Chapter 1
“Why, is that you, Peter Pan?” Molly wiggles her finger in the air, sporting her classic slanted grin.
“Oh, shut up, Molly. I have a name.” Richard grumbles, not at all amused to see his best friend.
“Summer is over. School is starting! We get to see everyone again, and the last thing we need is your gloomy shadow ruining all our fun.” Molly scolds. She brings her brown curls back into a pony-tail and takes a breath, “I don’t know what has gotten into you. It gets worse and worse every year!” She pauses as Richard puts down his backpack. “We are just kids! What has bogged you down? I am too young to think deeply about the miseries of life!”
Richard sighs, “Molly, it’s not that, and you know it. We’re just different.”
Molly rolls her eyes and darts quickly around the brick steps to greet a pair of kids approaching.
Richard reaches into his backpack to check for the grocery list his mother had given him in the morning. The list had the usual and also a new medication. He had to stop by the pharmacy again. The trips have become more frequent and Richard swears the doctors are just guessing. His brother has been getting worse, and his parents aren’t being honest with what is going on.
The first school bell rings.
Richard puts the list away and picks up his bag and Molly’s and heads to the entrance. “Come on, Molly!” He yells.
Molly turns her head around and back again. “Okay guys, let’s go! Hopefully we’ll be in the same homeroom again!” She waves goodbye to Olivia and Connor and skips over.
This would be their last year at Dartborne Honors, a distinguished K-8 school. Richard scanned the assignments on the school board and murmurs, “Mr. Hudgins”.
“Mr. Hudgins? He lives in a fantasy! We’re in for millions of fairy tales.” Molly gasps.
“Isn’t it he who trained your imagination?” Richard smiles at her as he heads towards room 323.
“I know. But we’re not in kindergarten.” Molly turns her head. “There’s a dance this last year, you know.”
Richard stops on the steps to the next floor and wrinkles his brow. “That is awkward.”
Molly pouts and skips up the steps past him.
Richard wasn’t socially inept in which he would miss any queues, and he always imagined Molly would be by his side forever, including marriage one day when they were older. But romance just wasn’t something he thought much about. But at the same time, it now made sense why Molly’s exasperations with him have escalated. She wanted something a bit more than just being in each other’s company, he concluded.
Chapter 2
Algebra was almost over. Richard normally loved Algebra, he loved school. But his brother and Molly were now occupying his mind.
Maybe he needed to have an intentional conversation with Molly, but she seemed to be avoiding him.
At lunch, it was just him and Connor planning their next construction project. Connor’s dad worked on construction sites and Connor would come up with small projects here and there to help the neighbors.
“Aunt Morrine just adopted another four dogs from the shelter!” Conner exclaimed. “I am very happy to help build a few fancy dog houses but I am just having trouble accepting she can handle twelve dogs.”
Richard laughed. “No comment.” He popped the remains of his sandwich into his mouth and mumbled, “I’m gonna put my books away.”
Connor closed his sketchbook. “Kay, I’ll go with you.” Connor paused. “Did you want to talk about Hunter?”
Richard swallows. “What about him?”
Connor zips up his pack, “I know he hasn’t been getting better. You’re pretty distracted today.”
Richard sighs and begins to head towards the soccer field. “My parents aren’t being transparent. I’m collecting new medications on a monthly basis. He’s been stuck in a coma for almost a full year now and I feel like I’m just waiting.”
Connor catches a ball and throws it back. “I’m sorry, man.”
“Thanks. We weren’t that close. But now he’s unreachable.” Richard shrugs.
Connor opens the door into the building. Molly is on the other side.
“Hey Mol. What’s wrong?” Connor asked.
Molly pointed down the hallway, “There’s a suspicious package wrapped in brown paper sitting in my locker.”
“We alerted Principle Hemming. He’s calling the police.” Olivia interjected.
Dartborne Honors has had a few close encounters with mystery packages. When it first appeared 6 years ago, to Richard’s knowledge, it was a silly prank, a box of cockroaches. But the following year, there were hornet’s. Two years after that, centipedes. And the last year, two open flasks of bleach and ammonia each all boxed up in the same brown paper like a present. Thankfully each time there were only minor injuries. It’s just that no one ever gets caught, and no one wants to admit, it might be getting worse.
Mr. Primsley walks down the hallway, “Alright kids, time to evacuate! Just stay out in the field and line up according to your homerooms.”
But as Richard and Connor are on their way out, a loud sound goes off just as Molly and Olivia’s bodies smash into theirs.
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