“Chloe,  come  on!” my dad called from the cheery kitchen of our rented apartment. I groaned, and looked in the scratched mirror.

“In a minute!” I hollered over my shoulder.  My hair was frizzy and wouldn’t stay put in any of the hairstyles that I arranged it in. I was going to see my best friend for the first time in four years, and everything had to be perfect. It had happened that my family and I and my best friend and her family were going to be in Paris at the same time, so nothing could go wrong. I was so nervous that Taya would be different, or that I would be different, or that we just wouldn’t have the same kind of friendship that we used to. What if she is really stuck up, or she wasn’t as fun as she used to be? I had been waiting to see her for such a long time, but now I wasn’t sure if I wanted to see her. And now, my hair was turning into a giant puffball!  Finally, I just pulled my hair back in a boring  ponytail and shoved a pale blue bow into my scalp. Not perfect, but it was fine for touring and walking around all day.After looking in the mirror one last time, I was satisfied and quickly shuffled  down the narrow wooden hallway.

“Come on Casey, we are leaving in five minutes” my mom told my lazy little sister.  She sat at one of the itchy woven straw chairs, slowly eating sugary cereal out of a glass bowl. And I was the one who needed to hurry up. My mom and dad stood at the door, attempting to persuade Casey to finish getting ready.

Finally, she was ready, and we scrambled into the tiny glass elevator while my parents  climbed down the steep spiral staircase. She would shriek in delight and pound on the glass every time we saw our parents through the elevator, her voice high-pitched and giggly. What was it about riding in a cramped elevator that made her so happy? It seemed like little kids never worried about anything, unlike me.  After 15 seconds of Casey screaming at the top of her tiny lungs  and the  queasiness of the elevator descending, it was a relief to squeeze out of the elevator and into the small, vacant lobby of the building. “I’ll open the door!” my sister yelled, rushing to open the giant old-fashion doors, her light brown hair flying. She proudly pushed it open, and held it open as the  french people smiled at her antics.

  My family spilled out onto the old, cracked sidewalks and strolled down the road. Even after staying in Paris for over a week, the sights of Paris blew me away. The old-fashioned balconies on the top floors of stone apartment buildings towered above the pavement, and street performers slouched on the sidewalk, playing their instruments and nodding at tourists whenever they felt kind enough to give them a bit of money.  Tiny cars beeped at ignorant pedestrians, and taxis swerved along the narrow street.  After walking for a few moments, we found the place where we would meet my friend’s family

“It’s only 9:45” my mom said, squinting against the blinding sun at her slender watch “ They probably won’t be here for a few more minutes”.I tried to calm myself by gazing at the scenery, but it did little to relax me. Tourists from all countries rushed by us, chattering in their strange languages. I wished that I knew how to speak different languages. What were they saying? Did they wish that they spoke English? When I realized that I was effectively distracting myself trying to understand the languages, my nerves came back.

“Maybe we came to the wrong place?” I said to myself, wishing that I could just relax.  My heart hammered against my chest and my fingers squeezed the hem of my shorts so hard that my knuckles were white. I stood on my tiptoes and gazed around the giant group of tourists, looking for Taya’s wavy red hair. Was she going to be the same? Would we still be friends even if we hadn’t seen each other  in such a long time? The excited chattering in countless languages built to my excitement.

  “Hey!  There they are!” my mom said, walking toward a random fountain. I couldn’t see over so many people, but all of the sudden, I saw them. They stood out against the crowd of dark-haired people and seemed to be lost. There she was! I couldn’t believe it. Was she as nervous and excited as I was?

  “Taya!” I yelled, waving frantically at her. She turned around, and her smile was so wide that it took up most of her face. I was surprised that she looked so different, but then again I hadn’t seen her since second grade.

  “Hey!” she said, hugging me. After staring at each other for a minute, we started laughing. It felt like a dream. How often do you get to see your long-lost best friend in Paris? “Are you ready to go?” she  she  asked  in  her  familiar  Australian  accent, still   smiling  and  looking  around  at  the  gorgeous    buildings,  taking  it  all  in.

    “Yep.” I  responded instantly,  and  we  walked over to join  our  families  to  see the sights of Paris one last time.

   It was April 26th 2007, and it was Brady and my own sixth birthday. The day was sure to be special since it already started out with a bang, when Brady and I got up this morning I fell out of my bed and hit my head. Now my mom and I,  headed to Food Lion for two cookie cakes. It was a cold day and a certain chill in the air and frost was on the ground, something special was going to happen. When Mom and I got to Food Lion the  we ordered two cookie cakes, the person at the bakery exclaimed

“The best cakes in the whole city are right here”.

They looked delicious with chocolate and sprinkles and cookie dough. I thought whoa this is… awesome! After that, we headed off back to  our old house in South Carolina. Mom, and Grandma announced once we got home and fooled around for 30 minutes

“the boys and parents accompanying them shall go to Denny’s at this time, I repeat the boy’s and parents shall go to Denny’s at this time”

    I thought to myself wow I always love going to Denny’s and having a good time.

  We got to Denny’s and I ordered a make your own grand slam with bacon and sausage a delicious combo fit for a king (me), my brother ordered french toast and a mouth watering omelet . Today was special all ready I could feel it. The waitress was very nice and got us free drinks “ on the house”. Everyone chomped down for five minutes. No one said anything because they were so engrossed in eating.

“ this is the stuff”

my brother exclaimed. After, everyone there had filled their stomachs we headed back to the house only to stumble on another surprise.

