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A New Life
-Chapter 12: Believing in Change–
The second day of tenth grade had gone smoothly so far for Jimmy. He hadn't had time to eat anything for breakfast that morning so he couldn't wait for lunch period to get there. When the bell rang he bolted out of his advanced math class and rushed down the hallway for the stairway that led to the courtyard. He sat down at the first empty table he could find. He pulled out the bag he packed his lunch in from his book bag. He didn't wait for his friends to show up before he started to scarf down his lunch fervently. But before long his best friend Sam showed up with his girlfriend Emily and sat down next to Jimmy. "J, slow down, it'll last longer." Sam said, laughing slightly. Shortly after Sam sat down Alice arrived. Jimmy didn't look up, he simply continued to eat. "I missed you too this morning." Alice said sarcastically as she sat down next to him. Jimmy stopped and swallowed what he had been eating. He looked at her and kissed her on the cheek. "Sorry, I didn't get any breakfast this morning." Jimmy apologized. "But you've been doing that a lot lately. You might not notice it but it's making it so you eat too much at lunch." Alice said. "I know, you see the way he's eating. Uhh-ghhh." Sam complained.
"It's making you get a little chubby Jimmy, you know?" Alice said. She reached her hand down and tickled his stomach. "Nah-ahh." Jimmy said grinning because he was ticklish in his stomach and Alice knew that. So he leaned up against her and put his arm around her back, tickling her other side. Alice giggled and kissed Jimmy on the cheek. "So what's your next class?" Alice asked. "English, then my elective, then Social Studies, then home." Jimmy said. "So what's your elective?" Sam asked. "Weightlifting in the weight room." Jimmy answered. "What a surprise." Sam said sarcastically. "Well I like doing it. It helps me with these." He said flexing his already large right bicep muscle. "And this…" He said patting his stomach. "So what's your elective Sam?" Jimmy asked. "I'm taking a class to learn speed reading. Maybe that way all those books Mister Fox assigns us won't take me so long." Sam said. "Good thinking. I'm just taking a study hall period for an elective. So I guess that's kinda boring compared to your electives." Alice said. "Still it's a good idea. A little more studying never hurt anybody." Jimmy said. Minutes later the bell rang to tell them it was time for their next class.
Jimmy and Sam went into Mister Fox's classroom for their advanced placement English class. "Today we will be discussing what you read of the epic poem Beowulf last night. Would anyone like to tell me about the back story between King Hrothgar and the villain Grendel?" Mr. Fox asked. He only received silence from the class. "Anyone…Anyone… Jim you can tell us right?" Mr. Fox asked Jimmy. "Sure. Grendel was…" Jimmy began to recall the details of the story and picked them apart the way the teacher wanted him to. "Very good. That's exactly what I was looking for. You get an 'A' for participation today Mister Oken." Mr. Fox said.
When they finished English class they walked out into the hallway and got ready for the next period. "So I'll see you and Alice later for Social Studies." Sam said. "Yeah, see ya then. Have fun speed reading." Jimmy said jokingly referring to a kindergarten reading game. They parted ways and Jimmy headed down another hallway towards the locker room which was located next to the gymnasium. When he was changed into his undershirt and shorts he headed over to the weight room. There he proceeded to warm up for his workouts. This consisted of stretching and deep breathing to get his blood flowing. When he was finished he walked over to the free weights. He placed weights on either end of the rod. It was a considerable amount of weight. Only a few other people in the room could bench press as much weight as he was about to use.
"I'll spot you." A blond boy, who was slightly shorter than Jimmy and a little stockier, said as he walked up. Spotting someone lifting weights meant standing behind the weight bench so that if the person doing the lifting was unable to lift the weight after a certain number of repetitions, the spotter would lift the weights up into the holder so that the lifter wasn't hurt. "Thanks. I'm tryin' to work on the guns." Jimmy said chuckling. "Guns?" The boy asked. "Oh, hah, yeah I heard my dad say that once. I think people his age used to call it that." Jimmy said. "I think you're right. My dad says stuff like that all the time. But at any rate, if you're lifting that much, it looks like it's working. I definitely can't lift that much. Wish I could but I'm not anywhere close to that strong." The boy said. "Alright well let's get to work here." Jimmy said. Jimmy lay down on the bench and the spotter lowered the bar into his hands, with a small level of difficultly. Jimmy starting lifting the weights up and down, and the boy spotting him counted for him. "One, two, three…twenty three, twenty four...thirty." He counted. "Okay, I think that's all I can do." Jimmy said his face red, his bicep muscles firm from the workout. The boy lifted the weight, with some effort, into the holders. "Alright let's switch places, okay?" Jimmy asked. "Right, but I'm gonna hafta take off about thirty pounds. I can't lift that much." The boy said. He proceeded to rearrange the weights so that it equaled thirty pounds less weight than Jimmy had been lifting.
