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T.J.’s New Adventures 0

The Audacious Antagonists 1

T.J.’s New Adventures 2

The Audacious Antagonists 3 Our words have power… let us use them to do good, not harm.

T.J.’s New Adventures 4

The Audacious Antagonists 5 T.J.’s New Adventures The Audacious Antagonists “Mr. Angel” Ramirez

T.J.’s New Adventures 6

The Audacious Antagonists 7 No More Tracy “Well, Marcus and T.J., you weren’t lying when you said that this trip would be more fun than running that game booth!” “I know I wasn’t there, but I’ll second that emotion!” Tracy’s mother chimed in.

T.J.’s New Adventures 8 “And I’ll be the triplicate!” Tracy’s dad said, with a huge smile to match his energetic exclaim. “It’s been my favorite type of service project since my first trip last year,” I shared. “And I’ve been going since I was as young as Margarita. Not alone, of course. My mom and dad usually go, but Daniel had an important doctor’s appointment today.” “Which one was Margarita again?” Tracy’s dad asked. “I think she was the one you were pretending to be a pony for,” Tracy answered. “And you would be absolutely correct,” Marcus said. “I’m sorry. As amazing as the experience was, the language barrier did make some of it a bit difficult. Not that I’m complaining,” Tracy’s dad doubled back. “I guess I should have paid better attention in my high school Spanish class.” “No worries, sir. I’d be delighted to be your translator for any future Mexico missionary trips to the Casa Hogar that you join us for,” I told him.

The Audacious Antagonists 9 This offer brought a wink and a smile to his face. “But who’s going to translate for me?” Tracy’s mother asked, pretending to be hurt by my offer, placing the back of her hand to her forehead in a dramatic fashion. “I’ve got you covered there. Spanish does happen to be my first language” Juan de Dios said, placing his hand on his chest and taking a bow with some unexpected flair. We stood silent for a moment but burst out in laughter at his silliness. “Well, looks like my parents are here,” Marcus said. “We’ll be sure to let you know when the next trip is.” Marcus grabbed my hand and began to pull me toward his car. “See you on Monday!” I hollered to Tracy, with my hand held high above my head, while being led away by Marcus. “Bye!” Tracy waved back.

T.J.’s New Adventures 10 “Alrighty, students. Let’s see those dioramas,” Mr. Short said, while rubbing his hands together as if lathering soap on them. I was afraid I wasn’t going to be able to finish mine since we had our missionary trip to the orphanage on Saturday. Thankfully, we didn’t have much homework for my other classes last week, so I was able to do most of the work before our trip. All I had to do yesterday was write my notecards for my presentation. Even though I’ve gotten much better at overcoming my dyslexia, I had to rewrite a couple of them more than once. But that’s okay. It just gave me more practice at spelling those words better in the future! “Okay, everybody. One you’ve placed your project on your desk, I’m going to give you a few minutes to admire the work of your classmates. Take careful attention to detail and see if you can figure out which scene, from which chapter, of Charlotte’s Web, they chose to portray,” Mr. Short directed. I couldn’t wait to see what others had done. To be honest, I wanted to see if anyone had been as creative as I had tried to be. I made my diorama look like a comic

The Audacious Antagonists 11 book. From left to right, each panel of my shoebox hosted a different drawing, giving the viewer a visual experience of my chosen scene. Of course, as I surveyed the room, I began to notice a trend. Many of my classmates were just as creative, some more so, as myself. From a pop-up book to clay creations to a hand cranked, moving picture wheel, my creativity seemed less and less exciting. “Wonderful job, boys and girls! I knew giving you freedom to express your vision using any medium of your choosing would lead to great results!” Mr. Short praised. “Now let’s get back to our seats and start our oral presentations. Do I hear a volunteer that would like to go first.” The class quickly changed from ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ and congratulatory compliments to complete silence. “I can't believe what Sarai did for her project!” I told Marcus as we rode the bus home. “Seriously! How in the world was she able to design an interactive app for her tablet?” Marcus nearly shouted.

T.J.’s New Adventures 12 Sarai isn't in our class, but Mr. Short asked if he could hold on to her tablet and show the rest of his classes what she had done. I'm not one hundred percent sure, but I think one of her parents must work for a company that creates apps. Or she's a coding prodigy! As I lay on Marcus' bed, doing my homework, while he sat at his desk, working on his, we both received a notification. I took my phone out of my backpack and Marcus unplugged his tablet from his charger. After reading the message, I looked at Marcus, who after a second or two, looked back at me. “Did you just get a message from Tracy?” Marcus asked. “Of course I did. We're in the same group chat. All of the members of the T.J. League are!” I reminded him. “What do you think it means?” Marcus asked. “I don't know. It's kind of ambiguous.” Marcus gave me a ‘I didn't know you knew that word!’ look on his face. To which I responded, with a ‘I know big words!’ look of my own. The next ten minutes or so made it difficult to focus on my homework. As I mentioned, all of the

The Audacious Antagonists 13 members of the T.J. League are in the same group chat. And apparently, Marcus and I were not the only ones confused by Tracy’s message. And after multiple denied video chats, I'm still confused as to what it meant. As are, I'm sure, the other members of the T.J. League. I decided to not let it bother me and returned to doing my homework. Marcus tried to push the topic, but I assured him we could always ask Tracy for clarification tomorrow at school. He shrugged his shoulders and returned to his homework as well. Little did I know how wrong I would be. Unfortunately, Tracy was not at school the following day. I figured it was due to not feeling well. But the following day brought the same results. By day three, I realized that something must be wrong. Not only had Tracy not been at school since last Friday, but our text messages, voicemails, and video chat requests, had all been ignored. “Maybe Tracy is in the hospital and can't respond,” Justin suggested. “Well, that's a bit on the dramatic side, don't you think?” Sammy commented. “What? Could be true!” Justin responded.

T.J.’s New Adventures 14 “Maybe Tracy’s out of town and out of service range,” Paul proposed. “Could be,” Erick said. “That could definitely be a possibility” Marcus agreed. “The message did say, ‘won't be seeing you guys for a while.’” “I guess that explanation works,” I said. Once again, I didn't know how wrong I really was. It wasn't until the following Monday, that I realized none of our teachers, including our homeroom teacher, called out Tracy’s name during attendance. I immediately brought this up to the rest of the guys. “You're right!” Justin nearly shouted. “How did I not notice that sooner?” “Don't worry Justin, none of us noticed,” Eric assured him. “But what does it mean?” I asked. “What do you mean?” Paul asked back. “What do I mean? What does Tracy’s original message mean? ‘Won’t be seeing you guys for a while’. Does that mean only at school? I mean, have any of you seen Tracy outside of school lately?”

The Audacious Antagonists 15 “No.” “Nope.” “Not me.” “Can’t say I have.” “To be honest, I haven’t really been looking.” We all gave Justin our own, ‘are you kidding me?’ looks, which had no effect on him. I’m not sure if he’s become immune to our looks or if he’s just ignoring all of us. “And Tracy still hasn’t answered any of our texts, phone calls or video chats!” Sammy pointed out. “Maybe Tracy just needs some space right now,” Marcus suggested. “Maybe we should pay Tracy a visit,” Justin said. A bit too much like a villain on a T.V. show or movie. Once again, we all gave Justin a ‘are you kidding me!’ look, only this time he responded. “You know what I meant!” Since Tracy hasn’t been answering, I decided to call Tracy’s mom. She told me that Tracy has had a difficult time transitioning and that for the time being,

T.J.’s New Adventures 16 there would be no more Tracy, but she would let me know when we could come visit.

The Audacious Antagonists 17 Just Use Mine “Homeschooling?” “Homeschooling,” I repeated. “Where’d you hear that?” Justin asked. “I finally convinced Tracy to answer my text,” I said.

T.J.’s New Adventures 18 “Wow! Homeschooling,” Sammy exclaimed. “I’d try homeschooling if we did it all together. You know. So, we could still hang out and stuff.” “But why?” Paul asked. “Because I would get to learn at my pace. Not at the pace some elected official decides I need to learn,” she explained. “That and the fact that I could use my extra time to learn things that I’m interested in. You know. Things I want to learn.” “Sounds interesting.” “Sounds intriguing.” “Sounds invigorating.” “Sounds like more work.” Once again, Justin received stares from the rest of us. “Getting back on topic,” Marcus said, “did Tracy say why homeschooling was better than middle school?” “Seems that Clarence and Michael weren’t the only bullies. Since Tracy walks home, and we take the bus or get picked up after school, we didn’t know about the other bullies,” I shared.

The Audacious Antagonists 19 Justin squinted his eyes while shaking his head and Sammy punched her right fist into her left hand. “Why didn’t Tracy tell us?” Erick asked. “Don’t know. But it seems that Tracy’s parents decided that homeschooling was a safer option.” “If only I knew who those bullies were,” Sammy commented, still punching her own hand. Marcus and I were sure to still invite Tracy to our church’s youth events and service projects. Which of course Tracy was glad to attend. When possible. And since Tracy is an official member of the TJ league, we did our best to have outside school activities where we could all hang out. Which got harder and harder as the year went on. But now the mornings are cold, and the days are getting shorter. And I don't know if I've ever told you this, but I do not do well in the cold. If it wasn't for my Batman overcoat, my Batman scarf, and my matching Batman gloves, I would probably turn into a human popsicle every day. Thankfully, we are able to wear sweats and a sweater during P.E. As long as they are the

T.J.’s New Adventures 20 school colors that is. Because if we weren't, I would definitely fail P.E.! “T.J., are you cold?” Paul asked. “Whatever gave you that idea?” I answered, sarcastically. “I think it’s because you’re blowing hot air… onto your gloves!” Justin suggested. “Oh! That! Nah. Just want to make sure that my gloves don’t get cold!” Everyone gave me the look that’s normally reserved for Justin when he points out the obvious. The look with the matching head shakes. I just stood there. Continuing to blow hot air onto my gloves. “You know, there is such a thing as hand warmers that you can put in your gloves, right?” Sammy shared. “You gonna buy me some?” I asked. Taking a break from my hot air blowing to wait for an answer. “No! I just thought you’d like to know!” “That’s what I thought.” I sarcastically returned to blowing hot air onto my gloves, which caused Sammy to give me a ‘you’re hopeless’ look.

The Audacious Antagonists 21 Believe it or not, as soon as I got home, I looked up the price of glove warmers. After I finished my homework of course. Wouldn’t want mom or dad catching me on my tablet before finishing my homework. Yeah. Do I want my hands warm? Yes. Yes, I do. Do I want the consequences that come from getting caught on technology before my homework is done? No. No, I do not. When I originally searched them up, I thought it was going to be an easy decision to make. You know. To decide which ones I want to spend my piggy bank money on. Boy was I wrong! There are many different types of hand warmers! Hand warmers that activate as soon as you take them out of their plastic wrapping. Hand warmers that activate after shaking them. Hand warmers that are battery operated. Hand warmers you can charge like your phone. Hand warmers that last two hours. Hand warmers that last six hours. Hand warmers that let you determine the level of heat they give off. Hand warmer packages

T.J.’s New Adventures 22 that come with a free sample of foot warmers! Mmmmm. Foot warmers. When dad got home, I showed him my findings and asked him for his thoughts. He looked over my top three choices: hand warmers that last six hours, hand warmers that you can charge, and hand warmers that let you determine the level of heat they give off. He told me that they were all pretty good choices and asked me how much I was willing to spend on comfort. I told him I didn’t understand his question. “Well, the less expensive option will eventually run out and lead you to spend more money on more product. Whereas the more expensive option will last longer. Probably even into next year and beyond!” he explained. “Hmmm. I hadn’t considered that,” I admitted. “Let me put it this way. If you decided to choose the more expensive option it could actually be cheaper in the long run.” Once again, I didn’t understand, and I think my facial expression betrayed me.

The Audacious Antagonists 23 “Think of it this way,” dad began, getting into his ‘dadsplanation’ pose. “If the more expensive option is used during the cold months, say three to four months out of the year, but lasts you four or five years, then we can determine its actual cost like this.” He took out his phone and opened the calculator app. “Five years times four months equals twenty,” he said, while showing me the math on the calculator. “Now if the more expensive option is a fifty dollar rechargeable hand warmer, we’re going to take that fifty and divide it by the twenty months we use it. That makes its cost only two dollars and fifty cents per month.” “Wow! I never thought of it that way,” I said. “And if we want to break it down even more, we can divide that two dollars and fifty cents into the average thirty days in a month.” He punched in more numbers. “That’s only eighty three cents a day!” I exclaimed. “Actually, that’s eight point three cents a day,” dad corrected.

T.J.’s New Adventures 24 My eyes nearly bulged out of my head. “Dad?” “Yes, son?” “Could you please order me the fifty dollar rechargeable hand warmers?” I asked, with the best puppy dog eyes I could muster. “You got ‘rechargeable hand warmer’ money?” dad asked me, with an exaggerated questioning face. We both just stared at each other for a few moments. Me with by begging puppy dog eyes and him with his ‘you got rechargeable hand warmer money?’ face. And as hard as I tried to win that faceoff, I didn’t. But dad cheated! The longer we stared at each other, the more he morphed his face into the silliest face I had ever seen! “Rechargeable hand warmers?” Marcus asked. “Right! I didn’t even know those existed!” “I wanna see!” “Oh, I don’t have them, yet. I ordered them online, so it’s going to take a few days,” I explained.

The Audacious Antagonists 25 “Well, thanks for getting me all hyped up about them!” “What! I’m excited, too!” We finished getting dressed for P.E. and headed out to the blacktop. “Okay, boys and girls. With the cold weather comes one of my favorite athletic activities,” Mr. Barret said. Instead of telling us which activity it was, he started walking away from the blacktop. After about ten feet or so, he stopped and turned around. “You going to stay there or follow me?” Most of us looked at Mrs. DeMille to see if this was a test. She just shrugged her shoulders and gave us a ‘it’s your choice’ look. That was all most people needed to get their legs moving. We followed Mr. Barret to the Cafeteria where the floor was covered in white tape. White taped that formed conjoining squares. I had no idea what athletic activity Mr. Barret was talking about until I saw a ball cart in the corner. Except it wasn’t filled with balls. It was filled with hockey sticks.

T.J.’s New Adventures 26 “Oh, yeah!” someone shouted. “No way!” “Let’s go!” Every excited shout seemed to lead to another exclamation. Hmmm. I know I’m no good at games with balls full of air and not full of air, but hockey uses a puck. I wonder if I’ll be any good at this game. “Don’t sweat it, T.J.,” Marcus told me. “But you scored a point!” “I was right next to the goal. You were at center court.” I wrinkled my brows. “Well, not exactly center court. Since we weren’t playing basketball. But you were in the same general area.” I know he’s trying to cheer me up, but I really wanted to be good at hockey. That way I would have at least one sport I could claim to be good at! Before I could tell him that, the Nutrition bell rang.

The Audacious Antagonists 27 “Aw man! Why did Mr. Barret have us do a tiebreaker? Now I’m going to have less time to get to the bathroom and eat my snack!” If you haven’t read my last adventure, then you don’t know that I get hangry if I skip a meal. Or in this case, my snack. I hurried my pace and shoved my feet into my shoes, turning them into slippers by stepping on the back to force it down. My mom hates it when I do this, but I really want to get to the bathroom and lunch tables. “Wow, T.J.! I can’t believe you’re not wearing gloves,” Justin commented. “Yeah. Your hands are really red,” Paul pointed out. “That’s not a good sign. You should really cover them,” Sammy declared. “Aw, man! I was in such a rush that I probably dropped my gloves in the locker room,” I said, after checking my jacket and pants pockets. “What do you mean?” Erick asked.