  Once we got back, we surprisingly noticed many cars lined up the street for the party. I was getting nervous and my hands were sweaty because I didn’t know if all these people were invited. Brady and I entered the big party and everyone just started rearing to go.The decorations were up and it looked like a professional birthday party. It was a total bonanza, there were soccer games,a sports tournament, snacks, the real deal. I participated in a sports tournament and racing my electronic Jeep throughout the yard nearly taking out a couple munchkins in the process. It couldn’t get any better. Little did I know that it could get much better.

    It finally came down to it, cake and presents time, my favorite part! My grandma wrangled up all of the kids and we all sat down on the deck and my parents got together the cakes and  put us up on the table and began to light the candles. John my friend who was invited suddenly moaned

“ I’m hungry”

    His mom whispered angrily

“ If you talk again you’ll get nothing and like it!”

That definitely got him silent as a sleeping dog. Mom announced the happy birthday song, then everyone chorused in and it was horrible. Nice to say but, sounded horrible. Of course I said this to myself. Then I made a wish but sweared not to tell. Not even to you reading this right now, yeah it’s that important or at least it used to be. Claps followed as Brady and I simultaneously blew out our six multicolored candles. Now to the cake, we opened up Brady’s box and there was a chunk of icing missing out of it.”I gasped surprisingly at the cake and mumbled

“How did this happen?’’

Brady began to throw a fit. Even for the rest of the day the mysterious icing culprit never turned himself in for “stealing” part of Brady’s cake. The cake was delicious it tasted like a giant chocolates chip and Oreo cake with Vanilla icing, the best a man can get. Everyone was dished a little cake and soda but some kids wanted more but that’s all they got. Then the sports and games returned for a bit and the party regained momentum  and  it  was a bonanza again. Everyone was back at it I engaged in a fierce baseball game with my friend Carson ,Russell, and Ray. My dad pitched and I played shortstop and Brady played second base. My dad pitched to Russell he hit it to me I tossed it to Brady he stepped on second base then threw the ball to first base, double play! Wow good job I thought to myself, that’s the first time Brady and I collaborated on a double play.

       ” Good play” my dad yelled. That’s how the rest of the game went. It was the best of times, but not the worst of times.

  Shortly thereafter, the trinkets came and I got a baseball bat and other toys I have been waiting for since the spring season just started. Now here comes the weird part, when everyone left and the last foot stepped out the door, It began to hail.

“Holy cow”

I yelled. It Started to hail right then and there for no apparent reason. Moms went running to get kids in their cars.It went on for about a minute then the ice pellets withered down and the small tics on the ground ceased. It’s like a witch didn’t like the party stopping and put a spell for hail so people would come back the house but it didn’t work. It surely was a weird day.

  For the next two weeks I kept on pondering about the icing culprit and how great of a time I had that day has forever been seared into my brain.What a great experience.

                                                                 The End

“Time to wake up” my mom yelled from her room.

I was still adjusting my eyes as get dressed and walk down stairs to get breakfast. I put a waffle in the toaster and get my shoes on. I eat and get in the car with my small tackle tray and my brand new carbon fiber blue, open-face rod with a chrome reel, equipped with 8-12 lbs. line (numbers show the pounds of tension the line can handle without damage or fraying.) and buckled up. We head off to fishing pond.

“Today we are going to go to a pond with huge lunkers (big aggressive fish).” said my counselor. “Make sure you use your best rod”

My rod was brand new so I didn’t know how much force it could sustain, but the man who recommended it for my situation looked like he knew what he was doing. When we arrived I ran to the tan van with the company name on the side and packed my gear in the back. I said goodbye to my mom and we headed off.

The drive took about two hours and when we finally arrived I was so ready to start fishing. Most people didn’t have or forgot their gear so they got rods that were already set up. Since my rod and reel were new I had to take a long time to set up. At that moment I remembered that today I have a chance at catching my 200th fish. At the moment I was at 198 fish caught in my life and with high hopes. I look out at the lake while putting a hook through my best and most effective lure (called a fluke). The water is a perfect mix of green and white from the reflection of the sky. Up on a hill there’s a small house with the faint sound of a dog barking. The cool mountain air feels nice against my skin considering it was summer.

I am finally finished setting up and go down to the muddy bank which makes squishing noises under my feet.

“Hey Matt, cast over there” my friend says, pointing next to a clump of weeds. “I just caught a nice bass”

 I make the first cast of the day and it goes right into the patch of long weeds.

“uh oh!” my friend says.

I attempt to free my lure but the line snaps. I go back up the bank to the van, nearly slipping down thanks to the slippery mud. I  set up again and go back down to the water. This time I cast right next to the weeds that took my other lure. I start reeling in as I feel the satisfying pull of a fish. I reel in faster, knowing that the hook is set well as I see the silver flash of a fish and pull it out of the murky water. I can’t believe that I caught a nice sized bass on my first cast. My grin spreads from one cheek to another as I unhook it and hold it up for my friends to see. I set it back in the water with the satisfaction of knowing I’m one catch away from 200.

Time goes on not catching anything so I switch the color of my lure from “white pearl” to “baby bass” which is just a white fluke (looks like a small fish) with a dark green back. I notice there is a small dock and I ask if I can fish from it. They say yes and I head over. I cast my lure next to a small island with a flock of geese on it. There is a small patch of weeds indicating that there is probably a fish around. Suddenly, I feel the strong tug of a lunker.

