A Game of Chase

by Marcus Emerson

  Beyond those tables, at the edge of the cafeteria, were the true loners. Those who sat by themselves for one reason or another. I know it sounds like they’d be losers, but they’re definitely not. In my time here, I’ve learned that the most interesting kids are the ones who don’t follow a crowd. These kids sat alone because they have other things on their mind besides who’s going out with who or what kinds of clothes people are wearing. They spend their time doing their own thing – hunting werewolves or starting ninja clans, or dare I say it, talking like pirates. If there were anyone in the school with enough guts to make a game out of stealing science fair projects, it’d be someone back there.

  ‘Outta the way, jerk!’ said a kid.

  I looked back and saw that there was a line of students waiting behind me with their science projects in their hands. Mrs Olsen must’ve sent them with their stuff to get ready for the fair. ‘Sorry,’ I said, allowing the line of students through.

  Lunch was nearly over. Kids were tossing their rubbish into the bins on the side of the cafeteria. Then they handed their trays to the lunch lady behind the open window of the kitchen.

  I saw Faith walking toward me with some of her friends. Raising my hand, I moved it back and forth giving her a pathetic wave. ‘Hey,’ I sighed, nervous.

  Faith folded her arms, looked away, and continued walking without saying a word.

  Luckily for me, one of her friends spoke for her. ‘She’s not into you anymore.’

  ‘Not into me?’ I asked. ‘I don’t care about that, I just want her to know that I’m sorry, and that it wasn’t me that broke her project!’

  Faith’s friend rolled her eyes. ‘She said you’d say that, and she wants you to know she thinks you’re a liar.’

  I leaned over and looked to see where Faith had gone. ‘Do we really have to do this?’ I asked. ‘I understand she’s mad, but the whole ‘operator game’ is a little fifth grade, isn’t it?’

  ‘She’s mad at you and never wants to speak to you again,’ Faith’s friend said coldly. ‘It’s not even a matter of giving her time because she said when you destroyed her project you basically tore her heart in two.’

  ‘That’s a little extreme,’ I sighed, pushing my hands into my pockets.

  ‘Destroying the hard work of others is pretty extreme,’ the girl snipped.

  I waved my arms out as Faith and her friends walked out of the cafeteria. ‘I didn’t do it! I swear!’

  Zoe stepped up beside me and grabbed my elbow. ‘Where’s your project?’

  Taking a deep breath, I said, ‘Back in that room Olive was guarding.’

  ‘You better get it,’ Zoe said, pointing at the clock. ‘Mrs Olsen said the fair starts at noon and whoever doesn’t have their projects up by then will have points deducted.’

  I just nodded. I was too frustrated to say anything without sounding mean, and you know what they say – it’s better to keep quiet if all you want to do is complain, otherwise you’re the one that ends up sounding like a fool. Well … I’m sure someone said that.

  It’s amazing how quickly the cafeteria can transform from a place where kids eat to a place of scientific presentations. Once all the kids dumped their lunch rubbish, Mr Cooper and Principal Davis set up rows of tables for projects to sit on. There was enough room for a student to have their three-piece cardboard backboard and a few extra items on either side of it. There was about half-a-metre of space between each student. It was cramped, but everyone’s stuff fit.

  As I wheeled my project down the aisle, I heard hushed whispers of other students talking about how I broke Faith’s project. It took all my strength to stay quiet. Why stay quiet? Because I knew Jovial was somewhere in the room watching me. And arguing with other students about it at this point would be a waste of what little time I had.

  I took Zoe’s advice and fetched my project from the room next to Mrs Olsen’s, but I made the mistake of thinking I had enough time to choose my spot in the cafeteria. I was one of the last ones to return and saw only a couple of spaces left.

  Either side of Wyatt was free, but there was no way I’d be dumb enough to set up there. Brayden had a spot open right next to him even though he didn’t have a project, but I decided against that too because I could tell he was still angry with me. I don’t know … maybe it was the evil eye he gave me when I looked at him.

  Zoe was in the middle of a bunch of her friends, so finding a spot next to her was out of the question. Besides, Faith was sitting with her, so it was probably for the best.

