Sherlock Dork
“So Dad, has Mollie told you about her new boyfriend?”
“SAM! He is NOT my boyfriend!”
Not only was James Castle not my boyfriend, he wasn’t even a friend of mine. My brother Sam begged to differ…on multiple occasions. The second I told him about what James had done for me, he couldn’t wait to go all blabber mouth about it to our dad. Not that my dad cared all that much about me having a boyfriend, but I knew he would get all mushy and tease me till the end of my days. Sometimes, at that age, I wished my dad would be like any normal protective father and respond with a, “MOLLIE ELIZABETH PARKER! I FORBID YOU TO EVER LEAVE THIS HOUSE AGAIN! WHERE DOES THIS BOY LIVE? I’M GOING TO KILL HIM!” But no, I was the one girl in human existence whose father responded like this:
“Aw! Sweetheart, that’s fantastic! What’s his name? Is he cute or whatever? Have you gone on a date yet?”
I stared at my dad in disbelief. What type of father of a young, middle school girl responds like that?!?!
“Daddy, isn’t this the part where you’re supposed to ground me or tell me that boys are devils just out to steal my soul or something?” I asked.
“Oh hush,” he said, rubbing the top of my head with his tough, callused hand. He grabbed a few more homemade ornaments out of a cardboard box on the floor labeled “XMAS DECORATIONS” and began placing them on the tree. “Now tell me,” he said, curiosity filling his voice. “Who is this boy Sam seems so dead set on convincing us is your boyfriend?”
I picked up a few ornaments and carefully began filling the empty spaces in the Christmas tree. “His name’s James Castle. He just transferred to the Academy.”
He leaned in closer, waiting for something else. I ignored his gaze, keeping my focus on putting a candy cane here and a snowman there.
“Aaaaand…” prodded Dad.
“Aaaaand nothing!” I shouted. “That’s it. The end. Fine. Fin.”
“Did you tell Dad what he did for you?” interrupted Sam as he came from the kitchen with a plate of sugar cookies and a glass of milk. Oh how I wanted to shove one of those cookies in his mouth. Anything to make him shut up.
“I did not Sam, but thank you oh so very much for reminding me,” I said, over emphasizing my obvious sarcasm.
“Oh! He did something for you?”
Dad was way too excited to release me into the pack of wolves that were boys. You would have thought that he was getting a cow from this whole business.
“Did he sweep you off your feet, Honey? Did he perform some grand gesture to show you how much he loves you? Is he romaaaaantic?”
“HE’S A DORK!” I exploded at the top of my lungs. “HE’S THE NERDIEST BOY I’VE EVER MET!”
Sam burst into a fit of laughter, sugar cookie bits flying out of his mouth in all different directions.
“This…is…t-t-too…f-f-funny! Mol has a n-n-nerd for a stalker!” Sam could barely breathe, let alone talk.
“Aw, Mollie, I’m sure he isn’t that bad,” said Dad. “What could he possibly have done?”
“You don’t wanna know, Daddy.” My cheeks were crimson. I just wanted to be locked way in my room forever. God help me if I ever had to face James Castle again…
“Actually I would love to hear it.” He sat me down on the couch. “Tell me.”
And so I did…
“SAM! He is NOT my boyfriend!”
Not only was James Castle not my boyfriend, he wasn’t even a friend of mine. My brother Sam begged to differ…on multiple occasions. The second I told him about what James had done for me, he couldn’t wait to go all blabber mouth about it to our dad. Not that my dad cared all that much about me having a boyfriend, but I knew he would get all mushy and tease me till the end of my days. Sometimes, at that age, I wished my dad would be like any normal protective father and respond with a, “MOLLIE ELIZABETH PARKER! I FORBID YOU TO EVER LEAVE THIS HOUSE AGAIN! WHERE DOES THIS BOY LIVE? I’M GOING TO KILL HIM!” But no, I was the one girl in human existence whose father responded like this:
“Aw! Sweetheart, that’s fantastic! What’s his name? Is he cute or whatever? Have you gone on a date yet?”
I stared at my dad in disbelief. What type of father of a young, middle school girl responds like that?!?!
“Daddy, isn’t this the part where you’re supposed to ground me or tell me that boys are devils just out to steal my soul or something?” I asked.
“Oh hush,” he said, rubbing the top of my head with his tough, callused hand. He grabbed a few more homemade ornaments out of a cardboard box on the floor labeled “XMAS DECORATIONS” and began placing them on the tree. “Now tell me,” he said, curiosity filling his voice. “Who is this boy Sam seems so dead set on convincing us is your boyfriend?”
I picked up a few ornaments and carefully began filling the empty spaces in the Christmas tree. “His name’s James Castle. He just transferred to the Academy.”
He leaned in closer, waiting for something else. I ignored his gaze, keeping my focus on putting a candy cane here and a snowman there.
