Make Me Laugh-Level: Baby

Being the easily amused person I am, these pictures I found via pinterest made me bawl. They are too good not to share.

Stay Random

Excitement Crushed

So today I was at Barnes and Noble, and I saw this great book. It was called Zombies VS Unicorns. It's a book with a whole bunch of short stories written by authors who are all fighting whether unicorns or zombies are better. Sounds great right? I went and got it at the library. I read through the first section which was a unicorn short story which ended up being written in Old English and had kind of a gory ending. I thought "We'll that kind of sucked but maybe it will get better." But it didn't. The next one was about zombies and on the first page it had about ten swear words. I put up on the shelf and put it on my list of book to never ever read. So I'm glad I didn't buy it. They could have done such a better job with it. I might have to write a better version my self.

Can't sleep

Laid in my bed for an hour.
Couldn't sleep.
Read a chapter in the Book of Mormon.
Couldn't sleep.
Wrote in my journal.
Couldn't sleep.
Read another chapter.
Couldn't sleep.
Wrote a poem about sleep.
Couldn't sleep.
Writing in my blog.
In progress.
Well here's my poem.

Chasing Sleep
Sleep!
Sleep!
I need you Sleep!!
I've counted sheep
I've not made a peep
I'm ready to weep
I want you deep
Sleep, oh, Sleep.

Time to try again.
Goodnight.
Stay Random
JT

Catch Up

Well obviously my previous plan didn't work. Oh well. I guess I'll just post when I want. Well lot's of fun in the past six months. Here's a recap: threw a surprise party for my best friend, she nearly wet her pants. Went on a really cool vacation where I went horseback riding, recently started lessons. Tried out for a duet with a friend in choir. Didn't make it. Going to try again. Going solo. Was on a school soccer team. Didn't win a single game. Became a better player anyways.  Made new friends. We're all crazy. Learned I love going to the movies. Saw Breaking Dawn part 2, Hungergames, The HOBBIT!!!! twice, and am looking forward to seeing more movies. Went skiing  for the first time, knee is still sore.

Well that's the best of it. I'll end with a poem I wrote.
Stay Random,
JT

The Pages
My nose is stuck
as always
in the pages
and I want it to be mine
the magic
the action
the mystery
but it's not
those words
those pages
I can't have them
But I'm stuck
my nose in the things I can't have
in the pages

Today's craft.... MUSTACHE

That's right. Mustache. So it's pretty simple.
1. Draw a mustache.
2. Cut it out.
3. Make a small hole in the middle.
4. Stick a lollipop through the hole and ta-da!! You've got yourself a mustache.

Stay Random,
J.T.

Habits and Stuff

It's summer!! Yay!!

And since I've last posted I've learned a lot and one of those things is that it takes 21 days to create a new habit. So I've decided to try it out starting with blogging. Traveling might get in the way but I'll write them and just post them later. So basically I'll be trying to write every day.

I've decided it will be easier if I make a forum so here it is:
Monday- Writing stuff
Tuesday- Photography
Wednesday- Craft/DIY
Thursday- BAKING
Friday- Random stuff
Saturday- Something about purple just cuz
Sunday- Sunday Funnies

All of that means keeping on top of writing and such. Gonna be fun.

Stay Random,
J.T.

Randomness

Yes, I am alive but of course very busy which is good. I had a great Christmas, New Year, and Birthday. I'm loving soccer, school, and life in general. I've been doing crafts. I'll let you see for your self.

I got some pics. for my b-day so I painted dollar store frames.

I made a rainbow cake with my grandma and frosted it myself.

I made a little lizard out of beads from my favorite aunt.

I used old t-shirts to make head bands. Super easy, cute, and fun!

The shirts I'm using to make a quilt.

Hope everyone is feeling AWESOME!! Peace Out!!

PCs SUCK!! And other stuff, too.

Yay for PCs. NOT. They suck a ton but we finally got it to work. FYI we did not pay for this PC. We got it for free because I wouldn't spend a penny on one. Yay macs!!!! We also got a free screen to replace the one I'm using. And guess what, it was a PC screen and wasn't working for our mac. So lots of fun with that. But I made sure I was helping as much as possible because 1) I love being helpful 2) I want to be all nerdy because it makes me feel good and 3) my dad doesn't like computers and now I know why. We also got a new dish washer. Finally. But of course something has to go wrong "sarcastic smile".

