John restlessly twirled his hair around his finger. The dark curl was
his only means of amusement, while waiting in anticipation for his guests
to arrive. He was lounging in a large leather chair, staring at the clock
as the slow seconds ticked by. The sound of footsteps running down the
stairs caught his attention, and he turned his head in the direction. It
was, as he suspected, his 18-year-old sister Nell. Her dark hair was pulled
back in a loose pony-tail at the bottom of her neck, and she was wearing
jeans and a brown jacket. She was also carrying a shiny red package.
John swung himself off the chair, and ran to cut off his sister at the doorway. He slid in front of her just in time to stop her. Nell smiled and laughed. "Knew I couldn't get away from you, Scrub," she said with a grin. She didn't feel much like fighting, so she simply handed her brother his present. "Here. It's not from me. You won't get mine until it's actually your birthday. I can see right through your one week early party scheme."
John carried the gift back over to the chair with him, and set it on his lap. He opened the card first. It was nicely decorated on the front with an artistic design of some sort, but no words. He turned to the inside, where a note was written in ornate cursive handwriting:
Dear John,
Happy 13th Birthday! I hope you have a wonderful time with your friends, your sister, and your grandparents. I'm completely finished with nursing school, and my husband is starting his Internship this fall. He's specializing in Pediatric Oncology, which I thought you'd like to know. I hope you enjoy your gift. I know you will love it. I'd love to hear from you sometime!
Your Friend,
Linette
John smiled as he read the card. He hadn't talked to Linette much since she had gotten married and moved away to New York. She had been the first person he'd told about his decision to become a doctor. It was the summer after 4th grade, the summer after Bobby died. He saw how great Linette was as a nurse, and how wonderful all Bobby's doctors were in spite of whatever his mother may have said. And he saw how much sick people need a good doctor. He hoped he could be a good doctor someday, too.
"Aren't you going to open it?" Nell asked.
Without a word, John tore off the wrapping paper. It was a book. And not just any book, it was a medical dictionary. John smiled, as he opened the book and began to flip through the pages. He stopped on a random word. Hemopnuemothorax. He didn't know what that was, but he wanted to find out. Just as he began to read the definition, the doorbell rang. "I got it!" John shouted, running toward the entryway and leaving the book on the chair. He opened the door. Jenny Butler was standing there, smiling radiantly and holding a package. His heart nearly leapt into his throat. "Hey Jenny, come in," he managed.
Elliot was there in a flash to take her coat. John lead Jenny into the North living room, where Nell was sitting and flipping through the pages of his book. She looked up from it and smiled. "Hi, I'm John's sister Nell. I don't think we've met. And you are?"
"Jenny Butler," Jenny said.
The name struck a chord of recognition in Nell. She was the one John was always babbling on about, unaware of it himself. "Nice to meet you. Well, I'd better be going. I have a study group meeting at 6:30. See ya," she said, exiting the room.
With his sister gone, John suddenly felt very nervous. Jenny sat down on the couch, and he sat in a chair across from her. He tapped his foot nervously on the floor. The sound echoed in the silence. Jenny caught site of the dictionary and, interested, picked it up.
"Hey, what's this?" Jenny asked.
"Oh that," John said quickly. "That's nothing, just a present a friend gave me..."
"I think it's awesome!" Jenny said, opening it up and turning to the first page. "Wow, you actually understand this stuff? You're really smart."
"Well, I... uh.... I'm still learning it all myself but um.... I know a, a little," John stuttered.
Jenny opened her mouth to add another comment, when the doorbell rang. They both stood and went to answer it. It was Chase, along with Lance, Brianna, and Nancy who had all arrived. After some commotion, the group finally settled into the living room.
Chase picked up John's medical dictionary and flipped to a page. "Oh, hemorrhoids, yeah that's definitely what I want to spend my spare time reading about," Chase joked. John snatched the book from his hands, and lightly tapped his cousin on the head with it.
Gamma entered the room. "John, dinner is ready," she said. The kids eagerly ran to the dining room.
After dinner, the kids all insisted that John open his presents. He started with Chase's. He unwrapped the flat rectangular package. It was a stunning painting of a mountain range.
"I painted it myself," Chase said.