My reel screams as the huge fish takes off as I remember that it is a new rod and I have to set the drag. But I know that the fish isn’t hooked very well so it would be too risky to try and tighten the drag. I decide I have to fight it with almost 0 drag as the fish makes a sudden run for the dock. I try to keep up with the loose line, but I can’t so I grab the line with my bear hands and pull as it goes under the dock. My hands are shaking uncontrollably as I pull it up to reveal that the fish is HUGE!

“Hey guys, check this out!” I scream.

My counselor runs over to the dock. He puts the dark green backed bass on the electronic weigher, smiles, and shows me the result. 7.5 POUNDS! The biggest bass I have ever caught! I have to hold it up with both hands as he takes the photo. I ask him to email the picture to my mom and dad as I put the fish back in the water. My hands shake as I fix the lure back onto my hook. I catch four more fish that day, all above two pounds. I go home exhausted and excited to tell my family about the “battle” with the fish. They are very happy for me when I show them the picture of the gigantic bass. I go to bed that night with the feeling of accomplishment and anxious to go fishing tomorrow.

“Hey! We should do the swing!” Dad exclaimed. I couldn’t tell if he was serious or joking.  I had seen someone ride on a similar giant swing at Kings Dominion. The swing had lifted the man up at least five stories, then dropped him, sending him plunging to the asphalt, just to swing up at the last moment and repeat the fall in the other direction. The only thing that supported him was a system of cords about as thick as your wrist.

“Yeah, it will be fun!” I agreed, against my better judgement, unsure of where my boost of confidence had come from.

“No, no, I’m good,” my cousin Brianna stammered.

“Oh come on. You’ll love it!” my dad pushed a little harder. I could tell he was not going to let us chicken out of this.

“It will be just like riding a roller coaster!” I added, mostly trying to convince myself. A numb, buzzing feeling started to prickle in my stomach.

“Are we going to do this or not?” Tio Tommy said impatiently.

“We’re going to do it. Come on Brianna,” I dragged her into the empty line.

We weaved our way through the maze of metal barricades and reached the harness house, a small pavilion type shelter with a low ceiling. The buzzing feeling spread a little wider with every step. My uncle handed one of the men working at the pavilion the charge card. “I’m sorry sir, this card only works for go-carting and the other rides. You need to buy a different card for the bungee jumping and the giant swing,” the man explained.

“Okay,” Tio Tommy looked at the card and walked briskly back through the maze of barricades to the hut that sold the charge cards. When he returned, the guides swiped the card and ushered us into the pavilion. I inhaled and exhaled quickly before stepping into the harness house, knowing that doing so condemned me to the swing.

“Hold these,” one of the guides commanded, handing us each a heavy cloth that looked like it had been pulled off a stretcher. The guides then went through the complicated process of hooking us into the full body harnesses, during which I chatted nervously to Brianna and did a terrible job following instructions. The guides had to repeatedly snap to get my attention. After the guides finished, they handed us a bar connected by two straps to the harness.

“Who’s going first?” one of the guides asked.

“You and Tio Tommy can go first,” I said tentatively to Dad. There was no way that Brianna and I were going to be the guinea pigs.

“I thought I was going with you, and Brianna was going with her dad,” Dad said, confused.

“No. I want to go with Ana. If Ana and I don’t go together, then I’m not going,” Brianna said firmly. I suppressed a sigh of relief. I could feel some of the tension in my chest release, knowing that I still had a few minutes.

“Okay, let’s go,” the guides said as they herded Dad and Tio Tommy into the fenced-off area where the swing of death was positioned. As soon as they left, the numbness and buzzing returned, stronger and more pronounced than before. If I didn’t get control of my nervousness soon, it would completely overwhelm me and I would look like a fool. ‘This will be fun’ I told myself over and over again, attempting to tame the buzzing feeling.

I held my breath as I watched the guides hook my dad’s and uncle’s harnesses to a wire that connected them to the giant yellow arm. With a jolt, they were lifted off the ground and into the air. The mechanical arm came to a stop and the guide started counting down from three. At one, Dad and Tio Tommy dropped. For the first five seconds they fell like rag dolls, screaming like little kids. Then they swooped up and fell again, over and over until the ride was finished. I felt like I was going to collapse.

“Your turn,” one of the guides announced. I tried desperately to control my legs, which were more interested in succumbing to the buzzing than walking over to the cables. Brianna and I shuffled through the gate, passing Dad and Tio Tommy as they came back to the pavilion to get unharnessed.

“That was awesome!” they yelled. “You are going to have so much fun!”

‘Yeah, I’ll have fun if I don’t die first,’ my mind yelled back.

“Which one of you is going to pull the handle that drops you?” one of the guides asked.

“I will,” I quickly volunteered. If I was going to fall five stories, then I wanted to control when I fell. Not to mention, Brianna might not be able to pull the handle, and there was no way I would allow us to back out at the top.

“Drop the bars on the ground and step on them. Now we are going to pull you up in three, two, one.” Our feet wrenched out from under us. Some of the wind got knocked out of me with the impact of the harness.

“Have fun!” somebody yelled. Soon Brianna and I were ten feet above the ground, and rising.

