We are under a month until our fourth annual June Swoon… except, there will be a twist this year.
There have been a lot of movies that I have missed so far in 2025 that are showing up on the streaming services. I was looking for a way to do a big couple of day watch… much like the Friday Fun Festival I did late last year, but the timing just was not working out.
The list was getting longer when I came up with the idea. I knew the June Swoon 4 was starting on June 1 (I can announce that September 5 is the first film of the June Swoon this year), and I thought… what if I did a movie from this year every day as well.
Typically, the June Swoon is a DailyView, where I watch a movie that I missed from 2024, once a day from June 1st to June 30th. That will still be in place. Joining the movie from 2024 will be a movie from 2025, giving us two movies a day, every day for the month of June!
I love this as a new challenge. EYG has done the June Swoon for three previous years and this new wrinkle will spruce up the event even more. It will be a busy month as I would like to finish the X-Files this summer, there is the Sunday Morning Sidewalk continuing, and any continuing series are still on the docket.
I would guess that the new releases on the weekend during June will count as movies from 2025 for this challenge.
I am excited about the new June Swoon! Starting on June 1st…
June Swoon 4: Two A Day Movie List
It’s Then Now: 2024 movie
It’s Now: 2025 Movie
June 1
It’s Then Now: September 5
It’s Now: Black Bag
June 2
It’s Then Now: Hundreds of Beavers
It’s Now: Into the Deep
June 3
It’s Then Now: Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
It’s Now: The Luckiest Man in America
June 4
It’s Then Now: Flow
It’s Now: Screamboat
June 5
It’s Then Now: Memoir of a Snail
It’s Now: A Working Man
June 6
It’s Then Now: The Only Girl in the Orchestra
It’s Now: Wick is Pain
June 7
It’s Then Now: Ghostlight
It’s Now: Wrestlemania IX: Becoming A Spectacle
June 8
It’s Then Now: Sing Sing
It’s Now: The Ballad of Wallis Island
June 9
It’s Then Now: Love Lies Bleeding
It’s Now: Death of a Unicorn
June 10
It’s Then Now: Y2K
It’s Now: Becoming Led Zeppelin
June 11
It’s Then Now: My Dead Friend Zoe
It’s Now: Warfare
June 12
It’s Then Now: Caddo Lake
It’s Now: Karen
June 13
It’s Then Now: Small Things Like These
It’s Now: Fear Street: Prom Queen
June 14
It’s Then Now: Queer
It’s Now: The Rule of Jenny Pen
June 15
It’s Then Now: The Brutalist
It’s Now: Finger Food
June 16
It’s Then Now: The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
Alex is a 14 year old girl trying to find her father that’s been missing for 2 years.
“Oh my god, I need to find my dad. He’s been gone for two years. I miss him.”
She looks around her town, but doesn’t find him, and she’s starting to give up, but she keeps going for him.
After two hours this young boy.
“Hi my name’s Max, why do you look so stressed?” he asked.
Alex says, “I’m trying to find my dad and I’m Alex”
Max says, “I can help you Alex”
Alex’s eyes light up, “You will!!!”
Max laughs, “Yea, I will. Let’s go look”
Alex says, “Ok!!!”
They start looking around the town and they walk all day through night talking.
Alex says “I’ll never find him.”
Max says, “Don’t give up. By the way, if you don’t mind, how’d he go missing?” he asks looking confused
Alex says “I was sleeping and I woke up after I heard a scream. It was my dad and I went out of my room and saw him get dragged out of the house and I tried to help but I wasn’t fast enough since I was in shock and he was already in the trunk of the car.”
Max listens intently, really wanting to know and Alex feels safe around Max even if they only met a day ago. They care deeply about each other; they act like sibilings.
Three days later
Alex and Max are still looking around. Alex is starting to lose hope. She really wants to find her dad but she doesn’t think she will
Max says, “Don’t worry, we will find him. I know it, just keep your head up.”
Alex finds a little bit of hope in her heart
Alex says, “Thanks Max even though we’ve only known each other a few days, I feel like you’re my best friend.”
Max smiles and they continue their search. They search day and night. They don’t stop searching and Alex is determined to find her dad. Max really wants to help her find her dad so he sticks by his side.
Max says “I know we will find him Alex”
Alex hugs him tightly and Max hugs her back just as tight to give her a sense of comfort
Alex says “I’m so glad I found you”
Max says “Im glad too”
They stop hugging and start walking through the town trying to find Alex’s dad they keep going Alex and Max continue searching they aren’t gonna go down without a fight they continue going around the town going in abandoned building, houses, hospitals that kinda thing to see if he was tied up somewhere so they searched and searched but nothing was found
Alex says, “I quit”
Max says, “No you aren’t; you got this, I believe in you”
Max tells Alex encouraging words to give her a little hope of finding her dad. They don’t stop. They just keep searching
Alex says with a slight smile “Ok I believe you Max.”
Max looks happy that she believes him so they keep walking and they don’t look back.
Alex says, “You are the best Max. I’m happy that you helped me try to find my dad. You’re the best person in my life”
Max smiles widely at Alex’s words as they keep walking trying to find her dad and eventually they take a break and sit on a bench there legs cramping.
Alex says, “Oh my god my legs hurt so bad right now”
Max says, “Mine too
Alex eventually falls asleep and her head falls onto Max’s shoulder. Max lets her sleep; he falls asleep to his head gently resting on her head in the morning
Max wakes up first and he gently shakes Alex and Alex wakes up.
Max says, “Good morning sleepyhead.”
Alex’s smiles and says, “Good morning Max”
And then they get up and stretch and then they continue their journey to find Alex dad.
They walk into this certain building that was abandoned 100 years ago and they hear someone breathing and they walk towards the noise and its ALEX’S DAD.
Alex screams “DADDDDDD”
Max looks at Alex run to her dad and he walks up to her dad and unties the ropes and takes the gag out
Alex’s dad says “I’ve missed you so much sweetie,”
Alex hugs her dad and Max smiles at them
Alex says “I’ve missed you so much dad”
Two years later
Max and Alex started dating and Alex’s dad is healthy and happy.
“You’ve been staring at number 27,” Nila and Nela says
“Is that?” Nele says
“NEL!” Nila says
“NO!! It’s not him. Is it?” I say
“It is, girl,” Nela says
The cheerleaders returned to cheering. I was with my friends Nela and Nila at the football game. I’m not that popular, but I have a crush on Nel, the most popular guy, and number twenty-seven.
I was sitting with the cheerleaders because Nila is the cheer captain. I looked at the ground, embarrassed, as the game started again, and my attention returned to Nel. The cheerleaders returned to cheering. After the game, I stayed seated, but Nela and Nila didn’t like that.
“Come on go talk to Nel~,” Nila says in a teasing tone
“No, I shouldn’t,” I say
“Come on,” Nela says in a whiny voice
I reluctantly get up, and they push me toward Nel. Then I see Tammy talking to Nel. Tammy is the most popular girl. Every guy has a crush on her, but she’s a big bully. She’s done so much to my friends and me. But Nel sees me as I try to turn around and walk away, and he comes over to me. I try to turn around and run, but Nel grabs my hand.
