A week later, Tesia McLean was walking out of the classroom, heading for the school playground so that her and fellow classmates could go outside for gym. The teacher had surprised them, stating that since it was such a lovely day out, they should go do their gym class outside to enjoy it.

She grumbled as she followed her classmates along, knowing that somehow – while outside – she’d get in trouble for something stupid, and then get in shit at home again. And she was so of getting in shit at home. She felt as though the only thing that kept her going in life, was the thought of seeing her brother and the other Boys again – her brother and Kevin especially. Her brother as – well, he was her brother! What did you expect? And Kevin – Kevin because she had long since declared herself in love with him; and she wanted to marry him desperately – despite their huge age difference. So what if he was almost thirty-three and her almost ten; didn’t matter to her at all – it could work. It could!

Once outside, all the children ran to the soccer field, as they were to be playing soccer that day in gym – thus being part of the reason they had gone outside for this particular class, instead of to the indoor gymnasium.

Tesia watched silently, as the teacher picked the captains, and the captains began to pick their teams. She silently hoped that she’d get picked before the nerds in her class – she did not want to be lower than a nerd – especially since the nerds weren’t very nice to her either.

The two team captains went right on picking, leaving poor Tesia until the end. They then decided to fight with one another, over whose team she would be on. Neither Captain wanted her on their team – yet, she loved soccer! It was one of her favourite sports, as she was able to run around like crazy while playing it – she just never had anyone to play it with.

The teacher decided to break up the argument then. “Fine. No one shall have her on their team. She can sit out on the bench over it the baseball diamond. The teacher turned to look at Tesia. “Well, don’t just stand there! Get moving!”

Tesia stared at the teacher in disbelief – she couldn’t believe she wasn’t going to get to play like everyone else – and she’d been good so far today – she had!

“But - But - ” She tried, though she had no such luck in finishing her rebuttal.

“Now!” The teacher yelled. “Or you can go to the office, and get a phone call home for not doing as told!”

Tesia's eyes welled up with tears, though she quickly willed them back. The last thing she needed was for her fellow classmates see her cry over something as dumb as soccer. She didn’t utter a word, as she turned and trudged over to the one baseball diamond to sit upon the bench. Wasn’t fair she got sent off, when she hadn’t even done anything wrong.

“Wouldn’t happen if J were here,” she thought bitterly. “If J were here, I’d be havin’ fun an’ playin’ soccer!”

She watched angrily as her classmates ran about, shrieking with laughter as they played. The more they shrieked, the more pissed off she become. Part of her blamed everyone she knew in Florida, while the other part of her blamed her brother for everything that was happening to her.

“Does he not care to come an’ play with me no more?” She wondered angrily. “I am here all alone! Got no friends or nothin’. I need him, an’ like always, he’s not here when I want him to be! Damn him!”

She paused in damning her brother to hell alongside her parents. She had remembered, that her brother had promised to come, should she ever need him sooner than he was able to come – all she had to do was call.

She looked over at the soccer field, to insure that her class was still playing soccer. She’d an idea – an idea she planned to put into action - no matter how much shit it got her in. She needed her brother!

“GO BRENT! RUN!” The teacher yelled from over in the soccer field. She was cheering her favourite student on. The one student Tesia had a crush on – despite the fact, that he too, hated her guts.

Tesia smiled to herself slyly. This could work out to her advantage – her crush could be helping her out, and not even know it. Once she was sure that no one was watching her any longer, she cautiously got up and began to walk away from the baseball diamond. She quietly headed for the schoolyard gate, and after one last glance around the yard, snuck out of the school playground.

Once out of the schoolyard, she high-tailed it down the street to where she knew the payphone would be. Lucky her, she had scared someone on the way to school and managed take the kid’s lunch money – the kid had been scared shitless that she’d beat him up otherwise.

She skipped the rest of the way, once the payphone had come into sight – her smile getting growing by the second. She reached the booth, and entered it – she then quickly put some money in it, and dialed the long-distance number that would connect her to her brother.

