A Different Day

 On Saturday morning, Tom, Sasha, and their baby sister Olivia were getting ready to go to the beach for a party with their parents. While Sasha did her hair and Olivia babbled in her crib, Tom was helping his parents get everything in the car. He brought the blue cooler filled with sodas, popsicles, and chilled bottled water into their minivan. Then he ran back inside to help with the chairs. As Sasha finished her beautiful silky brown locks of hair, she helped her mother to pack. First, they tended to little Olivia’s bag. Olivia’s diaper bag took most of the space, but there was just enough space to squeeze in her baby lotion, sunscreen, bug spray, an extra onesie, and rubber bands. Tom’s bag was next. They filled it with his swimming trunks, lotion, sunscreen, bug spray, extra pair of clothes, and inflatable pool floats for Olivia and the other kids going to the beach. Sasha’s bag was much like Tom’s and Olivia’s, but she had the whole family’s towels inside because her bag was so unwieldy. Tom and his father had a hard time loading it into the van. Everybody climbed into the minivan and fastened their seatbelts. Tom did Olivia’s, and they were off to the beach!

The Things burst into cheers! Finally, they could have fun! That afternoon, there was a party going on in the living room. All the Famous Things were there, Hair brushes, Clips, Technology devices, Clothes, etc. The not-so-famous Things were there too. Lice comb, Toothbrushes, Toilet Paper, and the Garbage Can. Nobody seemed to mind, and the party was off to a great start. The room was divided into two sections, the cool side and the boring side. The boring side had four categories: Next to Be in The Cool Side, Somewhat Cool, Almost Cool, and Will NEVER be Cool. If anybody from the boring side made their way to the cool side, the police action figures would take them away. Everyone was having fun except Lice Comb. She had to compete with Hair Brush, the diva. Hair Brush was so snooty, more than mean, it was annoying. She always tried to act cool while Lice Comb always seemed lame. That made Lice Comb sad. Even the boring Things didn’t like her. She only had her best friend Toilet Paper. Nobody liked Toilet Paper either. That made them the “Dreaded Duo”. Everywhere they went, they were laughed at. Which added another category in the boring side system, - WILL NEVER EVER BE COOL NO MATTER HOW HARD THEY TRY. That category was only for Toilet Paper and Lice Comb.

“You know what TP? I AM GOING OVER TO THE COOL SIDE! I DON’T CARE WHAT THE RULE IS. WE ARE ALL THINGS! WE DESERVE TO GET THE COOL SECTION!” said Lice Comb to her friend Toilet Paper.

“But Lice Comb, you’re just gonna get caught again. Forget it, it’s hopeless.” said the dejected Toilet Paper Roll.

“Can we just try?” pleaded Lice Comb.

Toilet Paper sighed, “Fine! If anything happens, you’re taking the blame.”

Lice Comb giggled, “Deal!”

As Lice Comb and Toilet Paper made their way to the Cool Side, Hair Brush spotted them. She whispered to the Police action figure and took over his post. Her group of snooty friends watched in awe. Mischievous grins. Giggling constantly. Waiting. When Lice Comb and Toilet Paper approached, they were greeted with thwacks on the shoulder. Hairbrush looked at them, smiling smugly.

“Oh, Hi Lice Comb! Whatcha doin’ here?  These parts of the party are too…sophisticated for you. You’d better off in the WAAAAAAAAYYY back, where no one can see you.” said Hair Brush in a fake nice voice. Her friends giggled like crazy.

“Hey, Hair Brush! Yeah, Toilet Paper and I are just going to slip past you,” Lice Comb answered back. She motioned for Hair Brush to move.

Yet, Hair Brush still stood there, blocking Lice Comb’s way into the cool section. “YOU!” she barked at Toilet Paper.

“Y yyyyesss?” said Toilet Paper, in shock.

“Get over here! You’re moving to the cool section! Congrats! You have fancy imprinting, you’re expensive (my favourite part), and celebrities have modelled to sell you!”

“YASS!” yelled Toilet Paper. TP walked to Hairbrush and joined their crew.

“Do I get to come?” asked Lice Comb in a whiny voice.

Hair Brush was about to speak, but TP put her hand up. “No one will ever like you, so why try? Go back! Even the category you are in is too fancy for you. So go!” said TP.

Hair Brush, TP, and everyone else giggled. TP and Hairbrush high-fived. Lice Comb felt dejected and shocked. Had TP just said those mean things about her? “Maybe I should give up?” thought Lice Comb. She walked out the back door and into the bathroom of Tom, Sasha, and little Olivia’s house. She opened the drawer and sat in her usual spot. Sad, Sleepy, eyes blurred. In the middle of the night,  she woke up to something tickling her nose. She opened her eyes and sat up. There was Toilet Paper, sitting before her, the diva! Still, overcome with shock, Lice Comb threw a pillow at TP and went back to sleep.