T.J.’s New Adventures 28 “Mr. Barret had us do a tiebreaker in P.E. today, so we got back to the locker rooms late and the Nutrition bell rang while I was barely getting dressed.” “I thought that you normally wear your P.E. clothes under your normal clothes,” Sammy said. I gave her a ‘are you serious?’ look. “It’s kind of hard to wear a pair of sweatpants and a sweater under my normal clothes,” I pointed out. Sammy didn’t comment for a moment. “But you should really cover your hands,” she finally said. “Hopefully Mr. Barret will be on time when the bell rings so I can rush in, get my gloves, and hurry to math, without being tardy,” I said. “You can just use mine,” Marcus offered, taking his own gloves off. “That’s okay.” “No, seriously, T.J. We all know how you easily get cold.” He gave me his gloves and I happily accepted them.

The Audacious Antagonists 29 “No, seriously, T.J. You can just use mine. We know how easily you get cold.”

T.J.’s New Adventures 30

The Audacious Antagonists 31 An Invisible Cape Erick, Justin, Marcus, Paul, Sammy, and I all turned around to find two familiar faces standing behind us. Why they’re deciding to use an old lady, southern-like accent to mock us, is a mystery to me. “Thank you, Marcus. You’re ever so kind.” “Think nothing of it, T.J. I just can’t stand the thought of your hands being cold.”

T.J.’s New Adventures 32 I know they’re just trying to get us riled up, but there’s no way I’m going to give Clarence and Michael what they want. After everything that happened with Tracy, I’ve become an expert at ignoring them. “Don’t you guys have anything better to do?” Paul asked. “Yeah, bug off!” Justin followed up. “Marcus? Do you think they’re talking to us?” “I don’t know, T.J. But if they are, they’re not being very kind.” “I’ll show you kind,” Sammy said, taking a step forward, before Marcus put his arm up to stop her. “C’mon guys, they’re not worth it. Let’s just finish our snack and go on with our day,” Marcus suggested. Sammy gave Clarence and Michael a glare that would have at least injured or maimed them, if looks could kill, that is. Yeah, definitely injured or maimed. “Marcus, protect me! That look she’s giving me is scaring me!” “Don’t worry, T.J. I won’t let that mean little girl hurt you!”

The Audacious Antagonists 33 We all turned back around and started to refocus ourselves on our snacks. Clarence and Michael tried to instigate us a bit more but got bored after we wouldn’t respond. Like I’ve said before. They’re not worth our energy. Unfortunately, Mr. Barret wasn’t at the boys’ locker room door for the first sixty seconds of the passing bell, and my third period class is on the opposite side of the campus, so I decided I’d have to wait until after school to retrieve my gloves. Thankfully, I was able to make it to my class and into my seat a few seconds before the bell rang. Mrs. Pierce will mark you tardy even if you’re in her class but not sitting in your assigned seat. Why? I don’t know! Probably for the same reason she’ll mark points off your math test if you get the correct answer but don’t use the method she taught you. Ugh! “Here you go Marcus. Thanks for letting me borrow them,” I said, giving Marcus his gloves back and putting on my own. “You’re pretty brave!” he responded. “Why?”

T.J.’s New Adventures 34 “Because you know Mr. Philipps will leave you behind if you’re late for the bus!” he reminded me. “If I hadn’t pretended my shoe was untied, he probably would have!” “Marcus.” “Yes?” “I think you’re forgetting something,” I said, turning my body in my seat to look at him straight in the eye. “Forgetting what?” “I was the fastest kid in our whole school in elementary. Do you really think I would have gone back for my gloves if I didn’t think I was going to make it to the bus in time?” I asked, giving him a face that told him the answer I was looking for. “I guess not,” he answered. “But still! You could have gotten caught running in the hallway and been late. Then you would’ve had to walk home. Alone. Without me!” “I doubt that,” I shot back, turning by body to face front again. “Why?” he asked.

The Audacious Antagonists 35 “Because best friends don’t leave each other behind,” I said, giving him a ‘just try and challenge what I just said’ face. He gave me a scowl that turned into a smile that turned into a smirk that I read as ‘I hope you’re not challenging me, T.J.’. So, last night I fell asleep on the couch and dad woke me up while carrying me to my room. And before you say anything, let me explain. Yes, I’m in middle school. Yes, I’m twelve. And yes, I have grown since my elementary school adventures. But no, not enough for me to be too big for my dad to carry me. I mean, he is about six feet tall. Which I know is not common for a full grown Mexican male. But somehow he is! And no, I don’t mind it when he carries me around the house. I mean, it’s usually piggie back rides and stuff. But sometimes, like last night, when he carried me to bed, he carries me like I’m a little kid again. He also carries me like that sometimes when we go out somewhere and stay out way past my bedtime. I can usually last about an hour past my normal bedtime,

T.J.’s New Adventures 36 but then, it’s like a timer in my body goes off. You know which kind I’m talking about, right? Those timers that you can set to feed your cats or dogs. The ones that go off and then it releases their food and stuff. Yeah. Those timers. If we’re out doing stuff and it passes ten o’clock or so, that timer in my body goes off and it’s like the sleep hormones in my body get released. All at once! But yeah. Since I fell asleep on the couch, I kinda forgot to plug in my phone and my tablet. So, when I woke up this morning, I was unable to check the weather app. Because they were both dead. And instead of doing the smart thing, like asking mom or dad what the weather was going to be, I just looked outside my window. It looked pretty much the same way it did when I looked out my window yesterday, so I dressed similar to what I wore yesterday. Big mistake! The weather may have looked the same as yesterday, but its mood is totally different. What do I mean? Well, yesterday, the weather was cold, but there was hardly any wind. Kind of like a chill vibe. But today? Oh, not today. Nope! The weather definitely does not have a chill vibe today. If I had to describe the

The Audacious Antagonists 37 weather’s vibe today, I would describe it as ‘extra’. As in extra windy! Even with all the layers I’m wearing, I’m still cold. Like popsicle cold! Not in classrooms, though. All our classrooms are heated. Except P.E. And no, I don’t mean outside. As in, on the blacktop. Since we’re in the cafeteria for P.E., because we’re learning hockey, we’re still inside. But it’s not heated, so it’s kind of cold in there. But all of our passing periods have been free-zing! During lunch my teeth were chattering. Why? Because of the blustering blizzardlike wind! Why aren’t we eating inside the cafeteria? Because it’s set up for hockey. Remember? Thankfully, Marcus did remember to plug in his tablet, so he wore extra layers. “Here, T.J. You can use my team jacket. It’s the warmest jacket I own.” “Are you sure? I don’t want your teeth to chatter like mine.” “Don’t worry. I’ve got a sweater on underneath,” he reassured me. “And a thermal under that. And a shirt over my thermal. And an undershirt under my thermal. And—.”

T.J.’s New Adventures 38 “Okay. Okay. I get it. You came to school prepared. Just let me have your jacket already.” I probably shouldn’t have snapped at him like that, but the cold is starting to have the same effect on me that an empty stomach does! I stood up and with my arms pulled backward as Marcus pulled his jacket up my arms and onto my back. He was about to button it up for me, but I swatted his arms away and gave him an ‘I can do it myself’ look. Yeah. I really don’t like the way this freezing cold air is changing my character. I should probably apologize to Marcus, but if I don’t finish eating my lunch, then who knows what the combination of an empty stomach and a freezing body will have on my character! As we waited our turn to get on the bus home, a pair of voices behind us made an unexpected comment. And before you go thinking that it was Clarence or Michael, let me inform you that it was neither of them. Clarence and Michael walk home. No. This time it was a different pair of voices. “Hey, is it just me, or did Mangaban shrink?”

The Audacious Antagonists 39 “Yeah. And his hair got all curly and stuff.” I turned around to see who it was. “Oh! T.J.? I didn’t know that was you. I thought that you were Marcus. “Yeah. Since you’re wearing his team jacket and all.” “You know, my sister’s in high school and she wears her boyfriend’s letterman jacket all the time.” “Right! And my mom’s shown me photo album pictures of when she used to wear my dad’s school jacket. They used to call it ‘going steady.’” “Wait. So, does that mean—?” Sarah and Elizabeth looked at each other with enlarged eyes and a matching ‘aha moment’ face. Then, Sarah motioned towards us with her head which led to Elizabeth nodding her head up and down with a huge grin. They then slowly turned their faces towards us. Eyes still enlarged. But before they were fully facing us, Elizabeth whispered something into Sarah’s ear, which led Sarah to whisper something back. Before I knew it, both girls were taking out their phones and taking a picture of Marcus and me and

T.J.’s New Adventures 40 showing each other the picture they had taken. I’m not sure why. I’m pretty sure that their pictures were nearly identical. What happened next reminded me that trouble just seems to follow me around like an invisible cape. Whether I want it to or not.

The Audacious Antagonists 41 A Brain Fog “Just ignore them, T.J.,” Marcus suggested. “You gettin’ on the bus or not?” we heard Mr. Philipps holler, from inside the bus. “Coming!” Marcus called back. We boarded the bus with Sarah and Elizabeth whispering behind us the whole way.

T.J.’s New Adventures 42 Normally, I prefer to sit near the middle of the bus. You know, in case of an accident. As in, if the bus driver loses control and we crash into something, the front of the bus is going to be unsafe. And if someone else crashes into us, then the back of the bus is going to be unsafe. Now, I know what you’re thinking: someone can crash into the side of the bus, which makes the middle unsafe. And you would be correct. But after doing some careful research, I found out that most bus accidents happen at the front or rear of the bus. In other words, the middle of the bus is statistically the safest place to sit. Wait. Did I just use the word ‘statistically’? Guess what my mom said is true. The more you hang out with someone, the more their vocabulary becomes a part of your vocabulary. Well, thank you Sammy! Look at you. Making me sound all smart and stuff. Getting back on track. Sorry. This extra cold weather seems to have had an effect on more than just my body. Since Sarah and Elizabeth are less likely to bother us if we’re sitting next to Mr. Philipps, I decided to sit in

The Audacious Antagonists 43 the one seat no one ever sits in. The first seat on the right side of the bus. I’m really not in the mood for whatever it is that Sarah and Elizabeth are up to. After taking our seats, Sarah and Elizabeth did the unexpected. They sat in the seat directly next to us. As in right behind the bus driver. I tried to ignore them on the bus drive home, but they kept whispering in each other’s ear and pointing at us. They also did the whole giggling while covering their mouth thing. Which got more and more annoying the more they did it. Marcus finally positioned his body so that I couldn’t see them. He also tried distracting me by asking me what I was working on for art class. Actually, I shouldn’t say tried because he succeeded. In sharing my progress on my current project, I was able to completely take my focus off of Elizabeth and Sarah. Have I ever mentioned that Marcus is the bestest friend in the whole wide world? I was sure to put my phone and tablet on their charger after dinner. That way if I fell asleep early, like

T.J.’s New Adventures 44 last night, I would still be able to check the weather app in the morning. If you’re wondering why I don’t just check the weather app before going to bed, let me explain. I used to check it before I went to bed, but I’ve learned that the weather can change—over night! As in, I used to get my clothes ready after taking my shower. I would get out of the shower, put my clothes in my dirty hamper, and check the weather for the following day. Then I would get my clothes ready. I would hang my shirt and jacket, or sweater, on my doorknob. I would then get my shorts or pants and drape them over the back of my homework desk chair. Then, I would get my shoes or rainboots and place them next to my backpack. But the weather has been so crazy lately, that I’ve decided that checking the weather in the morning is my best bet for choosing an appropriate outfit. And it was working fine until I fell asleep early last night! But I won’t have that problem when I wake up tomorrow morning. Because my phone and tablet will be fully charged.

The Audacious Antagonists 45 What? What do you mean that could lessen the life of my batteries? Doesn’t your phone or tablet go into ‘adaptive charging’ mode when you plug it in after a certain time? Mine does. Usually after nine o’clock. Probably because the A.I. has learned my sleeping habits. Yeah. And since it goes into ‘adaptive charging’ mode, it regulates the charging, so it won’t affect the battery life. Well, look at me. Using big words again! Regulates. Hehe. I can guarantee that I didn’t know that word before I met Sammy! Although it hasn’t rained or anything, the gloomy and cold weather have decided to overstay their welcome. And since the clouds haven’t gone away for nearly a week, my daily dose of vitamin sun is at a critically low level. Why do I think that? Because I just failed to complete a common, daily, simple task for the third time. What common, daily, simple task would that be? I’m almost too ashamed to admit it. Then again, I’ve admitted to some pretty shameful things in my previous adventures. Very well. I’ll tell you. I’ve just failed at ty-ing my shoe-laces. For the third time. In a row!

T.J.’s New Adventures 46 Now, don’t get me wrong. I wore slip on or Velcro shoes well into the third grade. Probably due to the fact that my brain works differently and stuff. But ever since my dad found a book at our Scholastic book fair, I’ve been a pro! Which book? It’s a book that teaches you how to tie shoelaces! It even comes with multiple different carboard shoes with attached shoelaces to practice on! But here I sit. In the living room. Trying. For the fourth time. To tie my left shoe. “Need some help there, buddy?” dad asked, as I took a deep breath in. I just slowly looked up at him with my typical puppy dog eyes. Except I wasn’t trying to manipulate him into siding with me, or agreeing with me, or anything. I truly, desperately, ab-so-lutely needed some help. Dad just smiled and kneeled down to tie my shoes for me. And for those of you that may be thinking ‘embarrassing!’, I won’t stop you. It was kind of embarrassing. At first. Then dad said and did something that made it immediately go away.

The Audacious Antagonists 47 “Never be afraid or embarrassed to ask for help. Especially from your mom or me,” he said, taking my head into his hands and kissing my forehead as he stood up. “Anything else I can help you with?” “You wouldn’t happen to know how to turn the sun on and the clouds off, would you?” Dad grinned before answering my question. “As much as I wish I did, unfortunately, I don’t.” I just shrugged my shoulders and gave him a hug for helping me with my shoelaces. In turn, he hugged me back and placed his hand on my head and ruffled my hair. “Hey! I just combed that!” I shouted, while releasing my arms from around his waist. “Well, that moment was short lasting,” he commented, while shaking his head. “Ugh! First, I forget them in the locker room and now I forget them on the bus!” I cried out, as the bus pulled away. In case you’re wondering why I would even take my gloves off on the bus, let me explain. I was trying to set a reminder on my phone, but my gloves were too thick

T.J.’s New Adventures 48 for the touchscreen to respond to my fingers. So, I took my right glove off. Then, as I was setting my reminder, Mr. Philipps stomped on the breaks, causing me to drop my phone and glove. “Dumb dog! Go home!” Not only had I dropped my phone, but my head and the seat in front of me had been instantly introduced to each other. Against my will! So, while my right hand was fishing on the floor for my phone, my left hand was consoling my head. Actually, now that I think about it, not only did that sudden interruption of my concentration cause me to forget my glove on the bus, but it also caused me to forget to finish setting my reminder! “Don’t worry, T.J. After you forgot your gloves in the locker room yesterday, I made sure to put an extra pair in my backpack,” Marcus told me. “Just in case.” He then turned his backpack into a frontpack, opened one of the smaller zippers, and took out a pair of gloves. As I thanked him for the gloves and started putting them on, Sarah and Elizabeth passed by us, on their way into the school. “Awww.”

