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T.J.’s Mini Adventures – The Vociferous Villain1 Video Game Tournament “Just let me know if you guys need anything,” Paul’s mom said. “And girl,” Paul corrected. “And girl. And girl! I’m so sorry!” she apologized. “It’s okay ma’am,” Sammy responded. “Are we going to play video games, or what?” Justin asked, holding a controller above his head. “Let’s do this!” Paul shouted. “Let’s do this!” we all repeated. SAMPLE

Video Game Tournament 2 “Okay, Victor,” Paul said, motioning for him to take a seat on the couch, “we’re going to start with something easy and then work our way up.” “Sounds good, I guess,” Victor said, sitting in the middle of the couch. Paul and I sat on either side of him, Justin, Marcus and Erick took the other couch while Sammy sat on the bean bag. Paul loaded the same game that he had showed Victor on his handheld at recess, since it was the simplest game he had. After reshowing him how to complete the level a couple of times, he handed the controller over to Victor. “Give it a try,” Paul said. “Looks easy enough,” Victor commented. “Come on Victor, you can do it!” I exclaimed. “Yeah!” “Let’s go!” “You can do it!” “It’s a no brainer!” After a couple of failed attempts, Victor finally got that frog across the screen without getting run over or drowning. Which, now that I think about it, doesn’t really SAMPLE

T.J.’s Mini Adventures – The Vociferous Villain 3 make much sense. Can’t frogs swim? I mean, I may not be a science expert, but I think I remember Mrs. Whiston teaching us that they were amphibians. You know, able to live on the land and in the water? “When do we get to play?” Justin asked. “As soon as I die,” Victor answered. “But you haven’t died for the last five minutes!” Justin shouted. “Jealous much?” Victor shot back, with a smirk on his face, as he finished another level. I must admit, even though it’s kind of a kiddie game, I want a go at it, too. It ended up taking about another five minutes for Victor to finally die, and he did so well that he actually made it onto the high score board! It was the last name on the list, but it was still there. Which of course did not make Paul very happy. His name is on every slot on every game he owns. None of us ever make it on the scoreboard. Actually, every once in while one of us ‘accidentally’ makes it on there. Paul’s word choice, not mine. Of course, he immediately grabs the controller and makes sure to knock us off, so it’s never long lasting. SAMPLE

Video Game Tournament 4 We all got two tries to beat Victor’s score, but none of us managed to do it. Except Paul of course. But then on Victor’s last try, he did something that none of us have ever done before. He beat Paul’s highest score! And definitely not by accident. As Victor entered his name, we all started jumping up and down while shouting our congratulations! All of us except for Paul. He just sat there. Glaring at us. As if we had just traded him in for a better model or an upgrade. “Time for another game!” he declared. “Something a bit more challenging.” “And two players!” Justin added. “I’m fine with whatever you choose,” Erick commented. “You got me out of a kindergarten birthday party.” “But don’t you like candy?” Sammy asked. “Of course!” Erick answered. “Were they not going to have a pinata or something?” I asked. “A birthday party without a pinata?” Victor chimed in. “I may be new to video games, but even I’ve SAMPLE

T.J.’s Mini Adventures – The Vociferous Villain 5 been to my fair share of birthday parties, and they all had pinatas.” “You guys aren’t getting it,” Erick declared. “My five year old little brother picks his nose and puts it on the nearest thing to him. Even if that’s me! He also wipes his nose on the nearest things to him. Which is usually someone’s clothes. And that’s not it. He scratches his butt and then sniffs his fingers!” “Ew!” “Why?” “Gross!” “Boys are so gross!” “You mean you guys don’t do that?” Everyone stopped commenting and stared at Victor with a ‘are you serious?’ look. He didn’t react to our stares. He just stared back, causing a long awkward silence. “Wow! I can’t believe you guys bought that! I was just kidding,” Victor said, laughing. “Suuure!” “Yeah, right!” “If you say so!” SAMPLE

Video Game Tournament 6 “Bruh.” “Can we just get back to playing video games?” Justin asked. “Yeah!” Erick answered. “And what about the pizza? You promised us pizza!” Justin reminded Paul. “I never promised pizza,” Paul responded. “But you said–.” “I said that we could have a video game day and some pizza,” Paul interrupted. “Could being the key word in that sentence.” Justin stood, pointing at Paul, making strange sounds instead of saying anything intelligible. He may not have said anything in English, but we all knew what he was trying to say. Just then the doorbell rang. “Pizza!” the pizza delivery person called. “Piiiiiizzaaaaa!” Justin shouted, rushing out of the room at top speed. “I thought you said there wasn’t going to be any pizza?” Victor commented, confused. “I said–,” Paul started. SAMPLE

T.J.’s Mini Adventures – The Vociferous Villain 7 “Yeah, yeah,” Sammy interrupted. “Let’s go eat some pizza.” We started heading towards the door when Justin reappeared, holding the pizza boxes in his hands. “Who’s ready for some pizza!” he shouted. “Shouldn’t we be eating in the kitchen?” Marcus asked. “It’s okay, you guys can eat in here,” Paul’s mom said, from behind Justin. “And girl!” Paul corrected again. “You do realize that the word ‘guys’ can include girls, too, right?” his mom asked. “It’s okay,” Sammy commented, “I knew what you meant.” “Time to dig in!” Justin declared. “Time to wash your hands,” Paul’s mom said, closing the lid of the pizza box that Justin had opened. “Yes, ma’am.” “Right away.” “Of course!” “Let’s go!” “Right behind you!” SAMPLE

