So ready to jump ahead in time? I told you we will, but I haven't told you how far :)
2024
I'm running in the hallway and as I'm not really watching, I almost bump into Mrs Rhodes. She gives me a a severe look to remind me I'm not allowed to run in school. I think she is nice since she could have yelled too, but she didn't. Anyway, poor Mrs Rhodes has no idea that I have really good reasons to run. First of all I have to go to the school library to have some quiet time reading the newest Journal of Applied Physics and second: which was even more important, Alex Fisher was about to beat me up with his gang again. Everyone's first basic reaction to that is that I have to tell it Mrs Rhodes or a teacher or my parents, but guess what, it doesn't really help. When I told Mrs Rhodes she called Fisher's parents. Their parents took his phone away, so he took mine. But it didn't really matter. It was just a phone. And Fisher's just a bully. He isn't even the leader.
No, the leader is that filthy hypocrat, Debbie who just plays with everyone like they were muppets. She plays nasty and never gets any punishment for it, just because everybody says she looks cute. Well I don't see that but I'm really just not interested girls yet, so they maybe right. She has wavy blonde hair and big brown eyes. Anyway I hate her more than I could ever hate anything. The worst thing about her is, that I have to see her not just on school days but on weekends as well. My parents and her parents are friends, and we always have a group meeting in the weekend, so I'm stuck with Debbie on Saturdays too.
Debbie is always trying to make ally with my little sister, Dorothy. Dory is almost OK, on most days but when she is with Debbie, I hate her too. She may be as brilliant as the rest of my family, but still too little to understand what's going on and how disgustin Debbie is to me, so she adores her like everyone in school does. When we, I mean me and Debbie got into the same class she threatened me not to tell anyone that we are spending extra time together, then after a few months, she was the one who told it. On Mondays everyone's around her as she tells some funny stories about me, she heard from her parents or mine. Most of them are the renewed version of wetting myself in kindergarten once. But they still listen to it and laugh at it.
As much as I hate Debbie the only good thing about Saturdays is to meet Justin. He is too young to become real friends with me, but he is always nice. Justin and Dory are the same age and they go to the same preschool, just like Debbie and me did, but they kind of like each other, since none of them is a real bully. But no matter that Dory and Justin are friends in preschool, when we are with out parents, I still always team up with Justin, and Dory teames up with Debbie. In any puzzles or riddles we beat them, since I'm kind of smart and Justin is also doing great for his age. Baby Maya and baby Chloe are always there too, but they are too little to hang out with us, Chloe is two, and Maya is only one so they are with the grown ups. Chloe is Debbie's sister, while Maya is Justin's. So Saturdays are noisy.
Couple of years ago I was really irritated at the noise level so I always hid in a closet. Mom or Dad often came after me, but I liked it so much better when Aunt Penny came. Aunt Penny is Justin's and Maya's mother, and I think she is really beautiful, especially considering that she is so old. When she found me in a closet she always sang Soft Kitty to me. That's a really simple lullaby, but Aunt Penny told, that always helped calm my dad down. Aunt Penny is clearly amazing, and I blush everytime when she gives me a kiss on my cheek. Maybe I'm interested in girls after all. But now I'm older and I'm okay with other kids being noisy, and also I really don't want Debbie to tell everyone in school that I'm hiding in closets on Saturdays.
As I run across the hallway and turn to the left to reach the library I see Debbie is standing with an evil smile spreading on her face. I know this only could mean something really horrible for me. And I'm not wrong. The next moment I feel that somehing is falling on me. It's trash from two trashcans held by two of my classmates. Not the smartest prank ever, but Debbie and her gang never wanted to make anything smart, they were pretty satisfied with hurting me anyway. I try to run but I slip on something spilled from the trash so I fell. They laugh.
" That's not funny. " I know that's not the wittiest comeback ever but I don't know what else to say. It's really not funny.
" It is. Well, good luck cleaning it up, Nicki. Remember, if you don't we could put you in it. " My real name is Nicholas Cooper, and I usually got called Nick, but those kids often use Nicki instead. They are leaving. I stand up and I ran after them. I want to reach Debbie and kill her, but I find Caleb first. He is the other guy who held the trash can. I push him as I run and unfortunately he is already in front of the stairs so he falls off. Debbie and Alex stop and look at me. Caleb starts to cry, sitting at the bottom of the stairs, he is holding his one arm with the other. I shake my head and run away. Debbie and Alex must have been surprised since they don't even say a word about it. I know that this will be a big trouble but I don't want to be here to see it. I hope Caleb's okay, but he didn't hit his head or anything so he should be okay. It's just after lunch break and I still have two lessons left, but I don't care. I open the door before anyone could speak a word and I simply leave school.
