The Dream Doers and the Summer of Secrets begins on the last day of sixth grade for Alex and Tyler. But in today’s Behind the Scenes Webisode, Parent Profile Edition, we’re going to go waaaay waaaay waaaay behind the scenes to give you a chance to get to know…Alex’s dad!

This Parent Profile Series continued last week with Alex’s mom, Anna Wilkins. Today, we meet Alex’s dad, Rick Wilkins.

*****

Rick grew up in Boone, North Carolina. He didn’t have any brothers or sisters, but he did have a wild imagination. He loved to read when he wasn’t doing outdoorsy stuff like hiking, skiing, snowboarding, rock climbing and camping with his dad.

His mother home-schooled him until his senior year of high school when some friends from church encouraged him to go to public school with them so they could all graduate together.

Then he decided to tryout for the basketball team even though he had never played the game before.

Being strong, lean, athletic and quick, he picked up on the sport right away. He broke his school’s single season scoring record and earned a full-ride basketball scholarship to college.

In his four years of playing, he broke the school’s records in scoring, rebounds, steals and assists. His ability to focus completely on the task at hand combined with his natural athletic talent is what made him so successful on the basketball court.

He also graduated with a business degree at the top of his class and was a natural leader. People loved being around him because of his quiet strength and humble spirit.

He had several job offers to consider after graduating, but he wasn’t sure which job to take. So he took his dog and went for a month-long hike along the Appalachian Trail to give him some time to think about his options.

On the journey back and one day’s hike from home, a thunderstorm came through an hour before dark, just before he saw the accident happen.

Four women were up ahead of him on a steep part of the trail. Two of them were fighting over a water bottle. When one jerked it away from the other, the one woman fell over the edge onto a ledge twenty-five feet below the trail.

Instead of trying to help her, her friends ran away, right into Rick. They stopped long enough to tell him what happened and then kept running.

As the thunder rumbled, the lightening flashed and the rain poured down, he tied a rope around a tree and rappelled down to the ledge where the woman had fallen.

She remained conscious long enough to tell him her name was Anna and passed out. He simply covered her with his body until the storm passed, then lifted both of them up and carried her to safety.

Once Rick got Anna to the hospital, she had surgery to put pins in her crushed right arm and broken left leg. Rick stayed with her the three weeks she was in intensive care and reunited her with her parents.

They got married a year later, after Rick accepted a job teaching high school English in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

After becoming the parents of one girl and four boys, Rick and Anna didn’t plan on having any more kids. Then a surprise number six came along.

They named her Alexandria Jean Wilkins, one of the main characters in The Dream Doers and the Summer of Secrets.

*****

Tune in to next week’s “Behind the Scenes” webisode to learn more about Ben Davis, the dad of Alex’s best friend Tyler.

To Your Dreams,
Bonnie Jean

P.S. In case you haven’t yet been in front of the scenes of The Dream Doers series, it starts with The Dream Doers and the Summer of Secrets. In this young adult novel, best friends Alex and Tyler are forced to battle bullies, face their fears and keep strange secrets the summer they learn to do what they dream. You can hear the whole “Front of the Scenes” story for FREE. Just visit TheDreamDoers.com and fill out a super short form. Enjoy the story!

The Dream Doers and the Summer of Secrets begins on the last day of sixth grade for Alex and Tyler. But in today’s Behind the Scenes Webisode, Parent Profile Edition, we’re going to go waaaay waaaay waaaay behind the scenes to give you a chance to get to know…Alex’s mom!

This Parent Profile Series started last week with Tyler’s mom, Rachel Davis. Today, we meet Alex’s mom, Anna Wilkins.

*****

Anna was born and raised on a farm in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Her two older brothers and one younger sister and Anna all had chores they had to do every day to help out on the farm.

Her brothers and sister didn’t mind the hard work, but Anna hated it. She was the “rebel” in the family who also hated going to church and going to school. She wanted to make her own choices, live her own life and chase her own dreams.