Peace out!!

Random Day

So first thing this morning my team and I won our very first game against the Pandas, 5-0. Yay! I then got home and passed out (figuratively). Later that day, after lunch, I went to my friends house and then went to the park for a neighborhood party. I rode a pony and I said "I feel like such a loser" the guy who was pulling it said "At least your not wearing a I <3 pigs shirt" (which he was wearing) and inside I was like "I want a shirt that says that" but laughed anyway. I also petted a pig, llama, chicken, bunnies, and goats. The bouncy house also had an awesome slide that you could totally roll all the way down :).

So I am going to make a list of weird things that bother me.

• when people talk to me while I'm going to the bathroom
• when people talk about how "yummy" chocolate is
• how people put stuff on Facebook like talking to my bff or hanging out with my little brother
• when your mom licks her finger and rubs something off your face
• the awkward moment when your friend asks to hangout and yout have to find a nice way to tell her no
• the girls that scream when there's a little spider 5 feet away from them
• the guys who think girls know nothing about video games and guns

That's all so talk to ya later alligator

Random Stuff Of Course

My fall break has been just groovy. So today I am writing all these AMAZING things. So first of all I have found a new hobby. I am making a list of couples better then Bella and Edward and here it is:

1) Katniss and Peeta (The Hunger Games)

2) Annie and Finnick (The 3rd Hunger Games)

3) Bella and Jacob (Haha)

4) Harry and Ginny

5) Hermione and Ron

6) Annabeth and Percy (The Lightning Thief)

7) Ian and Wanda (The Host)

8) Melanie and Jared (Ditto)

9) Fang and Maximum (Maximum Ride)

10) Han Solo and Princess Leia

11) Aniken and Padmae

12) Elizabeth and Darcy

13) Snow and Vladimir (Vladimir Todd series)

14) Buttercup and Westley (The Princess Bride)

15) Ken and Barbie

I also saw this HILARIOUS post on facebook and just had to share it.

Annoying things to do on an elevator
1) STAND silent and motionless in the corner facing the wall without getting off.
2) GREET everyone with a warm handshake and ask him or her to call you Admiral.
3) MEOW occasionally.
4) STARE At another passenger for a while. Then announce in horror: "You're one of THEM" - and back away slowly
5) SAY -DING at each floor.
6) MAKE explosion noises when anyone presses a button.
7) STARE, grinning at another passenger for a while, then announce: "I have new socks on."
8) DRAW a little square on the floor with chalk and announce to the other passengers: "This is my personal space."
9) WHEN there's only one other person in the elevator, tap them on the shoulder, then pretend it wasn't you.
10) DROP a pen and wail until someone reaches to help pick it up, then scream: "That's mine!"
11) CALL out "Group hug" then enforce it
12.) talk on your cell phone in a British Accent

I also saw The Bride of Frankenstein in black and white. It was epic! They had some really cool special effects even though they don't have the technology we have which really impressed me.

I got my jersey in soccer and I am 17 just like Matt Kenseth ;). I LOVE SOCCER!!!

Peace Out!!

Busy, Busy, Busy

How have I been busy. I love chorus and we will be having our first concert soon. I will be starting soccer soon!! I'm so excited!! I take back the things I used to say in elementary when I had wished for homework. Now it seems never ending. Lola II has a fungi :( I have still been reading and do it when ever I have time unless my friends are actually available. I've remembered why I love my friends and am extremely grateful for them.

J.T. Sharie out.

Blah Blah Blah and stuff

First week of jr. high which went pretty well. I like my science and chorus teacher. It was a good week, I've gotten used to jr. high, blah blah blah and those are some of my pics. Peace out.

Reading

Today I finished a 140 page book in 2 hours. If I keep this up I'll have nothing to read which is very, very - and one more time - VERY bad. So I need to start thinking of other things to do in my free time. Maybe I'll start writing some more stories of my own.