“Oh my gosh. Ohhhhh my gosh. Ohhhhhhhhh my gosh!” I could hear Brianna freaking out beside me, but it sounded distant compared to my own fear. I fingered the flimsy plastic handle at my waist that would release us in a matter of seconds. It felt so harmless. I laughed to myself, knowing that it was anything but harmless. Our family, who was sitting in a small set of bleachers just outside the drop area, looked like ants from up here. I sucked in the humid Florida air and tried to ignore the feeling that had consumed the rest of my body. I looked down at the brick ground and my mind began to get fuzzy. Suddenly, the arm came to a stop.

The guide held up his hand and I grasped the handle. “Three!” The guide bellowed. “Two!” I took a deep breath. “ONE!” Without thinking, I pulled the handle and we plummeted down towards the brick screaming. Just as we were about to hit the ground, the cords tugged sharply on the harness and we pulled up. We reached maximum height and hovered there for a moment before plunging back down. The second time we rose up was not as sharp, and Brianna and I were soon yelling with joy.

“Whoo-hoooo! This is so much fun!” we screamed, laughing. “To infinity and beyond!” we yelled while holding out one arm. It now felt more like soaring than falling, and I didn’t want to stop.To our dismay, the swinging finally slowed and we were lowered down to the ground. I found my footing and struggled to stand. My legs felt like they had been left at the top of the swing. “That was awesome!” we yelled to our family in the bleachers. “We need to do that again!” We walked, wobbling, to the harness house and the guides tried to get our attention to take off our harnesses. My mind was still buzzing, but now with excitement instead of fear.

“Thank you!” we yelled to the guides as we walked through the exit gate. We sprinted to the bleachers, excited to tell everyone the story of our five story freefall.

On January 23 around 9:00 I was watching tv and I remembered it was Dayanas birthday while I was watching TV  I heard a knock on my door and it was Dayana “hey Alba” “hey Happy birthday” i said “ thanks, I came to ask if you could go to my birthday party at my uncles house” “at what time is it ?” “ it’s at 3:00” “oh I in disappointment , I can’t go I have to do something at that time.” “oh its ok”. Around 4:00 I heard another knock on my door it was dayana again “My mom told me to ask you if you can go ice skating with me christian, Jaslene and my brother” “ok sure I said with excitement, but I need to ask my mom first” “ ok”. “Mom can I go ice skating with Dayana, Christian, Jasleene, and her brother?” “ok be careful” “ok I will.”At what time are you guys going to leave though “around 4” “ok you can go but be careful” “ok I will” “my mom said I could go”“ok cool i’ll come and knock on your door once we leave” “ok bye see you”.

I prepared to go to the ice rink I put on my puffy coat , my hat and gloves. I heard a knock on my door it was Dayana again “lets go”. We left to pick up Jaslene and asked Dayana’s brother to stay. we went back to Pick up Dayana’s brother

Dayana came and knocked on my door again “ok lets go” “lets go, bye mom” “bye” as soon as we arrived to the ice rink we saw a lot of people they were swinging their arms and gliding side to side. .Some people trying to skate other people using a bucket to learn how to skate.we went into the booth and paid to get in. We got our skates on and went on the ice once your skates touched the ice it felt very slippery we entered the ice rink we all went different ways we holded on to the l the rail for a half of hour until we got comfortable skating .First dayana let go of the rail,then Jaslene let go of the rail, finally i let go of the rail at that moment i felt happy that i let go of the rail.

After a while we all went to starbucks to buy frappes and brownies. Me and Dayana got a chocolate frappe , Christian got a vanilla frappe , Jorge got brownies, and Jaslene got a bottle of water. We all took time to drink all our frappes and jorge took time to enjoy his fudge brownies and shared some with us. 10 minutes after we drank our frappes we got back on the ice and skated for 1 hour more ,finally it was time to leave and I ended up realizing I had a really good time ice skating I had nothing to worry about .We skated for at least 2 hours we drank frappes and and ate brownies that we got from Jorge.

I was at my aunts’ house I had just woke up and I made myself some hot oatmeal on a very cold summer morning when my aunt came behind my chair bent down and said “would you like to come to new york with me again,” when my aunt said if I wanted to go to New York with her of course i said yes but the problem now was to get my mom to say yes which was going to be very hard like one of the hardest things in your life. I had previously gone to New York the past summer and it was so hard to get her to say yes. anyway the point is that i need her to say yes to letting me go. we both asked her and she eventually said with a big breath and she said very quietly yes. the next i woke up at 4:30 watched some cartoons which is my daily routine. then i poured some cereal and then before i ate i looked at the time it was 5:30. she would be here in 30 minutes. so i rushed and ate my cereal. I had gotten an air bed ready so that we could sleep on it when we got to my uncles house. then i could not find the pump for the mattress i looked at the time it was 5:45 she would be here at 6:00 i had already taken forever to get that air mattress out of the storage closet not to mention how heavy it was. then i found the pump it was in my bedroom. then i heard the phone ring i picked it up and it was my aunt calling from that machine in the lobby to let her up so i pressed 6 then she knocked on my door. I let her in and then, I woke up my parents of course not my sister because that would have been a disaster. so I said by to my mom and dad and we were on our way to new york.We passed D.C then we hit Maryland and i was thirsty and she was hungry. “can we get something to drink please I’m dying” i said in a very exaggerated tone she said that we could only eat at Starbucks because she was a vegan. so i was dying of thirst and then she was really hungry and so was i. we drove for another 1 hour. then i saw the first truck stop sign no luck. eventually we had to just take our chances and we made a stop. we found it “holy grail finally Starbucks” and she said that i could drink coffee and i did. then we went to the bathroom and went on our way. then i was car sick nothing new for me when i am driving for 7 hours in a car with a person who doesn’t like ac then i fell asleep for 45 minutes then i woke up the fabulous New York we went to go eat food because i had nothing to eat for 4 hours and we stopped and parked because my aunts dinner was not until 8:30 so then we had Chinese at this place that i remembered from last year when i had come to New York. well we ate and we decided to go shopping since my shirt from my suit was so badly wrinkled that i had to get new one so the only place for miles was this place called lohmans which seemed like a place my mom would know ( since she always goes shopping). so then i picked out a simple white color then tried it on it was a perfect fit. i felt so weird. that didn’t really matter though. we had to meet my aunts friends before it was too late her stupid gps was taking her around in a circle and we saw the time it was 8:45 and she was so mad that she shut off the gps and she said “i will find it myself,” . then we found it it was a very small restaurant and i mean small really small only one family sized table and 4 regular 4 chair tables and one table for employes and the chef to eat at. i ordered chicken marsala what ever that is all i know is that it was disgusting and spicy. i really was hungry at that point because i could not eat it so i just ate the stupid bread they gave us. then we called my uncle to see if he was home and he said no he still was still working at the Verizon tower. i asked if we could go to times square she said ok but that was the worst plan because we got lost. we eventually went to bed his house when he got back. the next day we had to leave because i had the worst day ever so she drove to seacacuse new jersey to the different stores and bought me clothes and that day was fun