Her big dream was to be a supermodel. She didn’t care what she had to do or who she had to hurt to make her dream happen. So at age 16, she stole money from her parents and ran away to New York City.

She made up a new name for herself, told everyone she was 18, dyed her hair from brown to blonde and cut it from waist length to just below her shoulder blades.

At her third modeling audition, Anna caught the big break she needed to succeed: a modeling agent discovered her, signed her to a two-year-contract and arranged for her to live in a nice apartment with a few other models.

For two years, Anna lived the life of glamour she always dreamed of. But the life of glamour she imagined wasn’t as fulfilling as she thought it would be. The worst part was having to constantly lie about her name and age and true identity.

Nobody knew who she really was, and she missed her family. Only she felt too guilty about the way she left to ever return home. She was afraid they wouldn’t want her back.

Since she couldn’t return home, she wanted to do something that made her feel connected to her family. If she had stayed at home, her father would have taken her on a two-week backpacking trip along the Appalachian Trail when she graduated high school.

In May of what would have been her senior year of high school, she decided to take that trip and convinced three friends to go with her.

They had been on the trail for eleven days when the accident happened. One of her friends ran out of water and tried to take Anna’s water bottle from her. They fought for control of the water bottle on a very steep part of the trail.

As Anna’s friend jerked the bottle away from her, Anna lost her balance and fell over the edge onto a ledge twenty-five feet below the trail.

Instead of trying to help her, her friends ran away, scared they’d killed her.

Fortunately, they ran into another hiker on the trail and told him what happened before continuing their escape.

The hiker’s name was Rick Wilkins, known in The Dream Doers and the Summer of Secrets as Alex’s dad.

*****

Tune in to next week’s “Behind the Scenes” webisode, to learn more about Rick Wilkins, how he rescued Anna and why they got married and raised their family in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

To Your Dreams,
Bonnie Jean

P.S. In case you haven’t yet been in front of the scenes of The Dream Doers series, it starts with The Dream Doers and the Summer of Secrets. In this young adult novel, best friends Alex and Tyler are forced to battle bullies, face their fears and keep strange secrets the summer they learn to do what they dream. You can hear the whole “Front of the Scenes” story for FREE. Just visit TheDreamDoers.com and fill out a super short form. Enjoy the story!

The Dream Doers and the Summer of Secrets begins on the last day of sixth grade for Alex and Tyler. Last week we finished a short, behind-the-scenes series of the first day of kindergarten Alex and Tyler.

But today and for the next few weeks, we’re going to go even farther back to before they were even born. Yup. That’s right. Starting today, you’re going to get to know…their parents!

This parent profile series begins with Tyler’s mom, Rachel Davis.

*****

Rachel grew up in Buford, Georgia as the middle child of three girls. All three girls loved to dance ballet, shop anytime they had the chance and play the piano.

Her big dream was to work as a nurse and to be a mom of three girls so she could teach them about ballet, shopping and playing the piano.

Only things didn’t work out quite the way she planned.

She made it to college in Illinois, but she didn’t get in to the nursing school of that college after her freshman year. Too many other people with better grades than her applied. When she realized her big dream to be a nurse wasn’t going to happen, she dropped out of school altogether.

If she couldn’t get a degree in nursing, she didn’t want to get a degree at all. But she didn’t want to tell her parents she had quit school, so she stayed in Illinois and got a job as a receptionist in a doctor’s office.

That’s how she met Ben Davis.

He was one of the doctor’s patients and came in for stitches after he tripped and cut his arm while playing paintball.

Long story short, Ben and Rachel got married. When she got pregnant with Tyler, she thought she was going to finally be able to live her other big dream of being a mom of three girls.

Only Tyler wasn’t a girl. Neither were his twin brothers.

She still loved being a mom and loves her boys very much, but she learned to believe that big dreams don’t come true. Especially since Ben’s big dream didn’t come true, either. (I’ll introduce you to him and his big dream in a few weeks.)

