The Friendship Project

“Charlotte! Charlotte Annabelle!” My mothers voice rang up the stairs. “Can you please go pick up your brother from baseball practice? I have to go grocery shopping and he has a big solar system final project to do.”

No matter how hard I wanted to scream no, and say But I am studying for finals mother. I sighed and grabbed my purse from the floor containing my keys and closed my laptop, leaving my open textbook on my desk.

“Mom, when is Dad getting home tonight?” I asked reaching the kitchen where she was finalizing her grocery list on the counter.

“I’m not sure, probably late,” my mom said smiling as everything seemed correct.

“Did he have surgeries all day or something?” I again asked confused. My father, Peter Fitzpatrick, is a very busy successful brain surgeon. He specializes in brain tumors, and is known as one of the best surgeons on the west coast. He is very talented and I am proud of him. But he always has weird hours, either early in the morning, or all the way till late at night. It really varies from day to day. I hate it.

“I think so, but you better go pick up Junior. He has this huge solar system project he has to do,” she said placing the list in her purse and placing her Gucci sunglasses on the top of her head.

“Right, see you when you get home,” my mouth answered without even a thought from my brain. If I thought about it, I would have considered saying something like: And I don’t have finals to study for? But I could never say something like that.

I quickly grabbed two Gatorades from the fridge and went outside to my 2010 Land Rover. As you can tell, my family is very well off. My father being ranked in the top ten brain surgeons on the west coast meant a lot of money. Then my wonderful mother is a 4th grade teacher at the local elementary school. I live in Brookwood, Oregon, a half city half rural county. I go to Brookwood Academy, the best private school in the county, and I will be going into my senior year after I finish my finals.

I do everything I am told.

I never talk back. I never complain about my dad’s hours. I do all of my homework, even the extra credit. I always practice my saxophone for band class. I always make sure my room and my bathroom are squeaky clean. I go to all of my little brother’s baseball games. I do all of my chores. I never miss curfew. I go to church every Sunday. I am never late to anything. Most of all I never break the rules.

I drove the 10 minute distance to the baseball diamond where my brother was just packing up his things. My little brother is Peter Andrew Junior, my dad is the first, everyone calls him Junior, and when I say everyone…everyone. Even our pastor at church calls him Junior. He is 11 years old, looks like a miniature version of our dad, and is the star baseball player of our local baseball league for his age group. He plays 1st base and if anyone thinks they can get passed him without getting out, they are so wrong.

I admire him. Junior has a goal in life. He wants to play major league baseball for the Dodgers. I don’t think anyone in this world could even attempt to try and stop him from fulfilling his dream. Maybe our parents, but as long as he does his work and gets through school with good grades and goes to college, he can do whatever he wants.

He saw me waiting on the side of the road and waved. I smiled and waved back as he said goodbye to his coach.

“Hey sis,” Junior said hopping into the back seat of the car, he threw his heavy baseball bag into the trunk.

“Hi,” I replied handing him one of the Gatorade’s as I took a sip of mine.

“What’s up?” he asked buckling himself as I pulled onto the street.

“Nothing really, mom was going to pick you up but she had to go grocery shopping,” I said looking back at him in the rearview mirror.

“So what do we get for dinner? Is Dad home yet? Were you studying for finals? I need to start my solar system,” he blurted out one thing after another…typical Junior.

“Yeah, you probably should. All of your supplies are at home; mom bought them for you while you were at practice. I was studying for my chemistry final before I had to pick you up. Dad isn’t home yet; he probably won’t be home till late. And I don’t know, because if we are both doing schoolwork we probably can’t eat with mom. She put all of your supplies on the kitchen table anyway.” I hope I answered everything he said.

“Can we get McDonald’s?” His eyes got wide and I heard shuffling.

“Probably, why don’t you call Mom?” I asked him handing him my iPhone.

I let him call our mom as I took the long way home that was going to pass a McDonald’s just in case.

“Alright, thanks mommy! Yes! McDonald’s for us Charlotte!” I giggled as I conveniently turned into the McDonald’s parking lot.



“Peter, I don’t know, the kids have never even met their Aunt! Let alone their cousin!” My mother’s loud whispering hit my ears. I groaned and rolled over under my covers. I rubbed my eyes and looked at the clock: 2:37AM. I went to bed over 4 hours ago.

“That’s because after her husband died no one in the family talked to her because she became an alcoholic and abused Rylee!” my fathers voice replied. I shut my eyes and buried my face into my pillow trying to fall back asleep. I have a chemistry and pre-calculus final in a few hours.

“Well I understand why, but shouldn’t we at least talk to Charlotte about this?” my mothers voice whispered again. I couldn’t help but wonder where they were in the large house that they had to choose right around my bedroom to have their late night conversation.

“I already signed the papers…” What papers? What Aunt? And who is Rylee? I can’t let my mind think too much, or else I will never fall back asleep.

“Of course you did. There is nothing we can do about it now. She will have to go to school in the morning though. Also you are the one telling the kids, not me,” my mother’s anger was rising and I could tell by the tone of her whisper.

“Fine, I will tell them in the morning while they are getting ready for school,” my father replied obviously annoyed. “But you have to get Rylee settled in a room. She is in the living room.”

I didn’t have much time to think who Rylee was again, because my head went blank and I dozed into a dreamless sleep.



“Mornin’ dude,” I said taking a seat next to Junior at the counter. I smiled at the scent of the peanut butter toast and scrambled eggs on the plate.

“Morning sis, did you see my solar system? It’s so awesome!” Junior said grinning ear to ear pointing at the kitchen table behind us. I turned and saw an at least 3 foot model of the solar system with colored Styrofoam balls and all.

“That is awesome! You worked so hard,” I said taking a bit of my toast.

“Yeah, I hope I win for the best model. Because then I get extra credit!” He said chugging some of his milk.

“I wouldn’t doubt it,” I laughed. We sat content for the next few minutes just eating our breakfast. It was around 6:45AM and we had to leave around 7:00AM because I drove him to school.

“Who are you?” Junior’s voice hit my right ear as I was going over my pre-calculus notes in my head. I quickly looked up and saw a girl my age in one of my school uniforms standing in our kitchen. She looked tired and worn out with her messy dark brown hair and dark makeup around her eyes, she looked like she was trying to cover up something beneath her.

“I’m Rylee.”