When they were finished Jimmy moved over to a piece of equipment that helped to strengthen the leg muscles. He sat down in it and put his back up against a plate and his feet against the part where the weights were attached. He began pushing the weights upward with his feet. When he was done he got down and wiped himself off with a towel. He then worked out on various other pieces of equipment for the rest of the class. When he was done the teacher pulled him aside. "You where working pretty hard today Oken." She said. "Yeah, I think I've been putting on a little extra weight." Jimmy said. "From the looks of you, I don't think so. But let's find out." She said. She measured his bicep muscle with her measuring tape. "According to your file, your muscle mass is quite a bit greater than it was last year when your PE teacher tested you." She said. "I'm still a little concerned, if you know what I mean." Jimmy said. "I know what you mean. You can never be too cautious. Let's get your weight real quick. What was it the last time you checked?" She asked. "One forty five." Jimmy answered. "Okay stand on the scale…One fifty two. That's not bad. I would say you just built up a little more muscle since the last time you weighed yourself. And maybe you're in a rush to eat like a lot of people your age and you grab some of the wrong things. But there's nothing to worry about. Good work today. Hit the locker room." She said.
When Jimmy had showered and changed back into his regular clothes he walked out into the hallway. He had ten minutes to get to his Social Studies class, so he wasn't in a very big hurry. He walked casually. The blonde boy who had spotted for him with the free weights came up to him and started walking next to him. "Hey man. Great workout in there. I wish I had that kind of drive, like you do, for that." He said. "I'm not sure what you mean." Jimmy said. "I mean, you just looked like you were doing it all with a real purpose. I guess you have to have some kind of motivation to get as strong as you are." The boy said. "I guess you're right. I was kinda pushing myself harder today." Jimmy said. "I'm guessing you either have a lot of stress to burn off, you have somebody you're trying to impress like your girlfriend, or you just do it to keep in shape." The boy said.
"I think you hit the nail right on the head with all three of those. I used to have a lot of, you know anger issues, and I used to be pretty chubby. So, I started working out and running a lot and it's kept me really level headed. And I slimed up a lot. The muscle strength is another good side effect too. I think my girlfriend likes that. I used to get into a lot of fights so it helped then too." Jimmy said. "Yeah, I'll bet." The boy said, not smiling. "But yeah, it's never really been about looks. I don't really think of myself any higher since I've gotten muscular. But yeah, my friends, especially my girlfriend have been telling me lately that I'm getting chubby. See…" Jimmy said, lifting up his shirt showing his stomach and then pulling it back down. "That's nothing man. There's barely any fat there at all. Whatever they think you've put on'll come off real quick, especially the way you work out." The boy said. "Yeah I think you're right. No big deal. You know you seem familiar. I can't quite place the name. But I know I know you from somewhere. Maybe it's the hospital where I work." Jimmy said. "So you're dating Alice Greenwood, right?" The boy said, dodging the inquiry. "Yeah, she and I have been going out since eighth grade graduation. I know I know you from somewhere." Jimmy said.