So when Tyler tells her about his big dream to be a pitcher for the Chicago Cubs, she wants to protect him from being disappointed if he can’t make his dream come true. That’s why she tries to steer him away from dreaming about being a baseball pitcher and get him interested in more practical things.

She’s afraid Tyler’s big dreams will die the way hers did. The problem she sees is that his dreams are bigger than hers ever were. If they don’t come true for him, she believes he’ll be more devastated than she ever was.

The bigger Tyler dreams, the more worried she becomes.

Will he be able to show her that big dreams can come true? (You’ll have to read The Dream Doers and the Summer of Secrets plus future books in the series to find out!)

*****

In next week’s “Behind the Scenes” webisode, we’ll meet Alex’s mom. She was a bit of a wild child, and you’ll never guess how she met Alex’s dad. So stay tuned!

To Your Dreams,
Bonnie Jean

P.S. In case you haven’t yet been in front of the scenes of The Dream Doers series, it starts with The Dream Doers and the Summer of Secrets. In this young adult novel, best friends Alex and Tyler are forced to battle bullies, face their fears and keep strange secrets the summer they learn to do what they dream. You can hear the whole “Front of the Scenes” story for FREE. Just visit TheDreamDoers.com and fill out a super short form. Enjoy the story!

The Dream Doers and the Summer of Secrets begins on the last day of sixth grade for Alex and Tyler and class bully Zach. But today’s flashback story concludes a short story series of the first day of kindergarten for Alex, Tyler and Zach.

*****

Now Alex had a best friend, too? Zach hated her. He really, really, really hated her.

And he hated her new best friend, too. That boy was going to listen to Alex, not him. Now he had two people to deal with.

Zach had to teach that Tyler kid a lesson. What could he do to get Tyler in trouble?

Hmmm…he could tell the teacher Tyler hit him. That would work. First, though, he had to get Anson and Clay to go along with him.

“Anson, Clay,” Zach said, “you saw how mean that boy was to me, right?”

“Yeah,” Anson said. “I don’t like him.”

“Me either,” Clay said.

“He was really mean when he hit me,” Zach said.

Anson cocked his head. “He didn’t hit you Zach.”

“Yes, he did.” Zach put his hands on Anson’s shoulders and looked into his eyes. “He slapped my face. Remember?”

“I remember,” Clay said. “He just stepped right up and slapped you. Why did he slap you again?”

“Because…” Zach had to think for a second. Then he remembered all the Cubs clothes Tyler was wearing. That gave him an idea. “Because I said I liked the Braves. That made him mad because he likes the Cubs.”

“Right, right.” Anson nodded. “I remember now.”

Zach smiled. “Good. You guys gotta back me up when I tell my mom. Just like usual.”

“Got it,” they both said.

Zach squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed the back of his eyelids. Cry, cry, cry, he told himself.

He slapped his face and the tears watered his eyes. He was ready.

Zach turned around and ran across the room to his mom. “Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! That boy just hit me!”

“Zach, sweetie,” his mom said, hugging him, “who his you?”

“That boy.” He pointed to Tyler. “I said something about liking the Braves, and he just slapped me in the face. I didn’t mean to make him mad.”

“It’s true,” Anson said.

“Yup,” Clay agreed. “We saw the whole thing.”

“Now he’s talking to Alex,” Zach said. “He might hit her, too.”

“Alex’s mom is right over there. Let’s go let her know.”

Zach, Anson and Clay all followed Zach’s mom to the doorway where Mrs. Wilkins was talking to some lady Zach didn’t recognize.

“Is everything all right, Sue?” Alex’s mom asked when she saw them.

“No, I don’t think so. The boy who’s talking to your daughter just hit my son.”

“Tyler?” The lady Zach didn’t know spoke. “That’s my boy. Tyler wouldn’t hit anybody.”

