But hey, if I’m lucky—if I’m really, really lucky—then I’ll be a whole lot like him when I get there. As much as I can, anyway. I don’t know if anyone can fill those shoes. But the thing I’m trying to tell G-ma is that I want to try.
I think she gets it, because she’s crying, too. Not a lot. G-ma almost never cries. Still, I can see she’s holding back some tears, trying to be strong for me like she always does.
“Even though you’re the only male in the house, that doesn’t make you the man of the house,” G-ma says.
“Aren’t they the same thing?” I ask. I mean, really, aren’t they?
“You’re going to grow up to be a fine man someday, Kenneth. But take your time. Enjoy being eleven. Enjoy the ins and outs, the ups and downs, and the bumps and bruises you’ll receive becoming a man,” G-ma says in a clear but trembling voice.
“And… there’s one more thing,” I say. “I want to walk to school by myself from now on. Is that okay?”
G-ma puts an arm around me and pulls me in close. She takes a deep breath and says, “All right. I’ll think about that.”
Which is pretty close to a yes, if you know G-ma.
“Cool,” I say.
“Just as soon as you’re un-grounded,” she says. “Maybe after Christmas.”
And I’m like, What? “But I told the truth!” I tell her. “The whole truth!”
“Telling the truth isn’t an extra-credit assignment,” G-ma says. “It’s what grown-ups are supposed to do.”
“But—” I say, before she keeps going.
“Your steps are made of stone, Kenneth,” G-ma says. She turns sideways on the couch now and looks me right in the eye. “Always remember that. Whichever ones you choose to take—that’s it. The truth of those steps stays behind you, hard as rock. Forever. You have to live with them, consequences and all.”
I don’t say anything to that. I know G-ma’s making sense, and I know I’m going to have to be grounded, like it or not. Once she decides something, that’s pretty much it.
But there is one thing she got wrong. My steps aren’t made of stone.
They’re made of steel.
56
FACE-OFF
YOU NEVER KNOW
Pop quiz!
Question: What has two thumbs and just got invited by the mayor of Washington, DC, to be part of his new Student Advisory Council?
Answer:
I guess the mayor liked what I said in that speech. A few days after the big rally, I got an official letter in the mail. It said they were starting this thing up and wanted me to be part of it. We’re like “boys” now, the mayor and me.
Now a bunch of kids from all over the city and I are supposed to meet once a month and come up with ideas to tell the district about how they can make school better for everyone. Crazy, right?
I don’t know what I’m going to say yet, but G-ma tells me to think big. So that’s what I’m doing. Maybe we could get a new gym at UMS. Or at least enough desks for everyone to sit down in class. And some books that aren’t a hundred years old once in a while. Let’s try harder to keep the awesome teachers and principals we already have, like Dr. Yetty, and replace the handful of poseurs who don’t have a clue.
Speaking of which, guess who’s back at UMS? That’s right—Dr. Yetty, baby!
We did it! And I’d like to think my speech had a little something to do with it. Just a little.
And who knows? Maybe… just maybe… this is the start of something even bigger for me. Maybe I’ll play a part in making things better in the whole city. You never know.
I’m not saying this is going to turn me into some kind of big shot overnight. But then again, I never thought I’d give a speech to a thousand people, or get a letter from City Hall addressed to me. So who knows? Maybe G-ma’s right. Maybe thinking big isn’t such a bad idea.
Meanwhile, things at school are going okay. Ray-Ray had his head shaved when he got out of the hospital, but he’s the same otherwise. He still talks all the time, and he never stops fidgeting. It just doesn’t bug me like it used to.
And Arthur and I are cool again, too. We’re back to playing chess whenever we can. I save lunch and after-school for him. Ray-Ray and I play at other times. He comes over for dinner a couple of days a week now, so we usually get in a few games then. Even Nicky and Trayvon have dropped by to get their grub on. Crazy, right? I know.
Which brings me up to the next problem.
