13

At my funeral I see that Gene does not cry. He feels that it is not only my funeral, but his too.
Gene class has just graduated. He went to Devon and looked at all of the branches of the army occupying Devon. Later  that day Brinker brought Gene to the Butt Room, where Brinkers father was. Brinkers father tells them his view on the war. Hes really uptight and strict about the war. He explains it as if it is a passage of life. Gene knows he will be in the war soon. When Gene is older he sees the real meaning of fighting in the war, and the meaning of life. He knew that I never sensed the existence of an enemy to fight. I was never afraid, and I never hated anyone. Gene knew that I didn't think the enemy was the enemy at all. He lived some of his life through me even after I died.

12

I remember waking up to The wrestling coach, and Dr. Stanpole. They brought me out on a chair. Dr. Stanpole told me that my leg was re-broken, but not as badly as last time. I woke up in the infirmary, and saw a shadow. I immediately knew it was Gene and got angry. I sarcastically asked Gene if he just came to break another one of my bones. He told me he was sorry and left. Gene packed some of my clothes and things and brought them to the infirmary for me. I told him about how i have enlisted to so many branches of the army all over the world and they all rejected me because of my leg. We had an extremely emotional talk, and that would be our last.

11

When Gene came back to Devon I was playing and around and having a snowball fight, I drew him in and he started to fool around with me. Then Gene asked me if I can play sports and stuff with my leg. I told him that it felt like my leg was getting better and my bone was heeling. Later when Gene and I were relaxing in our room, Brinker came in and asked about Leper. Gene told him the sad news and Brinker insisted that Leper was crazy all along, that he was "cracked." All the guys are getting closer and closer to enlisting. They have been choosing the military branches they want to join. I think that Gene isn't going to enlist. I hope it isn't because he feels badly for me. I love joking with Gene about his feats in the 1944 Olympics. He'll be a champion someday.
That night, Brinker came in to our room and told us he was bringing us somewhere. It ended up being the assembly room. There were a bunch of boys in there interrogating us about my accident. I ended up getting so overwhelmed by everything and ran out of the room crying. As I ran I fell down the marble staircase. 

10

Gene set off to Lepers "Christmas Location" yesterday. He says its his home in Vermont where his mom is. He took a train then a bus to get there. I really hope Gene realizes that Leper has fled from the war. Gene says that Leper has escaped from the spies. I wish he could just except the truth. But this makes the war all the more real to all of us. The worst was yet to come. The army offered to give Leper a "Section Eight discharge," also know as, Leper is crazy. This discharge is for insane people, which means he would never be able to lead a regular life again. Gene told me that he and Leper had any long conversations about the war, and what is going on at Devon. Leper even brought up my accident of falling out of the tree, sore subject. Leper told Gene of his hallucinations of boot camp. He saw soldiers carrying peoples limbs, and the officers faces were women's faces. I hope that Gene is okay after hearing all of this. He told me he could not stand to hear it anymore so he ran into the snowy fields.

9

I have been training Gene a lot for the Olympics. We train basically everyday. Gene told me he feels peace and tranquility when we train, even though it is almost impossible to feel that way during war. Leper told all of the guys that he is enlisting to the ski army in January. This just makes the war seem even more unreal to me.
I had the brilliant idea to have a winter carnival. The boys arrange a little ski jump, snow statues, and prizes, and Chet Douglass provides music on his trumpet. It was a fool proof plan. As the carnival began I got up on the prize table and began to dance and I announced that Gene would be showing everyone the various feats of the decathlon. During all of the fun of the Carnival, Brownie came to us with a telegram from Leper saying that if Gene does not come to his "Christmas Location" that his life will be in danger. "If Leper was psycho . . . the army . . . had done it to him, and . . . all of us were on the brink of the army."

8

Gene made my bed for me just like old times. I joked with him and criticized his clothes were and the maid service was slacking, but he was not really in the mood for jokes. Brinker came into our room and asked Gene if he was still going to enlist into the war, then started joking with Gene about his plan to murder me and get rid of me. Gene quickly cut Brinker off and started to tell me about Brinkers idea to enlist in the war. My reaction was enthusiastic but in a negative way. I expressed that I wanted Gene to stay. So then we both began to give Brinker crap about how we would never enlist with him.
When Gene and I were on our way to class I began to tell him how much I loved the ice patches and the winter in general. I then suggested we skip class so i could get a good look at Devon since i had been gone for so long. We went to the gym, then Gene admitted to me that he had not tried out for any sports because of his dreams to enlist into war. I gave him the honest truth, that there is no such thing as war.
After that talk Gene began to train for the olympics, with my help of course. Mr. Ludsbury told us to dedicate our time to the war, but we simply said, "No."

7

Gene recently told me about the  "Butt Room." It is were all of the boys go to smoke their cigarettes. I guess the boys were fooling around and accusing Gene of jolting the branch so I would fall off the tree, and he got extremely angry. He took the accusation to heart and ran out of the "Butt Room" with out even smoking. He told them he had to go "study his french." I wonder why it got to him so much.
The boys get payment by shoveling out the railroad some days. I guess one day when they were shoveling they saw Leper cross country skiing, and looking for a dam on the Devon River. The boys saw Leper back at Devon. Gene thinks about what his life would be if he could leave school tomorrow and just enlist in the war. Gene contemplated a lot but decided it was the right choice to enlist into the war.
Well it is time for me to get back into the swing of things and go back to Devon. I wonder if it will be a surprise to Gene. Well i can not wait to see him and get back on track at Devon.

