Chapter 2: The Best Laid Plans (JB)

Summer was officially here! It's my favorite time of the year. I stared out my bedroom window, taking in the bright sun, the trees blowing steadily in the cool wind, the sounds of singing birds drifting on the sweet smelling air. The big open field across the street looked ready to explore, ripe with possibilities. I was ecstatic.

The school year had been a long one. In fact, it felt like the longest one yet. Between the karate tournaments, the honors classes my mom made me take, and Jimmy constantly getting himself or both of us into trouble, there was always a lot on my plate.

Knowing that school was over now, that there was no more homework, no more writing, reading, appointments, my room looked brand new and exciting. As if everything in it had a shiny new layer of fun painted onto it. I was free! Free to do whatever I wanted to do. And this summer, I really didn’t want to do anything. i just wanted to relax.

I put my backpack and books into the back of my closet, shutting the door with a satisfying sense of finality. Out of sight, out of mind. I smiled and took a lazy stroll around my room. I surveyed the mountains of trophies, ribbons and plaques that hung on the walls and littered the flat surfaces in my room. All of it was evidence of my hard work paying off. It was exhausting, but I guess it wasn’t all that bad. The awards were nice confidence boosters.

My desk and dresser were already nicely organized, my laundry washed and folded and put away. I sighed, feeling contented.

I walk over to my dresser and study my reflection in the mirror. My hair was getting kind of shaggy, but I liked it. I think it made me look a little bit older, more mature. Jimmy says it makes me look like a combination of monkeys, one part Peter Tork and one part dirty chimp from the zoo, but he wears beanies everyday so what does he know?

I straighten out the wrinkles in my favorite bird shirt, this one a nice navy blue with a bright red Macaw parrot printed on the left shoulder. After adjusting my hair to the right kind of messy, I looked at the time displayed on my alarm clock. It was a little past four o'clock.

I debated heading outside alone, the bright scene from the other side of my window was beckoning me to enjoy my summer, every single second of it that I could. But, I did promise Jimmy that I would wait for him before heading to the clubhouse. And if there’s anything that my dad taught me, it’s that you have to uphold your promises. Even if they make you miss your first hour of summer vacation. You keep all of them, even the ones that you make to yourself.

I paced around a bit more, fidgeting with pent up energy. I considered reorganizing my comic book collection so that I had something to do when the doorbell finally rang. I smiled. Now summer was officially started!

As I headed down the stairs leading to the front door, I reminded myself of the promise I had made to myself early that morning. I was going to enjoy my summer off. No homework, no teachers, no pressures. And, last but definitely not least, no getting talked into taking cases. No mysteries, no crimes or conspiracies. Not this time.

Not. This. Time.