June 16, 2011
7:00 PM PDT

Martin Seamus McFly Jr smiled - as he turned to his best friend, Harmony Clara Brown. It was a rather warm evening - and the two youths were really enjoying themselves in the swimming pool in the backyard of Harmony's grandparents. Harmony was proud of her grandfather, Dr. Emmett Lathrop Brown - and how he became a famous scientist.

"I bet you can hardly wait for tomorrow, eh?" Harmony asked, smiling. "You're gonna be thirteen years old. You're gonna be a bona fide teenager. This is gonna be a very big step. I'll have to wait a couple more months, before I become a teenager."

"Actually, I'm feeling nervous about it," Marty Jr replied, sighing. "I mean, being a kid is so easy - but, as a teenager, you really have peer pressure to deal with. You can't simply like what you enjoy. You have your peers, uh, dictating what you should like."

"What?" Harmony asked, shocked. "Oh, I bet your sister has sure been giving you the whole rundown of what being a teenager entails - right? I don't have anything against her, but... Well, she does tend to simply scoff at anything she views as being 'kiddie' - and she does seem to be quite... high-strung. Well, I really do believe she's wrong."

"Well, that is definitely part of the reason," Marty Jr replied, softly. "She quite makes it seem as if being a teenager is... not nearly as fun as being a kid. I guess I'm simply worried about our peers will say, if I... if I don't give up doing some of the things..."

"Just relax, Marty," Harmony prodded, gently. "At least, you'll have me for company. As far as for what our other friends think... Well, if they're truly our friends, I'm quite certain that they'll respect our choice - even if they might disagree with our choices."

"I suppose you are right, Harmony," Marty Jr replied, with a small smile. "I know some of our friends disagree with my lack of interest in sports, but they don't nag me about it. At least, not too much. At most, they rib me about it - some of the time. I do feel a little nervous, though. I just feel as if Marly and I are not as close as we used to be."

"She sure may be going through a phase," suggested Harmony, gently. "Melody and I sometimes have our disputes, as well. I'm sure that, deep down inside, your sister still loves you. Maybe it's just her way of... She may be trying to find her own identity."

"Well, if that's quite the case," Marty Jr replied, shaking his head, "then why is she so concerned with... being like the other teenagers? After all, isn't that contradictory? It really doesn't make sense to me. Why not just worry about what she enjoys?"

"That I really don't know," Harmony replied, softly. "I guess she is just... You have to keep in mind, she's not like us. I mean, I've always considered her to be a friend - but she's just... Well, I really do think our interests and personalities are too different. If our family wasn't close to yours, then it's unlikely that I would... hang around her."

"I know what you mean," Marty Jr replied, softly. "It's not that you think she's a bad person, right? It's just that you two quite have so little in common." Harmony smiled, as she nodded. "To be honest, I'd probably be the same - even though I love her."

"Well, that's because she is your sister," Harmony pointed out, as she stroked Marty Jr's arm. "I sometimes just wonder about my relationship with Melody. We do have a lot in common, granted - but we do also have our differences. Know what I mean?"

"Right, I understand," Marty Jr replied, softly. "Still, I really don't get why so many of our peers are looking forward to being teenagers. Granted, it'll be very nice not to be considered a 'child' - but I... I sure do remember wanting to be grown up, when I was much smaller. Still, that was before I came to realize just how much responsibility..."

"... being an adult entails, right?" Harmony finished, softly. "Right, I understand what you mean. Even a rock star like your father quite has to deal with responsibilities, and it's not all fun and games. Although, it's probably more fun than having an office job."

"And you do get paid more, too," Marty Jr pointing out, nodding. "He went on his last concert tour, back in the summer of 2005. It was simply so that he could spend more time with us. Sometimes, I wonder if he just misses being on the road - and all that."

"I really believe he made the right choice," Harmony replied, nodding. "Even though I imagine that a lot of his fans were disappointed. Sort of like how we feel about never being able to see Led Zeppelin in concert. I mean, there simply was the one-off show in the UK - but we couldn't make it. Robert Plant is being a little bit stubborn with..."

"He is, a little," Marty Jr agreed, quietly. "But, on the other hand, I also understand why he might be against the idea. First off, he is into having his own singing career. Second of all, his tenure with Led Zeppelin wasn't all happy times. He really had..."

