Chapter 110: Flash Backs and Pranks

Jordan's mind drifted as he slept, and soon he was pulled into a dream—no, a memory. A time before everything changed. Before Tyler’s regression, before the weight of responsibility settled on his shoulders.

He was thirteen again, back in the summer that felt like it would never end. The air was warm, the sky endless, and the world was simple. Just him, Tyler, Jake, and Alex, running through the park with their Nerf guns, diving behind benches, laughing as they pelted each other with foam darts.

"Gotcha!" Tyler shouted, hitting Jordan square in the chest with a perfectly aimed shot.

Jordan clutched his heart dramatically. "Ahh! Betrayed by my own best friend!"

Tyler grinned, his eyes bright with mischief. "Survival of the fittest, Jordy!"

Jake and Alex ran up, panting, their own weapons held high. "We need reinforcements!" Jake called out.

Jordan smirked. "Then let's form an alliance—just this once. Tyler, you're going down."

They spent hours running through the park, the game evolving into tag, then hide and seek, then just lounging in the grass, staring up at the sky.

"You ever think about the future?" Alex asked suddenly.

Tyler scoffed. "Duh, we're gonna be famous one day. Maybe athletes, maybe actors—oh! Maybe we all start a gaming channel and make millions."

Jordan laughed. "That sounds like you."

"I just know one thing," Jake said, sitting up. "No matter what, we're always gonna stick together. Even if we don't get famous, even if life gets crazy, we'll have each other."

There was a moment of silence as they all let that sink in. Then Tyler smirked. "Alright, group pact? No matter what happens, we're in this together."

Jordan nodded, raising his hand. "Always."

The others did the same, their hands stacking on top of each other. "Always."

The scene shifted, fast-forwarding like an old videotape. Jordan was sixteen now, standing outside the school after track practice, laughing with Tyler about something ridiculous. The sun was setting, and for a moment, Jordan could almost believe things had stayed the same. That Tyler was still the same kid who had run through the park without a care in the world.

But then the dream began to distort. The laughter faded. Shadows crept in around the edges. The sounds of the park and the schoolyard were replaced with the sterile beeping of medical monitors. Tyler’s bright eyes dulled, his carefree grin replaced with confusion, then innocence, then the childlike dependency he now carried.

Jordan’s stomach clenched as the past blurred into the present. He reached out, trying to grab onto the version of Tyler who was still whole, still the friend he had grown up with. But no matter how hard he tried, the memory faded, slipping through his fingers like sand.

Then he heard it—soft, distant.

"Jordy..."

Jordan's eyes snapped open, his breath shaky as he adjusted to the dim glow of the nightlight in his room. He ran a hand over his face, willing himself to push away the ache in his chest. It was just a dream. A reminder of what once was.

But no matter how much time passed, he would never forget.

Because promises were meant to be kept.

And he wasn’t giving up on Tyler. Not now. Not ever.

He turned his head toward the baby monitor next to his bed. Tyler was still sound asleep, his chest rising and falling peacefully.

Jordan smiled faintly and whispered to himself, "I'll never let you go," as he drifted back to sleep, surrendering once more to the dreams of the past.

This time, the memory was different. It was a crisp autumn afternoon, leaves crunching beneath their feet as they walked home from school. Tyler was going on about some new game he wanted them all to play, his energy boundless as always.

"I'm telling you, Jordy, this game is gonna be legendary! We can all squad up, dominate the leaderboards. Just imagine it!" Tyler said, practically bouncing as he spoke.

Jordan chuckled. "Dude, you say that about every game."

"Yeah, but this one is different! I can feel it. And come on, you know you love our late-night gaming marathons."

"True," Jordan admitted with a grin. "Alright, fine. But if I carry you again, you owe me a week’s worth of snacks."

"Deal!" Tyler beamed, holding out a fist for Jordan to bump.

Another shift. The video of his memories continued playing, now at a school dance. Music blared from the speakers, but the four of them weren’t interested in dancing. Instead, they sat at a table in the corner, joking around, watching people awkwardly sway under the dim lights.

"This is kinda lame," Alex admitted, sipping on a soda.

"Super lame," Jake agreed. "Why did we even come?"