“Zach wouldn’t just make things up. Look.” His mom put her hand on his cheek. “His cheek is still red from getting slapped.”

The lady frowned, then called Tyler over. Alex came with him.

“Guess what, mommy,” Tyler said as he ran up to them. “Alex is my new best friend!”

“That’s great Tyler,” his mom said, “but I need to talk to you about something else.”

“What?”

“Did you hit this boy?”

“Hit him? No. I just told him to leave Alex alone. He was making her cry.”

“She was already crying,” Zach said, sniffing. “I was just trying to cheer her up. Then you came over and asked if I liked the Cubs. I said I liked the Braves and you hit me.”

“I did not!” Tyler screamed.

“Yes, he did,” Anson and Clay both said.

Then Alex had to talk. “He’s lying. That’s not what happened at all.”

Zach wailed. “She called me a liar, mommy. I’m not a liar.”

“I know, sweetie,” his mom said, putting her arm around him. “I believe you. I think we need to take this matter up with the teacher. All you kids come with me.”

Zach smiled. He was back in control.

*****

That concludes this flashback story. But it’s only the beginning of the kinds of stories you’ll read in future editions “Behind the Scenes of The Dream Doers Series.” So stay tuned!

To Your Dreams,
Bonnie Jean

P.S. In case you haven’t yet been in front of the scenes of The Dream Doers series, it starts with The Dream Doers and the Summer of Secrets. In this young adult novel, best friends Alex and Tyler are forced to battle bullies, face their fears and keep strange secrets the summer they learn to do what they dream. You can hear the whole “Front of the Scenes” story for FREE. Just visit TheDreamDoers.com and fill out a super short form. Enjoy the story!

The Dream Doers and the Summer of Secrets begins on the last day of sixth grade for Alex and Tyler and class bully Zach. But today’s flashback story continues a short series of the first day of kindergarten for Alex, Tyler and Zach.

*****

“Hey! Are you bothering her?” Tyler stepped between him and Zach.

Zach stepped back. “No.” He laughed. “She just looked scared. I came over to cheer her up.”

“She cries a lot,” Anson said, “because she’s a girl.”

Clay spoke up. “Yeah. We just came to tell her she didn’t need to be scared.”

That sounded okay to Tyler. Then he looked at Alex. She was shaking her head no and kept crying.

“We play with little Alex all the time,” Zach said. “We live in the same neighborhood. I’m Zach. This is Clay, and that’s Anson. What’s your name?”

“Tyler.” Tyler crossed his arms and cocked his head. “You were really just trying to cheer her up?”

“Yes. I don’t like to see little Alex cry.”

Tyler decided he didn’t like this Zach kid. Something about him just seemed…mean. Still, what Tyler said next surprised even Tyler. “Well, I don’t like to hear people tell my best friend they’re gonna pinch her and hit her and pull her hair.”

Zach’s face suddenly changed from trying to look nice to looking super mean. “You can’t be her friend,” Zach said. “Alex doesn’t have any friends.”

“She does now,” Tyler said. “So you guys just need to leave her alone, or you’ll have to deal with me, too.”

“Let’s go, Zach.” Anson tugged on Zach’s shoulder.

“He can’t protect you all the time, little Alex,” Zach said to Alex, then went away.

For some reason, though, Alex was still crying. “Did you mean that?” she asked. “I thought you wanted a boy to be your best friend.”

Hmm. He did want a boy to be his best friend because boys liked baseball. Maybe if this girl liked baseball…he’d have to ask. “Do you like baseball?”

“I guess.” Alex sniffed and shrugged. “My brothers play all the time, and I like watching them.”

Tyler nodded once. That was good enough for him. “Okay. You’ll do. We’re best friends. As long as you don’t cry anymore. I can’t have a best friend who cries. We just can’t be best friends if you cry.”

Alex wiped her face and shook her head. “’Kay. I won’t cry anymore at all. Ever. Promise.”

“Good. Let’s go tell our moms we’re best friends!”

