User blog:Henry Hudson GC/PLET (Part 6)

Chapter 23
“Would you mind telling us why you entered the Mitchell residency and assaulted two of the residents?” asked the deputy.

“I’ll tell you what’s up,” said Peyton angrily. “Pat Mitchell committed fraud against Good Oak Comics Enterprises!” The cops laughed.

“Do you have any proof, son? And how exactly did he commit fraud, tell us.”

“He told us he had a brother that was helping us out with everything,” said Peyton. “It turns out that his brother was made-up, he only told us so he could get twice the salary.”

“Is that your excuse for breaking into a home?”

Peyton didn’t answer the question, he just looked down.

“I said, is that your excuse for breaking into a home?”

“Yes,” replied Peyton quietly.

“I’m going to call your parents.” The deputy left the room and went on the phone. The other police officer stayed to keep an eye on him.

“He really did commit fraud,” Peyton said to him.

“We’ll investigate that later, kid,” he replied. Peyton didn’t say another word until his parents came to the station. He was fined $500 for assault and battery, and another $500 for breaking and entering. “Since this is your first offense, you won’t get juvie this one time,” said the deputy as Peyton and his parents left the station.

“What kind of stupid kid does things like this on Thanksgiving?” asked the deputy.

“I don’t know, should we investigate the fraud?”

“How about tomorrow, I’m going to go home.”

“Me too.”

Chapter 24
Pat woke up to pounding on his front door. His parents were Black Friday shopping, and his face had turned purple overnight. He opened the door to see two police officers.

“Are you Pat Mitchell?”

“I am. Is there something wrong, officer?”

“Yes, you have been accused of fraud. You have been accused of creating a second identity to get two salaries.”

“That is false, officer,” Pat responded. “I have a little brother, Cameron. He’s xenophobic and freaks out at the sight of strangers, so I wouldn’t recommend looking for him.”

“Yes, we were informed of the xenophobia,” the officer said. “If that’s true, then he should be taken to a mental health facility to cure his xenophobia.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Pat said.

“Kid, think about it. Do you want him to spend his entire life alone in this house? We need to cure his xenophobia. But first, I need to confirm that he is real. Are your parents at home?”

“No, they’re off Black Friday shopping.”

“Can we come in? It’ll be quick.”

“Okay,” Pat said as he let the officers in.

“Where is your brother?”

“He’s in his room, it’s upstairs. Follow me.” The officers followed Pat into the first door on the left.

“I don’t see anything but a piano and some old chairs,” said the officer.

“Wait,” said Pat, he walked over to the closet.

“Cameron,” he whispered.

Chapter 25
“Was Peyton actually arrested?” asked Carter.

“Yeah, I heard he was heavily fined, too,” Jacob replied.

“Hey, you never called us back,” said Suyash.

“Oh yeah, things were crazy that night, so I forgot,” Jacob responded. “I didn’t see him with my own eyes, but Pat and his parents kept bringing food upstairs and coming back with empty plates.”

“I guess that’s pretty convincing,” said Henry.

“It’s weird,” said Jacob. “When I went into Pat’s house a few months ago, I checked all the rooms upstairs, but there was no sign of Cameron.”

“So, what about Peyton?” asked Carter.

“Frankly, I don’t think we can work with him. He’s violent, and he was literally arrested.”

“Yeah,” said Suyash.

“I really wish Pat cleared things up before he left,” said Henry. “We’d still have Peyton if he did.”

“True, and all the fraud stuff wouldn’t have happened,” Suyash added.

“If Cameron is real, then I feel awful for egging his house,” said Jacob.

“Yeah, same,” said Henry in accord. “Let’s not tell Pat about that.” Everyone nodded in agreement.

“The timing is bad, too,” said Carter. “We could’ve gotten a lot of work done this Thanksgiving Break.”

“Let’s go to the Baseball Grill, want to invite Pat, Suyash?”

“Agh, I left my phone at home.”

“No worries,” said Henry. “He lives close to me, we can just go to his house and ask him.” The four of them left the treehouse and headed towards Pat’s house.

Chapter 26
“Hi Cameron, I’m Kelly.” Cameron just stared. Kelly could tell that he was shaking a little.

“Why don’t your family, you, and I go somewhere?” she said.

“It’s okay,” said Pat’s father. “Kelly’s really nice.” Kelly held Cameron’s hand as they walked downstairs. She gave him an action figure and a pack of gummy worms.

