TP Treasure

*AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hi there.

This story deals with a child's POV of the topic divorce. I consider this a sensitive topic and remind the reader that this story is COMPLETELY FICTIONAL. Any similarities to real events is completely coincidental.

I do hope you enjoy this piece, and feel free to leave thoughts and comments below at the end of the story!

Thank you,

-Blur*

(STORY BEGINS AFTER THIS DASHED LINE)

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Toilet paper rolls.

700 toilet paper rolls.

All stuffed with cash, jewels and gold.

700 individual rolls of riches hidden in the custodian's closet.

My first question:

How did all of those rolls get in there?!

My second:

WHY WOULD ONE HIDE TREASURE IN A BUNCH OF TP??!!

And my third:

WHO WOULD HIDE TREASURE INSIDE 700 TOILET PAPER ROLLS???

Hi, I'm Marcy Pierce. And I have just found a gold mine in a custodian's closet.

Don't ask me why I went in the closet in the first place, let's just say I did something deserving of the sentence to "clean the school".

PineBrick Middle School: A charming building of a public school filled to the brim with grimy, bad lunch food hurling, gossip spilling, kick ball dominating middle school students.

I myself am in the 7th grade. Smack dab in the middle of this mess.

I'm at the point where no one reallllly cares about ya.

Not unless you're me of course.

6th grade I punched Gary Weiser in the nose for spilling my lunch tray and Bethany Nickelson’s. That same semester I climbed up the flagpole and won $20 bucks from my bet with Bennett Hatch. The next quarter I started the first food fight at the school. Of course I ended the 6th grade year with a bang: soap. everywhere.

7th grade came in and I was top of my class! Great news for a kid like me. Let’s just say some kids didn’t let that slide. Prime example: this mess. 

Felicity Trinker got me in detention, but you can’t get rid of me that easily. 

So I did what any 12 year old would do:

…

Anyway, that got me here.

I guess I should thank Felicity though, without her I wouldn't have found this jackpot.

The teachers were shocked with me from the moment I stepped into the school, and I basically have reserved seating at the principal’s office; but that’s alright. 

My parents aren’t around much anyway. 

Besides, I have MUCH more important things to do. 

Like figure out what to do with all this dough!

I have to give something to Nickelson; Bethany was one of my first friends!

And I guess Wilson and Bennett deserve some of the spoils on the account that I’ve known those two like forever. 

Then some for Bri, Ash, and Sami; my siblings. 

Of course, some for me. 

And the rest for mom and dad. 

…

Yeah, that sounds pretty good. 

I hope I’ll have enough room in my backpack. Bethany is gonna flip when I hand her a roll of toilet paper loaded with emeralds and pearls!

I can just see the Hatch brothers rolling in the cash! 

Bri will probably get art supplies, Ash will buy shoes, and Sami a new camera for photography class. 

I hope mom and dad will like it. 

…

What if they don’t? 

What if even that is not enough for them to notice me?

I guess it's hard when there’s four kids plus divorce papers getting signed. 

I wish this wasn’t happening. 

Too bad money can’t keep the family together. Heck I can’t even keep the family together. 

…

I can fit in at least one hundred, I’ll have to make trips now. Great. 

I’ll keep storing them in my locker til I run out of room then.

I now have 300 rolls of toilet paper smashed inside my locker, 100 more stuffed in my backpack, 100 more in my sports bag, 100 in Bethany’s backpack (I told her about the cash at lunch), and 50 rolls each in the Hatch brother’s backpacks. I figured I could give the boys their share now along with Nickelson.  

Now to get a hundred to Bri, a hundred to Ash, a hundred for Sami, fifty for myself and a whopping 250 for my parents. 

That’s a lot of TP. 

I still technically have detention after school, but I need to get this to my family now. 

I guess I could wait til the bell rings then hop on the bus heading home. 

Long as Ms. Nelson doesn’t see me. 

Ugh, she’s ancient but still has the eyes of a hawk. 

She’s why I know dinosaurs roamed the earth; living pterodactyl right there. 

Ms. Nelson is the 8th grade math teacher that is beyond her retirement date. 

The poor thing can’t teach the classes for her life, but I guess the board is short staffed at the moment. Her ears aren’t the greatest and her steps are slow, still a shock to me that she hasn’t busted anything. 

The 8th graders love her, during math they basically do whatever. 

As long as she doesn’t catch you. 

Despite her age, her eyesight is second to none. 

I mean it. 

She once spotted Logan Drake eating a gummy bear in class from across the room. Logan hadn’t made a sound and yet she had been busted. 

You can bet that Logan didn’t get to finish her gummy bears. 

The bell rang. The game begins. 

Bethany, Wilson and Bennett have my back, they’ll be distracting the  living fossil. 

I wish the sports bag and backpack weren’t so suspicious. 