“Hey,” Nel says
“Hi’ i say flustered
“Come with me,” Nel says
“Fine,” I say.
Nel pulls me under the bleachers and leans against a pole for the bleachers.
“So……… there’s an after party……. Do you want to come with me?” Nel says as he lets go of my hand but hesitates like he doesn’t want to.
“Me, come with you?” I mumble but Nel hears me
“Yes, you Jena come with me,” he says itching the back of his neck
“Ok,” I say
“You’ll come!” Nel says
“Just one question,” I say
“What is it,” Nel says
“Did you invite me as a friend or?” I say
“Uuumm” Nel says “No not really, I guess,” he says unsure of himself
“Do I need to change?” I replied
“No, unless you want to,” he says
“I’ll be there,” I replied. I start to walk off
“See you there,” Nel says and I nod
“See you,” I say
Nel grabs my hand and says
“Unless you want to catch a ride…. with me?”
“If that’s ok with you,” I say, smiling and he takes my hand. We start walking to his car. He opens the door for me and I get in and I go to buckle but then Nel says.
“Let me get that for you” as he takes the buckle and buckles it for me. Then he walks around to the driver’s seat and I see my friends watching. As I look at the floor embarrassed. Nel sees that I’m embarrassed and says
“Look at me” I look up as his eyes lock on mine, then I blush and look down again. Nel sees me blushing and says,
“You’re cute when you blush” I blush more. As Nel stops at the party and holds my chin and pulls my head up to look at him. Then I blush more. Nel asks
“Are you ok, princess” I blush again and he kisses my cheek then I blush more.
“Sorry I should have asked” I quickly stop him and say
“No!” I look down “Don’t apologize” The other football players see Nel and me and come over to his car and say
“You finally asked her, well you two do look good together,” number 10 says
“So what do you think of Nel here,” number 77 says.
“He’s a nice kind,” I say blushing “he sticks out on the field.” The guys chuckle as they realize Nel is blushing two and I giggle a bit myself. Nel seems embarrassed as he steps out of the car and opens the door for me I unbuckle and he holds my hand to help me get out of his car. The other players walk around us as we walk into the party. As we walk in there’s an announcement that says excitedly
“The main couple is here!!!!!!!!!!!!”
My eyes widen as my face goes red. Nel squeezes my hand and looks at me worried. I cling to his side embarrassed. He wrapped his arms around my waist as if to protect me from the people whispering and staring.
“Hey, it’s ok,” Nel says
I hid` my face in his chest. Tammy sees this and walks over.
“Baby, Nelie poo” she squeaks
“Dont call me that ever,” nel says
I snuggle closer, he pulls me away and Tammy gets mad as nel and I go over to the balcony where a full moon, bright stars, and constellations can be seen. As I’m leaning over the rales looking at the sky I turn to point at a star and nel has my favorite flowers daises and roses he clears his throat awkwardly.
“Will you be my girlfriend?” he says
I see Tammy scowling at me and I look back, I’m too shocked to speak and I just nod violently and hug him. After that Nel and I watched the sky for a long time then one of his friends came over.
“Hey, love birds,” his friend says “What are you two up to,”
Nel and I look over at him and shrug.
“The romantic dance for couples is next,” number 71 says
Nel and I get up walk in go on the dance floor and start dancing with the other couples. And he and I stand out because we both have on our clothes from the game. Everyone is looking at us as we dance to the music even Tammy is staring. I know tomorrow at school she will be mad and try something but I’m focusing on my footwork as nel and I dance. At the end of the song, everyone claps for nel and me. And I realize I’m popular now. And more popular than Tammy and she is mad because I found a bf before her and now is more popular than her. My friends Nela and Nila ran over asking a lot of questions.
“Is nel your bf now?” Nila says
“Wait can you get us with some of his friends, please,” Nela says
“Hold up wait a couple of days maybe sometime this month,” I say kindly
Nel chuckles still holding my waist from dancing as I lean against his chest. After the party, Nel drives me home and as I get out he kisses my hand. Then I kissed his cheek two times. Then he walked me to my door and introduced himself to my family and my parents loved him and praised him. After he stayed for lunch he left and went to his house and I thought what will Tammy do to me tomorrow I thought before I went to sleep. In the morning after I was ready. Nel picks me up for school and carries me, the bride still kisses my cheeks and then blushes.
Pickle and Penny are best friends but there’s one person they don’t like and his name is Pineapple. Pineapple is the mean guy in the neighborhood.
“Hey losers what are you guys doing here at the store aren’t you guys like broke or something”, said Pineapple.
Pickle and Penny run away everytime they see him. Pineapple isn’t trying to be mean, it’s just how he decides to live his life.
“You should go talk to Pineapple,” said Pickle.
“No, you should go talk to Pineapple,” said Penny.
They finally decided who should go talk to Pineapple, both of them are going to go talk to Pineapple. They finally went to go talk to Pineapple.
Pineapple said, “can we be friends please.”
Pickle and Penny said it depends on if you’re going to be nice to us or not. They are now friends with Pineapple. Pickle,Penny,and Pineapple all go to the movies together. Pineapple, Pickle, and Penny’s friend goes from really mean to really nice.
“Can we have a sleepover?”, said Pineapple.
Pickle and Penny said yes. All three friends went to the store to get snacks and drinks for the sleepover. The three friends walk to Penny’s house for the sleepover. Penny’s mom says hi to them and lets them in the house. Penny’s mom walks into the living room and asks
“How did you boys become friends?”, said Penny’s mom. The boys said they went to go talk to Pineapple about him being mean to them at the store in town and then after the talk we started to walk away, that’s when Pineapple decided to follow them home.
He ran after them and said hey can we be friends I’m so sorry about what I said at the store. I really am. Do you forgive me?”, said Penny and Pickle. After Penny’s mom talked to the boys for a while she went into the kitchen to make the boys dinner and she started to make Penny’s favorite meal which is pasta and sauce. After dinner was made she yelled for the boys to come eat and Penny said yes my favorite meal is pasta and sauce. How was school?”, said Penny’s mom. It was good”, said Pickle. We had a spelling test today”, said Pineapple. After the boys finished their dinner they went into the living room, sat on the couch and turned on a movie. This movie is really good”, said Penny. Where did you find this movie?”, said Pickle. After the movie was over they went upstairs to grab blankets and pillows to sleep downstairs in their blanket fort. The next day, which is a Monday, they get up early so they can have breakfast,get dressed,and leave for school. (They all walk to school together) They are all in 5th grade and in the same class together. After school is over they walk to the park to hang out for about an hour. Penny calls his mom where he is going to be for an hour. She says that’s fine with me. After an hour later Penny arrives home from the park. Penny’s mom said how did school go . It was fine”, said Penny. What did you and your friends do at the park?”, said Penny’s mom. We played on the swings for a while then we went for a walk after the park”, said Penny. The next day Tuesday sport sign ups for baseball. Do you want to sign up for baseball?”, said Penny’s mom. Sure”, said Penny. I’m going to ask my friends if they want to sign up for baseball with me”, said Penny. They arrived at school. Hey guys, do you want to sign up for baseball with me?”, said Penny. Sure”, said Pickle. No sports aren’t really my favorite but I like watching them”, said Pineapple. That’s ok”, said Penny and Pickle. At lunch. What did you guys bring for lunch?”, said Penny. I brought a sandwich”, said Pickle. I brought a sandwich and chips”, said Pineapple. After school at baseball practice. Are you ready for baseball practice?”, said Penny. More than ready”, said Pickle. After baseball practice. How was baseball practice?”, said Penny’s mom. It was good”, said Penny. The next day Wednesday , no school day. Penny’s mom let him sleep in since he didn’t have school that day. Good morning Penny”, said Penny’s mom. Morning”, said Penny. What would you like for breakfast?”, said Penny’s mom. Can I have eggs and toast please”, said Penny. Sure”, said Penny’s mom. Penny and his mom sit down and have breakfast together. The End.