"Wait how'd you know I was dating Alice?" Jimmy asked because all of a sudden it hit him that he must know this person if he knew things about him. "It had to do with how you know me. You do by the way…So you really don't know who I am?" The boy asked. "No. That's really weird cause I'm usually really good with faces. I'll figure it out, just gimme a second, I know you, I'm sure of it. What grade are you in?" Jimmy asked. "I'm in ninth grade. But I'm gonna be in eleventh next year cause I'm taking catch up stuff this year for tenth grade along with the normal ninth grade classes and then the rest I'll take in summer school. I don't know if that helps any." The boy said. "It seems should. Now I've kind of got an idea but… You seem really familiar. But you seem different at the same time. This is bad I should know by now. I give up. It's a little embarrassing to ask but…who are you?" Jimmy asked. "It's me Andy… Andy Corelli." He said. "Wow. Really. Uhh…" Jimmy said, backing off slightly. "It's okay if you don't wanna talk to me anymore. I know we don't exactly have a great past. But I'm willing to put it behind us if you are. Again, I'll understand if you don't." Andy said. "It's nothing like that. I'm not the kind of person to hold a grudge. It's just you look so different. If you hadn't told me I wouldn't be able to tell it was you. You've lost a lot of weight. That's great man." Jimmy said. "Yeah, I did. Last time I checked it was about sixty pounds I'd lost." Andy said.
"Wow man. That's awesome. But you seem different… I mean other than the weight thing. You know?" Jimmy said. "Yeah. I haven't had a whole lot of friends lately. To be honest I haven't had a whole lot of them ever. But especially in the last couple of years. So I kinda had to drop the whole 'Fat guy beating kids up and taking their lunches' attitude and start being nicer to people. So far my reputation is working against me. But I'm hoping the whole 'Almost normal size' thing'll work in my favor. You know what I mean? Maybe people'll see me different and I can start off fresh." Andy said. "Yeah, I'm willing to forgive and forget. I can't imagine many other people being that stubborn that they won't let things go." Jimmy said. "Well you know, you and I got into all those fights. And I punched you in the face and stuff. But I used to do some pretty crappy things to some of the other kids. So it was kind of a dream come true for a lot of people when I got held back in the eighth grade." Andy said. "But still you've obviously changed, physically and the way you act towards other people. So I think you should be alright." Jimmy said. "I hope you're right. There are a lot of people around that'd probably like to take a piece out of me. And believe me I'm glad you're not one of them. Cause to be honest I wouldn't stand a chance. I'm mean even though I'm in way better shape than I was. You're still way stronger than me." Andy said. "Don't worry about that. Those days are over. I think if you wanted we might eventually be able to be friends." Jimmy said. He was the kind of person that was willing to give anyone a chance. "That's nice to hear you say that. Let's hope some other people might feel the same way. If not, oh well, I guess I'll get along alright." Andy said. "Okay, I'm sure you'll be fine. Maybe I'll see you later." Jimmy said.
They parted ways for their final period classes. Jimmy was still bewildered, at how much his former 'Arch-Enemy' Andy had changed, when Alice and Sam came up to him just outside of their Social Studies classroom. "Who was that you where talking to J?" Sam asked. "I'll tell you guys later. What do you think Mrs. Benson will do today?" Jimmy asked. "You mean do you think she blow her top again today, if those guys in the back keep messaging on their cell phones?" Sam asked. "Yeah, that was pretty funny, I guess." Jimmy said. It had been funnier to Sam than it had been to Jimmy. Jimmy seemed to have a slightly more mature sense of humor than Sam did. "Yeah, the way she threw her attendance pad at them and the screen cracked against the wall. Good stuff!" Sam said smiling giddily. "Yeah, really funny." Jimmy said sarcastically. "Well at least one of you is a grown up here." Alice said. When they got into class they sat down together and opened there books to the chapter the teacher was covering on the Civil War. "Who can tell us about the chapter I assigned last night? How about you Miss Greenwood?" Mrs. Benson asked Alice. "Well the north was…" Alice went on about the assigned chapter. "Yes that's all great. But what was the battle at Bull Run really about?" Mrs. Benson asked. A boy in the middle of the classroom raised his hand and answered.