Busy and Waking Up Early

I know I haven't post anything in awhile but I've been extremely busy. I went to Disney Land and had a blast. I also went to Utah to see my cousins and have been hanging out with friends. I've learned quite a bit and one of those things is that showers do NOT wake me up in the morning. Especially when your trying to get back on a regular sleeping schedule by waking up at 6:30. And I'm used to going to bed at 2 am and waking up at 11 am. So when I woke up this morning at 6:30 I took a shower, got ready for the day, and fell back asleep. I ended up getting 9:40. It probably didn't help that when I got in bed at midnight I didn't fall asleep until 2:40. Yip-dee-doo. So I got to keep working at it.

P.S. I got a fish and named it Lola Frank II. YAY!!

Short Stories

So today I was talking to my aunt about these 2 stories I was writing and she asked me if I was going to post them. So I am going to post one of those but I am not finished with it yet so I am going to share one of my stories from school with you. Hope you like it.

Runaways

It all started with a crash. They sat on the ground and James stood watching. Any one could tell he was a dork. James was a scrawny kid. He was 4 feet 10 inches and couldn’t weigh more than a hundred pounds. He had shaggy black hair and a crack in his glasses. All the clothes he was wearing were way too big for him and he had a rope tied around his waist to keep his pants from falling. His ferocious, sandy- colored Pug, Monster, was sticking out of his blue backpack.

“We really need to watch out for these corners,” he joked as he helped Beth up.

Beth was a sad soul. Her face was very dirty with bags under her gorgeous emerald eyes that flinched with every noise. She had a pink scar that went right through her right eyebrow and continued under her eye. Beth’s light brown hair was frizzy, filthy, and mangled. She wore old, unclean clothes and tennis shoes that were falling apart. Beth had bruises and scars scattered across the rest of her body. She also was very thin and frail.

“Thanks,” Beth whispered. Then both she and James held their hands out to the second girl but she didn’t take either and helped herself up. The girl dusted herself off as Beth and James watched her curiously. She then pulled a bottle of hand sanitizer out of her pocket and squeezed some onto her hand.

The girl had black flats with tights on and a bright purple skirt. She had a lavender top on and a cardigan that matched her skirt. She had straight, shoulder length red hair and a purple, silk headband. Her skin was pale and had freckles across her nose, completely flawless.

“Hi! I’m James and this is Beth. What’s your name?” James asked, holding out his hand, but the girl just stared at it in disgust.

“Julie,” she muttered. “When was the last time either of you took a shower?” Julie wrinkled her nose.

“Julie, that’s a nice name,” James continued, ignoring her rude comment. “Why are you out here on your own in the Big Apple?"

“Because my mother is rich and never talks to me, my dad is dead and my life sucks so I ran away!!” she shouted harshly".

“You don’t have to be so rude! James was just trying to be friendly!” Beth shouted back. Julie started to cry.

“I’m sorry, it’s just I’m an emotional wreck and just don’t know what to do!” Julie wailed, tears running down her face. “And you probably think I’m so rude because I didn’t let either of you help me up and I didn’t shake James’s hand because I’m O.C.D, extremely paranoid, and a total ‘germaphobe’,” she cried, putting her head in her hands, wailing.

James and Beth looked at each other not knowing what to do, or think, about this girl. Beth decided to sit down on the curb next to her.

“Well, you’re not the only one with parent issues,” Beth murmured. “I got these scars and bruises because they hate my guts and abuse me, but they won’t send me to an orphanage because it would make them look like bad people.” Beth had tears in her eyes and her voice was wavering. “That’s why I ran away.” She finished with a sniff and rubbed her eyes.

“My mom died of cancer, sweetest woman you’d ever meet. She was always smiling, no matter how sick she got,” James stated, smiling at the thought of her but soon it turned to a frown. “My father was a horrible man. He slept with other girls and was almost always drunk or high, I don’t know why she stayed with him. When she died he sent me to an orphanage but I ran away because the people there were cruel.” There wasn’t a dry eye among them.

“I’m so sorry, for both of you,” Julie said mournfully. “I was wondering, how did you guys meet?” Beth smiled.

“The same way I met you, we ran into each other,” Beth laughed. Everyone was smiling now, what they had been talking about, forgotten. “So, how are you O.C.D?” Beth questioned.

“I have nervous break downs when things aren’t perfect,” Julie informed them. “Also, none of my food can touch and things can only be one color, as you can see from my out fit.” She looked down at her clothes.

“Oh,” Beth said. “Do you want to stick with us?” A huge smile spread across Julie’s face.

