“Special kids like you stay kids,” Mr. Bates said. “And you stay in my class…forever.”
From backstage, he heard the principal call Michael’s name. His best friend marched across the stage and accepted his certificate, pausing to bow for a photo op.
“No, I’m supposed to graduate with my friends,” Barrie said, feeling tears spring to his eyes. A lump formed in his throat. “We’re all going to junior high together in the fall.”
“I’m sorry, but there must be a mistake,” Mr. Bates said. “You can’t go to junior high. That’s for grown-up kids. You get to stay in fifth grade. I’m your teacher…forever.”
Barrie started to back away. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing or what was happening to him. This was worse than the terrible nightmares and Hook’s ghost haunting him. He watched as John crossed the stage, officially graduating.
Still they didn’t call Barrie’s name. The ceremony wound to a close. His parents never arrived, either, nor did his aunt and cousins. Nobody came to see him. Barrie hid backstage in the shadows by himself, while his classmates cheered and celebrated without him. Michael and John hooted and did their secret handshake, this time without Barrie to share in their ritual.
He felt a tear trickle down his cheek, leaving a trail. He wanted to join his friends, but he felt like a freak who didn’t belong.
“This isn’t what I meant when I made my wish,” he whispered, his voice catching.
But there was nobody there to hear him.
School was out for the summer, but when Barrie woke up the next day, he didn’t feel his usual excitement at the months of total freedom ahead.
What did any of it mean if he wasn’t moving up to junior high with his friends? Not to mention the horrible nightmares. For the last few nights, he had tried to stay up as late as possible, keeping watch for Hook’s ghost, but eventually, he always fell into a fitful sleep full of bad dreams. Now that he was awake, he felt even more exhausted than he had before bed. At this rate, he was going to turn into a sleep-deprived zombie like his mother, who needed megadoses of caffeine to function.
Graduation replayed in his head, haunting him just as much as the pirate captain. You’ll always be in fifth grade….I’m your teacher…forever. His teacher’s words echoed through his head, hitting him a little bit harder each time. While he had wanted to stay a kid, Barrie hadn’t considered what would happen if everyone else grew up, including his best friends.
One of the main reasons that he’d made his wish was to keep his best friends—not lose them. He remembered them celebrating their graduation without him while he hid backstage. This was all turning out to be the exact opposite of a dream come true.
Even his mom letting him have a second helping of his favorite sugar-bomb cereal didn’t cheer him up. In fact, he couldn’t believe it, but he was starting to get sick of how sweet it was. It made his teeth hurt and gave him a low-grade headache.
He scowled at the friendly cartoon pirate on the box. “Walk the plank, matey,” he whispered.
“Have fun playing all day, kiddo,” Mom said, waving him out the door.
“Fun…what’s that?” Rita said, scowling at him from the kitchen table, where her nose was buried in a thick workbook. High school was out for the school year, but now began something even worse—SAT prep classes.
Whatever that is, Barrie thought, reminding himself that there were still good things about staying a kid. He grabbed his backpack and skateboard. Also, it was still summer break. This was his favorite time of the year because it meant one thing—no school.
His friends wouldn’t be moving up to junior high without him for a couple of months. They could still hang at the skate park, try out some new tricks, and look around for some fun trouble to get into. Feeling the tiniest bit better, he mounted his skateboard and headed out.
* * *
He spotted Michael and John lounging with their boards in a shady spot under a big oak tree. Barrie skated up to them. His backpack was strapped to his shoulders with the hook inside.
“Hey, guys! Wassup?” Barrie greeted them.
They both looked up at him, confused.
“Hey, kid,” Michael said. “What do you want?”
“Uh, it’s summer,” Barrie said, kicking his board up and grabbing the end. “We always hang out in the park together.”
“We hang out?” John said, glancing at Michael. “We don’t even know you.”
Barrie’s mouth dropped open in shock.
“Yeah, do you go to our school?” Michael added. “What’re you in, fourth grade?”
“Wh-what?” Barrie stammered.
They just stared up at him. Barrie thought of all the pranks they had played on each other over the years and decided—hoped—that was what was happening now. He forced a laugh.