(September 3rd 2000, 8:24PM)
Timmy opened his eyes wide. He got blinded by a vivid LED light above him, causing him to turn his head to his left.
He saw Jimmy, seemingly sleeping in a hospital bed next to him.
-"Please don't wake up now... Do not wake up at all !"
The boy looked around a bit : the room was pretty small and it was just the two of them in here. The clock above the open window read 11:55AM, and was probably broken because it was dark outside. The old green walls, decrepit and faded, gave off a menacing aura.
-"Hey, where are we, Tim-Tim ?"
My god.
-"Damn, i th-thought i was dead ! And that you were dead t-too !"
Timmy tried to hide his face in his hands of embarrassment, but felt a shooting pen in his left arm. He breathed through his teeth, and clutched the wound covered in white and reddish bandage. Where did his sleeve go ?
-"I've never been th-that close to death in my ent-tire life ! This is aw-awesome !" Jimmy exclaimed, obviously clueless to his friend's pain, but also to his horrible headache and broken nose.
"Awesome ???? What do you mean, awesome ??"
-"I still f-feel the adrenaline, this is crazy !" the boy continued. "I don't understand how st-stuff like that never h-happened to me back in New York, i mean i got in a couple fights but never of th-that caliber !"
"I wish you did, at least you wouldn't have been here to tell me about it."
-"And better not let my p-parents f-f-find out about that fight, otherwise we'll be back in Brooklyn, and Brooklyn s-sucks."
His so joyful attitude annoyed Timmy, who, no matter the brainstorming, was unable to understand it. Reading the minds of his classmates was easy matter, and he knew many of their deepest secrets. But his, what the trouble ! His motivations were conflicting, impossible to guess !
He didn't see what point there was in trying to befriend him when he knew damn well that Timmy couldn't stand him.
So, not to remain in the mystery any longer, he decided to simply ask him.
-"... Why ?"
Jimmy quit his rambling, and looked at Timmy in great confusion.
-"Why what ?"
-"Why ?"
-"I'm afraid i don't q-quite understand your q-question, Timmy..."
"Yes, you do ! Stop acting stupid !"
Jimmy seemed to avoid the question religiously : his eyes shifted to the cable telephone on the table that separated their beds.
Timmy reluctantly decided to take matters -and his head- into his own hands.
-"Why are you acting like this ?! Why the hell do you insist on getting my friendship, even after I've imagined, developed and implemented several plans with the ultimate goal of your DEATH ?!"
Jimmy tried to interrupt him, but he put his free hand over his mouth.
Timmy reluctantly decided to take matters -and his head- into his own hands.
Jimmy didn't understand half of what he was saying. Timmy kept rambling about his mischievous plans but his colleague was stunned : how did he do that ?
He was speaking but not really, like a bad television dub where the audio was late on the image.
He had a quick idea go through his mind but kind of left it behind : what if Timmy was a psychic, like the guy from the X-men team ?
That would explain a lot of stuff : him dissappearing from the elevator and its sudden dysfunction, how he got guns while being ten years old and not having a license, and how he got elementary school kids and Stan's sister with him.
He grabbed the hand hooked in Timmy's hair and pinned it against the hospital bed.
-"Ah ah ! There's n-nothing you can do now !"
Timmy realized his slip up : he just revealed, because of a sudden burst of rage, his biggest secret to his number one foe ! And he understood it so fast !
-"And you DARE to be jealous of m-me when you can litteraly R-READ people's m-minds ???"
Jimmy realized something.
-"Wait... Did you check m-mine ?"
Timmy saw no point in pretending anymore. Jimmy was smarter than he thought.
-"I did try to. But your head is too crowded and i couldn't find anything in that mess."
Timmy took the opportunity to put the subject back on the table.
-"Hence the fact that i asked you why do you act like that. Since i couldn't guess."
"Damn, he really wants to know !" Jimmy thought. "Why does it interest him so much ? I don't even know myself !"
He did. He took a breath and told his colleague.
-"M-matter of fact, i didn't really have f-friends before j-joining scouts. And even l-less handicapable friends. But hey, it wasn't that bad ! I mean, i wasn't b-bullied or anything, but the people at my old school didn't really seem to be r-r-receptive to my humor."
So that was why : he wanted friends, but had a really bad way of making them. Poor guy.
Timmy found this story kind of stupid, but believable for someone like Jimmy.
-"So i t-told myself i wasn't gonna give up this time, and when i r-realized that i was one of a f-f-few people who can understand when you sp-peak, with your mouth not your head, well i thought there was something s-s-special between us, y'know ?"
It sounded like a declaration from a Christmas movie. Timmy didn't know what to think : Jimmy seemed sincere in what he said. After all, why wouldn't he be ? He wanted to be friends with Timothy.
-"What are you thinking, ps-psychic ?" Jimmy said. "Are you t-trying to figure out why i don't t-trust stairs ?"