The Audacious Antagonists 49 “Isn’t that sweet?” “I think you mean touching.” “A truly memorable moment.” Marcus rolled his eyes and shook his head. “I wonder how the lovebirds will show their affection to each other next!” This is really starting to get frustrating. Since we ride the bus to and from school, Sarah and Elizabeth will always be there. Hovering over us. Watching our every move. Unless one of them is sick and misses school, that is. But until one of them, or both of them are absent, they’ll probably be riding our backs. Daily. Man! I finished putting on the gloves that Marcus gave me and headed toward the cafeteria to get some breakfast. “Just ignore them, T.J. They’re basically the female versions of Michael and Clarence,” Marcus told me. I grabbed a tray, loaded it with food items and waited my turn to enter my student number. Unfortunately, that invisible cape seems to be working

T.J.’s New Adventures 50 overtime today, because the machine has just beeped at me for the third time. “What?!” “What’s wrong?” Marcus asked. “This dumb machine isn’t taking my number!” “Here, let me try.” Marcus pushed the buttons for me, and the machine chimed its joyful noise. “Why did it work for you!” “Maybe this weather is affecting your dyslexia,” Marcus suggested. “Don’t worry about it.” “Yeah, T.J. I got your back,” a fake female voice said. “Oh, thank you, Marcus. Whatever would I do without you?” another fake female voice responded. I didn’t have to turn around to know which people those voices belonged to. As the day continued, I found myself having difficulty concentrating, focusing on lessons and believe it or not, I have no idea where I left Marcus’ gloves. I’m sure I had them when I went to the restroom during lunch,

The Audacious Antagonists 51 but when the guys noticed my red hands again, I couldn’t seem to find them. I checked my pants pockets, my sweater pockets, my jacket pockets, and my backpack. I even went back to the restroom but couldn't find them. “Don’t worry T.J. My mom got a huge pack of gloves from this discount website. We have an entire basket full of them next to the front door in case we lose or forget ours in our rooms,” Marcus shared. “You can just use mine.” Once again, he removed his gloves and handed them to me. While I was putting them on, Sammy whispered something into Marcus’ ear. “I think we need to keep an extra eye out for T.J. It seems like he has brain fog.”

T.J.’s New Adventures 52

The Audacious Antagonists 53 Mom! Help Me! “What’s a ‘brain fog’?” Marcus asked Sammy. “Is it bad? Is it contagious?” “It’s not bad but it’s also not good,” she began. “And don’t worry, it’s not contagious.” Marcus nodded his head with a focused look on his face.

T.J.’s New Adventures 54 “A brain fog is when a part of the brain is functioning below its normal capacity. It can cause forgetfulness and make it hard to focus, concentrate or pay attention.” “So, what do we do?” Marcus asked. “You know. To help him.” “It depends on what’s causing the brain fog,” she answered. “And since we don’t know, it’s hard to say. But for now, I think we should just keep an extra careful eye him and help him however we can.” “But T.J. doesn’t like to be babied,” Marcus reminded her. “So, we anticipate when he might need help and either do that task for him or assist him in a way that won’t make him think we’re babying him.” Marcus nodded his head some more. Same focused look on his face. “And maybe the brain fog will help prevent him from realizing we’re even doing anything extra to help him!” Marcus shouted. Sammy’s eyes got big at his unexpected rise in volume.

The Audacious Antagonists 55 “Who won’t realize?” I asked, having finished putting on Marcus’ gloves. Marcus turned to face me with a ‘I have no idea how I’m going to get out of this one’ look on his face. But of course, Sammy, being the quick-witted person she is, saved him from ruining their plan. “The character for my creative writing assignment,” Sammy answered, for Marcus. “I hope your character doesn’t find out, because I know that I would not want anyone doing anything unnecessarily extra to help me. Makes me feel like I’m a baby or something. And since I’ve been short my entire life, it’s a feeling I’ve had way more than most other people.” Marcus gave Sammy a ‘I told you so!’ look to which she responded with a ‘Really? You’re the one that shouted out the plan!’ look of her own. We got a short stretch of sun during P.E. the following day, but it didn’t have the helpful effect I wish it would have.

T.J.’s New Adventures 56 Believe it or not, I lost three more pairs of gloves, but didn’t notice, because whenever someone mentioned my missing gloves, Marcus took the extra pair he was now keeping in his pocket and pretended to find them inside my backpack. “Here they are. You must have put them in there before you entered the restroom. Before you got dressed for P.E. Before you got your tablet out of your backpack to use the Talk2Text app.” And he also made sure to stand in front of me in the breakfast line so that he could punch in my student I.D. number for me. That way I wouldn’t get frustrated if my dyslexia was overwhelming me. Of course, since we didn’t have lunch at the same time, he couldn’t punch in my number for me then. Instead, Justin, who normally volunteers in the cafeteria during lunch, has asked for a few days off to punch in my number for me. And believe it or not, the way he’s been doing it hasn’t caused me to be suspicious or anything. Either that, or my brain fog is getting worse.

The Audacious Antagonists 57 “Okay, boys and girls, it’s almost time for our annual Winter Artwork Review Market,” Mr. Ross announced. “What’s that?” Esther asked. “It’s where students from all of my art classes submit a piece of artwork for a gallery we’re going to hold in the cafeteria,” he answered. “But we’re using the cafeteria for hockey during P.E.,” Leonel told him. “Nothing to worry about there,” Mr. Ross said. “Our Review Market is held in the evening.” “Why do you call it a ‘market’,” Rosemary asked. “Because the artwork that you wonderful artists submit will be for sale!” he announced, with a huge grin on his face. “And what does the money go towards?” Ben asked. “Our eighth grade trip to the art museum!” he shared, joyfully. “I’m confused,” Esther admitted. “How so?” Mr. Ross asked. “First of all, we’re in the seventh grade.”

T.J.’s New Adventures 58 Mr. Ross nodded his head in agreement. “Second of all, the art museum is free to students. I know because I’ve been there multiple times.” Once again Mr. Ross nodded his head in agreement. Then there was a short silence. “Sooo,” Esther said, motioning with her hands for him to remove the confusion for her. “Oh! I thought a question was going to follow,” he admitted. “To address your first observation, next year, when you’re in eighth grade, the sixth and seventh graders will submit their artwork to support your trip to the art museum. Just as we’ve done for many years. “And as for the cost of entrance into the museum, our funds will not be used to get in to the museum. No, definitely not. Instead, it will be used for the special program that the museum offers students like yourselves.” “And what’s that?” Leonel asked. “When you’re in eighth grade, if you choose to continue your adventure with me into the artworld, you will get to participate in the museum’s Supporting Future Artists extension class.” “And what’s that?” Leonel repeated.

The Audacious Antagonists 59 “For one week after school, or four Saturdays, depending on your availability, you will have the opportunity to work with real live artists!” Mr. Ross’ smile was larger than I had ever seen it. “But aren’t you a real artist?” Bethany asked. “Maybe, once upon a time, I was,” Mr. Ross answered. “But these people are currently in the artworld. Working for television stations, newspapers, comic book companies and more!” Nearly everyone’s eyes grew large as we shared looks of amazement and wonder. I don’t know about everyone else, but Mr. Ross got my attention when he said, ‘comic book companies.’ Oh, you better believe I am taking his class again next year! “T.J., can I talk to you before you leave?” Mr. Ross asked, as I hurried toward the door. “I take the bus.” “Oh. Okay. No worries,” he said, motioning for me to make sure the bus didn’t leave me. “What do you think he wanted to taaalk with you about?” Marcus asked, as we rode over a speed bump.

T.J.’s New Adventures 60 “I’m not sure,” I admitted. “Well, what did you guys learn today? Maybe it had something to do with that.” “Nothing special. Although he did tell us about the annual Winter Artwork Review Market.” “What’s that?” Marcus asked. “It’s where we submit our artwork to be put into a gallery in the cafeteria for people to bid on or buy. Then the money goes toward the eighth grade trip to the art museum.” “Isn’t that museum free?” I told him about the art program and how I would have the chance to be a part of it next year. “Wow! That’s pretty cool!” “Right!” “Hey! Maybe he thinks you’re too advanced for seventh grade and wanted to invite you to this year’s trip!” Marcus suggested. “Wow! I never thought of that!” “Oh, look at the two excited lovebirds.” “Probably celebrating some sort of anniversary.”

The Audacious Antagonists 61 My enthusiasm immediately evaporated. Which is saying something if you consider how cold it is in this unheated bus. Marcus and I decided to be silent the rest of the way home, to prevent giving Elizabeth and Sarah any more ammunition to use against us. I know we’re about twenty minutes walking distance farther from home, but I’m seriously considering walking home from now on. After the cold weather ends. And if Marcus agrees to, that is. Tonight is dad’s night to cook dinner, so Marcus and I played on our tablets for a while before his mother called him home for dinner. We didn’t get to finish our game, but that’s okay. It’s an open world game that you get to design, and only the people you want in your world get to play, so we can just continue some other time. It was probably a good thing his mother called him, because as he was exiting through our back door, my dad told me to call my sister and wash up for dinner. When I looked at the clock, I realized that mom would be home at any moment.

T.J.’s New Adventures 62 After dinner is shower time, and today I go first, so I headed straight upstairs. Unfortunately, I was so focused on my daily routine that I forgot the part of my routine where I grab a change of clothes! You know. Socks, underwear and pajamas and stuff. It was rather embarrassing to have to call out for help. Thankfully, mom was upstairs since dad was washing dishes. “Well, you haven’t done that for quite some time,” she commented, as she handed me my clothes. “Are you feeling okay?” she asked, as she placed the back of her hand to my forehead. “You do realize that I’ve just gotten out of the shower, right?” “And?” “And it was a hot shower. As in, my body is probably warmer than usual right now,” I explained. She squinted her eyes and smiled a ‘well don’t I feel uneducated’ smile. “Either way, I want to check your temperature as soon as you’re out,” she told me. “Okay?” “Yes, ma’am.”

The Audacious Antagonists 63 After dressing and hollering to Xochitl that it was her turn to shower, I headed straight for my room to put my dirty clothes into my hamper. I then walked the short distance to my parent’s room so mom could check my temperature, but she wasn’t there. “Mom?” I called out. “We’re down here, honey.” We? Does she really need dad’s help to check my temperature? As I descended the stairs, I saw mom and dad sitting on the sofa, but there was a space between them. When I reached the bottom of the stairs, dad patted the space between them. All of a sudden, my heart dropped into my stomach and began to beat like a hummingbird’s wings. “Am I in trouble?” I asked, sincerely. “No!” dad assured me. “But we are a bit concerned,” mom followed, placing the back of her hand to my forehead again, after I took a seat between them. “Concerned about what?” “Well,” dad started.

T.J.’s New Adventures 64 It seems that Marcus had talked with his father about my recent forgetfulness because he was concerned and wanted ideas on how to help me. In turn, that led to his father having a conversation with my dad, so that he was aware of the situation. I guess it’s a thing that dads do. Share concerning information about each other’s son’s concerns. For advice or something. Wow. I really hope that made sense. Then mom explained about how Mr. Ross reached out to her about my recent change in ability to focus and concentrate on my artwork and how it had led to a change in quality. I guess he really liked my style and was hoping to use one of my pieces on the “Future Artists Focus” wall during the Winter Art Review Market. Mom had wanted to check my temperature because she thought that I might have a low-grade fever or oncoming fever that might be causing my possible brain fog. It was the second time I had ever heard the term ‘brain fog’. The first time I heard it was a couple of minutes ago when dad shared the details of his conversation with Marcus’ dad. It seems that Sammy was

The Audacious Antagonists 65 the original person that had concerns about a possible brain fog. “So, that’s what Marcus and Sammy must have been whispering about at lunch!” “What do you mean?” dad asked. “Marcus shouted something about helping me, I think, in a way that I wouldn’t notice,” I explained. Dad made a ‘that makes sense,’ face coupled with a nodding head. “Wait! Marcus has been entering my number for me at breakfast! And I was wondering why Justin wasn’t volunteering in the cafeteria,” I spoke out loud, to myself. “And I bet Marcus has been sneaking extra gloves into my backpack.” “That’s quite a good set of friends you have there,” dad commented. I wasn’t sure if I should agree with him or call them out for sneaking around to help me. I’m not a baby you know! “Well, you don’t seem to have a fever, but there are other possible causes,” mom said, after using a

T.J.’s New Adventures 66 forehead thermometer to more accurately check my temperature. “If it’s not a fever that’s giving me a brain fog, then what is it?” Mom and dad shrugged their shoulders. Really! Come on, dad! And mom! You’ve got a degree in understanding brain stuff! I looked back and forth between them, tears of fear forming in my eyes. Mom immediately pulled me close and gave me her normal, ‘it’s going to be okay’ hug. Seriously, mom! Help me!

The Audacious Antagonists 67 His Work Wife “Don’t worry, baby. I may not know what’s causing your brain fog, but I do know some remedies to help make it go away,” mom said. You couldn’t have led with that? You let me get all worked up and teary eyed and everything! “Remember, buddy, we’re here for you,” dad reassured me.

T.J.’s New Adventures 68 I released my arms from around mom’s waist and shifted myself to give dad a hug. “And the first remedy for brain fog is a good night’s rest,” mom said, as she stood up and tried to pull me away from dad. She was unsuccessful of course. As soon as I felt her arms around my waist, I strengthened my grip around dad’s waist. “Are you going to just sit there? Or are you going to help me?” mom asked dad. Dad raised his hands high above his head and said, “I’m not not helping you.” Mom tugged a little bit harder the second time, nearly causing me to lose my grip. “I said… a good… night’s… rest…,” mom said, in between pulls. Each time she pulled, I readjusted my grip. To keep her from succeeding. “Oh, it’s on!” she announced, pulling up her sleeves. “Bring it!” I challenged.

The Audacious Antagonists 69 But of course, instead of trying to pull me away again—which I was totally prepared for—mom began to do her jazz hands and ‘I’m coming!’ face. As soon she did, I knew exactly what was coming, but I was determined not to let go of dad. I curled up into the smallest ball I could, bringing my knees up all the way to my chin. “Let’s see if middle school has brought on a higher tolerance of my furious fingers!” she said, in a villainous voice. I hugged dad so tight, preparing for her fingers, that he actually grunted. “I’m not sure if his tickle tolerance has grown,” dad admitted, “but his strength sure has!” That didn’t stop mom. She came at me with the wildest fingers I think she’s ever used on my ribcage! And of course, dad was right. My strength may have increased since elementary school, but my tolerance to mom’s tickling sure hasn’t! Although I was able to hold on a little bit longer than usual, probably because I was adamant about not letting go of dad, like always, mom won in the end.

T.J.’s New Adventures 70 “Okay…okay!” I said, between fits of laughter. “You win!” “Oh, the time to surrender has passed!” mom declared. “I’m going to pee!” I yelled. “I’m not sure I believe you!” mom informed me, in a sing song voice. “I promise! I promise!” Mom stopped tickling and gave me a ‘you better not be lying to me’ glaring smirk. I caught my breath, slowly stood to my feet, and cautiously began to walk around mom. Holding my ribcage of course. Just before I was fully past her, she lunged her hands towards me, as if she was going to start her tickle terror all over again. I ran as fast as I could to the downstairs restroom. “No running in the house!” she yelled after me. “What do you mean?” Justin asked. “T.J. said that his mom prescribed rest and relaxation for his brain fog,” Marcus answered. “And that gets rid of brain fog?” Paul asked.