It’s Tuesday at 6:30, and Ray-Ray’s nowhere in sight. G-ma’s making spaghetti and meatballs tonight. There’s no way Ray-Ray’s passing that up on purpose.
When I saw him at school today, everything was okay, so I don’t know what’s going on now. He’s not picking up his phone, either. And even though I’m still grounded, G-ma says I can run over there to see if Ray-Ray’s home.
So that’s what I’m going to do. But I don’t have a good feeling about this.
ANYBODY HOME?
I know the door from the street is going to be unlocked when I get to Ray-Ray’s. And those stairs still creep me out.
But when I get up to his apartment door, that’s open, too. Which is weird. Usually, Ray-Ray and Nicky keep that one locked.
That’s when I see the knob is broken off. The door frame is busted up, too. I’m thinking maybe I should just turn around and go tell G-ma.
Until I hear someone crying inside.
Now I feel really weird, but I can’t just leave. So I push that door open a little more and look in.
“Hello?” I say.
Ray-Ray sits up quick. He’s on his mattress on the floor, and obviously he was the one crying. But he tries to act cool now.
“Wassup?” he says.
“That’s what I was going to ask you,” I say. When I look over, that padlock on Nicky’s door is busted, too. And there’s no sign of Nicky, either.
“Ray-Ray, what happened here, dude?” I say.
Ray-Ray takes a deep breath. I’ve seen him mad before, and happy, and hyper, and confused. I just don’t think I’ve ever seen him sad.
“Nicky got locked up,” he says. Just like that. “He was gone when I came home, and his room’s all messed up. But there’s a message on my phone. Police came and took him away.”
“What’d he do?” I say.
Ray-Ray shrugs. “He never told me what he was up to. Maybe on purpose.”
I don’t have a good reason to be scared, but I kind of am now. I’m not sure what to say, or even what to think.
Finally, I ask Ray-Ray, “What happens next?”
“I dunno,” he says. “They’re probably going to put me in a home or something. I’m kind of out here by myself.”
“Nah, man. You’ve got me,” I say, and I sit down next to him. “And you’ve got G-ma, too.”
Ray-Ray just looks at the floor. He doesn’t have anything left to say. And while I’m sitting there, I start thinking about G-ma and her starfish story.
The truth is, I don’t know when things are going to get better at Union Middle School. Maybe it will be soon, and maybe not. But in the meantime, there’s one thing I know I can do for sure. And I don’t have to wait another second to get it done.
So I stand up and put out my hand. “Come on,” I say to Ray-Ray. “Get your stuff. Right now.”
“Where are we going?” he asks me when he gets up.
“Where do you think?” I say. “We’re late for dinner.”
HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Happy Thanksgiving! Come on in and grab a seat—if you can find one. Our apartment is about as crowded as the National Mall on the Fourth of July. Mad packed from wall to wall. Maybe it just feels that way because we’ve never had this many people over. It’s all good, though.
Mrs. Clark and her family are here. My aunt Nina, too, and my other aunt Sarah and my uncle Carl, and their three little kids. Also, Dr. Yetty and her husband. Who knew she was married? Lucky, lucky man. Who knows, maybe I’ll marry a lady as smart and pretty someday.
>
Preemie and her mom are right over there. They live in a shelter, so G-ma said they should come along. I invited Arthur, too, because his dad has to work at the restaurant today.
And Ray-Ray’s here, of course. Where else is he going to be? See, he lives with us now. G-ma’s still working out some of the details, but the social worker said we could keep it this way for the time being. He’s officially unofficially a part of the family now.
One day, just out of the blue, we received a collect phone call from the DC Department of Corrections. It was Nicky. I don’t know how he found our phone number, but hey, it is Nicky Powell. The brotha is pretty resourceful.
“It’s Nicky, Ray-Ray!” I shouted, and he hopped over the couch in the living room and snatched the phone. They spoke for a good fifteen minutes. Ray-Ray told me Nicky may be out within a year or so. They talk once a week. I don’t know how things will change once Nicky gets out. We’ll handle that when the time comes.