Timmy sighed deeply.
-"Timmy, Jimmy ? (Why don't you trust stairs, James ?)"
Jimmy chuckled.
-"Because they always s-seem to be u-up to something..."
-"Timmy, Timmy Jimmy... Timmy. (If they're up to something, it must be in the objective of... bringing you down.)"
Jimmy, surprised by Timmy's answer, laughed with a hand over his mouth. It was a premiere in history, Timmy answering to a joke of his !
But he quickly became aware of his headache and pressed on his temple, hissing in pain.
-"And that b-because of y-you ! God, nothing could be w-worse than that !"
Timmy gasped as his hand flew to his chest in disbelief. He held out his injured arm, with a look on his face that said : "Are you serious right now ?"
Jimmy laughed again.
-"You k-kinda asked f-for this one, fella !"
He laughed harder and harder as their banter continued, and maybe Timmy was laughing too, but Jimmy didn't hear that.
As the noise died down, Timmy caught his colleague's attention.
-"So...rry. Sorry Jimmy."
"Please do not make a big deal of my apology."
-"Sorry about wh-what ? Organizing a cowboy stan-standoff -well i wouldn't call that a "stand"off very much- and s-sending me to the hospital ? Or the elevator thing ? Yeah, i guess you c-could apologize for that."
Jimmy took his hand out to him.
-"N-no hard feelings, huh ?"
Timmy clapped his hand and shook it, but less forcefully than the last time he did it. He felt peaceful as if a weight had been lifted of him.
That was before the room's door suddenly flew open and slammed against the wall !
-"Oh my God, Jimmy ! You're fine ! What a relief !"
The woman rushed to him to take him in her arms, almost suffocating him.
Timmy recognized her : he saw her from his window few days prior, and therefore is Jimmy's mother.
His father then entered the room as well, and his gaze fell onto Timmy. They looked into each other's eyes for a few seconds before going to his son. It was true that this very strange boy reminded Ryan of something. Or rather someone.
The woman let go of Jimmy and suddenly got closer to Timmy, almost pressing her face onto his.
-"You ! Are you the one who did this to my son ?" she said, pointing at him.
Timmy remained silent, and pulled his head back.
-"I don't think he understands much of what you're saying, honey..." the husband declared.
-"Hah ! Timmy. (Hah. Of course.)"
Ryan opened his eyes wide. This little dude also spoke with his name ! He then remembered a guy he knew back then, and prayed that the strawberry blonde boy in front of him was not involved, or worse, related, to him.
-"L-leave it, mom ! He already ap-pologized !"
-"The school told us everything, Jim." Ryan announced. "This kid tried to shoot you with a rifle."
-"Yeah, but he m-missed ! And I ended up sh-shooting him instead !"
-"It was in self defense !" his mom exclaimed. "You reacted well !"
Timmy sat awkwardly on his hospital bed, listening to the little argument between Jimmy, who was defending him, and his parents. He then heard something to his left : the cable telephone was ringing. He picked it up.
-"Timmy ?"
He let out a slight "oh!" at his interlocutor response.
-"Who is it, Tim-Tim ?"
-"Timmeh !"
-"What did he say ?" Ryan asked.
-"It's his d-dad calling."
As the call was going, Ryan motioned his wife to come out of the room with him, and the door closed behind them, without their son noticing. But Timmy did notice as the call ended. He alerted his now friend.
-"Wh-what are they t-talking about ?"
Timmy decided to eavesdrop a bit of their convo.
-"Tell me, don't you think this kid looks like someone we know ?"
-"It's true, Ryan, he does !"
Timmy told Jimmy what he heard progressively as the couple talked, when they finally agreed.
-"Richard, Richard from high school."
-"Richard Darren ! Oh my, Ryan !"
-"It will never be over : God punished us through generations."
Timmy looked at his friend, taken aback. God ?
-"Oh yeah, my parents say h-having a crippled son is God's p-p-punishment for making fun of c-crippled guys in h-high school."
Timmy found this mentality extremely sad.
Jimmy's parents bursted into the hospital room.
-"Well son, i think you recovered now." announced Ryan. "Let's go home now."
-"Ryan, the door is locked !!"
-"What ?"
Jimmy and Timmy sneered, knowing damn well what was going to happen, at it was going to be fun as hell.
There was a knock at the door. Ryan nervously grabbed the handle and opened it.
He found himself face to face with Timmy's father, who was indeed the man he was thinking of. Richard Darren, whom Ryan and his wife had known since high school, or Richie, as they liked to call him back then. However the guy concerned hated this nickname.
Mrs Valmer jostled her husband.
-"Richard ! What a surprise to see you there !" she exclaimed with a slight nervous laughter, shaking his hand. "We were just waiting for you in order to resolve the situation."