Video Game Tournament 8 “Where’s the bathroom?” While we were washing our hands, Paul’s mom brought plates, napkins, juice boxes and snacks to the den where were playing video games. “Thanks mom,” Paul said. “Who’s ready for a little one on one?” Justin asked. “I am!” Erick answered. “Shouldn’t we finish eating first?” Victor asked. “My mom always makes me clean my plate before I do anything else.” “But your mom’s not here, is she?” Justin asked. “I think what ‘rudeness’ is trying to say,” Sammy followed, “is that you can always keep eating while the rest of us play. You know, to keep from feeling guilty.” “Yeah,” Erick agreed. “We usually just eat and play at the same time.” “It doesn’t happen often,” Marcus chimed in, “but during times like this, we just throw the rules out the window.” “Seriously?” Victor asked. SAMPLE

T.J.’s Mini Adventures – The Vociferous Villain 9 “Seriously,” I answered. “Of course, it depends on whose house we’re at.” “What do you mean?” he asked. “He means that not all moms have the same rules,” Paul answered. “Like if we were at your house, we might have to finish eating before we could play again.” “Probably,” Victor confirmed. “But aren’t you guys afraid of getting everything all oily and messy?” “That’s what the napkins are for,” Justin pointed out, holding up the stack that Paul’s mom had left us. “Makes sense, I guess,” Victor remarked. “I’m first!” Justin called out, grabbing the biggest slice of pizza from the cheese pizza box. “Dude!” I exclaimed. “Wha?” Justin asked, with food in his mouth. “Guests first!” Erick answered, smacking him on the arm. “Ow! Sowy,” Justin apologized. “It’s okay,” Victor said. SAMPLE

Video Game Tournament 10 “And no talking with food in your mouth!” Sammy ordered, smacking Justin on the side of his head. “It’s disgusting!” Justin didn’t apologize this time. He just glared at Sammy with a ‘you’re lucky you’re a girl’ look, before continuing to chew his food. With his mouth open. Not sure whose side I’m on for this one. Although I do agree that you shouldn’t talk with food in your mouth, I think Sammy smacking on the head Justin was a bit excessive. “Cheese, pepperoni or Hawaiian?” Paul asked Victor, while handing him a paper plate. “What’s Hawaiian?” he asked. “Pineapple and Canadian bacon,” Sammy answered. “Who puts pineapple on pizza?” Victor asked. “Right!” Justin shouted, no food in his mouth this time. “Some tastes require a refined palate,” Sammy stated, taking a slice of Hawaiian style pizza for herself. “So?” Paul asked, waving his hand above the cheese and pepperoni pizzas. SAMPLE

T.J.’s Mini Adventures – The Vociferous Villain 11 “Pepperoni will be fine. But I can get it myself,” Victor answered, reaching for a slice. “Not today,” Marcus said, blocking his hand. “As our special guest, you don’t have to lift a finger. We are here as your humble servants.” “Speak for yourself,” Justin commented. “Today your main focus is having fun,” Marcus continued, as if Justin hadn’t said anything. “Thanks,” Victor said. “The only person who’s ever served me before is my mom. And my grandpa when we go visit him. But he lives far away, so that’s only at like Thanksgiving or Christmas.” Paul handed Victor a slice of pepperoni pizza and a juice box, then the rest of us took a slice of pizza and a juice box for ourselves. Justin was already finishing his first slice of pizza and tried to choose the next game for us to play. Tried being the key word. Paul smacked his hand and started a two player game that he wanted to play. It was a fighting game. Paul explained the game to Victor and was trying to tell him about all the different types of moves you could make, when Victor told him he was okay with SAMPLE

Video Game Tournament 12 losing. That’s how I know Victor is really changing. The old Victor would have made some snide remark about how Paul spent too much time playing video games. He also used to be a sore loser. But today, he hasn’t said or done anything when he loses. He just shrugs his shoulders and passes the controller on to the next person. Paul and Justin took the first turn at the game, and although it was close, Paul was the winner, which meant he got to play again. We each took a turn, trying to defeat Paul, but were unsuccessful. After a few rounds of losing, Justin started getting cranky, so Sammy suggested we play tournament style, so other people would get more chances to play. Paul left the den and came back with a whiteboard that he used for writing reminders and notes. He erased the board, after taking a picture with his tablet, and created a double elimination bracket. That means that you have to lose twice before you’re out of the tournament. “What does the winner get?” Victor asked. “Bragging rights!” Justin answered. SAMPLE

T.J.’s Mini Adventures – The Vociferous Villain 13 “But you guys hated it when I bragged,” Victor pointed out. “Not that kind of bragging,” Erick commented. “I don’t get it,” Victor admitted. “It just means that you’re the champion until our next video game tournament,” Sammy explained. “Oh,” Victor said. “How often do you guys have these?” “Not very often,” Erick answered. “Why not?” Victor asked. “It’s gets less and less fun losing a tournament to the same guy,” I answered. “Hey! It’s not my fault that I’m so good at video games,” Paul defended. “Guess I’m just going to have to win then, won’t I?” Victor shot. “Oh, it’s on!” Paul shot back. At first, Victor just button mashed, but it worked. I had decided to go easy on him, since I was his first opponent, but his button mashing skills were nearly equal to me actually trying. In the end, I barely beat him. I SAMPLE

