My 8th Grade Short Story

Here’s the original, unedited version of my first story I ever finished: Dios Tiene Mejores Cosas Para Ti. I wrote this story in the second semester of 8th grade when I was 14 years old. Hope you enjoy it! (NOTE: Any translations for any Spanish words that were originally stored via footnotes are unavailable, you will have to look them up yourself if you’re curious.)

DIOS TIENE MEJORES COSAS PARA TÍ

The sound of the noisy school bell bellowed through the halls like a really loud alarm clock.

Not gonna miss that this summer. José thought.

Just before he could leave his classroom, a hand rested on his shoulder. He turned around and saw his literature teacher, Señorita Marietta.

”José, may I have a word?” She asked kindly.

Josè looked back at his two best friends Hector Gonzalez and Maya Fernandez, walking through the school doors and out into the fresh, Brazilian air.

He looked back at his instructor. He shrugged. “Sure.” Josè desired to get this over with quickly so he could go hang out with his friends. Everyone else was gone except them.

”You still seem uninterested in your assignments.”

”What makes you think that?”

”I found this on the floor by your desk.”

She held up one of his drawings.

José thought. I need to be more careful where I put those.

As she handed it to him, she told him, “You don’t seem interested in anything except art and writing. It looks like you don’t care for math, science, or any of the other subjects I teach.”

“Yeah, it’s just not as interesting.” He admitted. “There’s just so many rules you have to follow for everything else. ‘Subtract Y from X first unless there is Z.’”He said in his most scientific impression. “‘If so, then multiply Z by X and then subtract Y.’ It’s just so confusing. And then for art…”

“You can do whatever you want.”

“Yeah, exactly.”

She paused for a moment and stood there silent.

”I’m going to give you a special assignment.” She finally told him. “Instead of doing the literature report everyone else in the class is doing, you can write about what you want to do with your life. You know that we are having the end of the year ceremony where your parents come to school to hear your final reports, right?”

”Yeah…” Josè responded suspiciously.

”Well,” Señorita Marietta continued, “how about you can finish your report and then on Friday you can present it to the class and all of the parents. How’s that?”

José gulped. “Sure.” He finally answered moments later, although he didn’t really mean it. For him, speaking in front of grown-ups was one of the worst things to do. Whenever he did, his throat twisted into a pretzel, his words became jumbled up like a puzzle, and his legs felt like limp spaghetti.

”Good.” Señorita Marietta smiled. “Hasta mañana, Josè.”

He raced out of the school doors and caught up with his two best friends, Hector and Maya. José hopped onto his trusty bike, strapped on his helmet, and waited for his friends to do the same.

”I can’t believe that school’s almost over!” Maya exclaimed with excitement. She looked back at the school, and said, “I’m kinda gonna miss it this summer.”

”Well that makes one of us.” Hector replied. “I’m looking forward to working on my fútbol skills.”

”Sí. We can bike around, play some fútbol, take a break with some burritos, and do it all over again.” José mused.

”Ay, you and your burritos.” Maya sighed. She hopped on her bike, fastened her helmet strap, and put her feet on the pedals. “Well what are we waiting for?” She took off on her bike down the road.

”Wait for us!” José darted after her, with Hector right behind him.

The trio zoomed through the streets of Salvador, Brazil. Neighbors were chatting outside their houses, small street vendors promoting their goods, and small children playing inside their home. Everyone here was kind and friendly, for the most part, and almost all of them knew José, Maya, and Hector.

They soon went their separate ways, and José parked his bike in a bike rack outside his family’s apartment building. He locked it, and went through the front door, up the stairs to the third floor, and through the hallway to apartment 42.

”Hola, José!” His mother greeted from the kitchen. “How was escuela?”

”Ok.” He answered while throwing his backpack onto his bed. “I’m supposed to write a special assignment para la literatura.”

”What’s it about?”

José paused. “It’s not that important…”

“Well if it’s not important it’s ok if I know, right?” His mother reasoned.

”Well… I mean… It’s not really… that important.”

”Oh? How so?”

”It’s just about what we wanna do when we grow up. What do we want our legacy to be, and all that.”

”That is very important!” His mother exclaimed. “So what do you want to do?”

