My Journal of Weekend Write-Ins

The Big Day

Noel patted his pocket making sure the list was there as his mom called out, "El don't forget the invitations, I put them on top of the entry table."

"I already got them, mom," he replied with a sigh. He hadn't wanted a party, but his mom had insisted that he have one so he could get to know his new friends better. He didn't have the heart to tell her that he didn't have any friends to invite.

"Okay, honey, have a good day at school then."

"I doubt it," he muttered as he left his house. But maybe if the list worked he might.

Noel stopped at the park on his way to school. It was the only thing that made the move okay. Back home the nearest "park" was a patch of grass on the side of a small hill. He might have made due except for the litter that was sprinkled everywhere.

His mom had made the decision to move after her big break up with the phony Mike. He had tried to warn her about him, but she hadn't listened. At least she hadn't married him, Noel thought.

He made his way to the swings. Nothing beats the rush of ascending into the blue sky, he thought. Noel kicked his legs until he could imagine himself touching the marshmallow clouds.

"Visualize yourself as you want to be," he stated the first item on his list as thrust one hand into the air. "Invincible."

"Affirm yourself." He was glad he had memorized the list. "I, Noel, am invincible."

The next item on the list, made him take a deep breath. "Do one thing that scares you every day," he whispered and closed his eyes as he leaped from his swing.

He hit the ground hard but laughed when he realized he had done it. "I'm ready!"

Noel ran all the way to school. By the time he made it to class, he was having trouble catching his breath. All his classmates moved away from him, as he gasped for air.

They hate me, he thought but then remembered the list. "Question your inner critic," he mumbled to himself as he inhaled. They can't hate me because they don't even know me, Noel smiled and concluded, they just need to get to know me. With a new sense of purpose, he got ready for first-period gym.

"Okay class today, we are starting volleyball. You need to get into groups of six, so count off," Mrs. Bargas said.

"Oh man, do we have to? Can't we just choose our own groups?" his classmates complained.

Noel closed his eyes and prayed that they would count off.

"Fine, I guess you're old enough to pick," the teacher shrugged.

Almost instantly everyone had gotten into groups of six. How was he supposed to set himself up to win when no one gave him a chance. As he was about to admit to Mrs. Vargas that he didn't have a group, he noticed five of his classmates wandering around. He ran over to them.

"H-Hey, why don't we make a team?" Noel's hand turned to fist as he waited for their reply.

"Sure," a short boy replied and the rest of the boys just nodded.

"Cool," Noel said as he sat with his new team while Mrs. Vargas went over the rules.

He reviewed the last item on the list, help someone else. When he saw the way his teammates were serving, he knew he could help.

By the end of class, Noel had made five new friends, Joey, Kevin, Edis, Ty, and Leanord and it was all thanks to his mom's self-help book, The Confidence to Succeed. All he needed to do now was invite them to his party.