Another minute passed on the clock with a tick. Three minutes left, Brendon Small told himself, hunched over his Geometry test. He scratched the back of his head. When he was little, he had grown out his hair long and it had been very pointy, but now he had cut his hair short, except for a few inches that brushed the back of his neck.
Come on, this is the last Geometry test of the year, and only one problem left; he tried to motivate himself. He reread the problem again: What is the y-intercept of this equation, y=3x-2. Brendon stared blankly at the problem. How do you find the y-cepty thing again? He tried to remember something, anything, about an intercept, but nothing came. His mind was as blank as the answer slot for that problem.
He thought as hard as he could. He knew if he didn't pass this test, that meant another year of summer school, and this was his last year where he could see his friends. His last year of summer vacation in his hometown. After that, he would be off to college, and from there, who knows?
Y-intercept ... he tried to remember if Melissa had said anything about it when she had helped him study for this test the night before. But nothing came to mind.
He looked back at the clock. Only one minute left! Where had the time gone? As the seconds counted themselves down, he quickly wrote in the blank 'two'.
"Time's up class," the teacher said, "Pass your papers forward."
Brendon passed his paper to the front. He prayed that he could, for once, spend a school-free summer with his friends.
"Man, that test was horrible!" Brendon said to his friend, Melissa, as he walked down the hallway to lunch with her.
Melissa sighed and rolled her eyes with a teasing smile. "Brendon, I took that class when I was Sophomore, two years ago, and I got an A. Please don't tell me that you can't get at least a C now." Melissa waved back her purple shoulder-length hair as she talked.
"Yeah, yeah, Melissa..." Brendon sometimes wished he could be a bit more like his brainy, mature friend.
Melissa laughed. "I'm sure that you and Jason and I can have at least a few days together during the summer."
Brendon scratched the back of his head again. Melissa always knew what he was thinking.
The two walked down to the cafeteria and caught up with Jason there. Jason used to have short brown hair, but he had grown it longer since his childhood.
"So, what's up you guys?" Jason asked Brendon and Melissa.
"Brendon's freaking out because he doesn't think he'll pass his Geometry test." Melissa said.
Brendon sighed.
"You gotta be kidding, Brendon. I mean, isn't half of that class Sophomores and Juniors?" Jason said.
"Yeah, don't remind me." Brendon said as he payed the register lady for his lunch.
"You've been studying for weeks, I'm sure you aced it." Melissa said as she followed Brendon and Jason to their usual table.
Jason tried to reassure his friend, "And if you don't there's always summer scho-"
"Don't even say those words to me!" Brendon said, louder than intended.
"Geez, sorry." Jason said.
"I'm sorry you guys." Brendon said, "But I need this one last summer. After graduation, I might never see you guys again."
"Don't be silly Brendon," Melissa said, "Just because I'm going to an out of state college doesn't mean I'm gonna forget about you."
Brendon rolled his eyes. "Aw, geez Melissa, you're going to freaking Yale! If you're not busy studying you'll be working a part-time job to pay for it!"
"I'm never gonna be too busy for you guys." Melissa promised her friends.
Brendon turned to Jason. "Hey, at least I still got one buddy I can count on for those college years." Brendon punched his friend in the shoulder.
"Yeah, see, the thing about that is... college really isn't my thing... I'm going to a tech school." Jason said.
Brendon's jaw dropped. "What are you going to learn at a tech school?"
"You guys, I finally found my true calling." Jason announced, "I'm going to be a cop."
Melissa had to clamp her hands over her mouth to stop herself from laughing.
"You? A cop?!" Brendon said.
"Yep. I'll no longer be Jason Penopolis. I'll be, Jason Penopolis, officer of the law." He said in a shady voice.
Melissa chuckled behind her hands.
"Oh, and what do you want to do with your life Ms. Yale?" Jason asked.
"You know, I've been looking into it, and I think I may wanna be a doctor." Melissa said.
"A doctor?" Brendon said, "What kind of a doctor?"
