I was chilling out in my bedroom making force fields hold my textbooks open.
I was still very serious about this whole studying thing. So far I had managed to push my grades up to a 75.
If I managed to increase my grade by three percent, I wouldn’t have to go to summer school! No textbooks stopping me from freedom and fun times.
I couldn’t concentrate anymore, because the visions of enjoying some rocky road were just too overwhelming.
My imagination took place and soon I was floating in a pool of rocky road. I sighed and closed my eyes. My sister put a sad stop to my beautiful vision.
“Jake!” She said, poking her head inside my room. “Mom said it’s time for dinner!”
“OK!” I yelled back. “Just coming!”
I put the textbook down and got off my bed.
I was just going up the stairs, when my phone beeped. I raced down and read it.
Chat: Harrison WHITE, Carly MARTINSEN, Darryl KLEIN
Harrison: Hey Jake! What up? Meet in the tree house after dinner? C ya there! :)
Carly: Don’t be l8!
Harrison: Yah!
My phone beeped consistently as they continued to remind me. Finally, Carly checked if I was still there.
Carly: Jake? U there?
Me: I’m here.
Me: *here
Carly: Kay. C ya l8er!
Harrison: Bye
Me: Bye
“JAKE!” My father boomed. “HERE NOW!!”
“Coming!” I replied.
I raced up the stairs and was entering the dining room, before they could blink.
“What’s for dinner?” I asked.
“Leftovers.” Dad said.
“Which ones?” I asked sarcastically.
“The macaroni and cheese.” He replied, missing my sarcasm.
“Urgh!”
“Your father worked extremely hard on that you know!” My mother scolded me.
Dad was the chef d’état in this house. But my French wasn’t exactly exquisite. So it could either mean head of state or chef of status. I wasn’t sure. I found the French language to be designed for geniuses like Darryl.
“My most humble apologies father.” I said in my best posh, sorry accent. “I had no idea of the offense I would cause you by doing what I so unkindly did. How will you ever forgive me?”
“It’s alright son. I forgive you!” He said.
I smiled.
But of course Mom ruined it.
“Don’t listen to him Hank! He’s only acting!” Mom reprimanded him.
“Oh. You were?” Dad asked disbelievingly.
“Why I would never do such a horrible thing Dad!” I acted shocked.
“Yes you would!” piped up Jane.
Jane’s talent lay in soccer and annoying me. She was unfortunately amazing at both.
“Shut up Jane!” I hissed between my teeth. “Stop. Tattling...snitch!”
Sadly, Mom caught the last word and demanded an apology out of me.
Jane stuck out her tongue as I was apologizing. Mom also forced her to apologize. I smiled at her and she attacked me as viciously as a cougar.
“Jane! Bed NOW!” Mom yelled.
“B-b-but Jake. He-” She trailed off, looking at mom’s furious expression and her extended arm pointed upwards.
She gave me one last dirty look and stormed off. My super hearing caught her muttering some very specific words about me.
I smiled. What a little baby!
“And you can go too!” Mom yelled at me. “And wipe that little smile of your face!”
I leaped up and walked out of the room.
There was obviously something going on at work.
If mom’s company failed, then we would have to live off the sixty million dollars in their bank account. I shuddered. Only sixty million? How would we survive?
If Harrison’s Dad lost his job they’d still do well. What with mansions all over the world? They could survive with thirty million dollars. But could my family?
My phone rang just then. I touched ‘Answer’.
“Yeah?” I asked.
“Jake? Where are you?” Carly asked.
“Oh man! I forgot! I’m so sorry! On my way now.”
“Okay! Hurry!”
I smiled. “You know me! I’m pretty quick!”
I cut the call and went upstairs.
Thankfully Mom wasn’t there, so I didn’t have to face her evil wrath.
“Bye, dad! Out for a walk! Visiting Carly!”
“Bye, son!” answered Dad. “Have fun! Be back in twenty minutes before your mother notices!”
“Okay!”
I zoomed towards the tree house at about three hundred miles per hour. I arrived in less than thirty seconds.
“Finally!” Carly said.
“So what’s the big deal?” I asked.
“We have something to show you!”
“Well what is it?” I asked impatiently.
Carly looked at Harrison and they both smiled mischievously.
“If you insist.” Said Harrison. “Take a seat.”
I sat on an icy cold chair next to Darryl.
“Any idea what this is about?” I asked.
“Nope.” He replied.
We settled back to watch the show. Carly had made a stage of ice. And now she and Harrison were making a decent sized fog.
“Gentlemen!” Announced Harrison. “I present to you Michelangelo!”
The fog settled and died into nothingness. Carly made a sphere of water and was waiting patiently. Harrison raised his hands and made lava in the shape of a fire. Carly then showered it with water.
When the smoke had died, a rocky fire lay in the middle of the stage.
Darryl and I applauded, as Harrison and Carly held hands and bowed.
I couldn’t stop the pangs of jealousy that went off inside as they hugged each other.
I forced a smile and clapped, as Darryl yelled Again! Again!
Harrison and Carly smiled and nodded.
Harrison made a self-portrait of himself out of lava. Sighing, Carly doused it with water. She made a waving motion with her hands to make the smoke disappear.
A perfect image of Harrison lay in its place.
Harrison proceeded to make statues of all of us. Finally he made a tree. On the tree were the words: The Super 4
I smiled. That was to be our superhero team name. The Super 4. I liked that. Our team. Our superhero team.
There was only one thing left to do. I started by using my force field to move the tree right in front of the tree house. Then, came the statues. The fire I left alone. I hoped Harrison wouldn’t notice, but sadly he did.
“Hey! What about my fire?” He asked, annoyed.
“It doesn’t show team support.” I informed him.
“Fine then!”
He shut his eyes. Soon a hammer of lava appeared. Carly sprayed that.
Next was a lightning bolt. Curly happily sprayed that.
Finally a sphere surrounded by three lines appeared.
When that to was sprinkled, I obligingly moved it under the tree. Or more accurately I put Harrison’s directly under the tree. Carly’s on the left branch, and Darryl’s on the right branch. I carefully positioned my sphere at the top of the tree.
Harrison then made a fifteen-foot tall wall of lava surrounding the entire tree house.
Frowning, Carly made a rainstorm directly overhead.
“This way,” explained Harrison, “Only we can get in. I could fly over, you could bounce on your force fields, you can use your stretchiness and Carly can use an icy bridge!”
“Well then, we better stop coming here with Tess, huh?” Said Carly.
“Oh no! How unfortunate!” Harrison said maliciously.
We all laughed.
I looked at the time on my phone. 8:17pm.
I cursed under my breath. I was going to be grounded for sure!
“Guys, I have to go!” I told them.
“My mom’s going to kill me! Bye!”
I zoomed away before they could respond. Or blink.
I snuck in as silently as possible. But then I stopped when I heard the snores coming from the couch. I relaxed immediately.
But then I remembered that neither of my parents snored.
I looked around. There were pictures of cats everywhere. In fact there were cats themselves everywhere!
I suddenly realized that in my confusion I must’ve gone to the cat man’s house. He lived right next to us and was a complete psycho! He polished his guns every fortnight!
I was creeping out of his house, when I accidentally stepped on a fat ginger cat’s tail.
I held my breath.
The cat drew back and hissed at me. Scratching my arm. She then wailed. Loudly.
Crazy Cat Man shot up out of his seat and pulled out his gun. He aimed at me and told me to put my hands in the air.
I had no intention of doing that, and instead ran out of the house, his yelling, but a background noise, as I was now safely in my bedroom.