Video Game Tournament 14 almost felt bad, but when you’re in the heat of battle, sometimes emotions take over. After round one, me, Sammy, and Justin won our first battles. Paul, of course, got a bye, since we were sure he would beat us anyway. Erick, Marcus and Victor lost their first round battles. The beginning of the second round caused a bit of a tension, because the way Paul had written up the bracket, the loser of Victor’s and my game had to face Paul. That meant that Victor would go up against him. “Come on Paul! How could you write it up that way?” Justin asked. “What? You all had a chance to look it over and make changes before the tournament started,” Paul pointed out. “Yeah, but we thought T.J. would let Victor win!” Erick commented, giving me not so kind look. “I was!” I claimed. “But he ended up being better than I thought and my emotions took over!” “I say we rewrite the bracket,” Marcus said, offering a solution. SAMPLE

T.J.’s Mini Adventures – The Vociferous Villain 15 “In the name of fairness, I agree,” Sammy concurred. “No! What’s done is done,” Paul declared. “Is everything okay in here?” Paul’s mom asked, entering the den. “We’re just having a heated debate. Nothing to worry about,” Sammy explained. “Okay. Can I get you guys, and girl, anything?” she asked. “We’re okay, mom,” Paul answered. “Don’t be afraid to ask,” she offered, before leaving the room. “Guys, it’s okay. I’ll go against Paul,” Victor said, as soon as Paul’s mom turned the corner. “I just hope he’s ready for me!” “Oh, it’s on like a mastodon!” Paul countered. We stood behind Victor and cheered him on as he chose his character to face Paul. Paul acted like he didn’t care, but I’m pretty sure it was getting to him. After the first round of the match, Paul was up one to zero. The second round was close, but Victor was able to just edge out Paul. SAMPLE

Video Game Tournament 16 “Okay, guys. Enough cheering. Let’s make this round a silent one,” Paul requested. “To make it fair.” We didn’t respond, but we all sat quietly, while Justin massaged Victor’s shoulders. I hadn’t noticed it during the first two rounds, probably because we were so noisy, but it seems to me like Victor is button mashing a bit less. He must be getting a better hold on the game. It’s weird. Even though I’m not the one playing, I have more adrenaline running through my body right now, than I did when I was actually playing! When the round started, neither Paul nor Victor rushed to make the first hit. They both backed away to the edge of screen and stayed there for about ten seconds. It was nerve wracking! I could tell that Justin wanted to scream something, and to be honest, I was surprised he didn’t! Victor finally made the first move, and from that moment on, it was continuous action. First Paul pulled ahead. Then, Victor made a miraculous come back! Nobody shouted words of encouragement this time, but we all made grunts and sighs to let out our excitement. What! You try staying completely silent during such an important match! SAMPLE

T.J.’s Mini Adventures – The Vociferous Villain 17 In the final moments of the match, it wasn’t clear who was going to win. Both Paul and Victor had just one hit left to win. Or lose. Once again, they backed away to the edges of screen, waiting to see what the other would do. And so, did we. Wait, that is. To see who was going to make the first move. Which would also be the final move. Suddenly, the music in the game started to speed up, meaning that there were just ten seconds left in the match. Victor and Paul both rushed from the edge of screen and jumped towards each other. Coincidentally, both decided to kick. Erick, Justin, Marcus, Sammy, and I all rose to our feet and leaned forward. I know that time never actually slows down, but as we waited to see who was going to win, it sure seemed like it did! “Thank you, guys, and girl, for inviting me over,” Victor said, as his mom helped him put on his jacket. “It was the most fun I’ve had in a very long time.” “Any time, Victor,” Paul’s mom responded. “Yeah, Victor, any time,” Paul agreed. “How about next week!” Justin asked. SAMPLE

Video Game Tournament 18 “How about at your house!” Sammy answered. “I’d be up for that!” “Sounds good to me!” “Sharing is caring!” “I get to make the bracket!” “As long as there’s pizza!” “But no pineapple!” “I second that!” SAMPLE

T.J.’s Mini Adventures – The Nighttime Nemesis1 My First Ballet “Do I have to wear a tie?” I asked. “For the last time, yes, T.J., you have to wear a tie,” mom answered. “But why? They’re so irritating,” I said, trying to adjust it, to make is less uncomfortable. “Because we want to look nice,” mom answered. “For whom?” I asked. “For us,” mom answered. “But I don’t care if I look good,” I pouted. SAMPLE

My First Ballet 2 “Well, then I guess it’s a good thing that I do,” mom said, fixing my shirt collar. “Plus, everyone else is going to be dressed up, too.” “If everyone jumped off a cliff, would you jump, too?” I asked mom, repeating something that she had told me plenty of times. “Seeing as how I’m always prepared, yes,” she answered. “What!” I said, not getting the answer I was looking for. “I would have a parachute, so I would be fine,” she said, grabbing the hair above my left ear and giving it a little tug. “Ow!” I exclaimed. “That’s for trying to use my own words against me,” she said, smiling. “Now get in the car.” I knew when I was beaten, so I obeyed. When we got to the auditorium, Marcus and his mom were already there. I don’t know why we didn’t just go together. It would have saved our moms gas money. SAMPLE