The Audacious Antagonists 71 “I guess so,” Marcus said, shrugging his shoulders. “It’s one way to do it,” Sammy said, matter-of-factly. “What are other ways?” Erick asked. “Maintaining a healthy diet, doing some brain training, exercising, getting extra vitamin C and drinking caffeine in moderation are just a few,” Sammy rattled off of the top of her head, while holding up a finger for each thing she said. “How do you know all of this?” Justin asked, flabbergasted. “Simple research,” she answered. “Well, as I was saying,” Marcus began, “T.J. is going to be staying home today and tomorrow. That means I’m going to need your guys’ help.” “What for?” Erick asked. “As you know, we each have T.J. in at least one of our classes.” “True.” “Yup.” “Facts.”

T.J.’s New Adventures 72 “Except history and his elective.” Everyone looked at Sammy. “What? It’s true!” she declared. “Anyways. I’m going to need you guys to do me a favor,” Marcus continued. “What’s that?” Paul asked. “I’m going to need you to get me an extra copy of any worksheets, info packets or homework that gets passed out,” he finished. “Can’t T.J. just do his work from home like we used to in elementary school?” Justin asked. “Yes and no,” Marcus answered. “I don’t get it,” Erick admitted. “He can only do the work for the classes where the teachers have updated modules online,” Marcus explained. “And I doubt that’s all of them!” Justin nearly yelled. “Why do you say that?” Paul inquired. “Because I get in trouble with my mom at least once a week.” “For what?” Erick questioned.

The Audacious Antagonists 73 “Because my mom checks my grades… daily! And every week, at least one of my teachers hasn’t updated their online grade books!” Justin clarified. “It’s so frustrating!” “I second that!” “Preach it, brotha!” “Makes sense to me.” “Dramatic much?” Once again, everyone looked at Sammy. “What? The only reason your mom has a reason to doubt your work ethic is because you must have set a precedent some time in the past,” Sammy said. Justin just gave her a ‘I don’t know if I should be offended or agree with you’ look, so Marcus translated, of course. “She’s saying that the only reason you’re getting in trouble with your mom is because you’ve probably had a problem doing classwork or homework in the past.” Justin’s face changed to a ‘even though you’re right, how dare you use my past against me’ face. Sammy just rolled her eyes.

T.J.’s New Adventures 74 “I’ll make sure to get his science work,” she said, ignoring Justin’s glare. “I’ve got math.” “I’ll take care of social studies.” “And I’ll be sure to ask his history and art teacher for any work,” Marcus said. Thursday went pretty well, but Sammy forgot that she had a dentist appointment on Friday, so Marcus had extra work to do. Thankfully, she messaged him before going to bed so he could be prepared when he woke up. “Thanks for not leaving without me, Mr. Philipps,” Marcus said, as the bus driver closed the double doors behind him. “Thank you for letting me know you might be running a minute or two late,” Mr. Philipps told him. “So, what made you run late today?” Marcus took his backpack off and sat in the first seat on the right. “T.J. stayed home yesterday and today so we’ve been collecting his classwork and homework for him,” Marcus shared.

The Audacious Antagonists 75 “We?” “Me, Erick, Justin, Paul and Sammy,” he clarified. “Ohhh.” “Yeah. And yesterday worked out great. But Sammy had an eye doctor’s appointment today, so I had to run to his science class before his teacher left and get the stuff that Sammy would have gotten if she was here today,” Marcus finished. “Well, that was awfully kind of you,” Mr. Philipps complimented. “Thanks.” “Yeah. That was awfully kind of you.” “Only a special kind of friend would go out of their way to help out the way you did.” Marcus closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Since I wasn’t at school yesterday, Marcus didn’t have any trouble with Elizabeth or Sarah on the bus to or from school. But it seems that they’ve found a way to pester Marcus even when I’m not there. “Isn’t he?” Mr. Philipps agreed, not fully understanding what the girls were doing. “He is!” Sarah declared.

T.J.’s New Adventures 76 “T.J. is definitely lucky to have a friend like you,” Elizabeth proclaimed, making sure to point at Marcus. “He should be an example to you two and the rest of the kids your age,” Mr. Philipps shared. “Oh, he is,” Sarah said, but Marcus wasn’t believing a word she said. “My dad has a friend like Marcus at his job!” Elizabeth shared. “Really?” Mr. Philipps asked. “Yes,” she answered. “He not only makes sure that my dad is caught up on anything he may have missed during their daily morning minute, when my dad is running late, but also makes sure to get my dad a cup of coffee, too!” “Wow! Your dad’s friend seems like an extra special guy. Like Marcus!” “He is,” Elizabeth agreed. “They even mark their work partnership by getting each other anniversary gifts each year.” “Well, that’s pretty cool, I guess.”

The Audacious Antagonists 77 “Right! And he always makes sure to address it to his ‘work wife’,” she told Mr. Philipps, while looking directly at Marcus. “‘Work wife,’ huh? I’ve never heard of that one.” Elizabeth and Sarah took turns mouthing the words ‘work wife’ to Marcus until he decided to face the window and watch traffic and the passing houses. Like Mr. Philipps, Marcus had never heard the term ‘work wife’ either. And when he told it to me, it was my first time hearing it, too. But even though Elizabeth meant it to be harmful to Marcus, if the roles were switched, I wouldn’t mind being his work wife.

T.J.’s New Adventures 78

The Audacious Antagonists 79 Unexpected Heat Wave It’s weird. Even though mom has her own psychology practice and everything, she can’t write me a doctor’s note when she prescribes ‘rest and relaxation’ to help me ‘reregulate’ and rid myself of my brain fog. In other words, the two days I stayed home, were ‘unexcused absences’. At least that’s what the attendance clerk told me when I gave her the note my mom wrote.

T.J.’s New Adventures 80 “Notes must have a doctor’s note attached,” she informed me. I tried to tell her that my mom is a doctor, but she wouldn’t accept it! She said that doctor’s notes had to come from non-related physicians. What?! Instead of getting upset and yelling at her, I decided to breathe in deeply, hold my breath, smile and nod at her, and exhale as I walked away. It’s a technique that mom taught me. I usually take multiple deep breaths followed by pretending to blow out invisible birthday candles, but I didn’t want to stay in the office any longer than I had to. I didn't want to undo all the positive work that staying home Thursday and Friday had done. That and having an unhectic weekend. “So, how did it go?” Marcus asked, as I exited the office. “It went,” I responded. “That good, huh?” “Are those pancakes I smell?” I asked, continuing to move on from the situation.

The Audacious Antagonists 81 Marcus tried to stealthily keep himself in front of me as we waited in the breakfast line, grabbed our goods, and approached the keypad to enter our student number. I unstealthily gave him a flat tire just a few feet before we reached it. “Oh, I’m sorry, Marcus,” I apologized. “Let me help you with that.” “It’s okay. I got it.” As Marcus kneeled down to fix his shoe, I walked ahead of him and punched in my student number. Before he could, that is. I also punched in his student number. Since I felt bad for purposely giving him a flat tire. “It’s okay. I put yours in for you,” I told him, as he picked up his tray and walked toward the keypad. “Oh. Thanks!” I know he was trying to hide it, but I saw a bit of shock on his face. Probably because not only did I have absolutely no difficulty keying in my own number, but I was also able to key in his number as well! I was sure to let Justin know that I had brought my own lunch from home, since I didn’t exactly like what was on the menu for today. That way he wouldn’t have to

T.J.’s New Adventures 82 type in my student number for me at lunchtime. His act of complete shock was almost good enough for him to join the drama club. Almost. I was sure to turn in all of my missing classwork and homework for each period. Some of my teachers were impressed, while others merely grunted and tossed it onto their “To Grade” pile. “So good to have you back!” Mr. Ross greeted me, as I entered his class. “Your presence was definitely missed!” I thanked him and took a seat. “So, today you’re going to choose what medium and what style of art you are going to use for your Winter Art Review Market piece,” Mr. Ross announced. “It should be something that won’t bring you too much stress. Something that you will enjoy completing, but also something that expresses who you are as an artist.” Hmmm. Something that won’t bring me stress. I could definitely get into that. I’m not trying to get back into brain fog mode anytime soon! But also something that expresses who I am as an artist.

The Audacious Antagonists 83 “It could depict a memory from your past. Or be a remake of a masterpiece. Or it could be something completely original!” Mr. Ross continued. Wow. That’s a lot to consider. A memory. A masterpiece remake. Something completely original. I quietly pondered what I could create while Mr. Ross showed us some pictures he took, from last year’s Winter Art Review Market. As he cycled through the different art pieces, I saw something that gave me inspiration. It was a self portrait painted onto eggshells. And before you think of asking me, no, I will not be making anything out of eggshells. No. Definitely not. I also won’t be doing a self portrait. I don’t have that much confidence in drawing myself. Drawing other people on the other hand, that I’m more confident in doing. Mr. Ross gave us the whole period to research or begin our project. He slowly walked around the class, with his hands behind his back, nodding his head and giving compliments, but mostly just smiling. “And what do we have here?” he asked, as he stopped at my desk.

T.J.’s New Adventures 84 “Well, last week I had a bit of brain fog—,” I started to explain. “So, that’s why we missed you!” “Yes.” “Oh! Sorry to interrupt,” Mr. Ross apologized. “Continue. Continue.” “Well, during my brain fog, my friends were extra helpful. So much so, that I wasn’t even aware I was in a fog!” “They sound like some mighty fine friends,” he commented. “The best!” I corrected. “So, what is this going to turn into?” “Well, in elementary school, my friends and I established a group of superheroes called the T.J. League.” “What made you do that?” Mr. Ross asked. “Some of us had a favorite superhero from the Marvel Universe and some of us had a favorite superhero from the D.C. Universe. So, we decided to make our own league that accepted superheroes from any universe.”

The Audacious Antagonists 85 “Seems like your creativity goes beyond the artworld,” Mr. Ross commented. “I guess it does,” I responded, having never thought of it that way. “So, this is going to turn into…,” he paused, so that I could finish for him. “A group picture of my friends as their favorite superheroes,” I shared. “Exquisite! I can honestly say that in all of my years as an art teacher, and I’ve been around the block a time or two, I’ve never had a student create something like that!” I just smiled and nodded in appreciation. “So, any brain fog today?” mom asked, while we enjoyed dino nuggets, barbecue baked beans and macaroni and cheese for dinner. “Nope! Clear as a summer day today,” I answered. “That reminds me,” dad said, “was it just me, or was today hotter than it’s been lately.”

T.J.’s New Adventures 86 “I was in my office all day and by the time I got out, the sun was already down, so I must have missed it,” mom shared. “And as you know, I don’t really get hot easily,” I reminded dad. “Then again, now that I think about it, I didn’t have to use my gloves after nutrition.” “It was so hot that I nearly died!” Xochitl exaggerated. “Well, I’m glad you didn’t,” dad responded, taking Xochitl’s chin in his hand and wiggling it side to side. “No technology at the table,” I reminded mom. “I just wanted to see if I should get some of your guys’ summer clothes out or if today was just a one time thing.” “Five.” “Four.” “Three.” “Okay, okay!” “Two!” Mom got her phone back into her pocket just before our countdown ended.

The Audacious Antagonists 87 In case you’re wondering why I started a countdown, that Xochitl and dad joined me for, it’s because of a rule that mom started! If she gets all the way to ‘zero’ before you’ve turned off or put away your technology, you can choose to either lose it for the following day or add five dollars to the Family Outing jar. Mom gave each of us a ‘how dare you use my own rule against me’ look. I just shrugged my shoulders and gave her a ‘you’re the one that taught us what the word integrity means!’ look back. “Guess I’ll have to wait until after dinner to find out if we’re going to have an unexpected heat wave,” she commented, dramatically grabbing a dino nugget, dipping it into her barbecue sauce, shoving it in her mouth and chewing it.

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The Audacious Antagonists 89 Let Us Rest Two weeks passed and we finally had our Winter Art Review Market and Mr. Ross put my artwork on a pillar along the Future Artist Focus wall. Along with nine other art pieces, that is. I must admit that my experience was like nothing I’ve ever had before. And for those of you who may not be art enthusiasts, let me say this: I’ve been to art

T.J.’s New Adventures 90 museums before. But you must remember something. This was not an art museum. Don’t get me wrong. The art museums I’ve visited have had some amazing pieces. But those were done by professionals. The amazing pieces that I saw that night, and forgive me if there are any middle schoolers reading this, were made by children! Now before anyone tries to cancel me, please let me explain why I chose the word ‘children’. The professional art pieces in the museums I’ve visited were created by experienced adults. Experienced as in they probably had more years of experience than we’ve had trips around the sun! And Sammy is always reminding us that the term ‘teenager’ is not in the government’s vocabulary. That you’re either an adult or a child. Well, some of the pieces I saw, created by children, definitely could have given those museum pieces some competition! And I think that the silent and vocal auctions proved that. When it came time for the vocal auctions, one piece in particular, from the Future Artist Focus wall, seemed like it would never get sold! Please don’t misunderstand what I’m saying. I’m not saying that no

The Audacious Antagonists 91 one wanted to buy it. Actually, it was the complete opposite. There were so many people bidding on it—family, friends, and invited guests—that it seemed like the bidding would never end. It finally came down to two people. No. It would be more accurate to say that it came down to one final person and one final group of people. The group was made up of people related to the artist. Which I can totally understand. The person was an invited guest. A collector of fine art. At least that’s how Mr. Ross had introduced her. Imagine. Your artwork being at such a level that an actual art collector wanting to purchase it for their own private collection. But before that piece was finally claimed, Mr. Ross stopped the auctioneer to make an important announcement. He said that this piece had officially doubled the highest price of any piece in all his years at the school. And it hadn’t even been sold, yet! He said that at the current price, it would be able to cover five future artists for the museum’s program. Boy did that bring some exclamations of shock followed by thunderous applause.

T.J.’s New Adventures 92 Like I said before, an experience like nothing I’ve ever had before! Well, winter break is finally here, and we now have two weeks of rest and relaxation. Not! If you’re dad is into Christmas just half as much as my dad is into Christmas, then you have an idea of how much winter break can be not rest and relaxation. Even though we’ve already put up the tree and Christmas lights, dad does something I’m sure that your dad probably doesn’t do. Having grown up in México, dad used to celebrate Las Posadas. If you don’t know what Las Posadas is, let me try to explain it as simply as I can. Las Posadas commemorates the trip that Joseph and Mary took on their way to Bethlehem for the census that was ordered. It begins on December sixteenth and lasts all the way to Christmas Eve. Two actors, who could be anyone really, play the part of Joseph and Mary trying to find somewhere to stay. They travel from house to house—chosen beforehand of course—looking for lodging, but are turned away. This all happens, each

The Audacious Antagonists 93 night, in a parade-like fashion, with music and singing and everything. Each year, we participate in Las Posadas. Last year our house was one of the houses chosen on the ‘route to Bethlehem.’ Dad said that when he was a younger man, still living in México, he even got the chance to play Joseph! Now, you might be thinking to yourself, ‘But that only lasts until Christmas Eve. Why would your whole winter break be busy?’. That’s a great question! Let me answer that for you. For dad, Christmas isn’t over on Christmas day. Why? Because if you know the Christmas story, then you know that the Wise Men didn’t visit Jesus while he was still a baby in the manger. They visited him after Joseph and Mary had already returned home. Well, as part of our Nativity in the front yard, dad carefully calculates how far the Wise Men would have been from actually meeting the baby Jesus. In other words, since I don’t have school during winter break, he has me help him with the mathematics. And once we’ve determined how far they would be, by measuring the

T.J.’s New Adventures 94 width of our front lawn and scaling it down, we move the Wise Men just a few inches closer each day. All in all, they don’t reach Joseph, Mary and Jesus until after I’ve returned to school after winter break is over! But winter break isn’t over yet. And apparently, neither is Mother Nature’s joke of a winter. What am I talking about? Well, even though I should be wearing a couple of extra layers of clothing and playing in the snow, I’m actually wearing my summer clothes. Why? Because the heat has not only brought on high temperatures, but it has also melted away all of the snow! “Mom. May Marcus and I go to the park?” I asked. “It’s okay with me if it’s okay with his parents,” mom responded. “I already texted them and they said that it was okay with them if it was okay with you,” I told her. “Well, then, I guess all I need to know is what time you two plan on being back,” she said, checking something on her phone. “I’m not sure. What do you think Marcus?”