For now, Ray-Ray has to live by G-ma’s rules, same as me. Which is almost funny. He’s reading every day, like it or not—mostly not. But he’s also seriously getting into my comic collection.
I even told him about Stainlezz Steel. Maybe I shouldn’t have, but I did. And get this—he says if I can be Stainlezz Steel in my mind, then he can be someone, too. He says his superhero is called—get this—A Brotha Named Zeus.
I ask him, “Do you mean just Zeus?”
He says, “No, bamma. You gotta say the whole thing. A Brotha Named Zeus. There could be all kinda Zeuses out there in the universe, you understand? But I am”—he points at me and we say it together—“A Brotha Named Zeus!” He says that’s the name he picked, and he’s sticking with it. Who am I to argue? He could call himself Tito Jackson for all I care.
Besides, I have “young man of the house” business to tend to. It’s just about time to carve the turkey, and you know how much Ray-Ray eats. If I don’t get to that table on time, I’ll be lucky to get anything at all. He’ll smash all the collard greens, G-ma’s famous homemade dressing, her amazing sweet potato pie, and my favorite, the fruit salad.
CHESS, ANYONE?
One more surprise. Guess what we have at Union Middle School now?
Chess club! We’re doin’ it big at Union now, baby. Yeah, seriously. It was my, Arthur’s, and Ray-Ray’s idea. Anyone who stays after school for detention or whatever, and wants to, can come down the hall and learn chess for an hour. G-ma even paid for some extra chess sets, so we’re all good to go.
Of course, that means I’m hanging with the D-Squad a lot more than I was before. And those are the ones I spent the whole beginning of sixth grade trying to stay away from!
But here’s the thing. Tiny, and Kwame, and Jerome, and all of them still think I have some secret rep. Like I’m connected to the streets somehow. The way they look at me, they’re not even sure I didn’t have something to do with sending Nicky Powell to jail. And let’s just say that whatever those guys don’t know won’t hurt them.
No, wait. More like whatever they don’t know won’t hurt me.
So am I going to let them know that I’m just a mild-mannered, easy-to-get-along-with chess geek who’s still almost as scared of them as I always was?
Yeah, right. Do I look crazy to you?
I didn’t think so. And while I’m keeping it one-hundred, I’m really not as scared of them as I once was. I don’t even sweat it, really. They’re just a bunch of regular kids, just like I am. I mean, they may have a few rough edges, but we’re really not all that different.
61
THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES
For more great reads and free samplers, visit
LBYRDigitalDeals.com
JAMES PATTERSON has had more #1 bestsellers for children than any living writer. He is the author of the Middle School, I Funny, Treasure Hunters, and Daniel X novels, as well as House of Robots. His blockbusters for adults, featuring enduring characters like Alex Cross—in addition to his many books for teens, such as the Maximum Ride series—have sold more than 300 million copies worldwide. He lives in Florida.
CHRIS TEBBETTS has collaborated with James Patterson on four books in the Middle School series and is also the author of The Viking, a fantasy-adventure series for young readers. He lives in Vermont.
CORY THOMAS is an illustrator and cartoonist based in Atlanta, Georgia. His syndicated comic strip, Watch Your Head, appears in newspapers across the country.
BOOKS BY JAMES PATTERSON FOR YOUNG READERS
The Middle School Novels
Middle School, The Worst Years of My Life
(with Chris Tebbetts, illustrated by Laura Park)
Middle School: Get Me out of Here!