T.J.’s Mini Adventures – The Nighttime Nemesis 3 “Can you believe my mom made me wear a tie?” I asked Marcus, as our mothers greeted each other and started discussing the last time either of them had been to a ballet. “I quite like them,” Marcus commented. “But you’re not even wearing a tie!” I disputed. “Am so!” he argued, adjusting his coat. “Bow ties don’t count!” I countered, a bit more loudly than I realized. “T.J.!” my mom whispered loudly, pulling the hair above my ear again. “Ow!” I whispered loudly back. “Maybe we should be getting to our seats,” Marcus’ mom suggested. “But what about the rest of the guys?” I asked, wondering if we were going to wait for Justin, Paul and Sammy. “Aren’t their seats right next to ours?” my mom asked. “That’s what Erick told us,” I answered. “Then we can wait inside. The lobby is going to get crowded,” mom commented. SAMPLE

My First Ballet 4 “Let’s go,” Marcus’ mom told him, holding out her arm. Marcus wrapped his arm in hers and walked toward the nearest auditorium entrance. Mom then held out her arm in the same fashion, expecting me to follow suit. But of course, since she made me wear a tie, I decided to be a bit difficult. Instead of wrapping my arm in hers, I took her arm pulled it around my shoulder and put my arm around her back. She shook her head and gave me a ‘why couldn’t you just go along with it’ look, with a smile that said, ‘you’re lucky I love you.’ A woman handed us a program as we entered and asked us if we needed help finding our seats. Mom pointed at Marcus and his mom and informed her that we were with them. Luckily, Marcus’ mom had accepted when the other woman passing out programs had offered, because I’ve never been here before, and this auditorium is huge! Now, I’m not sure how much our mothers paid for our seats, but the lady is leading Marcus and his mom past all these seats in the back and these seats in the middle. Oh, man. I hope we’re not all the way in the front! I hate SAMPLE

T.J.’s Mini Adventures – The Nighttime Nemesis 5 sitting all the way in the front. It makes it hard to see everything that’s going on. You know, like when you’re at the movie theater, and the only seats left are in the first three rows, so you have to slouch in your seat to try and see everything, but you can’t? Or you tilt your head backwards, which ends up making your neck hurt and wish you had bought your tickets sooner? I hope it’s not like that. The closer the lady got to the front, the more worried I became. Thankfully, she stopped about ten rows back. Yes! No having to slouch to see the whole stage. No aching, neck. And no wishing we had better seats. But wait. Why are we so far to the left? It’s going to be hard to see what’s happening on the other side of the stage. “Mom?” I said, as we reached the row that Marcus and his mom were now scooting down. “Yes, T.J.?” she answered. “Why are we way over here? Won’t it be hard to see what’s going on over there?” I stated, pointing to the other side of the stage. SAMPLE

My First Ballet 6 “It might be,” she agreed, “but Erick’s mom said that he spends most of his time on this side of the stage, so we decided to get tickets for this side. You know, that way you guys have a better chance to see him!” “Oh! Makes sense, I guess,” I said, shrugging my shoulders and sitting next to Marcus. “So how much longer until the show starts?” As I looked behind me, not too many people were sitting in their seats, and the balcony was almost completely empty. “The show doesn’t start for about another half hour,” mom answered. “Thirty minutes!” I exclaimed. Mom reached for the hair above my ear, but I dodged, so she went for her back up punishment, a pinch on my arm. “Ow!” I whispered shouted, as Marcus laughed. I don’t know why he’s laughing. Then again, I don’t think I’ve ever seen his mom smack him, pinch him, or pull his hair. The most she’s ever done is say his first and second name. At least that’s the worst she’s ever done while I was around. Maybe she does those other SAMPLE

T.J.’s Mini Adventures – The Nighttime Nemesis 7 things when I’m not around. Then again, maybe not. Only Marcus knows! As we waited for Justin, Paul and Sammy to arrive, Marcus and I looked through the program. It was full of advertisements from local businesses, well wishes from family and friends, but best of all, group pictures of the cast. Erick hadn’t told us what part he was playing, so we played a ‘who could find Erick faster’ game. Marcus ended up finding him first. He was in a group picture with four boys, and just one girl. Erick was dressed in what seemed like a one piece, thing. I don’t know what to call it. It’s kind of like what surfers or Scooba divers wear. Just one piece of clothing. I’m not even sure what color it is, because all of the pictures are in black and white. I think it might be pink. But that’s only because him, the girl, and two of the other boys have pig noses. The fourth boy has a wolf nose. While I was scanning the picture to see if I recognized the three boys or the girl, Marcus gently nudged me with his elbow. “What?” I asked. Marcus pointed at another picture of Erick. SAMPLE

My First Ballet 8 “That’s two for me!” he whispered, loudly, with a big grin. “That’s not fair! I didn’t know he was playing more than one part!” I contested. “Neither did I! I was just looking through the rest of the pictures,” Marcus explained. In this picture, there were four boys. That’s it. Just four boys. Once again, Erick was wearing a one-piece suit, thingy, only this time he had large ears and some funky face paint. Or was it makeup? Or are they the same thing? Whatever. It doesn’t matter. I decided to look at what the other boys were wearing to try and figure out what part Erick was playing. The other boys had horns and what looked like those leg warmers that women in eighties movies wear when they were exercising. Except the ones that the other boys were wearing, were hairy. Or were they furry? Fuzzy? Either way, I don’t exactly know what they are, but the backdrop has an old timey looking brick bridge and river painted on it. Marcus nudged me again. “Don’t tell me you’ve found him in another picture,” I begged. SAMPLE