One day Serena and her mom were preparing for a football game party. They soon realized they would not have enough food for the party.
Her mom said,”Go and buy some popcorn from the store. Make sure you get enough for everyone at the party.”
“OK,” replied Serena,”I will be back.”
Serena then went to the store while her mom stayed home and finished getting ready for the party. While Serena was in the store she met her friend Blair.
`“Hi!” said Serena, “How are you?”
“Fine.” Blair responded. “How about you?”
“I am fine, just picking up some popcorn for the party. Will I see you there?”
“ I don’t know yet. I am not feeling the greatest.”
“Aww. Well I hope you feel better. Anyways I have to get going. Bye!”
“Yup,bye.”
Serena then finished getting popcorn from the store and headed home. On her way home she ran into Chuck and his friend group. She hates them. As soon as she saw him she ran the other way and hid in a nearby bush and overheard them talking.
` “I heard Serena is having a party this afternoon. I wonder why we didn’t get invited. I wonder why?” said Chuck.
“Maybe we should crash it.”
“Bro,that’d be fire!!”
“I know right. Does anyone know what time it starts?”
“Umm… I think it starts at 7:00?”
“Ya, that sounds right. Let’s go so we can plan.”
After they left, Serena came out of the bushes and ran home.
As soon as she got home she told her mom what she had heard.
Her mom told her,”Oh dear! We must not let that happen. I’ll call Chuck’s mother. She can then deal with him”
“OK.” said Serena.
They then continued to get ready for the party.
People then started to show up and Serena turned on the football game. She then went to talk to her friend Blair.
“Hey, Serena!” said Blair.
“Hey! What do you think of the party?”replied Serena.
“It’s pretty nice.”
“Thanks! Hey, if you see Chuck or his gang here let me know please.”
“Why?”
“Because when I was on my way home from the store I heard them saying they were gonna crash the party. When I came home and told my mom she said ‘I’ll call Chuck’s mother. She can then deal with him.’ and I’m hoping that no matter what they don’t show up.”
“Ya, that’s fine. I will let you know if I see them.”
“Thanks Blair!”
“No problem.” replied Blair.
A while later Chuck and his gang arrived uninvited. Serena went up to Chuck.
“Why are you here Chuck? I heard you from the bushes by the supermarket and how you were gonna crash my party.”
“You were the one who tattled on me to my mom. You will regret that.” replied Chuck.
“I hope you know that if you even attempt to do anything bad I will call the cops.”
“Oh crap,” Chuck said sarcastically,”like that ever stopped me.”
“Yes I know. But I also know how scared you are of your mom.”
“Umm? What are you talking about?” Carrot said nervously.
His mom then arrives.
“CHUCK STEVEN ROGERS!! GET YOURSELF IN MY CAR RIGHT NOW YOUNG MAN!!” yelled Chuck’s mom.
“OK, mom!!”
“Good,” said his mom,”I hope you do.”
After Chuck left, the party moved on and everyone enjoyed themselves. All of the sudden there was yelling and screaming. Serena rushed over to see what all the commotion was about and she saw her best friend Blair lying there dead with a cheese spreader stabbed at her side.
“What? What’s going on?” Serena’s mom said as she called 911.
Paramedics then arrive at the same time as Blair’s parents walk in.
“Oh my!” Blair’s mom said faintly. “Oh dear!!” she said as she fainted.
A Couple Of Weeks Later
It was now the day her funeral and everyone was wearing all black and were sad and droopy.
“Serena !! Come on, we have to get going. We’re gonna be late!” said Serena’s mom.
“I’m coming Mom!” Serena said as she ran down stairs to the kitchen.
At the funeral Serena went to find Blair’s parents and she said her condolences.
“I’m so sorry for your loss. I really hope they find who did this.” said Serena.
“You’re the one who did this! You ungrateful spoiled little murderer!!” yelled Blair’s parents.
“I would never do that and you should know that by now. She was my best friend.” replied Serena as she started sobbing.
After the funeral Serena had to go to the police station and get an interview done.
“Did you tell them everything sweetheart? Even what Blair’s mom said?” Serena’s mom said as she saw Serena leaving the interview room.
“Yes mom. I did.”
“OK, good.” replied her mom.
The next day Serena’s mom got a call from Blair’s mom saying that when she was going through Blair’s room she found a suicidal note in her diary it read,
Dear whoever finds this. I’m sorry. I just couldn’t bear the pain anymore. To prove that I am writing this I will give you date time and how I did this to myself. I did this to myself on November 16, 2017 at about 1:30 PM. You found me lying on my bed with a rope around my neck. I’m so sorry Mom and Dad. On the next page there is another note. I want you to give it to Serena, my dearest friend. Again I’m so sorry. If you want to know why I hid another note in my room somewhere. I will not give away where it is because I want Serena to find it. I hope you forgive me.(:
Yours truly,
Blair
Serena then realized that Blair planned on killing herself after the party. She had to go find that letter in Blair’s room. She then went to Blair’s house and knocked on the front door. Blair’s father opened the door.
“Come quickly. I don’t want her to find out you were here.”
“Why?” said Blair.
“Because she hates you!” he said, surprised. “Do you not remember what she said to you at Blair’s funeral?” he asked.
“Yes, I do. And I understand why you want me to hurry. So I will hurry.”
“Have fun then. Er, I don’t really know what to say. Good luck?” He said confused.
“It’s fine.”
She then went to Blair’s room and right away went to look under her bed. There she found an envelope named Serena. Serena then opened it and it read.
Dear Serena, I figured that this would be the first place you would look. You may think that this will tell you why I committed suicide but it’s not. I know that you like mysteries so I put some hint cards around. So here is your first clue.
I’m part of something tall and blue, that is why I chose this clue. I can be soft and fuzzy or or just plain muddy but you should know they keep me warm when I’m in a winter storm.
Serena read the riddle again and again. She then decided to try and figure it out by going piece by piece. She then figured that Blair was probably referring to her dresser in the first sentence. She then tried to think of what was soft and fuzzy. She got it! It was her sock drawer. She ran over and opened the drawer to find another clue.
I’m filled with clothes, but I’m not a drawer, waiting for someone to open my door.
