Andlat's Story Spot

"Hey, bud," Lacey said. "Since it's just you and me all weekend, I was wondering if you want to go to the movies. We can go see that new Slugman movie you were begging mom and dad to go to." Benny looked up from his video game and smiled at his older sister. "Sure!" He jumped off the couch, but then stopped. "Oh, but I can't." "Huh? Why not?" He gulped and pointed toward the front yard. "Because Connor and his goons are outside. They said they'll pelt me with snowballs if I show my face." Lacey went to the window and peeked outside. Sure enough, they were out there, even if they were doing their best to make it look like they were just hanging out. "I see." She said. "And you think they'd do it even if you were with me?" "I'd never live it down if they saw me hiding behind my big sister." Benny said. Lacey nodded. That made sense, she supposed. "Well, the only answer, I g...

 "Hey!" Calvin froze. He had been walking around the playground aimlessly, hoping to find someone to introduce himself to. He had moved so many times, but being the new kid was never easy. His parents had told him this school having uniforms would make it easier since everyone wore the same thing, but he still felt like everyone thought he was a dork in his identical navy blue polo and khakis and gave him a wide berth. "Hey, new kid!" "Hi." He turned and looked at the trio approaching him. He knew bullies when he saw them. "Come here." The obvious leader said. He walked over. Bullies were nothing new to him and doing what they said usually kept them from going too far. "What are you? Some kind of genius baby?" "No." Calvin was shorter than them, but not by that much. If 'genius baby' was the best they could come up with, maybe these bullies would not be that bad. "You look like one." The lead bully said. ...

Johnny dashed into the theater, skidding to a halt in front of the director. He bent over, hands on his knees as he fought to catch his breath. "I know you're late, Johnny, but there's no need for you to bow." Mrs. Krass said with a smile. "Sorry, I just... lost track of time." That was somewhat of a lie, but true enough. "I really want to be in this show." His mom had told him a thousand times that there was no such thing as small parts, but he still liked that he was playing a sailor with a name, even if it was just his own, and not some child in the crowd. "I know you do." Mrs. Krass replied, trying to resist the urge to reach out and tousle the shaggy blond hair of the tiny sophomore in front of her. Johnny's mom had spared some details, such as that Johnny had been barely able to sit still for his bath due to his excitement, but she had called Mrs. Krass to tell her just how excited Johnny was about being cast in the school play...

"Remember, Bobby.” Rob said as they neared Bobby's house. “As soon as we're home, how old are you?" "...four." Bobby mumbled after a pause. "You had to be a big boy all day! I bet you're excited to get home and be yourself." "What if I just stay on the steps?" "Hmm?" "Well, once I go inside, you make me be four. So I'm just going to-" Rob picked him up. "That's just silly. We need to get you inside and into your nightie so you can start on homework, remember?" He carried Bobby inside, kicking his own shoes off before undoing the Velcro on Bobby's and dropping them by his. He smiled as one bounced and landed in his shoe, making a striking point about the difference in size. Carrying Bobby was remarkably easy unless he squirmed. It had taken a bit of training to get him to stop doing that, which had translated into Rob carrying him near-constantly, kissing his cheeks and murmuring into his ear ...

"C'mon, it'll be funny!" Rob said. That was what he always said. Bobby sighed. "Why?" "You know why." Rob held up his phone. "You just gotta do it for the Madagascar part and then we'll watch the movie in peace." Bobby sighed. "How come you never do this stuff?" "It's creepy when I do it. It's funny when you do." Bobby was about to ask why, but he knew the answer. All their lives as friends, Rob had been bigger than Bobby. To the point where he had started going by Bobby so people would stop saying Big Rob and Little Rob all the time. "Come on! Please? I'll... give you five bucks." Bobby considered it. He could always use money, but Mom and Dad still insisted on only giving him a meager allowance. Rob always seemed to have money. "Fine." Bobby slid out of his chair and moved to the aisle just as the screen at the front of the theater showed the logo for the pre-movie dance party. It...

Tommy had woken up the morning after Halloween disoriented and only growing moreso as Janet had come and taken him downstairs. By the time Eric and Jake came out, Janet had him wearing a bib over his jungle jammies as she fed him waffles. He could only sit there as she told them everything, though the way they acted, he had a suspicion she'd already told them a lot of it the night before. "The only thing I can't really remember," Janet said in a tone that made it clear she really did remember it. "Was your song!" "You have to remember. I sang it like ten times." "Hmm, nope. Don't you think Tommy should show us?" Of course, Eric and Jake agreed. Janet stood Tommy up on a chair and he sang in his jungle jammies and the bib, all three of them recording his performance. "I'm a little pumpkin, short and stout! Here are my eyes, here's my mouth! When it's Halloween and you are out, lift my head and hear me shout! Boo!"...