Cooper's in the 8th grade. It's May and in two months he'll graduate and be a high school student, going to Dalton Academy and he'll be the small freshman who needs to learn the ropes of a big prep school. But right now he's at the top of the heap, popular enough to never be without someone to hang out with but humble enough to hang out with ANYONE and do well in school. The perfect combination.

May at Lima District Junior High means the annual 8th grade carnival and Cooper has been excited about it since literally September of 6th grade. It's a rite of passage and Cooper has been planning who he'll attend with and what he'll wear for the past month. Which is why, standing in his kitchen the eve of the most important night of his young life, he's having an argument with his parents.

"But why do I have to bring him?" He throws his arms out to the side for the umpteenth time since this argument started a half hour ago and asks the question that, in his mind, he still hasn't heard a good answer for.

"Because Cooper," His father says sternly, sitting at the kitchen table with his wife at his shoulder, "we have a dinner to go to and there is no one else to watch him."

"But...but...but..." Cooper's literally run out of ways to argue but he's not overly sure he's done WANTING to argue. He may be cool enough to hang out with whoever he wants but he just KNOWS he's going to be treated like he has the plague if he shows up at the 8th grade carnival with his 5 year old baby brother.

"Cooper," His mother admonishes, laying a hand on her husband's shoulder, "Blaine is going with you. End of story."

Cooper growls low in his throat and he wants to pick up something and throw it (because as a 13 year old boy that's the most logical way to express his distaste for the situation) but instead he just settles for saying "I hope you realize that bringing him with me will literally make me lose friends. I don't want him there." and storming out of the room to his bedroom...completely missing the heartbroken mop of curly brown hair standing outside the kitchen door clutching his bear to his chest and letting tears slip down his cheeks.

Cooper slams his bedroom door and flops onto his bed. Why don't his parents understand? No matter how cool Cooper is, NO ONE survives having their baby brother tag along to an event that was supposed to be a mark of independence.

He hears a knock on the door and shifts to a sitting position, thinking its one of his parents coming to scold him for his behaviour because Blaine never knocks, "Come in." He calls. He might as well get the lecture over with.

The door opens and in walks his baby brother, head hung low and Katy Beary hanging loosely at his side. Cooper wrinkles his eyebrows in worry. Blaine never knocks on Cooper's door (they're always had an open door policy with each other) and Cooper has never seen his little brother looked so crushed.

"B, what's wrong?" He asks concerned, patting the seat next to him on the bed.

Blaine looks up, almost startled by the question and keeps his spot just inside the door, "I don't want you to be mad at me Coopa." He mumbles and Cooper smiles because Blaine still hasn't quite mastered the 'er' at the end of his name before the comment throws him off.

"Mad at you?" Cooper questions, "What do you mean?"

Blaine sighs and looks away, out the window, "You don't want me to come with you." Is all he says.

And that's when Cooper realizes that Blaine must have listened to at least part of the argument and has decided that he has somehow angered his older brother into not wanting him to accompany him to the carnival. And that's the last thing Cooper wants Blaine to think.

"Oh Blaine I'm not mad at you." He says sincerely, getting off the bed to sink to his knee in front of Blaine, "You know how much I love to hang out with you." And its not a lie. Blaine isn't only one of the coolest 5 year olds Cooper knows, he's also one of the coolest PEOPLE Cooper knows. He loves spending time with Blaine, teaching him things, reading to him or just talking about the boys in Blaine's class (because that's all Blaine seems to want to talk about).

"Then why don't you want me there?" Blaine cries with a frustrated huff and shrug of his shoulders. Blaine is too young to understand the nuances of popularity. He's too young to understand that sometimes hanging out with your baby brother is the opposite of cool. He just knows he wants to hang out with his older brother. And who is Cooper to blame him.

"I do want you there Blaine. I do. I'm sorry I said that. I didn't mean it. I was just upset with mom and dad." This placates Blaine because even though he's only 5 he DOES understand the nuances of their parents.

"So I can come, Coopa?" Blaine asks excitedly, depression forgotten.

Cooper laughs and ruffles Blaine's curls, "Of course you can come, Goober. Maybe it'll win me points with the girls, having you along." He's just thought of it but its probably true. They always 'aww' when he brings up Blaine.

"Ewwwwww girls are yucky." Blaine sticks his tongue out and shakes his head much like most little boys do when faced with the girl situation.

Cooper laughs, "You won't think so when you're my age, B. Trust me."