Serena got it right away; it was her closet. When she opened it, sure enough there was a note.
You figured out the other clues, now I’m in the blues.
Serena I figured this was gonna be a little harder so I am giving you a hint. I go there when I’m sad.P.S. This is the last clue.
Serena thought for a moment and ran to the attic. It was where Blair liked to hang out. Serena knew Blair liked to hide behind all of her stuffed animals that were in the attic when she was sad. So she moved the stuffies and found a lock box, but it was not locked. She opened it and found a letter, Blair’s favorite stuffed animal, some candy and a little wrapped box. Serena decided to open the letter first.
You did it Serena! Now you are probably wanting to know why I killed myself. So here it is. The reason I did it was because of my mom. She always doubted me and made me do things that I didn’t want to do. Like for example, She tried making me sell my favorite stuffed animal and you know how much I love him that is why I included him in this box. Now please open the present.
Serena listened and opened the present. It was a locket necklace with a picture of her and Blair. When Serena saw it she broke down in tears. She then wiped her eyes, picked up the box of things and headed downstairs. On her way down she stopped in the bathroom and quickly washed her face. As she was washing her face she realized that the party was on the 15 and the letter said it was on the 16. She was confused that maybe she just decided to do it earlier. But she didn’t think that was the case. She took all of the letters to the police station and told them everything that she thought of. The police were very confused and decided to investigate further.
Everyone loves summer break, whether it’s getting to play out in the warm sun, hanging with friends, relaxing, and going back to school and telling people about their summer. Everyone thinks that they had a crazy and chaotic summer, but, I don’t think you’ve heard of one this crazy.
“Come on, we’re going to be late!!” I yelled. We were getting ready to go to the second to last football game of the year. Everyone was so excited to go. We have been undefeated!!
We were just about to make a touchdown when billions of people started to say “ooo, that must have hurt.” I looked around to see what had happened, I couldn’t tell, so my friend Chloe pointed out to Billy on the field. Then I saw it, HIS BONE WAS STICKING OUT OF HIS LEG!! The police came and were talking on the walkie talkies to signal the ambulance to come to their location. My brother Sam saw the walkie talkie, and he instantly wanted one, so I told him that we have baby monitors that could work, and he was so excited to go home and find his old baby- monitor.
“I found it!” Sam yelled, “It’s in this box!!”
I ran over there to see if he really did, and he did find it! Chloe came over and helped us get the cords untangled. We sat them up and turned them on.
Kkkrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
The static overwhelmed the room. “Hey!! I hear something. Do you hear that?” Chloe said
“Ya, I hear that too!!” Sam said
“But wait,” I said, “I turned this one off to make the static go away.” “It must be picking up another signal from another baby monitor.” Chloe explained.
“Y, y..ya, I, I guess you’re right.” I said.
“Ashley,” said Sam, “are you ok?”
“Ya, Ya, I, I, I’m fine.” I said
“Well I’ve got to go home, it’s getting late.” said Chloe
“Ok, I’ll call you later.” I said
Later that night we kept hearing those strange noises on the baby monitor. My mom said to put it away, but when Sam got up I started to hear words, English!!
“Wait!!” I yelled “Stay right there!!”
“What?” Sam asked
“Do you hear that?” I said.
My brother swung his hands up, and I heard it more clearly.
“Wait!!” I said, “Hold that up again!!”
“I hear it!!” My brother exclaimed “The higher it is, the more clear it gets.”
We held it up higher, but it was still too quiet, so I put a chair on the table and squatted down on it.
“Stop!!” I yelled, “Nobody move”
Krrrrrrrrr “Yes” Krrrrrrrrrr “That is de plan. Krrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Get more of those earthlings to do more studies. Krrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr “Wait!! Nrrrg nnrrrrrgsssnrrggg”
“Oh man, We lost the signal.” I said, “Earthlings!!”
“What?” Sam asked.
“They said earthlings, so that must mean that they live somewhere else, and not on earth.”
“You mean like aliens?” Sam asked.
“I don’t know.” I said, “But what I do know is that somethings up, and I don’t think it’s good.”
We kept hearing the noises, but nothing was abnormal. We didn’t think much more about it, and went on with our summer. I was helping Sam get packed for camping at our cabin,when I saw the baby monitor on his dresser. We didn’t think much about it, but we still took it just in case.
Afterwards we picked up Chloe and headed to our cabin. When we got there we unpacked and went to bed. When we went to bed I had this strange feeling that something was wrong, or something bad was going to happen, but I still didn’t think much about it. I went to sleep and when I woke up I was outside, so was my brother, and chloe!! I didn’t know why but we were. We were all confused about what happened. I itched my arm.
“What?” I thought to myself, I looked down and there was this strange marking on my arm, almost like a diamond with a line through it.
I grabbed Chloe and Sam’s wrists and looked at them. They had it too. That’s when I really started to freak out. We ran back inside and turned on the baby monitor and there it was, the voices again.
Krrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Those earthlings, they’re perfect!! Krrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr They will make perfect specimens for our labs!! Krrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
“I think they’re talking about us!” Chloe said. That’s when I got this eerie feeling in my stomach.
“Here it comes again!!” Said Sam.
Krrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Them Krrrrrrrrrrr I think they know our plan!! Krrrrrrrrrrrrr Noo!! They must not know of our plan!! Krrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
“Oh man, we lost the signal again!!”
Later on that night, we all three tried to stay awake, I looked down at my wrist to see the sign again, but it was not there!! They looked at their arms too. Theirs was also gone!! We looked outside, nothing was different.
We all eventually fell asleep, but I got spooked or something and woke up. I looked around, and I was in this strange white room filled with these strange creatures with big heads, but little bodies doing some sort of lab work! One looked over at me with these big glowing eyes!!
I tried to scream but my throat felt like it was in my stomach. It hovered over to me and put some sort of mask over my mouth, and I fell asleep.
When I woke up again, Chloe and Sam were at my side yelling my name.
“We have to get out of here!!” Chloe said
“Ashley!!” My brother cried, “I just want to go home!!”
Just then, a loud bang came from the left!
“Come on, we’ve got to go!!” yelled Chloe.
We ran down this very narrow hall to this weirdly shaped door.
“It’s locked!!” I yelled “Come on, this way!! They’re following us!! Quick!! Hurry up!!”
We ran down this hallway to our right that led us to this big circle on the floor. Right beside it was this big red button, and of course Sam pushed it. As we stood on the circle, it shined this big beam of light down towards the ground and we floated down to the ground. Right as our feet touched the ground, we ran towards the trees to hide. The weird creatures floated down from the beam of light right after we ran toward the trees. Just then, the marks on our arms started glowing this bright blue.
“Wait, what if they are tracking us!! What if this is how they know where we are always at!” I said
“Hey, Do you still have that flashlight with the magnet on the bottom?” Chloe asked.
“Ya, In Fact I do, I was going to use it tonight just in case we heard something outside. Why?”
“Because we could rub the magnet on our wrists to mess up the tracking device so they can’t find us.”
“Ya, then we won’t ever have to worry about them ever again! You are so smart!!”
