“But James will be waiting for me. He promised that he would help me memorize all the battles in the Civil war.”
“Abby, having an imaginary friend was fine when you were four or five. We understood it back then; you were shy, and it was hard for you to make friends, so it was only natural that you would create your own best friend. But you’re seventeen now, you’re about to graduate from high school, and it’s time that you gave up this little fantasy. It’s not healthy, Abby.”
I stared at him for a moment, and then I just started laughing. They didn’t know James, so it was understandable that they thought he was still imaginary. I looked over Dad’s face and saw that he was completely serious, and he actually looked very worried. I swallowed the rest of my giggles and went to sit right next to him. I took his hand, and thought about how best to explain the situation with James.
“Dad, James may have been imaginary at one point, but he’s different now—he’s real now.”
“Honey, I know he might feel real—”
“He doesn’t feel real, he is real. He’s a real person who eats, sleeps, and breathes, just like every other person you’ve met. He has a pulse, I swear! I felt it once—remember that really hot day a couple of weeks ago? James passed out because he hadn’t had a drink of water all morning. It totally freaked me out, and I had to check his pulse to make sure he was alive. One time, he stepped on a broken Coke bottle, and a shard of glass went straight through his flip-flop. There was blood everywhere, and I tried to pull the glass out of his foot, but it was just too gross. No one was here at the house, so we had to walk down to the gas station to get some help. Well, I walked and James hopped. I still have the glass—with the blood stains and everything—if you still don’t believe me.”
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