T.J.’s Mini Adventures – The Nighttime Nemesis 9 “No, look!” he said, excitedly, pointing behind me. It was Justin and his mom. They were being led down the aisle by the same woman that had offered mom and I help to find our seats. Marcus and I waved at Justin, who waved back, with equal enthusiasm. I squeezed past my mom to greet Justin, and so did Marcus. “You had to wear a tie, too!” were Justin’s first words. “Right!” I responded. I asked mom if the T.J. League could all sit together, but she said that she was sure we would survive not sitting together for one whole show. When Marcus looked at his mom for support, she shook her head in agreement. Before Justin could ask his mom to back us up, Sammy flicked my ear to let us know she had arrived. “Are you wearing—a dress?” Justin asked. “Yeah, yeah. Take it in,” Sammy ordered. “It’s probably the first and last time you’ll ever see me in one.” “I take it back. Wearing a tie’s not that bad,” Justin commented, quickly dodging a swing that Sammy took at him. SAMPLE

My First Ballet 10 “Samantha!” Sammy’s mom scolded. I know her mom didn’t say her middle name, but calling her by her real first name sounded just as bad. Paul’s mom texted Justin’s mom that they were running late. Her car was at the mechanic’s and Paul’s dad had gotten home from work a little late. Even though his seats were the closest to the middle of the row, we all scooted down so that he and his mom could have the aisle seats. You know, so that they wouldn’t have to climb over everyone when they arrived. Fortunately, Paul and his mom ended up arriving just before the show started. A woman, wearing an elegant dress, like people in movies wear to special dinners, welcomed us to An Afternoon of Animal Antics. She explained that there was no flash photography, as it could disrupt the dancers. She also informed us that a professionally recorded performance was available for sale in the lobby, during intermission and after the show. After a few more announcements, like where the emergency exits are, she concluded with ‘and we hope you enjoy the show.’ The first group to perform was mostly made up of little kids that looked like they were in kindergarten, first SAMPLE

T.J.’s Mini Adventures – The Nighttime Nemesis 11 or second grade, and they were all dressed up like sheep. There were also two older kids, probably my age, that acted as lead dancers. The little kids mainly copied what the bigger kids did. Normally, when I go to Xochitl’s dance recitals, it’s all little kids. And they’re mainly just following each other, or their instructor. This was much different. Not only was there no instructor on stage, there were professional lights and beautiful backdrops. It was actually kind of cute. The littlest kid, a boy, kept hiding behind one of the older kids. The more she tried to encourage him to dance beside her, the more he hid. She eventually left him alone and he eventually stood beside her on his own. Of course, when a boy, dressed as a wolf, dressed as a sheep, came onto the stage, the little boy hid behind the older girl again. Only this time, I think he was supposed to. Without a pause in the show, when the first group finished their performance, they exited the stage and a single person entered. It was an older boy, probably in high school, dressed like a lion. After getting something ‘caught’ in his paw, he silently called out for help. At SAMPLE

My First Ballet 12 first, it seemed like no one would come to his rescue, until a smaller boy, dressed as a mouse entered. I didn’t notice him at first, but after another nudge from Marcus, I recognized the boy as Erick. Erick scurried across the stage, then did continuous turns, from one side of the stage to the other. They weren’t like the stand in place pirouettes he had taught us during lunch recess. These were different. I don’t know how to explain them, exactly. All I know, is that if I had to do what he just did, I probably would have crashed into the wall because I wouldn’t have been able to stop, or I would have probably fallen off the stage. Yeah, probably one of the two. After begging Erick to remove whatever was stuck in his paw, Erick did some more acrobatic dance moves, that somehow made me understand his feelings towards the lion. Feelings of fear. Uncertainty. And finally, compliance with the lion’s request. I don’t know how he communicated them through his dance moves, but he did! Erick ended up dancing in one more piece before the intermission, which means there are still two more for SAMPLE

T.J.’s Mini Adventures – The Nighttime Nemesis 13 him to perform. At least that’s what I think. I mean, he was in four different group pictures! “So, how do you like it so far?” mom asked, as we stayed in our seats, waiting for the show to continue. “It’s pretty cool,” I answered. “Really? What do you like the most?” she inquired. “I like how, even though there aren’t any words in the music, and no one is narrating the show, I can still tell what’s going on. Like I know what story they’re doing. It’s so weird!” I commented. “Different,” mom corrected. “Huh?” I asked. “Different. It’s so different. You said weird, but I think you meant different,” mom explained. “Oh. Yeah. It’s so different,” I agreed. “Hey, T.J.!” Justin called, as he rushed down the aisle. “Yes?” I asked, standing up from my seat. “Come on! They have Shout Outs that we can buy for the performers! My mom’s going to buy one for all of us so we can send them to Erick!” he said, excitedly. SAMPLE