"Wow, Chase! That's beautiful!" Jenny exclaimed. "You're going to be a famous artist someday." The other kids nodded.
The other presents were all the same; money. It's what kids always got each other when they didn't know what to get, or just didn't want to take the time to find something. John was not surprised, but he smiled anyway. "Thanks guys," he said.
Gamma entered the room. "Well, you'd better be off to the movies," she said. "Alger is waiting for you outside."
The kids scrambled toward the door. They all hopped into the backseat of the sleek black limousine. The ride to the theater was not long. They already had their tickets, so they were soon all sitting in the middle of the theater, holding large bags of popcorn.
"What happened at the end of the other one? I forgot," Lance whispered.
"Han was frozen in carbonite," Chase said.
"And Leia declared her love for him!" Brianna burst in.
All three boys groaned, and the girls giggled.
Jenny grinned. "I love Han Solo. He is so cute!" The other girls all nodded in agreement, and the boys just rolled their eyes.
"Shhhh! It's starting!" Chase said, quieting down the group. The now- familiar scrolling intro illuminated the screen. The audience became silent, as they read.
"Another Death Star?" Lance asked in disbelief.
John nodded, as he ate some popcorn. The group sat silently watching the film. John had been eagerly anticipating the release of this movie. Star Wars was popular with just about every kid at school, and that included John. Sometimes he and his friends would have debates over whether Han or Luke was cooler, what was going to happen in the next film, and was Darth Vader really Luke's father? John always argued that Luke was the coolest, while Chase took Han's side. Which made sense, considering that Chase was the more outgoing, rebellious, and charming of the two cousins.
An hour or so into the movie, the whole crowd was buzzing.
"Luke and Leia are twins?" Nancy said in disbelief.
"Ewwww, and they kissed each other!" Lance added. Sounds of disgust arose from all the kids in the group. A little while later, a tribe of fuzzy bear-like creatures filled the screen.
"This is lame," Chase grumbled. "Han would have just blasted them all, if that whinny Luke hadn't have been there." Several of the kids murmured their agreement.
"That wouldn't work, Chase," John insisted. "They need their help."
Chase sighed. "That's not the point, John. The point is, this is supposed to be a major battle, and now it's going to be filled with overgrown teddy bears. It totally ruined the movie, man." Chase paused for a moment, then grinned. "Hey, I have an idea. Let's sneak into the other theater. 'WarGames' is playing!"
"Oh! Matthew Broderick is in that movie!" Jenny exclaimed. "He's cute!"
"Yeah, that sounds like an awesome idea," Brianna added.
"Guys!" John interrupted. "We can't do that. It's illegal, we didn't pay for the tickets."
"Oh come on John," Chase said. "It's not like it's some huge crime. Besides, what are they gonna do, arrest us? We're only 13! And anything's better than sitting here and watching a bunch of bears."
"But don't you want to see how the movie ends?" John asked.
"We can watch it when it comes out on video. Then we can fast forward through the boring parts," Chase argued.
"I don't know, Chase. I just don't think it's a good idea," John said.
"Fine. You can stay here," Chase said. "Everyone who wants to have a good time and isn't worried about following all the rules, come with me." He stood and began to leave. Lance, Brianna, and Nancy followed him immediately.
Jenny looked at John, and bit her lip. "I really want to go see 'WarGames', John. But I don't want to leave you here," she said.
"No, it's fine," John said. "Go ahead."
"Really? Ok, well, um. I guess, bye," she said hesitantly, as she walked out of the theater.
John watched her go, then turned his attention back to the screen.
An hour later, both movies had finished. Parents were arriving at the theater to pick up all the guests. Lance, Brianna, and Nancy left without so much as a parting word to their host. Some friends, John thought. John sat on a bench outside the theater, watching as Chase and Jenny flirted back and forth. He sighed. Of course that was the way it worked out. Why would any girl pick Luke Skywalker when she could have Han Solo? It wasn't like he wanted to be like that. He just didn't want to get in trouble. Jenny's mom finally came to pick her up.
"Good night, John," Jenny said, waving to him. "'Night Chase!" she said, with a grin. She got in the car with her mother and drove away.
Chase strolled over and sat down on the bench next to John. "So, how was the movie? What happened?" Chase asked curiously.