  Every single other spot in the cafeteria was taken. I felt defeated before the fair even began! I decided right there that if I couldn’t find another spot, I’d just take the one next to Wyatt. Being next to an enemy is less awkward than being next to an ex-best friend.

  ‘Chase!’ shouted a girl.

  I turned my head, looking through the crowd of students for the girl that said my name. A few spaces down the aisle, I saw Olive wave at me. I smiled, pushing my cart in her direction.

  ‘I saved you a spot,’ Olive said, gleefully.

  ‘Thanks,’ I said, feeling grateful that I didn’t have to stand by Wyatt. ‘Why would you do that though?’

  Olive started moving pieces of her bridge project around as she chuckled. ‘We’re lab partners, right? We should look out for each other now.’

  That was sweet of her. ‘Yeah, you’re right,’ I replied.

  Staring at her project, Olive spoke again. ‘Did you figure out what the chess pieces meant?’

  With my project on the table, I folded my arms and started scanning the room. ‘No, not exactly, but I think it means something serious.’

  ‘Something serious?’ Olive asked. ‘What kind of serious?’

  ‘I don’t know!’ I said, annoyed. Why was this girl asking so many questions? Why couldn’t she mind her own business? From the corner of my eye, I saw Olive staring at me, and suddenly I felt guilty for yelling at her. ‘Sorry. I’m just kind of freaked out right now.’

  Olive sat on the table’s bench and put her hands on her knees. ‘Because of the chess pieces…’

  I took a seat next to her and leaned back, resting my elbows on my table. ‘Because of the chess pieces,’ I repeated. ‘I just don’t have a clue about what to expect.’

  ‘Why are you expecting anything at all?’ Olive asked softly. ‘I just don’t get it.’

  I paused, and then decided to fill her in on more details of my week. She saved me a spot, so I figured she was cool. ‘Other students have got pawns in their lockers this week too. Those same students had their projects stolen, but they also got a clue that would help them find their stuff.’

  Olive stared at me. ‘So you didn’t break Faith’s project?’

  ‘No!’ I said, relieved that someone else finally believed me. ‘That’s what I keep trying to tell everyone, but nobody is listening.’

  ‘Did anyone receive a clue today?’ Olive asked, looking at the other projects down the aisle.

  ‘Not that I know of,’ I replied. ‘Just the pawn pieces.’

  ‘But why do you think it’s your responsibility to fix all this?’ she asked. ‘Your first few months here weren’t the best, right?’

  ‘No, they weren’t,’ I said.

  ‘Then why?’ Olive said. ‘Why bother helping anyone else?’

  I didn’t even have to think about the answer. ‘Because it’s the right thing to do.’

  My answer seemed to stop Olive in her tracks. Then she pulled her book bag off the floor and unzipped it. As she fished around the inside, I heard her muffled voice. ‘So what do you think is going to happen today? I mean, with all the kids receiving pawns and how you got a knight, it seems like we’re all in for something big, doesn’t it?’

  Wait … did she just say…

  I blinked, slowly turning my head towards her. ‘I never said anything to you about getting a knight…’

  Olive tightened her lips and clenched her jaw. Her muscles twitched in her cheek as he
r cold eyes glared at me.

  I don’t think either of us took a breath for several seconds.

  Her voice was a soft as a whisper when she finally spoke. ‘I didn’t mean for you to figure me out just yet, but it’s happened and now we have to deal with it.’

  I was floored and didn’t know what to do! Could it be true? My science lab partner was behind the projects being destroyed the entire time? But Olive was so quiet! So soft-spoken! My eyes started to burn from keeping them open too long.

  I took a deep, deep breath to keep myself calm. Glancing over my shoulder to see if any of the other students had witnessed what I had, my brain started connecting the dots.

  And then the little light bulb in my head flipped on.

  Olivia Jones. Jovial Noise. Both of those names had all the same letters in them, but they were rearranged to spell different words. I had been staring at Olive’s name all week without knowing it!

  ‘Why would you call yourself Jovial?’ I managed to whisper.

