The Atoms Family
Chapter Two: Brian's Decision
Author: Belize Lane, high school student writer
I rolled over in bed for the hundredth time, pulling the covers up to my chin. My 10th birthday was tomorrow and I couldn't even think about sleep. I sat up and grabbed a pen and paper from the drawer. 1…0… I wrote out the number slowly, taking it in. "I wonder what I'll get," I thought out loud. Andrea breathed in loudly from across the room. "Go to sleep," she muttered, pulling a pillow over her head.
As soon as I woke up I walked into the kitchen, sniffing for some sort of breakfast treat like Andrea and I always get on our birthdays. Nothing. Turning to a piece of paper on the counter, I read it out loud.
Good morning, Dad and I are taking Grandpa to the doctor. There is cereal on the table and a little milk in the fridge. Save some for Grandpa because I don't have time to run to the store today. We should be home this afternoon. Love you, Mom.
I ran to the door, hoping this was some practical joke. No, their shoes were really gone. Fighting back tears, I walked back to the letter. Turning it back and forth, I searched for a "happy birthday" but the white paper only stared back coldly.
Andrea and her friend Kira, who was visiting from out of town, were nowhere to be found, and like usual they had not mentioned where they were going. I sat down on my bed and stared at the sloppy number 10 on the table. I grabbed the paper and began ripping it apart. When I didn't feel any better, I ran outside, slamming the door behind me, and threw the paper into the dumpster in front of our house.
Wiping the tears streaming down my cheeks, I turned back to the house. Suddenly, I realized that I had forgotten to unlock the door before slamming it. Turning back to the street, I noticed my two good friends from school biking by. I took a deep breath and hoped they couldn't tell I had been crying. "Jake, Nathan, wait up!" I grabbed my bike and followed them down the street, hoping they had heard me. They had, but they laughed when they saw me biking up to them, still in my pajamas, and kept going. At this point I didn't care. I biked faster, hoping they would stop at the park.
"Hey guys!" I put a strained smile on my face, hoping it looked friendly. "Can I play baseball, too?" They looked me up and down, taking in my old race car pajamas with the hole in the knee. "Brian, what are you wearing?" Nathan gave me a disgusted look. Jake took the cue. "Yeah, why are you in baby clothes?" It dawned on me how stupid I must look. I looked down at the grass, focusing every ounce of energy on not crying. I quickly ran through the past weeks in my head.
Ever since Grandpa Harold and Kira had come, everyone had forgotten I even existed. But this was it. My birthday! Mom and Dad may be busy with that grouchy old man who smells like cigars and forgets our names, but I'm their little boy. My sister acts so old now, but we're still brother and sister. How could they have forgotten? The question hung inside me with disbelief.
The anger and hurt of what they had done boiled up from my stomach and the knot in my throat became too heavy to hold back. A strangled sob escaped my lips. Nathan and Jake turned back from their game. "Aww, the baby's crying," Nathan teased. I turned to face him, and before I knew it, my fist had risen and come down right on his nose. I blinked, trying to see through my blinding tears. Nathan lay on the ground holding his bleeding nose. Jake was staring at me like I was some sort of monster. I was numb. I couldn't believe I had just punched my best friend, and Jake's face told me he was thinking the same thing.
I ran blindly through the park and back to my bike. Somehow I managed to get on and I began to bike wildly away from what I had done. The colors melted into a blurry puddle wherever I looked. I got home without hitting a car, surprisingly, and collapsed on the front steps.
After what seemed like days, I sat up and looked around, trying to place my surroundings. I noticed a dark blue car parked just in front of me, and recognized it after a minute as our own. Mom and Dad were home. I had no idea what to do.
Should I tell my parents what I had done or keep it a secret? 
Click here to tell Brian what you think he should do. You will see how your peers advised him, too. Then you will see what he decided.