Chapter 49: Celebrate (AKA Little Miss Numb Butt)


     I felt myself being lifted up, and it was all so unreal. Me, being
lifted up on a crowd's shoulders. Everybody was screaming and cheering,
and I had never felt so proud. I looked down at the crowd, which
included Vicky, Taylor, Zach, Sam, Bobby, Brooke, Alexis, Sierra,
Brittani, Amanda and Cole. But not Nathan. Where could he be? I couldn't
believe he missed my match. My LAST match. The biggest moment of my
life!

     I was momentarily distracted as we arrived at another large
building that was closer to our cabin that the arena entrance. As we
entered, I noticed that it was nice, and spacious, and set up for a
party.

     "Congratulations, Jenn!" read a banner on the wall. I was so
touched. They had planned a party, for me? This was all a dream come
true.

     There were already quite a few people there, my parents being a few
of them. I climbed off the shoulders of my friends and admirers and my
mother squished me in a hug. "I am so proud of you!" she exclaimed. But
then she gave me a stern look. "But I don't ever want to hear some of
that language coming from your mouth again."

     "Yes, Mom," I said exasperatedly. I then spotted my dad, who, to my
absolute and utter surprise, had taken a day off gym leader duty to come
to my party. He hadn't even been at my birthday party.

     "Way to go, Jenn!" he exclaimed, enveloping the youngest daughter
(namely myself) in a large embrace.

     And then, I saw the people who proved that Nathan's death was all a
practical joke. His parents. Why would they be here if their only son
had died?

     I walked up to them. "Congratulations, dear!" his overly cheerful
mom greeted me.

     "Yes, we're all proud of you," beamed Nathan's dad. "You haven't
met Nathan's brother, have you, Jenn?"

     I looked over at the older boy next to them, who had hair and eyes
like Nathan, and must've been around sixteen or seventeen. Why hadn't
Nathan ever mentioned him? "Hi, I'm Alex," he introduced himself,
extending a hand.

     "Hi, I'm Jenifer, but most people call me Jenn," I greeted him.
Karen and Jacob Pickens exchanged a look, more than likely thinking
about how I had changed since I first met them. The old me would've
waited for my mom to bring me over to talk to them. All I would've said
then was "Hi".

     "Congratulations, I saw your battle on TV," Alex told me. I smiled.

     "Thanks, I'm flattered." I then saw somebody who I just had to talk
to, so I excused myself to do so.

     "Jenn!" exclaimed Adam Jackson. "Congrats! We were all watching
your battle on the TV screen in our cabins!"

     "Is the whole school here?" I questioned with wide eyes. Adam
nodded.

     "We all came for your party. We tried to make it to your battle,
but the stands were full," he explained.

     "I'm so touched!" I smiled. Adam's face grew serious.

      "About our fight before you left..." he started. Like Taylor and
Sam, Adam was one of my infamous Johto ex-boyfriends. As I had pointed
out to Taylor, Adam had pretty much called me a... harlot, to say in
better words, during one of our fights.

     I waved my hand. "Forget about it. It never happened."

     Adam grinned. "You really have changed a lot, Jenny. In a good
way."

     Once again, I excused myself and sat down in one of the folding
chairs on the side of the wall. I figured Nathan would easily be able to
find me there.

     So I sat. And sat, and sat, and sat. My butt was being to get numb
from all of the sitting, and before I knew it, I had been sitting by
myself, at my own celebration party, for two hours.

     But at last, somebody sat next to me. "What are you doing over
here?" asked Taylor in horror.

     "Waiting for Nathan," I informed him. Taylor's expression
immediately changed to an unhappy one.

     "Jenn, about Nathan... Something happened. When he was out for a
walk-"

     "Don't even start with that!" I said angrily. "I know it's a joke.
I know he's not dead, Taylor. He's not. He's going to walk through those
oversized doors any second."

     "If you insist," Taylor shrugged, and then ran to go talk to Zach,
who was more than likely in on the prank also.

He didn't walk through the doors. AT ALL.

     I had been sitting on those chairs for six whole hours by the time
the last guests drifted away and the trio of Vicky, Sam and Zach cleaned
up.

     I was in an angry silence as we walked to the cabin. My butt was
still numb from all of the sitting.

I was so going to hit him hard in the head next time I saw him.