“Thank you, hurry now up, let’s do this fast.”
We all rubbed the magnet on our wrists. Just then a beam of light shined around as if it was looking for something.
“I think it’s looking for us,” I yelled. Come on, go this way!!”
All of a sudden three rays of light shot down at us and we all three floated in the air. We could,’t move, we were like frozen in our place. 2 figures came out from the trees, and hovered right to us. They spoke to each other as if we weren’t even there.
“Those earthlings are too smart for us, we’ve got to hide their GPS trackers better, and where they can’t find them, like in their nose or on their tung.”
“I got a great idea for a place.”
“Really? What?”
“What about on the surface of their eye or behind their eye socket?!”
“Great idea!!”
Just then, one snapped their finger and everything went black.
When I opened my eyes Sam, and Chloe were laying at my side. All three of us looked around, and we couldn’t remember what happened. I looked at and at Chloe and Sam. I could see tears in Sam’s eyes. I couldn’t believe how hard it must be for a 7 year old boy going through this. I went over to him and gave him a big hug. Then all of a sudden, This big eerie screech came from the night sky. All three of us jumped.
“We’ve got to go find your parents!!” Chloe yelled
“I know.” I said
“And after that, we should go tell the police!!” Sam cried
“Good thinking, we will.” I said “I promise you, I will never let anything happen to you. Neither of you.” I said
Scr Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
“Did you hear that? It’s getting louder!!” I yelled, “Come on, let’s get to the cabin!!”
“Where is the cabin?” Chloe yelled
“What do you mean?” I yelled
“Where are we?” She yelled
“I don’t know where we are?” I yelled
“I just Want to go home.” Sam yelled, “I want mom, and dad.”
“I know buddy, We just got to find..
Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
“Ahhhhh” We all held our ears from the loud screech.
“It’s gettin closer, RUN!!” I screamed
We ran for as far as we could, when Sam collapsed.
“Sam!! Are you ok?” I yelled
“I can’t run any farther!!” He yelled back
I put him on my back and kept running. When we reached this pond I just remembered that I read this book that said Aliens don’t like water, it kills them!!
“Jump in the water!!” I yelled
“Are you crazy?” Chloe yelled
“Just do it!!” I yelled back
We all jumped in the water and that’s when we heard the most gut rotting, the most eerie, the most terrifying screech ever!! Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!! It sounded like 200 or more screeches all at once. All of a sudden I saw something swoop down and grab Chloe. Chloe screamed as loud as she could, but nothing worked. Then something swooped down and tried to grab me and Sam, but I dogged it, then a second one came and grabbed me by my arms as I was still holding Sam on my back. We screamed, and kicked but nothing worked. We were brought into the ship, and into this very little room with three hard plastic looking beds. All I remembered was that Sam was taken off of my back, and all three of us were placed on the bed like things and we were strapped down to them and about 13 figures circled around us and I blacked out. When I woke up, I was at home lying down in my bed. I couldn’t remember anything that happened.
“Was it all a dream?” I thought to myself, “It seemed so real. Did I dream my whole summer? That’s impossible!! You can’t do that.”
That’s when I had the idea to go to sam. He didn’t know what happened either so I called Chloe and asked her to come over to our house, but she was already here. She had no idea what happened either. I went down stairs.
“Mom, Dad?” I yelled “Where are you?”
“Ummm, Ashley, don’t you mean where are we?”Chloe said as she looked out the window.
“What do you mean?”
“Look!”
I looked out the window and we were not at home. There were stars, and a dark sky.
“We’re in space!!” Sam yelled “But why?”
“I don’t know Sam, but…”
Something interrupted me and woke up.I was sitting up against a mailbox. I was all alone, I started freaking out and I started yelling for Sam and Chloe. Nothing, nothing but silence. I looked around in this nearby field. I saw something lying on the ground, and to the right of it was another one.
“Sam!!, Chloe!!” I yelled, “Sam!!, Chloe!!” I ran over there, and sure enough it was them. I shook them until they woke up.
“Where are we?” Sam asked
I ran back over to the mailbox to read the address. It read “San Diego, California”
We are in San Diego, California!!” I yelled to them as they ran towards me.
“Why are we in Calla, fonia?” Sam asked
“It’s pronounced California sam, and I don’t know why we are.” I said
“Wait!! California is the state with the most alien sightings!!” Chloe said
“But why would they take us over 1,800 miles away from home?” I asked
“I don’t know.” Chloe said as she looked down
“Wait!!” she said “what if this is where the ship is located, what if this is where we’ve been this whole time!!”
“Is 1,800 a lot of miles from home?” sam asked
“Yes buddy, it is. But the real question is how do we get home? What if we don’t get to see our parents ever again!!” I panicked
Sam started to cry.
“Oh buddy, I’m so sorry. I never should have said that.” I said
“You promised we would get home!! You promised!!”
“I know buddy, and I will keep my promise.”
“How are you going to keep your promise?” Chloe asked me
Chloe looked at me funny.
“What?” I asked
She didn’t answer me.
“What? Answer me!!”
“At the corner of your eye!! She said
“What about it, is there an eyelash? I asked, “Chloe!!”
“There is a tiny blue shining diamond with a line in it.” She said
“What do you mean?” I cried
I itched my eye
A large ship hovered above us.
“Hide!!” I yelled!!
We hid behind this bush, as if it was going to do anything.
“We’ve gotta get out of here, make a run for it!”
“ Where are we going to go?” Sam asked
“Wait!! I know where!! My aunt Edna lives in Los Angeles!!”
“But that’s about 130 miles from here!! How are we supposed to get there? We don’t have any money, we haven’t ate anything for over 3 days, we are tired from running, what are we supposed to do now?”
“I didn’t think of that.”
“I know you didn’t, you never think about what’s happening, you only think about what could happen.”
“So that’s how you feel about me.”
“No, Chloe, I didn’t mean it.”
“No, I get it, I always try to find all of the good things, or the good possibilities that could happen.”
“I know, and that’s what I love about you, that’s what makes you, you!!”
“Thanks!!”
“Now come on!! We need to get a head start to your aunt Edna’s house!! Come on Sam!!”
We went into the big city to go find Aunt Edna.
“Guys!! Look!!” Chloe yelled as she pointed to the jumbotron.
“Hey, that’s the big ship that we were on!!” Sam yelled
“ That’s us!!” I said, “We were all shot down towards the ground!!” I said
“Hey!!” A man yelled, “Those are the kids that were in the UFO and got shot down from that ray of light!!”
“No, we’re not!!” Chloe said
(She doesn’t like crowds)
“Wait, Yes we are the kids!” I yelled
“Ashley!!” Chloe said
“I know what I’m doing Chloe, trust me.” I said back, “Hey everyone, We were taken over 1,800 miles from home, and these weird creatures have done so many studies on us. We haven’t eaten in over 3 days, and we are so tired. So will somebody be so kind as to take us home or at least to Los Angeles?” I asked
“Ya, and some food!!” Sam added
“Hey, I will!!” Yelled a woman from the crowd, “Just come with me and we can stop and get some burgers and fries!! Does that sound ok? Then I will take you home!!”
