Upson searched through the attic while yelling downstairs to his father complaining about all the dust, “Why can’t I take a break?! It’s too dusty up here!” His father only replied,
“Quit complaining and get to work Upson! You’ve been putting this off for 2 MONTHS and I’m tired of it!!”
“Whatever,” Upson mumbled
“I heard that, learn how to whisper!” Upson just laughed and blew the dust off of a gigantic heavy book. It turned out to be just a boring old dictionary full of old words that none of the kids used anymore. Not that Upson would know, everyone made fun of his weird name so no one wanted to be friends with him. Upson just spent all his days studying and working. He wanted to have friends, maybe if he was lucky, a best friend. It was like a dark pit of hunger inside him. He wanted to fill it but had nothing to eat. But, he faced reality and knew those dreams would probably never come true.
Upson had an uncle on his father’s side that had served in the army and died fighting in the war. His name was Brighton Upson Cortner and in honor of his brother, Upson’s father named his son, Upson. Now most people didn’t know this, which is why they made fun of his name, but Upson wasn’t going to just go and tell everyone he was named after his dead uncle who fought in the war. That’s just… crazy... so Upson just stayed Upson and did his work silently cursing the world for making him… him.
Sweat was dripping down his forehead from the heat and he decided to take a secret break; just to you know catch his breath and cool down. He sat down on a small stool and just… stared. He did nothing, just sat there. Usually, he daydreamed about having a perfect life, his mother still here making him his favorite cookies and his father, his old dad, the nice one who joked around and was stern but gentle. And friends, yes soo many friends he couldn’t remember all their names, but today, it just seemed pointless. He decided maybe he could just skim through an old book so he picked up a random book and sat back down.
“Of course it would be this stupid dictionary,” Upson said to himself. He was too lazy to get back up so he decided to just look through it. He skimmed through it looking mostly at the pictures that go along with the definitions. He stopped at a picture of kids. Kids just having fun with each other.
“See, why can’t you make friends like that Upson??” Upson asked himself, “It isn’t that hard, just talk to them. But it isn’t that easy, people have to actually LIKE you, and be able to put up with you! Ok ok, calm down Upson,” Upson had conversations like this all time in his head with himself. Who else was he supposed to talk to?? He decided to just ignore himself and keep skimming through… but he kept coming back to that picture.  He made a wish, wish that he knew would never come true, but he made it anyways.
“I wish I had friends like this, a person who one knows and has a bond of mutual affection, that’s what I want. I wish I had this,” Upson silently hoped and prayed to himself. He was starting to feel dizzy and felt himself falling.
He woke up to multiple people shaking him yelling,
“UPSON!! Wake up Upson!!” He had no idea what was going on. He finally opened his eyes and stood up. Here. In his attic. There were three strangers just standing there calling his name-asking if he was ok. Upson just stood there in shock, he didn’t; even realize he had fell asleep. They looked just like the kids from the dictionary. He ran to the dictionary and flipped to the page with the picture. He saw the kids still there smiling in the picture… but they were still here, inside is attic acting like they knew him calling out his name, asking if he was ok. He dropped the dictionary and ran downstairs and ran and ran and ran trying to figure out this mess. Maybe he was going crazy, maybe it was just a side effect of passing out… or maybe, those kids were real…
Upson finally arrived back home with his father standing at the doorway glaring at him, his forehead gathering more angry wrinkles as Upson got closer.
“Where in god’s name have you been?!”
“I was taking a break dad. Calm down I just went for a run.”
“No one said you could have a break, and you know that you're not supposed to leave this house without telling someone!”
“I’m sorry ok?” Upson brushed past, his chest touching his dad, and Upson slowly started to go back to the attic.
“No, it’s not ok. Don’t do it again,” his father added.
“Alright,” Upson said with fake ashamedness, his head hanging low, staring at the floor. He went back to the attic and saw the kids sitting there playing a board game. The kid in the yellow striped shirt said,
“We got bored waiting, you took too long.”
“Um, sorry?” Upson said.
“Oh well, you gonna play with us or not?” the kid with blond hair and a black shirt said.
“Umm, who are you guys?” Upson asked. They all laughed at him.