The Audacious Antagonists 95 “Probably before dinner. I’m sure we’ll get hungry at some point,” he answered. “Well, it seems like your location is active on my phone,” mom stated. “I don’t want any ‘side quests’, okay? Straight to the park and straight back. Understood.” “Yes, ma’am.” “Yes, ma’am.” Marcus and I high fived and hurried toward the front door. “You sure you don’t want to take your sister with you?” mom called after us. “Mooom!” I could hear her laughter as the door closed behind me. When we got to the park, Marcus and I weren’t exactly sure what we wanted to do. We were just bored at home and wanted to get out of the house. After playing a bit on the play structure and swings, we took a seat on a bench.

T.J.’s New Adventures 96 We had only been sitting down for a couple of minutes when we heard a familiar voice. “What’re you guys doing here?” “Sammy? What are you doing here?” I shot back. “Just doing some research.” “Research?” Marcus said. “Yeah. Trying to see how this drastic change of weather is affecting the foliage’s natural cycle.” Marcus and I looked at each other with confused faces. “Anyway. You never answered my question,” Sammy reminded us. “What are you two doing here?” “Oh, nothing much. We were just bored at home,” I admitted. “Cabin fever, huh?” “What’s cabin fever?” Marcus asked. Sammy never got a chance to answer his question because a soccer ball nearly took us out! “Sorry!” a girl shouted, as she ran toward us. “It’s okay. No harm, no foul,” Marcus said. “Hey! I know you! You were on the championship soccer team last year!” the girl exclaimed, excitedly.

The Audacious Antagonists 97 Marcus just blushed and nodded his head. “Hey! Want to play with us? We’re actually uneven right now and could use another player.” “Sorry,” Marcus answered, “but I’m here with my friend. And I don’t want to leave him all alone.” “I won’t be all alone,” I said. “I have Sammy to accompany me.” “I think you have that backwards,” Sammy declared. “Either way, I’ll be okay if you want to play. Seriously,” I reassured Marcus. He gave me his, ‘you’re not lying to me, are you?’ face. “Milkshakes.” Marcus immediately stood up, returned the soccer ball and jogged over to the grass area that the girl and her friends were playing at. I stood up and slowly followed after him. “So, I’ll take it that you won’t be accompanying me on my foliage quest,” Sammy said. “Sorry. My mom had only one rule when we left the house: no side quests!”

T.J.’s New Adventures 98 Sammy squinted her eyes, trying to decide if I was being truthful or not. I just turned around and kept walking toward the soccer game that had already resumed, with a new player on the field. After fifteen minutes or so in the sun, I started to get hot, and moved under the shade of a nearby tree. And I know what you’re thinking: I thought you don’t get hot easily, T.J. And you would be right. I don’t get hot easily. But ask yourself something. How long does it take for you to start feeling hot, when you’re sitting in the direct sunlight, on an eighty-five-degree day? Exactly. If I’m moving around and playing, I don’t generally feel the heat. But just sitting in the same spot for an extended period of time. Getting pounded by the sun’s aggressive ultraviolet rays, then I, like most people, start to feel the heat. Marcus continued to play for another ten minutes or so before the boy that brought the soccer ball got called away by his mom. And since he was going home, he took his ball with him. After some high fives and ‘good game’

The Audacious Antagonists 99 hugs, Marcus walked toward me, where I was lying against the trunk of the tree, just resting my eyes. The only reason I even knew that Marcus had finished playing, was because I felt his head lay on my stomach. “Why yes, my good man, you may use my lingering baby fat as a pillow,” I said, in my best butler voice. “Jolly good,” Marcus responded. He and I just lay there, enjoying the shade of the tree, until we heard another familiar voice. “Well, what do we have here?” I opened my eyes to see Michael standing over us. I immediately closed my eyes. I didn’t want to have to look at him longer than I had to. “Hey Clarence! Come look at this!” I took as deep a sigh as I could, with Marcus laying on my stomach. “Will you just let us rest, please?” I asked.

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The Audacious Antagonists 101 No Zero Tolerance? “Whoa, ho, ho!” Clarence said, as I heard him jogging near us. “Right! Seems the two lovebirds aren’t just lovebirds at school!” Michael declared. “Yeah! Seems like they don’t mind showing their love wherever they go!” Clarence followed up. “What makes you say that?” another voice asked.

T.J.’s New Adventures 102 I opened my eyes to see Sammy approaching us. “What are you doing here?” Michael asked. “I was recording some fun foliage, but now it seems I’ve become distracted.” “Just get lost, will ya?” Clarence ordered. “It’s hard to get lost in a park you’ve spent years coming to,” Sammy responded, crossing her arms. “Get lost or we’ll make you get lost,” Michael declared. That remark caused both Marcus and me to open our eyes. Sammy slowly and carefully placed the items in her hands onto the ground and rolled up her imaginary sleeves. “I’d like to see you two try,” she challenged. If this is the first time reading any of my adventures, then let me share this critical detail with you. Out of all of my friends—Erick, Justin, Marcus, Paul and Sammy—Sammy is the toughest. Toughest and smartest. But in this particular situation, I don’t think the latter matters as much, but I still think it’s important to share.

The Audacious Antagonists 103 “Come on, Clarence. We can take her,” Michael said, taking a step forward. Sammy took a martial arts stance and motioned for them to come forward, if they dare. I would have gotten up to help her, but Marcus hadn’t budged from lying on my stomach. “I don’t know, Michael. I’m not really in the mood for any Kung Fu Panda shenanigans today,” Clarence said, with a twinge of fear in his voice. Sammy focused her stance toward Michael and reissued her non-verbal challenge. Michael looked at Clarence who shook his head, vigorously, and started walking away. Michael then looked back at Sammy, who hadn’t moved a muscle. “You’re lucky we’re not in the mood today!” Michael yelled, hurrying away to catch up with Clarence. “Thanks for all of your guys’ help,” Sammy said, sarcastically, as she picked up her things. “I knew you could handle them,” Marcus said, as he closed his eyes and shifted to his side, his face now facing mine.

T.J.’s New Adventures 104 “Whatever. I’m going to head home. You guys sure you’re going to be okay without me?” Marcus didn’t say anything, so I just nodded my head. Sammy shrugged her shoulders and began walking in the direction of her house. I’m sure Marcus and I can hold our own against Michael and Clarence, but I’d rather not have to. Fighting hurts. I silently laid against the tree while different scenarios of fights between us and them ran through my brain. Some realistic and some theatrical. It didn’t take long for Marcus’ breathing to change and tell me that he had actually fallen asleep on my stomach. I know my baby fat is comfortable and all, but seriously? I wonder if the cat rule applies to best friends. What do you mean ‘what cat rule?’? You know. The unwritten rule that says if a cat falls asleep on you, that you can’t move or else you’ll wake up the cat. That cat rule! After a moment or two of pondering, I decided to join Marcus in taking a nap. They’ve never hurt me before. How could they possibly begin to hurt me now?

The Audacious Antagonists 105 The rest of winter break was pretty uneventful. Except for having to do daily calculations with dad, nothing special happened. Unless you’re someone who considers staying up all night and counting down to the new year special. Then there was one special thing that happened. But besides that, I must admit, I did get cabin fever a few times. Probably because even though we were on break, our house rules don’t change. As in, I couldn’t just spend all day watching television or playing on my tablet. I can’t believe I’m admitting this, but I was actually looking forward to school resuming. Aaand now, not so much. Have you ever said something and then immediately regretted it afterward. Well, let’s just say, even though I was looking forward to getting back to school, now I wish winter break was longer. As in forever! Why do I wish winter break lasted forever? Because of the first thing I saw as Marcus and I disembarked the school bus. I’m not sure when it happened, but Mr. Richard, the custodian, is doing his best to make it unhappen. What exactly am I talking about? Once again, it’s too embarrassing to say. But then again, if I don’t tell you,

T.J.’s New Adventures 106 it’ll just become too confusing to understand the rest of my adventure. Sigh. Here we go. It seems that someone, or a pair of someones, stole a picture of Marcus and me sleeping at the park. As in, Marcus, on his side, using my stomach as his pillow, and me just laying against the tree, having no problem with it. Then, it seems like they put it into a photo editing app and added a huge heart around us. Then, they either had plenty of ink in their printer, or went to a copy place, and made tons of copies. Then, they plastered those copies all over the front gate of the school. As I got closer to the picture, I noticed that they also put a poll-like question at the bottom of the page. I’d rather not say what it is, but I’m sure it will just lead to questions later. Double sigh. The question at the bottom wasn’t really a question at all. Instead, it just said: a. T.M. b. Tomarcus c. Marcmas d. Sleepy Heads

The Audacious Antagonists 107 If anyone just read those names and doesn’t understand what the poll is asking, it’s asking which shipping name would fit us best. And for anyone who doesn't understand what a ‘shipping name’ is, it’s young people talk for ‘relationship name’. As in, what should Marcus and my relationship name be? As in, people are putting us in a relationship. Not friendship. Re-la-tion-ship. There was plenty of laughter, of course, from those who had already gotten off of the bus and from those who were behind us, seeing it for the first time. I wished I could disappear, but Marcus didn’t seem to be too bothered by it. “Aw! You two didn’t tell us that you’d become official!” Sarah commented. Elizabeth followed up with, “Seriously! We could have thrown you two the best coming out party!” “Just ignore them,” he suggested, as he grabbed my hand and quickly led me along our normal route to the cafeteria.

T.J.’s New Adventures 108 I’m not exactly sure how I’m supposed to do that! Why? Because once we actually entered the school, I found out that whoever had posted all those pictures of us on the gate had also placed them inside the school as well. Man! Are you serious! I pulled my hood over my head and pulled the strings as tightly as they’d let me. By the time Nutrition came around, it seemed like the whole school had decided which shipping name they liked best. “Hey, Sleepy Heads!” “Get enough rest last night, Sleepy Heads?” “Make sure you don’t fall asleep in class, Sleepy Heads!” The whole school minus Erick, Justin, Paul and Sammy that is. They did their best to shield us from everyone’s comments. Everyone except Sammy, actually. Sammy was on the lookout for two people in particular. Seems like she wasn’t going to give them a choice to her challenge, this time.

The Audacious Antagonists 109 “Seriously, Sammy. Don’t do anything that’s going to get you suspended,” Marcus told her. “Or worse, expelled. That’ll go on your permanent record!” “Don’t care. Let’s just say I’m going for the wholistic approach. As in, making sure I get the whole educational experience. The good and the bad side.” “I’m with Marcus,” Justin said, which brought on the worse glare I think Sammy’s ever given him. Lunch wasn’t much better than Nutrition. “Where are those two?” Sammy asked, scanning the lunch area. “They’re probably hiding because they know I’ll knock them straight into high school!” I didn’t say anything. I was trying to figure out a way to tell mom and dad about this without causing mama and papa bear to replace my loving parents. You know, kind of like the prim and proper Dr. Jekyll turns into the wild and uncontrollable Mr. Hide. Yeah. Kind of like that. I don’t seen mama and papa bear often, but I’d really like to let them stay asleep in whatever cave they’re hiding in.

T.J.’s New Adventures 110 Unfortunately, I never got a chance to come up with a plan. Why? Because before lunch was even over, I heard my name called on the school speakers. “T.J., please come to the office. T.J., please come to the office.” The entire lunch area responded with a very long, ‘ooo!’ I threw my trash in the garbage can and looked back at the guys. They must have understood the look I gave them, because they all took their trash, threw it in the garbage can, and joined me on my journey to the office. Justin and Sammy walked in front of me, Erick and Paul walked behind me, and Marcus walked beside me. “Well, what do you know? Seems like the Sleepy Heads have hired some muscle,” someone commented. Justin stomped in his direction, causing him to jump back. When we reached the office, all of us entered. Together. I think it took the office staff by surprise. Partially because the looks on their faces told me so, but

The Audacious Antagonists 111 also because the secretary told the guys that they weren’t needed, and that only I had been called to the office. “We’d like to wait for T.J., just the same,” Sammy told her, her voice matching the seriousness in her face. “Very well, but I can’t have you blocking the doorway. It’s a fire hazard. You’ll have to take a seat,” she said, motioning with her hand. “T.J., Mrs. Gruber is waiting for you in her office.” I gave the guys the same look I gave them a few minutes ago, but this time it didn’t seem as effective. Probably because of what Mrs. Morrison just said. Knowing I would have to go alone, I handed Marcus my backpack and walked to the office room I had already become familiar with. As I walked through the door, I was surprised to find that she wasn’t waiting for me alone. “Mom? What are you doing here?” “I was just having a conversation with Mrs. Gruber,” she answered. “About what?” “About what she means by, ‘no zero tolerance’.” No zero tolerance? For what?

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The Audacious Antagonists 113 Self-Regulation Matters “First of all, Mrs. Olivera, we don’t know who is responsible for this morning’s event,” Mrs. Gruber said. “So, there is no way I can punish anyone for their actions.” “But you will be investigating the situation, won’t you?” Mom said, in the tone she saves for extra serious conversations.

T.J.’s New Adventures 114 “We’ve done all we can, but it seems like the individual—.” “Or individuals,” mom added. “Or individuals,” Mrs. Gruber continued, “took action in the middle of the night when no one was on campus.” “Can’t you just check the security cameras?” mom asked her. “Fortunately, we don’t have any security cameras. Inside or outside the school,” Mrs. Gruber answered. “Fortunately? Did you just say ‘fortunately’?” “Why yes, I did.” “Why would you say that?” mom asked, her tone changing to one I had never heard her use before. “I chose that particular word because it shows my concern for the safety and security of our staff and students’ privacy,” she answered. “What about neighborhood security cameras. I’m sure someone’s camera caught something.” “Unfortunately, I am not authorized to make such a request,” Mrs. Gruber shared. “You may not be, but I am,” mom responded.

The Audacious Antagonists 115 “Mrs. Olivera, may I suggest you refrain from taking matters into your own hands. For your safety, and the safety of your son.” “Oh, you absolutely may. But your past and present actions have caused me to disregard all current and any future suggestions you may have!” Mom stood up, took my arm, and pulled me to my feet. “Let’s go, Tomas.” “T.J.” “Excuse me?” “I know you named your son, Tomas, but he prefers to go by the name, T.J.,” Mrs. Gruber commented, with a quaint smirk on her face. Mom breathed in like she was about to say something but felt me place my arm on her shoulder and stopped. I’m not sure I’ve ever shared this information in my past adventures, but something that mom and dad have taught Xochitl and I, since we were little, is how to get their attention when they’re having adult conversations. You know. Instead of saying, ‘mom’ or

T.J.’s New Adventures 116 ‘dad’, over and over again. If we want to get their attention, while they’re in the middle of a conversation, we just place our hand on their arm or shoulder, and they’ll feel it and understand that we want to say something. Xochitl and I, on the other hand, understand that they know this, and wait patiently for them to give us their attention. Mom put her hand on top of my hand and looked down at me. I motioned, with my head, for us to get out of here. Once again, she breathed in, much calmer this time, and gently nodded her approval of my plan. I took her hand in mine and walked her toward the guys, so I could get my backpack. “Is everything okay?” Justin asked, as we approached them. I didn’t say anything. I just nodded my head and held my unoccupied hand toward Marcus. He immediately took my backpack from his lap and handed it to me. “Come on. Let’s go,” I said to my mom. “See you later guys. And thanks for everything today.”