My First Ballet 14 “Mom, may I go?” I asked. She nodded with a smile on her face, while adjusting herself so that I could easily pass by her. “No running!” mom ordered, as soon as I reached the aisle. Justin and I speed walked as quickly as we could, all the way to the lobby, where Marcus, Sammy and Paul were already filling out a Shout Out. “They have blank Shout Outs, where you could write down anything you want,” Justin explained. They also offered some pre-prepared Shout Outs, where all you had to do was fill in the name of the performer and your own name. I was looking at the pre-prepared shout outs when the lights in the lobby dimmed and got bright again. Twice! “What was that for?” I thought aloud. “That means there’s only two more minutes before the show starts again,” Sammy explained. Of course, she would know. I grabbed a pre-prepared Shout Out, wrote Erick’s name at the top and my name at the bottom and handed it to the nice gentleman who was collecting them. Then the SAMPLE

T.J.’s Mini Adventures – The Nighttime Nemesis 15 guys and I hurried back to our seats so we wouldn’t miss Erick’s other performances. Two other groups performed before Erick showed up on stage again, in a completely different costume and makeup. Uh, I mean face paint. He looked different! Man, I’m definitely asking him what it’s called once this show is over. When his group finished their performance, another group performed before Erick entered the stage again. And once again, he was in a different costume with a matching face. How did he change so quickly? He was only off stage for like ten or twelve minutes! Two more groups performed before the entire cast came on stage for a final group performance, and guess what? Erick was in an entirely new costume! Come to think of it, there have been lots of people who were in two or more performances. They must have lots of people backstage to help with costume changes and makeup. I’m starting to think that ballet takes lots of work. Lots of coordination. Lots of practice. Ballet is definitely more complicated and enjoyable than I originally thought. When it’s done right that is. SAMPLE

My First Ballet 16 After a standing ovation, that lasted longer than any ovation I’ve ever been a part of, we waited outside of the auditorium with Erick’s mom so that we could congratulate him on a job well done. “Dude! Erick is a better dancer than I ever thought!” Justin exclaimed, unable to contain his excitement. “I mean, I have no idea how he did half the stuff he did!” “I would presume that he regularly attends practice at a studio where a rigorous regiment of stretches and proper technique are the primary focus so that their athletes are in pique condition for a successful public and or competitive performance,” Sammy stated. “How in the world did you say that without taking a breath?” I asked. “Forget that. The real question is, what in the world did she just say!” Paul asked. “Everything she said was in the English language,” Marcus pointed out. “Then perhaps you would like to translate,” Justin offered. SAMPLE

T.J.’s Mini Adventures – The Nighttime Nemesis 17 “She basically said that Erick practices a lot, with instructors that prepare him, and his peers, to be great ballet dancers,” he explained. “Then why didn’t she just say it like that?” Paul asked. “Perhaps I’m trying to expand your vocabulary and syntax,” Sammy said, sarcastically. “Look! There’s Erick!” Justin shouted, waving his hands above his head for Erick to notice. “Erick!” “Over here!” “We’re right here!” Erick gave a few of his ballet friends a final hug goodbye, and signed a couple of programs for fans, before making it over to us. “So, what did you guys think?” Erick asked. “It was okay,” Justin answered, in his ‘eh’ voice. Sammy shoved him and gave him a ‘wanna try that again?’ look, which caused all of us to laugh. Except for Sammy’s mom. She gave Sammy an ‘apologize for what you just did’ look but Sammy responded with a ‘why? what did I do wrong?’ look. SAMPLE

My First Ballet 18 “Okay. Okay,” Justin tried again, “it was actually pretty cool.” “But how in the world did you change so fast!” I asked, still imagining a huge space backstage with a personal helper for every performer. Even though I’m pretty sure that would be impossible. “Can’t tell you,” Erick answered. “What!” “Why not!” “Not cool, dude!” “C’mon! You have to tell us!” “I was wondering the same thing, too!” “Sorry. I signed a non-disclosure agreement,” Erick explained, with a crooked smile. “A what!” Justin asked. “A non-disclosure agreement,” Sammy answered, for him. “It means that he’s not allowed to talk about certain aspects of the production, or he could face legal action.” Most of us shared confused looks with each other, and then with Erick’s mom, who just held her hands up and a ‘don’t look at me’ expression on her face. SAMPLE

T.J.’s Mini Adventures – The Nighttime Nemesis 19 “Even if that’s true,” Paul said, breaking the awkward silence, “why wouldn’t they want you to tell us how it’s done?” “For a very good reason,” was Erick’s simple answer. “And what reason would that be?” Justin asked. Erick didn’t respond right away. He just stared off into the distance and scratched his chin. “Well! What reason would that be!” Justin repeated, a little bit stronger this time. “It’s simple,” Erick answered, taking another pause for dramatic effect, while taking slow, ballet-like steps out of our little huddle. I can tell that Justin and Paul are not enjoying this at all. At least that’s what the looks on their faces and body posture are saying. “Would you care to elaborate?” Sammy asked, calmly. Erick took one last step before grinning at us, from over his right shoulder. SAMPLE

My First Ballet 20 “If I told you how everything was done, it would ruin the magic,” he clarified, before continuing his slow, dramatic walk away from the group. “O-kay.” “If you say so.” “I could see that.” “Understandable.” “Why didn’t you just say that in the first place!” SAMPLE