Toilet Paper sighed, “Listen, Lice Comb, please! You know I don’t mean that. We’re a duo. I’m trying to get inside with Hairbrush’s crew, to get some information. You know,”

Lice Comb chuckled, “Yes, go get some random information if you know what I mean. 

Toilet Paper grinned sneakily and walked to her bedroom. Lice Comb said, “Ohh, this is going to be good!”

For the next few weeks, Lice Comb pretended to look sad whenever she met Hairbrush and her crew. In the night, it was a different story! TP said that Hairbrush’s crew were never complaining about themselves, but other people. The story was always the same, juicy, but the same. Nothing ever changed. Except this one peculiar day. TP was going to go meet Hairbrush and her crew. When Hairbrush saw her, she told her all about a gala.TP was confused, she had never heard of a gala ever happening. Yet, Hairbrush said it had been going on for 200 years. Ohhh, that’s right. It was only for the cool section. That made sense.

“Anyway, tradition is the night before the gala, we have a slumber party, and a cool one too! Then, in the morning, we go dress up for the gala. You’re invited!!” Hairbrush told TP.

“Sounds fun! Count me in!” answered TP.

That evening, before the slumber party, TP stuffed a camera, pad and paper, and some extra supplies. She walked out of the bathroom and into Sasha’s room, that’s where the slumber party was being held. The night, TP had to admit, was awesome! In the morning, JUICY. At 6 AM, all the cool things went back to their places, so the humans would not notice. When Tom got up, he opened his tablet. TP was watching, waiting.

“AAH! Stop buffering! How much longer is this going to take? MOM! I WANT A NEW TABLET, THIS IS LIKE SOMEWHAT TWENTY YEARS OLD!” Tom wailed.

“Got it all on camera. Hey Camera! Thanks for helping!” said TP.

“You’re welcome TP!” said Camera.

In the next hour, TP was able to dig some dirt on these “cool” things. Last on the list, Hairbrush! TP looked and searched and spied. Yet, know matter how hard she tried, there was nothing. NOTHING!! This was impossible! Hairbrush never seemed imperfect at all! TP stared at Clock. It was almost 9:30. Yeesh! She needed to go meet up with the cool things, and fast!

“Gala time! I’m soo excited!” Hairbrush exclaimed. The gala had been planned perfectly, what Tom, Sasha, and little Olivia would be doing that day, how long that would take, and what ifs much to Hairbrush’s delight.

When they were getting ready, Hairbrush said she forgot something and she walked out of the room. TP secretly followed her into Sasha’s room. Hairbrush opened Sasha’s box of paints. TP got her camera ready. 1…2…3…AHA! Hairbrush was PAINTED! Without her beautiful gold and teal streaks of paint, she was an icky brown. She looked like she had come from a garbage can. TP was excited. Forgetting about the gala, she raced to Lice Comb faster then she normally did.

When Lice Comb saw these pictures and videos, a malicious grin appeared on her face. “PERFECT! FINALLY YESSS!” they celebrated for a few minutes and then rushed back to Hairbrush and the others.

Hairbrush spotted Lice Comb quickly, “Eww! What do you think you’re doing here? Shoo! You’ll make us all sick with your disgusting presence. Oh wait, you already have.” all of the cool things pretended to retch and burst into laughter.

“You wanna see proof, well here you have it!” said TP. She showed all the cool things clips.

“Aww…come on little sis! You know I’m your big sister! We’re family. Family doesn’t hurt family.” said Hairbrush, addressing Lice Comb.

“YOU TWO ARE SISTERSSS???” yelled Tablet in shock. Nobody paid any attention to him.

“Don’t call me your little sister, you don’t have the right and will NEVER! And you? A big sister, no one in a million years would ever want YOU! You have tortured me my whole life, and now you’ll see what its been like. For once, you’re right, Family doesn’t hurt family. You are not my family! YOU WILL NEVER BE! YOU ARE THE MOST EVIL, MOST FOUL, MOST HORRIBLE THING I HAVE EVER MET and nothing can change that! I HATE YOU!” Lice Comb yelled. The room had an awkward silence, no one dared to make a sound. Lice Comb and TP walked off.

10 YEARS LATER…

Hairbrush had tried and tried, but Lice Comb never ever spoke to her. TP had become a Things Rights activist which ended the Cool things section and the Boring things sections. Lice Comb became the president of the Things. One day, Hairbrush and Lice Comb had coincidentally boarded the same toy train and were going to go the upstairs of the house. Tom was at college, Sasha was in high school, and Olivia was in middle school. Then strangely, they got put in the same compartment. For ten minutes, there was silence.

Hairbrush broke into tears, “PLEASE! I know I can never make up for teasing you and being mean in many ways, but I want to be your friend, family, please. I miss you so much. I’m so sorry!

Lice Comb sniffled, “I miss you too! And I’m so sorry for saying all those mean stuff about you! I love you! I want a big sister again!”

“I accept your apology,” they both said. Then they giggled and hugged. From that day onward, they both were loyal, compassionate, and loving to each other.

THE END!