*****

This flashback story concludes next week with another edition of “Behind the Scenes of The Dream Doers Series.” So stay tuned!

To Your Dreams,
Bonnie Jean

P.S. In case you haven’t yet been in front of the scenes of The Dream Doers series, it starts with The Dream Doers and the Summer of Secrets. In this young adult novel, best friends Alex and Tyler are forced to battle bullies, face their fears and keep strange secrets the summer they learn to do what they dream. You can hear the whole “Front of the Scenes” story for FREE. Just visit TheDreamDoers.com and fill out a super short form. Enjoy the story!

The Dream Doers and the Summer of Secrets begins on the last day of sixth grade for Alex and Tyler and class bully Zach. But today’s flashback story continues a short series of the first day of kindergarten for Alex, Tyler and Zach.

*****

Alex wanted to make her tears stop, but they kept leaking out of her eyes even when the nice boy with the blonde hair and brown eyes asked her to help him pick out a best friend.

Bad things were going to happen to her once she stepped inside that room. Bad things always happened around Zach.

She followed Tyler into the room anyway. She wished she could be like him. He was happy and excited about school. Whoever he picked to be his best friend was a lucky kid.

She wanted him to pick her, but he was a boy. Boys didn’t have best friends who were girls. And girls didn’t have best friends who were boys. At least that’s what she thought was supposed to be true about friendship.

Tyler would probably pick Zach to be his best friend. Then Zach would make Tyler do all kinds of mean things to her.

School was going to be worse than she thought.

The first thing Alex saw were four girls laughing and coloring at a table.

A boy with glasses was standing between his mom and dad talking to the teacher. Another boy was cry-yelling at his mom because he didn’t want to stay. A few other boys and girls were playing by the toy shelves.

And Zach, Anson and Clay were standing in the back corner of the room whispering and pointing at people.

“Who should I ask to be my best friend?” Tyler asked. “He’s gotta like baseball and he’s gotta be nice, so I don’t think the little kid in the glasses or the one yelling at his mom will work.”

Alex nodded. He was going to pick Zach. She just knew he was going to pick Zach. Then Tyler would never be nice to her again.

Should she warn him about Zach? Maybe this kid would listen.

“Hey,” Tyler said, “what about those three boys in the back? They look pretty cool.”

“No!” Alex swallowed. “I mean, um, I wouldn’t ask any of those boys, especially the blonde one. They live in our neighborhood. They’re not as nice as they look.”

“Really? Okay. I trust you.”

“You do?”

“Sure. What about that boy in the orange shirt that just walked in?”

“I don’t know him. He’d probably make a good best friend.”

“I’m gonna go ask. Thanks!”

Tyler ran over to the boy and shook his hand. Alex sighed. It looked like Tyler just found his new best friend.

“Little Alex. All alone.”

Alex choked back more tears at the sound of Zach’s whispered voice in her ear. The torture was starting. She turned her back on Tyler and faced Zach.

“What do you want, Zach?”

“I want you to do whatever I say.”

“Just leave me alone.” Her bottom lip trembled. She didn’t want to cry in front of Zach.

“Aw. Is little Alex scared? Are you gonna cry?”

Tears spilled down her cheeks.

Zach laughed. “It doesn’t matter if you cry or not. Nobody’s gonna believe anything you tell them about me. I’m too cute. Everybody always believes me. Even your mom.”

Zach stepped close to her and put his nose in front of hers. “I can pinch you or pull your hair or hit you and nobody will care. So you better do whatever I tell you to.”

Kindergarten was going to be worse than she thought. She just wanted to go home and hide forever.

*****

This flashback story continues next week with another edition of “Behind the Scenes of The Dream Doers Series.” So stay tuned!