“What are you talking about Upson?”  asked the yellow shirt kid.
“Yea, is this some type of trick?” said the girl with curly hair, one of her eyebrows raised.
“No, what are you guys doing here?!?!” Upson was starting to get mad screaming; his face was turning red so they knew he wasn’t joking. They all looked at each other with worried looks on their faces.
“You must have had a pretty hard fall buddy,” said the girl. “Anyways, I’m Alexandra but everyone calls me Alex or Lex. That kid is Shawn,” she said pointing at the kid with Blond hair. He gave a little wave.
“Hey,” Shawn said.
“Uh huh,” Upson replied.
“And that, that is Justin.” He also gave a little wave but then he turned his head and looked around like this was his first time here. “He’s a little shy.”
“That’s fine,” Upson said. “So, can you guys tell me about… ya know… us and yourself?”
“Well Lex thinks she’s the ‘leader’ of the group and she’s not,” Shawn gave her a glare. “She likes to be in charge of everything by the way. We’re all in eighth grade, we’re all 14. Pretty laid back, don’t really care about anything. We’ve been best friends since hhmmm when was it Justin?”
“I don’t know. Fifth grade?”
“Yea, fifth grade,” Alex confirmed.
“No one asked you Alex.”
“Oh, shut up Shawn”
“Whatever Alex. Anyway, I’m your favorite. We all do some pretty stupid things together. Hey Justin, remember when we went hiking in the woods and we all left Alex alone on purpose.” He started laughing uncontrollably and fell on the floor. Justin gave him a weird look and said,
“Yea man, I remember it like yesterday, oh wait… that was yesterday and she got us back by making us believe the woods were haunted.”
“Uh huh, don’t mess with me,” said Alex smiling huge showing all her slightly yellow teeth. “And I don’t have to be in charge of EVERYTHING Shawn, but when someone stupid like you tries to be leader, everything always gets screwed up.”
“You guys don’t like each other do you?” asked Upson.
“They’re just playing around like always. You get used to it,” mumbled Justin.
“Ohhh ok so um… you guys going to tell me about YOURSELVES?”
“I’ll go,” answered Alex.
“Of course you would go first,” mumbled Shawn.
“Would you like to go Shawn? No? Ok, then shut up,” she said while rolling her eyes. “You already know, I’m Alex, 14 years old, I love horses and the color orange. I like to…”
“… And she likes you,” Shawn wiggled his eyebrows and elbowed Upson.
“I do not! Shut up Shawn, gosh you always have to embarrass me.”
“Yes, she does,” he whispered. Upson looked at Alex and decided she wasn’t really all that pretty. She had soft cubby cheeks that turned red when she blushed, curly black hair that bounced when she walked, and a tannish skin color that glowed when it hit the light in the right space, she was fairly tall, 5’5’’, and she walked like she didn’t care about anything. But the more he looked at her, the more he decided that she was actually a little pretty.
They kept talking and arguing and finally, Upson decided he was just going to go with it. Who knows, maybe they really were imaginary, maybe they were real… but Upson eventually just gave up trying to figure out if he was crazy and had fun with his friends.
The next day, Upson still hadn’t finished cleaning the attic so he went back upstairs. He had just woken up and was climbing up the stairs slowly and was greeted by his friends he had met yesterday. They looked suspicious with silly lopsided grins on their faces. Upson squinted his eyes at them. They all shouted,
“BANG BANG,” and clashed pots and pans together. They all laughed and threw the cooking stuff at him.
“AHHH WHAT THE HECK IS YOUR GUYS PROBLEMS?!”
“Nothing we just came to wake your lazy butt up,” replied Lex.
“I was already up Alex. That was just stu-“
“Whom are you talking to Upson?” asked Upson’s father who suddenly came up to the attic.
“Huh, what are you talking about? My friends? Standing RIGHT there. They’re the ones who were making all the noise. They threw those pots at –“
“Stop making all these excuses Upson. Do you think I’m that stupid? There is NOTHING right THERE except boxes of junk you were supposed to go through YESTERDAY,” his father was starting to get angry and Upson could tell.
“ Ok, I’m sorry. I fell asleep yesterday and I came up early to finish.”
