The screeching noise of the tires alerted the boys on the grass that was initially green, but now full of neon pink and blues, and out of the sleek black car came the birthday boy, Chad Jackson. Paintball parks are usually not the place for limos, but for Chad and his wealthy family, anything is legal and okay. Surprisingly, Chad entered the park with a frown and reminiscences of tears left on his face; this was unusual.
Fred, his best friend, came up to him and wished him happy birthday, but then questioned his emotion. “What happened? Are you okay? You look really sad,” Fred asked with confusion.
“My sister died last night,” a single tear rolled down Chad’s face and his eyes looked puffy seeming like he had cried the entire night, “All I have left of hers is the brooch with the bird on it that she wore every single day. I remember when we always used to play those games where we would pretend that we had powers like telekinesis, and every time it was her turn to speak, she would always talk about birds and how she wished she could move all the birds in the world into her room and--” One tear after another kept falling down his worried face; the subject was too delicate to talk about.
As this was a complete surprise to Fred, in a desperate attempt to try to please him, he frantically exclaimed, “That is terrible! But I know what will make you feel better… some um some paintballing?”
Chad attempted to smile, but it was obvious that Fred’s words had no consultation. His other friends, including Bary, his second best fried, talked about it amongst themselves for a while, but then his parents notified everyone that Chad will be opening his gifts in ten minutes and that everyone should have a one minute presentation that explains why they bought him the specific gift.
Every year the Jacksons have a tradition where at Chad’s birthday parties, Chad unwraps all of the presents he receives and chooses his favorite one. Then his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Jackson, tell the news station about it and pay them to broadcast it. The gifts are usually quite expensive and thoughtful because if Chad, the coolest child in school, did not like the gift, he would stop talking to you.
Everyone’s eyes opened largely as they listen to the announcement, but one face stood out. Bary’s face grew warm as fire as he cast his glance downwards, trying to avoid Chad’s glance. He forgot to bring Chad a gift, and this could possibly mean the end of his friendship with everyone here at this party if he cannot come up with a plan. Just then, he sees a bird sitting on the bench right across from his paintball gun. He has the perfect idea and starts running towards his gun, and fills it up with different colored paints. He aims at the bird and the colorful creature gets scared to death.
“You all have two minutes left before Chad receives you gifts!” yelled Mrs. Jackson.
Everyone started forming a circle around Chad and opened their gift one by one. When it was Bary’s turn, he handed over the spirited bird, and Chad gasped as he tried to wonder how Bary knew that his sister died. He started to sob again and sat under the tree that had was specifically reserved for him and his family. Nothing cheered him up and anytime Bary tried to talk to him, he simply shouted, “STOP!” Three hours passed with everyone being isolated. His birthday party was officially over, but then he started to accept the reality of the situation and slowly got up. Soon after, a smile appeared on Chad’s face. This is the first time that his grin has inched up enough that he has been able to smile in all of today. All that mattered to Chad now was that this bird represented his sister perfectly; he has something materialistic that had all the characteristics of his sister. The wings were spread apart symbolizing her confidence, and the colors were so vibrant that they almost blinded him, but they portrayed her animated character. Chad ran up to Bary and squeezed him so tight that he could barely breath.
As expected, the next day, Bary’s artwork, the splatter painted bird, was on the news. Although it was probably the cheapest gift Chad received, the sentimental value outweighed the money. The news anchor spoke about it for ten minutes, describing it in great detail, to commemorate Chad’s sister.