6

Gene is back at Devon with all the boys.I called Gene to see how things were going and to just check up on him. I had hoped he was not still crazy and taking the blame for my accident when I fell out of the tree over the summer. He is still in the room that we shared last year. Gene told me got the job as assistant senior crew manager. That is a great thing except he has to work for Cliff Quackenbush. He is always unhappy and takes his anger out on others. Gene told me they got in a fist fight and fell in the river because Cliff was insulting Gene because he is an assistant. It does not bother Gene to be an assistant though. I told Gene that he needs to do sports for my sake. To sort of continue my legacy, since i can not. I miss Devon and all the boys, but I'll return in November around Thanksgiving. And i can not wait until the next summer session.

5

I HATE being in the hospital, but i guess i need to be here. Turns out i really did shatter my leg bone, when I fell out of the tree. I still don't even know how it all happened.The doctor told me i will never be able to play sports again. How am I supposed to respond to that?
No one is allowed to see me in the infirmary. The only person that I would want to see is Gene. I specifically told Dr. Stanpole to keep Gene updated and to ask him to come visit me. When Gene came to visit me he asked me if I remembered what had happened the day i fell out of the tree. I told him that I remembered somehow losing my balance and then trying to see if I could grab onto him so I would not fall. Then Gene got angry and accused me of trying to pull him down with me. Then Gene told me that he tried to save me but I fell too fast. Gene and I were trying to figure out what happened but Dr. Stanpole cut our conversation short. The worst part of all of this was when Gene came to visit me at my home. I was relaxing in front of the fireplace and we were just talking about vacation and such when Gene told me he had been thinking of me and my accident. That is when he dropped the bomb and told me it was him who shook the tree. I became furious in disbelief.

4

I don't like when people think I am perfect. I may come off as if I do, but I really do not. I do not want Gene to be head of the class, but i know Gene secretly wants to be the head of our class at Devon Highschool. So I want to spend alot of time with Gene and waste his time so he does not have any extra time for studying and school work. I think Gene has realized what I am doing now though. He spends a lot of time studying out side of school. I hope hes not angry with me. When Gene and I went to the tree today I wanted us to jump off side by side. Because to me, thats what friends would do. Before we could even jump off the tree, I fell. The limb I was standing on somehow shook and I fell straight to the ground. I wonder what made the tree shake? The fall hurt so badly. I think I broke my leg, or worse even shattered the bone. I do not know if I will be able to do sports this year. What am I going to do without sports? This is devastating.         

3

After the tea party at Mr. Prud'hommes house yesterday, Gene and I went to the tree and we officially started our club, “Super Suicide Society of the Summer Session.” We were about to jump off the tree into the river when Gene turned to me to say something and he almost fell off the tree into the river. Luckily, I grabbed him before he fell. Gene told me that I saved his life. In high school I've realized how much i love sports. There is no bad aspect of sports. I made up a game called "blitzkreig." Today when we played blitzball Leper refused the ball. That is not allowed. Today the weather is great, but i bet tomorrow it won't be. The weather is always changing. Unlike the sun, I am always shining, in sports of course. I recently broke the swimming record at school. I am not going tell anyone though. I am not even on the Devon school swim team. If Gene and I go to the beach today, I think I may tell him hes my bestfriend. I don't know how he will react though. It would be spiffy if Gene felt the same way.  hehehe

2

Since Gene and I missed dinner last night Mr. Prud’homme, our substitute teacher for the summer session is coming to lecture and discipline us. I'm not worried though because I know I will be able to talk our way out of any punishments. Today I'll wear my pink shirt. This shirt represents the allied bombing in Europe.I hope everyone realizes that real men wear pink. I know that Gene is jealous of me because I can get away with things that most people can't. Later today Gene and I are going to Mr. Patch-Withers, our substitute headmasters, little tea party. Like always, everyone will be awkwardly talking to each other, but I will show how sophisticated I am. I plan on wearing a school tie as a belt, just because I know it will stir up controversy. And once again i will swiftly talk my way out of any trouble. After the party I hope Gene and I will jump off the tree and swim in the river again. I thought about making a club with Gene. “The Super Suicide Society of the Summer Session.” Hopefully he likes it.

1

Today its We are headed back to school for the summer session. We all have to go to the summer session, or school during the summer because we need to get a full education before get drafted into the war or enlist. I can't wait to jump out of the tree. I can't wait to make everyone jump out of the tree. Me and Gene will be with Elwin “Leper” Lepellier, Chet Douglass, and Bobby Zane. They are all wimps, so I'm going to have to show them how real men jump out of the tree. I'll show them all how fearless i am and make them want to be just like me. I want them to jump off the tree into the river. All of the older boys at school jump off as a part of their physical training prior to their graduation and departure for the war.Gene is my roommate and best friend, but i know he won't jump off the tree unless i make him. I'm so excited for this summer session, its going to be so much fun and i can't wait to feel the rush of jumping off the tree.