Mr. Brooks-Pay attention.
Taylor-I’m trying.
*Taylor sits in the computer chair as his father stands beside him*
Mr. Brooks-If x + 22 = -12 what is the value of x?
Taylor-Idk like -34.
Mr. Brooks-Good next is-
Taylor-Are you serious we’ve been doing this all morning, it’s almost 3:30 can’t I get a break?
Mr. Brooks-No you made the decision to rent these books so now you’re gonna learn my way.
Taylor-*groan*
Mr. Brooks-OK-
Mrs. Brooks-We’re out of milk.
Taylor-I’LL GO GET SOME.
*Taylor leaps out the chair and bolts for the doorway*
Mrs. Brooks-Hold on I need to give you the money.
Taylor- It’s
*Taylor flings open the door*
Okay I have some ok thanks bye.
*he walks out and shuts the door behind him*
*exhale*
Mr. Brooks-*sigh*
*Taylor begins walking up the street*
Taylor-(Fortunately there’s a grocery store right outside the neighborhood for emergencies like these… annoying dad)
F-L-A-S-H-B-A-C-K
Mr. Brooks-Taylor
*Taylor stirs in his bed and looks through his clouded eyes to see his father holding something in his hand*
I’m taking your cell phone.
Taylor-What.
*he sits up*
Why?
Mr. Brooks-that’s a stupid question for someone so smart.
*Mr. Brooks walks out the room*
END
Taylor-*Growl* (so annoying) *sigh* (well)
*he rounds a corner and a car whizzes by sending Taylor’s oversized jacket to the side*
(Who am I going to call I guess I should’ve thought about that….Well Spinners at work and I definitely can‘t call Jimmy, he‘ll just make things worse by trying to talk to our dad, soo…)
*his thought trails off*
(…..) *sigh* (Jay it is)
*he walks the rest of the way to the grocery store and stops at an intersection full of bustling cars*
*he pushes a button on the nearest pole and sits there looking at the sign with a red hand on it*
(………..hurry up)
*the hand turns into a small walking man but the light is green causing cars to continuously pass him*
UGH (the stupid thing is broken)
*he waits for a wide gap in between cars and he walks across the street to the grocery store*
*Taylor walks along the walls of the Neighborhood Wal-Mart and he stops next to a phone booth*
*he steps inside and pulls out a huge sack of quarters*
Taylor-(this should be enough)
*he inserts 4 quarters, and pulls out a small black book*
(What my dad doesn’t know is that I have a contact book)
*he grabs the “J” tab sticking out the book and flips the book open*
*he runs his finger down the page and stops at the name, Jay “Jason” Hogart*
*Taylor takes the phone, and puts it up to his ear*
*he presses a series of numbers, and hears the dial tone*
*he wait’s a couple of seconds and there’s a soft ping*
Jay-Hello
Taylor-Jay
Jay-Yeah who’s this?
Taylor-Taylor
Jay-Oh, Taylor I haven’t talked to you in a while which must mean-
Taylor-Spinner’s at work, and I don’t want to bother Jimmy
Jay-I guessed as much. So… What seems to be the problem?
Taylor&Jay-My dad
Taylor-You don’t have to say it like that
Jay-Well that’s usually the only thing bad you bring up about your life
Taylor-Is that so…
Jay-So what did YOU do this time?
Taylor-Okay this time I’ll admit it, it was my fault, but he went too far
Jay-Explain.
Taylor-Well I took a little hint from Jimmy to try and skip up a few grades, so I went on the internet and found this website, where you can subscribe to them to receive unlimited textbooks over the internet. So I was like, cool, and I checked the price, and it was $2,000 a month.
Jay-And you used your dad’s credit card.
Taylor-Well at first yeah, but-
Phone-Please insert 50 cents to continue this phone call
Taylor-ugh hold on
*he jabs his hand inside the sack of quarters, pulls out two*
*he slips them into the machine*
Phone-Please inser-
Taylor-Okay, anyway, I was at first but then I figured why not use the money out of my savings account because I’m not old enough to have a trust fund ya know.
Jay-and he found out didn’t he?
Taylor-The next day actually. So ya know Jimmy was about to leave for college, and we drove him to the airport. He gives me his jacket and-
Jay-Which one?
Taylor-Does it matter?
Jay-I’m just wondering.
Taylor-The black one ok, but that doesn’t matter. Anyway, we drove home and he calls me into the living room, and mind you there’s a wood burning in the fire place. So I go in there and he’s holding my favorite jacket.
Jay-The one with the dragon?