Not only are the bags big, but now they're bulging with crammed toilet paper rolls. 

I’ll get the 300 rolls in my locker tomorrow. 

I’m sweating like crazy as I pull my hood over my head more, please let this work. 

The family needs this. 

Past one teacher, past another. 

My bus is in sight. I peek back to see Bethany give me a thumbs up. 

We’re gonna make it. 

“MARCY PIERCE,” I freeze at the sound of my name, bracing for the worst. 

“PLEASE COME TO THE FRONT OFFICE IMMEDIATELY”

I sigh with relief, thank goodness it was just the intercom. 

Nobody listened to those things anyway. 

However, that announcement meant we had to move. 

Teachers would now be looking for me as I smuggled my treasure home. 

Things were getting risky. 

I made it to the bus, allowing Bethany to walk onto the bus before me. 

While she distracted Mr. Garth, the bus driver, I would get on the bus without him noticing. 

Hopefully. 

Wilson and Bennett are shielding me from behind as I make my way up the steps of the bus. 

Bethany is doing great as our bait, and Mr. Garth has fallen for the girl hook, line, and sinker. 

“Mr. Garth, I PROMISE I left my water bottle on the bus. Are you SURE you haven’t seen it??” 

“Bethany, sit down and move you’re holding up the line,”

“BUT MR. GARTHHHHH-”

“Sit. Down.” 

Mission accomplished. 

So close, we were so close. 

All we needed now was for Mr. Garth to stop grumbling over the “lost water bottle” and hit the gas. 

Why won’t the old man step on it??

Wait a minute he’s getting up. 

He’s walking over here. 

Oh no oh no oh no-

“Marcy?” 

Don’t move, don't move, don't move. 

“Get off the bus,”

“Mr. Garth,” I jump up pulling the hood off my face. 

“I can explain, my mom and dad need me to get home and I-”

“Your parents are in the office right now,”

My heart feels like it’s just stopped. Time feels frozen. 

I-I can’t breathe. 

Is this what dying feels like? 

I can’t speak, can’t move, cannot breathe. 

I manage to choke out a little squeak before grabbing my bags. 

The toilet paper seems so heavy now.

The gold, jewels, and cash seem to be glowing in my mind. 

I’m so done for. 

My vision is blurry and my mouth feels dry. 

The arguments, the pain, the words, the hiding, it’s all coming back to me. 

It feels like I’m swimming through the crowds of kids in slow motion. 

Ms. Nelson’s watching me. Is that concern on her face? No, that's gotta be a sneer. 

Still can’t breathe. Do they know about the treasure?

Will they take it away?

They can’t take it away. 

It’s mine. 

It’s for my family. 

It’s-

“Marcy,”

They say my name at the same time and I slowly look up to look at my mom and dad. 

Mom’s auburn hair is curled and down. She’s wearing the coral cardigan. 

Dad has his glasses perched on his nose and his arms are crossed in his navy suit.

He’s got the formal tie on. 

I-I don’t wanna go home now. 

I stumble through the door as my parents lead me outside to the minivan where they parked. 

It’s silent besides the thousands of voices in my head. 

I cannot breathe. 

“Marcy honey,” Mom speaks in a flat tone as she reaches for a cigarette. 

Dad grabs Mom’s hand, lowering the cigarette before she lights the match and she puts the thing down. 

“Marcy,” Dad speaks in a commanding pitch slowly releasing Mom’s hands.

I feel the tears spark up. 

The rings aren’t there anymore. 

“We got the divorce,” 

I can’t breathe. The world has crashed upon me. 

How? I was so close. 

The rolls are in the bag in front of me. 

Why didn’t they ask for what I wanted? 

Why didn’t they try harder?

Why? Why? WHY-

“Marcy,” They speak simultaneously. I look back behind the seat with tears in my eyes to see Bri, Ash and Sami. 

My sister’s hold their arms out for me and I crawl to the backseat. 

I can’t hear my parents’ explanations and comforts. 

I can’t see their ringless fingers. 

I feel my sisters’ hands, wrapped around me, embracing me. 

“You couldn’t have done anything,” Sami whispers in my ear before giving me a kiss. 

“It’s not your fault,” Ash squeezes me tighter and starts to hum my favorite song. 

“We’re still right here,” Bri reminds me with a sniff. 

Mom and Dad start the car and the engine roars to life. 

I feel afraid. 

I feel defeated. 

I feel lost. 

However;

I feel Sami’s kiss, Ash’s gaze, and Bri’s embrace. 

I feel my siblings’ love for each other and me surround the backseat, despite our parents’ decision. 

I feel the treasure in my bags slowly lose their importance and my make believe games slowly come to an end. 

I finally found the treasure, within my sisters’ arms, waiting for me the whole time.