I saw a boy seceding into his thin, brick red blanket.  Then I peered into the confused eyes of the small child. The deep and simple, but complex sapphire eyes pelted knives at me. He had a state of mind that is distributing his signals of, “What has just happened to me?”. To insure the child was safe, and not in grave danger; I skimmed the room to only find a horrid sight. There was an unconscious woman in a USMC sweatshirt spewed across  the hard tile floor. The young child scampered to the woman like he was afraid of a ghost . He screamed, “Mother are you alive? I just saw Daddy push you down. I didn’t mean to hurt you. MAMMA! MAMMA! Are you dead!” Then, a burly masculine man slipped into his khakis  and rushed out of the door into his 99’ Infiniti  G20, seeming frustrated and embarrassed. The boy was wailing and shaking his mother yelping, with a few occasional hiccups, “Are you alive? MAMMA! What is happening? Where is Daddy?” Still unconscious, the mother appeared shocked. What sort of problem commenced to create this ghastly situation?

    I then recognized this situation. It was my uncontrollable past. My despicable father, my heart-broken self, and the red blanket. The red blanket that shielded me from my problems. The blanket that I slouched under to bury my bare body into for satisfaction, and for safety. The red- “Excuse me young boy, are you a mute?” She had just asked me where my father was.She had expected me respond in  such a unachievable time. Such prejudice against a young boy! I had just answered two of your questions! Can this society possibly become more subjective!

“No ma’am, I was simply daydreaming.”

    “Good, I would never be able to sit next to those stupid mutes’!”

“Mutes are not stupid; just simply less fortunate than you and me.’

“ They are almost bad as those Indians’.” I could just not simply comprehend this unpredictable lady.

I simply chose to ignore her racist and  sneer side comments when,“This is flight 237940 going straight to West Cambridge, England.” Going to London was big for me. I had been to Toronto, Mexico City, and many more, but never had I gone to London alone.  It was quite traumatizing to walk down the cramped  aisles  with the gossip of the valley girls of the plane. The horrifying question of, “ Are you alone?”.The glory and gore of flying alone. The amount of self-restrain had taken years to master. The discipline of restriction; from the simplistic and often self satisfying slap, to a blue steel look of death.

I slouched my spine  into the uncomfortable navy blue “plush” chairs. I felt something in my seat and reach my hand down to the seams and found an adoption pamphlet. The thought rung my mind,  “Why am I going to see my godparents in London?” With the thought in my mind I began to think of my DNA. Why was I placed with such a revolting and  disturbed father? Why me, of all people?Why not all of the arrogant, cocky, dirty rich, brats have my father perchance?

I drifted into a very unsettled sleep. I dreamt about my father and I, standing in the room and he ordered me to my private prison of doom. I trudged to my isolation cabinet, when I assertively tested one word,”NO!”. He turned around shocked; like I had shot him with a bow, and the arrow was poisoned with reality. Each time I ululated “NO”,he seemed to grasp the thin,intangible air and dissolved into that thin air. He then confessed something no parent should confess. “You are adopted. You, you are a terrible son.  No one likes you, and no one ever will,” I knew I wasn’t adopted, but why had my father shot such an inhumane insult? Why had my very own blood and bones, become such a monster over the years? Why hadn’t I noticed? Why hadn’t I ever stood up for my own rights as a human being in this modern world?

One word, parent. My father had been taught to treat your neighbor as yourself, since he was a young boy. Being raised as a  Baptist , he had believed that faith could  sustain you in your time of peril.So, he treated everyone like he was their superior. In theory, when people started to treat him insignificantly, he just has to pray and he is magically saved from his sins.

Such an undistinguished person Michael Kennett The battle between my “father”, and myself was like,a sand trying to hit a wall made out of diamond. I had protected not only myself from his wrath, but also my more vulnerable mother.

As I awoke, the plane had suddenly become a line to a roller coaster ride. The air was stuffy, and toxic with the constant gossip about their personal problems. I had three inches to move before I was cut off with freedom. The air  became more toxic as each inhale and exhale harmonizes with the lonely, depressing world.The space I had, had transformed into an eating ground for space.Like a fox in hunting season. I quickly receded to the bathroom where I  ingested clean, and non-toxic air. As I gradually commenced from my chair I was stopped with, “We will now be leaving this plane. Please take all of your items and leave in an orderly fashion.”

