Never Grow Up

for Alex and his family. Then we visited him in the hospital. I don’t even know him, but he’s a lot like Luke. And, God… I know you’re sad that Alex is sick. So if You could please make him better in time for the meteor shower. That would be the best. Dinner’s almost ready. Gotta go! Love, Kari.
P.S. 14 Days until the Meteor Shower!
Kari closed her journal and looked at Ashley, sitting beside her sketching. “What are you drawing?”
“Alex at the finish line.” She smiled at Kari. “Instead of in the hospital.”
“Oh.” Kari nodded. “That’s nice.” She looked at Ashley and a hundred memories came rushing in. Days on Lake Monroe and times at the rock at the back of their yard. Everyone in her family was here and not at the hospital.
And that made Kari so thankful.
Ashley stopped drawing and turned to Kari. “Why are you staring at me?”
“I don’t know.” Kari smiled and shrugged. “I’m just thankful.” And she was. She loved her life. She loved her family. And she loved her home. She loved that everyone was happy and healthy and she never wanted that to change.
Not in a million years.

12
The Rowdy Rehearsal
ASHLEY
Ashley juggled her book in one hand and a flashlight in the other. She wasn’t totally sure what time it was. Kari was asleep across the room and the rest of the house was quiet. Ashley had no choice but to keep reading.
Mr. Garrett said they had to finish reading Peter Pan by tomorrow. Ashley had two chapters left. She’d meant to finish it yesterday morning. But they had the 5K—which thankfully was not a five-day race.
Ashley turned the page. Peter Pan was her favorite book of all time. She peered at the window. Maybe this was the day Peter Pan would show up. Because Ashley was Wendy. So one day he would come here and together they would fly by the second star to the right and off to Neverland. Brooke and Ashley, Erin and Luke would have to come, too, of course.
Then they could swim with the mermaids and teach the Lost Boys how to bake. And together they would fight the pirates and—
She remembered the book. Focus, Ashley! Keep reading!
This part of the story was where Wendy and her brothers were headed back home to the nursery on Hook’s boat, captained by Peter Pan himself. But instead of sailing on the high seas, they were flying on the clouds, back to London.
Ashley kept reading. When the children arrived home, Wendy’s parents were asleep. They had been so worried for their kids that their father, George, had been sleeping in the doghouse.
Imagine that, Ashley thought. Dad sleeping in Bo’s doghouse. The picture made her giggle. Suddenly a drawing filled her mind. She shut the pages of Peter Pan and reached for her sketchbook.
Before she forgot.
She drew Dad sleeping on the floor next to Bo—since Bo didn’t have a doghouse. And just outside the window, Ashley drew herself. Because being Wendy would be fun, but the end of the story was best of all.
Being home at last.
At school the next day, Mr. Garrett’s class was deep in rehearsal again, and Ashley was about to walk the plank. Which was the scariest part of being Wendy. She held her breath and waited.
The desks in Mr. Garrett’s class were pushed to the back of the room, and everyone was running through the play one last time before the talent show.
“I’ll get you, Pan!” Landon swiped his hook in the air and Elliot ducked. The hooky hand barely missed him.
“Not today, Hook!” Elliot pointed to the sky.
Landon took a deep breath. “We’ll see about that!” He looked mean. Not like the usual Landon Blake at all. “I’m going to tie up Wendy!”
He came to Ashley with a short piece of rope. They didn’t have an actual pole like a real pirate ship. But Ashley could see the pole anyway. Landon took her hands behind her back and tied them together.
“Not too tight.” Mr. Garrett sat on the edge of his desk watching.
“Okay.” Landon gave Ashley a quick grin. “Don’t be scared,” he whispered. Then very loud he said, “She’s my prisoner!”
Ashley almost missed her next line. She remembered to pretend. “Never!” Fear filled her voice. “Peter, help me!”
Chris stood next to Ashley. He held his teddy bear and he sounded bored. “Oh no, Wendy. Are we going to have to walk the plank?”
“Hold.” Mr. Garrett stepped forward. “Chris. You’re supposed to be frightened. The script says he is crying. You’re the baby.”
“I am not!” Chris shouted back, defensive.
“Not really a baby. But you’re playing one. It’s make-believe.” Mr. Garrett clasped his hands. “Please… try.”
Chris huffed and pulled his bear closer to his face. “Are we going to die?” He sounded better than before. A few of their classmates giggled.
“Very good, Chris.” Ashley nodded at him. “You sound just like a baby.”
“Thanks.” Chris scowled.
Mr. Garrett covered his face with his hands. “Let’s continue.”
Landon as Hook walked toward the kids tied to the imaginary pole. “Now… you will walk the plank.” He waved his hook so fast it came off and flew across the room. A group of nearby pirates had to duck so they wouldn’t get hit.
Hook was defenseless! Also his pirates were shaken up. Suddenly Ashley had an idea. She shook her hands free of the rope and quick did the same for her pretend siblings. “Come on, boys!” she yelled. Then she ran to the front of the imaginary ship. “Grab your weapons. This is our ship now!”
No one moved. Everyone just stared at her.
“Ashley…” Natalie was fluttering around as Tinker Bell. She gave Ashley an anxious look. “What are you doing?”
“What I should have done a long time ago.” Ashley walked over to the ship wheel prop and spun it a few times. She liked being captain.
Mr. Garrett waved the script in the air. “Ashley. You need to stay on book.”