The Audacious Antagonists 117 Everyone just nodded their heads. Except for Marcus. For the first time today, I think the situation became real for him. I could tell by the look on his face. I think he was wondering the same thing I was wondering not too long ago. How to tell his parents. We were only a few blocks from the school when something hit me. I had left Marcus all alone. He would never do that to me! “Mom? I think we should go back for Marcus,” I said. “Huh?” “Yeah. I kind of feel bad leaving him to face this all alone,” I shared. “Oh. I understand now,” she commented. “How about I call his mom and see what she thinks. If she’s unable to pick him up, we’ll turn around and go get him. How does that sound?” I looked at mom through the rearview mirror and nodded my head. Mom pulled the car over and parked in front of someone’s house. I don’t even know who lives there, but right now, that’s not really important to me.

T.J.’s New Adventures 118 After telling Marcus’ mom what happened at school today, she said that she would be going to pick him up herself. That made me feel a bit better about leaving him behind. Then again, I couldn’t help but wonder what conversation his mother was about to have with Mrs. Gruber. Can’t imagine it’ll be much better than my mom’s conversation! Dad was surprised to see mom when he got home, but less surprised when he found out why. Actually, he was a bit surprised that she hadn’t called and told him about the whole situation. “I remembered you telling me about an important board meeting you had today and didn’t want to pull you away from any important decision making you might be a part of,” mom told him. “Yeah. I guess that’s a pretty good reason not to call me,” dad admitted. “But maybe a text next time. That way I can be there with you. If the meeting doesn’t involve me much. And with T.J. So, he’s got double the backup at school!”

The Audacious Antagonists 119 Dad shuffled and messed up my hair like he always does, but since school was already over, I didn’t mind. Even though Mondays are my turn to cook dinner, mom decided, for me, that my day had already brought me enough stress, so she said that she would cook dinner. I asked if I could help. You know. To help keep my mind off of things. She was holding her hand to her chin when I told our smart speaker to play mom’s ‘Cooking and Cleaning’ playlist, which brought an immediate smile to her face. She took her hand from her chin and placed it on my shoulder. She then took her other hand and grabbed my hand. I knew what that meant. That meant we were about to dance. Something I was completely okay with. We were about to start spinning when dad’s hand appeared, from behind me, and landed on my hand that was on mom’s waist. Then, his other hand found itself atop my hand that was holding her hand. It surprised me at first, but then I closed my eyes and rested my head on mom’s chest. I don’t think we’ve done this since I was a little kid. And I mean little. As in, probably second grade

T.J.’s New Adventures 120 little. As in, mom was holding me on her hips and dad was snuggle dancing with us. Like a dancing sandwich or something. Dad told our speaker to play a slower song and mom, dad, and I just snuggle danced around the living room. When I heard the song nearing the end, dad told our smart speaker to play a different song. It was another slow song, but it had an extra special meaning to it. It was the song mom and dad would always sing to me when life wasn’t going the way I wished it would. Like when there was a thunderstorm outside, and I was scared. Or like when I woke up from a bad dream. Or like when I fell and hurt myself. Or like today, when I was blindsided by an unpleasant prank. I let go of mom’s hand and waist and turned around to face dad. I put both of my arms around his waist, so he and mom could hold hands, and stood on his shoes. Then I closed my eyes and rested my head on his chest. Actually, it was more like his lower chest. I haven’t exactly reached chest height, yet. After we were all repositioned, the snuggle dancing continued. I’m just glad Xochitl is up in her

The Audacious Antagonists 121 room doing whatever she’s doing. I really need this after all that’s happened today. Mom was tempted to keep me home from school, but since it was only the first day back from winter break, she decided against that idea. Instead, mom took an entirely different approach. Instead of shielding me from the situation, like my amazing friends tried to do earlier, mom chose to teach me something instead. Why? Because like she said, self-regulation matters.

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The Audacious Antagonists 123 See! That’s Proof! In case you’re wondering what self-regulation is, let me try to explain it to you this way. If you read my last adventure, then you’ll remember the car ride I took home, with Marcus, after meeting Mrs. Gruber for the first time. You know, when I got in trouble for defending Tracy. If you didn’t read my last adventure, no worries, it went a little something like this:

T.J.’s New Adventures 124 Marcus’ dad was driving us home, since Marcus also had met with Mrs. Gruber, when he defended me from Michael and Clarence. It was during that drive home that we had a very important conversation with Marcus’ dad. His dad had told us that we can’t always predict the actions of others, but we can decide what our actions will be. He said we should always respond in love. In other words, when people treat us unfairly or in an unkind manner, we don’t have to match their energy. Yes, we can be rude back or start a fight—and I am not suggesting you do either of those—but those decisions usually lead to current and future pain. Instead, we can choose not to match their energy, which is a type of self-regulation. Self-regulation means that I get to decide how I am going to react to a situation. I myself, get to choose what happens when people are rude, unfair or straight up mean! In other words, I get to control how the situation turns out. Don’t understand? Let me explain some more. But please don’t take this as me mansplaining. Boysplaining? Over explaining? Ugh. Moving on!

The Audacious Antagonists 125 Currently, Marcus and I have two pairs of antagonists: Michael and Clarence as well as Sarah and Elizabeth. Both pairs of antagonists have decided to use the close relationship that Marcus and I have, to try and control our emotions and actions. How? By saying and doing things that would normally get a reaction. A negative reaction. Think of it as a game. Their taunts are like a boss at the end of a level, before the fight. The boss’ words are meant to amp up the protagonist into a fight. Even though it’s part of the game, in a way, the boss gets a win. Usually before losing to the protagonist, but that’s not important. Sarah and Elizabeth are like the bus bosses. Their pointing and laughing and saying inappropriate things about our friendship is meant to get us to react negatively. Why? So they can continue their comments and make us feel uncomfortable. Each time we respond gives them another chance to change our moods and state of mind. Clarence and Michael are like the school and park bosses. Their mean-spirited words are meant to provoke a verbal or physical response. Or a verbal or physical fight,

T.J.’s New Adventures 126 if you will. If Marcus and I respond the way that they want us to, they win! They’d also probably try and say that by allowing their words to bother us, it just proves that they are right about us. Which of course, they most definitely are not! So, to sum up my rant, by learning new ways to self-regulate, I get to remain in control of the situation. I get to decide how I respond to their negativity. They lose, and I win. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk. “So, what do you guys think this passage is trying to tell us?” our Youth Leader, Tom asked. The room was quiet before Cory broke the silence. “I think it’s telling us how important prayer is.” “I like that! Anyone else?” “I’m probably wrong, but maybe it’s telling us that we shouldn’t just pray before we go to bed,” Sebastian shared. “Excellent! Any other ideas?” “Going off of what Sebastian said, maybe we should pray before we get out of bed,” Israel suggested, shrugging his shoulders.

The Audacious Antagonists 127 “I’d agree with that. Any other times you guys think we should pray?” Tom asked. “Before a test?” “Before we eat?” “Before we’re about to get punished?” The whole room turned around and looked at one of the other Youth Leaders. “What? That’s what I used to do!” Some of us just stared while others shook their heads in disappointment. “Well,” Tom said, to get everyone refocused, “I liked all of your guys’ ideas. Although I do have one question. When you said, ‘before a test,’ did you mean so you can get a good grade because you forgot to study? Or did you mean something else?” Tom turned his attention to Felicity, awaiting her response. “Well, when you put it like that!” “I’m just trying to make sure that we all understand that God is not a genie that grants our wishes,” Tom said.

T.J.’s New Adventures 128 “Well, I know that,” Felicity claimed, rolling her eyes. “Although God won’t magically change our grade, to make sure we don’t get in trouble with our parents,” he said, as if speaking from experience, “he can help us remember what we’ve learned and studied. It’s all about the motive of our heart. Are we trying to get a good grade so we can boast about ourselves? Or are we trying to get a good grade so that we can boast in him?” Tom took a look around the room for an answer but no one spoke. “Anyways. How many of us pray before we eat our food?” Tom asked. Almost everyone raised their hands. I say that because Tom doesn’t count half raised hands, and some people were only half raising their hands. “Hmmm. Seems like most of us do. But let me up the ante. How many of us pray for our food outside of our house? Like when we’re out to eat at a restaurant?” Less hands went up. “Or at a friend’s house. A non-believing friend?” Even less hands went up.

The Audacious Antagonists 129 “Hmmm. What about,” Tom suspiciously looked side to side, before finishing his sentence in a whisper, “at school!” Only two hands went up. “Hmmm,” Tom said, leaning back in his stool and catching his balance since he nearly fell off. “Meant to do that. Meant to do that.” I don’t think anyone believed that statement. “So. It seems most of us have a hard time praying in public. And I must admit, I understand. I had the same issue when I was your age. Wondering who’s watching you? What they’re thinking? Are they going to say anything?” Once again, silence. Tom stood up from his stool and walked over to our Challenge board. He took a blue dry erase marker and added a fourth challenge: “Pray in public”. Tom informed us that praying for our food in public was just one way we could pray in public, and challenged us to find as many ways to pray in public as possible.

T.J.’s New Adventures 130 Hmmm. Other ways to pray in public. That’s a head scratcher. “Pssst!” Tom looked past us to the door behind us. “Hey, Maggie! What’s up?” “The guest speaker ended early. Service is already over,” she informed us. Tom made a surprised face “Well that was unexpected! Let’s close in prayer.” Everyone took the hand of the person next to them, closed their eyes, bowed their heads, and Tom prayed us out. “It’s Friiiiday!” Justin announced, as we approached him at the breakfast tables. “Yes, it is!” Marcus agreed, giving Justin a fist bump. Thankfully, today is neither too hot nor too cold. Like Baby Bear would say, it’s just right. Yes, I admit that I’m wearing pants, but I left the house this morning wearing just a shirt and a sweater and no gloves!

The Audacious Antagonists 131 “I can’t believe that the weather is finally bearable!” Justing exclaimed. “I’ll second that!” I said, throwing a hand up to show my excitement. “You guys are so dramatic,” Sammy commented. “Okay, Snow Queen,” Justin said, bringing on a death stare from Sammy. “That’s one way to start your day,” Erick stated. “Not a highly intelligent one,” Paul added. “But one way, none the less,” Erick finished. “Self-regulation,” I said, in a calm, sing song voice. “Oh, I’m self-regulating, alright,” Sammy told me, through clenched teeth. “I… was… talking to… Justin… actually,” I carefully spoke. “What? Why me?” Justin asked. “Because self-regulation isn’t just about being able to control yourself in bad or sad situations. It’s also about being able to control yourself in other types of situations. Including exciting situations,” I explained. “Like calling one of your best friends a ‘snow queen’.”

T.J.’s New Adventures 132 “I didn’t mean anything by it,” he informed me. “I think you’re telling that to the wrong person.” “I didn’t mean anything by it,” he repeated, facing Sammy. “Your diarrhea of the mouth is forgiven,” Sammy replied. Justin’s neck jerked backward and his faced expressed his confusion from Sammy’s choice of words. “Self-regulation,” I said. Again. “I didn’t even say anything this time,” Justin declared. “Actually, I was talking to Sammy this time,” I told him. Sammy shot me a look that could kill but I just ignored her because my stomach is beginning to growl. “Are we going to eat or what?” I asked Marcus “My stomach could definitely use some food,” he responded. On the way to school this morning, Marcus and I made a pact to pray before eating our food. You know, that way we could practice praying in public. I would pray for breakfast and he would pray for lunch.

The Audacious Antagonists 133 I put out my left hand and he took it into his right hand. “Lord, we thank you for this day and this food you have provided us. We ask that you would please bless it and those that—.” Before I could finish my prayer, I was interrupted. “See! That’s proof that they’re gay!”

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The Audacious Antagonists 135 Don’t Back Down “I told you, Clarence!” “I never said you were wrong!” Clarence responded. “You never said you agreed with me, either!” Michael shot back. I just sighed and finished my prayer.

T.J.’s New Adventures 136 “We ask that you would please bless it and those that prepared it. In Jesus’ name, amen.” “I think they were just praying for their food,” Clarence commented. “While holding hands?” Michael asked. “That’s how we do it at our house,” Clarence said. “Don’t you?” Michael gave Clarence a look of confusion mixed with ‘Do I even know you?’. Clarence responded with a ‘Why do I have a feeling you don’t even pray for your food?’ look of his own. Their difference of opinion on the subject seemed to work in our favor because instead of focusing their attention on us, they just walked away, with an air of, ‘are we even friends anymore?’ wafting behind them. “Sooo… do we address what just happened? Or do we just go on with our day?” Paul asked. We exchanged looks, waiting to see who would speak first. The person who chose to speak first came as no surprise to me. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m just glad they took the focus off me,” Justin said.

The Audacious Antagonists 137 The comment brought a ‘I can easily bring the focus back to you, if you’d like,’ look from Sammy. Justin’s eyes grew big and looked at each of us to help him. Most of us looked away, as if something had just distracted us. I just shrugged my shoulders and took a spoonful of sugary cereal. I know that Mr. Guggenheim told us that nothing travels faster than the speed of light, but I’d argue that gossip travels just as fast or faster. And if not, it comes in a very close second. By the time Nutrition came around, not only did we still hear taunts of ‘Sleepy Heads’ being launched at us from a distance, but some people were using their creativity to come up with new things to call us. Like, ‘Gay Sleepy Heads’ or ‘Sleepy Heads with Benefits’ and even ‘Pray the Gay Away Sleepy Heads’. As Marcus and I had done when Michael and Clarence were launching their long distance words of discouragement at us, when we were protecting Tracy, Marcus and I ignored people’s shipping names for us. Of course, what happened next was a bit more difficult to shake off.

T.J.’s New Adventures 138 When lunch time came around, after praying for our food, as we had agreed to this morning, before we could even take a single bite, we were approached and questioned. “Nancy here, with today’s daily dose of breaking news. I’m standing here, with T.J. and Marcus, who have become our newest shipping sensations! T.J., what would you say originally drew you to Marcus?” Nancy turned her attention away from the cell phone that her friend was livestreaming her with, and shoved a glittered microphone with the words ‘Nancy’s Numbtingling News’ on it, in front of my face. I looked at the phone her friend was holding and then looked at her, hoping the look on my face showed my disinterest in her question. After realizing I wasn’t going to answer her question, she turned to Marcus. “What about you? Was there something special about T.J. that told you that he was the one for you?” Marcus didn’t even acknowledge her. He just took a drink of his chocolate milk and another bite from his grilled cheese sandwich.