“Do you want to put this on?” Kelly asked. She took out a blindfold and offered it to Cameron. Cameron looked at Pat, who nodded. He put on the blindfold, and Kelly took him outside.

“He hasn’t been outside in so long,” said Pat. A tear dropped from the corner of his eye.

Jacob, Carter, Suyash, and Henry came by just as Kelly escorted Cameron into a blue minivan. Pat saw them, and he put a finger to his lip, signaling them to be quiet. The four of them just stared in amazement. Pat’s parents followed Cameron onto the van, and they left.

“Hey, Kelly, can I go talk to my friends for a second?” asked Pat. Kelly nodded. Pat walked over to the four friends, who still hadn’t said a word.

“So, he is real?” asked Henry. Pat just smiled.

“They’re taking him to a mental health facility for kids,” Pat said. “He’s going to be staying with Kelly for a while.”

“That’s great,” said Carter. “I really hope he gets cured.”

“Well, I should go,” said Pat. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow, hopefully.” He waved as he got onto the minivan. As it drove away, a familiar figure appeared in the distance. It was Peyton, he was sitting on his bike, just staring. He smiled and waved as he rode his bike to his friends.

“Hi, guys,” he said. “I’m really sorry about everything, I’m sorry for calling you guys gullible turds.” Henry laughed. Nobody else said anything.

Peyton looked down and started fiddling with his jacket.

“I’m moving to Oregon,” he said. “My parents want me to have a fresh start, and I think that’s a good idea too.”

“Oh,” said Jacob. “Well, goodbye, Peyton. When are you leaving?”

“I’m leaving in four days,” Peyton said. “I guess that means I’m not going to be a part of Good Oak Comics anymore.”

“You’re always a part of Good Oak Comics,” said Carter. “It doesn’t matter where you are, you will always be a member of the Good Oak Comics family.”

“Aw, thank you, Carter,” said Peyton. His eyes filled with tears, and he gave everyone a hug. “It was great growing up with you guys,” he said. “I had a blast drawing comics in the treehouse, and I will remember it for the rest of my life.”

“Visit in the summer, maybe?” Henry suggested. Peyton smiled and looked down.

“I’ll try,” he said. “And even if I don’t, I’m sure this won’t be the last time we see each other. I have to go, goodbye, friends.”

“Goodbye,” said Jacob. “You’ve taught me so much, have fun in Oregon.”

“I wish you luck in your future endeavors,” said Henry. “Bye, I hope Oregon is good for you.”

“Bye, Peyton. Good luck in life,” said Suyash. Peyton smiled at him.

“Suyash, I am putting you in charge of Good Oak Comics, is that cool?”

“Of course, man,” Suyash replied. They high-fived.

“Goodbye, all of you.” Peyton hopped on his bike and went home.

Chapter 27
7 MONTHS LATER

“Summer vacation!” shouted Henry.

“Let’s go!” exclaimed Carter.

The team met at the treehouse, ready for another successful summer of creating comics.

“Hey, where’s Pat?” asked Jacob.

“Oh, he’s got a great surprise for all of you, you’re going to love it,” said Henry with a grin on his face. Suyash and Carter looked at each other with confused looks.

“Hey, guys!” shouted Pat. Everyone looked out the window, but nobody paid attention to him. Behind Pat was a younger kid with blond hair.

“Cameron?!” shouted Suyash in disbelief.

“Hey, guys! It’s me, Cameron!” Cameron exclaimed.

“You’re not xenophobic?” asked Jacob.

“Not anymore,” said Cameron with a smile on his face. “I never plan on being afraid of anything ever again.”

“That’s great,” said Henry. “Also, Peyton sent me a whole story that he drew and wrote himself! He wants us to publish it.”

“Let’s do it!” shouted Carter. Jacob and Suyash looked at Pat.

“Yeah, let’s do it,” Pat said with a big smile.

''In the summer o’8th grade, Good Oak Comics made $70,000 in revenue, an all-time high. Cameron enrolled in public school and made tons of friends on his first day there. He moved out of his little closet and lived just as any other young teenager would. Six months later, Peyton visited during Christmas, and he made amends with Pat. Zach re-enrolled in college and graduated four years later. Although Henry, Suyash, Carter, Jacob, Pat, Peyton, and Cameron all went their separate ways after high school, they remained friends. Friends forever.''

THE END.