When the class was over they filed out together and started walking home. "So you guys really think I'm getting chubby?" Jimmy asked. "Maybe a little." Sam said. "Well I mean look, does that look chubby to you?" Jimmy asked lifting up his shirt showing his stomach. Alice took the opportunity to tickle him. He in turn reached over both of his hands and tickled her sides, over her shirt, from top the top of her stomach to the bottom. She giggled and they kissed a little. "No you're not getting chubby. We were just giving you a hard time." Alice said smiling up at him. "Now, who was it you where talking to on the way to class?" Sam asked. "You're never gonna believe this." Jimmy said. "Try us!" Alice said. "Okay," He said clasping his hand into hers, "It was Andy Corelli." "You're kidding, he looks way different. Are you sure that was him?" Sam asked. "Pretty sure. I don't think he was lying." Jimmy said. "Well what did he want then?" Sam asked matter-of-factly. "He's in my weight training class and he wanted to catch up with me." Jimmy said. "So when you said 'catch up' I take it you don't mean slug it out for old time's sake?" Alice asked. "No, he seems like he's changed a lot." Jimmy said. "Well yeah, he's not a fat…never mind." Sam said. "Yeah, he's changed a lot. He doesn't seem like he wants to be like he used to, he just wants people to like him now." Jimmy said. "Yeah, like him so he can trick them and take their lunch or something." Sam said.
"Would you cut that out Sam?" Jimmy said. "I'm just saying, be careful. He might be up to something." Sam said. "I don't think so. I think he's really changed. I think he just wants to make peace and leave things in the past." Jimmy said. "Okay. Since you're willing to let it all go, I guess I will too. But if I'm at lunch one day and I open up my lunch and there's nothing in the bag…remember I warned you." Sam said. "Please! I don't think he's even up to that kind of thing anymore. You're only a little thinner than he is now." Jimmy said. He jokingly started to pat Sam on the stomach. "Hey! And you're saying you're thinner than him too?" Sam asked. "Of course I am. I work out and run all the time. I'm thinner than you too. Didn't used to be but I am now." Jimmy said. "You weigh more than me. You're what fifteen pounds heavier than me." Sam said. "Yeah, but muscle weighs four times what fat weighs, and I'm a lot stronger than you, and a little thinner too. Just a little." Jimmy said. "Yeah okay." Sam said. He and Jimmy started to fake punch each other in the shoulders, pretending they where ending an argument. "You guys are such boys!" Alice said. "Then why date me?" Jimmy asked coolly. "I never said there was anything wrong with boys. I just meant you're acting like boys." Alice said. "Oh…I…see…how…it…is…" Jimmy said, pretending to cry. "Very nice!" Alice said, slugging him in the right arm. "Owe! Now you're trying to wound me!" He said cradling his arm. "Make her stop!" He said to Sam. "Ha ha. Very funny!" Alice said. "Here I'll kiss it better." Alice said leaning in and kissing his arm. "That's better…I guess." Jimmy said. But he couldn't keep it up any longer, so he let out a silly laugh.
It had been a nice day at school for Charlie Hartman. It wasn't that much different from any other day of school for him. But since he had recently recovered from cancer, he had learned to look at everything in the most positive light possible. That way he could make it through even the worst of days and still feel good inside. The result was that he almost never had bad days, even if things didn't necessarily go his way. It had made him an extremely likeable person. He could light up a room with his personality alone. His smile was effortless and overpowering. He was so unassuming and sweet that people could almost taste it. He was walking home with his new friends from Sea View Middle School when three people walked in front of them and blocked their path. They where high school kids that none of them knew well. Two where average in height, but slightly stocky boys, and their ring leader was a tall, husky and irate looking girl who seemed as though she could pick one of them up with only one arm. There was no avoiding it, Charlie's formerly pleasant day had just turned bad.
"This is gonna be fun." The girl said. Her name they had learned was Penelope Gruber. "Judd grab the hick with the long hair." Penelope commanded the boy to her right. He did as he was told, latching onto Robbie's arms, holding them behind his back. "Hands off hoss! You don't know who you're messin' with!" Robbie shouted. "Hah! Calm down and you won't get hurt farm boy." Judd said. "I'm not a farm boy. I'm country." Robbie said. "You're dad is barely country Robbie." Susan said. "I doesn't matter! Just be quiet!" Penelope shouted. "Who do you think you are?" Susan said. "Susan, you know, maybe you shouldn't say anything to make them mad." Charlie said. "Hey! Who asked you tiny?" The other boy shouted. "Wait Nick, I think we got something here." Penelope said looking Charlie up and down. "You got the right idea kid. You should keep your mouth shut. You're pretty cute. But you're way too skinny. Eat something! And those eyebrows make you look really weird. They're freakin' me out." Penelope said. Charlie took a second to think about what had just been said to him. He was rather thin; he was slightly smaller in build compared to the average kid his age. And as for his eyebrows, for some strange reason since he had finished his cancer treatment, they had been growing back very slowly. So they did look very thinned.