T.J.’s Mini Adventures – Operation Bully Protection1 A Service Project We arrived at the farm to an already set up line of booths, a stage, a petting zoo, and a small number of jumpers and obstacle courses. As we waited for the volunteer coordinator to meet with us, Tom reminded us of his expectations and the possibility of making this a very special day for plenty of children. We all agreed to be on our best behavior and try to make it as fun for the kids as possible. “Okay, I’m going to need everyone to get in groups of four or five people, which should include a SAMPLE

A Service Project 2 minimum of one adult, who will be the group leader,” the coordinator said. “Each group will be assigned to a game or craft booth. Since we will be here all day, it is going to be up to the group leader to schedule bathroom and food breaks for their group. And of course, since the group leader will also need a break, one of our staff, or volunteers, will come to give you a break. Each of our staff and volunteers will be wearing a lanyard, like the one I will be passing out to each of you.” The volunteer coordinator then handed Tom a bag of lanyards. To pass out. Guess she wouldn’t be passing them out after all. “As soon as everyone has a lanyard, and is in a group of four or five, I will show you where the restrooms are. We have specially designated restrooms for children and specially designated restrooms for adults. This is for the safety of everyone participating in today’s festivities, as well as for wonderful volunteers like you!” She hasn’t formally introduced herself, so I don’t know what to call her, but this volunteer coordinator sure seems to have an abundance of energy! SAMPLE

T.J.’s Mini Adventures – Operation Bully Protection 3 After giving a short tour of the festival grounds, Marcie let us choose which game or craft booth we wanted to run. Marcus, Tracy, Elijah, Mrs. Wayne and I chose the booth nearest the restrooms. Unembarrassed, Mrs. Wayne let us know that she was having ‘tummy troubles.’ Elijah didn’t look too pleased when she did. She told us that she almost didn’t come today but that she had already volunteered to drive and didn’t want to force another parent to have to fill in for her. We thanked her for coming and ensured her that she could trust us to run the booth if she had to run to the toilet. Elijah just put his hand over his face and shook his head. After working out a fifteen minute work, fifteen minute rest schedule, we worked on a snack and restroom schedule. Tracy pointed out that we could just go to the restroom during our fifteen minute rest and we all agreed that was a good idea. That just left the snack schedule. “I hate to seem like I’m stealing ideas, but why not just use our fifteen minute rest to eat?” Elijah asked. “That could work,” his mom answered, although I’m not sure he liked that answer. “I’m just saying. I’m not sure how long the food lines will be once everyone SAMPLE

A Service Project 4 gets here. Maybe one of our fifteen minute work and fifteen minute rest periods should actually be a thirty minute work and thirty minute rest. That way we have plenty of time to get our food and enjoy it. Instead of having to scarf it down and get an upset stomach. Trust me. You do not want to mess with your stomach. Why? Because it’s one of the few body parts that messes with you back!” This time, Elijah sighed, closed his eyes, let his head fall back and shook it from side to side. I don’t know why he’s being so dramatic. His mom’s just trying to make sure we’re fully informed and consider all angles before finalizing our decision. It didn’t take long for cars, vans like the one we came in, and buses to start arriving. Before I even realized it, there were over two hundred people at the festival! The line for our game seemed like it was unending. Every time it would dwindle down to just three or four people, a new or returning group of people would add themselves to the back of the line. I’m not SAMPLE

T.J.’s Mini Adventures – Operation Bully Protection 5 complaining or anything, I just started to get worried. It had only been about forty five minutes and the bucket of prizes we had been given was almost empty! Thankfully, some of the volunteers from another church were runners. What’s a runner? A runner is someone who checks in on booths, from time to time, to see if someone needs a restroom break, to refill your prize bucket, or to just help you run the booth. Actually, a couple of the runners got in line with the kids and foster parents so that they could play the games. “It’s for quality control!” one of them told us, with a huge grin on his face. Of course, we knew that he just wanted to play the games. Tracy and I were the first ones in our group to take a lunch break. “So, what do you want to eat?” I asked. “I don’t know. What do you like?” “Um, you’re the guest here. So, you get to choose,” I said, sternly. SAMPLE

A Service Project 6 “Oh, I get to choose. Hmmm. I don’t remember reading that on the activity slip,” Tracy rebutted. “C’mon. Don’t make this more difficult than it has to be. We only have thirty minutes to get our food and eat it!” “I know. I’m just not the kind of person that likes people telling me what I have to do,” Tracy stated. “I never said you had to choose. I said you get to choose!” refining my words. “Oh! Well, in that case. This booth looks good.” I looked at the sign on the booth and then to the back of my lanyard. Marcie had told us that only booths that had a logo that matched the back of our lanyard would be providing free food for volunteers. We could eat from other vendors, of course, but it would be at our own expense. “I don’t think this booth is covered,” I stated, pointing at the back of my lanyard and then to the booth’s signage. “If I’m recalling correctly, you said that I get to choose, right?” “Well, yeah, but—.” SAMPLE

