Chapter 24 Cool Cat Part 2

"Mmhm," Junior said as he wrote down the next few words of the story. He bit his lip, wondering what exactly the next part was going to be. The way that Larry had worded that last line made it seem like he was going to make a comeback, potentially an epic one. Well, Junior was certainly looking forward to hearing about that.

Finally, he had written the last word. Huh. It appeared that this story didn't take up as much space as some of the other stories. Weird. Anyway, he turned toward his youngest brother.

"What happened next?"

Larry's eyes glittered like streetlights. "The next day, I kicked everyone's butts."

Junior blinked. "Really?" Junior knew that couldn't be it! It took a long time to master any skill, especially ones that related to video games. "That's it?"

"Yep. And everyone in the family hailed me as the coolest cat in the family. Bowser even said that the Wii was exclusively mine from that point on!"

Junior wrinkled his nose. Okay, that was more than a little fishy. For one, in the rest of the story, the others had actively made fun of Larry. It didn't make much sense for them to hail him as the greatest thing since sliced bread just because he beat them all at a little session of Mario Kart. Second, Bowser wouldn't just give Larry a Nintendo Wii like that.

"You're joking."

Larry's eyebrow scrunched up. "Am not! That's how it actually happened!"

Junior stared back at him. "You're lying. I know it, Larry."

Larry gawked. "Why are you so quick to assume that? I am not lying! I am telling the truth!"

Junior shook his head. "What, you expect me to believe that you magically got good at a video game overnight?"

Now Larry looked angry. "That is the honest truth, Junior!"

Wow. There were so many tells and cracks in his expression that gave away the lie, from the faltering voice to the wobbly stance. Junior was about to ask Larry again, but he realized that there was no point. He wouldn't give away the full story no matter how much the Koopa Prince probed.

"Okay. Whatever you say."

Larry smiled. "Thanks. Now, am I free to go?"

Junior sighed. "Yep. Go hog wild."

"YES!" Larry bolted off the bench and zipped away, all while Junior rolled his eyes. He looked down at the story that Larry had just told, the incomplete story. He hadn't even bothered to write about the part that, logically, he knew was false. He put the tip of the pen to his chin.

"The story couldn't have ended that way. How am I going to get the rest of it?" He thought and thought until something dawned on him. "I got it!"

…

Creak!

The room was as dark as night and just as silent. Junior closed the door behind him, being weary to not let it creak. He didn't want anyone to know he was in here. He wasn't exactly permitted in Kamek's study.

Junior tiptoed to the center of the study. A magical broom swept up any dust that was on the floor, and the patterns on the carpet swirled like an animated picture. Regardless, Junior wasn't going to stop to admire them. He needed to find…

"Yes!" he whispered. There was a wand right next to the bookshelf, and beside that...was a memory sphere. "Score!" Junior picked up the wand and scratched his temple. What exactly was the spell that allowed people to see into a person's past memories? Oh, yes, he remembered.

"Observus pastel…" Junior hesitated before thinking of the possible chant. "Larry video games?"

The memory sphere glowed a soft blue. Junior hesitated before placing both his hands on the crystal ball, allowing him to be drawn into Larry's memories.

…

I sniffled. I was supposed to be good at something! Why couldn't I be good at something!

I hate being the youngest. Even when I do something good, there's a good chance that somebody else had already done it. This meant that my achievement wasn't nearly as cool as I had originally thought. And, again, that was on the rare instances where I ended up doing something good. Most of the times, I ended up screwing up. Now, most of the time, I just shrug it off. The things I'm bad at typically aren't things that I want to be good at anyway.

But this was a video game. I was supposed to be good at it because...well, I WANTED to be good at it.

I dried my tears as I sat on my bed. Why couldn't I be good at just one thing? I was born to be awesome, after all! At least…

Now that I think about it, I don't remember anybody ever telling me that to my face. So...does that mean I was just born to be...ordinary.

I screamed and buried my face in my pillow. I can't accept that. I won't accept that! I was born to be awesome! I am supposed to rock everyone's world in a way that only I can.

Unfortunately, right now I was too tired. So, I just ended up crying myself to sleep.

…

The next day, i woke up in grungy spirits. I dragged myself down the hall, the bottoms of my feet scraping up some skin. The raw blisters that formed made me cringe, but I wasn't going to let it bother me.

When I got to the breakfast table, the only other person that was there was Bowser. Based on the fact that mine was the only plate at the table, I had a feeling that everyone else had already woken up and eaten their food. The sight of the clock reading 10:30 acted as confirmation of that assessment.

"Hey," said Bowser. "It's nice to see you up."

"Okay," I grumbled. I raised myself into my seat and ate away at my cold meal. All the while, I kept my eyes focused on Bowser. He looked back at me, looking concerned.

"How'd you sleep?" he asked.

"Okay," I lied as I stuffed another bite of omelet into my mouth.

"That's good," said Bowser with a nod. "With how late you woke up, I was concerned that...well, you know."

I sniffed. "I'm not allowed to sleep in?"

"Oh, you are. I just...I'm a concerned parent, is all."

"Yes." I took a bite of fruit. "Clearly."

I ate in silence for the most part. When I finished, I looked back up at Bowser. "Hey. How'd you get good at video games?"

Bowser shrugged. "I just practiced. That's all."

I cringed. "Practice? Ugh. Gross."

"No, not gross. Everyone has to practice something in their life. You can't be good at everything you try." His eyes twinkled in concern. "Especially not the first time."

I stared down at my place setting. "But what if you're supposed to be...cool?"

Bowser chuckled. "Even cool people need to practice being cool. Larry, nobody is born great." He laughed. "Everyone is born crapping their pants, after all. If that's what you call great, then...well, you need a reality check."

I chuckled. "I...I guess you're right."

Bowser smiled. "If you want to get good at video games, I suggest you practice. That way, you can become the best."

I nodded. "Yeah." I smiled a little. "I think I will."

…

Junior blinked as he came out of the memory, blinked and smiled. He actually got it! He got the full story! Yes!

So, he went back out to the courtyard. To his surprise, he saw Larry there, making a daisy chain of all things. Junior took a seat beside him.

"Hey. I saw the rest of the story."

Larry blinked before chuckling. "Yeah, because I gave you the rest of the story."

Junior shook his head. "No. I looked through a memory sphere."

Larry seized up before groaning. "Oh, darn it!" He lowered his head. "I wanted you to think I was a cool cat."

Junior felt a pang. Considering how much Larry used to believe he was supposed to be great, it would make sense why he wanted Junior to believe it. Maybe he thought it would have helped him believe he was great after all?

Junior smiled and patted Larry on the back. "You are a cool cat, Larry. You became great at video games in the end. Plus, you did it all with practice and hard work. That's pretty cool to me."

Larry blinked before sniffling. He dried a tear from his eye before giving Junior a tiny smile. "Thanks, Junior."

"You're welcome." Junior turned around and wrote the last part of the story into the notebook. When he finished, he just...stood still. "I got all my family."

"Cool!" said Larry. "What are you going to do now?"

"I...I don't know."

There was a moment of silence. Junior really didn't want this journey to end. It was too fun. It was too...special.

"Hey, I got an idea!" said Larry. When Junior lifted his head, he grabbed hold of his shoulders. "Why don't you write some of your own experiences?"

Junior blinked. "My own experiences?"

"Yeah! You already got the rest of the family. It only makes sense that you do yourself!"

Junior blinked before smiling. "You know...that's not a bad idea!" He jumped up and ran out the courtyard. "Thanks, Larry! You're the greatest!"

Larry beamed when he heard that, as if that was the kindest thing anyone ever said to him.