sib

short story

 

my brother takes me places because mom doesnt want me to go places alone. he brings me to the stores down the street and to the pool. in the morning adam lets me ride with him to school even though he doesnt start until later.

my brother is really nice.

i love my brother.

my favorite movie is toy story. i like it because it makes me think that my toys are alive. if captain america was alive id bring him to school with me and show him to my teachers and bring him to the park with adam and me and teach him how to swim. i like captain america because he is super strong and never lies. and because my favorite color is red. i put him on my shelf so hes always there with me.

im in love with lizzy. she and her friends talk to me after school. she likes to watch me dance so much she always calls her friends over like ryan. they think im really funny and laugh a lot when I dance. ryan always takes pictures of me and lizzy and puts them of facebook.

if mom let me i would make a facebook so i could see them and comment on them and show adam and mom.

emily phillips says she likes me but shes not normal.

lizzy says shes my girlfriend anyway so i dont want to cheat on her. ryan says emily is a retard and i say and i tell that to her to. lizzy tells me to push emilys books off her desk because shes retarded and its funny so i do it. emily always cries so i get in trouble and my mom comes in a lot. she tells me not to do it again but i do anyway because mom doesnt know what its like to be popular.

my brother doesnt like lizzy and ryan he says they are bad influinses. if he sees me talking to them he always takes me away or brings me back to class. i love my brother but i dont like when he makes me stop talking to them. sometimes when things happen to me i dont like i get really mad. when i get mad i hurt myself because it makes the bad feelings go away. theres a spot on the wall in the tv room that is a different color than the rest because i hit my head there. mom tells me not to do it but i do it anyway. i dont know why i do it anyway. when i have bad days i can hear mom cry in her room. on really bad days mom and adam have to put the straps around my arms so i dont hit my face. my left ear is puffy and is called colliflower because of the veggie. i did that when i was 12.

when i get home i touch the bike and the big box.  after i open and close my toy chest.  mom knows i have to do this so she lets me.  i put my legos in lines.  it goes green blue purple red orange yellow.  when the cat pushes the legos i tell mom but she says its the cats fault.  i dont like the cat.

according to the principal helper adam shouldn’t have to take care of me as much as he does. i tell her he doesnt take care of me he just loves me and likes to be around me. she says i should think about what i do more because its not fair to adam. she says thats what lizzy and ryan would do.

i said there my friends and id probably do the same thing as them.

but mom and her talked and said i need to be more like an adult because im different.

emily phillips is different not me.

 

more by TYLER CLIFTON

photograph by Annie Spratt

Image Curve’s Manifesto