1998
The recess gang is in fifth grade. In two weeks time, Gretchen will be working on another astrophysics project and Spinelli will be at a wrestling convention. Gus will be on base with his dad, Vince will be practicing for baseball season in the spring, and Mikey will be in charge of prepping the little ones for the caroling as well as the pageant. TJ has no holiday plans aside from the annual family dinner and gift exchange. He decides the gang will start their own annual Christmas celebration.
As such, the gang decorates TJ's treehouse with old soup cans painted red and green, and strung together. They add toilet paper to the branches and add their allowances to get a moderate-sized tree. Upside-Down Girl, the Diggers and the Ashleys catch wind of this and want to help. The Ashleys craft ornaments for the tree, while the Diggers bargain with Hustler Kid on a gag tree topper: a miniature flag pole with a pair of underwear in place of a flag.
Upside-Down Girl and Swinger Girl have fun decorating a little extra as the latter hooks a few swings to the tree for easier access. Cornchip Girl finds out about the gathering and recruits several first graders and kindergarteners: Sticky, Pajama Boy, Tubby, the Britneys and Cindy, into making handprint decorations. From their sisters, the Tylers find out. They don't want to do any work, but they want to be a part of it. Menlo and Randall discover it at almost the last minute. They claim it will not go public if they are invited as well.
It is the party of Third Street School. TJ, Spinelli, Gretchen, Vince, Mikey, Gus, Upside-
Down Girl, Swinger Girl, Digger Sam, Digger Dave, Hustler Kid, Ashley A, Ashley B, Ashley Q, Ashley T, Cornchip Girl, Sticky, Pajama Boy, Tubby, Britney A, Britney B, Britney Q, Britney T, Cindy, Tyler A, Tyler B, Tyler Q, Tyler T, Menlo and Randall are able to get along with each other for once. Their meal had been leftovers from the back of the truck TJ's brother drives, since he works at a fast food place. Mikey leads the singing with "John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt", before regaling the others with easy-to-sing-
along Christmas carols.
2001
The (main) kids are now thirteen. TJ, Vince, Spinelli and Gus are still close friends. Upside-Down Girl and Swinger Girl hang out with each other and the Diggers more than anyone else. Hustler Kid is dating Ashley Q. All the Ashleys are still real popular and Mikey is more of a poetic crafter. Gretchen hangs out with Menlo and Randall is still a snitch. Cornchip Girl and the Tylers are eleven and at the top of the Third Street elementary school. Tyler A is King of the Playground. Pajama Boy and Tubby are nine-
year-old fifth graders. Sticky, the Tylers and Cindy are also nine but fourth graders. The Ashleys, Tylers and Britneys now have three-year-old preschooler brothers: the Quincys.
Still, TJ, Vince, Spinelli and Gus decide to have the treehouse party. They recruit the Ashleys, Tylers, Britneys and Quincys as well as Hustler Kid, Menlo, Gretchen and Mikey. Randall invites himself. Cornchip Girl starts her own Christmas party and invites Sticky, Pajama Boy, the Tylers, the Britneys, the Quincys, Tubby and Cindy. The Tylers go to TJ's party but the Britneys and Quincy's go to Cornchip Girl's. It is redecorated with out the swing additions.
They have a few CDs playing Christmas songs and food extras are from TJ's brother's van. He's still working at that fast food joint. The As, Bs, Ts and Qs leave pretty early with Hustler Kid. Then Gretchen and Menlo leave, with people wondering if they are dating. Then only TJ, Spinelli, Vince, Gus, Mikey and Randall are left. They make do.
2005
Now the main kids are seventeen and high school seniors. TJ was once a leader but now he's just the kid that gets into a lot of trouble for trying to rebel against rules and backtalk to teachers. Randall had retained his snitching ways until the teachers got mad at him for it, even more than the teachers. So, he joined journalism and started reporting on the teachers. He gets into almost as much trouble as TJ and the two have grown closer as friends. Spinelli gets into so many fights. By the middle of her sophomore year, she had gotten booted out of the school and sent to a juvenile delinquency school and hall.