Taylor-Yeah but- wait…How would you know?
Jay-Oh I don’t know. Maybe because it’s the only one you ever wear.
Taylor-Wore.
Jay-Well wore, wait what?
Taylor-Let me finish. So he tells me about me breaking-
Phone-Please insert 50 cents to continue this phone call.
Taylor-Oh my lord
*he shoves his hand back in the sack, and someone taps on the phone booth*
*he turns and sees a man*
Hold on
Jay-What’s happening?
Phone-Please insert 50 cents to continue thi-
Taylor-I KNOW!
*the man scowls at Taylor*
Ugh no. Not you
Jay-Taylor
Taylor-Just shut up for a moment.
Jay-Gosh okay.
*Taylor pulls out two quarters and jams them into the slot*
Phone-Please insert 50 cents to continue this phone call. Please insert 50 cents to continue this phone call.
Taylor-IS EVERYTHING BROKEN OVER HERE!
*he shoves 2 more quarters in the slot*
Phone-Please-
Taylor-….*sigh* Okay…Okay so he tells me about the savings account, and how he knows I used it, aaand that $2000 plus tax was withdrew. So I told him what it was for and he got mad, and started blabbing on about how it would help me get into college, and that there are always consequences. Then he tossed the jacket into the fire.
Jay-oo ouch.
Taylor-I tried to get it out, but he had lighter fluid. And that’s basically it, except for the fact he took my phone.
Jay-Yeah I kind of already new as much.
Taylor-ha-ha
Jay-Well it sounds like you’ve had a rough night
Taylor-No really?
Jay-uhh yeah
Taylor-I was being facetious.
Jay-Remember right now people on two different IQ levels are talking, mind dumbing it down.
Taylor-Again ha-ha very funny and it just means I was being sarcastic.
Jay-That’d make a lot of sense. Well anyway, it sounds to me, like you need to stay out of your dad’s way and just do what he tells you to do.
Taylor-Since when were you the type to give advice.
Jay-Since someone actually cared about my opinion.
Taylor-Well thanks, but I have to go. I need to buy some milk, and I can’t spare any more quarters.
Jay-Alright, text me when you get your phone back.
Taylor-If that even happens.
Jay-*chuckle*
Taylor-Bye
Jay-See ya
Phone-Please insert-
*Taylor hangs up the phone*
Taylor-(Why do I get the feeling, that no matter who I called they would’ve all said the same thing.)
*Taylor walks out the booth*
Man-Finally
Taylor-Get over yourself, how rude.
Man-hmph
Taylor-(adults…)
*he walks into the store, and walks around the various people*
*He goes to the back of the store to the refrigerated section*
*he walks down the aisle while looking for milk, and suddenly he bumps into someone*
Taylor-Whoa
*he lands on his butt, and he quickly stands up while dusting himself off*
I’m so sorry
*He looks at a teenaged boy with brown curly hair*
Boy-It’s okay it was my fault.
Taylor-No it was mine. I wasn’t watching where I was going and…
*He looks at the boy, who’s just staring at him and smiling*
*Taylor makes a confused face*
Taylor-(I’m not very friendly and all, but this is just down right weird) well again sorry
*Taylor grabs a gallon of milk, and walks past the boy*
*He enters a self-checkout line and scans the milk*
*He presses the screen in various places and inserts the coins one by one*
*His receipt prints out and his change rolls into a small container*
*Taylor digs the change out, and grabs the receipt*
*He jams both into his pocket and grabs the milk, as he begins to walk towards the exit*
*Solemnly he begins to walk back to the house*
Taylor-(Maybe from here…Things can only get worse)
*He sniffles slightly*
(It’s weird how I put on a show for everyone around me, just so they won’t know how I really feel, but Jimmy)
*He laughs to himself*
(Jimmy always saw through it. Out of every ruse and trick I tried to get by him with… not even one of them worked…)
(It kind of makes me wonder…What would my life be like if Jimmy wasn’t around…What would’ve happened if he had died in-)
*There’s a loud screech and Taylor looks to his right to see a car inches away from him*
*It honks and he sighs as he hurries across the road*
(Maybe I get lost in thought too much…Whatever…)
* Walks all the way home silently, and enters the house*
Taylor-I’M BACK!
*Taylor walks into the kitchen and swings open the refrigerator door*
*He gently places the milk on the top shelf*
Not that anyone cares I’m sure.
*He starts walking to his room and he hears giggles and chuckles coming from his parents room*
Ugh.
