Andlat's Story Spot

“Look, TJ!” Mom said, holding a big cardboard box. “A package came for you!” He tried to hide his displeasure. The last package he had gotten contained a bunch of baby toys. That was not even him exaggerating. Mom had heard about a brain stimulating toy subscription box at singalong and had not even hidden it from him, sitting as he was on her lap at the time, as she signed him up for the 0-36 month box. They happened to be the very same toys he was half-heartedly playing with now since he had already maxed out his allotted screen time for the week. “More toys?” He asked, forcing a smile. “No, sweetie. Your Easter clothes!” TJ tried to hide his growing displeasure as he remembered the horrible shortalls and bow tie of last year, already horribly babyish even before he got pulled into playing Bunny Tag with all the toddlers. Mom tore into the package with relish. TJ did not know what he expected, but out of the box came a white and yellow striped t-shirt and pants. That did not look...

“Make sure to hold Mommy’s hand!” “I was already reaching for it.” Tanner muttered grumpily. He had been looking forward to spending his day off from school at home relaxing, reading comic books, but apparently, he had been “snippy”, so mom had decided he needed to accompany her on her errands. “We always hold Mommy’s hand to cross the parking lot.” “I know!” “We wouldn’t want you getting lost again.” In truth, Tanner had not been lost. He had been one, maybe two aisles over, looking at video games. The more he pressed against his mom's version, though, the more details she added until she found him sitting on the floor half a store away, sobbing and snot-covered, screaming desperately for mommy. He figured it was better to just give in before she started adding wet pants to her version of events! “Can we just get this over with?” He asked, tugging at her hand to try to get to the store more quickly. “It’s for the best that you decided to come along anyway.” Mom said as if he hadn’...

Tanner Tanner stormed into the house, as furious as he could be with his bare feet slapping on the linoleum. All he knew were the facts: Derek and Kevin had cornered him and held him down as they teased their ‘widdle cousin’. When they saw that they couldn’t get him to whine and beg for them to let him up like they used to, the younger boys had resorted to meaner tactics: Derek had taken his shoes and run in one direction while Kevin stole his shorts and laughed as Tanner had given chase while trying to keep his gray tank top down over his Spongebob underoos as he wove between groups of chatting adults. He had retrieved his shorts, though he hated that it had taken Kevin’s mom intervening to get them back with a mumbled apology, but now Tanner was on a mission to get his shoes. He knew Derek had come inside, but where had he taken his shoes? “Great, my hair’s a mess.” Tanner muttered as he passed a mirror. He tried to smooth it down, to no avail. Whatever. Between the hair, the m...