Chapter 26

After I turned 12, our parents bought a new house because they wanted me to have my own room. I was fortunate for that, because my sisters drove me crazy. Every car ride to school was a nightmare. My sisters are in the 6th grade now. That's the time where girls start acting crazy, you know?

Mom let them out at the door, and each one always had something to say.

"It's so embarrassing to be dropped off with your brother." Mira said as she got out of my car.

"I totally agree...he's disgusting." Isa piped in.

"I mean most of the girls in our class swoon over you...It's annoying. If only the knew you look like Daddy...so that is so gross." Anna said after.

"Okay you three he gets it...great confidence build by the way." Mom told them.

"Well sorry Momma, but as his sister he has a right to know these things...we're just being honest." Isabelle replied.

"Thanks...get to class..."

Mom and I watched them enter the middle school hallway on the far end of our school. She then parked near the entrance of the jr. high school hallway.

"Have...have a good day Bry."

"Thanks mom."

"Seems like yesterday I was dropping us both for Kindergarten."

She then stroked my shoulder.

"Mom, don't please...we've done this every morning since the 2nd grade."

"You're right...I'm sorry...you're your own person now...have a good day son."

"Thanks."

She kissed my cheek. I blushed as I got out of the car.

"I really hope no one saw that." I told her.

We both laughed and I headed inside to my locker. It was down the hall and to the left. At Freshman orientation I was finally introduced to a locker. We didn't have them in the 8th grade. Everyone in my class got new lockers. And even though he was a grade ahead of me he had a locker next to me. Who? Harvey. Thats who. He and I have been friends for as long as I can remember. I think he rigged the system to make sure he had one next to me. He was always doing stuff like that.

Harvey has dated every girl in his year. Has been suspended once for deliberately scuffing up the gym floor with his street shoes twice. Got into a fight with some other guys over a girl and once played an X-rate audio clip over the schools sound system. It's hard to believe he and I are such good friends. I've taken the fall for him a few times much to the dismay of my parents. He's loyal though, and he looks out for me.

"Hey Bry!" He shouted and rushed over to me.

"New locker, new year man."

"Yeah..."

"So with this new year comes new opportunities."

"Like what?"

"Come on Bry, don't be stupid...girls...and sex...you'll find that girl."

"Well I didn't find one last year...or the year before that..."

"Well don't worry I haven't given up on you...I've been with almost every type of girl there is. I'll help you find the right one."

"Thanks...but no thanks Harv...everytime you help me with something I get in a lot of trouble."

"And I get you out of it...Come on baby Bry...come on...

"Don't call me that you know I hate that."

He began making weird noises and put me in a choke hold. I felt him rub the top of my head with fist.

"Baby Bry!"

He laughed. I began to laugh and tried to push him away. We wrestled with each other and girl walked up to us.

"Hey Harvey."

She had long blonde hair and blue eyes.

"If you're done playing with your kid brother can you walk me to class now?"

"Oh sure...sure...And he's not my kid brother...he's just a friend. Bryan, this is Jessica, Jessica this is Bryan."

"Hi."

"Hey."

I shook her hand.

"Let's go babe." Harvey put his arm around her neck.

"What happened to Tiffany, over the summer?" I asked.

"New girl, new year dude."

I shook my head as they walked away. Same old Harvey. Never changes. He's really a sweet and honest guy. Just a crazy rebellious serial romantic looking for his person. After 19 girls since 7th grade maybe 20 is his magic number. I like girls myself but I hardly pay them any attention. I'm always too busy wrapped up in my studies. I want to to be some sort of scientist. I think that would be cool. Preferably one that works for the government dealing with aliens and other non worldly artifacts. I think I can help my grampa Ben and granma Hope a lot that way.

We had homeroom, then career class, I looked forward to that one. It was a course that helped you sketch out the career you wanted for yourself.

"Okay class...we have a new student with us today. She joined our career class at the last minute, please give a warm Bellwood Jr. High School welcome to Miss. Rosie Robey.

As she entered the room she had voluminous red wavy hair with blueish grey eyes. She was average in height but a bit on the slim size. She had on a pair of pink vans, black leggings, and a long grey sweater dress with a black scarf. Her red hair fell just at the top of her elbow. She seemed shy and quiet.

"Hi Rosie." The class said together. Except for me, I couldn't help but to stare at her.

"Take a seat dear, there's one behind Lola."

Lola raised her hand. She had dark black hair and brown eyes. She's been in my class ever since Kindergarten. She was a huge theatre person and loved people and animals.

"Thats me, over here!" Lola replied with a wave.

Rosie slowly walked to her seat. She had an odd walk as well. She kept her head down looking at her feet. She clearly didn't like being the center of attention.

At lunch I met up with Harvey, because he was a grade ahead of me I only really got to see him at lunch.

"So I'm telling you man Caitlyn is the girl for me."

I paused a brief moment.

"Caitlyn? What happened to Jessica?"

"I tried to give her a kiss in gym class. She said I was moving our relationship way too fast so she broke it off. The nerve of that woman."

"Oh..."

My phone then dinged.

"Who's that?" Harvey asked before taking a bite of his sandwich.

"It's not a who...it's what...it's my alarm for my medicine."

"Oh...right...better go do that."

I kept my medicine, and my meter with my test strips in my locker inside a small carrying case. After quickly getting the case I went to the boy's bathroom. Since it was lunchtime it was empty. I went to the sink and tested my blood sugar. It was low, but not dangerously low. So, to keep it from dropping even futher I took out my insulin as well as one of my syringes. I pulled my shirt up, then unbuttoned and unzipped my jeans. I pulled them down a tad, and injected it into my thigh.

This was natural for me. Every lunch hour since the 1st grade I've been injecting myself. Although it definitely doesn't make the pain of the needle and the medicine easy fo deal with.

I stood there a minute and waited for the pain to subside. I then pulled my pants back up. Having my jeans rub against the injection site made it incredibly sore. I tried to trade out my body if I could; meaning sometimes I injected it into my thigh on the left instead of the right. Or I'd do my stomach to give my thighs a break. I found out it doesn't really matter though. Eventually they all go sore.

I packed up my things to head back to the cafeteria. As I exited the boy's bathroom I heard crying coming from the girl's bathroom. I stood outside the door and pressed my ear against it.

"Hello?"

I knocked.

"Hello...are you okay in there?"

"Yes...I...I'm fine...go away." came a sweet soothing little voice.

"You don't sound fine...are you alone in there?...come on let me in."

"I...I am alone...I..."

She then just burst into a sob. I sighed.

"Okay...well...I...I'm coming in."

I took a breath and entered the bathroom. I followed her cries to the last stall in the back. She was sitting on the toilet crying.

"Hey...it's stil lunchtime...let's head back to the cafeteria."

"I already ate my lunch."

She scooted her lunchbox under the stall.

I picked it up.

"You mean you ate in here? Aww come on...at least come sit with me and my friend Harvey."

"You have a friend?"

"Yeah...don't you?"

"No...it's hard to make friends when-"

She opened the stall.

"When you're the new girl."

"Rosie..."

"What?"

"Nothing its just...nothing...come on let's go."

"You really think your friend won't mind? Do you think he'll hate me too?"

"Of course not...he loves girls in fact...uh...you know what when we get there you better sit on my right close to me."

"Why?"

"Just because..."

"You say silly things...I think you're in my career class?"

"Yeah! Bryan LeMay."

"Bryan...can I call you Bry?"

"Sure everyone does."

"You...you can call me Rose."

"Okay Rose... let's go."

I picked up her backpack and threw it on my shoulder. We walked back to the cafeteria together.