Vince is the school's star athlete, dating the head cheerleader Ashley A. They only date for show, since they cannot stand each other in actuality. Vince actually likes Ashley Q, a total geek. Gus leads the ROTC and is dating a girl "within the suits": Ashley T. Mikey is a quiet, benevolent junior. He has gone Vegan and has gotten quite slimmer. Oftentimes however, he skips class to sit in the courtyard or up on the roof on remarkably sunny days. He usually sends his sophomore friend Tyler B to class in his place.
Gretchen graduated two years ago and was accepted into Yale, while Menlo graduated just last year and was accepted into Princeton. Ashley B, second-time senior Lawson and Swinger Girl are the bad kids of the school who don't get into trouble. They are mostly found under the football bleachers, drinking or doing drugs. Sometimes, they just head out there to catch Hustler Kid putting on a show. He's a great guitarist and music writer. He charges people to skip class and watch him play. Digger Sam and Digger Dave have their own construction company, despite still being high school seniors.
Upside-Down Girl dropped out sophomore year to be a mother. The daddy is Butch, who is currently in jail for armed robbery. Sophomores Tyler A (a flaunter) and Tyler T (a matchmaker) are dating. Sophomore Cornchip Girl is in Marine Scouts. Tyler Q is repeating freshman year and is dating seventh-grade-skipper Britney B. Pajama Boy and Tubby are also freshmen. Tubby is bullied a lot and Pajama Boy sticks up for him, by becoming a bully to others. Britney A, Britney Q, Britney T, Sticky and Cindy are eighth graders and at the top of the middle school. Britney A is a total jock, Britney Q doesn't like to get dirty, Britney T is a complete brainiac, Cindy is a tomboy fighter and Sticky is leader of the group.
Back at Third Street elementary, are a group of seven-year-old second graders. Quincy A is a snitch, Quincy B is a suck-up, Quincy Q hogs the jungle gym and Quincy T is always faking being sick. No one on the playground likes them and they cannot stand one another. There is almost always a Quincy in Principal Finster's office. Even though everyone has separated from him, TJ still wants to have a Christmas celebration in the tree house. He still lives at home with his mom. His parents are divorced and his brother has a family of his own.
Vince has a too busy schedule and Spinelli is in confinement. Gus has "no time for little kid wishes" and Gretchen won't call him back. Randall, Ashley Q, Mikey and Tyler B don't mind helping out. Upside-Down Girl says she'll come if she can get a babysitter. Tylers A and T use the party as a date. Tubby and Pajama Boy also agree to make an appearance. By the time the party gets here, the old rickety tree house is splashed in colors and spiked punch is brought along with eggnog. Upside-Down Girl sticks with water and remains right-side-up. A and T get a little buzzed and start making out. Pajama Boy tests everything before passing it off to Tubby.
B and Q have fun quizzing each other over random holiday trivia. Meanwhile, TJ mostly hangs out with Randall and Mikey. Randall is drinking bourbon from a flask, but he isn't drinking too much and relishes having friends. The party is interesting to say the least. Before New Year, Randall and Mikey return to help TJ renovate the tree house.
2010
The main kids are twenty-two. Randall is bartender for the local club. Every now and then, he sneaks a little from the tab. He works there with Dave (another bartender) and Lawson (the bouncer). After a horrible fight with his brother, Diggers Construction blew in their faces. Dave had gotten very drunk and is now a deadbeat dad to two-year-old Misa: Britney Q's daughter. Britney Q is eighteen and a recent high school graduate.
Menlo has already graduated Princeton and is enrolled as a junior for his Master's Degree at Brown. He is a District Attorney, dating his boss Gretchen. She has two doctorates and her first degree had been in advanced law. Ashley A is working as a stripper for a rival club where Hustler Kid is the bouncer. They have an on-again, off-again relationship. Ashley B and Ashley T each have a two-year-old by Lawson. Ashley B is a college junior and has a daughter named Nova, and Ashley T is a college junior and has a son named Avon.
