Is It Really Such A Bad Thing?
.....“Come on Josh,” Cody yelled. “We’re gonna be left behind.” Cody was running quickly trying to catch up to Ryan. Cody stopped again to scold Josh for being slow. “Let’s go fat a**!” Josh looked angry. He quickly picked up the pace and passed Cody. Cody could barely keep up with him now.
.....“Oh you pay for that fat a** comment twiggy.” Josh said jokingly as he caught up to Ryan. Ryan was now walking at a leisurely pace. “So Ryan, what did you want to show us?” Cody was just catching up. “This better be worth it. I lost a date with Kate Winchester for this.”
.....“She’s a little whorish anyway. She’s not worth the dime I spent on candy.” Ryan said with sincerity.
.....Cody tried to catch his breath as he kept pace with them. “Thanks for waiting guys.” He said in clichéd sarcasm. “Thanks a whole lot.”
.....Soon they arrived at Ryan’s house. They said hello to his mom as they went out back to the shed they usually hung out in. Ryan’s mom brought them snacks and he felt embarrassed for being treated like a baby in front his friends. “Come on mom. Are you gonna wipe my a** too? You keep treating me like a baby.”
.....“Watch your language. You were raised better.” She said walking out.
.....“So guys, check this out.” Ryan started. “My mom found the videos we made with Kevin before he disappeared. She was watching them last night. She thought they were funny and that we should post them on you tube.”
.....Cody interrupted him. “Well that’s good. We wanted to do that anyway.”
.....“That’s not it though!” Ryan jumped. “In all the videos Kevin is missing. He is just not there.”
.....“That’s crazy Ry… Let’s watch one.” Ryan popped one of the videos in. As the video began playing Josh began to remember a time when he was with Kevin and Cody.
.....Cody and Josh are playing Street Fighter for the Sega Genesis. Kevin is sitting back watching. Josh keeps losing over and over.
.....“Come on Josh. You can’t beat me. Give up.” Cody said demeaning him.
.....“Shut up Cody.”
.....“You’re just wasting my time. You suck so much. You should just go kill yourself. You suck at everything.”
.....Eventually it got late. Josh and Kevin left Cody’s house. “Man, I’m so damn angry right now. If we weren’t at his house I would have beat him up good.”
.....“Violence never solves anything. Just be a bigger person than him and don’t let it bother you. You’re better than him at a lot of things. This is like the one thing he can rub in your face. A video game. You can draw and write really well. Those are marketable skills.” Kevin said to console him.
.....“I guess your right. It really isn’t worth getting upset over.” Josh said a little ashamed.
.....“Hey, tell you what. I’ll let you borrow my copy of it so you can practice. No charge. I have it with me right now.” As Kevin pulled it out of his pocket it fell behind some barrels.
.....“Thanks Kevin.” Josh said with gratitude as he picked up the game.
.....“Maybe we just didn’t make that video with him?” Cody said.
.....“Maybe.” Ryan said. “Let’s try this one.” He put in a new video. “Isn’t that him under the sheet?”
.....Ryan is remembering the time he went with Kevin to the fair. Ryan was playing the strong man game. He waster twenty dollars on the game and didn’t win once. He handed the man another ten dollars for five more tries. He still couldn’t win.
.....“Want to try again?” The man asked.
.....“Nah. I can’t do it. I’m outta money anyway.”
.....“Here. I have two bucks.”
.....“No way Kevin. That’s the last of your money.”
.....“Take it I don’t need it.”
.....“Thanks man.” The money blew into his face.
.....“Whoops. Sorry about that.”
.....Ryan finally won. He picked out a prize. He noticed a small child drop her ice cream. He handed her the prize he won.
.....“Nope… That was my little brother.” Cody said as the video ended.
.....“It’s got me wondering if he even existed.”
.....“That’s even more ridiculous.” Cody said.
.....“Yeah.” Ryan agreed.
.....Cody began to remember a time he spent with Kevin. He and Kevin were at the mall. They were sitting down eating lunch. “If you really like her just ask her out.” Kevin said.
.....“I’m too afraid to. What if she says no?”
.....“At least you tried.” Kevin stated. “Look there she is. I’ll walk away. Later.”
.....“Later man…” Cody said.
.....Sonya walked over. She was alone. “Hi Cody.” She said smiling. “How are you?”
.....“I’m good Sonya. How are you?”
.....“I’m good, thanks. So what are you up to?”
.....“I was just eating lunch. What about you?”
.....“I was buying a new outfit. Look.” She held it out in front of her so Cody could get an idea of how she looked in it. “What do you think?”
.....“I think you look good in whatever you wear. This is especially nice though.”
.....“Thanks.” She said giggling
.....“Hey. Do you think you’d like to go to the movies sometime? Like on a date?” He asked blushing.
.....“How about this Saturday? I’ll make sure to wear this then.” She said with a smile and a wink.
.....“He actually isn’t in any of the videos…. That’s really odd.” Josh said.
.....“Maybe he really didn’t exist. Have any of you guys actually seen him in school?” Ryan said.
.....“No. And have either of you even been to his house?”
.....Suddenly Ryan’s sister came in. “Do you have my iPod In here?”
.....“No. Get out… wait. Do you remember Kevin?”
.....“Who is Kevin?”
.....“Our friend. He comes here all the time.”
.....“Your Imaginary friend?” She said laughing as she left.
.....“He really doesn’t exist.” Cody said
.....“Some one who doesn’t even exist had such an impact on us.” Josh stated. “How could we imagine such a great person?”
.....“We let an imaginary person control our lives so much… How could we do that?” Ryan asked.
.....Over in the corner of the room Kevin was leaning against the wall. “Is it really such a bad thing?”