Charlie made the mistake of looking down at the sidewalk. "Don't look away when I'm talking to you tiny!" Penelope shouted. And in one swift, fluid motion she strode up to him and slammed her fist straight into his stomach. Due to a combination of both reflexes and intense pain Charlie bent over and clutched his stomach tightly. The blow had winded him badly; he couldn't breathe for several seconds which seemed like an eternity to him. He then began to choke down whatever air he could get into his aching lungs. He staggered to remain standing. A single tear made its way down his cheek. He felt a severe pain in his stomach that was both stabbing and throbbing at the same time. "What is wrong with you?!" Susan demanded. She was rocked by a sudden and inexplicable impulse to come to Charlie's defense. She bolted up to Penelope and threw all of her weight against her, slamming her into a fence post. Penelope looked down at her angrily. "Bad mistake." Penelope said simply. She grabbed Susan by the tops of her shoulders and threw her with all her might across the sidewalk. She slammed backwards into Michael who had been preparing to take his own punishment for what none of them knew. He was knocked off of his feet and landed on his back. He hit his head on the fence behind him causing him to bite his lower lip, blood ran down his very pointed chin. Robbie ran up to try to keep Penelope at bay. But before he could get to her, Nick tackled him from the side. Robbie landed on his back managing not to hit his head, but his pant leg tore as he skidded onto the cement.
"You know what? I like that hat tiny." Judd said. He was referring to the blue and white striped beanie ski cap Charlie was wearing. He had been wearing it the first day in the hospital where Michael had met him. To their knowledge Charlie always wore it no matter what, except for when they were in school of course. When he had worn it in the hospital it may have been to cover up the fact that he had no hair underneath. Now his shiny jet-black hair showed through at the bottom where it wasn't covered. Needless to say Charlie was very attached to the cap. So when Judd yanked it off of his head and put it on, Charlie was very distressed. Susan had just managed to pick herself up of the cement and regain her composure when Penelope grabbed her by the top of the shirt preparing to throw her to the ground once more. But she didn't get the chance.
"What is going on?!" A voice shouted. It was a familiar voice. Not a parents voice, but a familiar one nonetheless. Penelope looked to see who it was that had interrupted her sport. When she saw who it was she immediately released her hold on Susan. "What d' you want?" Penelope demanded. "I want you to leave my brother and his friends alone." Jimmy said. "And who's gonna stop us?" Nick, the bigger and probably the dumber of the boys, inquired. This was not to say that Penelope was particularly smart. She was not. "Funny it kinda looked like me. The real question is: 'If you lay another hand on them who's gonna stop me'?" Jimmy asked. "You got some nerve kid!" Nick said stupidly. "Nick, shut up. He could probably take all three of us by himself." Judd said out of the side of his mouth through gritted teeth. Nick took a step back and got a better look at Jimmy.
"Forget this Pen, it ain't worth it." Nick said, fear entering his voice. "That's what I thought." Jimmy said confidently. Taking this as a challenge Judd dimly lunged forward at Jimmy, stopping on a dime, realizing quickly the futility of what he was about to try. But it was too late. Jimmy grabbed him at the tops of his shoulders, putting so much pressure on him that he couldn't break free. "If any of you EVER mess with my brother or any of his friends again, I'll…well I'll get creative." Jimmy said flashing the three of them a threatening look. "You got it man." Judd said squirming. The other two nodded. "And you better hope he's alright." Jimmy said gesturing at Charlie. "Oh and give me that cap, it belongs to him." Jimmy said. Judd pulled off the cap and handed it over to Jimmy without a word. Jimmy shook it off and handed it back to Charlie who promptly pulled it back onto his head.