"I'm not sure yet- there are so many fields. I just think it's such an interesting profession." Melissa said.
"Well, just make sure you don't become a school nurse." Brendon said, and he and Melissa shared a laughed as Jason sighed and rolled his eyes.
"Very funny guys." Jason said sarcasticly. He didn't like to be reminded of his crush he had had when he was eight.
Brendon walked inside his home. It had been another long day of school. He collapsed on the couch and started watching TV. At least summer, hopefully, was coming soon.
"Hey Brendon." His ten-year-old sister Josie walked up to him.
"Oh, hey Jos." Brendon said.
"Brendon, I wanna watch a movie." Josie complained.
"What movie?" He asked his little sister.
"My movie I got yesterday." Josie excitedly ran into the room to get the tape.
Brendon's mother, Paula, walked into the room. "Hi Brendon, how was your day?" She asked.
"Hey mom," Brendon said, "Josie said something about wanting to watch a movie."
"Oh, I gave her one of those movies you and Melissa and Jason made when you were kids and she absolutely loves it." Paula said.
"Mom, didn't I tell you to throw those away!" Brendon said.
"Oh, please sweetie, you don't honestly think a loving mother would do that do you?"
Brendon sighed. His mom just didn't get it.
Josie ran back into the room. "I got it!" She shouted. She shoved the tape into the VCR and pressed play.
"Mom!" Brendon shouted, "You can't just let her watch that!"
"Oh, she likes it, so just let her watch it. Besides, it's kind of cute."
Brendon groaned. His movies weren't supposed to be seen ever again.
Josie laughed excitedly as she watched his movie. Brendon stopped grimacing after a while and started watching it, too. It was actually pretty good he thought. Maybe he had had some talent when he was little. Brendon smiled.
Josie rolled with laughter. She loved it. "Brendon," She turned to her brother when it was over, "Why did you stop making movies?"
Brendon was a little stunned by her question. "Umm..." He stuttered, "You ever had that little voice inside your head that just told you that you shouldn't be doing something?"
Josie shook her head. "No."
"Oh... well, maybe someday..." Brendon trailed off.
Come on, this is the last Geometry test of the year, and only one problem left; he tried to motivate himself. He reread the problem again: What is the y-intercept of this equation, y=3x-2. Brendon stared blankly at the problem. How do you find the y-cepty thing again? He tried to remember something, anything, about an intercept, but nothing came. His mind was as blank as the answer slot for that problem.
He thought as hard as he could. He knew if he didn't pass this test, that meant another year of summer school, and this was his last year where he could see his friends. His last year of summer vacation in his hometown. After that, he would be off to college, and from there, who knows?
Y-intercept ... he tried to remember if Melissa had said anything about it when she had helped him study for this test the night before. But nothing came to mind.
He looked back at the clock. Only one minute left! Where had the time gone? As the seconds counted themselves down, he quickly wrote in the blank 'two'.
"Time's up class," the teacher said, "Pass your papers forward."
Brendon passed his paper to the front. He prayed that he could, for once, spend a school-free summer with his friends.
"Man, that test was horrible!" Brendon said to his friend, Melissa, as he walked down the hallway to lunch with her.
Melissa sighed and rolled her eyes with a teasing smile. "Brendon, I took that class when I was Sophomore, two years ago, and I got an A. Please don't tell me that you can't get at least a C now." Melissa waved back her purple shoulder-length hair as she talked.
"Yeah, yeah, Melissa..." Brendon sometimes wished he could be a bit more like his brainy, mature friend.
Melissa laughed. "I'm sure that you and Jason and I can have at least a few days together during the summer."
Brendon scratched the back of his head again. Melissa always knew what he was thinking.
The two walked down to the cafeteria and caught up with Jason there. Jason used to have short brown hair, but he had grown it longer since his childhood.
"So, what's up you guys?" Jason asked Brendon and Melissa.
"Brendon's freaking out because he doesn't think he'll pass his Geometry test." Melissa said.