“Thank you so much!! You are so kind!!” I said back
“ Ya, thank you!!” Sam said
We ate for about an hour, and then we headed for home. The woman of course asked so many questions, and I was very comfortable sharing everything with her, especially for how much she has done for us!! We stayed at a hotel for the night because we still had over 1,200 miles to go.
“How do you have so much time to help us?” I asked the kind lady
“Well, I recently lost my husband in a car crash and then I realized how precious life is, so don’t waste it all and enjoy your life. My husband always told me to “live as if this was your last day.” I never knew what that meant until he passed away. So now, I want to travel the world and live my life!!” She replied
“I’m so sorry.” I said back
“Oh, that’s ok, it feels good to let it all out.
I couldn’t sleep that night. I didn’t know if it was because it was weird sleeping with a stranger, or if it was because of what she said.
We traveled for 2 days and we finally got home. My mom and dad were so happy to see us, and They thanked the kind lady for bringing us home. When she left, they sat us down and we told them everything. They didn’t really believe us, but they were just happy that we were home. I heard my mom talking to dad in her room, and she said that she thinks that the real reason we left was because we were mad at them for taking the baby monitor away. Even if they don’t believe us, we will always know the truth about what happened.
We tried forgetting about it, and I sort of did for a little while, until one day after school, I got an itch in my eye, and could see a little blue diamond with a line in it at the corner of my eye.
The forest was dark and quiet, the only noise was the light footsteps of a big buck walking through the woods. They didn’t see the deer at first but they heard the leaves crunching under its hooves. When it came into view they could see it was a ten pointer.
“Look, it’s a big one.” Emma whispered.
“It’s a ten pointer, get ready to shoot it,” whispered Bob.
Emma aimed right behind the shoulder and was interrupted by another noise so she turned around and saw… she couldn’t see anything, It was dark. She woke up to the voice of her father saying,
“Emma, wake up!”
“What happened?” Emma asked.
“You fell off the tree,” said Andrew, her boyfriend.
They walked back home and Emma sat down on the chair. Bob was about to walk out the door but before he did Emma said,
“What was the noise I heard before I fell?”
“What noise?” Said Andrew.
“The sound of someone walking behind us.”
“There was no noise Emma.” Bob said
Then Bob walked out the door and went hunting again. Emma and Andrew stayed behind and Emma went to bed. She had a terrible dream where she was hunting again and heard that noise again. She turned around and saw… Then she felt herself falling again. She woke up the next morning and couldn’t remember what she had dreamed about. She walked upstairs and her dad was up there.
“How do you feel this morning?” He asked.
“Fine.” She said.
“Do you want to go hunting again today?” Said Bob.
“No, I don’t think I will at all this year.”
“Alright.”
Bob left to go hunting and Emma sat there trying to remember what her dream was, but she couldn’t. Andrew came over and asked her how she was and then made her some breakfast. She started to eat and then she remembered something about her dream. She remembered turning around and seeing something but she couldn’t remember what it was. Then she remembered falling and hitting the ground.
“Did you hear that noise yesterday?” Emma asked.
“No. What do you think you heard?” Andrew said.
“I don’t know but I definitely heard something.”
“What did it sound like?”
“It kind of sounded like someone or something walking behind us.”
“Are you sure you weren’t just hearing things?”
“Yes, I’m sure.”
That was that so they continued eating quietly. Emma kept thinking about her dream and kept trying to remember what she saw when she turned around. She just couldn’t remember. All she could remember was falling off of the tree. Her dad came back in and she said,
“When can I go hunting again?”
“I don’t know, probably tomorrow,” said Bob.
“Ok.” said Emma.
She spent that whole day trying to remember what she saw right before she fell out of the tree. She couldn’t remember what she saw. That night as she started to drift off to sleep. She felt like she was falling and she was. She was back in the dream so she turned around to see what was over there and she saw… She woke up and couldn’t remember again. She got dressed and ready to go hunting again. She walked upstairs and her and her dad Bob walked out the door and got to the tree stand and stopped.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Bob asked.
“Yup.”
They climbed up the ladder and sat in the tree stand. Emma kept looking behind them to see if anything was there. She didn’t see anything or hear anything until they were about to leave. She heard the crunching of leaves like someone was walking towards them. She ran back there to see what it was but there was nothing there.
“Emma, what are you doing?” her father asked.
“I heard it again! That crunching noise!” she said.
“What noise Emma, there was no noise.” Bob said.
“Yes there was, it was like someone was walking towards us and before you say anything there was a noise I heard it the other day and again today.”
“I think it’s time to go home,” said Bob.
So they went home and Emma went straight to her room, she knew she heard something and she needed to know what it was. So when everyone was sleeping she snuck out and went to find out what it was. She walked down to the tree stand and went to look around behind the tree stand and she saw something hiding in the grass. It was a baby deer with a cute button nose and white on the tip of its ear. She couldn’t help but smile, she had been worried so much about such a little thing. A little and cute thing. She walked back home and woke up the next morning happy and she remembered what she had seen last night.
It was the fourth quarter of my basketball game, and we were ahead by two baskets. Our game started at 10:00 am and it was currently 10:45. There were eight minutes left in our game and the quarter just started. It was our ball. We took it down the court and they stole it. Time to get payback. I ran as fast as I could and blocked her layup.
Fifteen seconds left in the game. They were up by one basket and it was our ball. My best friend was also on the team and she was the point guard. She dribbled down the court and passed it to me. There were now only five seconds left. I went out to the three point line and shot it.
Swish!
Errrrt!
I made the 3!
We won!!!
It was now 11:30 and we are going out for lunch. My mom said that I could choose where we went. So I picked Chick-fil-a. My mom ordered our stuff.
“Can I get two eight piece chicken nuggets with ranch cheese sauce and a Dr. Pepper?”
That was my favorite thing to get from Chick-fil-a. After we got our food, my best friend Scarlett called me. She had been my best friend since preschool because our names rhyme. My name is Charlotte.
“Hello.”
“Hey Charlotte, I was wondering if you wanted to go hunting with me in my timber”
“Sure, let me ask my mom quickly. Mom, can I go hunting with Scarlett?”
“Yes,” said my mom.
“We will be leaving at 3 o’clock to go.”
“Okay see you then!”
My mom and I got done eating and we went to Theisens to get myself a deer tag to go hunting with Scarlett. It was packed. There were 15 other people getting deer tags.
We have been waiting in line for 30 minutes and I finally got to the desk. The guy asked us all of the questions and told us the price. It was $33 dollars plus tax. Now it was time to go to Scarlett’s house!
We got there and she was already waiting outside. I got out of the car and Scarlett started running towards me.
“CHARLOTTE! I’m so happy to see you!”
“I am so excited to go hunting!”
“Oh my gosh, same!”
We walked into her house and put on some orange.
“I have two orange vests and two orange hats.”
“Okay let’s put it on.”
We put on the orange and grabbed the guns. It was currently 3:00 so we started heading back towards the tree stand. It was pretty far back so it took us 10 minutes to get there. We got to the stand and realized three nails had fallen out of the ladder.