“You want to stay with me even though I’ve been so rude and have so many pro-,”she cut off. “What is that!!!” she shrieked, pointing at the horny toad hanging on Beth’s shirt.

“Oh, this is Mike, my horny toad,” Beth told her. Mike was sandy colored and had spikes along his back. “And this is Monster, James’s Pug,” she added, pointing at the Pug in James’s backpack.

“Why do you guys like such dirty disgusting… things!” Julie asked in horror. James laughed.

“Because they’re cool, and to answer your question from earlier, yes, we still want you to stay with us,” he answered.

“Okay. Just keep your disgusting animals away from me,” Julie replied.

* * *

They wandered around the city for a while, buying food with the money they had. James had twenty dollars he found, Beth had a hundred dollars she stole from her parents, and Julie had five hundred she got from her last birthday. Beth and James didn’t say anything, though because they didn’t want to upset her and it got them free food.

As they were walking by a store, something caught James’s eye. The news was on and it was talking about two missing children. A photo of Beth and James popped up.

“Crap,” James muttered. Julie started crying. She knew her mother would never notice she was gone.

“They only want me because I’m their human slave,” Beth murmured, trying to comfort her while being careful not to touch her. Beth looked over at James.

“We should hide. People, maybe even the police, will be looking for us,” she whispered. “I say we start at the zoo because it will be easy to blend in there.” Just then another person was reported missing. It was Julie except the maid noticed she was missing, not her mother. This made Julie cry more. Beth repeated the same thing she told to James to Julie.

“But everything is so unsanitary there,” Julie complained. Beth, ignoring Julie’s complaint, grabbed some money and told them to meet her at the zoo.

After fifteen minutes of waiting at the zoo, Beth arrived with a bag full of stuff. She started handing it all out. Beth handed Julie black leather gloves, a dark purple trench coat, and a black bag with a blanket, another bottle of hand sanitizer, and three bottles of water. Beth had an identical black trench coat and bag. She gave James a New York Yankees hat and a jeans jacket.

“We will want to blend in with other people. They all know what kind of clothes we were wearing and what we look like so we need to cover up. We should stay in big groups of people but at the same time keep away from places that are hard to get away from,” Beth instructed as James and Julie put on their disguises.

“Shouldn’t we use fake names so if someone asks us who we are or if people are eavesdropping?” James asked Beth.

“That’s a good idea. I’ll be Nessa, you’ll be Jeremy, and Julie will be… Ella,” Beth responded.

“Okay,” James said happily.

“Fine,” Julie mumbled.

For the next three days they were in hiding. They would walk aimlessly around stores, alleys, and parks, completely unnoticed. Soon they grew very tired.

“How much money do we have left?” James asked.

“We still have your twenty and four hundred of Ella’s money left so… four twenty,” Beth replied. A huge smile spread across her face. “Since we’re so tired we should… find a homeless person and give them fifty bucks to check us into a hotel and tell the people at the front desk that he’s our father. We could stay for the night for at most a hundred dollars and get a good night sleep. Then we’ll have about two seventy left over.”

“That’s a FANTASTIC idea,” James responded. “We’ll be able to take showers, get our laundry done, and be able to eat there. Beth, you’re a genius!” They all nodded and went to find a homeless person.

Everything went perfectly smooth. They found a willing man on the curb that completely understood. The woman at the front desk gave them quizzical looks but let them stay any way. Beth told the man he could take a shower and get his clothes washed but he would have to leave that night. Julie wasn’t happy about standing ten feet near him and wasn’t about to let them use their shower.

“Calm down,” Beth instructed. “After he leaves we’ll call room service and tell them there was a dirty rat in our shower and we want it disinfected immediately.”

“Fine,” Julie grumbled. The man looked like he had been slapped across the face.

“Sorry about her,” Beth explained. “She’s a germaphobe. It would be weird if we checked out without you here so could you meet us in the lobby at ten, tomorrow morning? You could eat breakfast here before that if you’d like.” The man smiled and nodded.

They called room service and if someone could come and get their laundry. The girls both found robes and James rapped himself in a towel while the man took a shower. When someone returned with their clothes the man left and Beth called room service and tells them about the “rat.”

The maid arrived and cleaned the entire shower quickly. Beth thanked her as she left and told Julie to take a shower.