After ten minutes I'm starting to get short on breath from running so I slow down. I an run quite fast. There's really nothing to see here. Suburbs. Big houses everywhere. Still ours is more than four miles away, but I don't plan on going home anytime soon anyway. When I was little we didn't live in a big house, but we lived in an apartment in Los Robles. I keep wondering about what could happen right now at school. I'm sure they are already at the principal's office. Principal Alvarez is an older woman, maybe in her late fifties. She has this tone that implies she is always worrying. Maybe they called Mrs Rhodes in too and she may tries to defends me. It really doesn't matter. Debbie is not even here, I'm sure about that. I tried to tell my parents that she was the cause and source of everything wrong, but I really can't prove it, and they don't believe me. I mean they know that Debbie is the one figuring out some pranks at school and they also know that I don't like her, but that's all. As smart and bright they are, they can be as dumb and blind sometimes.
My mom and dad talked or better to say: argued a lot about the possitbility of me skipping grades or being home-schooled lately, but they are too busy with their work to teach me and mom wants me to go to school with kids the same age to learn how to socialize. There are some really elite schools also here in Los Angeles but none of them would accept me as a student since all of my papers says that I have some issues with fitting in and behaving the way I should. So there are no fancy schools for me, just this crappy one.
After walking for half an hour I find myself in a little park. I sat down on the bench and skip the time drawing atoms to the sand with the top of my shoes. I alway hope I find out something interesting, and I often do, but when I tell my parents, the answer is that my findings are true, but other people also figured them out decades ago. As the time goes by I'm gettin really bored, I left all of my stuff at school. So I try to find prime numbers. Before onehundred-thousand it's an easy job for me, since I'vre read books about prime numbers and I remember everything. I have photographic memory like my Dad does. But after that, it's kind of fun. I have a lot to think to figure out the next one after 1299821, but of course I do. I'm about to think further when I hear a car honking at me.
It's mom. Of course they called her too. I stand up and I see that I have a lucky day, because Dad's not here. Dad always gets really upset whenever things like these happens. Once he made a pretty big scene at school, and it was really embarassing. Dad wants to murder anyone who hurts me, and tried to do everything to make my life better, like talking to my bullies and telling them it's proven that they have great chances to become drug addicts, while I'm gonna be the overlord of humanity, but sure this made everything worse. Then, after those horrible scenes, he is also grumpy at home for an entire week. So partly that's why I hate talking about my situation.
The other part is mom, of course. She acts cooler than dad, but I can see how sad this makes her. Now there she is and as I sit next to her on the front seat I see that her eyes are red and so is her nose. She was crying again. Good. I act like I don't really care but actually I really feel guilty. Sometimes I tried to make friends just to avoid all this but somehow I couldn't.
" I was worried about you. " she says with reproach but she still hugs me.
I don't say a word just sit and stare. I don't think I could say anything that would be new to her.
" I picked up your bag, so today you don't have to go back. But you have to tell me what happened. "
I sigh. This goes on again and again and again.
" I think you know what happened. That's why they called you. To tell you. "
Mom shakes her head.
" Nick, please. Of course they told me but I want to hear it from you. "
" Just the same old. How is Caleb? "
" He broke his arm. Otherwise he is fine. "
I know that's a bad thing, but I really don't care about Caleb, as I can't stop thinking about what this will cost me.
" I'm sorry. " I say to calm Mom, but actually I'm not. I fear a little of what kind of punishment will I get from Debbie and the other kids, but I'm not sorry. Caleb deserved it. Once in a lifetime they can get hurt too.
" Nick, I really want to help, but if you don't tell me what's going on... "
" And what if I told you? Could you do anything about it? "
Mom sighs again. " Well, I could listen. Then... "
" What then? " I ask. I really don't want to provocate Mom, but I'm angry. We had this conversation a million times before and since I have eidetic memory and remember all of them word by word, they started to really bore me.
" You're right. I don't know. But I do know that if you run away and refuse talking with me, you make it worse. "
Mom is probably right but I really don't feel like talking. So she continues.
" Look, I'm sure that this wasn't as much your fault as much those two guys wanted Principal Alvarez to beileve. But you still cannot do this. The teachers were kind of understanding, so no one is punishing you. But we have to go to the school counselor tomorrow to talk about you and then you are going to see her on a weekly basis. "
" Sounds like a punishment to me. " I say.
" It isn't. So you should make up your mind whether you want to tell your father or I have to. "
" Do you want to tell Dad? " I ask. I'm really surprised. Mom is usually much easier than this and she barely tells Dad.
