"Be grateful when your older brothers growl at you, and when they tell you what to do and what not to do. Because they are just trying to fulfill their duty of protecting you."

"And like I said, I appreciate my older brothers because they would not allow me to win. They made me learn to play with them, which I think is the most important thing that I learned."

          J is for James, my oldest brother. I have three brothers, Carson the youngest and my half-brother, Roger the middle and my step-brother, and James my oldest brother. James is the only brother that I share both parents with. He is six years older than me.

          James and I often do fight, but that's what siblings do. When I'm around him, I argue and fight with him, but whenever he's away I talk about him and miss him.

          I remember when James went to live with our father. The night he left, I cried for hours wishing he would come home. I looked forward to him coming home on the weekends but then fought with him every day. Even while fighting, I enjoyed having him home, knowing that he was there for me.

          Now, I get lucky if I see James once a month. James now lives with our sister Skiye, the oldest of the kids. Both of them share an apartment in Thibodaux. It was easier for the both of them to move to Thibodaux because Skiye was going to college in Thibodaux. I miss both of them greatly.

          James has taught me many things throughout the years. He was the reason that I got into video games. Skiye was always hanging out with friends, so I would normally hang out with James when we weren't fighting. Now, since I hung out with James, I started acting like him. I have a plethora of books like James did. Like James, I'm either gaming or watching videos about gaming. He was my inspiration for the games I like.

          Unlike most brothers, James wasn't into any sports or anything that had to do with human interaction. In some ways, I'm just the same. I would rather sit alone than talk to people I don't know. Since I've known most of the gifted kids, it helps get me out of my shell since most of the kids I know well are very outgoing.

          My interest in band also comes from him. I would often hear him playing his trumpet and fooling around. My clarinet came from him. James wanted to learn how to play but never got the chance to. One year for Christmas, James didn't have enough money to buy everyone presents, and since I enjoyed playing my clarinet, he gave me the clarinet for Christmas. Even though my present wasn't brand new, I still loved it because he gave me something that he knew I loved.

         No matter how much James and I fight, I will always have a place in my heart specially reserved for him.