Boo-Boo By Destiny Thurman “I’m so happy it’s summer!” I shouted. “Now I can finally swim in the backyard pool and not think about homework.” My brothers were already in the pool. I asked if I could play too. “No!” they said. “You’re annoying!” I went back inside, feeling a little sad. My brothers weren’t very nice to me, and that really hurt my feelings. When I got back inside, I tried to forget about the pool. I did something that always cheers me up — playing video games! I quickly changed into my favorite football shirt and started my favorite football game. I guess now’s a good time to tell you a little about me! My name is Boo-Boo. I’m the youngest. Those two in the pool? That’s my older twin brothers, Maliq and Miles. They never let me play with them. They say I’m a baby — but I’m eight years old! I know they’re big kids, but so am I. I mean, they’re twelve. That’s only four years older than me. So basically, I’m a big kid too! Anyway, when they leave me out because of my age or laugh at my name, I just do what I love: play football, watch my tablet, or play video games. As I was playing, I heard the door slam. “I didn’t say you could play my game!” Miles shouted. Then Maliq added, “I didn’t either.” “It’s not your game,” I said. “Mom and Dad got it for all of us — not just you.” They just laughed and walked over. Then they started poking me. I got mad and stood up, shouting, “I don’t care about the game anymore! You’re just mad Mom wouldn’t let you go to your friend’s house!” They shouted back with their same old comeback: “You’re just mad your name is Boo-Boo!” I didn’t say anything after that. I just went to my room. There are two of them, and I never win anyway. As I walked toward my room, I mumbled, “I wish I was an only child.” I shook my head. When I got to my room, there was nothing to do. I flopped on my bed and fell asleep watching videos on my tablet. The next morning, I woke up super early — probably because I went to bed so early the night before. The first thing I did was sneak into my brothers’ room to see if they were up. When I saw they weren’t there, I figured they probably went to basketball practice. So I carried on with my morning: brushed my teeth and took a shower. When I finished getting ready, I saw Mom in the kitchen. “Good morning. Are you hungry?” she asked while wiping the counter. “Good morning! I’m starving!” I said. We both laughed, and she made me a bowl of cereal. I ate it super fast, hoping to sneak in some video game time before my brothers got home from practice. After I finished eating, I went straight to playing video games. I was having so much fun, I didn’t even notice the time — it was already 1:00! I was a little surprised my dad and brothers weren’t back yet. Maybe Dad took them to their friend’s house... Which meant more time for me — all by myself! I got so happy, I ran to put on my swimsuit. Then I jumped right into the backyard pool! It was so much fun having it all to myself. Eventually, I got bored swimming all by myself. So I dried off, got changed, and checked the time on my tablet — it was almost 3:20! I went to Mom’s room and asked, “Where are Dad and the twins?” She said, “He’s still at work. Aren’t your brothers in their room?” I panicked a little and quickly lied, “They are! I was just kidding!” Then I ran out of her room before she could say anything else. I went straight to my brothers' room — but it was empty. That’s when I remembered the wish I made yesterday: “I wish I was an only child.” “No way!” I whispered to myself. Just as I zoomed out of the house, I shouted, “I’m going outside!” The door slammed shut behind me as I grabbed my bike and took off. I pedaled down the street as fast as I could, going house to house. At every stop, I asked, “Have you seen my brothers?” I asked grown-ups who were my parents’ age — and even some as old as my grandpa. I asked kids I’d known forever — my brothers’ friends, my own friends, and even kids I’d never met before. I asked everyone — even the little babies! But nobody knew where my brothers went. I spent all day looking for my brothers, and I was tired. But I still couldn’t find them. Even the park was empty. I rode my bike back home, feeling disappointed in myself. When I got home, I went straight to the living room. Mom was on the couch, watching her favorite TV show. She looked up and saw my face. “What’s wrong?” she asked. “My brothers disappeared!” I said. “That’s why we haven’t seen them all day. Last night, I made a wish that I was an only child. I didn’t really mean it. I was just mad because they’re always so mean to me — and now they’re gone!” When I finished talking, my mom wasn’t mad or sad. She just looked at me and said, “Get in the car.” In the car I felt confused and nervous. Time zoomed past while I was lost in my thoughts, and then, guess what? We parked outside of Great Wolf Lodge! I was still a bit confused, but when my mom got out, I just followed her. Then I saw my brothers splashing in the pool, giggling and having fun! I ran towards them. They both shouted, “Boo-Boo!” “I’m sorry! I’m sorry I wished I was an only child,” I said. Miles looked confused. “You what?” But Maliq quickly changed the subject. “We’re sorry we were mean to you,” he said. “Dad told us we’re family — and family sticks together.” Miles added, “Yeah… and we missed you.” “Okay, you didn’t need to say that part,” Maliq said, splashing us both. And we all laughed. From that day on, I was included in everything. And even though my brothers still teased me sometimes, I knew it was all just for fun — and I could always tell my parents anything. This is a real book I chose to write about a year ago. I chose to write this story because we say things out of anger, especially as children. Children tend to easily build a habit of doing this because adults expose them to it. I wrote this to teach children, in a funny and relatable way, that our words are powerful and to show the importance of family, because although they get on our nerves, we love them.