Peter Pan

A Young Boy No More

Disclaimer: My name is not Sir James Matthew Barrie, there for I do not own Peter Pan. Any questions?

Author's Notes: OK, I'd like to thank Mea.Rose forher review! You are the best! Here is chapter two. I hope this one is better than the first and that you enjoy it! Warning: Kind of depressing and sad.

Chapter 2- Loonies

Suddenly I remembered what had happened on the first day of kindergarten. It came back, completely flooding my mind as the flash back took over.

--- Beginning of flash back ---

Standing in front of the classroom our teacher was giving us our assigned seats. She would call out a name but before telling you where to sit she would make you tell the class something interesting about your family.

"It'll be a good way for us all to get to know each other better!" she had exclaimed cheerfully.

The first name she had called was Ginny White; "We own a dog!"

Mitchell Linden, " I have eight brothers and one sister."

Jamie Hunter, " My family is from America."

I was next; "I only have a Daddy."

Then she called Tonya Nickelson; "My Daddy was one of Peter Pan's Lost Boys from Never Land."

"Are you sure that's what you want to tell people, dear?" our teacher had asked.

"Yes! I want everybody to know how famous my Daddy is! Not many people can say they were a Lost Boy!" Tonya had replied happily.

"Not many want to either!" replied Mitchell.

"Why wouldn't they?" Tonya asked, her face contorting into one of disbelief.

"No many people like to admit they're crazy, ya know?" Mitchell replied.

"What do you mean?" Tonya asked, her face showing her confusion plainly.

"Now class," our teacher had said.

"You're whole family is full of loonies!" Ginny explained. "I mean your father thinks he's from Never Land, your mother thinks she met a boy named Peter Pan and it stretches all the way back to your great-grandmother!"

"Yeah, and now you've proven that you're just as loony as the rest of them!" Mitchell said with an evil laugh. For some reason unknown to me the rest of the class had started laughing with him.

Tonya had begun to cry and I got up from my seat and sat beside her. "Tell me about the Lost Boys and Peter Pan, Tonya." I had asked.

But she just shook her head and continued crying. The teacher simply went on with her work calling names like Raquel, Nathaniel or Pat. I tried to comfort her the best I could; yet I guess it wasn't enough.

---End of flash back ---

I helped Mr. and Mrs. Nickelson clean up the mess and headed up to bed. When I approached the door to Tonya's room I knocked and got no answer. So I went to the bathroom and brushed my teeth, got into my pajamas and re-brushed my hair.

Upon trying to enter the room again Tonya called, "You can only enter if you are my best friend. If you are truly my best friend than you are a mature, grown up twelve year old."

I entered the room and crawled into the spare bed. Tonya had her back to me the whole time and didn't bother to say good night. My flash back made me understand what I should have said long ago.

"Tonya, you're not a loony."

All I heard after that were her fake snores. She must not have known how to respond to my comment. I simply rolled over and fell asleep.

In my dream Peter Pan came to prove to Tonya that he was real. He was handsome and fun loving. We didn't go to Never Land; we just sat there and told stories to one another. In my dream Tonya was actually enjoying herself. I was beginning to wonder if she had ever done so before.

I woke up once in the middle of the night. Looking around the room with sleepy eyes I couldn't see anything that was out of place or moving. Something out the window caught my eye.

I saw a shadow of a young boy. Laughing to myself I remembered how Peter had lost his shadow in this very house. My laugh was soft and didn't wake Tonya. I was easily able to roll over and go back to sleep.

In the morning I woke to find Tonya sitting on the end of my bed. When she noticed I was awake she smiled at me.

"Jess, I'm sorry about last night." She said quietly.

"I remember the tip of the iceberg," I replied. "Other people's teasing has turned you hard. There is no reason to apologize to me. Maybe to your parents though. You basically called them loonies."

"You know," Her voice was still quiet. "I had seriously thought that my family was a loony bin after all that teasing. Jess, you can see why I have to pretend not to believe in Never Land, right?"

"At school maybe," I said shaking my head. "But not here at home. Your parents don't lie to you about anything else, so why would they lie about your dad being a Lost Boy or your mum meeting Peter Pan?"

Tonya looked up at me, "You believe them and their stories, don't you?"

"Yeah, I mean they have no reason to lie."

"But they're crazy." Tonya muttered. "It's not just the stories of Never Land. The things people have teased me about."

"You know your family best. Do they look or act like loonies to you?"

Tonya thought for a minute. "No, for the most part anyway."

I laughed. "For the most part we are all a little loony!"

Tonya laughed too. After a while we both stopped laughing and Tonya whispered, "You were the only one who ever believed me. It's nice to know that at least someone out there doesn't think I'm crazy."

"There's bound to be more than just me."

"But everybody laughs, everyone except you."

I thought for a minute. Why did other people laugh at Tonya?

"They only laugh at you because they're afraid of being laughed at for sticking up for you."

"Why didn't you laugh then?"

I smiled. "I didn't need to. What they said didn't make any sense to me. I didn't need to. I had problems of my own then. That was the year my mum died."

Tonya stared at me. I felt her hug me tight and whisper something, but it didn't stop the flashbacks.

--- Beginning of Flashback ---

"Daddy? Why didn't Mummy come home from her trip to America?" I had asked. "Wasn't she supposed to be to be home yesterday?"

"Jessica," My father's face had been contorted into such a face of pain that it was scary. "You have to understand."

"Understand what, Daddy?" I was totally confused.

