outside." He declared, leaving before the Peach State could call out to him.

...

Most states went to the backyard to just...relax. Which wasn't common.

He criss-crossed on the grass and took out the rocket figure from his pocket. He always kept it around, a reminder of the great things that he and his people had done.

He hated when people called him dumb because he wasn't at all. Despite the things he has done in the past, he just wasn't.

His people were smart. He knew it.

The rocket was red and white, like his flag. The fire at the bottom was made of resin, making it look like it was blasting off into space.

To Alabama, space was the most interesting thing in the world. Though he wasn't as crazy as Nevada when it came to the things within space.

The planets, the stars, the moon, and the sun...it was so much higher than what he was, which he appreciated. When you live on a planet filled with mortals, it is easy to feel like you're above everyone else. Space and the Lord was about the only thing that he felt was above his level of control.

He mindlessly got a few items from his pocket, things he liked to collect to make some knick-knacks. His hands got to fidgeting.

He was not stupid! Nevada wouldn't have been able to make his conspiracies if he hadn't shown the world the way to space. He had taken man to the moon. His people did that. And he was damn proud of it.

His fingers continued to put pieces together.

The times in which he night watched were some of his greatest memories. The lightning bugs would light up the night, the stars would glow, and the moon would grow or shrink depending on which day it was.

Sometimes he would watch the stars with some of his siblings. Like Citali.

Yes, he knew it was an odd duo. He wasn't all that close to the younger state...But she was great at star-watching, and he liked watching the stars too.

He put the final piece onto the knick-knack in his hand and turned it in his hand. A small rocket he had made from scratch.

He grinned at it and shot up to place it on the ground. From his pocket, he took out the small button.

He was extremely smart.

He pressed the button and watched as the Rocket flew up into the sky.

It was a small rocket, so he knew it wouldn't go that far, but it was a fun thing to do.

As the rocket flew up into the sky, Bradford stepped out into the backyard, opening the sliding door. "Jackso- gah!"

The rocket hit Ohio right in the eye.

"Woah!" Jackson perked and ran over.

"..Shi- Alabama!" Ohio yelled and held his eye.

Michigan and Georgia ran out to see what was happening.

As he saw his eye, Michigan burst out laughing.

"Oh dear!" Savannah rushed and gently grabbed Bradford.

"Hahahahahhh!!!' Merrivale hunched over.

"Oh shut it!" Bradford yelled at his brother and winced.

Jackson stood there, watching and slowly picking up his rocket. It had gone farther than he thought.

A grin took over his face as he gripped the rocket. "Heh, I told ya so!"

He had taken man to the moon, he had opened up a new world for mankind.

And now he had hit is brother in the eye with a small rocket.

He really was smart!