“Aaaaand…” prodded Dad.
“Aaaaand nothing!” I shouted. “That’s it. The end. Fine. Fin.”
“Did you tell Dad what he did for you?” interrupted Sam as he came from the kitchen with a plate of sugar cookies and a glass of milk. Oh how I wanted to shove one of those cookies in his mouth. Anything to make him shut up.
“I did not Sam, but thank you oh so very much for reminding me,” I said, over emphasizing my obvious sarcasm.
“Oh! He did something for you?”
Dad was way too excited to release me into the pack of wolves that were boys. You would have thought that he was getting a cow from this whole business.
“Did he sweep you off your feet, Honey? Did he perform some grand gesture to show you how much he loves you? Is he romaaaaantic?”
“HE’S A DORK!” I exploded at the top of my lungs. “HE’S THE NERDIEST BOY I’VE EVER MET!”
Sam burst into a fit of laughter, sugar cookie bits flying out of his mouth in all different directions.
“This…is…t-t-too…f-f-funny! Mol has a n-n-nerd for a stalker!” Sam could barely breathe, let alone talk.
“Aw, Mollie, I’m sure he isn’t that bad,” said Dad. “What could he possibly have done?”
“You don’t wanna know, Daddy.” My cheeks were crimson. I just wanted to be locked way in my room forever. God help me if I ever had to face James Castle again…
“Actually I would love to hear it.” He sat me down on the couch. “Tell me.”
And so I did…
. . .
It was two weeks after James’ first day at the Academy and he seemed to be fitting in fairly well. After our first encounter with each other, we didn’t interact much. He had found a couple of other Writers to stick with, while I clung to my small group of Musicians. Even though we stood apart from one another, there were moments where I would catch him stealing glances in my direction. For some reason he seemed drawn to me. In a way it really creeped me out, but I couldn’t help but notice that he had a certain cuteness about him that none of the other boys at the Academy had. His short, black hair was always messed up, like he had just woken up and his glasses gave him a look that said, “I am one smartass kid, don’t mess with me.”
His somewhat cuteness aside, there was no doubt that James and I had a certain connection that I didn’t understand. Wherever my group and I went, I would see him slightly off in the distance, his trusty little black composition notebook at his side, scribbling Lord knows what into it.
The day that the incident took place was like any other day. It was lunchtime and I was sitting outside on the front lawn with my best friends Zooey, Jojo, and Lenny. Only two of the three listed were humans; the third, Lenny, being my most cherished possession, my acoustic guitar. I took it everywhere I went. Its sunburst body and dark cherry wood neck often made me swoon. I had wished for the longest time that Lenny would turn into a boy and we would run off together and play music forever…it never happened.
Zooey, Jojo, and I sat in a triangle on the grass as the sun shined unusually bright for mid-December above us.
“Personally I think Jim Morrison was one of the hottest men to ever walk the face of the Earth,” said Zooey nonchalantly as she stretched her long legs out in front of her.
“No way,” I retaliated. “That title belongs to John Lennon. Hands down. That man was beautiful.”
“Oh whatever Mollie, you only say that because you’re a Beatles freak,” said Jojo as she picked at the grass that lay in the middle of us.
“Correction, Jojo, I am a John Lennon freak. I love all things John Lennon, and yes, consequently that is the Beatles as well!”
“Did you know that John Lennon started out by writing poems when he was a kid before he started writing songs?” said a voice from behind me.
I turned and looked at who the voice belonged to.
It was James.
“Um, yeah I did know that actually,” I answered.
“Oh, okay,” he said, and then walked away.
That was it. He came, he spoke, and then he walked away. It was a walk by questioning. Who does that?! James Castle, that was who.
“Wow, what was that all about?” laughed Zooey. “That kid is a total creeper! You know he has the hots for you, right Mollie?”
“Oh please don’t remind me, Zooey.” I watched as he kept on walking in the distance, one hand swaying next to his side as it carried his composition notebook. As I was lost in this little Castle-trance, the bell rang signaling for us to go to class. If only I would have paid better attention at this moment, then I would have been spared a whole lot of embarrassment and ridicule.
As Zooey, Jojo, and I walked to class I kept looking towards James as he walked slowly with a couple of other boys, the last ones out in the field in front of the Academy. It was at this point that I remembered I had forgotten something very important to me.
“I forgot Lenny, guys! Wait up for me, okay?”
“Mollie,” said Jojo with a slight inflection of anxiety. “We’re gonna be late as it is. Just leave him out there. He’ll be fine.”
“Jojo! I can’t leave him! I’ll be right back!”
I took off like a speeding bullet to the place where we had been sitting before the bell rang. I needed to grab Lenny and rush back before the bell rang again. But the most terrible thing happened when I got to the space we had been at…Lenny was gone. All that was left was a faint outline of where he was laying before we left.