"Because," Tyler said with a mischievous grin, "we needed an excuse to crash the after-party."

Jordan raised an eyebrow. "And you didn’t think to mention this before?"

"Surprise!" Tyler laughed. "Come on, let’s get outta here."

The memory shifted again. Now it was just Jordan and Tyler, sitting on a rooftop at night, looking out over the town. A moment of rare stillness between them.

"Do you ever think about what it’d be like to just...pause everything?" Tyler asked, his voice softer than usual.

Jordan looked over. "What do you mean?"

"Like...life keeps going so fast. One day we’re kids playing in the park, the next we’re dealing with grades, expectations, the future. Sometimes I just wanna freeze time, y’know? Just stay in the best moments forever."

Jordan smiled. "If I could freeze time, I’d pick this moment. Right here."

Tyler grinned. "Yeah? Me too."

The dream began to blur again, fading into the present. Jordan stirred slightly in his sleep, his heart aching at the memories. He had promised they’d always be together, but things had changed in ways he never could have imagined.

Still, one thing remained the same. He would never give up on Tyler. No matter what.

Jordan’s breathing hitched as the dream shifted once more. He mumbled in his sleep, a soft chuckle escaping his lips. "Too slow, Ty..."

His voice carried through the room, and as he mumbled again, Jake and Alex stirred awake, glancing at each other, concern in their tired eyes.

Jake whispered, "Should we wake him?"

Alex smirked. "We could do that... or we could prank Evan as revenge for putting us on blowout duty."

Jake raised an eyebrow. "What kind of prank?"

Alex grinned. "I’ve always wanted to see if that warm water trick actually works."

Jake stifled a laugh. "Alright, let’s do it."

They slipped out of bed, their whispers fading as they schemed in the dim light of the room, leaving Jordan to his dreams of the past.

Here's the prank scene added to the story:

---

Alex and Jake crept downstairs, careful to avoid any creaky floorboards as they made their way to the kitchen. The glow of the refrigerator light flickered as Alex grabbed a bowl and turned on the tap, letting the water warm up to just the right temperature.

Jake smirked. "You really think this is gonna work?"

Alex grinned. "There's only one way to find out."

With the bowl now full of warm water, they carefully carried it back upstairs, tiptoeing toward Evan’s room. The door was slightly open, and inside, Evan was sprawled out on his bed, snoring softly, completely oblivious to what was about to happen.

Jake stifled a chuckle as he whispered, "Dude’s out cold."

Alex nodded, grinning as he crouched beside the bed, carefully lifting Evan’s hand and lowering it into the bowl of warm water. For a few seconds, nothing happened. The two boys exchanged glances, wondering if the prank was just an old wives’ tale.

But then…

Jake’s eyes widened as Evan shifted slightly in his sleep. A few more seconds passed, and then—

"Oh"

A dark patch started spreading across Evan’s pajama pants.

Alex slapped a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing too loudly, while Jake's eyes widened in shock and delight. They exchanged looks of pure triumph, barely holding in their laughter.

Then, Evan stirred.

For a moment, he just shifted in his sleep, completely unaware. But then, his brows furrowed, and his nose crinkled as he slowly became aware of the growing wetness. His eyes blinked open groggily, and he sat up slightly, confusion flashing across his face.

“What the—” Evan muttered, patting his damp pajama pants. His eyes shot wide open as realization dawned.

Alex and Jake barely made it out the door before Evan let out a half-asleep, half-horrified shout.

"WHAT THE HELL?!"

Jake and Alex collapsed outside the door, muffling their laughter with their hands. They could hear Evan scrambling around inside, still confused and groggy.

Then, the door swung open, revealing a furious, red-faced Evan standing there in his soaked pants.

"You guys are DEAD."

That was all the warning they got before Evan lunged.

Jake and Alex bolted down the hall, cackling as Evan chased them, ranting about revenge. The noise was enough to make Jordan stir slightly in his sleep, but he remained deep in his dreams, unaware of the chaos unfolding just outside his door.

Miss Harper squinted groggily into the dim hallway, her hair slightly disheveled as she took in the sight before her—Evan, standing there in visibly soaked pajama pants, fists clenched at his sides, while Jake and Alex clung to the wall, trying and failing to hold in their laughter.