"What're you guys still doing here?" Jimmy said. They stood there stiff as statues so Jimmy made a twitch forward at them which sent all three of them running off down the sidewalk. When the three bullies were out of sight Jimmy spoke again. "Are you guys alright?" He asked. They all nodded less than convincingly. "Susan, you've got some cuts on your arm you need to clean out as soon as you get home." Jimmy said. Susan held up her left arm and looked at the bad scrapes that where now present on either side. She touched one and cringed, sucking air in through her teeth. "Don't touch it, it'll just make it worse. Remember clean it out with disinfectant as soon as you get home." Jimmy said. "But that stuff stings really bad. And I'd know." Susan protested. "Trust me it's worth a few seconds of discomfort. You don't want that getting infected. Cause then you'll have to go to the doctor and get shots. Then you have to think of what's worse: getting shots or explaining to your mom that you could've just cleaned it up." Jimmy said. "That's true; she would be pretty crazy about it. I think you're right." Susan said. "I'm okay." Robbie chimed in. "Good. Michael you might need to get a couple of stitches on your lip. Other than that are you okay?" Jimmy asked. "Yeah, I'm fine, I don't know about Charlie though. That girl nailed him in the stomach really hard." Michael said.
"Charlie, lemme see where she got you." Jimmy said. Charlie who was still in pain, his eyes glazed over with tears, said nothing as he lifted up his shirt. Along with an exceptionally thin stomach, not quite to the point of being unhealthy, ribs that showed through slightly, there was an enormous space of dark red centered in the middle of his stomach. "You can put your shirt down now. But that's definitely gonna bruise. You might not wanna do a lot of bending over cause the bruised muscle tissue will hurt really bad when you do. You might see stars if you try bending over. So try putting things where you can reach them without bending over. And if you have to, try to get somebody else to help you. And good thing you're wearing flip flops cause trying to take shoes off might make you vomit." Jimmy said. "We'll all help you with that." Michael said. "Thanks." Charlie said cracking a smile, his tears beginning to dry up. They all got there book bags up off the sidewalk. When Charlie bent over to pick his up he doubled up in pain once more. "Here lemme get that for you." Robbie said pulling Charlie's book bag up off the cement and handing it to him. "Thanks." Charlie said again. As they walked home Jimmy spoke to Michael and his friends. "If those kids…or any kids for that matter, ever give you any trouble…you just tell me and I'll take care of it." Jimmy said. "Thanks Jimmy." Michael said. "What're big brothers for, huh?" Jimmy said. "…Or you could just tell their parents you know." Alice said. "You want me to tell their mommies on them?" Jimmy asked. "Well it's better than reverting to your old ways and doing things the old fashioned way." Alice said. "Well… I wasn't really gonna hit them. But look what they did. I think they'd deserve it if I did. But really if they ever mess with my brother…or his friends, I'd hafta do something." Jimmy said. "Yeah I guess so." Alice said.
They stopped at a quick medical care place on the way home where Michael got two stitches on his lower lip, they cleaned out Susan's cuts and bandaged them, and they gave Charlie an ice pack. When they got out Susan and Robbie went home but Jimmy and Michael walked Charlie home. "Now, Charlie that'll probably take a few weeks before it's stopped hurting, so you're gonna hafta be careful." Jimmy said. "I will. I promise. But I'll be fine. It won't be that bad." Charlie said. "Man you bounce back quickly." Michael exclaimed. Charlie smiled and went inside. Michael and Jimmy stayed for a few minutes to explain to Charlie's parents what had happened. They were very grateful to Jimmy for all the help he had been towards Charlie.
When they got home their mother noticed the stitches on Michael's lip immediately. "Oliver get in here quick. Michael's got stitches on his lip." Lilly shouted into another room. Oliver ran into the room, a look of concern wiping over his face instantly. "What happened?" Oliver asked. "We were walking home from school and…and." Michael stopped, obviously not wanting to talk about it. Jimmy chimed in. "They were walking home from school and these three ninth graders…never met them, maybe from a different school… jumped Michael and his friends." Jimmy said. "What do you mean 'jumped' them?" Lilly asked firmly. "Well this one girl…probably the leader, shoved Susan Stewart down a couple of times, and Michael got knocked over with her and split his lip when he hit the ground." Jimmy said. "Anything else?" Oliver asked.