At eight they had all bathed and went to bed. The girls both had a bed and James pushed two chairs together and slept on them.

The next morning they ate breakfast with the man and checked out of the hotel.

They wandered around town for a while, wondering what to do next. They walked through Grand Central Station and went to see some of the other sites. They saw the Flatiron Building and the Empire State Building. They talked of their pasts and hopes for their futures. They got lunch and Beth and James laughed as they watched Julie eating a hot dog, trying hard not to laugh at her disgusted faces.

As they were walking down an alley on there way to Ground Zero they saw a boy. He was probably fifteen or sixteen. He had blond, shaggy hair and was pretty skinny but what made them stop was the fact that he was digging through the trashcan. At that moment he noticed them and was about to run but then recognized them.

“You’re the kids from the news, right?” he asked. He had a kind voice.

“Maybe,” Beth replied slowly. “Who are you?”

“Just another runaway. You?” he questioned. Beth sighed and smiled.

“Same,” Beth answered. “What’s your name?”

“Mark.”

“I’m Beth, this is Julie, and this is James.” Mark nodded and held his hand out to Julie. “Don’t bother. Julie is a germaphobe.”

“Sorry,” Julie mumbled.

“That’s okay,” Mark replied. “I once had an entire conversation with a girl and then figured out she was deaf.” He laughed at the memory but then became serious. “Are you guys looking for a place to stay?”

“Um… I guess we are,” James answered hesitating.

“Well, I know you hardly know me but I stay at this old shack with six other kids and there’s room for more,” Mark Suggested. “It’s a few miles but I can show it to you if you want.”

“I guess we could check it out,” Beth stated.

“Okay then, follow me,” Mark instructed.

On the way Beth, Julie, and James told Mark about their pasts and Mark told them his. His mother had him when she was very young and died giving birth. He doesn’t know who his father is. He was sent to an orphanage but no one adopted him. The man running the place was just plain cruel. He ran away when he was ten and kept running for a year until he found the shack.

“Wait, which orphanage?” James asked.

“The one in Buffalo. Why?” Mark replied.

“Because that’s the one I ran away from. Mr. Busk still runs the place.”

“Oh, I feel bad for the kids cursed there.”

“Me, too.”

They walked the rest of the way in silence but when they started getting close Mark broke the silence.

“There are two bedrooms, one for the girls and one for the boys, one bathroom, a small kitchen, and living room,” he informed them.

“How do you pay for everything?” Julie asked but before Mark could answer a little African American girl ran out and hugged Mark’s legs.

“Mar Mar,” she said.

“Hey Lucy,” Mark replied. “Lucy, I have some friends I want you to meet. This James, Julie, and Beth.” When Lucy noticed them she hid behind Mark’s legs.

“Hi Lucy,” James said. “It’s very nice to meet you.” The little girl smiled but continued hiding. Mark lifted Lucy onto his shoulders.

“Let’s go see the rest of the gang.”

The shack was actually a forgotten apartment in a deserted alley. The walls were completely black and it looked quite creepy. Mark ushered them inside since it was growing dark.

“You’ll be able to meet everyone since on Sunday none of us work,” Mark stated. Inside there was a small kitchen with old appliances. Right next to it was a small living room with a small flowery couch and old dirty carpet.

“Connor, Lily, Tony, Bobby, Richard, I have some people I want you to meet,” Mark shouted. Soon they all walked in. The first person to walk in was a tall boy with short brown hair; he looked about Julie’s age and was very tan. He was holding a little boy about Lucy’s age and looked just like the other boy. Then a little girl walked in holding an orange cat. The girl had blonde hair and green eyes. She glared at them. Right behind her was a boy about James’s age with spiky black hair. He was in deep concentration strumming his guitar. The last to enter was a stern boy with shaggy, sand-colored hair with a long scar across his face and he had smaller ones covering his arms.

“Okay everyone, this is James, Julie, and Beth. They are runaways too and are looking for a place to stay,” Mark said. He told parts of their stories (leaving out everything about Beth) and then stopped. “I want all of you to say your name, age, and story.” The boy holding the youngest boy started talking.

“Hi, I’m Connor and this is Bobby. I’m fourteen and he’s four. He’s my little brother and is autistic. My dad murdered my mom and I called the police. They sent us to the same orphanage as Mark and we ran away together,” Connor stated.