José paused again. “I… don’t know.”

~~~

The next day, at his second to last fútbol game, José had trouble focusing. The right defender passed the ball up the side line to him, but he didn’t see it coming and an enemy player intercepted the pass.

”Mariano!” His coach bellowed at Josè from the sideline, using his last name to get his attention. “Get your head in the game!”

José darted after the enemy player on a breakaway towards his team’s goal. He almost caught up with him, but when he did, the player crossed the ball to his teammate who blasted the ball into the goal.

At halftime, the score was 0-3. The coach gave the players a pep talk alongside the starting lineup.

”Just because we’re down three to nothing doesn’t mean that we should just give up.” The coach encouraged the disappointed players. “When you get in there, I want you to give everything you got! The starting line up will be a little different, so listen carefully. We’ll have…”

”Man, I can’t believe that they are beating us three to nothing!” Hector whispered to his best friend. “When I get in, I’m gonna score, score, score! And… José? Are you listening?”

“Huh? Oh, sí!” Josè responded. “You’re gonna score!”

”Are you okay? You seem distracted. You can’t dribble past people, can hardly pass it up the field, and you’re even struggling to trap the ball when someone passes to you!”

“I’m fine. Just a little distracted.”

“And Felipe is going to start as right midfield instead of Jose and Marco is going in as right striker instead of Hector…” Coach Felipe continued.

”WHAT?!?” Hector and Jose exclaimed.

”Now go out there and play your hardest!” The coach concluded.

The starters cheered, in fact, the whole team cheered, except for Hector and José.

”I can’t believe it!” Hector panicked. “If we’re not in, then we can’t score!”

”And if we can’t score, then we can’t win!” José added.

They walked over to the coach.

”But coach, why aren’t we starting?” Hector complained.

”You two played the whole first half.” The coach explained. “You need a breather.”

”But coach…” José started.

”Not another word, you two!” The coach warned. “Now you can sit there and complain or you can watch the game and encourage your teammates. And if you cheer on your teammates then I might consider putting you in sooner. But if you keep complaining I’ll keep you on the bench.“

”I can’t believe it.” Hector complained.

”Let’s just do what the coach said.” José suggested. “Then we might be able to go in soon.”

The two sat and watched the game and soon realized that they were exhausted, just like the coach predicted. The ball traveled back and forth, up in the air soaring towards the other team’s side of the field one minute and back to the other side of the field the next. This continued for about ten minutes, but the cycle soon broke when the crowd erupted with joy. Their team scored a goal, causing them to be down by three instead of four. A few minutes afterwards, however, the other team retorted by scoring another goal, making the score 1-4.

”Man, they’re good.” José observed.

”If we were in it, we would be winning.” Hector moaned.

The game ended with a disappointing score of 2-5. After the game, Josè’s father met up with him and Hector.

Mr. Mariano, Josè’s father tried to cheer them up with a heartfelt, ”Good effort, boys. You’ll get them next time.”

”Don’t be so sure, papa.” Josè moaned.

”There was nothing you could do about it.” His father added. “They were a good team.”

“So are we!” Hector exclaimed.

”Sì,” Maya replied. “But there are some teams that are just better. You can’t win them all.”

”Ella tiene razón. Anyways, who wants dinner?” Mr. Mariano changed the topic expertly.

~~~

The next day during school, Josè was more distracted than ever. Instead of doodling however, he was pondering the terrible question his teacher had asked him the previous day.

What am I gonna do con mi vida? He thought.

As he was thinking, Maya, who sitting sitting at the desk right next to Josè, watched him, how he was just sitting there staring at his upside-down Historia de Brazil textbook.

Later at lunch, in the cafeteria, Hector poked at his meatloaf, which looked more like a big brown, rectangular blob than like an edible meal.

”Are we even sure that this is meatloaf?” He inquired doubtfully.

”Nobody knows.“ Maya replied, dipping her fork down into the depths of her bowl. “That’s why I stick to the salad. But I’ve gotta admit, just looking at that is disturbing.”

José walked over to them and joined them at the table.

Hector stabbed his fork into the top of his meat and lifted it above his lunch tray. “Does this ‘meatloaf’ look real to you, José?”

José inspected his own lunch. “I’m unsure.” He answered knowingly. “It requires further testing. This is a job for Professor Encurdito!”

José grabbed a knife and turned to Hector. “Intern, take notes.”

”Yes doctor.” Hector replied as seriously as he could.

José dug his knife into the side of the meatloaf. “Substance seems to be soft.” He lifted his hand in front of his eyes and examined his slimy hand, and added, “And slimy.”

Maya burst with laughter.

 José continued cutting until they had a good chunk of meat severed from the meatloaf. He handed it to Hector. “Take this sample to the lab for testing.”

”Yes doctor.”

”In the meantime, we shall continue our experiments.” He stated. He cut all sides of the meatloaf, slicing and dicing edges, cutting meaty corners. When he was finished, he looked at his creation proudly.

”Behold,” He announced boldly. “Mount Vesuvius!”

“Incredible, doctor.” Maya admired the meaty masterpiece as she tried not to laugh.

”Your brilliance is unmatched, doctor.” Hector added.

”Maybe one day, if you keep up your work, you might turn from unpaid intern to paid intern!”

All three of the friends exploded with laughter. “We should probably eat soon, we have to go to la clase de matemáticas en diez minutos.” Maya told them.