"You mother isn't coming back." I saw tears well up in his eyes.

"Why not?" I began sobbing out of confusion and terror. "Did she stop loving me?"

"No, baby." He said hugging me. "Your mother loved you very much."

I hugged my him back. "Then why isn't she coming home."

Looking up at my father, I saw tears streaming down his face. I was scared silly. Daddy was crying.

Daddy never cried.

"Daddy?" I dried one of his tears with my finger. "Daddy why are you crying."

"Jessica, do you remember how Mummy got to America?"

I thought long and hard. I could remember driving in a car. It was yellow. "A taxi cab?" I had asked proudly.

Daddy smiled through his tears. "No, Jessica. We used that to get to the airport though."

"Oh." Suddenly the memory of getting out of the cab filled my mind.

--- Flashback of my Mother's last words to me ---

(A/N: this is a flashback inside a flashback)

"Mummy? Why can't I go with you?" tears where streaking down my face.

"You can't, sweetie. This is a business trip. I'll be back in two weeks."

"Promise?" I had asked.

She nodded. "I promise."

"So you're not leaving me, Mummy?"

She picked me up and hugged me tight. "I could never leave, you baby. I love you with all of my heart. I would die if I tried to live longer than I have to without you!"

I was still crying and like any five year-old I was clinging onto my mother. She held me like that until they called her flight. Then she sat be back down on the ground and walked me to the large window.

"See that big plane, Jesse?" she said pointing to the largest thing I had ever seen.

"That gray thing?" I had asked. "It looks like a monster."

She smiled. "Yes. That's called a plane, not a monster. I'm leaving on that. I'll be back two weeks from now. How many day's are in a week, Jesse?"

"Ummm, six?"

Mummy had smiled then. "One more than that. So how many days in a week, baby?"

I began counting on my fingers. "Seven!" I was so proud of myself at that moment. Mummy had been too. I saw it on her face, plain as day.

"All right, now count with me. How many days are in two week?"

She help up her fingers as I counted.

"One, two, three, four, five, six… seven," I had counted the fingers she had held up.

"Now you hold up seven, Jesse."

I did. We counted them together. I had gotten stuck at twelve.

"See? I'll be home in fourteen days."

"I won't be able to count it on my own." I had said disappointed.

"You can borrow your father's fingers, Jesse." My mother had always called me Jesse. "I have to go now, love. Give me kisses."

I gave her a kiss on the cheek and she gave me one on my forehead. I began crying again as she walked to the air gate. She was leaving me.

But she promised to be back.

That was the last time I saw her. Her chocolate brown curls had been highlighted by the sunlight. She had walked tall and proud, head held high. Turning around once more she waved goodbye to my father and me, blowing a kisses.

--- End of My Mother's Last Words Flash Back ---

"She got on an air-o-plane." I said.

"Right, Jess. An airplane. You're such a smart little girl." Daddy was still crying and now I was too.

"Daddy she promised she would come back."

"I know, Jess."

"THAN WHY DIDN'T SHE?" I had shouted.

"The airplane from America, Jessica. It never made it."

"Did it leave America?"

"Yes." Daddy was sobbing as much as me now.

I still didn't get it. If the airplane had left America, but wasn't here yet, where was it?

"Is the plane late, Daddy?"

"No, Jessica." Daddy looked tired. "That plane isn't coming home, and neither is your mother."

"Why, Daddy?"

"The plane crashed along the Atlantic Ocean. You remember that was the big body of water Mummy had to cross?"

I nodded.

"Mummy drowned in the crash."

"But Mummy could swim. She taught ME how to swim. Remember, Daddy?"

"I know pumpkin, but the ocean is too big to swim in. Mummy isn't coming home because she is dead."

--- End of Flashback ---

Suddenly I was back in Tonya's arms, crying my eyes out. At twelve my mother's death still haunted me. For a long time I was convinced that it had been my fault she had died. She had said something about not being able to live without me.

I felt for the longest time that I should have been on that flight with her. Then she wouldn't have died. Or at least I would have died with her.

I had NEVER shared that with anyone. Not even the school councilors or psychologists daddy had taken me to. The Nickelsons knew what had happened though. Daddy had explained it to them.

"Hey, Jess. It's OK," Tonya said soothingly. She was still holding me, gently patting my back.

I wanted to shout, "How would you know? You've never lost your mother! You DON'T know how I feel." But I couldn't. She was my only friend who knew the truth. She was the only one who cared.

I sniffled. "Hey, how did we turn this conversation to one of my problems?" I asked pulling away as I dried my tears on my sleeve.

Tonya smiled, "You reminded me once again that I wasn't the only one with family problems."

I cocked my head. Tonya often said stuff like that to me. I didn't quite understand it though. I couldn't see how my problem helped her to get over hers.

"Come on." She said taking my hand. "We should go join Mum and Dad for breakfast. I promise I'll apologize. Maybe than you can stay longer than three."

I smiled and followed her down the stairs. It felt good to have a best friend, even if they forced you to grow up faster than you wanted to at times.

Author's Notes: Well? Did you like this chapter better? It's not all summaries of already written stories! This chapter makes Tonya seem like she only pities Jessica, but I promise you, they're the best of friends! Mea.Rose made the comment that Tonya seemed to act like a brat, but it's all a conflict of morals and values. She really is a sweet girl, but whether you see that or not I don't know! What are you doing trying to get a sneak-peek at the next chapter? If you like it that much REVIEW already! Lol. Please?