" I have to. The school counselor wants to see both of us. "
" That's so unfair. And psychology is the hokum of sciences. "
" Your father should know about what's going on in your life at school. " she tells.
" Then why didn't you tell him the last time when I fell running from them and I got bruise on my knee or when all my pens became suddenly broken? " I ask, but she doesn't answer. We both know why she didn't tell Dad any of those. Because Dad gets angry and moody and can't deal with it, but we don't say a word for the rest of our road trip.
As we got home I want to go to my room and play some video games to have a little peace before Dad and Dory arrives, but Mom don't let me. She says that maybe if we don't talk about school we could have some fun together, so she makes me my favorite hot beverage: hot cocoa with some vanilla, then we play counterfactuals. That's a cool game, Mom told me she and Dad invented it a long time ago. It's based on the theory of endless parallel universes and we start to argue about what would a fridge look like if Pythagoras would have been born dead. Mom laughs and tickles me as I speak. I can't bear tickling and she is well aware of that so I start to laugh before I could finish telling her all my reasons.
" I hope you're feeling better, Little Monkey. " she says. She is lucky that Dad couldn't hear it because he always gets angry when mom calls me like that. Not that scary angry he does at my school bullies, but more like funny angry.
When Dad finally arrives, Mom starts cooking. I eat my dinner without talking, so I can hear what Dad tells Mom about his day. Well no wonder I got picked at school, my parents are famous scientists and we have a family life clearly unusal. We play Counterfactuals and 3D chess, also we have a Youtube channel, called Fun with Flags. We make an episode every month, and I'm handling the camera since I really don't want to show myself in front of it. Debbie showed the channel to everyone, and it was kind of a big sensation in school. In the old times I really enjoyed making those episodes, because I thought vexillology is actually fun and useful to know, but now I'm just doing it, because I don't want my parents to ask me why I don't want to.
We also have a Nobel prize at home. Well technically our house is a Nobel prize too since we used the money from the prize to buy it. It was two years ago, and I was only a preschooler, but I still remember everything. I know I should be proud but I'm not. I hate that freaking prize and I cursed it so many times even I can't recall all of them suddenly. I hate the house too, since I feel our lives were better in Losr Robles. Dad wanted that prize so badly, even I could tell, but it's not his. It's Mom's. Her research about brain tumors made a breakthrough in curing cancer, so she got it. They never told me, but I know, Dad is jealous of her. Ever since that prize, Dad comes home often late. Ever since that prize Mom and Dad don't always get along too well. They sleep in the same bed, but I never see them kissing or touching each other. I maybe too young to judge this, but I think Dad's work is really great too. I hope someday he will got his freaking prize too so things will calm down.
So Dad tells about his work, then Mom tells about hers. Dorothy tells kindergarten stories, it's pretty much the same always: she and Justin try to build something that may be able to travel either to space or through time, and they fail. They're not as bad, a month ago they built a little rocket that could actually fly, but it never reached space.
After that we go through our bathroom schedule. I'm the second one to go right after Dorothy. When I put my pijamas on, I'm still not sleepy to go to bed, so I'm reading some comic books instead. Dad has a lot of comic books, but if I want to lend one, he writes it down precisely: which one I lent and for how many days. If I don't put it back in time or even worse I make some food stamps on it, then he makes me buy a new one out of my pocket money. So I prefer reading my own comic books instead. I'm all into the story of Batman when I hear my parents arguing. I don't really know what makes me climb out of my bed then go out of my room to hear them better, but I just do.
" Those little ... Those little bullies." Oh, Mom already dropped the bomb and Dad's about to explode.
" Calm down. Anyway, we have to see the school counselor tomorrow morning. "
" I told you I don't want to go! " Dad says. He seems angrier then I expected.
" Yes, but you still have to. "
" What if I don't go? "
" You'll make me mad? "
" Psychology is the hokum of sciences. " Thank you Dad, I told the same. Now I can literally hear Mom rolling her eyes.
" It's not and it may help Nick. "
" You do believe in psychology? " he asks.
" I don't believe in it. I believe in experimental results which psychology has. " Mom has a point unfortunately. But I don't really see why Dad's pouting this much. I have to go to a psychologist on a weekly basis, not him.
" Fine. I'll go with you. Are you satisfied? "
" No, I'm not. You know that. I feel so helpless." And Mom is sad. Again.
" We should have let him skip grades. " Dad says.
" And what do you think how bad would he got beaten up by seventh graders?
" Maybe really bad, but he could be done with school in three years. Than he could go to college to learn what he's interested in. " That's also not the first time they are discussing this. Dad sounds pretty frustrated.
