stand by me

Corey Feldman's face shown on the 24 inch TV. I told John, my younger brother, that this was the fifth time he had seen Stand By Me. He didn't seem to care. He just continued on watching it pretty unaffected by my comment. I walked passed him sitting in the old ratty chair, making sure to slow down when I was in between him and the TV. He threw the remote at me as I passed. I just picked up the remote and switched the TV off as I ran to the couch where my little sister lay sleeping under one of those knitted blankets that had all the holes in it. I never got those blankets. John didn't flinch as the TV zapped off. I watched him as I snuggled up next to Jess under the holy blanket. She was only 4 years old so she just accepted my intrusive move, and slid a little over for me. John got up from the chair, which squeaked in protest. He slowly walked over to the couch. I held the remote firmly in my hand under the blanket. You could see it through the holes. He stopped right in front of the couch so his thighs touched the edge of the cushions. I asked him what he wanted. He nodded his head and told me that he doesn't need the remote or the TV to really watch Stand By Me. I said that he was weird and pretended to fall asleep, laying my head on Jess's head and snoring exaggeratedly. When I opened my eyes he had disappeared from the room. I got up disturbing Jess once again. She asked me what I was doing. I told her that we are playing hide and go seek and that we are gonna find John. Her blonde hair fell over her smile as she sat up. She exclaimed that she loved hide a seek, as she called it. She yawned and asked me what I was waiting for and grabbed the bottom of my shirt helping me along. I called John's name out. Jess said shhhh spitting a little as she said it, and told me that that is cheating and if he says what to me that we will know where he is. I had forgot that I had told her we were playing hide and seek. I had the remote in my hand still and set it on the kitchen counter as we passed the refrigerator. Jess was looking in all the cabinets and under the table. She was saying that she knows all the good spots to hide in this house. I was just following her waiting to see what John was up to and I knew he wasn't a part of this hide and seek game that Jess and I were playing. Jess told me to start helping her look and that we shouild split up. I told her that she is a smart girl and headed upstairs. I could hear the openeing and closing of various doors and cupboards as I stomped up the stiars. Jess loves hide and seek way to much. I assumed that John went to his oh so dear room. He spent a lot of time in there over the past year. He had just turned 12 so I thought it was some boy needing to be alone puberty thing. I hadn't even seen the inside of his room in quite a while, and everytime I got close he would throw something at me or yell at me for invading his privacy. We got along much better as younger kids. I was 15 and he was 12. We didn't have much in common anymore except for Jess. She was the always a mediator. We both played with her and loved her. Just as we were playing hide and seek now. Just a twisted version of it where the hider doesnt know he is being seeked. I got to his door and, of course, it was closed. I knocked and said his name. I heard Jess yell no cheating with her sweet voice. I put my ear to the white door and listened for him. I said his name again quieter this time so Jess wouldn't accuse me of cheating again. I heard some rustling so I knew he was in there. I heard Jess running up the stairs. She saw me when she got to the top of the stairs down the hall and said my name as if she was my mother. Jess said hey you just standing there! She pointed her finger as she ran towards me and said I have been doing all the work while you just stand here looking like a goober. I told her that I think he is in here and pointed to the white door. She said well lets go in. Jess pushed open the door but it stopped about an inch after opening. John, Jess yelled, let us in, no fair you can't block a hiding space! Am I the only one who doesn't cheat in this game. She laughed at her own joke and told me to help her push the door. We both planned to pushed on the count of Jess's well thought 3. She counted one, two, and threeeeeeeee! We heaved against the door but it didn't budge. Our mom came from downstairs and asked us what we were up to. Jess said that we were playing a real unfair game of hide and seek and pointed like I did before to the white now an inch open door. My mom said to leave John alone. Mom, Jess whined, we are playing a game! My mom told Jess to stop whining then called out John's name. When he didn't respond she knocked on the door and attempted to push the door open. I told her that something was blocking it from opening further. She yelled a little sterner this time and told John to open the door now. When nothing happened my mom looked a little puzzled. Jess giggled and said that maybe he is really in the bathroom and we are calling to the wrong room. I grabbed her and hugged her with one hand and asked my mom if she even has been in his room lately. My mom looked flustered and began to pound the door. John! Let me in this is not funny anymore. She was yelling pretty loudly and Jess gripped me a little tighter with her small hands. After about ten poundings the door gave way. It flung open and whatever was holding it there also flung away from the door and made a loud crashing noise. We watched as the door slowly bounced back. My mother stormed into the room looking ready to really give it to my brother. He would be grounded forever I was guessing. When she was about 5 feet in her mad face immediately turned into a look of horror. Her put her hands up to her face and was looking around everywhere with that look on her face, like she was going to puke. Mom? I asked. Go get your dad, go get him, your dad. She was talking to Jess. Jess started to ask why, but my mom said to just go. I asked my mom what was going on as I was walking into the room. I saw piles of clothes and dirty dishes on the floor and had to kinda maneuver around them to reach my mom half way into the room. Then I saw it; I saw what my mom was looking at. My brother was in the corner on the left side of his disheveled room facing the wall. He had a thick marker in his hand and was writing on the wall. I looked around at the walls. It looked like tons and tons of black writing all over the walls. Even the ceiling was covered. Millions of millions of words were scribbled all over. You couldn't see the white walls anymore, just in small areas, like the corners of the room. I told John to stop it. It seemed as if he was deaf or had no idea that we were there. I looked back at my mom and she just looked the same: her hands up at her face. I wish she would just puke already. Just then my dad ran into the room with Jess behind him looking confused. He saw right away what was going on and told my mom to call Doctor Shill. I wondered who doctor Shill was but I knew that I would not get an answer from any of my parents. My mom brushed passed me and told me to take Jess to the park. My dad was trying to get to my brother, wading through all the weird stuff he had on the floor. My dad told me to leave right now. As I was grabbing Jess my brother turned around and smiled at me. He said I told you. It kinda freaked me out so I just pulled Jess from the dank room. As I walked by the scribbled lining the way to the door I caught a word in the mess. It read "Stand". As I walked to the park with my little sister gripping my hand I was feeling like maybe I should have never turned the TV off.