Chapter 1: The Beginning CHAPTER 1 THE BEGINNING ··· SUNDAY ··· Tim's life was complicated. His pet was a green half-pug, half-pickle hybrid, his neighbor was a troublemaking time-traveling dinosaur, and ever since he'd drunk the IMPOSSIBLE JUICE(tm), his worries had enough power to end the galaxy. But on that Sunday afternoon, as he walked down the street with the late-spring sun's warmth tickling his cheeks, Tim couldn't help but smile. He'd just had the most wonderful time walking Puckles in the park. alongside Zoe and her pug! They had chatted, they had laughed, they'd even shared earphones! Tim was on cloud nine. Zoe Charms was the coolest, loveliest, most popular fourth grader in town, and somehow, inexplicably, they'd become great friends. Things were looking up, or so Tim thought. right until he stepped into his backyard and found that it'd been transformed into a wild ninja-warrior-worthy obstacle course! PHOOEY! He'd forgotten that today was his first day of superhero training.
He should've met Tito and Oskar hours ago! It was bad. Really bad. His friends had been planning this for weeks. How could it have slipped his mind? With a mix of shame and awe, Tim scanned the sprawling maze of climbing walls, balance beams, hanging rings, poles, pits, pools, rope bridges, and swinging platforms that his friends had built just for him. A tight knot formed in his chest. Tito and Oskar had both put in a ton of work to help him, and he hadn't even shown up. The guilt was unbearable. WHAT IF they think I'm a terrible.
? WHAT IF they never forgive.? The moment Tim's stomach started to flutter, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. You see, over the last few weeks, Tim had become increasingly good at preventing his worries from getting out of control, thanks to the use of breathing techniques and mindful observation. But even as he calmed down, one certainty remained: Tito and Oskar must be terribly upset! "That was epic! Can we do this again soon, please?" "Sure! Sure!" Tim's thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of Tito's and Oskar's voices.
He turned around. He was ready to face his friends' anger and to beg for their forgiveness. However, he wasn't ready for what he saw. Why on earth did Tito and Oskar look like bananas?.