In The Dreaming: Chapter Twenty Nine "The Street Kid and the Scholar" (Fantasy Y/A Novel)

-I wrote the following novel nearly two decades ago. In the years between then and now I've honed my craft, and my perception of this world; my thoughts and ideas; have changed dramatically. However, I still enjoy the premise and have decided to do an overhaul of revisions and rewrites, though likely not until sometime next year. (Though I'm sure I'll do a little as I post chapters)

For now I hope you will enjoy a glimpse into my book writing beginnings...

They are the closest of friends though they have never met in waking life.

Prologue-PT1 Prologue-PT2 Chapter 1

Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4

Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7

Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10

Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13

Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16

Chapter 17
Chapter 18 Chapter 19

Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22

Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25

Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Collin showed up at his mom's and was greeted with enthusiasm by Jack- who was the only one home.

“I thought mom didn't have to work until later tonight.” He knew what would come next, but played the game anyway.

“She got called in. She said to tell you that she loves you, that she's proud of you like always, and that she can't wait for the day she can be here when you come in the door.”

Collin smiled wryly. He knew what that meant, it meant that when he had made a million dollars for being so incredibly smart she would no longer have to work.

“How's Jimmy?” As soon as the question was out, he wanted to take it back. The look on Jack's face told him everything he needed to know, but didn't really want to.

Jack told him anyway, and he listened with unease.

“Well...I think he might be planning to move out. Him and mom got into this huge fight the other night, and you know mom, she doesn't really mind a lot of what we do, her being gone so much. But this time she was really upset, she even cried a little, and Jimmy told her that she was...” Jack paused at this point, a look on his gentle face that said he wasn't sure if he should say anymore.

“She was what Jack?” Collin's voice was very quiet with this question. Quiet enough to be eerie, even to his own ears.

“I don't remember that part, just that he was really mad, and that he wanted to move out.” Jack averted his eyes in a futile attempt to lie, but also an attempt to plead with Collin not to ask anymore.

Unfortunately, at this point in Collin's life he was interested in details and had no tolerance for omissions.

“What did he say to her Jack?” He continued to speak in calm tones, but Jack knew his brother well enough to hear the danger signs.

“Really, I can't reme...

Collin couldn't have said what happened next was a conscious decision, all he knew was that he was holding Jack against the wall, hand around his neck, repeating his last question. Still quiet, but now with a banked anger that couldn't be denied.

Jack nodded and Collin lowered him to the ground.

Jack drew in a shaky breath, no doubt feeling a bit like Judas at this point. He licked his lips and then blurted “He called her a whore who was a bad mother at best!”

After the outburst he began to cry, but Collin turned away from him. If he had been a bit older and wiser he would have apologized to his little brother, reassured him. But for a reason he could not fathom he was already agitated, and this pushed him over the edge.

“Collin?” The younger boy's voice was small and pleading.

He glanced at him and raised his eyebrows.

“Please, he’s just a loud mouth. He doesn't mean most of what he says, and...he's just not..” He looked anxious as he searched for the right words to say that his older brother was lacking in the gifts department.

“I know exactly what he is and is not. He still knows better than that.”

“What are you gonna do?”

“Where might I find him.”

Jack looked down and shuffled his feet. He sighed, “I don't know, maybe at Jay's corner.”

Jay's Corner was a local hangout, mostly consisting of high school dropouts. It had bad fast food, a video arcade, and a couple of pool tables. Collin used to hang out there once in awhile himself, but he never really liked the scene.

“I'll see you later,” he told his brother. He started to say more, than shook his head and went out the front door.

He walked the several blocks to town, and instead of calming down he found his anger just getting fueled. He reached Jay's and stood in the doorway surveying the throng of kids, searching for a face that would soon swell with regret. He located him at the back leaning against a jukebox laughing raucously.

He strode forward, pushing past people, his eyes never leaving his brother. Jimmy glanced his way and for a moment he froze, a brief look of fear on his face. Then it transformed into its usual sarcastic sneer.

“Well look at this, the prodigy has come home.”

Collin paused for only a moment to face him off, then he was on top of him, knee in his throat, growling. “So you think your mother is a whore, huh? You think you have, over the course of your petty short life, gained the right to insult the woman who gave you life, who worked two and three jobs to support you? How is it that a low life piece of shit like you is my brother? Oh, you don't understand my language? How about this then,” he backed off a little letting him get to his feet, then gave him a good shot to his nose. He howled then, the cocky look gone from his face.

“You understand that language don't you?” Collin thought briefly about giving him another shot for good measure, but shoved him to the ground and looked at him with disgust instead. Though he wasn't sure if the disgust he felt was more for Jimmy or himself.

“Get up.”

“Screw you,” his brother said wiping at the blood on his lip.

“Get up, or I can promise you that it will no longer be an option.”

Jimmy got up, glaring at him likely wishing he was not outmatched in this fight. Collin glanced around at the circle that had formed.

“Come with me.”

Jimmy shook his head, but came anyway, the look on his face unchanged. They headed outside.

“So what now, huh?”

“I spoke your language, now I'm going to try something different.” He felt the anger begin to dissipate, leaving him feeling drained. “We are going down the road to have lunch and try and talk this out.”

“Talk this out? What exactly does that mean? Does that mean you talk and I listen, and then I just pretend, because I know you can beat me in a fight, that you are right and I am wrong, and that whatever you suggest is a gold nugget of help for me?”

Jimmy stood his ground, knowing his brother enough to see that he was all done with violence.

Collin looked at him without answering for what seemed like an eternity. He thought of every angle, he imagined every conversation, then sagged in defeat knowing that no matter what he said, it was him that Jimmy was really angry at. It was at least partly if not mostly because of him that Jimmy hated his mother, the fact that she held Collin up on a pedestal as her perfect child, her hopes for the future, while Jimmy was just her son, and not one to be particularly proud of.

“Jimmy...I know that a part of you hates me, thinks that somehow you..” he searched for the words, not wanting to deepen the resentment his brother felt by naming it.

“Oh, big scholar, can’t think of what next to say to his stupid little brother?”

Collin stood up straighter and leaned in. “You resent me, always have. I can’t help that I was born with certain gifts that were denied to you. But don’t throw away your life just because you aren’t me!”

“Oh, aren’t you full of yourself? That I would do anything because of you!”

“If not because of, than definitely in spite of,” Collin shot back.

Jimmy smiled then, an eerie smile. “Maybe you’re right brother, maybe it’s because of you that I hate my life. But my life, is MY life, my friends are MY friends, and my mother? Yes, she’s also your mother, but the way we choose to feel about her and deal with her is not only ALLOWED to be different, it should be. Do yourself a favor, and you’ll be doing me one-forget that I am your brother. Forget about me, because I want OUT of our family. I don’t care if I EVER see any of you again.” With that Jimmy turned and walked back into Jay’s.

Collin stared after him, tears that never fell down his face teasing the back of his eyelids. He did not cry. Not ever. But if he did, he might have then.

He started to walk back to the house, then changed his mind. He couldn’t stand it. He knew that he should go back and apologize to Jack, joke around, talk about life’s many adventures, the way he usually did. He knew that he should stay around and see his mom while he was here. But he couldn’t do it. Jimmy’s words echoed in his brain, and he had to admit that somewhere in his secret heart he wished he could do the same thing. He loved Jack, he would never leave him to flounder.

But some part of him wished he could just leave his childhood behind him for good.

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