Chapter 56

Jimmy And His Motorcycle

For once, things were going alright with Jimmy. He hadn't done anything recently to get himself in trouble and his grades were decent. My parents were happy, which was a good thing since they were still trying to get used to the idea that Olivia wasn't as perfect as they thought.

But if there was one thing I knew about Jimmy, it was that he was unpredictable. Jimmy never followed a pattern, he just lived in the moment. After graduation, Jimmy was free and we all knew it. So it was really no surprise when I overheard Dad yelling at him again.

"JIMMY!" he shouted. "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU! You can't even take care of your own stuff and now we have to pay to repair that hunk of junk!"

"Are we still talking about the motorcycle?" Jimmy said. "Because I already said. It's totaled. The cops said it was a miracle that I came out of that without a scratch. Can you give me some time to recover from my near-death experience?"

So Jimmy crashed his motorcycle? I knew that would happen! I had to keep listening.

"Even if it's totaled, I'll have to pay for a new one. Although honestly, I don't think you should have one if you can't drive it."

"I can drive it," Jimmy said. "I survived, didn't I?"

"YOU CRASHED IT INTO A TREE!" Dad screamed. "How do you even do that?"

Jimmy shrugged. "The brakes weren't working."

"So why were you driving it if the brakes weren't working? You should have told me and we could have gotten it fixed."

"I didn't think of that," Jimmy said quietly.

"Of course you didn't think of that! You don't think through anything you do!" Dad looked Jimmy straight in the eye. "You need to stop being so reckless, kid."

"Reckless? Who said I was being reckless?"

"This whole incident proves it. Here's the deal, you're paying for your own stupid motorcycle this time. If this happens again, you lose the motorcycle."

"Dad! I'm practically out of money! I used it all to buy that thing in the first place."

"Maybe this will teach you to be more careful with your stuff."

Jimmy rolled his eyes and walked out of the room. On the way out, he brushed past me. "Hey Isabelle," he said. "You found that Magic 8 Ball yet?"

"Yep. Olivia stole it," I said.

"Figures," he said. "Anyways, could you do me a huge favor?"

"What?" I asked.

"Well, you see, I crashed my motorcycle."

"I heard," I said.

"You did? Anyways, you have this insane amount of money. Would you mind if I borrowed some to pay for a new motorcycle? I promise I'll pay you back."

"Should I give money to Jimmy?" I asked the Magic 8 Ball.

Don't count on it.

"Sorry Jimmy," I said. "That money's for Barnswell anyways."

"Oh right. Your project." Jimmy mumbled something to himself and then headed back to his room.

I groaned. What was his problem? Why couldn't he just stay in control of his own motorcycle? I was starting to sound like Dad. Still, my brother really needed to realize that he wasn't invincible. I couldn't help but look up to him though. It was impressive how he could hold his own against Dad. I understood why he acted the way he did. He wanted to be more than just a brick in a wall. Just like me.