“I’m Lily and this is Whiskers,” the little, blond girl mumbled. “I’m seven and he’s two. I know my story and that’s all that matters.”

“When I found her she was sleeping in a pile of trash covered in blood and bruises. I woke her up to ask if she was okay and she ran into my arms, crying and whispering “terrible man, terrible, terrible man.” Mark whispered to them. Then the boy with the guitar started talking.

“I’m Tony and I am twelve years old. Both my parents died in a fire so I ran away. I was walking through the city and found Lucy Bucy. She was lying by her mother crying. Her mother asked me to take care of Lucy since she was sick and would probably die soon. So I took Lucy and we stayed alive by me playing my guitar and her singing and dancing but were still hungry and needed a place to sleep. Mark saw us in the subway playing one day and took us under his wing,” Tony said, tears gathering in his eyes. Lucy ran over to him and gave him a big hug.

“It’s okay Tony,” She whispered. The last boy stayed silent.

“Beth, that’s Richard. I think the two of you should share your stories because I’m the only one who knows his story and I think he would open up to you if you told him yours,” Mark whispered to Beth.

Just then Monster barked. Bobby screamed, squirmed out of Connor’s arms, and hid behind Julie’s legs hugging them. She cringed but didn’t make him let go. Mark, Connor, Beth, and James burst out laughing. Julie glared at them but slowly started patting Bobby’s head.

“He doesn’t like loud noises,” Connor told her, holding his arms out to Bobby who ran into them.

“Who wants to play with Monster?” Mark asked. “If it’s okay with James.”

“Sure,” James replied.

“This one can stay with me if you want to go play with the dog,” Julie inquired, nodding to Bobby.

“Are you sure?” Connor asked.

“I bet he’s a lot more sanitary than that disgusting vermin,” she said.

“Okay,” Connor replied, handing Bobby over. He snuggled himself into her shoulder. “Thanks.” Julie smiled.

Beth left the living room and went over to Richard who was watching in the back of the kitchen. She walked over to him and lifted herself onto the counter in front of him. They stared at each other for a couple of minutes.

“Nice scars,” she said, interrupting the silence.

“You, too,” he replied.

“Thanks,” she said. They sat in silence for a while.

“How’d you get yours?” Richard asked.

“I’ll tell you my story if you tell me yours,” Bell inquired. He didn’t say anything. “Well, both of my parents abused me. They’ve held a gun up to my head numerous times and cut me whenever I do something wrong.” Tears started running down her face. Richard seemed uncomfortable but she continued. “They would starve me and I wouldn’t sleep for days because I was afraid they would kill me in my sleep and I knew I would have nightmares if I did. I would blackout after five days. They made me do everything for them, clean, cook, grab the remote two feet away. Whenever we left the house and people were around they treated me like gold. They gave me a new outfit and would have me brush my hair and when we would get home they would rip up the clothes and destroy my hair,” she took a shuddered breath and wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her trench coat.

“Walk with me,” Richard said. He held out the crook of his arm to her. They left the shack and walked down the street. “My mother was kidnapped and got me. It slowly drove her crazy. She would sleep with a knife in her hand and would wake up creaming. It terrified me when I was little, it would echo in my mind as if she was still being tortured. As I grew older, I would come in, grab her arm, and put my hand over her mouth, almost always getting cut in the process. That’s how I got all the little ones. I would tell her my name, who she was, and where she was. Then I’d hand her a glass of water and she’d fall back asleep, but I could still hear her moan “no, no” as she had her nightmares.

“After a year of that, when I was eleven, I was kidnapped by some terrible man. He showed me videos of the horrible things he did to his mom. He would punch me and kick me if I made a single sound. One day I spit on him and he grabbed a knife and dragged it across my face. Then he squirted lemon juice in my face. It burned and I screamed and screamed. He shoved a sock in my mouth and told me he was going to bed. When I heard him snore I started to squirm. I tore my right hand out of the ropes and it pulled off my skin, but I had to get out. I pulled the sock out and untied myself then I ran until I ran into Mark. I told him everything and he took me in,” Richard finished with a shuddered breathe.

“That’s terrible. I think we’re pretty even with the horrible pasts,” Beth told him. He nodded and sighed.

“We should get back.”