I squeezed myself in between two obese people and try to not to think of the terrible stench that they are emitting. When that doesn’t work I tried to hold my breath for as long as possible. After what seems like an hour, I finally sprinted to the door and breathed the sweet air of West Cambridge. I strolled out of the hallway which connects the plane to the airport and frolick my way to the  gate when I remembered one thing; an adult has to sign my UM packet. I waited at the booth until finally, the chauffeur: Mr. Robinson came to save my soul. He finished the paperwork and Cheeves told me, “ Henry, I must go to pick up Christina. Here’s some money they told me to give you. There is £125 and so get yourself a taxi and some food.Got it?”

    “Yes Mr. Robinson.” I doddle to the french doors where I will finally see London. I remember watching Breakfast At Tiffany’s how Holly Golightly whistles at the taxi’s. I try and try, yet all of the taxis’ move on without even noticing me. Suddenly, out of nowhere a taxi halts in front of me and asks, “ Do you need a ride, young sir? I replied yes, but I then saw the face of my father.

    “ Sorry sir, I can’t this taxi sir.”

“ Why not?” Why not? Maybe the fact that you look exactly  like my devil forsaken father! Is that enough reason? Huh? Do my personal reasons  inflict your train of thought at all?I then lied and replied with, “ I just got a text saying my parents would pick me up.”

“Okay . I hope you have a nice day.” Once he had driven away, a new Lincoln ad appeared and was right where I needed it. I got in and sat relaxed on top of the lush, leather seats.He turns around to ask my name when I recognize his face. The pathetic face of my father. I was too lazy to decline once more, so I simply lay back in the seat and breathe in and out.

As Toni is driving I skimmed the crowds in the city and all of the people that rotate their heads towards my direction and all of them turn out to be my father. Each time the face miraculously appears I shiver with fear . Fear about physical violence.

I am stripped naked to the bone and shoved onto the bed. My father had had a terrible day at work. I was his free punching bag.I was forced to lay perpendicular to the floor  on my twin-sized bed with ultimate displeasure, when he got out the belt of death. The belt that had injured not only my physical self, but also my social and emotional self. No longer could I speak up for myself with the fear of entitled negative consequences. Each time the tip of the terrifying leather whip slashes me, I scream with pain and emotion . No longer could I be considered a normal average child. No longer could I say that a person was wrong. Each slash indented my skin further and further into physical, mental , and social agony. No longer could I be popular! After his rage has ended I am locked inside my own silence. Each uneven breath puts me further from popularity, and love. Love,  the intangible virus that tears families apart, that poisons the brain. At the end of the day, I am still sore with the lashings which I had received.

    After approximately 54 kilometers I finally spy with my golden eyes a nice little shop that looks as if  it’s not a long walk from the flat. I pay Toni and stroll over to the quaint, colorful shop. The shop was called La Fromagerie and it aroma was simply delectable.It had a cute little old red wooden sign, also saying La Fromagerie.

After waiting twenty minutes to order; the beginning of the line was finally mine. I ordered The Pope’s Lunch  which was a prosciutto, spinach, mozzarella, some yummy sauce, a baguette, tomato, and arugula. It turns out its 8 pounds! I can’t find my money nor my sanity. I am searching my bag for my money when, somebody asks, “Is this yours monsieur?” He was dressed in a light hazel brown inspectors jacket which as far as I was sure, was from Burberry. I knew it wasn’t father this time because my father is a cheap person.

I shake that off and respond, “ Yes, sir. Thank you most definitely.”I shuffle back to the front of the line, and pay for this complete delicacy.I begin to “chow down” as some people say it when I realize, I’m not on my own time. I shovel the food down my throat and sprint to the door when my stomach lurches with the feeling of anxiety  and .

  I turned on google maps and found out I was 6 kilometers from the flat. Apparently the street was an immense, and monstrous.I start to stomp and remember, Mr. Richardson can drive me from here. Again, by fate he doesn’t answer. I try multiple times and same answer: voicemail. Each time the aggravating sound of, “Jackery Robinson is not available at the moment. Please leave a message.” Why must I be the one to suffer from my own stupidity? I had been thinking too much to have been moving quickly.

Without the love of my godparents and my mother this wouldn’t have been happening. Without the flexibility of my godparents I would be at my father’s house suffering.What would be happening to me right now if I hadn’t had found the key to sanity, and opened the door to life?Would I  still be able to live freely?

No.

I had a wonderful time in London. We partied saw all the sights. Took tour busses, did the whole thing, and I didn’t think once about my father the rest of the trip. And if it wasn’t for the escapade.. Without this adventure and state of insanity my trip would have been a normal trip. As Gandhi once said “You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty. or  “Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”

Have you ever been on a zip line? If you haven’t, then you need to go to Go Ape.When I went to go ape, I was so scared, I have never been on a zip line before or at least one that big. These zip lines are like 50 feet above ground and you have to climb a ladder that is connected to the tree. While you’re on the zip line some of them have Tarzan swings that you swing into.