“It will be fine. We just have to be careful,” said Scarlett.
“Okay, I’m kinda scared.”
“We will be fine, just be very careful.”
Scarlett climbed up first and it started creaking. I was really scared to climb up. I started climbing up, and it started creaking again. I made it up the ladder and we sat there. We had to sit there until 30 minutes after sunset. Sunset was at 4:32 so that meant we could leave at 5:02.
An hour had passed and it was very windy. The ladder was making very weird noises.
“Umm, was that supposed to happen,” I said.
“No, I think it was because of the wind.”
“Should we be concerned?”
“No, it will be fine.”
“Right after she said fine the ladder fell.”
“OMG we are STRANDED!” I said.
“We have no service! What are we going to do?”
“We are gonna have to call for help.”
“Do you mean to yell? No one is going to hear us.”
“Yes it is worth the try right? I mean what else are we going to do?”
We started yelling and no one heard us. We were going to have to stay the night in the timber, stranded in the tree. I knew something was going to happen as soon as we got to the tree stand. We couldn’t sleep. The raccoons kept squeaking all night. We finally fell asleep, but we only got two hours of sleep because it was bright out by 6:00 am. At 6:30 we heard a strange noise. There was something stomping in the leaves.
“What was that noise?” I asked.
“I don’t know, maybe it is a deer.”
“Let’s wait and see till it comes over here.”
“Okay!”
It came a little closer and we realized it was bigfoot.
Scarlett screamed,”AAAAHHHHHH”
“We should ask him to help us!”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, then we might be saved!”
“Okay here we go”
I asked bigfoot if he could help us.
“Bigfoot, can you help us get down from the tree?”
“Ummmm sure!”
“OMG thank you!!!”
He helped us down and told us not to tell anyone about him. We said okay and walked home. We were starving so we ran home. When we got back to Scarlett’s house, her parents were crying. They didn’t realize we were home yet.
“Mom, Dad, where are you?”
“Scarlett! I can’t believe you are home! I was so worried,” said Scarlett’s mom.
“I’m so happy to see you too!”
“Charlotte, let’s get you home to your parents.”
“Okay!”
My house was five minutes away from Scarlett’s house. On the way to my house Scarlett’s mom called my mom. She told her that we were safe and I just heard my mom say thank goodness. We got to my house and my mom was waiting outside. I got out of the car and ran to my mom. I gave her a big hug.
“I missed you so much Mom!”
“I missed you too! Let’s go inside and have some steak!”
“That sounds like a great idea!”
Scarlett’s mom left. We went inside and ate some steak and she told me the whole time we ate how much she missed me. I told her that we got stuck in a tree. She asked how we got down and I said, “I guess you’ll never know!”
Eddie Fox, is a seven foot six inch beast. He was twenty six years old and still living in his dad’s basement. He had been practicing baseball since he was five years old, and part of his dream had finally come true. He made it to pro baseball. He was an outfielder so he doesn’t make money yet. He needed to support his dad and try to make him proud of his son again. With his mom bills piling up especially with the bills that his mom had put on them, this was his darkest time. He felt as if he had died or was going to die.
He had been trying to make them pick him for first base. That was his other part of his dream. He had not been able to practice much because of his mom. So the first day of baseball Coach Brian said that Eddie was in the outfield. Then the dad said unencouraging things. It went like this.
“Eddie, you are outfield,” said Coach Brian.
“Of course you are. You always are. How did I have this big of a failure,” said dad.
Then in the outfield he met his soon to be best friend, Blake. He is 4 foot 9 inches and he is 24 years old. He had already accomplished his dream of being a catcher. Eventually a ball got hit toward him, and it did not end so well.
“I got it, I got it,” said Eddie. Cluck! “That is not good. What are my teammates and especially my dad?”
Then his practice is over and Blake went over and talked to Eddie.
“Hey if you would have put your glove up higher and tilted it more to the side you would have caught it,” said Blake.
“Thanks for the tips and looking out for me, that is the first thing anyone nice has done for me,” said Eddie.
“What do you mean by that,” said Blake.
“Well my dad thinks I am a failure, disappointment, and did I mention a failure. My mom died in a car accident and the last thing she said to him was something like you were a failure and you will never be a pro baseball player,” said Eddie.
“That is pretty rough. Dad died from cancer when I was little and my mom has been the best mom I could have ever asked for,” said Blake.
Then after they were done talking Coach Brian pulled him to the side. That did not go too well for Eddie.
“Eddie, if you keep playing like this, I am going to have to kick you off the team,” said Coach Brian.
“Coach Brian you know how much I need this,” said Eddie.
“I know but the team would be better off if you were just gone. Unless somehow you improve in a month. It will be hard for you to improve because you are bad at baseball,” said Coach Brian.
“Can’t you see that I am trying, I have been trying since I was five years old. Trying to make everyone proud of me but it seems that no one cares about me except for one person, Blake,” said Eddie.
Eddie walked away wiping his tears from his face with Blake slowly recognizing and coming to comfort him. Then Eddie thought of what his dad said, what his coach said, and what his mom said before the car accident. He never forgot what she said.
“You are such a failure,” said Mom.
That is when his dad saw him. It was brutal to watch for Blake. Blake saw exactly how his dad treated him. Blake then knew that his dad thought Eddie was a nobody. So did everyone else except for him. Blake felt so bad for him. For a second when Eddie’s dad looked at Blake and then back at Eddie he thought that he was going to kill the kid. Then all of a sudden Eddie’s dad raised his arm ready to strike him. Right as he was about to, Coach Brian caught his hand and punched Eddie’s dad right in the nose, breaking it.
“Thank you so much Coach Brian. You don’t know how much that meant to me. But now when he wakes up and comes to our house he is going to kill me.” said Eddie.
Then Blake ran over.
“He won’t because you are going to stay with me for a while,” said Blake.
“Are you sure you don’t have to,” said Eddie.
“Like you said earlier he would kill you,” said Blake.
“Okay, I will as long as it is not too much trouble for you mom,” said Eddie
“I think she will understand,” said Blake.
So Eddie started living with Blake and his mom. It turned out that Blake lived right by a baseball field so they practiced every morning. Eventually in a month he had practiced fives hours a day. Eventually, they both became really good at baseball.Then came the final day before Coach Brian said he could not do that. He ended up impressing Coach Brian so much that he got put on second base. Eventually, the next month he got put on first base. He was also making money now. A lot of it too. Then his dad came three months later.
“Son, I am so proud of you. Do you think you could give me some cash,” said Dad.
“What do you mean? My entire life you said I was a disappointment or a failure. Now since you did not need me when I was at my lowest then I do not need you now,” said Eddie.
So in the end Eddie realized that he did not need his dad in the end because all he wanted was money. He also paid off all of the debt and with the rest of his money he spent on more important things. Something that matters to him like Blake. So Eddie also treated Blake with all the nice things in the world like watches, TVs, cars, boats, a house, and he gave them ten thousand dollars. Eddie was really proud of himself. Blake and Eddie were having so much fun at their fun job that they loved so much. From that day on they lived the happiest they had ever been.