To Your Dreams,
Bonnie Jean

P.S. In case you haven’t yet been in front of the scenes of The Dream Doers series, it starts with The Dream Doers and the Summer of Secrets. In this young adult novel, best friends Alex and Tyler are forced to battle bullies, face their fears and keep strange secrets the summer they learn to do what they dream. You can hear the whole “Front of the Scenes” story for FREE. Just visit TheDreamDoers.com and fill out a super short form. Enjoy the story!

The Dream Doers and the Summer of Secrets begins on the last day of sixth grade for Alex and Tyler and class bully Zach. But today’s flashback story continues a short series of the first day of kindergarten for Alex, Tyler and Zach.

*****

“Tyler!”

The sleeping Tyler woke up, rubbed his eyes and darted his head back and forth. “I’m awake. I’m awake. Can we go now?”

“What are you doing in the van? I have been looking everywhere for you,” his mom Rachel said. “Don’t EVER leave the house without telling me where you’re going. Understand?”

“Yes. Sorry. I didn’t mean to make you mad.”

“I’m not mad. Just scared. I need to know where you are so I can be sure you’re safe.”

“Okay. Don’t worry. I’m safe. Can I go to school now? I made my lunch and everything.”

“I wish you weren’t so excited about going,” his mom said as she climbed in the driver’s seat and started the van. “Aren’t you going to miss me?”

“Sure. But I’m five now. I gotta find a best friend. It’s what kids do. Is that okay with you?”

“Yes. I’m just going to miss having you all to myself.”

“Guess you’ll just have to share me like you tell me to share my toys.”

“I guess I will.”

Tyler smiled the rest of the way to school and wondered what his best friend would look like.

When his mom parked the van, he saw a girl in the car beside his crying. Two boys who looked familiar jumped out of the car and ran ahead, but she just sat there looking scared. Poor girl. Didn’t she know how fun school is?

And where did he know those boys from?

Tyler held his mom’s hand all the way to the classroom so she wouldn’t start crying, too. He didn’t know why girls liked to cry so much.

He heard kids laughing and playing as he got closer to the classroom, but the crying girl from the parking lot whimpered behind him. If they were in the same class, maybe he could say something nice to her to help her. She might even want to help him pick out a best friend.

Just before they stepped inside the fun classroom, the crying girl’s mom touched his mom. “Excuse me. Aren’t you Rachel Davis?”

“Yes. Do I know you?”

“Not yet. I’m Anna Wilkins. I believe my boys came to say hi the other day when they saw you moving in.”

“Oh, yes. They were so sweet. They even asked my son Tyler to play, but he was too busy pouting about moving away from Chicago.”

That’s where he knew those boys from! But his mom was right. He was pouting that day and just didn’t feel like playing. He loved living in Chicago and hated having to move. Now that school was starting, though, he didn’t mind so much.

“I just didn’t feel like playing,” Tyler said. “I’m Tyler.”

“Hello, Tyler,” the Anna lady said. “This is my daughter Alexandria. It looks like you two are in the same class.”

The crying girl with big blue eyes hid behind her mom. More tears spilled down her face.

“Why is she crying?” Tyler asked.

“She’s just a little nervous about school.”

“Oh. I can make her un-nervous.” He walked around Anna so he could see the girl’s face. “I’m looking for a boy to be my best friend. Wanna help me pick him out?”

She just stared at him.

“Go on Alex,” her mom said. “I’ll be right here talking to Tyler’s mom.”

The girl let go of her mother’s waist and followed Tyler inside.

*****

This flashback story continues next week with another edition of “Behind the Scenes of The Dream Doers Series.” So stay tuned!

To Your Dreams,
Bonnie Jean

P.S. In case you haven’t yet been in front of the scenes of The Dream Doers series, it starts with The Dream Doers and the Summer of Secrets. In this young adult novel, best friends Alex and Tyler are forced to battle bullies, face their fears and keep strange secrets the summer they learn to do what they dream. You can hear the whole “Front of the Scenes” story for FREE. Just visit TheDreamDoers.com and fill out a super short form. Enjoy the story!