Cars whizzed by, while she stood in the phone booth, making her pray that her father wouldn’t suddenly drive by for no reason at all – she had a tendency to skip every so often – which was actually quite often.

Tesia frowned as she listened to the phone ring and ring and ring and ring some more. Where was her brother? Why wasn’t he answering? She was starting to lose hope, when she suddenly heard her brother’s voice over the phone.

“Hi. This is A.J…”

“J!” Tesia cried excitedly, only to be cut off.

“If you’re a fan, yes, you’ve gotten my number. But please don’t tell the world nor use up my whole tape….”

Tesia groaned, as she realized she’d gotten his stupid answering machine. Disappointment rippled through her - more disappointment than she had ever felt before.

“If you’re family or one of my Boys, please leave a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Be cool, be real, and behave. Peace!”

Tesia wiped at her tears that had begun to fall – she had hoped her brother would be home so that she could talk him into coming to get her out of the hell hole she was stuck living in until further notice – much further notice. She decided she had best leave a quick message, wanting to just be able to say hi – she just hoped he would actually get her message this time. Last time she had dared to phone, he hadn’t gotten her message as Nick had accidentally erased it by mistake.

“Beep!”

“J…it’s me. I’m – at school – Ha! Ri-ight. Well, just called to talk. Am lonely an’ got nobody to play with or talk too. Miss you. Lots.” Tesia said to his machine, then pleaded, “Please come an’ see me soon! I – I need you here! Now. Just – please J? Please?”

It was while leaving her message, that she spotted the principal headed her way.

“J! I-I gotta go! I’m gonna get it! I’m not s’pose to be here! I’m skippin’ gym to call! Please! I love you! Come an’ get me! Please!”

She quickly hung up then, and dove out of the booth to run. She didn’t know how the principal knew where to find her – but she didn’t care to stick around and ask him about it. No way in hell! She took off fast as she could – but she was too late – the principal was too close – and too fast.

She yelped as the principal grabbed hold of her arm. She knew she was in deep, deep shit now.

“Well, well, well,” he said. “Skipping again I see. And to call that pretend brother of yours again, I’m assuming.”

Tesia struggled with him, as he dragged her all the way back to the school and into his office. Once there she stared down at her hands, so that he couldn’t see just how annoyed she was at having been caught by his stupid ass.

“Now, I shall be sure to tell your father about your phone call,” the principal told her. “I’m sure he shall be quite pleased to know just who it is you have been calling every time you steal another child’s money from them. Now, you know threatening another child and stealing their money won’t be tolerated here. So, why you do it, is beyond me – you just must love getting into trouble.”

“I do not!” Tesia snapped. “I’m tryin’ to get out of it!”

“Do not snap at me, Young Lady!” The principal growled. “Calling an imaginary brother, who is never going to come for you, is beyond ridiculous! And I shall make sure that a stop is put to this immediately!”

The more the principal badgered her about her imaginary brother, the more she began to lose hope that her brother would actually come and rescue her from stupid old Florida. She finally reached her breaking point, as she was sent back outside to watch her classmates finish up their game of soccer.

Tesia sat upon the bench at the baseball diamond once more, watching jealously as the other children still went about playing their soccer game. She’d reached a breaking point, and just couldn’t take the pain and heartache any longer.

“I quit!” She thought angrily. “Not gonna believe it no more!”

The owner of the voice stared out angrily across the yard that they were in.

“I’m dumb for believin’ it’ll happen!” She grumbled to herself. “So f*ckin’ dumb!”

The one cussing themselves out, had finally lost belief in what they believed in the most. It just got to be too much – believing for something they want to happen, and it not happening after all this time.

Suddenly, she could not take it one moment longer. She began to scream – and scream she did – for, what she felt to be, the loss of her very much loved brother. She went on throwing her biggest tantrum ever, even as the teacher came storming over to where she stood, now screaming and cursing hysterically.