  ‘Uh, because it’s super awesome,’ she replied, grinning. ‘Villainesses always have way cool names.’

  She considered herself a villain? Were bullies villains? I guess it made sense. I mean, Wyatt could be considered a villain, and he dressed up as a ninja. Carlyle was a pirate too, so yeah, why couldn’t Olive call herself that? Were villains just a different form of bullies? Could Olive be considered a bully even though she worked behind the scenes? Was my brain getting twisted thinking about all this? Yes. Yes, it was.

  ‘Your game is over,’ I said as boldly as possible.

  Olive chuckled. ‘Cut the hero voice,’ she said sarcastically, looking to both sides of her. ‘The question is what’re you gonna do now that you know my secret?’

  ‘If you know me then you’d know I don’t fight no matter what,’ I said. ‘And there’s no way I’d ever hit a girl.’

  ‘Good,’ Olive replied, bringing her attention back to me. ‘I knew you wouldn’t, but that’s why you’re so much fun.’

  I was confused. ‘Fun?’

  ‘You don’t fight with your fists,’ Olive said. ‘You’re a very strange ninja.’

  I felt another chill down my spine. She obviously knew who I was from the start, but hearing her say it made it real. ‘You’ve been a tough opponent, but I still don’t get it. What is this all about?’ I asked, hoping she would be a typical villain and reveal her plot.

  And she totally did.

  ‘You played along nicely,’ Olive said. ‘This entire week I’ve been playing a game with you, keeping you on your toes with my wild goose chase.’

  ‘Wild goose chase?’

  ‘It was like dangling a carrot in front of a rabbit!’ Olive sneered. ‘You just kept on going after the clues I gave you.’

  ‘But why?’

  ‘You said it best,’ Olive whispered. ‘Winners win. I broke my project last weekend, you know that. And you also know it wasn’t something I could fix so I came up with another plan. I decided that if I couldn’t win, then nobody could.’

  ‘By destroying everyone else’s projects? But that’s cheating!’

  ‘I think it’s only considered cheating if I get first place, isn’t it? All I’m doing is making it so that everybody’s project is ruined – then at least I won’t be the loser.’

  ‘But why’d you send me on treasure hunts for my friends’ projects?’ I asked.

  ‘I needed a fall guy,’ Olive replied. ‘Someone to pin it on, and I knew you couldn’t resist a bit of hero work. Brayden and Zoe’s projects were to keep you interested in the game. All I had to do was hook you into playing just a little longer until I could stuff Faith’s project into your locker, but the fire drill going off while it was all over your hands? That was a coincidence that was absolutely perfect! It was like the stars aligned for me!’ She lifted a key in front of her, showing it to me. ‘All of that was so I could get my hands on this thing.’

  ‘A key to the room?’ I asked.

  She nodded, but closed her fist around it and said nothing else.

  I felt sick to my stomach. ‘You’re a monster,’ I whispered. ‘These kids all worked hard, and you’re just gonna take it all away from them?’

  ‘Because it was taken away from me!’ Olive hissed. ‘I’m not gonna get my butt kicked by a bunch of kids who don’t give a stuff about their science grades!’

  ‘But you did it to yourself!’ I said. ‘You dropped your own project last weekend! You kicked your own butt!’

  Olive folded her arms and stared forward, giving me the silent treatment.

  I didn’t know what to do. I never knew what to do at times like this.

  ‘You haven’t done anything yet,’ I said. ‘Whatever it is you’re planning on doing, please don’t. Just let the fair go on as normal. Brayden and Faith were the only two whose projects got ruined. I’ll take the blame for it, just please don’t do anything here.’

  Olive looked at me with her huge doe eyes. ‘You’d take the heat for what I’ve done?’

  A smirk cut across her face as I nodded. ‘If it means the rest of these kids can have a science fair, then yes, I will.’

  I even surprised myself when I said that. I kind of sounded like my dad. Maybe I was growing up.

  Olive held out her open hand. I took at as a sign of surrender, and grabbed it with my own.

  ‘I’m glad to see you—’ I started saying, but was rudely interrupted when she pulled me off the bench.