The Dream Doers and the Summer of Secrets begins on the last day of sixth grade for Alex and Tyler and class bully Zach. But today’s flashback story continues a short series of the first day of kindergarten for Alex, Tyler and Zach.

*****

Zach put on his perfectly ironed blue collared shirt and beamed at himself in the mirror. He was almost ready for his first day of kindergarten. And he looked good.

He combed the waves out of his pure blonde hair, brushed his teeth and straightened his clothes. Appearance was important.

That’s what his mom told him. “Always look your best,” she liked to say. “When you look your best, people like you. They’ll do anything you say and believe anything you tell them.”

Everyone except that Alex Wilkins. She could always tell when he was lying. She never did anything he told her to. It made him so mad. He didn’t like being mean to her, but she had to learn he was special.

Now that they were in the same class in school, he’d be able to teach her how to listen to him. Anson and Clay would help. They knew how special and important he was. They always did what he told them to.

He wished he could stop teaching Alex lessons, but she never learned. She would learn soon. That’s what school was for. Learning.

What annoyed him the most was that Alex didn’t deserve her family. She had four older brothers. FOUR. And a dad who liked being around her and wasn’t always away on business trips.

She didn’t even play with her brothers. He should be able to have them. If he had older brothers, he’d play with them. All the time. They’d be great friends.

“Zach,” his mom called from the living room, “let’s get you to school.”

“Coming.” He brushed a comb through his hair one last time and went to meet his mom.

Showtime.

*****

This flashback story continues next week with another edition of “Behind the Scenes of The Dream Doers Series.” So stay tuned!

To Your Dreams,
Bonnie Jean

P.S. In case you haven’t yet been in front of the scenes of The Dream Doers series, it starts with The Dream Doers and the Summer of Secrets. In this young adult novel, best friends Alex and Tyler are forced to battle bullies, face their fears and keep strange secrets the summer they learn to do what they dream. You can hear the whole “Front of the Scenes” story for FREE. Just visit TheDreamDoers.com and fill out a super short form. Enjoy the story!

The Dream Doers and the Summer of Secrets begins on the last day of sixth grade for Alex and Tyler and class bully Zach. But today’s flashback story continues a short series of the first day of kindergarten for Alex, Tyler and Zach.

*****

She couldn’t go to school. She just couldn’t. Why would her mom be so mean and make her go?

Alexandria Wilkins rolled over and stuffed her face in her pillow. School was a horrible, horrible place. She wouldn’t go. She just wouldn’t.

Zach would be there. All the time. That teacher wasn’t going to let her hide from him.

He was going to be able to bother her whenever he wanted. And everybody always believed him. They never believed her when she told them how mean he was.

She was the only one who knew the truth.

What if she went to school one day and never came back? Zach might lock her in a closet…or tie her to a tree in the woods near the school.

She’d be stuck out there forever with nothing to eat and nowhere to sleep. Her parents would try to find her, but they wouldn’t know where to look.

Her mom would cry and cry. He dad wouldn’t want to work anymore. They wouldn’t have any money for food. Her brothers and sister would starve. And everyone would wonder what happened to poor little Alex.

The tears squeezed out of her closed eyelids and soaked her pillow. She really wished her mom wouldn’t make her go to school!

“Alex, get up. You get to go to school today!” Her sister Jessie burst into her room and threw the comforter off Alex. “I know the perfect outfit for you to wear.”

Alex ignored her older sister and held on to her pillow. She didn’t want to look at Jessie. Not today.

“This white top with this pink skirt is sooo adorable,” Jessie said. “These sandals are the perfect match. After I get done with your hair, there won’t be a boy in that class who won’t have a kindergarten crush on you. Too bad mom won’t let me put make-up on you. Too bad she won’t let me put make-up on me. I’m 13 now. I think I’m old enough. Alex, what are you still doing in bed?”

When Alex didn’t move, Jessie rolled Alex over and took the pillow away from her.