The Audacious Antagonists 139 “Seems like the school’s newest lovebirds are just trying to enjoy their honeymoon phase. I’ll be sure to get the scoop to you as soon as it becomes available. Until another newsworthy story comes along, this has been Nancy with Nancy’s Numbtingling News.” She waited until her friend motioned to her that the livestream had been cut. “Seriously, guys,” she said, returning her focus to us, “you two need to get your story together. Unless you want the local grapevine to come up with a story for you.” She reached her right hand backward, palm up, toward her friend. Her friend frantically reached into her front right pocket, pulled something out, and placed it into Nancy’s hand. “Here’s my business card. Let me know when you two are ready to sit down for an exclusive.” Nancy and her friend walked away just as quickly as they had appeared. “Well, that was different.” “I think you mean unexpected.” “Ridiculous is more like it.”

T.J.’s New Adventures 140 “I wonder what app they were livestreaming from. Seems like a good source to get school news as it’s happening.” Everyone looked at Justin, who was oblivious because he was searching ‘Nancy’s Numbtingling News’ on his phone. “It doesn’t even make sense,” Sammy commented. “What doesn’t?” Paul asked. “The name.” “What name?” Paul questioned. “‘Nancy’s Numbtingling News’,” Sammy answered. “I don’t get it,” Justin said. “Numbtingling is an oxymoron,” she informed us. “I am not a moron!” Justin declared. “Not moron you doofus! Oxymoron,” Sammy responded. “What’s ‘oxymoron’,” Marcus asked, which surprised me. He’s usually our Sammy translator. “An oxymoron is something that contradicts itself. Like when someone names their news ‘Numbtingling’. How can it be numb and tingling at the same time? Numb

The Audacious Antagonists 141 means you can’t feel anything and tingling means you feel something. They’re antonyms!” “Oh! I think I get it,” Erick said. “It’s like when my meemaw tells us about the ‘good ol’ days’ and we have no idea what she’s talking about. My cousins and I usually just stay silent because we don’t know how to respond without hurting her feelings. My older cousin, Jessie, describes the silence as deafening. How can silence be deafening? It’s silent!” “Right!” Sammy agreed. “I don’t know how many times I’ve read that phrase in a book!” “I think we’re getting off topic,” Paul commented. “I couldn’t care less,” I said, finishing my tater tots. “Off topic from what?” Marcus said, nonchalantly, opening his orange juice. As much as our friends would like to protect us from situations like this, I think Marcus and I have developed thick enough skin to handle it on our own. Once again, regretting my own words. It seems there are more people that follow Nancy and her

T.J.’s New Adventures 142 Numbtingling News broadcast than I thought. Let’s just say that creative shipping names aren’t the only thing Marcus and I have to battle, as we walk through halls, enter a classroom, or sit on the bus home. Nope. Now we have to be ready for Nancy wannabes sneaking up on us. Looking for their own interview. As if they’re trying to get an exclusive of our story before Nancy does. What am I saying? ‘Our story’? Our story doesn’t even exist! At least not the one they’re looking for. Of course, Marcus and I have a backstory for our relationship. Wait. I’m not sure I like that word anymore. Relationship. Friendship. There’s a better word. Of course, Marcus and I have a backstory for our friendship. And, if this is the first adventure of mine that you’re reading, let me suggest the first chapter of my first adventure, for the details. All the chapters and adventures that follow just add to the strength of our friendship. “I can’t believe how quickly today escalated,” Marcus commented, as we competed to finish our English word search. “You’re telling me!” I responded.

The Audacious Antagonists 143 “I don’t know why I thought we’d escape it once we boarded the bus to go home. How could I forget that Sarah and Elizabeth ride the same bus home?!” “Seriously! I can’t believe they impersonated Nancy and her interview. I thought they would at least try to be original,” I said, circling my last word. “Finished first!” “Ugh! That’s not fair. I can’t even seem to concentrate!” “It’s okay. I mean, I have been working on my self-regulation skills,” I reminded him. “I mean, seriously! How do I lose a word search competition to someone who has dyslexia!” A normal person would probably be extremely upset with what Marcus just said. I guess it’s a good thing that I’m not normal. That and the fact that he’s my best friend. Someone who’s been there for me through thick and thin. Someone who’s learned all of my faults and has still decided to stick around. Someone who knows my deepest darkest secrets yet hasn’t shared them with a single soul. Someone who knows how to make me

T.J.’s New Adventures 144 angry or sad, but when he’s around me, spends most of his energy to keep me happy and joyful. “I can share some tricks I’ve learned, with you. If you’d like,” I offered, in the gentlest voice I could. Marcus’ face immediately shifted from frustration to regret. “I’m so sorry, T.J. I don’t know where that came from,” he apologized, scurrying off his bed to kneel for forgiveness. His face buried in the rug. I didn’t say anything. I just did my best to peel him from the floor. It wasn’t as easy as I hoped it would be. Besides the fact that he’s taller than me, he had started to cry and made himself go limp. I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to lift someone up when they’re asleep, but even small children seem heavier when they’re dead weight! “Come on, Marcus. You’re going to have to help me,” I whispered. Marcus lifted himself from the floor and placed his head on my shoulder while wrapping his arms around me. “It’s okay. I’m here,” I reassured him.

The Audacious Antagonists 145 I don’t know how long he’s been repressing his anger or frustration, but the longer his head stayed on my shoulder, the heavier it got. I powered through the pain as long as I could, but eventually had to coax him off. “Come on. Let’s get somewhere more comfortable,” I said, slowly attempting to get to my feet. Marcus followed my motion as I helped him onto his bed. We laid side by side, as we had done many times over the past few years, and Marcus returned his head to my shoulder. My other shoulder, thankfully. “Do you think this is how Tracy felt?” he asked, quietly. “What do you mean?” I replied. “I mean, before we started offering our help,” he added. “Maybe. I’m not sure,” I answered, truthfully. “I mean, we did our best to protect Tracy at school, but I wonder what kind of things happened when we weren’t there,” Marcus said. “You mean on the way home from school?” “Not just there. At the park. At the store. At the library. Everywhere!” he clarified.

T.J.’s New Adventures 146 “Wow. I never considered that,” I admitted. “You think that’s why Tracy decided to do homeschooling?” “I’m not one hundred percent sure. But if this is just ten percent of what Tracy experienced, I can understand why homeschooling seemed like such a good escape from all the bullying,” Marcus shared. “Wait. Why does it sound like you’re giving homeschooling a thought?” “Because. If we were homeschooled, we could still hangout and not have to worry about all the people at school shipping us. Or giving us shipping names. Or making our bus rides miserable. Or taking pictures of us and plastering them all over the school. Or invading our space to interview us. I even overheard some people saying that someone’s already started a page where people can post pictures of us together!” Marcus ranted. “But—.” “But nothing, T.J.! I know it was easy to ignore people when we were protecting Tracy, but that’s just it! Protecting Tracy gave me the inspiration and energy to

The Audacious Antagonists 147 endure. Where do I get that inspiration and energy now? What do I do now?” Marcus turned his body to face me, his head now laying on the arm that had been supporting his neck. I gently shifted my body, so I could face him. For a moment, we laid in silence. Just facing each other. As I tried to think of an answer to his question. Marcus’ face of intense want for an answer made it difficult to say what I wanted to say. I wanted to say that we could use each other as inspiration. That by wanting to protect each other, something we’ve done plenty of times over the course of our friendship, we could find endless amounts of energy. But that voice that sometime speaks to me, inside my mind, whispered that those weren’t the right words to say. Instead, I gently took his face in my hands before responding. “You don’t back down.”

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The Audacious Antagonists 149 Do Not Apologize For a moment, Marcus just stared at me, with questioning eyes. I couldn’t tell if he was trying to see if I was serious or if he was trying to figure out what I meant by ‘don’t back down’. Since it seemed like he wasn’t going to respond to my words, I decided to break the silence.

T.J.’s New Adventures 150 “Marcus. What challenge has come our way that we weren’t able to overcome? And I’m talking about T.J. League scenarios and real life,” I said. Once again, Marcus just lay silently, staring into my eyes. “I mean seriously. We’ve overcome nearly every obstacle that’s been placed before us,” I continued. “What if this one just gets added to the ‘nearly’ pile?” he finally spoke. “What do you mean?” “You just said ‘nearly every obstacle’. In other words, we were able to go over, under, around or obliterate most of those obstacles, but at least one was never conquered,” he clarified. “Alone,” I responded. “At least one was never conquered alone.” Marcus’ eyes narrowed as he considered my words. “Those obstacles we weren’t able to conquer on our own, we were able to overcome with the help of others,” I reminded him. “Our friends. Our family members. Principal Martinez.”

The Audacious Antagonists 151 His desire to remain silent continued. “We’ve never backed down from a T.J. League challenge or a real life challenge. We can’t back down from this one.” Marcus’ eyes returned to their normal size, and he took a deep breath before responding to my words. “I hope you’re right T.J. I truly hope you’re right.” So did I. This is definitely the most difficult challenge we’ve ever had to face. But I trust, like those challenging obstacles in the past, we can find a way to go over, around, under or through this one. When we finished our homework, I reassured Marcus that we would find a way to get through this. Together. I then headed home since it was my turn to choose dinner for order-in Friday. Even though I got to choose dinner, which is usually the best night of the week for me. I couldn’t help but be distracted by Marcus’ breakdown earlier. I mean, Marcus is usually the one that keeps my spirits lifted! That just means the roles have to be switched. Now it’s up to me to keep his spirits high! How I’m going to do

T.J.’s New Adventures 152 that while trying to keep my spirits from mucking around in the mud is beyond me, but I have to figure out a way. I just have to. “Everything okay?” mom asked, as I tossed my dirty clothes into my hamper. She took my wet towel and hung it on the back of my door. “What do you mean?” I asked. “Well, it seemed like you didn’t enjoy your dinner,” she said. I gave her a confused look. “You never have leftovers when it’s your turn to order in,” she added. “And that’s usually after having seconds!” I know there’s no way to convince mom that nothing’s wrong, so I decided to use something she taught me to say, for occasions just like this. “I don’t feel like talking about it right now. Maybe you, dad and I can sit down together and talk about it later?”

The Audacious Antagonists 153 “Absolutely, baby. You just let us know when,” she said, giving me her normal reassurance hug and kiss on the forehead. Before she could leave the room, I asked her a question. “Would tonight in your room be okay?” “That would be just fine, mi amor.” That gave me time to think about how I wanted to approach the subject. Mom had already gone into a soft mama bear mode in Mrs. Gruber’s office when the picture of Marcus and me was hung all over the school. I had to figure out how to let her know just how far the situation had escalated from there. Since today is Friday, I can go to bed later than usual. But like I’ve said before, my body has its own alarm clock. And if I don’t respect that alarm clock, it will take its vengeance out on me! So, I decided to enter mom and dad’s room at my normal bedtime. I knocked first, of course. “Come in.”

T.J.’s New Adventures 154 I slowly opened the door, my heart racing from anxiety. “Hello, you. What’s up?” dad said. “Can we talk?” I asked, my hands still attached to the doorknob. “Of course! Come on in,” dad answered, patting the space between him and mom. I’m pretty sure you don’t know this, so I think it’s important to share. Mom and dad have an ‘open bed’ policy. That means, no matter what may cause the desire, if Xochitl or I want to climb into bed with mom and dad, we can. Whether it’s because we had a bad dream. Or the weather is a bit frightening. Or if the monsters under our bed or in our closet are being a bit extra, all we have to do is ask, and we can sleep with them. Thankfully, mom and dad have a king sized bed, so there’s plenty of space for three of us. Actually, on a couple of occasions, the four of us have all slept together. The last time that happened was because of an earthquake that woke us up in the middle of the night. Actually, that time it was mom and dad’s idea, but Xochitl and I had no arguments with their proposal.

The Audacious Antagonists 155 As soon as I climbed atop their bed, mom pulled their blankets back so I could get underneath them, and dad repositioned a pillow to support my back. As soon as I was comfortable, I began. “Sooo, I don’t exactly know how to say this, so please forgive me if I ramble or don’t make sense.” “Don’t worry, mi hijo. Our ears are open and attentive,” dad assured me. “Okay,” I said, then took a deep breath. “It’s like this.” I did my best to bring mom and dad up to speed on the events that had taken place since the meeting mom and I had with Mrs. Gruber. I even told them about what had happened earlier while doing homework at Marcus’ house. Thankfully, mom and dad didn’t interrupt or try to offer ways to fix my situation while I was talking, which I think helped me to explain the situation pretty well. “Thank you for being brave enough to share your thoughts and emotions with us,” mom began. “And I agree with mom,” dad said, “but I’m going to need a little bit of help, so I know how to proceed.” “What do you mean?” I asked.

T.J.’s New Adventures 156 “I need to know if you’re telling us this just to get it off your chest. You know. You just want us to listen and all. Or if you’re asking us for help. As in, help you find a way to work this out.” “I must admit that knowing your response will help me, as well,” mom admitted. “Well, it’s kind of both,” I admitted. “Help us understand,” mom said. “Well, I don’t want you two to go mama and papa bear mode on anyone,” I admitted. “Very well.” “If you say so.” “I think I’m just a bit confused,” I continued. “Explain.” “Well, Marcus and I have always been close. You guys know that.” “Yup yup.” “Sure do” “We’ve spent the night at each other’s house. We’ve shared a tent during church campouts. We’ve even slept in the same bed before!” “Mmhmm.”

The Audacious Antagonists 157 “We’ve held hands during P.E. and Future Funmaker duties and have even sat on each other’s lap when there weren’t enough seats for everyone.” “Didn’t know that, but okay.” “And no one’s ever had a problem with any of those things before. Why are they making such a big thing about them now!” I think I asked that last question with a bit too much energy, but mom and dad didn’t say anything about it. They just offered their thoughts on my statements. “I hear your frustration,” mom said, in psychology mode. “Mom!” “I’m sorry honey. But it’s true. I’m listening. I hear everything you’re saying.” “Unfortunately,” dad took over, “middle school is a different beast than elementary school.” “What do you mean?” I asked. “Well, there are things you can do in elementary school that aren’t exactly middle school approved.” I gave dad my ‘what are you talking about?’ face.

T.J.’s New Adventures 158 “Let me use this as an example. What was one of the first things you complained about when you came home from your first day of middle school?” he asked. “That we couldn’t play T.J. League?” I responded. “Yes! So, ask yourself. What do you think your classmates or fellow students would think if they saw you and your friends playing T.J. League during Nutrition or lunch?” “I don’t know,” I admitted. “Let me put it this way. Do you think they would ask to join you guys, or would they be more likely to make fun of you guys.” I sat silently, like Marcus had earlier, knowing the answer to dad’s question, but not wanting to admit it. “Be honest with yourself sweetie,” mom suggested. I took another deep breath and admitted the obvious. “They would probably make fun of us.” “Why do you think that is?” dad asked. “Because they don’t know how much fun it is!” I answered, throwing my arms up.

The Audacious Antagonists 159 “Are you being honest with yourself?” mom asked. “Yes!” Mom placed her hand under my chin and slowly turned my face toward her. “Baby, we’re not against you. We just want to help you understand that there are situations in our lives that will bring unwanted change.” “It’s just part of life. And unfortunately, middle school is one of those times,” dad added. “And high school is likely to be another time. And don’t even get me started on college!” Mom gave dad a look that said, ‘don’t make this about you!’, which brought a ‘I’m sorry’ face from dad. “Thankfully, it’s during those times that you get to decide who you are. Or who you’re going to be,” mom informed me. “No one else. Just you.” “And no one gets to decide what you or Marcus are comfortable with. Although, you also have to accept that as you get older, some of the things you guys once did as little kids will no longer be socially accepted,” dad said.