T.J.’s Mini Adventures – Operation Bully Protection 7 “So, since I’m rather fond of fried foods, even though my dad says they’re going to send me to an early grave, I want to try out some of this appealing friedness!” “I didn’t bring any money,” I said, turning my pockets inside out. “Tom said we would be getting to eat for free, so I didn’t think I would need any.” “Hmmm.” “What?” “I’m replaying our conversation in my mind and trying to find the part where I said you would have to pay,” Tracy said, almost diabolically. I just shook my head and smirked. After eating some food that I had never even considered frying, I suggested hitting the restroom before returning to the booth. If we didn’t, we would have to wait another half hour before our next break. As I started walking toward the boys’ restroom, Tracy started walking towards the girls’ restroom. I reminded Tracy that Tom expected us to stay in groups of two or more and said that I would be glad to use the restroom second. I hadn’t even thought about that when I suggested using the restroom. SAMPLE

A Service Project 8 You know. That we would be heading in two different directions. I’m so used to going to the restroom with one of the guys that I never contemplated Tracy going to the girls’ restroom. When Tracy and I got back to the booth, there were two things that surprised me. The first was the fact that the line was longer than it had been all day! The second was that Mrs. Wayne wasn’t in the booth. Instead, it was one of the staff members. I’m not sure if she was in the restroom with ‘tummy troubles’ or if the staff member was giving her a break. We told Marcus and Elijah that they could take their lunch break and that we would take over. Elijah didn’t have to be told twice. Even though the people at the front of the line were in the middle of a game, he backed away and encouraged Marcus to join him. Which didn’t work, of course. Marcus isn’t the type of person to leave something unfinished. Even if it is something that Tracy and I could have taken care of. Marcus and Elijah were only gone for about ten minutes when Mrs. Wayne returned. I was about to ask SAMPLE

T.J.’s Mini Adventures – Operation Bully Protection 9 her if she had taken her lunch break yet, so she could go find Elijah if she wanted to, but I noticed something that stopped me. On the bottom right corner of her chin was some leftover mustard. I’m not sure if it was from a hotdog, a corndog, or some other kind of festival food, but it answered my question for me. “You all set?” the staff member asked Mrs. Wayne. “All set.” As we continued to run the booth, Tracy made a comment that reminded me of my first time going on a Service Project trip with Marcus. “I’m not sure why, but somehow, this is almost funner that actually playing the games!” “More fun,” Mrs. Wayne corrected. Elijah put his hand to his forehead. “What do you mean?” Marcus asked. “I mean, even though I’m pretty sure that I would be having loads of fun running around and playing all the games and stuff, it’s actually really cool seeing all these kids have fun. Like, it’s fun just watching them have fun. SAMPLE

A Service Project 10 And knowing that I’m a part of that. Their fun, I mean. If that makes any sense.” Marcus and I looked at each other and smiled. For the rest of the time at the festival, Tracy had an immovable smile, seemingly stretching from ear to ear. Even when it came time to clean up and help tear everything down, when some of our people were commenting about how tired they were, Tracy did everything joyfully. While we were folding some tarps, I gave Marcus a smile and a nod. He hadn’t been sure if he should invite Tracy on this trip in the first place. Now, I’m pretty sure he knows it was the right thing to do. “Thanks again, T.J., for inviting me. I had lots of fun,” Tracy said, as we exited the van. Tracy then did something new. Before today, a handshake would have sufficed. Today, Tracy gave me a hug, and without even thinking about it, I hugged Tracy back. “This is the first day, in a long time, that I’ve had fun with people my own age. Even if it was while serving SAMPLE

T.J.’s Mini Adventures – Operation Bully Protection 11 people I didn’t know. And serving with people I didn’t know,” Tracy said. “Hey! You know me!” Sebastian shouted, while raising his right hand. “I do now!” “And don’t forget about me!” “Yes, Artemis. I know you, too. Now!” This continued with everyone that was in the fifteen passenger van with us. Everyone except Marcus and me, of course. “So, are we going to see you again soon?” Tom asked Tracy. “As long as Marcus or T.J. invite me to your guys’ next service project,” Tracy answered. “I had a lot of fun!” “I don’t think that’s exactly what Tom meant,” Felicity commented. “Yeah. So, are we going to see you on Sundays or Thursdays, or what?” Benjamin asked, being a bit more specific. Just then, Tracy’s mom walked over to our group. From behind Tracy. SAMPLE

A Service Project 12 “I’m not entirely sure. I guess it would be up to my mom and dad.” “What would be up to your mom and dad?” she asked. Tracy jumped from fright before answering her question. “Don’t do that! You’re going to give me a heart attack!” Tracy ordered. “Eh. You’re young. I’m pretty sure you’ll survive.” “Anyways. They were asking when they would get to see me next.” “When’s their next function?” Tracy’s mom asked. “Like daughter like mother!” Kyle commented. “Huh?” “They wanted to know if we would get to see Tracy at Youth on a Sunday morning or Thursday evening,” Marcus clarified. Tracy’s mom looked a bit taken aback. I think she had become so used to people bullying and shunning Tracy, that a group of tweens and teens actually wanting SAMPLE

T.J.’s Mini Adventures – Operation Bully Protection 13 to be around Tracy kind of surprised her. She shrugged her shoulders and motioned toward Tracy before speaking. “I think you’re asking the wrong person. I mean, I’m not even sure Tracy wants to—.” Before she could finish, Tracy began to nod up and down, vigorously. “Are you okay, Tracy? You look like a bobblehead.” “Mom!” We all laughed. Getting to know Tracy better today was something I knew I would enjoy. But learning that Tracy’s mom has a good sense of humor makes me want to ask her to chaperone our next activity! SAMPLE