”I’m not sure if I want to eat this anymore.” José responded.

”Me neither.” Hector agreed.

Maya sighed. “Of course you don’t.” She walked toward the kitchen to return her tray and throw away her fork.

Hector ate the meat slowly. Five minutes later, after he finished all of his lunch, he also walked over to return his lunch tray.

Maya leaned closer towards José and asked, “Are you okay?”

”Yeah.” José replied. “Why?”

”You seemed distracted all morning. I mean, a different kind of distracted. Instead of doodling on papel para borrador or using your sacapuntas as action figures, you were just sitting there looking out the window. What’s wrong?”

”It’s nothing…” He started.

Maya stared at him.

”So it’s fine if I know, right?”

He chuckled and said, “You’re just like mamà.”

”Smart, courageous, and good looking?” She posed like a movie star. “I can’t help it. It comes naturally.”

José chuckled again, sighed, and looked at his best friend again. “Señorita Marietta gave me a special assignment.”

”So?”

”It’s about what I want to do with my life and all that stuff. And I…”

“Don’t know what you want to do.” Maya finished his thought for him.

”Yeah.” José admitted.

”Well,” Maya paused. “You know what I do when I don’t know what to do?”

José grew curious. ”What?”

”Well, when I don’t know what to do or what choice to make, I ask God.” She answered honestly. “He always gives me an answer.”

”How do you know it’s the right choice?” José asked.

”I know because He knows what is best for me.” She responded. “You know, the Bible says that He is our perfect Father. He knows everything about us and knows all of our doubts. If you need answers, talk to God.”

”How do I do that?”

”Well…” Maya paused again. “I know one way.”

Later that night, Josè found himself sitting in a chair at Maya and Hector’s youth group.

”Open your Bibles to John 14:6.” The youth leader gave the passage for his message. “Would anyone like to read?”

Maya’s hand shot up.

”Thank you Maya.”

Maya cleared her throat and read the verse. ”Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.“

”So in this verse, it tells us that He is the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus is our only way to get to God. Once you get to know Jesus, you grow closer to God. But some of you are probably thinking, ‘But how do I get to know Jesus?’. Well, we can get to know Jesus by reading the Bible and by praying. Prayer is our way of talking to Jesus. In 1 Peter 5:7, it says that we can bring all of our cares and worries to God. We can talk to Jesus whenever we want and we can tell Him whatever we want. He cares about everything in your life: What grade you got in your school test, the score for your fútbol game, even what you had for lunch! He cares about every part of your life. But more importantly, He’s also there for you to talk to Him when things go wrong in life. He will always listen to you whenever you need to talk to Him. And when you give your life to Jesus, you can start your relationship with Him.”

Josè listened intently, wanting to know more about this God who wanted to talk to him. He thought, He wants a relationship with me? Why would He want to be friends with me?

The youth leader continued. “Jesus wants to be your friend. He’s interested in you. He loves you. He loved you so much that He died a criminal’s death on a cross so you wouldn’t need to live in sin.”

Josè thought to himself, So He died for me? Someone He didn’t even know?

”Jesus is the Son of God, and He knew who you are and all about your life before you were even born. Even if He knew that you wouldn’t follow Him, He still would have died on that cross for you. That’s how much He loves you. And if you do want to follow Him, then it’s simple. I like to call it ABC. First, admit to God that you’re a sinner. Nobody’s perfect. We all mess up. Who has messed up before?”

Every hand shot up instantly.

”See what I mean? But Jesus forgives us and forgets about our sin as soon as we repent. The Bible says in Psalm 103:12 that he forgets our sins as far as the east is from the west. In case you didn’t know, they don’t meet up, ever. He completely forgets them as soon as we ask for forgiveness. Secondly, believe that Jesus is the Son of God. We need to actually believe that He died for us. We need faith.”

Josè was confused. He wondered, What is that and how do I get that? In that moment, Josè realized how broken, meaningless, and empty his life was. So, what’s the answer? How do I fix my life? Suddenly Josè panicked. What if it’s too late?

”Faith is your belief in God. For some it’s strong, for some it’s not as strong. That’s okay! There are many ways to grow your faith. The biggest one is to read your Bible. Grow familiar with what His word says. The Bible is like our guidebook of what to do and what not to do in life. Another big one is prayer. Try to talk to God whenever you can. You can also worship Him. Worship is giving God everything you have. It’s putting aside your worries and cares so that you can praise Him. The last one is to come to church. At church, you can learn more about God and what His plan is for you. Church is a place to grow.”

As the night went on, Josè learned more about God and His Son, Jesus. He learned how He loves him despite all of his mistakes.