T.J.’s New Adventures 160 “Like what?” “Well, you guys can still have sleepovers and you guys can still share a tent during church campouts, but if you go around telling people that you still sleep in the same bed sometimes, they’re probably going to respond similarly to the way you just told us they have.” “But why?” “Because you’re getting older, and your body, if it hasn’t already, will start changing.” “Mom!” “You want the truth? Or do you just want me to tell you what you want to hear?” Mom isn’t trying to be challenging. She’s just trying to help me understand that I need to hear this. “The truth, please,” I answered, hanging my head. “Because you and Marcus are at the age that most people have their hormones controlling their thoughts and actions, that’s what most tweens and teens are going to think about when they see how comfortable you two are together,” mom shared. “But dad just said that we get to decide what we’re comfortable with.”

The Audacious Antagonists 161 “And he’s absolutely correct. That will be up to you two to decide. But you may have to choose to keep some of that comfort for home. Out of the sight of those who would use it against you.” It wasn’t making complete sense to me. Dad said that I get to choose what I’m comfortable with, but mom is saying that people get to decide my actions. Ugh! This is so confusing! “So, what you’re saying is, for example, Marcus and I can still pray for our food at school, but maybe we shouldn’t hold hands while doing it,” I said, more as a statement than a question. “That’s a good example to use,” mom said. “That way Marcus won’t have to feel the way he did earlier,” I continued to think out loud. “I mean, you can’t control Marcus’ feelings, but—” “But I can have some effect on them,” I told dad, shaking myself from my verbal self-thought. “Marcus is always doing things to make sure I’m happy. Going out of his way to keep my spirits up. Like letting me borrow his team jacket. Or keying in my student number for me.

T.J.’s New Adventures 162 Or keeping extra pairs of gloves in his backpack when I forget mine. Or having my back when defending someone who can’t help themselves. I have to do whatever I can to make sure that Marcus gets that same kind of support from me.” I looked at mom and dad for support on this, tears collecting at the corner of my eyes. “I’ve never seen him like that before. I mean, at least not since those guys broke into his house when he, Daniel, and I were doing homework. But still! I never want to see him like that again! I just wish I would have apologized to him.” The tears were flowing freely now. Showing mom and dad my frustration about our situation as well as the passion I had to keep my best friend from feeling the way he did during homework time. “You do not apologize.”

The Audacious Antagonists 163 This Is Us “What?” “You do not apologize for the actions of others,” mom told me, in a serious, yet supportive tone. “You cannot control the actions of others,” dad added. “You can only control your actions,” mom continued.

T.J.’s New Adventures 164 “Therefore, you only have to apologize for your actions,” dad finished. “So, I don’t have to apologize to Marcus?” “Do you believe you did something wrong?” mom asked. Did I do something wrong? Not on purpose. But what if I accidentally did something. “What if I accidentally did something wrong,” I asked. “Explain what you mean,” mom instructed. “What if I accidentally did something to bring this on us,” I clarified. “I think that’s something you would have to talk over with Marcus. Because only he could tell you if he thinks you did anything wrong. As in, if he thinks any of this is your fault,” dad shared. Once again, I sat in thought. “But you don’t have to talk to him right away. You can take the weekend to rest and reregulate and talk to him on Monday,” mom informed me. I liked her idea, but I also disliked the idea. I didn’t like thinking that Marcus may stay in low spirits.

The Audacious Antagonists 165 By himself. All weekend. No. He wouldn’t let me stay down. He would find a way to lift me up. I decided that tomorrow couldn’t come soon enough. That it was time for me to go to bed so I could wake up that much sooner. That as soon as breakfast was over, Marcus and I would have a serious discussion about all of this. And if I needed to, I would apologize. “Thanks for listening,” I said, turning to give mom and dad a well deserved hug. “Anytime, kiddo,” dad said. “My ears are always open,” mom reminded me. I started to remove the blankets from my legs, but mom bear hugged me from behind. “Mom! What are you doing?” I struggled to ask. “Are you sure you don’t want to sleep here? Our bed is always open.” Mom has been commenting, ever since my growth spurt this past summer, about how I’m growing too quickly. That she didn’t give me permission to grow. And asking me why I can’t stay that little kid I used to be. And I wish I could. I truly do. There seemed to be more

T.J.’s New Adventures 166 fun and less drama when I was that ‘little kid’. Unfortunately, like dad said, this is just part of life. “Batman. This is Captain America. Come in, Batman. Are you awake, yet? Over,” my walkie talkie asked. I was only a few steps out of my room, so thankfully I didn’t miss it. I hurried back inside and grabbed my walkie talkie before Marcus could call me again. “This is Batman. I’m awake. Over.” “Do you guys have any plans for today? Over,” Marcus asked. “None that I know of. Why? Over.” “Would you guys be able to come over for lunch? Over.” “I think so. But I’ll have to ask my parents, first. Over,” I answered. “Okay. Let me know as soon as you can. Over.” “Will do. Over and out.” I returned my walkie talkie to its base and left my room again.

The Audacious Antagonists 167 When I got to the kitchen, mom was flipping pancakes, which is a bit unusual. Mom and dad usually sleep in on Saturdays and Xochitl and I usually make our own breakfast. “Morning, sleepy head.” I winced at her choice of words. “Oh! Sorry. Just a habit. Guess I’ll have to find a new way to address you in the morning,” mom commented. “No need to apologize,” I responded. “I’m not going to let anyone decide what my mom can and can’t call me. They haven’t earned that right.” Mom smiled. “Marcus just walkied and asked if we were doing anything today,” I relayed. “I don’t have anything special planned. Do you?” “Nope,” I answered. “Do you know if dad is doing anything today?” “You mean besides the list of things I need for him to do around the house?” mom asked. “I don’t think so. Why?” “Marcus invited us over for lunch.”

T.J.’s New Adventures 168 “Hmmm. I wonder if his parents know.” “I think he was asking on their behalf,” I said. “I’d better check with his mom. Just in case,” she responded. “She might want us to bring a dish over.” I shrugged my shoulders and grabbed a plate from the dishrack. Pancakes here I come! “Ahh. Perfect weather for a barbecue!” dad said. “Thank you, guys, for a great lunch. It was truly delicious” mom added. “Except for the peas,” Xochitl commented. Mom gave Xochitl a look that said, ‘you apologize right now!’. “I wanted to make corn, but I guess that ‘can be’ can caught me by surprise,” Marcus’ mother said. “‘Can be’ can?” Xochitl asked. “Yeah! Sometimes, at the grocery store, where they have the markdowns, there are cans without labels. I can usually tell what the cans are by giving them a good shake, but in the end, I’m really just taking a guess,” Marcus’ mom explained. She then shook an imaginary can.

The Audacious Antagonists 169 “Hmmm. Can be tuna, can be cat food.” She then shook another imaginary can. “Hmmm. Can be corn, can be peas,” she continued. “When I bought the can, I thought it was corn. Nope! It was peas!” We all chuckled or laughed. All of us except Xochitl of course. “So,” mom said, “not to seem ungrateful, but to what do we owe today’s special invitation?” Marcus’ mother and father exchanged silent glances with Marcus and nodded heads with him. “We were wondering if we could have a talk,” his mother answered. “With just you, your husband, T.J., Marcus, my wife and myself,” his father added. “What about me?” Daniel asked. “Don’t you have an essay to work on?” his mother answered. Daniel rolled his eyes and got up to put his plate in the trash. “And what about me?” Xochitl questioned.

T.J.’s New Adventures 170 “Don’t you have a room to clean?” mom answered. “But I’ll be home all by myself,” Xochitl pointed out. “Sweetie, we’re right outside,” mom reminded her. She pouted as she stood up to place her plate in the trash and left through the gate in the fence that connected our properties. “Shall we?” Marcus’ mother asked. “Let’s,” mom answered. When Marcus’ mother motioned to him, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath before speaking. “Since T.J. isn’t very good at keeping secrets,” Marcus began, causing me to give him a look of betrayal, “I’m sure you know everything that has happened since you left Mrs. Grubers’ office.” Mom nodded her head as she looked at me for confirmation. I nodded my head in agreement. “And yesterday during homework?” he asked, looking at me.

The Audacious Antagonists 171 I nodded my head in shame. I still felt responsible for his breakdown. “Well, after homework yesterday. Actually, it was after I got out of the shower after dinner, I had a talk with my mom and dad,” Marcus said. “Me too!” My mom gave me a ‘this isn’t about you’ look causing me to shrink back into my seat. For the next few minutes, Marcus shared what he and his parents talked about in their living room. Most of what they spoke about was similar to my conversation with mom and dad in their bed last night. Including how he thought that it was his fault for everything that was happening. I almost said something about it but didn’t want to get another look from mom. Instead, she did something that surprised me. She said something. “Well, isn’t that curious.” “What?” Marcus’ mother asked. “Our little T.J here.,” mom said, shuffling my hair, like dad usually does, “had the same exact concern.” “Really?” Marcus asked me.

T.J.’s New Adventures 172 I nodded my head. “But it was me who fell asleep on your stomach at the park.” “But it was me that was so cold you had to loan me your jacket, leading to Sarah and Elizabeth making fun of us,” I reminded him. “Yes, but it was my idea.” “Not to mention it was my brain fog that led you to have to basically take care of me,” I countered. “But it was my idea to get all your classwork packets and homework,” he shot back. “But—.” Mom placed her hand on my arm at the same exact time Marcus’ mother did the same to him. Now, I’ve heard of twin telepathy, but is there such a thing as mom telepathy? “I think what you boys need to decide,” Marcus’ mother said, “is whether or not you are being affected by what people are saying about you or what they’re saying about your best friend.”

The Audacious Antagonists 173 I wasn’t sure if I should answer first or if Marcus should answer first. You know. Since it was his mother who said it. Once again, mom spoke. “What about you, sweetie?” mom asked me. “I don’t really care what they say about me. I know who I am. But it bothers me when I see Marcus getting affected,” I shared. “That’s what I was going to say!” Marcus exclaimed. “You did give birth to just one son, right?” Marcus’ mother asked mom. “That’s what they told me! What about you?” mom asked back. “They told me that the second push was for the placenta, but I guess they could have been lying.” Marcus and I looked at our mothers with our ‘we don’t even have the same birthday’ face. They just responded with their ‘when you grow up and become a mom you can say things to annoy your children’ face. “So, the shipping names don’t bother you?” I asked Marcus.

T.J.’s New Adventures 174 “Nope? What about the picture? I’ll stop laying on you, if you want me to.” “Doesn’t bother me! It’s weird. It actually calms me when you use me as a pillow,” I told him. “Me, too! Or when you spend the night and instead of sleeping on the mat on the floor you sleep in my bed. It feels the same as when Daniel and I used to have to share a bed at our old house,” Marcus shared. “Especially when you came over that night those guys broke into our house.” “Wow. I never knew that. I just like that your bed is more comfortable than the floor mat.” Everyone laughed so I joined in. After a few more exchanges of conversation, Marcus and I agreed that we were comfortable with our friendship and that we would no longer allow what anyone said, or did, to bother us. After helping Marcus’ parents clean up the barbecue, Marcus and I decided to call an emergency T.J. League meeting, which took only one word in our group chat.

The Audacious Antagonists 175 “Leaguers!” I typed into my phone and pressed send. It didn’t take long for everyone to respond. I invited everyone to a video chat, then the meeting began. “You know we got your back!” Justin encouraged us. “And if you’ve learned anything from the park, it should be that Michael and Clarence don’t scare me!” Sammy declared. “I may not be a fighter, but you know I’m not going to just stand around and let people hurt you guys,” Erick said. “Ditto!” Paul yelled into his tablet. “I know I’m not around you guys as much as I used to be, but you can be sure that if I’m there, I’m there,” Tracy reassured us. “So, what’re you guys gonna do the next time you’re at the park, or something, and someone asks you why you guys are laying on each other?” Justin asked. “Or why you’re holding hands?” Paul asked. “Cause I’m not sure if you guys are aware of this, but

T.J.’s New Adventures 176 when you’re in a hurry, you grab each other’s hand and pull each other away.” “Or when you share clothes? Like sweaters, jackets, and gloves?” Erick added. “Or fall asleep on each other’s shoulders on the bus, like you did on the way back from our last field trip?” Sammy continued the questioning. “Or what if people become uncomfortable with how close you guys are and don’t want to be your friend anymore,” Tracy followed up. I stood on my tippy toes and put my arm around Marcus’ shoulders. “This is us. Take it or leave it!” Everyone cheered as Marcus and I grinned from ear to ear.

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The Audacious Antagonists 181 BOOKS BY THIS AUTHOR T.J.’s Adventures – Operation Full Control The T.J. League 'protects and serves all living things' and does it nearly every recess. That is until he came to the school. Now things have changed, and no one is having fun. Well, except for Erick. Something must be done. Can the T.J. League get things back to the way they were? Join us and find out! Parental Guidance: Visits Topic of Strained Friendships T.J.’s Adventures – The Vociferous Villain The T.J. League is enjoying being Future Funmakers and have successfully accomplished every mission that T.J.'s mind has been able to come up with, but their newest mission is from a new source: Principal Martinez. At first, the mission seems like it will be the easiest the League has ever accepted, but 'what kind of mission would it be if it didn't have a certain level of difficulty?' Parental Guidance: Visits Topic of Physical Abuse

T.J.’s New Adventures 182 T.J.’s Adventures – The Vociferous Villain T.J.'s scary bedtime story has been read by the entire fifth grade and the outcome is probably not what Mr. Anderson or Mrs. Whiston were thinking of when they assigned this free write. Bad dreams. Angry parents. Stuff like that. And now something new has come to light. What ever will T.J. do now? Parental Guidance: Visits Topic of Bed Wetting T.J.’s Adventures – The Nighttime Nemesis T.J.'s scary bedtime story has been read by the entire fifth grade and the outcome is probably not what Mr. Anderson or Mrs. Whiston were thinking of when they assigned this free write. Bad dreams. Angry parents. Stuff like that. And now something new has come to light. What ever will T.J. do now? Parental Guidance: Visits Topic of Bed Wetting

The Audacious Antagonists 183 T.J.’s Adventures – Objective: Protect & Serve It's been raining for days now, making recess a bit different for the T.J. League, Funmaker John and the rest of the students at T.J.'s school. And guess what? Today starts off just the same. But now the electricity is out, the Internet is down and the T.J. League is stuck in the MPR with all the first graders. There's no way things can't get any worse. Parental Guidance: Visits Topic of a School Lockdown T.J.’s Adventures – Operation Superhero Support It's almost Christmas, and the T.J. League, like everyone else, is preparing for all the fun things that the season brings. Until Sammy notices something, that is. But it could be nothing. But then again, maybe it's something. T.J. can't remember the last time Sammy was wrong. But then again, there's a first for everything. Right? Parental Guidance: Visits Topic of Women and Children's Shelters

T.J.’s New Adventures 184 T.J.’s Adventures – Someone Superhero Strong The T.J. League is battling the evil Dr. Dreamo and his lackeys when a newcomer joins the battle. The T.J. League has never seen him before or the mysterious green fog that emits from his feet. Before they can figure out what effect it has on its enemies, T.J. abandons his team and they're captured by the bad guys! Has T.J. abandoned them for good? Parental Guidance: Visits Topic of Hospitals T.J.’s Adventures – Operation Bully Protection A couple of years have passed, and T.J. is now in middle school. Of course, that means change. A New schedule to get used to. New teachers to meet. New friends to make. New adventures for the T.J. League to be had! But before T.J. has a chance to settle in, something completely unexpected happens. Something he's not sure how to respond to. How would you respond to the change that T.J. has just experienced? Parental Guidance: Visits Topic of Intolerance