John had a tremendous urge not to tell his cousin, but he decided to anyway. "Well, Luke gives himself up to Vader, and they go back to see the Emperor. Vader and Luke have his big fight, and in the end Luke stops fighting. So the Emperor, he starts shocking Luke with this weird lightning stuff. Then Vader picks the Emperor up and throws him down a shaft, and he explodes." He explained.
"Woah, cool!" Chase exclaimed. "What happened to the Death Star?"
"Well, Vader is about to die so he tells Luke to take his mask off," John said. "It was weird, he was this old bald guy. So anyway, then he tells Luke that he was right about him still having some good left in him, then he dies. Luke escapes from the Death Star just in time, because Lando and Wedge blow it up."
"Awesome!" Chase exclaimed. "Bet that was a cool battle."
"Yeah. Oh, and Leia tells Han about Luke being her brother, and then they kiss," John added.
Chase smirked. "Han Solo is the man," he said.
There was a silence, then John asked. "So, um, how was your movie?"
"Pretty cool, I guess," Chase said. Another silence followed, and was only broken by the glare of headlights. Chase squinted, and looked over to see his Father's car. "Well, I gotta go. See you at school. Hey, only one more week left!" he shouted to his cousin, as he climbed in his BMW.
"See ya," John said, waving unenthusiastically. The car drove off, and he was left alone. It wasn't long before Alger showed up.
"How was your evening?" Alger asked him.
"It was great," John lied. He climbed in the backseat of the limousine and they began to drive home. A curly lock of hair fell in his face, and he brushed it back, annoyed. "Stupid hair," he grumbled. He didn't even like his hair this way. The only reason he had actually gotten in permed again was because Jenny said she liked it. That was a lie. He knew that now. He was right in the first place. Jenny didn't like him, she just didn't want to hurt his feelings. Then there was Chase. John liked Chase, he could just be annoying sometimes. Or maybe he was just jealous. Chase was so cool, so popular, and had tons of friends. John didn't have any of those things, and maybe he was just trying to hard. He would never have those things. He felt so stupid and foolish for thinking that he could be like his cousin. In the end, John convinced himself, Chase was always going to be better off than him.
"We're home," Alger called out from the cab.
John sniffed. "Thanks," he said quietly, trying not to cry. He hurried inside, and up to his room. "Some birthday," he whispered to himself. Then he did cry.
**************************************************************************** *********
John swung himself off the chair, and ran to cut off his sister at the doorway. He slid in front of her just in time to stop her. Nell smiled and laughed. "Knew I couldn't get away from you, Scrub," she said with a grin. She didn't feel much like fighting, so she simply handed her brother his present. "Here. It's not from me. You won't get mine until it's actually your birthday. I can see right through your one week early party scheme."
John carried the gift back over to the chair with him, and set it on his lap. He opened the card first. It was nicely decorated on the front with an artistic design of some sort, but no words. He turned to the inside, where a note was written in ornate cursive handwriting:
Dear John,
Happy 13th Birthday! I hope you have a wonderful time with your friends, your sister, and your grandparents. I'm completely finished with nursing school, and my husband is starting his Internship this fall. He's specializing in Pediatric Oncology, which I thought you'd like to know. I hope you enjoy your gift. I know you will love it. I'd love to hear from you sometime!
Your Friend,
Linette
John smiled as he read the card. He hadn't talked to Linette much since she had gotten married and moved away to New York. She had been the first person he'd told about his decision to become a doctor. It was the summer after 4th grade, the summer after Bobby died. He saw how great Linette was as a nurse, and how wonderful all Bobby's doctors were in spite of whatever his mother may have said. And he saw how much sick people need a good doctor. He hoped he could be a good doctor someday, too.
"Aren't you going to open it?" Nell asked.
Without a word, John tore off the wrapping paper. It was a book. And not just any book, it was a medical dictionary. John smiled, as he opened the book and began to flip through the pages. He stopped on a random word. Hemopnuemothorax. He didn't know what that was, but he wanted to find out. Just as he began to read the definition, the doorbell rang. "I got it!" John shouted, running toward the entryway and leaving the book on the chair. He opened the door. Jenny Butler was standing there, smiling radiantly and holding a package. His heart nearly leapt into his throat. "Hey Jenny, come in," he managed.