"Well Robbie tore his pant leg. I think he's okay. And Michael's new friend Charlie…" Jimmy said. "Hartman." Michael said. "Right, Michael's new friend Charlie Hartman. The girl punched him pretty hard in the stomach. He's gonna be bruised pretty bad for a couple of weeks. I feel really bad for him after all he's been through…just getting beat up randomly. Any way I took care of those kids." Jimmy said. "What do you mean 'I took care of them'? I only ask because of your past history with Andy Corelli." Lilly said. "It wasn't anything like that. I just told them to stay away. That's all…I promise. Oh, and speaking of Andy. I saw him at school today. Turns out he's actually not so bad after all." Jimmy said. "That's great. But Michael, you're gonna tell us these kids names so I can call their parents and have a word or two with them." Lilly said. "But mom…" Michael protested. "No 'buts', just tell me." Lilly said. "Fine it was Penelope Gruber, Nick Vance, and Judd Weller." Michael said. "Good. I'll call their parents. But first I want to know: is this the first time they've done this to you?" Lilly asked. "Yeah." Michael answered.
"Are you sure?" Oliver asked. "I'm sure." Michael said. "So they just all of a sudden decided to come out of nowhere and beat up you and your friends?" Oliver asked disbelievingly. "No, but this is the first time they ever hit us or anything." Michael said. "So what have they done before?" Oliver asked. "Nothing much. They come around and yell at us and say stupid stuff to us. No biggie." Michael said. "So that's it?" Oliver asked. "Well no. There was this one time we got to the field early for baseball practice this summer and they came onto the field and started yelling and throwing things at us. But the coach got there and made them leave." Michael said. "Okay, well I'm glad I've got the whole picture now. Their parents will love to hear about all this I'm sure." Lilly said. "Just remember little bro, tell me if they ever mess with you again." Jimmy said. He was very defensive of his little brother, especially after this incident. "Okay, I will." Michael said. Much to their good fortune Michael and his friends would never hear from Penelope and her cronies again. They had decided that it was not worth the risk they would be taking to run into Jimmy again.
"Okay, well I'm gonna go up to my room and do my homework." Michael said. He hopped off the couch, collected his book bag, and went up the stairs. Rose passed him on the way down. When she got into the living room she stopped in front of Jimmy, and her mother and father. "Hey, can I talk to you and Jimmy?" She asked her father. "Sure, what's this about?" Oliver asked. "And why don't you wanna talk to me about it?" Lilly asked. "Well it's about boys. So I figured I'd talk to two boys about it. Jimmy cause he was my age two years ago and dad cause… well he's a guy too." Rose said. "Okay, that's fine. I need to catch up on grading some tests and quizzes anyway." Lilly said, walking off into another room.
"So what is it you wanted to talk to us about?" Oliver asked. "Well I could talk about this boy Ben that I like." Rose said. "Uh-uh. We already had this discussion. Nothing about how cute you think a boy is." Jimmy said. "Thanks. Fine, it wasn't about him anyway." Rose said. "Well then what is it about?" Oliver asked. "It's about Alex." Rose said. A mental 'uh-oh' went off in both Jimmy and Oliver's heads because both of them knew the truth behind Alex's erratic behavior but they were both bound by a promise to him not to share any of it with her. "Uhh…what about him?" Jimmy asked. "He's been acting kinda weird around me lately." Rose said. "What kind of weird? Fart jokes weird? Sick weird? Moody weird?" Oliver guessed. "Like… boy weird if you know what I mean." Rose said. "All boys act weird around girls at that age. It doesn't matter who they are. It just happens." Oliver said. Rose didn't say anything. "It's true. It's just the way we are. Remember it doesn't make him stupid. It just makes him normal." Jimmy said.
"Yeah I know. I could never think he's stupid. But he's my best friend." Rose said. "Doesn't matter, he's thirteen and he's a boy." Oliver said. "You don't think he likes me do you?" Rose said. "Who knows?" Jimmy said. "Nahh, he doesn't. No way. We've known each other too long. I'd be able to tell. It must be something else." Rose said. "Yeah must be." Oliver said. With great effort he disguised the fact that he was hiding something. "You're probably right." Jimmy said. He was much better at hiding any facial expressions, basically he looked normal, there was no way to tell he was holding something in. "Yeah, silly thing to say or even think. Forget I said it." Rose said. "Said what?" Jimmy said as he made his way to the staircase. He was leaving to make absolutely certain that there was no chance of him revealing something. "Yeah, good talk…I gotta go do…stuff." Oliver said slightly awkwardly. If Rose was more suspicious she would have picked up on how nervous her father was acting and suspected that he might be hiding something.
