In my Creative Writing class, we were given some story starters, opening sentences that could jumpstart a story and this one popped out in my mind: "I never expected that one day I'd open my closet and find..."
So I took it and made a JN oneshot. Enjoy!
Sympathy
I never expected that one day I'd open my closet and find Carl stuffed in it, yet here he was, squished in-between a box of shoes and an old telescope. My initial reaction was to scream and it took a massive breach of willpower to control my vocal cords. In the meantime, Carl just stared sheepishly at me, waiting for the storm that was sure to follow this discovery.
"Carl?" I questioned, trying to keep my voice steady. "Why are you in my closet?"
"Well, um…" he stuttered, avoiding my gaze. I'm hiding from Jimmy."
"Hiding from Neutron?" My curiosity was aroused. "What for? Aren't you and Neutron supposed to be best buds?"
"We are! It's just that I'm scared of this invention he wants to test on me."
"What invention?"
"Well, it's really big and lightning-y and…and SCARY!" He covered his eyes and started shaking in fear. I sighed. Another Neutron disaster, no doubt.
"But how did you…never mind," I said, holding a hand out as if to ward away the thought. "I don't even want to know how you got in my closet." I looked back down at him and realized he must be uncomfortable. There was barely any room for him. "Come on," I sighed. "You can come out. Neutron's not gonna look in here for you."
"Thanks, Cindy! You're the best!" he said as he pulled himself out of the closet. He sat down at the end of the bed and quietly observed his surroundings, and all a sudden, I felt the urge to say something nice.
"So…I heard you volunteer at the petting zoo," I ventured, trying to sound casual. "That's kinda cool."
"Yeah, it is," he answered. "Sheen says I should have done something cooler, like get a job at Retroland. That way he could get discounts on cotton candy and stuff."
"Well, Sheen's an idiot. I think volunteering at the petting zoo is really sweet of you."
"Really?" Carl asked, a childish smile on his face.
"Sure," I confirmed, sitting next to him on the bed. "You're a sweet guy, Carl." He answered with a big smile and continued looking around the room. "Ok, Vortex," I thought. "You're going a bit too far with the nice talk." But in the back of my mind, I couldn't help feeling sorry for this boy. One friend uses him as a guinea pig and the other uses him to get stuff for him. Some friends. Carl's bullied more than Oleander.
Suddenly, Jimmy flew in through the window via jetpack and landed softly on the pink carpet. "There you are, Carl," he said, grabbing Carl's arm and attempting to pull him out the window. "The machine's already warmed up and I need you to…"
"Hold up, Neutron," I warned, getting up and standing in-between him and Carl. "Maybe Carl doesn't want to be your guinea pig."
"What?" he yelled defensively, letting go of Carl's arm.
"You heard me, Nerdtron. Carl isn't going with you. Now, get out of my room!"
"Fine!" he spat, glancing at Carl before flying out the window again. Carl took a deep breath from his inhaler, falling onto his back on the bed.
"Thanks, Cindy," he breathed.
"You're welcome, Carl," I responded, absently patting him on the stomach. "You're welcome."