In that moment, I felt my world crumbling down. You may be thinking to yourself, “Oh Mollie, it’s just a guitar, you could have gotten another one.” But no, I couldn’t just get another guitar. I wanted Lenny. Lenny was my guitar. He was the only guitar I wanted. No other could replace him. Tears slowly started making their way down my cheeks. I had lost Lenny. I left him, and it was all because of James Castle…
“Do you need any help,” asked a voice from behind me. It was James again.
“Go away James! Please just leave me alone, okay?” I was devastated and it was all of this boy’s fault.
“I think I can help you Mollie. I’d like to help you if you let me.”
“James, please. It’s nice of you. But he’s gone. Okay? Lenny’s gone forever. And it’s all my stupid fault…” I put my head down and brushed past him, bumping into his arm a little too forceful to be mistaken for an accident. I walked back up the steps to the front of the Academy, walked through the door, and went to class.
I couldn’t think straight during my next class. I couldn’t think at all. My favorite thing in the whole entire world was gone, and I’d never get it back.
“Pssst,” I heard from behind me. It was Zooey. “Were you able to get Lenny in time?”
I looked back at her and gave her “the look.” That, combined with my growing blood shot eyes, was enough to tell her that I hadn’t.
“I’m sorry Mol’,” she said, putting her hand on my shoulder.
“Sorry isn’t going to bring him back Zooey, so just save it okay?” She sighed and sat back in her chair.
Just when I had sunk to my absolute lowest, the door to the classroom opened up. Standing in the doorway was one very stinky and trash covered James Castle…holding Lenny.
I didn’t think much about my actions. Seeing Lenny right there, still intact and barely a scratch on him made me fling myself out of my seat and towards James. I grabbed Lenny from him and held my poor guitar in my arms. The next thing I knew, my arms were flung around James Castle and I was hugging him tight.
“Thank you so much James. You don’t know how much this means to me…” I said softly to him.
“I told you I could help you out,” he replied.
“Where did you find him?”
“Excuse me! But we are trying to have class here, Miss Parker. Will you please take your seat,” barked Mrs. Lawson. “I am happy to see you found your guitar, but please sit back down.”
James and I completely ignored her.
“He was in the trash. I guess a janitor went out there right after you guys left and thought that it was trash since you just left it there.”
“So…” I was thinking of what he had to do to get it. “You had to…”
“It is really elementary, my dear Mollie,” answered James, his smile beaming with satisfaction. “Seeing as I have read all of the Sherlock Holmes novels, I used my wonderful deduction skills to trace a path…”
“Wow, and you just completely ruined it with that.” I laughed. “Please just tell me in normal English.”
“Oh.” He looked slightly hurt by his not being able to go into detail. “I jumped in the trash to get it.”
And that’s when it began.
“OoOoO, James jumped in the trash for Mollie!”
“Do you have the hots for her James?!”
“Why don’t you make her your girlfriend?!”
“Say yes to him Mollie! Say yes! You two would make such a good couple!”
All hell broke loose. Mrs. Lawson lost all control, and the demonic children that were my classmates had taken over.
From that point on, I could not face James Castle again. The threat of humiliation was always there. With every look from him that came my way, there was always somebody ready to make a scene about it.
I guess you could say that moment had a lasting effect on me.
It was on that day that I swore to myself I would never, in a million years, be James Castle’s girlfriend.
His somewhat cuteness aside, there was no doubt that James and I had a certain connection that I didn’t understand. Wherever my group and I went, I would see him slightly off in the distance, his trusty little black composition notebook at his side, scribbling Lord knows what into it.
The day that the incident took place was like any other day. It was lunchtime and I was sitting outside on the front lawn with my best friends Zooey, Jojo, and Lenny. Only two of the three listed were humans; the third, Lenny, being my most cherished possession, my acoustic guitar. I took it everywhere I went. Its sunburst body and dark cherry wood neck often made me swoon. I had wished for the longest time that Lenny would turn into a boy and we would run off together and play music forever…it never happened.
Zooey, Jojo, and I sat in a triangle on the grass as the sun shined unusually bright for mid-December above us.
“Personally I think Jim Morrison was one of the hottest men to ever walk the face of the Earth,” said Zooey nonchalantly as she stretched her long legs out in front of her.
“No way,” I retaliated. “That title belongs to John Lennon. Hands down. That man was beautiful.”
“Oh whatever Mollie, you only say that because you’re a Beatles freak,” said Jojo as she picked at the grass that lay in the middle of us.
“Correction, Jojo, I am a John Lennon freak. I love all things John Lennon, and yes, consequently that is the Beatles as well!”
“Did you know that John Lennon started out by writing poems when he was a kid before he started writing songs?” said a voice from behind me.