    Lets start from the beginning, It was a sunny Saturday morning my father picked me up after school the day before. I jumped in the shower, the water was steaming hot like a sauna just the way I like. I got out, put my hair in a ponytail,then braided it so it wouldn’t get knotty or in my face. When we arrived his girlfriend Rhonda, and her children Te’embra, Arianna, and Avery were not there yet. We decided to ride my bike to the playground. On the way to the park I saw two German Shepherds dogs being walked. I just had to stop, because they are my favorite dogs. I slammed my brakes on my bike and headed over, their names were Lightning and Thunder.When we got to the playground there was a tire swing, a bridge, everything a child could ask for. “Beep, beep” we heard the car horn ring as it came rolling down the steep hill. We had to change the reservation time because we thought that they were going to be late. So while we waited we went to 7-11 then the bathroom, and to the park some more. The bathroom smelled of dirty gym socks, I held my breath for the three minutes that I was in there. We all then squeezed into Rhondas car because my fathers car was in the parking lot and rode down to the reservation place.

    After my father and Rhonda filled out waivers. While that was happening Te’embra and I went over to the field area in frount of the hut, and started twirling, spinning and running around while we waited. The we strolled over to the part where they showed us the tutorial. Then, when we finished my father, Arianna, and I went over. (When you sign the waiver you can only have 2-3 people under 18, so my father got Arianna and I while Rhonda got Te’embra and Avery) My group waited for Te’embras group to come so we can stay together.

 There was a group in front of us. I was watching the girl in front of me to make sure when I go I don’t do anything wrong and then all I hear is “Ahhhhhhh…” I looked up and saw the girl falling. “Boing” I heard the course make. The screaming stopped when the girl realized that she wasn’t falling anymore. We all forgot for a minute that it is hard to actually fall out of the course because you are always attached to a zipline or a rope. There was an employee walking around to make sure everything was okay and when we realized that he wasn’t freaking out I think that everyone was okay. Next it was my turn, as I was climbing the ladder all I remember thinking to myself was that i hope I’m not going to die, I was so scared. Then as I was going down the zip line I was so excited, it was like nothing I ever felt. Every time the zip line got higher.

  When we finished the obstacle  course  we  went  out  to  eat.  We  decided  to  go  to  Outback.  I  ordered  the  sirloin  steak  sliders,  my  dad  ordered   grilled  chicken,  Te’embra  got  the  same  thing  that  I  got,  and  everyone  else  just got  steak.  As  the  steaks  and  chicken came  out our  noes were on  cloud  nine.  I  could  smell  the  rareness  of  the  steaks.  Its  like  little  pieces  of  steak  dancing  in  my  nose.  They  always  seem  to  bring  the  food  out   just  when  you  can’t  wait  anymore.  I  the  was  the  first  to get  my food  I couldn’t  even  wait  for  everyone  else  to  get  their  food  I  unwrapped  my  fork  and  knife.  I  went  right  for  the  mashed  potatoes.  I  wanted  to  savor  the  every bite.  I  was  the  first  to  finish,  I got the worst  stomach  ache  ever I  also  had  the hiccups, but is was worth it.  On the  way  home  I  would  not  stop  hiccuping   my  dad  got  so  annoyed. On the way home I turned the radio up and belted the chorus of my favorite song, “I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter Dancing through the fire Cause I am a champion, and you’re gonna hear me roar Louder, louder  than a lion Cause I am a champion, and you’re gonna hear me roar!” Everyone who passed us in their car looked at me like I needed to be locked in a tower , but all I did was sing even louder. My dad looked at me and all he could say is “Really, was that necessary?’When  my  dad  dropped  me  off  at  my   moms  house  I  told  her  everything  that  happened,  from  the riding my bike, to the twirling, to the girl “falling” to  me  getting  a stomach  ache.

My mom and dad dropped me, Claire, Chloe, and Maddie off at the Verizon Center. It was almost 90 degrees. It was around 4:30 pm, so it was around rush hour. I saw so many people walking home from work, or wherever they needed to be. There was so much traffic, normally it takes us around 20 minutes to get to DC. This time, it took us almost 45 minutes to get there.

“Wow! At least half of these people are here for the concert.”, I thought.

I knew this because they either had t-shirts or huge signs. I couldn’t believe it was actually the night of the concert. We walked inside and it felt so good and cool. We were standing in the crowded lobby and I heard the faint sound of One Direction singing, “Teenage Dirtbag” (one of my favorite songs) we all were freaking out. I got to record some of it, but the people working at the Verizon Center made all of us leave and wait outside until 6:30. It was so hot and humid outside. We all spent that long hour and a half playing on our phones, talking, and waiting so anxiously to get inside. I think that was probably the longest hour and a half of my life!  Whenever the guards came open the doors, everyone started screaming and it was not helping at all! It was 6:30. I thought to myself, “Why are the doors not opening?!”

Finally, around 20 minutes later, they let us in. They had to check Maddie’s stupid bag, then we got our tickets checked. We ran to the box. One of the guards yelled at us, “Stop running!”, I thought, “I can’t when I’m this excited!” There was so much electricity in the air!

   We had all planned that we would go to the box and claim the first row of the seats. Then, two of us would get food and two of us would wait there. Then, vise versa. When we got into the box, there was absolutely no need to go get food anymore! I couldn’t believe how much food there was for us! There was pasta, fruit, veggies, chicken, chips, popcorn, cookies, soda, and so much more. I could already tell this was going to be the best night ever! The opening act came on at 8:00 but it was only 7:00. What could we do with all that time? Eat food and take pictures! I remember Maddie wanted me to take a picture of her and Chloe. I took the picture but, I guess it wasn’t good enough for her, “Oh my God Olivia, this is terrible photo quality.” Maddie said to me,

“Sorry, I don’t think the lighting is too good in here. I can take another one in a different spot for you if you want me too.”, I suggested to her.