Elliot was there in a flash to take her coat. John lead Jenny into the North living room, where Nell was sitting and flipping through the pages of his book. She looked up from it and smiled. "Hi, I'm John's sister Nell. I don't think we've met. And you are?"
"Jenny Butler," Jenny said.
The name struck a chord of recognition in Nell. She was the one John was always babbling on about, unaware of it himself. "Nice to meet you. Well, I'd better be going. I have a study group meeting at 6:30. See ya," she said, exiting the room.
With his sister gone, John suddenly felt very nervous. Jenny sat down on the couch, and he sat in a chair across from her. He tapped his foot nervously on the floor. The sound echoed in the silence. Jenny caught site of the dictionary and, interested, picked it up.
"Hey, what's this?" Jenny asked.
"Oh that," John said quickly. "That's nothing, just a present a friend gave me..."
"I think it's awesome!" Jenny said, opening it up and turning to the first page. "Wow, you actually understand this stuff? You're really smart."
"Well, I... uh.... I'm still learning it all myself but um.... I know a, a little," John stuttered.
Jenny opened her mouth to add another comment, when the doorbell rang. They both stood and went to answer it. It was Chase, along with Lance, Brianna, and Nancy who had all arrived. After some commotion, the group finally settled into the living room.
Chase picked up John's medical dictionary and flipped to a page. "Oh, hemorrhoids, yeah that's definitely what I want to spend my spare time reading about," Chase joked. John snatched the book from his hands, and lightly tapped his cousin on the head with it.
Gamma entered the room. "John, dinner is ready," she said. The kids eagerly ran to the dining room.
After dinner, the kids all insisted that John open his presents. He started with Chase's. He unwrapped the flat rectangular package. It was a stunning painting of a mountain range.
"I painted it myself," Chase said.
"Wow, Chase! That's beautiful!" Jenny exclaimed. "You're going to be a famous artist someday." The other kids nodded.
The other presents were all the same; money. It's what kids always got each other when they didn't know what to get, or just didn't want to take the time to find something. John was not surprised, but he smiled anyway. "Thanks guys," he said.
Gamma entered the room. "Well, you'd better be off to the movies," she said. "Alger is waiting for you outside."
The kids scrambled toward the door. They all hopped into the backseat of the sleek black limousine. The ride to the theater was not long. They already had their tickets, so they were soon all sitting in the middle of the theater, holding large bags of popcorn.
"What happened at the end of the other one? I forgot," Lance whispered.
"Han was frozen in carbonite," Chase said.
"And Leia declared her love for him!" Brianna burst in.
All three boys groaned, and the girls giggled.
Jenny grinned. "I love Han Solo. He is so cute!" The other girls all nodded in agreement, and the boys just rolled their eyes.
"Shhhh! It's starting!" Chase said, quieting down the group. The now- familiar scrolling intro illuminated the screen. The audience became silent, as they read.
"Another Death Star?" Lance asked in disbelief.
John nodded, as he ate some popcorn. The group sat silently watching the film. John had been eagerly anticipating the release of this movie. Star Wars was popular with just about every kid at school, and that included John. Sometimes he and his friends would have debates over whether Han or Luke was cooler, what was going to happen in the next film, and was Darth Vader really Luke's father? John always argued that Luke was the coolest, while Chase took Han's side. Which made sense, considering that Chase was the more outgoing, rebellious, and charming of the two cousins.
An hour or so into the movie, the whole crowd was buzzing.
"Luke and Leia are twins?" Nancy said in disbelief.
"Ewwww, and they kissed each other!" Lance added. Sounds of disgust arose from all the kids in the group. A little while later, a tribe of fuzzy bear-like creatures filled the screen.
"This is lame," Chase grumbled. "Han would have just blasted them all, if that whinny Luke hadn't have been there." Several of the kids murmured their agreement.
"That wouldn't work, Chase," John insisted. "They need their help."
Chase sighed. "That's not the point, John. The point is, this is supposed to be a major battle, and now it's going to be filled with overgrown teddy bears. It totally ruined the movie, man." Chase paused for a moment, then grinned. "Hey, I have an idea. Let's sneak into the other theater. 'WarGames' is playing!"