The next day Jimmy had managed to eat a sufficient amount of food for breakfast. So he wasn't in as anxious a mood for lunch period to arrive as he had been the day before. As a result he met up with Sam and Alice and Emily and walked down to the courtyard with them. "I see you're not in the mood for food like yesterday." Sam joked. "No I am. Just in the normal way though." Jimmy said. "Speaking of people with big appetites…" Sam said looking over Jimmy's shoulders. Jimmy looked to see who it was. "Oh. Hey Andy over here!" Jimmy shouted to him. Andy slowly moved over to the table. "Are you sure it's okay?" Andy asked. "What do you say guys?" Jimmy asked. He had always kind of been the one with the most influence of the three of them. "Sure, why not?" Alice said. She was agreeing partly just to support her boyfriend. "What's the harm?" Sam said. In his head he was thinking of a million reasons why not but he was going along with his best friends. Andy sat down on the opposite side of Jimmy from where Alice was sitting. "Wow, a sandwich, some juice, and a banana. Not a lot to eat, eh Andy?" Sam said. "Yeah, ever since I lost the weight, I've been trying to keep up good habits. Especially with eating. I still get tempted all the time. But I'm getting better at ignoring it." Andy said. "So are you saying we shouldn't bring snacks with our lunch so we don't tempt you?" Sam asked.
Andy looked a little taken aback. "No, it's not like that…anymore. I'm not gonna do like I used to and snatch your food when you're not looking." Andy said. "Or even when we are looking?" Sam said. "Yeah, I've changed. I hope someday you'll believe me Sam." Andy said. "I believe you. I'm just a little bad at forgetting how it used to be. So I'm being a little sarcastic. But it'll go away, if you're really different." Sam said. "Well just look at him, he's obviously different." Emily said. "I know. It's almost hard to believe it's actually you Andy. I'm mean you used to be so…" Sam said. "Fat. Yeah. Well not anymore, and hopefully never again. Same goes for the all the trash I used to do to people." Andy said. "Well yeah, okay. I'm willing to believe you've changed. Just don't let us down, okay?" Sam asked. "I won't. Like I told Jimmy, I don't have a lot of friends…really any. So if I can turn old enemies into friends…well that'd be great. But I understand if you don't want the same thing. I was a jerk. I know it. Maybe it's too little too late." Andy said. "We'll see. I think we can all move on." Sam said. "See, Andy, I told you they'd see it the same way I do." Jimmy said. "You're lucky you have friends like this. I never did. You guys are a lot cooler than I used to think you where." Andy said. "Well thanks. If you're really as 'changed' as you seem then I think you can be our friend." Jimmy said. "Great. Oh, there's the bell. Gotta go." Andy said.
As they walked towards their next class which they all had together that day Jimmy said "That's good I believe he's changed. So we're gonna give him a chance, right?" "Yeah I don't like to hold a grudge." Sam said. "Cool with me."Alice said. "Yeah, I guess we can all change if we really want to. I mean a couple years ago you would've knocked those kids into next week for messing with your brother. And Andy wouldn't have fit on that bench next to you. So I guess I'm all for believing in change." Sam said. Jimmy was never particularly violent. The only instances of violent behavior he had ever displayed were during the times he had been in fights in middle school. And that amounted to four in total. But he had since left behind the reputation for being hot headed and quick to overreact. Times had changed and Jimmy and his friends were willing to leave it at that.
Notes to the readers:
*Reviews are much appreciated!!
** This is the twelfth chapter of my story "A New Life". If you haven't read my first saga you may not know where these characters are coming from. So you might want to read it, or at least "Meant to Be Parts 5-9". This story takes place before the end of "Meant To Be".
***Lilly and Oliver, and Miley and Jackson are in their thirties/forties. Jimmy is 15. Rose is 13. Michael and Susan (Miley's daughter), and Robbie Rod (Jackson's son) are all 11.
****If you want to find my other stories (My first saga) click on my screen name on the top of this page, and you can find my stories on my profile. If you want to stay updated as to when I post new chapters, please subscribe to my username!!
*****There will be more in the near future. So I hope you will continue reading. I have no idea how long this saga will last. I have ideas for somewhere between 21 and 25 chapters or more. So it will be longer than "Meant to Be" probably quite a bit longer.