I Funny: A Middle School Story

Jamie’s newfound popularity only lasts a few hours. Soon rumors start spreading online that he only won the contest because of the judges’ pity for his disability. Jamie’s friends defend him and try to make him feel better, but Jamie cannot help feeling hurt. The students’ congratulations turn to jeers and laughter. Later, Jamie finds Stevie at a computer, making fake accounts that all claim that Jamie should never have won the contest. Stevie stares back at Jamie, sneering.

After hearing the rumors, Suzy has some kind words for Jamie. She starts by honestly telling Jamie that he uses jokes to hide his real feelings, and she asks Jamie to go five minutes without telling a joke. She then reminds him that he is actually funny, no matter what the naysayers might think. She also asks him why he did not invite her to the contest. Jamie stares at Suzy as she casually walks away, feeling completely enthralled.

Jamie retreats to the haven of Uncle Frankie’s diner and decides to tell him all about the contest. He tells his uncle that he won, and Uncle Frankie gives him a congratulatory hug. He tells Jamie that it took courage to perform, and that Jamie’s courage reminds Uncle Frankie of his brother, Jamie’s father.

One of Jamie’s teachers congratulates him on winning the contest and tells him that she believes he can win the big contest in Manhattan, too. Jamie appreciates the encouragement from his teacher and his friends and notices that over the coming days, more people start to root for him, too. However, Stevie is still hateful and jealous.

Jamie and Suzy go to the boardwalk to watch the ocean and talk. Suzy continues to challenge Jamie to be serious now and again. She also tells him that she has a strange question for him. When she reveals that she wonders how he pees in spite of his disability, Jamie’s eyes widen, and he sarcastically replies that he has been holding his bladder for two years. Reflecting on the moment, Jamie realizes that he appreciates Suzy’s honesty more than anything, and he appreciates the fact that she doesn’t pity him or baby him.

Thinking about the New York state final makes Jamie panic, but he formulates a plan of action and decides that he must “take some risks. Break new ground. Control [his] fear” (202). He also knows that he needs new material for his next show, and he uses the nearby mall to watch people and generate new ideas. After creating an entire sketch, Jamie realizes that it isn’t funny at all. When he gets home, Stevie is leering at him through the window, calling him a loser.

Jamie decides that if he can make the Smileys laugh, once and for all, then there can be no further doubt that he is funny. He tries every joke he knows on them one night, and while they actually pay full attention for once, none of them laugh. Instead, they ask questions about his jokes, wondering why his material does not make sense.

Jamie gives up on comedy, believing that he does not have what it takes to be the best or even to be funny at all. At his uncle’s diner, Jamie stops telling jokes for the customers, and they all walk away disappointed. Uncle Frankie notices Jamie’s change in attitude and asks about it, and Jamie tells him that he no longer wants to pursue comedy. He tells his uncle that perhaps Uncle Frankie should stop yo-yoing, too. Uncle Frankie ignores this jab and points at Suzy, who has just walked in the door.

Suzy notices Jamie’s mood and asks him to tell her some jokes. When he does, she laughs, and soon, other customers and Uncle Frankie are gathered around to hear more. Jamie sees their reactions and keeps telling jokes. Encouraged, he goes outside and starts telling jokes to everyone passing by. A double-splash page shows dozens of people laughing as light radiates from the diner. Jamie realizes that he has his “mojo back” (220).