“Okay.”

They walked back in complete and total silence.

Everyone enjoyed Monster, the Pug. She did her tricks, like jumping in circles and shaking hands with people. Julie sat in a quiet corner watching Bobby draw. Beth and Richard came in and talked quietly in the kitchen.

“Anyone hungry?” Mark asked. Everyone nodded. Lily came back in with Whiskers and sat down. Everyone else gathered around. Mark handed everyone a glass of grape juice and three pieces of apple. Then when the pizza was done he handed a piece to everyone. They talked, ate, and laughed for an hour. Lucy and Bobby were put to sleep and Lily went with them. The others went into the living room when all the little ones had fallen asleep.

"You never told me how you pay for everything,” Julie said when they had all settled themselves on the floor.

“Well, we all try to help,” Mark replied. “I work at the bowling alley, Monday through Saturday, nine to five.”

“I work at a bookstore Monday through Friday. I open and close the store,” Connor added. “It’s also the only place that will allow me to bring Bobby with me that isn’t too loud.”

“Me and Lucy Bucy go down to the subway where I play my guitar and she sings and dances,” Tony remarked. “She’s quite good, too.”

“I work at the subway,” Richard mumbled.

“What does Lily do?” James asked.

“She stays here. She says it’s because she can’t leave Whiskers, but I don’t think that’s the case,” Mark answered. “But it all works out even if it’s a little thin sometimes.” Julie had started moving stuff around in her bag. Then she pulled out a bundle of money.

“Here. It’s $200 and I think you should have it so you can be able to pay for stuff for me, Beth, and James until we get jobs,” Julie said.

Beth and James nodded in agreement.

“So does that mean you’re staying?” Connor asked, giving Julie a curious look.

“It’s cleaner and nicer than the streets,” Julie stated. “But that doesn’t mean I’m over the germaphobe thing though.” Everyone smiled.

“Well, I know there’s an open position at the bookstore,” Connor suggested. “It’s probably the cleanest job in New York.”

“Okay,” Julie answered.

“I also know there is a flower shop down the street that is hiring people right now,” Mark added looking at Beth.

“There is also an opening at the subway," Richard said.

"Sounds like a plan," Beth stated. James nodded and yawned.

"Well then, we should get some sleep because tomorrow is going to be a busy day," Mark suggested.

EPILOGUE

(Ten years later)

The doorbell rang and Sofie ran to the door with Richard following with Emily in his arms. He opened the door and standing there was Connor, Julie, and Bobby. He welcomed them in and told them where to put their coats and that Beth was in the kitchen cooking. Right before he closed the door the rest of the gang arrived. Lucy came skipping and Lily strutted past Richard and went to the kitchen.

"She never changes," Richard said as Mark, James, and Tony came in. Mark lifted Sofie up.

"Sofie and Emily have gotten so big," he remarked.

"I know. Sofie is three and Emily one," Richard replied. He shut the door and followed them into the kitchen. Beth was setting a bowl on the table.

"Merry Christmas," Beth said giving all of them a hug and then kissed Richard and took Emily and put her in a high chair. Everyone sat down around the table.

"So what's new?" Richard asked.

"I finally have my own album," Tony answered.

"Awesome," Mark said. "Everything is going well at the orphanage."

"I'm the best in my dance class, drama class, and chorus," Lucy stated. "I'm also a straight A student." Lily snorted.

"Life is boring," Lily grumbled.

"College is going great," James said.

"Bobby is doing extremely well in school and is the best in his art class," Connor stated. Bobby held up one of the pictures of a sunset and ocean. It was amazing and everyone clapped. "Julie and I also have some big news. First of all," he stopped and looked at Julie. When he did, she mixed her mashed potatoes, corn, and peas together and scooped some in the mouth and smiled. Everyone clapped "And-,"

"We're engaged," Julie butted in.

They all started saying congratulations and asked how he proposed. "He gave me a bottle of hand sanitizer with a label that read "Will you marry me?" and the ring was inside the bottle. He told me he wanted it to be sanitary. I ran and got a piece of plastic wrap and put it over his mouth and kissed him." She sighed. "Now I have to carry plastic wrap around with me everywhere." They all laughed except Lily. She just rolled her eyes.

They had changed each others’ lives forever all because they ran away.

THE END