TEENAGE → SVT

ROCKET

TRACK 10: ROCKET

-

Joshua's mother got remarried and had another kid- his name was Vernon. Joshua really didn't mind that the most of the attention was focused on his younger half-brother since his brother was too young to understand the true situation he was suddenly faced with. Many of his friends asked if he regretted not wanting the attention, but he truly didn't need it, so he didn't mind.

As a kid, Vernon always spent his time looking up into the sky and trying to look for Mars. Mars fascinated him. He always told his parents that one day he would take a rocket and go up to Mars because he wanted to live on the planet. That was his goal: to get to Mars and live on Mars. When he was younger, Vernon expressed these thoughts to his reliable older half-brother, and Joshua always promised him that he would build a rocket for Vernon.

Ever since Vernon's childhood, he and his older half-brother always got along. Joshua meant the world to Vernon because Joshua was always there for him. Whenever Vernon got yelled at by his parents, it was always Joshua who comforted the crying boy. The two of them would sneak out onto the rooftop and look at the stars in the night. It was a way for Vernon to cope with his feelings- all of his feelings.

"Joshua," Vernon said one night they were on the roof; Vernon had been crying again.

"Yeah, Vernon?" Joshua asked.

"Am I a crybaby?" Vernon asked.

"No, why would you say that?" Joshua was taken aback.

"The kids in my class call me crybaby whenever I don't get something I want since I complain about it," Vernon mumbled. "It's not fair for me because they all pick on me, and I don't complain! I just don't want to sit next to this one guy in class."

"Who do you not want to sit next to?" Joshua asked.

"This boy named Seungkwan. He always makes fun of me," Vernon was about to start crying again.

"Does he bully you?" Joshua patted Vernon's back.

"Yeah," Vernon started crying and threw himself at Joshua.

Joshua comforted the crying boy in his arms and looked up to the sky. The north star up above the world so high like a diamond in the sky twinkled at the boys sitting on the rooftop. Joshua's eyes widened as he saw the star almost blink (or did the star wink?) at him. He calmed Vernon down before pointing at the flickering star in the sky.

"Look at the star," Joshua said quietly.

"Uh huh," Vernon sniffed and nodded.

"It's flickering for you," he said.

"What does that mean?" Vernon was confused.

"It's telling you that everything will be alright," Joshua had to bite back a laugh; he couldn't take himself literally.

"Really?" Vernon exclaimed. "Can I wish on it?"

"Sure," Joshua leaned back and watched his younger brother fold his hands together and close his eyes earnestly. He wished on the star for the longest time- Joshua almost fell asleep in the time it took Vernon to wish. As soon as Vernon opened his eyes, he looked at Joshua and asked, "Don't you want to know what I wished for?"

Joshua's eyes fluttered open. He rubbed his eyes and said, "Shouldn't you keep that a secret so it actually comes true?"

Vernon stared at his older brother for a good three seconds before nodding rapidly. He climbed down from the roof, Joshua following the boy into the house. Joshua tucked Vernon into bed and went to his own room thinking that Vernon was asleep. Vernon, in fact, was not asleep. His eyes shined with eagerness as he stared through the window across from his bed and into the vast sky filled with stars.