"Oh! Matthew Broderick is in that movie!" Jenny exclaimed. "He's cute!"
"Yeah, that sounds like an awesome idea," Brianna added.
"Guys!" John interrupted. "We can't do that. It's illegal, we didn't pay for the tickets."
"Oh come on John," Chase said. "It's not like it's some huge crime. Besides, what are they gonna do, arrest us? We're only 13! And anything's better than sitting here and watching a bunch of bears."
"But don't you want to see how the movie ends?" John asked.
"We can watch it when it comes out on video. Then we can fast forward through the boring parts," Chase argued.
"I don't know, Chase. I just don't think it's a good idea," John said.
"Fine. You can stay here," Chase said. "Everyone who wants to have a good time and isn't worried about following all the rules, come with me." He stood and began to leave. Lance, Brianna, and Nancy followed him immediately.
Jenny looked at John, and bit her lip. "I really want to go see 'WarGames', John. But I don't want to leave you here," she said.
"No, it's fine," John said. "Go ahead."
"Really? Ok, well, um. I guess, bye," she said hesitantly, as she walked out of the theater.
John watched her go, then turned his attention back to the screen.
An hour later, both movies had finished. Parents were arriving at the theater to pick up all the guests. Lance, Brianna, and Nancy left without so much as a parting word to their host. Some friends, John thought. John sat on a bench outside the theater, watching as Chase and Jenny flirted back and forth. He sighed. Of course that was the way it worked out. Why would any girl pick Luke Skywalker when she could have Han Solo? It wasn't like he wanted to be like that. He just didn't want to get in trouble. Jenny's mom finally came to pick her up.
"Good night, John," Jenny said, waving to him. "'Night Chase!" she said, with a grin. She got in the car with her mother and drove away.
Chase strolled over and sat down on the bench next to John. "So, how was the movie? What happened?" Chase asked curiously.
John had a tremendous urge not to tell his cousin, but he decided to anyway. "Well, Luke gives himself up to Vader, and they go back to see the Emperor. Vader and Luke have his big fight, and in the end Luke stops fighting. So the Emperor, he starts shocking Luke with this weird lightning stuff. Then Vader picks the Emperor up and throws him down a shaft, and he explodes." He explained.
"Woah, cool!" Chase exclaimed. "What happened to the Death Star?"
"Well, Vader is about to die so he tells Luke to take his mask off," John said. "It was weird, he was this old bald guy. So anyway, then he tells Luke that he was right about him still having some good left in him, then he dies. Luke escapes from the Death Star just in time, because Lando and Wedge blow it up."
"Awesome!" Chase exclaimed. "Bet that was a cool battle."
"Yeah. Oh, and Leia tells Han about Luke being her brother, and then they kiss," John added.
Chase smirked. "Han Solo is the man," he said.
There was a silence, then John asked. "So, um, how was your movie?"
"Pretty cool, I guess," Chase said. Another silence followed, and was only broken by the glare of headlights. Chase squinted, and looked over to see his Father's car. "Well, I gotta go. See you at school. Hey, only one more week left!" he shouted to his cousin, as he climbed in his BMW.
"See ya," John said, waving unenthusiastically. The car drove off, and he was left alone. It wasn't long before Alger showed up.
"How was your evening?" Alger asked him.
"It was great," John lied. He climbed in the backseat of the limousine and they began to drive home. A curly lock of hair fell in his face, and he brushed it back, annoyed. "Stupid hair," he grumbled. He didn't even like his hair this way. The only reason he had actually gotten in permed again was because Jenny said she liked it. That was a lie. He knew that now. He was right in the first place. Jenny didn't like him, she just didn't want to hurt his feelings. Then there was Chase. John liked Chase, he could just be annoying sometimes. Or maybe he was just jealous. Chase was so cool, so popular, and had tons of friends. John didn't have any of those things, and maybe he was just trying to hard. He would never have those things. He felt so stupid and foolish for thinking that he could be like his cousin. In the end, John convinced himself, Chase was always going to be better off than him.
"We're home," Alger called out from the cab.
John sniffed. "Thanks," he said quietly, trying not to cry. He hurried inside, and up to his room. "Some birthday," he whispered to himself. Then he did cry.
**************************************************************************** *********