  I fell flat on my face on the cold floor of the cafeteria as a few students laughed at me. I watched as Olive dashed away down the aisle. ‘Sucker!’ she screamed.

  I leapt up to my feet and started chasing after her. For a small girl, she was fast. Tearing down the aisle, I shouted at other students to get out of the way. Most of them did at the last possible second, which made it hard to run at full speed.

  Keeping my eyes on the back of Olive’s shirt, I jumped onto one of the cafeteria tables. I had no idea where she was going or what her plan was so if I lost her in this chase, I knew she’d get away with whatever she was planning.

  Dodging projects on the tabletops, I moved swiftly past the standing cardboard walls that kids had set up.

  Students shouted at me as I ran through the room. I don’t think anyone even noticed Olive as she scampered around them. When she made it to the end of the aisle, she took a hard left turn and started sprinting. I hopped onto the next set of tables and followed her.

  ‘Don’t let him get away!’ shouted Wyatt.

  I heard screams come from kids as I looked over my shoulder. Wyatt was running at full speed down the centre of the table. Everyone in the room was in a panic as he kicked over science projects, running after me.

  Great. I’m chasing after a girl plus I’m getting chased after. What an awful day this has turned out to be.

  I spun around and continued running after Olive, but I suddenly realised I had no idea where she was. Wyatt’s distraction made it so I lost her!

  ‘Wait!’ I shouted, turning back towards my enemy.

  Wyatt slid to a stop at the middle of the table. I almost thought he was going to tackle me to the ground, but thankfully he didn’t.

  Catching my breath, I spoke quickly. ‘The girl I was chasing after is the one who’s been destroying projects this week!’

  ‘Liar!’ Wyatt yelled.

  ‘No, seriously!’ I said. ‘It was Olive! I was chasing after Olive!’

  Faith ran up to the table, and came to my rescue. ‘I think he’s telling the truth! I saw Olive run through here just before Chase did!’

  You have no idea how happy it made me to hear Faith defend me. I smiled at her through my heaving breaths.

  Wyatt’s eye twitched. I could tell something was wrong. ‘Olive?’ Wyatt asked. ‘Olivia Jones?’

  ‘Yeah,’ I said, suddenly confused by Wyatt’s attitude change. ‘Why?’

  ‘Olive is President Sebastian’s niece,’ Wyatt said flatly.

  ‘What? Sebastian’s niece?
’ I asked. ‘They’re both in sixth grade, how is that even possible?’

  ‘Sebastian’s older sister is, like, thirty-five years old and married with four kids,’ Wyatt explained. ‘Olive is the eldest.’

  ‘Is everyone at Buchanan related?’ I sighed.

  ‘How old are Sebastian’s parents then?’ Faith asked.

  ‘Old,’ said Wyatt as he scanned the crowd. ‘Where’d she go?’

  The cafeteria full of students turned their heads, looking for the girl who was trying to ruin the science fair. And then suddenly, a figure started running down another aisle toward the stage. Olive must’ve blended with the crowd when I lost her a few seconds ago.

  ‘There!’ Wyatt said, pointing his finger.

  But I was already off the table and running after her. Once she hopped up onto the stage, I saw a shiny silver object in her hand, and I realised it was the key. What was she planning on doing with thing? And then I saw a couple of tools at the side of the stage and remembered Mrs Robinson’s announcement from earlier in the week, when she talked about some mild construction due to the upgrading of Buchanan’s sprinkler system – a system that had to be manually switched on from behind a locked door …

  Olive was going to switch on the sprinkler system!

  That must’ve been her plan all along! She needed to get her hands on a skeleton key to open any room at Buchanan, which is why she convinced Mrs Olsen to lock up the projects. She was given the key so she could get into the room with the science projects, but it also opened every other room in the school! Olive was a genius!

  Olive stomped across the stage to the door at the back. Fumbling with the key, she slipped it into the lock and pushed the door wide open.

  I jumped across the stage and slid like I was going for first base. Just before the door completely shut, I manage to get my foot through. I flipped my ankle, making the door cut open again and rolled into the secret room that had the sprinkler switch.