“Okay fine.”, she replied back.

I took the picture again and it was much better.

“Thank you. It’s much better.” Maddie said to me.

“You’re welcome. Can you please take a picture of me now?” I asked Maddie.

She took the picture of me and Chloe too but, it wasn’t very good quality either. I didn’t  say anything but “thank you”, to her because I didn’t want to fight with her.  That’s really all that we did for that whole hour. At 7:45 is when we got so excited the opening act to come on. “It’s probably some artist no one has ever heard of before.”, Maddie said.

I said, “No, it’s probably another boy band.”

It was 7:45, the opening act was about to come on. Some girls had “#5SS”,  on their shirts. Chloe said,” What’s 5SS?”

One of the girls replied,” Five Seconds of Summer. They are another boy band.”

The girls seemed to really like them. We thought well they might be good.

The opening act came on, everyone was screaming. They played about five songs. They were pretty good. They had one slow song and they asked if everyone could turn a flash on or a bright light if they had one. We all put the flashes on on our phones. It was so pretty! I took so many pictures of just that one seen. They asked Who’s ready for One Direction!? We all were screaming at the top of our lungs. Then they said well here they come!

They left the stage and everything went black. They showed a short video of One Direction at a pool party. Every time they showed either Liam, Niall, Harry, Zayn, and Louis, everyone screamed so loud. The video was over. The beginning of “Up All Night” started. That time we really screamed at the top of our lungs. The lights turned on and there they were. I  couldn’t believe it was actually them. We were so happy it was unreal. They were so good live. In the middle of the concert, they got on this thing that moved them to another little stage. Then, they were even closer to us. It was so amazing. They sang a couple songs and then they went back to the main stage.

The concert was almost over. They sang “Over Again”, which was my favorite song from that album. We sang along and video taped it. They took breaks in between songs and talked to the fans. They answered some people’s questions they asked them on Twitter. It was really cool. The last song they sang was “What Makes You Beautiful”. Everyone was sad that it was almost over but, the concert was absolutely amazing! They had huge balls that looked like bubbles, that were filled with air. They floated through the crowd. When the left, they jumped off the back of the stage. The concert was over. It was probably one of the best nights ever!

When we left, outside The Verizon Center they gave us all bags of chips with pictures of One Direction on them. It was so crowded, it was pure chaos. I couldn’t stop thinking how amazing and fun that concert was., “That was so much fun!”, I said to Maddie.

“I know, I can’t believe we actually saw them.”

We walked to a hotel that my mom and dad were waiting there for us to take us home. I know for a fact, that was an amazing start to the best summer!

Sweat dripped down my forehead like it was raining bullets. All the bodies around me felt like they were closing in on me. The line for the Sky rush was like a snake slowly inching near it’s prey, but unfortunately the prey was the roller coaster. I glanced at my brother, Buddy who was acting like he was throwing a football five hundred feet into the air. My cousin, Kendrick , who was standing next to me looked angry, probably because of the heat. I looked at my god sister, Lorraine, who didn’t look pretty happy either.”Why does the line have to be so long!” Lorraine yelled in frustration.

The line inched once more. I sighed and looked back at my mother who was sitting on the bench scrolling on her iPhone. After another thirty minutes of waiting Buddy, Kendrick, Lorraine, and I finally got into viewing distance of the roller coaster. I got more and more excited as I got closer and closer to the roller coaster. Finally it our turn to get on the roller coaster. Everything was loud around me. I could hear the other people screaming from the other roller coasters. Suddenly my face turned hot and I got a lump in my stomach.

“Are you ready?” Lorraine asked.  “ I don’t know,” I said with my voice trembling. The silver automatic gates flung open to each row of the roller coasters. I walked in first and sat down on the end seat because my brother was   too chicken to take the end seat. The blue and yellow seats were hard. “ Welcome to the Sky rush, while riding the ride please remain seated, keep your hands and  inside the cart,  and enjoy the ride,” the man on the loudspeaker said. Suddenly the black foam seat protectors flung down and pressed against my body so tight that it felt like I couldn’t breathe.

Suddenly the  the ride started moving. My face turned red as I looked at my brother, who looked scared out of his mind.The ride started moving up the huge incline inch by inch. I was grasping the handles on the seat so hard that if I really tried I could possibly rip them off the seat. Finally we reached the top. Noticing the huge drop I was really starting to second guess my choice. The ride tipped over a bit then fell.” Ahhhhh…,” I yelled. The force of gravity was pulling so hard that the feeling of butterflies in your stomach was starting to feel like a little person inside of your stomach was hitting the inside of your stomach with a hammer.

The wind was pulling my cheeks back so far that you could see the inside of my mouth. I looked up and saw a loop. I thought in my head, why did I do this. As we got closer to the loop I closed my eyes. The ride jerked up and went upside down. All the blood rushed to my head. When the loop was done I saw a sharp turn. The sharp turn made the whole ride jerk and made my head hit the side of the ride. Lots of dreadful pain went on in my head. I looked up once more and saw that the ride was coming to an end. I thanked the lord that the ride was over. The ride pulled in the station and stopped. The black foam seat protectors flung up and I could breath again. “ Never again,” I said. Lorraine just laughed at me knowing it wasn’t true.