"OK class settle down." The kids immediately quieted down and sat in their chairs. "As many of you know it is time for the annual Miss Hoover Christmas play. Now are there any ideas for this year's play."
Wendy Schultz raised her hand instantly.
"Yes Wendy?"
"I think we should do Romeo and Juliet. I could play Juliet and JC could play Romeo." She galnced over at him and waved. He got a disgusted look on his face and slouched down in his chair.
"That's a thought Wendy, but I think we should stick to the Christmas theme. Anyone else?" Charlie's arm shot up in the air. "Charlie?"
"We should do A Christmas Carol."
"That's a wonderful idea Charlie. Now we should assign parts." Wendy raised her hand again.
"I should be Mrs. Cratchet and JC could be Bob Cratchet."
"Just let me pick your part. The list will be posted on the bulletin board after recess you can check it then." The lunch bell rang and all the kids scattered into the hall. After they had returned to the classroom and huddled around the bulletin board. JC scrolled the paper and there was his name.
"JC Carter." He moved his finger across the paper until he reached his part. "Tiny Tim?" He was noticeably disappointed. He started to walk towards his teacher.
"Hey JC what part did you get?" Wendy cut him off.
"Tiny Tim."
"Oh I'm sorry I'm the ghost of Christmas past."
"That's nice." He pushed his way past her and up to his teacher. "Miss Hoover I think you wrote the wrong part down for me. It says that I'm Tiny Tim."
"You are."
"I don't want to be Tiny Tim I wanted to be like village person #2 or something."
"JC, Tiny Tim is one of the most important parts in the play. I think you can do a good job I have faith in you. Plus you are the smallest boy in the class so it was obvious that you should be him."
"OK thanks Miss Hoover."
"Here's your script start to work on your lines, you have the most important line in the whole play."
"Yah know, what if Tiny Tim is so important why did Dickens try to kill him off in the future?"
"I don't know. Just go sit down it's time for math."
=|=|=|=
JC waited outside of Justin's sixth grade classroom so they could go home.
"You can go on home." Justin walked out into the hall. "I have to stay after school."
"What did you do?"
"It doesn't matter. Just go." He walked back into the room and JC headed for the main door. He walked outside and started up the sidewalk, but noticed Joey's car sitting in the parking lot. He ran over to it.
"What are you guys doing here?" He asked getting in the back with Chris.
"We thought it would be nice to pick you up."
"Great the one thing that's actually gone right today."
"Well what else has gone wrong?" Adrianna turned around to ask.
"I missed 13 words on my spelling test, I forgot to do my math last night, and I got the part of Tiny Tim in the Christmas play."
"Tiny Tim, wow JC that's a very important part you should be honored to play that."
"No she just picked me cause I'm the smallest boy in my class."
"You're not that small."
"Yes I am, my six year old brother is almost bigger than me."
"Hey I am not fat!" Chris shouted.
"I didn't say you were fat I said you were almost bigger than me."
"That sounds like fat to me." JC rolled his eyes.
"Anyways where's Justin?" Joey pulled up to a light.
"He had to stay after school."
"Again? What did he do this time?"
"I don't know he wouldn't tell me."
"Hey, you know what I was thinking?" Joey asked.
"Do we ever."
"I was thinking since it's Lance's first day at the new job we could make dinner so it would be ready when he got home."
"Aww sweetie that's so sweet, You thought of that all by yourself."
"Yes I did, I was trying to think of something to prepare."
"Let's make paghetti!" Chris shouted. "Then we can throw it on the ceiling."
"What are you talking about?" JC was puzzeled.
"That's how you can tell if it's done or not, shows how smart you are." Chris stuck his tongue out at him.
"Chris, dear you throw it at the walls."
"Oh Anna, it's all the same."
"Anyways I was thinking something simple so everyone could help."
"What about Justin?"
"If he wants to he can, but I'm not going to force him to." They pulled up to Adrianna's house.
"I would love to see you three make dinner cause that would be funny, but I can't. I'll see you guys tomorrow." She leaned over and kissed Joey.
"Ewww." The two from the backseat chorused.
"Bye you two." She waved to the backseat. Then she disappeared into her house. They drove off back to their house.
=|=|=|=
"Justin, I'm concerned about you." His teacher, Mrs. Ludwig sat in front of him. "You haven't been here in a while and you don't seem to concentrate anymore. You were an A student, now you barely passing. I'm going to have you talk to the councilor about your problems."
"I don't have any problems."
"Justin you're in denial go down to her office, I'll call your parents and tell them you won't be home for a while."
"Good luck, getting in touch with them." He mumbled on his way out the door. He walked down the long hall and into the coucilor's office. He opened the door and a woman looked up from her desk.
"May I help you?"
"Yeah I was sent here to talk to you." He handed her a slip of paper.
"Ahh Justin Carter, sit down." He took a seat in a chair positioned in front of her desk. "What seems to be the problem?"
"I don't have a problem, I've just haven't been doing good in school recently."
"Um hm, is everything OK at home?" He sat there silently for a couple of minutes. "What's the matter does your father neglect you?"
"No."
"How many siblings do you have?"
"4 brothers."
"Older or younger?"
"2 older and 2 younger."
"I see the middle child, do you ever feel that your parents pay more attention to the others?"
"No."
"Well do your parents..."
"This has nothing to do with my parents. My parents are dead." She nodded her head.
"How long ago did they die?" Justin started to get uncomfortable.
"About 2 weeks ago."
"Were you close to your parents?"
"We were all close."
"The whole family?"
"Yes."
"And now you don't feel as close to them anymore."
"Not really."
"This is what I want you to do for me." She opened up her desk drawer and pulled out a little notebook. "I want you to keep this journal, and write down everything that your brothers do to you that bugs you each day. Also write your feelings down to."
"I can't really express my feelings."
"You need to try, and meet me everyday after school. OK?"
"OK." He got up from his chair and headed for the door. He walked out of the school. As he got through the door he was hit with the cold December air. He was thinking about the way things used to be. How close the seven of them were, now the two main factors in the whole family were gone, and Lance had tried to make everything OK for them, but Justin wasn't gonna buy it.
"Maybe I should try to at least be pleasant at the house." He whispered to himself before he started to head home. In walked into their house and heard a commotion from the kitchen. He ran to see what was going on. He saw three of his brothers in the kitchen cooking something. Chris was throwing spaghetti on the ceiling, JC was chopping up carrots, and Joey was at the stove with his apron wrapped around his waist.
"Hey Justin! When did you get here?"
"Just now what are you guys doing?" He chuckled at the sight he saw.
"We're making Lance dinner, wanna help?" Chris asked. He thought for a second.
"Sure I would love to help."Next