"Good point," Harmony replied, in a near whisper. "While Led Zeppelin really might still be popular, Robert Plant's own output does also have quite a significant following. He may view the idea of a Led Zeppelin reunion as being too much... living in the past."

"As much as it just pains me to say this," Marty Jr replied, "you're probably right. Plus, they're not quite as young as they used to be. Even if they all simply got rejuvenation overhauls, it still won't bring John Bonham back to life. Plus, I really think the members have all moved on - that they just would not have the same energy as they used to."

"At least, we went to a Foo Fighters concert," Harmony commented, "a little over two years ago. Although, we quite got in plenty of trouble for that one. We have another Foo Fighters concert coming up, along with the Disturbed concert. It'll be awesome!"

"Oh, you bet!" Marty Jr replied, smiling. "It was nice of Brent to get us those tickets. I guess we quite do have something to look forward to. Maybe Robert Plant may simply be onto something. I guess I should just stop feeling nervous about turning thirteen."

"It's just a number, Marty," Harmony pointed out, in a near whisper. "Nobody is really saying that you have to make such drastic changes in your life. You'll barely even feel it. And, by 'barely' - I mean 'not at all'. I really believe that there's nothing wrong with reminiscing about our past. Just think of how much fun your birthday party will be."

"You're very right, Harmony," Marty Jr replied, with a small smile. "I hope that people will not expect me to listen to that rap crap. I mean, I really can't stand that garbage that some of the teens have blasting from their cars. It makes me feel nauseated."

"I completely sympathize with that," Harmony replied, nodding. "Plus, there really are a frightening number of girls our age who like Justin Bieber. I don't understand what's so special about him. Now, Emerald Green is a teen artist that knows how to rock!"

"Oh, yes," Marty Jr replied, as he flashed a lopsided smile. "She was just twelve years old, when she started - and she joined my dad on his very last tour. She reminds me a little of Lzzy Hale from Halestorm. Both girls really know how to rock! I believe Emerald Green's music is classified as post-grunge and alternative metal. She's quite talented."

"Come to think of it, she just turned eighteen," Harmony pointed out, softly. "It's very hard to believe that she's legally an adult, now. I wonder what it was like for her to go to a public school. Maybe, at her school, all the kids actually knew how to rock out."

"Well, I just refuse to believe that rock is dead," Marty Jr commented, with resolve. "I sure do wish to carry the rock torch onto the next generation. I hope that, a hundred years from now, people will still be rocking out. I wish to follow in my dad's footsteps."

"Well, as long as it's what you want to do," Harmony pointed out, smiling. "I have not yet decided what I want to do. While I do find science to be interesting, I'm not so sure that being a scientist is for me. I was thinking of maybe working at a radio station - maybe even our local rock station, KKHV. I think it'd be so cool to be a disc jockey.

"I think you'd make a real great disc jockey," Marty Jr replied, as he patted Harmony's shoulder. "According to my dad, though... Remember, back in the late-'80, he worked a few years as a disc jockey... Anyway, you might not be able to pick the play list."

"Oh, that's all right," Harmony replied, softly. "Actually, I already knew that - from the various times that I would request songs. Come to think of it, it'd really be nice to be a program director - but I guess that would actually require a lot of work and hassle."

"Yeah, probably so," Marty Jr agreed, as he began to climb out of the pool. "Say, how about we play a little Nintendo? Despite what other people may say, I quite do believe that the original Super Mario Brothers was the best. I do think some of the games that came out in the '80s have never really lost their appeal. How's that sound with you?"

"It sounds good, Marty," Harmony agreed, as she also began climbing out of the pool. "Old-school Nintendo is the very best, in my opinion. Anyway, remember what my dad always says. You should learn from the past, plan for the future, and live for today."

"Well, Harmony, I really feel so much better," Marty Jr replied, as he wrapped a towel around himself. "Y'know, you've always been a real good friend to me. You sure made me realize that I was fretting for nothing. Well, let's give Bowser a good ass-kicking."

The two youths laughed, as they headed into the house. Marty Jr thought of how he would have a brand new year for opportunities. While growing older would come with more responsibilities, it would also come with more freedom. For now, it was best just to live life one day at a time. Indeed, he would welcome his birthday with open arms.