(with Chris Tebbetts, illustrated by Laura Park)
Middle School: Big Fat Liar
(with Lisa Papademetriou, illustrated by Neil Swaab)
Middle School: How I Survived Bullies, Broccoli, and Snake Hill
(with Chris Tebbetts, illustrated by Laura Park)
Middle School: Ultimate Showdown
(with Julia Bergen, illustrated by Alec Longstreth)
Middle School: Save Rafe! (with Chris Tebbetts, illustrated by Laura Park)
The I Funny Novels
I Funny (with Chris Grabenstein, illustrated by Laura Park)
I Even Funnier (with Chris Grabenstein, illustrated by Laura Park)
I Totally Funniest (with Chris Grabenstein, illustrated by Laura Park)
The Treasure Hunters Novels
Treasure Hunters
(with Chris Grabenstein and Mark Shulman, illustrated by Juliana Neufeld)
Treasure Hunters: Danger Down the Nile
(with Chris Grabenstein, illustrated by Juliana Neufeld)
The Daniel X Novels
The Dangerous Days of Daniel X (with Michael Ledwidge)
Watch the Skies (with Ned Rust)
Demons and Druids (with Adam Sadler)
Game Over (with Ned Rust)
Armageddon (with Chris Grabenstein)
Other Illustrated Novels
House of Robots
(with Chris Grabenstein, illustrated by Juliana Neufeld)
Daniel X: Alien Hunter (graphic novel; with Leopoldo Gout)
Daniel X: The Manga, Vols. 1–3 (with SeungHui Kye)
For previews of upcoming books in these series and other information, visit middleschoolbooks.com, ifunnybooks.com, and treasurehuntersbooks.com.
For more information about the author, visit jamespatterson.com.
Hi, I’m Sammy Hayes-Rodriguez. Maybe you’ve heard of me? I’m the kid everybody’s making fun of because my mother made me bring a robot to school with me—the dumbest, most embarrassing thing to ever happen to any kid in the whole history of school. (I’m talking about going back to the Pilgrims and Mayflower Elementary.)
I need to tell you a wild and crazy story about this robot that—I kid you not—thinks it’s my brother.
And guess where the dumb-bot got that goofy idea?
From my mother!
Oh, guess what? My father is in on this idiotic robot business, too. He even called Mom’s lame-o idea “brilliant.”
Good thing Maddie is still on my side.
Maddie’s absolutely the best little sister anybody could ever have. Aren’t her blue eyes incredible? Oh, right. Duh. That drawing is in black-and-white. Well, trust me—her eyes are bluer than that Blizzard Blue crayon in the jumbo sixty-four-color box.
Anyway, Maddie and I talked about Mom’s latest screwy scheme over breakfast, which, of course, was served by one of Mom’s many wacky inventions: the Breakfastinator.
Punch the button for Cap’n Crunch and cereal tumbles into a bowl, which slides down to the banana slicer, shuffles off to the milk squirter, scoots over to the sugar sprinkler, and zips down to the dispenser window.
Want some OJ with your cereal? Bop the orange button.
But—and this is super important—do NOT push the orange juice and Cap’n Crunch buttons at the same tim
e. Trust me. It’s even worse if you push Cap’n Crunch and scrambled eggs.
Maddie and I always have breakfast together before I head off to school. The two of us talk about everything, even though Maddie’s two years younger than I am. That means she’d be in the third grade—if she went to school, which she doesn’t.
I’ll explain later. Promise.
Maddie knows how crazy Mom and Dad can be sometimes. But to be honest, even though she’s younger, Maddie keeps things under control way better than I do.
“Everything will be okay, Sammy. Promise.”
“But you totally agree that Mom’s new idea is ridiculous, right? I could die of embarrassment!”
“I hope not,” says Maddie. “I’d miss you. Big-time. And yeah, her plan is a little out there.…”
“Maddie, it’s so far ‘out there’ it might as well be on Mars with that robot rover. They could dig up red rocks together!”
Okay, now here’s the worst part: My mom told me that this wacko thing she wants me to do is all part of her “most important experiment ever.”
Yep. I’m just Mom’s poor little guinea pig. She probably put lettuce leaves in my lunch box.
Mom’s “Take a Robot to School Day” idea is so super nutty, she couldn’t even say it out loud in front of Genna Zagoren, a girl in my class who has a peanut allergy, which is why my best buddy, Trip, can never eat his lunch at Genna’s table. More about Trip later, too. Promise.
Anyhow, it’s time to begin Mom’s big, super-important experiment: me and a walking, talking trash can going to school. Together.
Public School Superhero Page 9