*Taylor climbs the staircase and opens his room door*
*He presses it closed, and dives into his bed*
(At least he’s not cheating again…I still wish Jimmy hadn’t told me, but then again I have something to hold over his head…No that’s too evil)
UGH
(Soooooo booooored…Well doing nothing beats thinking about complicated relationships)
*He turns over in his bed*
*Sigh* (I wish there was something to do though)
*He sits up*
(……I might as well)
*Taylor leaps out his bed and pushes his door open*
*He takes the stairs 3 at a time, and lands softly at the bottom of the stairwell*
*He opens the study door and steps inside*
*Taylor shuts the door behind him, and falls backwards into the computer chair*
*He types wildly and comes to the prentice hall home page*
(This should be easier without my loving father)
THAT EVENING
*The Brooks sit at the dinner table with plates of spaghetti in front of them*
Mr. Brooks-I started him out with a little algebra, I’d say about a somewhat advanced 7th grade level.
Mrs. Brooks-Oh really. Well, I’m sure he’ll be scratchin’ up numbers in no time.
*Taylor chuckles silently*
(Scratchin’ up numbers…I wonder what my mom would’ve said…)
*Taylor picks at the noodles*
(Thinking about me and Jimmy being half-brothers feels weird…Oh well)
Mrs. Brooks-But you skipped his 5th, and 6th year shouldn’t you have started there.
Mr. Brooks-Well I’m aiming for him to just skip 2 grades because he won’t be able to skip now since the school years about to begin. So, next year I think we’ll be able to get him where he needs to be. I’ll just teach him anything he doesn’t know, so that way he knows anything he needs, nothing more and nothing less.
Mrs. Brooks-I see, Taylor honey how are the lessons suiting you.
Taylor-Fine…Peachy keen…Just great.
Mr. Brooks-I think she gets the point. *chuckle*
Taylor-(Oh the famous fake laugh. Of course he’s trying to hide what a bad time we both had.)
*Taylor continue to pick at the spaghetti*
Taylor-….Jimmy always hated spaghetti
Mrs. Brooks-Don’t be like that. Jimmy’ll be back before you know it.
Taylor-I guess so. (HA fat chance…He’ll be back months from now), and by then I’ll be dead.
Mr. Brooks-What.
Taylor-(I said that out loud didn’t I) nothing, I just had a slight cough.
Mrs. Brooks-Do you need something to drink?
Taylor-No thank you…May I be excused?
Mr. Brooks-You haven’t even touched your food.
Taylor-I’m not that hungry.
Mr. Brooks-Don’t try and weasel your way out of this. I know you haven’t eaten all day.
Taylor-Sure I have.
*He stands up, and pushes his chair in*
When I went to the grocery store I stopped at a hot dog stand. (Which isn’t a complete lie because there was one there.)
Mr. Brooks-…So if I were to drive to the grocery store right now…There’d be a closed or possibly open stand.
Taylor-Yep.
Mr. Brooks-….*sigh* go ahead.
Taylor-Thank you.
*He walks up to his bedroom and steps inside*
*He shuts the door behind him, and runs to the other side of the window*
*Taylor opens it and slips out*
*He lands softly, and begins walking down the street*
*He walks up to the kitchen window, and taps on the glass*
*His father turns around*
Mr. Brooks-What-No
Taylor-Please.
Mrs. Brooks-Just let him, he’ll be alright.
Mr. Brooks-*sigh* fine
*Taylor begins to walk down the street*
Taylor-(not without a cell phone)
*He walks further and turns left*
*After 3 minutes of walking he comes to a fountain in the middle of a park*
Taylor-*sigh*
*He steps onto the fountain and balances dangerously*
*He levels out, and walks across until he’s on the other side*
*Taylor gazes up at the full moon*
Taylor-*exhale* (I have to admit… The moon has strange powers over me.)
???-*chuckle* *chuckle*
*He continues to stare as 3 boys race below him*
*One boy shoves another causing them to bump into Taylor*
*Taylor totters wildly as he flails his arms*
Taylor-Wh-whoa whoa (ugh stupid boys)
*He begins to fall back, and suddenly someone grabs his wrist and yanks him up*
*Taylor dusts himself off, and looks up*
???-Oh it’s you.
*Taylor looks at the same teenager that he bumped into at the Wal-Mart*
Taylor-You again, may I ask who you are.
???-What no thank you.
Taylor-*sigh* Thank you.
???-*chuckle*
Taylor-Now ahem…
???-Oh my names Riley Stavros.
Taylor-Oh well I’m Taylor...
*Taylor stretches his hand out to Riley*
Taylor Brooks