“Alright, hurry up. You need to clean my room next.”
“Ughh but it’s YOUR room.”
“I don’t care, you do what I say.”
“Whatev-“
“And no more talking to yourself,” his father added.
“Ok.” Once he left, Upson turned to his friends and whispered,
“He’s an a-hole. Always cutting me off, thinking he’s the boss of everyone. Pshh he has NO power over anyone, I only do what he says because I want to eat.”
“Whoa, calm down little dude,” Shawn said as he grabs Upson’s shoulder.
“Get off me dude,”
“ Hey! I’m just trying to help you, you jerk!”
“Well, I don’t need your stupid dumb useless help!!”
“Fine! I’m leaving!”
“Upson, what is your problem?! He was just trying to help you!” said Alex.
“No one asked you Alex.”
“And you think I care?! I’m leaving too.”
“ I don’t care!! Are you leaving too Justin??” Everyone turned their heads and stared waiting for his reply. Upson could tell he was uncomfortable with the situation so he answered for him, “ See, he’s apparently my only friend. You two can get out while me and Justin hang out.” Alex and Shawn stared at him in disbelief.
“Are you freaking crazy? No, Justin is coming with us. Come on Justin,” answered Shawn.”
“Sorry Upson, you were pretty rude,” replied Justin.
“Fine, everyone just leave me. Leave me alone like always.” They left and Upson cried his  heart begging the gods to make them come back. He’d never been in a fight with friends, so he knew nothing about just apologizing. He decided to just cry himself to sleep that night at the same time criticizing himself for his stupid mistakes.
The next morning he ate his breakfast, went on with his day still mad at himself. Shawn and Alex came in yelling,
“Heyyyyyyy!”
“Uhh hey guys.”
“So what’s up, what we doing today?” asked Alex.
“Um… I don’t know, I thought you guys were mad at me?”
“Huh? Oh yea, but that was yesterday, who cares?”
“Um… ok,” Upson answered confused.
“Yup, so what we gonna do?”
“Let’s go go-karting,”
“Ohhh yea let’s do that!” They had fun, played, hung out, and went through many fights. But, of course, they forgave and forgot.
When Upson was 15 and broke a leg, they were there for him. When Upson was 17, he graduated high school, along with all his friends.
“Upson Cortner,” the speaker announced. Upson walked up to the podium, got his diploma, shook hands with the principal and started to give a speech.
“Thank you to everyone, especially my best friends, Shawn, Alex and Justin.” Everyone looked around confused. Since when did Upson have friends? Shawn and Alex shouted congrats and stood up clapping as Upson walked off the stage with a grin from ear to ear. When the ceremony was over, Upson stood up screaming.
“Wait! You forgot Shawn, Alex, and Justin!” Everyone looked at him like he was crazy. “What?! They’ve completed all their classes, they deserve to get a diploma too!”
“Upson, um there is no one at this school with those names. Are you ok?’
“Of course they go to this school you pig! Why do you want those extra diplomas?! You already have a high school and a college diploma, let them have theirs!”
“Ok, calm down Upson, we’ll get them their diplomas.”
“Hurry up, you shouldn’t have messed up in the first place,” then he turned to his friends. “Welcome.” He sat down with a smile and waited patiently. The principal came back and called all their names.
“Shawn, Alex and…”
“And Justin!” Upson answered.
“And Justin.”
“Whooo!” Upson yelled. The principal handed the three diplomas to the air, and they dropped to the floor. Upson had a huge smile and gave a hug to each of his friends. Everyone watched as he hugged the air and smiled ear to ear.
After his sophomore year of college, he was told he was given a very rare chance. He would take a secret test that no one could ever know about. His friends would be taking this test as well.
“What did you guys think of the test?”
“Easiest thing in the world dude,” Shawn answered.
“Yup,” Alex replied.
“Yea, it was really easy,” Justin said.
“Yea, it was,” Upson replied.
About 3 days after they took the test, they all got their tests back. They each got 100% and were taken to a special building. It scared him, each night, he and his friends would fall asleep to the yelling of a little girl screaming for the voices to go away and the comfortable white straight-jacket that kept them warm. His friends were happy here, so Upson decided to be happy too.