Searching for Neverland by Monica Alexander

He was an awesome baseball player, he did really well in school, and he was really stinkin’ cute. My dad had complained constantly about the girls who called the house at all hours asking for him, so he finally got Tanner a cell phone, so the home phone wasn’t always tied up. And if Tanner was anything like Trey, the calls wouldn’t ever stop, so it was probably a good call on my dad’s part. Girls loved Trey, and Tanner looked like a younger version of him.
    “I pitched a no hitter!” he bragged. “We totally creamed them.”
    He was playing on a Little League All-Star team, and his team was really good.
    “So, I guess I owe you that Xbox game, huh?”
    I’d promised him the year before if he ever threw a no hitter, I’d buy him a video game. He’d pitched two already, and this was his third. He was making out like a bandit.
    “I want the new Call of Duty ,” he said quickly.
    “Tanner, you are too young for that game,” I heard my mother say in the background.
    “Mom,” he whined.
    “Let him have the game, Liz,” my dad chimed in, and it made me feel like I was right there in the car with them.
    “No, Rick, he’s too young.”
    “Mom, Braden and Stewart got it. Why can’t I have it?” Tanner whined, and I couldn’t help but smile.
    “I’ll buy it for you, buddy,” I told him.
    “You will?!” he shrieked, and I had to pull the phone away from my ear. “Mom, Taylor said she’d get it for me.”
    “She what? Give me that phone.”
    Uh-oh.
    “Taylor, you are not buying him that game,” my mother chastised as soon she had the phone in her hands.
    “Mom,” I said, aiming for reason. “His two best friends have it. He’s going play it their house. It’s inevitable. Let me buy it for him. Please. He worked really hard. He deserves it.”
    She paused for a few seconds, no doubt contemplating what I’d told her. Then she sighed loudly. “Fine.”
    “Yes!” I heard Tanner shout from the backseat. “Can she come for dinner tomorrow? Can she? She can bring the game, and we can all play it.”
    I laughed out loud, and so did my mother. We all knew that I’d be there for dinner. As much as we hadn’t ever intended to, we had spoiled Tanner from day one. He had us all wrapped around his finger and knew just how to get what he wanted.
    “I’ll be there,” I told my mom. “Tell him I’ll bring his game and we’ll play it after we eat. He’ll probably kick my butt, but that’s fine.”
    “See if Josh can come too,” I heard Tanner yell in the background.
    Oh crap.
    My brother thought Josh was awesome since they played video games together whenever Josh came with me to my parents’ house. I wasn’t sure what to tell him since I wasn’t exactly sure if Josh and I were alright.
    “Can you bring Josh with you?” my mother asked.
    “I’ll see if he has plans. He has a new girlfriend who he’s been spending a lot of time with, so we’ll see.”
    “Okay, sweetie . Just let us know if he’s coming ,” my mother said. “We’ll see you tomorrow night.”
    “Bye Mom.”
    “Bye Taylor! You’re the best big sister ever!” Tanner cheered before my mom ended the call.
    I hung up smiling. My brother was a trip.
    “Tanner?” Allison asked from where she was standing in the shallow end of the pool a few feet away. She’d always been a big fan of Tanner, and she’d been his teacher three years earlier, so she had a soft spot for him.
    “Yeah. He pitched another no hitter today, so I owe him the new Call of Duty game.”
    She smiled. “That’s so cool. Tell him congratulations for me.”
    “I will.”
    Then she sighed. “I can’t wait until I can buy my kids video games and go to their baseball games .”
    Oh man, she had baby fever bad, and she was barely engaged.
    “Thinking of skipping the wedding and heading straight for babyville?” I teased, praying she wouldn’t do that.
    I wasn’t ready for her to checkout of her social life completely. I needed time to ease into