Brendon sighed.
"You gotta be kidding, Brendon. I mean, isn't half of that class Sophomores and Juniors?" Jason said.
"Yeah, don't remind me." Brendon said as he payed the register lady for his lunch.
"You've been studying for weeks, I'm sure you aced it." Melissa said as she followed Brendon and Jason to their usual table.
Jason tried to reassure his friend, "And if you don't there's always summer scho-"
"Don't even say those words to me!" Brendon said, louder than intended.
"Geez, sorry." Jason said.
"I'm sorry you guys." Brendon said, "But I need this one last summer. After graduation, I might never see you guys again."
"Don't be silly Brendon," Melissa said, "Just because I'm going to an out of state college doesn't mean I'm gonna forget about you."
Brendon rolled his eyes. "Aw, geez Melissa, you're going to freaking Yale! If you're not busy studying you'll be working a part-time job to pay for it!"
"I'm never gonna be too busy for you guys." Melissa promised her friends.
Brendon turned to Jason. "Hey, at least I still got one buddy I can count on for those college years." Brendon punched his friend in the shoulder.
"Yeah, see, the thing about that is... college really isn't my thing... I'm going to a tech school." Jason said.
Brendon's jaw dropped. "What are you going to learn at a tech school?"
"You guys, I finally found my true calling." Jason announced, "I'm going to be a cop."
Melissa had to clamp her hands over her mouth to stop herself from laughing.
"You? A cop?!" Brendon said.
"Yep. I'll no longer be Jason Penopolis. I'll be, Jason Penopolis, officer of the law." He said in a shady voice.
Melissa chuckled behind her hands.
"Oh, and what do you want to do with your life Ms. Yale?" Jason asked.
"You know, I've been looking into it, and I think I may wanna be a doctor." Melissa said.
"A doctor?" Brendon said, "What kind of a doctor?"
"I'm not sure yet- there are so many fields. I just think it's such an interesting profession." Melissa said.
"Well, just make sure you don't become a school nurse." Brendon said, and he and Melissa shared a laughed as Jason sighed and rolled his eyes.
"Very funny guys." Jason said sarcasticly. He didn't like to be reminded of his crush he had had when he was eight.
Brendon walked inside his home. It had been another long day of school. He collapsed on the couch and started watching TV. At least summer, hopefully, was coming soon.
"Hey Brendon." His ten-year-old sister Josie walked up to him.
"Oh, hey Jos." Brendon said.
"Brendon, I wanna watch a movie." Josie complained.
"What movie?" He asked his little sister.
"My movie I got yesterday." Josie excitedly ran into the room to get the tape.
Brendon's mother, Paula, walked into the room. "Hi Brendon, how was your day?" She asked.
"Hey mom," Brendon said, "Josie said something about wanting to watch a movie."
"Oh, I gave her one of those movies you and Melissa and Jason made when you were kids and she absolutely loves it." Paula said.
"Mom, didn't I tell you to throw those away!" Brendon said.
"Oh, please sweetie, you don't honestly think a loving mother would do that do you?"
Brendon sighed. His mom just didn't get it.
Josie ran back into the room. "I got it!" She shouted. She shoved the tape into the VCR and pressed play.
"Mom!" Brendon shouted, "You can't just let her watch that!"
"Oh, she likes it, so just let her watch it. Besides, it's kind of cute."
Brendon groaned. His movies weren't supposed to be seen ever again.
Josie laughed excitedly as she watched his movie. Brendon stopped grimacing after a while and started watching it, too. It was actually pretty good he thought. Maybe he had had some talent when he was little. Brendon smiled.
Josie rolled with laughter. She loved it. "Brendon," She turned to her brother when it was over, "Why did you stop making movies?"
Brendon was a little stunned by her question. "Umm..." He stuttered, "You ever had that little voice inside your head that just told you that you shouldn't be doing something?"
Josie shook her head. "No."
"Oh... well, maybe someday..." Brendon trailed off.