“Give me back my pillow. I’m not going to school.” Alex reached for the pillow, but Jessie pulled her out of bed instead.

“You don’t have to be scared,” Jessie said.

Yes, I do, Alex thought. But Jessie wouldn’t understand. Nobody understood.

“I don’t know why I have to go. I’ve already learned how to read. That’s all you learn in kindergarten anyway.”

“You don’t go to school to learn. You go to school to make friends.”

“I don’t want any friends. I’m fine all by myself.”

“You’re just being silly. What about that Zach kid? The one who lives a few blocks over? He’s a charmer. He’s in your class, isn’t he?”

“He’s not charming. He’s mean. And I won’t go to school as long as I have to be around him.”

Alex started crying again and dove back under her covers.

*****

This flashback story continues next week with another edition of “Behind the Scenes of The Dream Doers Series.” So stay tuned!

To Your Dreams,
Bonnie Jean

P.S. In case you haven’t yet been in front of the scenes of The Dream Doers series, it starts with The Dream Doers and the Summer of Secrets. In this young adult novel, best friends Alex and Tyler are forced to battle bullies, face their fears and keep strange secrets the summer they learn to do what they dream. You can hear the whole “Front of the Scenes” story for FREE. Just visit TheDreamDoers.com and fill out a super short form. Enjoy the story!

The Dream Doers and the Summer of Secrets begins on the last day of sixth grade for Alex and Tyler and class bully Zach. But today’s flashback story begins a short series of the first day of kindergarten for Alex, Tyler and Zach.

*****

Best friend. Today Tyler was going to find his best friend. His nice kindergarten teacher said so when he met her on the open house night thing. She promised lots of boys were in his class, and she told him that he could ask any of them to be his best friend.

His best friend would have to like baseball. He just had to. Or else they couldn’t be best friends.

Tyler wanted it to be later already so he could get up and go to school. But the sun wasn’t even up yet.

He tried to close his eyes, but they kept popping back open. Maybe he should just get ready now.

He picked out his best Cubs shirt, the red one with the picture of Wrigley Field on the back. He put on his blue Cubs shorts with the team logo at the bottom and wore his white Cubs socks under his red and blue Cubs shoes.

He looked awesome. He thought he would have to stop liking the Cubs because he lived in North Carolina now instead of Chicago, but his teacher told him it was okay to wear Cubs stuff to school. She liked the Cubs, too!

Now that he was ready to go, he wished his mom would get up. She needed to make his lunch.

He paced up and down the hall, around the living room and all over the basement. When was his mom going to get up?

That’s when it hit him. He didn’t have to wait for her. He was a school-man now. He could make his own lunch.

He marched to the kitchen, got out the bread, peanut butter, jelly, chips, apples, cookies and goldfish. After slapping some pb and j on the bread and smacking it together, he stuffed some chips, an apple, a bunch of cookies and some goldfish into his Cubs lunch bag.

He looked down the hall. Still no mom. Or dad. How could they still be asleep on such an exciting morning?

Well, he was ready to go. Maybe he would just wait for her in the van.

He draped his Cubs bookbag over his shoulder, grabbed his lunch and trotted to the van.

It was 5:32 in the morning.

He buckled himself in and waited. It was almost time to find his best friend.

A giant yawn escaped from his mouth. Maybe he would take just a little nap before it was time to go.

His head dropped to his shoulder and his eyes closed, finally allowing him to rest.

*****

This flashback story continues next week with another edition of “Behind the Scenes of The Dream Doers Series.” Stay tuned!

To Your Dreams,
Bonnie Jean

P.S. In case you haven’t yet been in front of the scenes of The Dream Doers series, it starts with The Dream Doers and the Summer of Secrets. In this young adult novel, best friends Alex and Tyler are forced to battle bullies, face their fears and keep strange secrets the summer they learn to do what they dream. You can hear the whole “Front of the Scenes” story for FREE. Just visit TheDreamDoers.com and fill out a super short form. Enjoy the story!