-"Oh, what a liar ! You were dreading his arrival just a second ago!" Timmy angrily thought, and told Jimmy by mind.
Richard rolled closer to his son, and patted his wound, looking into his eyes.
-"H-hello sir !" Jimmy said enthusiastically. "I'm James V-Valmer, call me Jimmy."
Richard looked at the boy, then at his father, then at him again. He noticed how much they resembled each other, but only in appearance : the young guy seemed to be much nicer than his parents.
-"Well Richard, if the five of us are here, it's because your son organized a standoff with our son in the playground."
Richard turned to his son, who turned his head away.
-"...Timmy. (He kind of asked for it.)"
-"N-nuh uh ! You started it with your bom... bombastic sp-peeches !"
Jimmy's parents stared at Timmy, not thinking he could be able of bombastic speeches.
-"And you're going to let him get away with this ?" Sarah angrily asked. "I think he deserves to be grounded forever for that !"
Richard was not totally of this opinion. He indicated the injured arm and the bandage of his son's brow bone. He then turned to Sarah, his eyes saying "I think he already learned his lesson."
-"Can we g-go home now ? I'm hungry."
-"Not before we figure this out, Jim."
-"Oh God."
-"Well i think this fight wasn't the only one our son and yours got into !" Sarah said, referencing this summer on the parking lot. "I'm telling you, Richard, he wants him dead !"
-"He said he was s-sorry !"
Sarah got closer to his son.
-"Jimmy, i don't want you hanging out with that brat anymore, you hear me ?! I warned you multiple times about him, and you didn't listen !"
-"But we're friends now !"
Timmy agressively nodded, kind of content with this statement.
The angery tension was rising, and Richard and Sarah were giving death stares.
-"I just want what's best for my son, and YOUR son is the worst thing that he could ever have happened to encounter !"
Richard pointed his finger at her menacingly, eyebrows furrowed and teeth clenched.
"You think they're gonna f-fight ?" Jimmy asked his friend.
-"Tim-Timmy. (If they do, my dad wins.)"
They didn't seem to notice the magnitude of the situation...
-"He's just like you were in high school ! An annoying, entitled BITCH ! Like father like son they said, and yours is a fucking demonspawn !"
Timmy and Jimmy held back laughter, and the two adults were screaming at each other while Ryan stood there.
Being the only two able to understand Timmy's dad, they noticed something : during the whole argument, he had never spoke bad of Jimmy in response to Sarah's attacks.
Ryan, becoming tired of the fight, added his two cents to the situation.
-"That's it. We can't do anything about this. This is all because of you !"
He pointed at Richard.
-"If you never went to the same high school as me and my wife, none of this would be happening and God wouldn't have had to teach us a lesson with a handicapped son !"
Ryan finished. Great silence.
Richard what totally taken aback. How dare he talk like that ? About his own son ?!
These people never matured, it seemed : they now hid behind their oh so fake self-righteousness and Christian love.
Poor kid, he had even more sympathy for him now.
-"Okay, you stop your n-nonsense n-now !"
Everyone looked upon Jimmy.
-"It's true T-Timmy and i didn't g-get along very much, and it was all his f-fault."
Timmy crossed his arms.
-"But he ap-pologized and i f-forgave him ! You see, it's easy to get along !"
Timmy uncrossed his arms. "Oh sweet summer child, power of friendship will not be enough to solve the problems between these three."
-"What tells you he won't do it again ?" Mr Valmer asked his son. "You heard your mom, Jim. You can't hang out with that kid."
Richard, who has been forgotten from the conversation, suddenly exclaimed his own name, followed by a rude laughter.
Jimmy translated his word for his clueless parents.
-"He said he hoped me and Tim-Tim would become b-best friends just to p-piss you off !"
The three laughed out loud, to the great dismay of Jimmy's parents : God definitely didn't forget them.
The door of the hospital room opened, and a sunglassed police officer came in.
-"Okay, is James Valmer there ?"
Heads turned towards the concerned one.
-"Alright, James, could you explain to me why we found an amount of three pounds of crack in your school locker ?"
A great silence filled the room. "Another blow from this kid !" Sarah thought.
She was right : Timmy's plan had two possible outcomes : either Jimmy died, or he got expelled. He hid his face from the accusating mother with one hand.
-"Wait, let me re-read my notes real quick..." the officer said, turning away.
There was nothing written on his notebook : but Timmy had to pretend he was at least a little competent.
-"Well it was not you, Jim but the guy with his locker next to yours, i think his last name's Tweak ? Anyway, sorry for the disagreement, boy !"
He closed the door behind him, and Jimmy's dad sighed in relief.
-"You did that, huh ?" Jimmy taunted his friend quietly, so his parents do not hear him.
Timmy smirked and rolled his eyes back.
This year and those to come promised lots of twists and turns, and the two boys next to each other in their hospital beds were all for it.