Her eyes narrowed. “Do I even want to know?”

Evan pointed a dramatic finger at Jake and Alex. “These two IDIOTS just pulled the warm water prank on me!”

Miss Harper sighed, rubbing her temples. “Boys, really? It’s two in the morning.”

Jake, still barely holding back laughter, raised his hands in mock innocence. “In our defense, we were testing a scientific theory.”

Alex smirked. “And it worked.”

Evan groaned in frustration, throwing his hands up. “You don’t understand. I PEED MYSELF! Because of THEM!”

Miss Harper pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to suppress a chuckle herself. “Okay, okay, enough. Evan, go get cleaned up. Jake, Alex, back to bed. And if I hear one more sound from this hallway tonight, I’m making you both change every single one of Tyler’s diapers tomorrow.”

That wiped the smirks off their faces.

Evan huffed and stormed off to change while Jake and Alex scrambled back to their room, whispering back and forth.

“That was so worth it,” Jake whispered.

Alex grinned. “Totally.”

With the hallway finally quiet, Miss Harper shook her head and sighed, muttering, “Boys…” before retreating back into her room.

Jake and Alex slipped back into their beds, still snickering under their breath about their successful prank. As Jake settled under his blanket, he glanced over at Jordan, who was still asleep, mumbling softly.

At first, it was hard to make out what he was saying, but then they caught snippets—familiar names, places, laughter from the past. His voice wavered between joy and sorrow, like he was reliving something bittersweet.

Jake nudged Alex. “Should we wake him? Tell him what we did?”

Alex hesitated, watching as Jordan shifted slightly, his face flickering between peaceful and troubled. “Nah… let him dream.”

Jordan’s mind was lost in another memory—one from when they were younger, before everything changed.

---

The four of them were huddled in a dimly lit blanket fort, a single flashlight illuminating their faces. It was a late summer night, and the air outside was thick with the sound of crickets.

“We should tell scary stories,” Tyler suggested, his grin full of mischief.

Alex rolled his eyes. “Dude, we’re too old for that.”

Jake smirked. “What, you scared?”

Alex scoffed. “Pfft, no!”

Jordan chuckled. “Alright, fine. Who’s got a good one?”

Tyler took a deep breath, lowering his voice dramatically. “Alright, this one’s called ‘The Man in the Window’…”

The flashlight flickered as Tyler spun his tale, the shadows shifting around them. Jordan listened, feeling the warmth of the blanket fort, the closeness of his best friends, the safety in their shared laughter.

Then, suddenly, the scene shifted.

---

Now they were in Tyler’s backyard, launching water balloons at each other on a scorching summer afternoon. Tyler ducked behind a bush, laughing as he reloaded, while Jordan sprinted across the lawn, dodging incoming splashes.

“You’ll never hit me!” Jordan taunted.

Tyler grinned wickedly. “Oh yeah?” He launched a balloon with perfect aim,

it soaring through the air before exploding right on Jordan’s back.

Jordan froze, feeling the cold water soak through his shirt. Tyler burst into laughter, doubling over as he pointed. “Gotcha, Jordy!”

Jake and Alex howled with laughter as Jordan turned slowly, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. “Oh, you’re so dead.”

Before Tyler could react, Jordan grabbed the biggest water balloon from the bucket and hurled it straight at him. It smacked into Tyler’s chest, drenching him completely.

"Not fair!" Tyler gasped, wiping water from his face.

Jordan laughed. "Oh, it's totally fair!"

The backyard was soon filled with chaos—balloons flying, water spraying, laughter echoing through the air. For a moment, it was perfect. Just them, just fun, just the world they knew before things changed.

---

Jordan stirred in his sleep, his lips curling slightly as he mumbled, “Gotcha, Ty…”

Jake and Alex exchanged a glance, listening as Jordan’s breathing evened out again.

“He’s dreaming good things,” Jake whispered.

“Yeah,” Alex agreed. “For now.”

They settled back into their beds, the room quiet except for Jordan’s occasional murmurs.

But deep inside his dreams, Jordan’s memories continued to play, one after another, pulling him deeper into the past—back to the moments that still felt so real, so alive.

And for now, that was enough.