" He is an eight year old boy, how could he decide what he is interested in? " Mom asks. Mom is so overprotective sometimes and wants me to stay a baby. Like forever.
" Well, I decided really early. " Dad states.
Mommy coughes but strangely it sounds like she's saying 'string theory' instead.
" Anyway, I think your theory that he should fit into a same age group is absolutely wrong, and I'm waiting for the moment when you realise it too. " Dad says.
" And what will he do at the age twelve in college? Will he have friends there? Did you have friends there? " Mom asks.
" No, but did you have friends in a same age group at school? "
" No. But that's our misery. Nick is not you! Nick is a different kid and the problem is that he, unlike you or me, hits back and gets into trouble. " Now Mom is almost shouting. She could be really hurt. Usually they never argue this loud not wake us.
I should have stayed on that floor in school, wait until they go away there and pick up the trash they threw at me. It's so unfair that the only way to prevent my parents from fighting is to let the bullies win.
" Good. And how about the interest of science? If he starts his researches early, he could reach further and that could give us a better understanding to the working of the universe. " Dad asks.
" As you pointed out, I graduated high school at a normal time, and I'm doing pretty great, as you can see. " I know Mom made a mistake bringing this up. They don't say a word for a while, than Mom must have been realize what she just said so she tries to rephrase:
" One of the things I care the most about is the progress of science. But I care about Nick more. I want him to be happy. Not succesful or smart. Happy. "
Oh, Mom is all about to have me happy. But what does happy even means? I'm told I'm way better at recognizing emotions than my Dad was at my age, but happy is a really hard one. Everyone thinks its so evident, but it isn't. Happiness isn't measurable. Satisfaction about one's life is, but happiness isn't... And also it can't be achieved by changing any variables. So my scientific mind says happiness doesn't even exsist. Dad could be thinking about something similar since he says:
" Please, leave this hippy talk otuside of our house. You always try to change us. You want us to be put in boxes. We don't fit. Accept that finally, Amy. Let your rational mind out. I miss it. And believe me, I want the best for Nick too. "
" You know what? I miss it too. But I'm a mother now, Sheldon and I can't always be rational about our kids as I have never been rational about you. And I thought happiness was real to you too, and you felt it being with me. Now I want you to get out. " Mom tells and she's about to cry.
I think Dad will at least try to console her, but he doesn't. InsteadI can hear his steps towards the door. So Dad will sleep on the couch tonight. I run into my room, because if they knew I was listening, they both would be furious. As I climb back into my own bed, I think that their stiuation could be really bad, because I only remember two times when this happened. First I was only four and I don't know why was Dad sleeping in the living room. The other was about two years ago, when Dad wanted to spend the whole summer vacation on the South Pole to do some researches. The only reason it didn't evolved into a much bigger problem is that the university finally cancelled it.
Laying here, I wonder whether any of them is calm enough to come into my room to give me a goodnight kiss. Dad comes in finally. I should have known, he wouldn't miss a scheduled activity. I wanted to pretend that I'm asleep but I can't help, I open my eyes and look at him. He tries to smile, but he can't trick me, it's just his coala-face.
" So, it's been a hard day, Nick, wasn't it? " he asks. He speaks now really softly.
" Yes. But I had some fun with prime numbers. But I didn't have time to read that article you were talking about. "
" Then we'll discuss it tomorrow. " he says.
" Dad... Is everything all right? " I don't wanna sound this helpless and little and frightened but the question just slips out.
One of the few things I really like about my parents is that they are pretty honest.
" I don't know. Maybe not. Did you hear us from your room? " he asks.
" Well, I've heard things. " I don't want to reveal that I've been directly listening to them.
" I'm sorry. " he says simply. We just sit in silence for mintues, then he gives me a quick kiss on my forehead and says goodnight before he leaves.
So it was a longer chapter, but I had to introduce you to a whole new situation. And now I'm really asking for reviews since it's so new and has my characters in it. You know, you can make me write really fast :)
The new characters:
Nick Cooper, whole name: Nicholas Frank Cooper: 8 years old, named after Nikola Tesla and Frank after Sheldon's Pop Pop
Dory, whole name: Dorothy Elizabeth Cooper: 5 years old, named after Dorothy Hodkings (scientist) and Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice.
Justin Hofstadter: 5 years old, he is the smart and beautiful one : ), named after Justin Timberlake from N'Sync. Poor Leonard lost a bet ; )
Maya Hofstadter: 1 year old
Debbie, whole name: Deborah Ruby Wolowitz: 8 years old, named after Mrs. Wolowitz.
Chloe Rose Wolowitz: 2 years old