At the end of the meeting, the youth leader asked, “Everyone close your eyes. Now, is there anyone here who would like to give their life to Jesus? If you do, raise your hand. Nobody is looking. This is between you and God. You might be thinking that it’s too late and that all of your sins are unforgivable. But that’s not true! Jesus forgives you no matter how badly you mess up! Just admit to God that you’re a sinner, believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and confess your faith in Jesus as your savior and Lord.”

Josè slipped up his hand, accepting Jesus’ fellowship in his life.

”Now, we’re all going to say this together. Say, ‘Dear Jesus, I repent of my sin. Thank you for sending your Son to die for me on the cross. I want to know you and follow you. Tonight I give my life to you. In Jesus’ name, amen.’”

After they were released and started to go home, Josè told Maya about how he gave his life to Jesus.

”That’s great!” She cried and hugged him. “Want to come with me again el Domingo?”

”I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

~~~

The next day at his individual studies period, Josè thought about what he was going to do for his life. He thought hard about it, and soon he knew exactly what to say. When he came home from school, he wrote his report and prepared to read it the next day. That night, as he was lying in his bed, he talked to Jesus for the very first time.

”Dear God, please give me strength and boldness for tomorrow.” He pleaded.

The next day, at the last of all his classes for the school year, Josè prepared to present his report. He silently prayed to God as he waited. When it was his turn, he walked to the front of the class, in front of all his classmates and their parents. He felt afraid, but he closed his eyes, focused on Jesus, and took a deep breath.

He opened his mouth and said, “Most kids before or during high school are asked, ‘What are you going to do with your life?’ And while I don’t know where I’ll live, what job I’ll have, or what woman I’ll marry, I know exactly what I want to do with my life. Earlier this week I met Jesus. He died on a cross so that we wouldn’t need to live in sin. I learned how He forgives us no matter how badly we mess up and that He wants to have a relationship with us. And that’s what I’m going to do. I want to follow Jesus and to bring more people to know Him. That might not seem like a good answer for some people, but I think that it’s the right answer. That other stuff is important, but not as important as the choice of following Jesus. So as I leave middle school and graduate to high school, I want to leave this one word of advice for everyone: God’s plans are better than our plans. If we follow Him our lives will be prosperous and joyful. Thank you.”

There was silence at first, but soon the whole room burst with cheers and clapping. Maya looked at Josè and smiled, while Hector gave him a thumbs up. Josè walked back to his seat next to his two faithful friends, who had prayed for God to visit him for years.

Señorita Marietta walked to the front of the class and dismissed everyone. “Thank you for coming, everyone! Que tengas un buen verano!”

Josè grabbed his backpack and started to leave, when Señorita Marietta called him. “Josè, espera!”

Josè turned around to face his literature teacher. “Si?”

”Great job today.” She congratulated him. “I’m very proud of you.”

”Gracias, but I’m the one who should be thanking you.” He admitted.

”What do you mean?”

”You’re the one who gave me that assignment in the first place. Because of you, I finally met Jesus. If you hadn’t given me this assignment, that never would have happened.”

Señorita Marietta was shocked. She looked like she was going to cry, and she hugged Josè. After she let go, she wiped her eyes with a handkerchief.

”Josè!” Hector and Maya called. “Are you coming?”

”Be there in a minute!” He replied.

“Go. Your friends are waiting for you.” Señorita Marietta smiled. “Go have fun.”

Josè grinned. He walked toward the doors and just before he left, Señorita Marietta added, “And Josè,”

He looked back at her.

”Que el Señor esté contigo.”

Josè’s face lit up with joy, and he joined his family and friends outside.

His mother hugged him affectionately. “You were amazing! I’m so proud of you!”

His father joined the embrace. “She’s right!”

Hector gave him a high five. “Way to go!”

Josè grinned. “Now, let the fun begin!”

”What should we do first?” Maya asked.

”Well, there’s a good burrito place a few blocks from here.” Josè suggested.

”Of course.” Maya chuckled. She hopped on her bike and darted off. “Let’s go!”

Hector and Josè followed after her. Later that night, when Josè’s family returned home, he threw his backpack on his bed. He saw a small box lying on his bed. He grabbed it and his eyes spotted a note on the top.

Josè, I’m so glad that you are my friend. I thank God for you every day. I love your creativity and your amazing imagination. When I heard you present your report today, I knew that God had answered my prayers. And if you’re going to accomplish what you want to do with your life, you’ll need this. Your friend, Maya

Josè opened the box and lifted up the surprise that was inside.

It was a Bible.

And that’s it! My very first completed story. Sure, it isn’t another Rikki Tikki Tavi or The Nightingale and the Rose, but it’s isn’t too shabby either. (If I do say so myself.) Let me know what you think in the comments, and keep an eye out for any other writing snippets I publish. Welp, adios!