I turned and looked at who the voice belonged to.
It was James.
“Um, yeah I did know that actually,” I answered.
“Oh, okay,” he said, and then walked away.
That was it. He came, he spoke, and then he walked away. It was a walk by questioning. Who does that?! James Castle, that was who.
“Wow, what was that all about?” laughed Zooey. “That kid is a total creeper! You know he has the hots for you, right Mollie?”
“Oh please don’t remind me, Zooey.” I watched as he kept on walking in the distance, one hand swaying next to his side as it carried his composition notebook. As I was lost in this little Castle-trance, the bell rang signaling for us to go to class. If only I would have paid better attention at this moment, then I would have been spared a whole lot of embarrassment and ridicule.
As Zooey, Jojo, and I walked to class I kept looking towards James as he walked slowly with a couple of other boys, the last ones out in the field in front of the Academy. It was at this point that I remembered I had forgotten something very important to me.
“I forgot Lenny, guys! Wait up for me, okay?”
“Mollie,” said Jojo with a slight inflection of anxiety. “We’re gonna be late as it is. Just leave him out there. He’ll be fine.”
“Jojo! I can’t leave him! I’ll be right back!”
I took off like a speeding bullet to the place where we had been sitting before the bell rang. I needed to grab Lenny and rush back before the bell rang again. But the most terrible thing happened when I got to the space we had been at…Lenny was gone. All that was left was a faint outline of where he was laying before we left.
In that moment, I felt my world crumbling down. You may be thinking to yourself, “Oh Mollie, it’s just a guitar, you could have gotten another one.” But no, I couldn’t just get another guitar. I wanted Lenny. Lenny was my guitar. He was the only guitar I wanted. No other could replace him. Tears slowly started making their way down my cheeks. I had lost Lenny. I left him, and it was all because of James Castle…
“Do you need any help,” asked a voice from behind me. It was James again.
“Go away James! Please just leave me alone, okay?” I was devastated and it was all of this boy’s fault.
“I think I can help you Mollie. I’d like to help you if you let me.”
“James, please. It’s nice of you. But he’s gone. Okay? Lenny’s gone forever. And it’s all my stupid fault…” I put my head down and brushed past him, bumping into his arm a little too forceful to be mistaken for an accident. I walked back up the steps to the front of the Academy, walked through the door, and went to class.
I couldn’t think straight during my next class. I couldn’t think at all. My favorite thing in the whole entire world was gone, and I’d never get it back.
“Pssst,” I heard from behind me. It was Zooey. “Were you able to get Lenny in time?”
I looked back at her and gave her “the look.” That, combined with my growing blood shot eyes, was enough to tell her that I hadn’t.
“I’m sorry Mol’,” she said, putting her hand on my shoulder.
“Sorry isn’t going to bring him back Zooey, so just save it okay?” She sighed and sat back in her chair.
Just when I had sunk to my absolute lowest, the door to the classroom opened up. Standing in the doorway was one very stinky and trash covered James Castle…holding Lenny.
I didn’t think much about my actions. Seeing Lenny right there, still intact and barely a scratch on him made me fling myself out of my seat and towards James. I grabbed Lenny from him and held my poor guitar in my arms. The next thing I knew, my arms were flung around James Castle and I was hugging him tight.
“Thank you so much James. You don’t know how much this means to me…” I said softly to him.
“I told you I could help you out,” he replied.
“Where did you find him?”
“Excuse me! But we are trying to have class here, Miss Parker. Will you please take your seat,” barked Mrs. Lawson. “I am happy to see you found your guitar, but please sit back down.”
James and I completely ignored her.
“He was in the trash. I guess a janitor went out there right after you guys left and thought that it was trash since you just left it there.”
“So…” I was thinking of what he had to do to get it. “You had to…”
“It is really elementary, my dear Mollie,” answered James, his smile beaming with satisfaction. “Seeing as I have read all of the Sherlock Holmes novels, I used my wonderful deduction skills to trace a path…”
“Wow, and you just completely ruined it with that.” I laughed. “Please just tell me in normal English.”
“Oh.” He looked slightly hurt by his not being able to go into detail. “I jumped in the trash to get it.”
And that’s when it began.
“OoOoO, James jumped in the trash for Mollie!”
“Do you have the hots for her James?!”
“Why don’t you make her your girlfriend?!”
“Say yes to him Mollie! Say yes! You two would make such a good couple!”
All hell broke loose. Mrs. Lawson lost all control, and the demonic children that were my classmates had taken over.
From that point on, I could not face James Castle again. The threat of humiliation was always there. With every look from him that came my way, there was always somebody ready to make a scene about it.
I guess you could say that moment had a lasting effect on me.
It was on that day that I swore to myself I would never, in a million years, be James Castle’s girlfriend.
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