Track race, woohoo! Thanks for reviewing, Al Drin Hoshizora, A-Plus Cassiopeia (yeah, sorry) and I am a burglar (I can tell by your username).

I should have been stoked and fired up for the race. It was sunny, but not too hot. No clouds in the picture-book blue sky. Most of the kids in the bleachers were from other schools.

"Hey, Sam!" Roxanne came bouncing up to me like I hadn't broken friends with her. "I have a great feeling about this race! We are totally going to win!" She paused and said "Unless you screw up."

I didn't smile. "As if I'd lose! If anyone screwed up, it would be you."

There were three of us in the race. Me, Roxanne, and Jed from another class, but in our grade – another great runner. He'd go first, then me, then Roxanne.

The kids from our school were still pointing and laughing at me. I shot a glare at Roxanne. "This is all your fault!" I hissed.

Roxanne rolled her eyes. "Lighten up, Sam! Everyone else gets the joke."

"It's not on them." I muttered.

Roxanne heard. "Shut up! Focus."

When the race began, Roxanne and I became united for a moment as Jed ran. "GO, JED! GO GO GO!"

He was faster than ever, feet pounding, face scarlet. Finally, he reached out. I was ready. I clutched at the baton and started running.
"GO SAMMY!" I heard people from the bleachers yelling. The other runners were way behind. I sprinted, running harder. And suddenly, I felt a hand grab mine.

I looked. No one there.

"What the hell are you doing?" I hissed at the invisible boy.

"I'm trying to help you win!" Brent's voice said, breathlessly. "Keep going!" He pulled on my hand, faster that I could run.

And I fell. The baton rolled away. I picked it up and kept running, but it was no use. Everyone had caught up.

"I'm sorry, Sammy!" Brent said quietly, so no one else would here. "I didn't realize that I was too fast. I didn't mean for you to fall over. I-"

"Shut. Up." I muttered dangerously.

Roxanne was especially furious that I lost, so I stalked off the field before she could give me an ear-bashing about it. I wasn't in the mood for anything, actually.

When I got home, Simon was busy with his project. "Sammy!" he exclaimed, looking up. "Can you measure me, please? I haven't measured myself since yesterday."

"Simon, you haven't grown since yesterday." I told him brusquely. "Wait a couple days at least."

"But my project sucks so far!"

I gave a sigh, and tried to be a little nicer. "Simon, people don't grow that fast." I told him kindly. "You need to do something else. Why not just do something about the effects of freezing? Or maybe Mom and Dad can help you think of another idea. I'm sorry, but I have a big issue too. Can you tell Mom I have something I need to talk to her about when she gets home?"

And with that, I sped up to my room. The window was up, again.

I sighed. "Okay, Brent, where are you?" I asked.

"I'm at your desk." Brent said, and to prove it, a pen from my desk was lifted up.

I sat down on my bed. "You've caused nothing but trouble for me all day. Either you have to go, or I need pills to stop hallucinating."

"You're not hallucinating!" Brent said, sounding irritated. The desk chair pushed back. "I'm as real as you are, Sammy." I felt an arm around my shoulders. "I'm not trying to make trouble for you. Why don't we go do something fun together? Play ball or something? Or we could go out for pizza. That sushi feels like it was hours ago."

"You go by yourself." I suggested, muttering under my breath "And don't come back."

"I don't want to go alone." Brent protested. "I've been trying to be nice to you. I just want you to be my girlfriend." He pulled me a tiny bit closer.

"First, I don't date right now." I snapped. "Second, it's not working out."

"Please, give me a chance." Brent said again. "Even if we're just friends for now. I really like you. I'm serious – we'll have fun -"

"Sammy! Dinner!" I heard Mom call.

I gave a sigh. "I better go. We'll talk when I get back."

"Don't worry, I won't leave the room." Brent said brightly.

I gave a sigh as I went downstairs and got to the table. "Mom, Dad? Can I ask you about something?" They looked up at me. Finally, I had their attention. "I feel like there's something wrong with me. I keep hearing and seeing things. I keep hearing this voice – a boy. My mind thinks he's an invisible kid in my room. I know it's impossible. I'm scared."

There wasn't much else to do but say it. Even if, by chance, Brent was real, I just wanted him out of my room.

But did my wonderful parents listen?

Not a chance. They babbled on about their molecule detector and didn't believe me.

I felt a kick under the table. "Simon, stop it!" I glared.

"It wasn't me! It was the invisible kid!" Simon laughed.

"There is no invisible kid!" I snapped. "That's why I need someone to explain why I'm imagining it like it's real!"

I turned to my parents. "Please, please, Mom. I might be going crazy. I'm serious. I'd rather be diagnosed with schizophrenia then keep thinking there's an invisible kid in this house who won't talk to anyone except me."

I had such wonderful, lovely, understanding parents. They wouldn't listen to a word I said, passing it off as a crazy story. Okay, if I was making it up, I'd actually say that there was an invisible kid in my room. I was seriously scared for my mental health, and no one would believe me!

I thought about it all through dinner. And by the time it got to dessert, I had an idea. Okay, so it was a weak idea, but at least it was something.

After dinner, I sneaked a couple of leftover chicken wings into a paper napkin and raced upstairs. "Brent?"

I looked around my bedroom. "I got you some of the food left over from dinner."

I felt a hand take the napkin. "Thanks!" Brent's voice said. There was a silence as he ate them. "You know, your mom is a really good cook."

Well, that gave me a good opening line. "She's okay." I said offhandedly. "Now Roxanne's dad – he cooks most of the time at her house and he really is a good cook. Like almost professional." I was exaggerating, but still, it wasn't that bad. "It kind of sucks that I had to break friends with her, so I can't go over there anymore." I added.

There was a pause.

"Hey, you know, I bet Roxanne's kind of depressed that I left her alone. I think she needs support way more than I do." I continued. "I think you guys would get on. Why don't you ask her out instead? She would love having someone supernatural in her house, too. Plus, her parents are so much more easygoing, so they'd never know you were there."

There was a pause. "I don't like Roxanne." Brent said after a moment. "You broke friends with her because she was mean to you. What makes you think I'd like her? You're so much nicer. And prettier, too."

I gave a sigh. "Fine. I didn't expect that to work, anyway. But that doesn't change the fact that you're ruining my life and you have to go."

Brent's voice became stubborn. "I'm not going, Sammy. I won't cause any more trouble for you, I swear. Just let me hang out with you and don't tell anyone about me. Please?"

"Listen," I said, "Even if I'm not crazy, everyone will think I am if I keep talking to an invisible guy who keeps following me around. Really. Please, please, please leave."

"I know I screwed up." Brent admitted. "At the track race and at the library. But I won't do it again! I meant to help you with track – I didn't know you would trip. It was all mistakes, but I won't do any of that. I promise, I won't make any more mistakes!"

As he spoke, he opened my closet. One of my dresses floated out. "Hey, you would look so adorable in this. Why don't you ever wear dresses?"

I glared at thin air. "I hate dresses. Mom makes me wear them on special occasions. Put that thing back in my-"

"Sammy, who are you talking to?"

I froze. Mom was standing in my doorway. The dress was on the floor. AndI had to come up with an explanation.

Well, what's Sammy's answer? You'll find out in the next chapter.