Vince broke a leg and is out of the games for the season. He is a college senior and is dating Brain Bar barista Ashley Q. Swinger Girl is in jail with Digger Sam for a failed robbery scheme. Gus is stationed in Afghanistan, while twenty-year-old Cornchip Girl is working on a Marine base for college credit. They have weekly chats through a secured FaceTime link. Upside-Down Girl is dating Mikey, who is helping take care of seven-
year-old Derek. Upside-Down Girl is in medical school, while Mikey is currently co-
writing the fourth installment of a self-help book series with Guru Kid and Mundy called "Life is Like Recess."
Spinelli is out of a loser gang and is out on parole from burning CDs and selling them on the streets. TJ is attending community college and is a sophomore. He still lives at home, taking care of his mom with his only source of income: an illegal graffiti artist. He always has excuses to be out after dark with his cover job be it a night walker, a park ranger, etcetera. Tyler A and Tyler T are twenty and engaged. Britney B has already agreed to be a surrogate mother. Tyler A's ego has gone down substantially and Tyler T's only downfall is how extremely angry he can be without his morning coffee. Britney B is a college junior with a double major: children's psychology and nuclear aeronautics.
Tyler B and Q are twenty-year-old sophomores at the same college TJ attends. Pajama Boy is eighteen and is a freshman there, in ROTC. Sticky, Tubby, Britney A, Britney T and Cindy are also eighteen. Sticky and Cindy are repeat seniors. Tubby works at a comic book store and Britney T works at a movie theater. Britney A goes through boyfriends and stays out with them or at home usually. The Quincys are twelve-years-old. A is a rebel, B is teacher's pet, Q is usually found in detention and T skips a lot of classes.
TJ wants things to be like they used to be. He has his tree house revamped and he wants to have a Christmas party. Ashley B comes over with Nova and Ashley T, with Avon. Vince comes with Ashley Q, just as the other Ashleys are leaving with their kids. Tylers A and T show up, only talking about having kids. Pajama Boy, Sticky, Cindy and Tubby also show.
2016
The Quincys are eighteen. The Armbrusters move away, taking Quincy and Britney with them. The Quincys move out of state to live on campus and T, for a world tour of a hot indie group. Sticky and Cindy are twenty-four, engaged and three months pregnant. They move away. Pajama Boy is deployed to Afghanistan, where Gus and Cornchip Girl are staying off the grid. They have unofficially-yet-naturally-officially married. Tubby gets a great job offer and moves away. Britney T follows Tubby. Britney Q is back with Dave. Misa is eight. Britney B works as a live-in for Tylers A and T as well as their kids. They have five-year-olds Joseph and Jasper, three-year-old Monica, and two-year-old Marty. Tyler B is a traveling stand-up comedian, most notably known for his Recess character impressions. These include know-it-all jock Chance, hot rocket Donnelli and spitshine ranger Buzz.
It is unknown where Tyler Q is and he seems to have fallen off the grid. Upside-Down Girl has a thirteen-year-old son Derek, and a fianc named Mikey who has gained back some weight, and muscle. Ashley T and Ashley B live in an apartment together with their kids. Nova and Avon are eight. Ashley Q is still a barista and is now married to professional basketball coach Vince. They have a two-year-old daughter Cea. Ashley A is now with Hustler Kid, though they aren't married or even thinking about it. They have moved away with their five-year-old son Dell and their four-year-old daughter Melanie.
Gretchen and Menlo are married with three-year-old Anthos. Gretchen is an astrophysicist and Menlo is a top homicide detective. Randall is the unit chief and Menlo's boss. TJ and Spinelli have caught up with one another. TJ is a bail bondsman and Spinelli is a bounty hunter. They have been dating for the past year and Spinelli may be pregnant.
TJ throws another party. He owns his old house and Spinelli lives with him. They throw a big party. TJ, Spinelli, Randall, Menlo, Gretchen, Vince, Ashley Q, Cea, Britney Q, Dave, Misa, Ashley T, Ashley B, Nova, Avon, Upside-Down Girl, Mikey, Derek, Britney B, Tyler A, Tyler T, Joseph, Jasper, Monica and Marty are able to come together and get along with each other. From thirty to twenty-five and climbing, TJ is glad he's so determinate and so is Spinelli. They have survived many nightmares and now the miracles are shining.
[][][] Well, I'm not too sure how I feel about this one, but hey! Let me know your thoughts. [][][]