“Cleo, are you excited for my birthday party?” Violet asked.
“Yea I am, but who all is going to the party?” I said.
“Sarah, Keara, Tova, you, and I. But my twin brother Asaiah is also having a sleepover with his friends. I’ll make him and his friends leave us alone.”
Ding ding ding
“Well I have to go to class but have a good day.”
“Ya you too.” said Violet.
I went to my 7th period class of the day, it was different because I got my schedule changed. I just hope my class is not with Anna. Anna and I were friends in third grade but after sixth grade my and she started getting farther apart and stopped talking to each other after she made rumors about me. She made a rumor about me saying I had a crush on a kid Kyle. Because we were really good friends at the time and our parents were friends, we had a lot of classes together. We had a lot of classes together because we were able to choose our classes and me and her chose the same classes.
I got to my class and it was a study period and I was happy about that, and I saw my friend Keara there.
“Hi Keara.” I said.
“Heyyy Cleo. I thought you had literacy in the first period? “said Keara.”
“ I got my classes switched.”
“Oh ok”
Ring ring ring
“That’s the announcement guys be quiet so we can hear it.” Mrs. Smith said
“Whoever wants to go out for basketball please go to the gym” the voice over the intercom said.
“Cleo, are you going out for basketball?” said Keara
“Ya you?” I asked.
“Ya I am. Wanna walk together?”
“Sure, I just hope Asaiah, Sarah, Keara, Tova, you, and I All get on the same team.”
“Ya me too.”
I got down to the gym with my friend Keara. When I went inside the gym I saw Anna was talking to my crush Asaiah. Maybe they’re just friends? Oh no Anna is walking over here.
“Yo Cleo, did you hear?” asked Anna
“Here what?” I asked
“Asaiah and I are dating.” Anna smirks.
“Ok????”
“Why so defensive? Do you like him or something?”
“Noo that’s Violet’s twin brother!” Omg I can’t stand her, why won’t she leave me alone.. You may be wondering why Anna and I split ways. In 6th grade I had a best friend, her name was Bridget. She moved in 5th to my school, I got called down to the office to help her and show her to her classes. After that we started to hang out and we became best friends. Then one day I introduced her to Anna. Then they became best friends and stopped including me in things. Eventually they stopped including me in everything. So in classes I ignored them. Eventually Bridget moved away to her old school. Anna came and tried to talk to me and ask to go to my house. But I ended up just ignoring her because I knew that she would ditch me again for someone different. Then she told me that she doesn’t want to be friends anymore, I knew that it was going to end up happening in the end. And that’s why we are not friends anymore.
“Hey Cleo, what time are you coming to my party?” Violet asked.
“Probably around 5pm because I have travel ball and I have to ride the bus home today.” I said
“Ok sounds good.”
Ding ding ding
“Ok you guys can head to your 8th period now. If you have travel basketball, head to the girls locker room and get ready for the game. ” Coach said. “Are you in travel basketball Violet?” I asked.
“Ya I am. I hope we’re on the same team.” Violet said.
“Ya me too. Let’s gooo.” While we were on the way to the locker room I got tripped by Anna. I couldn’t move my leg! “VIOLET I CAN’T FEEL MY LEG!”
“Ok just uh um stay right there i’ll get the nurse.”“Is the nurse here?!” Violet asked.
“No, she’s not here at the moment. Is there anything I could do for you?” Mrs. Collins, one of the secretaries asked.
“Yes, call an ambulance please!”
“First I need to know what happened.”
“CLE -CLE -CLEO GOT TRIPPED BY ANNA AND SHE CAN’T FEEL HER LEG!” Violet stuttered.
“Ok Mrs. Williams will call an ambulance. Where is Cleo at?” Mrs. Collins asked.
“She is by the girls locker room.” Violet said.
“Ok why don’t you stay here and Mrs. Williams will give you her locker number and code. Once you get into her locker get her stuff and bring it down here ok.”
“Ok”
“Violet’s locker number is 412 and her combo is 13-30-08” Mrs. Williams said.
“Ok, got it.” Violet said. 13 30 08, 13 30 08, 13 30 08. Come on open COME ON OPEN ALREADY.
“Violet, why are you running?” Mr. Smith asked
“Can’t talk right now. Ok I got her stuff.” Violet said.
“Ok thank you Violet, Why don’t you sit down for now. Mrs.Williams said.
“Ok”
Ring ring ring
“Hello this is 911. What’s your emergency?” the 911 operator said.
“A kid tripped and can’t feel her leg.” Mrs. Williams said.
“Ok where are you located?
“Brookside Middle School.”
“Ok we have an ambulance on the way.”
“I have to tell the mom so I was wondering if I could let you go because she is stable and an ambulance is on the way?”
“Yes, that’s ok as long as she is stable.”
“Ok.”
Ring ring ring
“Hello this is Mrs. Williams, am I speaking to Cleo Smith’s mom?” Mrs. Williams asked.
Yes this is she. How can I help you?” Cleo’s mom asked.
“Your daughter fell down and she can’t feel her leg.”
“Well is she okay?”
We don’t know but there is an ambulance rushing her to the hospital.”
“Ok I’m on my way.” Cleo’s mom said.
1 hour later…
“Hello, are you Cleo Smith’s mom?” one of the doctor’s asked.
“Yes I am.” Cleo’s mom said
“Why don’t you sit down.”
“Ok what happened ?”
“Cleo went into cardiac arrest. And she did not make it.”
The directorial debut by Randall Park is today’s entry in the June Swoon 3. It is an unconventional rom-com called Shortcomings.
According to IMDB, “Ben, a struggling filmmaker, lives in Berkeley, California, with his girlfriend, Miko, who works for a local Asian American film festival. When he’s not managing an arthouse movie theater as his day job, Ben spends his time obsessing over unavailable blonde women, watching Criterion Collection DVDs, and eating in diners with his best friend Alice, a queer grad student with a serial dating habit. When Miko moves to New York for an internship, Ben is left to his own devices, and begins to explore what he thinks he might want.”
This was an interesting film. Usually, I have problems when the protagonist is such an unlikable character, and Ben (Justin H. Min) is absolutely in that category. He is opinionated, mouthy, rude and arrogant. It seems like every scene he is in, all I want to do is yell at him to shut up. Yet, there was something about Ben that was appealing. Don’t get me wrong, I was cheering actively for him to understand what a jerk he was being, but I was also ready to support him learning from the events of the film and adjusting his behavior.
I have to say, I did like this conclusion to the movie. It felt real and played with all of the conventions of the rom-com.
The movie had some great laughs in in, although nothing that was going to be over the top hilarious. The situations are where the humor came from and they all worked very well. Probably the one moment that stood out was when actor Jacob Batalon joked about loving the Spider-Man movies, considering he played Ned in the MCU Spider-Man movies
Sherry Cola played Alice, Ben’s friend, and she was the standout performance for me in the movie. She had an Awkwafina type vibe about her and she was both funny and an excellent ‘straight-man’ character.
I found this to be very entertaining and a creative way to take the rom-com genre in a new way.
EYG- Embrace Your Geekness 