‘No, you idiot!’ Melvin said.
‘I was kidding!’ I said, bumping my head with my palm. ‘My bet’s on Colin. Somethin’ about that kid has been off since I first met him.’
‘No,’ Zoe said softly. ‘Colin and Bounty don’t have keys. It’s just me and the secretary …’
‘What?’ I asked, suddenly remembering who the secretary was. ‘That can’t be right. The student council secretary? But that’s—’
At that moment, the shadow of one of the red ninjas fell over us. It was the ninja that had ordered Melvin to stay in the room earlier. The other two were still peeking their heads out the door, telling muffled jokes back and forth to each other.
I expected the red ninja to tell us to keep quiet, but she didn’t. Instead, she pulled her mask up, just enough to expose her face.
It was Dani, the student council secretary.
‘Oh my god,’ I whispered, utterly floored by the fact that Brayden’s crush was a member of Wyatt’s red ninja clan.
Dani opened her mouth, and then paused. At first I thought she was angry that we were onto her. But she wasn’t. She was afraid. Frantic, even. ‘Please don’t tell Brayden! Please! It all started as a ploy, but I actually think Brayden’s super cool! And cute, but whatever! Just please don’t tell him!’
‘Bros got a code, sister,’ I said.
‘I know, I know!’ Dani whispered back. ‘But what I’m asking you to do is forget about the code? Please! I’ll do anything!’
Melvin leaned back and whistled.
‘So that day in the hallway,’ I said. ‘When you were outside the boys’ bathroom …’
‘If you’d got there five seconds sooner,’ Dani said, ‘you would’ve seen me push that envelope under the bathroom door. I’m the one who gave it to Wyatt.’
Right at that second, we heard a loud POOF! come from the front of the room.
The doorway quickly filled with chalk dust so thick that it looked like a snowstorm. Maybe that was the advantage of wearing white ninja robes.
Dani pulled her mask down again.
It was like someone opened the window at a chalk factory on a windy day. Within seconds, I couldn’t see my hands in front of my face. I felt sorry for whoever the teacher was that used that classroom. It was definitely going to look like a white Christmas once the dust settled.
Suddenly I felt two hands grab my arms and pull me backwards. I heard Zoe and Melvin grunt but there was no way I could see them through all the dust.
Was it the Scavengers again? Who else hated me? Oh right, everyone.
I heard the red ninjas shouting to each other. Dani’s voice was in the mix.
‘What’s going on?’
‘Watch the door! It’s gotta be his ninja clan!’
‘Impossible! He doesn’t even have a clan, does he?’
‘Something touched my leg! SOMETHING TOUCHED MY LEG!’
The kid dragging me across the floor lifted me into one of the cupboards along the wall. We went from complete white-out conditions to pitch black, so my eyes had a hard time adjusting.
The cupboard clicked shut quietly as the red ninjas continued panicking in the room.
‘They’re gone!’
‘Cheesy rice! Wyatt’s gonna blow a fuse!’
‘We gotta find Chase before he gets to the gym! Come on!’
The door to the classroom slammed shut, and then it was silent.
In the dark cupboard, I heard the shuffling of feet and some whispers.
‘Are they gone?’ Zoe whispered.
‘Yepper pepper,’ said a boy’s voice.
‘Yepper pepper?’ I said. ‘Slug?’
‘Yepper pepper!’ Slug replied.
Then came Gidget’s voice. ‘Alright, dudes. Seriously, quit sayin’ that.’
Faith’s voice came from further down the cupboard. ‘Oh my god, I’m gonna freak if I don’t get out of here. Move it, people!’
The cupboard door swung open, and we all poured out onto the carpet. The room still had a light cloud of chalk dust drifting through the air.
I stood up, looking at our rescuers, Faith, Gidget and Slug.
‘What’re you guys doing here?’ I asked, looking at the twins.
Gidget was the first to answer, even though she was already staring at her phone. ‘Meh,’ she said, like it was nothing. ‘Faith changed our minds about you.’
‘Changed your minds?’
‘Yep!’ Slug said with a goofy grin. ‘We’re totally ninjas now. I mean, we’re in your ninja clan.’
I didn’t know what to say. ‘But … you all quit,’ I said.
‘Right,’ Gidget sighed. ‘And Faith changed our minds.’
Faith stared at me like I was just supposed to get it.
‘But—’ I began.
Gidget spoke before I could get another word out. ‘Look, dude. You’re more awesome than you give yourself credit for. Faith helped us understand what being a good leader means, but more importantly, you showed us what it means.’
Slug nodded, but said nothing.
Gidget lowered the phone and looked me right in the eye. ‘You might not be a good teacher, and by that I mean, a really awful teacher. Just the worst.’
Faith folded her arms. ‘Not helping.’
‘Right,’ Gidget said. ‘Anyway, you lead by example, which in my opinion, is the best kind of leader. You keep going, even when you could easily quit. You never give up. You might be a terrible teacher, but you’re an amazing leader. You choose to do the right thing every time, even when it’s uncool.’
I looked at Faith, finally understanding.
Faith nodded. ‘It’s time to rebuild your ninja clan the right way.’
‘With us,’ Slug said proudly.
My heart swelled and goosebumps appeared on my forearms. It was like I was coming back to life. If I were in a movie, the sun would shine on my face as my black-and-white world filled with colour. I’d never felt more awesome in my life.
‘Guys,’ I said. ‘I don’t know what to say.’
‘Then don’t say anything,’ Faith said, slugging me in the arm.
I clutched at the spot she punched. ‘Wait!’ I said, looking at Faith. ‘You’re the white ninja!’
‘Duh!’ Faith said. ‘We went over that last week! Remember? I said ‘you’re not the only one with secrets,’ and you were all like ‘blah blah blah blah’ and stuff.’
I shook my head. ‘Girls can be confusing sometimes.’
‘It’s only gonna get worse as you get older,’ Zoe joked.
‘Let’s finish this,’ Melvin said. ‘I’ve got proof that Wyatt cheated. All you have to do is get it to Principal Davis.’
‘Who’s in the gym right now,’ Zoe said.
I grabbed the envelope from Melvin’s hands. ‘On it!’
Faith, Zoe and I ran to the door and checked the hallway for red ninjas. It was all clear. And then, as if our lives depended on it, we all raced to the assembly.
Principal Davis was sighing heavily into the microphone when Faith and I finally made it to the gym. ‘This means Chase’s team forfeits. Wyatt, it looks like—’
‘Wait!’ I shouted, running to the centre of the gym. ‘We’re here! We’re both here!’
Faith huffed and puffed behind me, catching her breath.
Wyatt and his team were already at the centre of the gym. When he saw the crinkled yellow envelope in my hand, his face turned white. He knew exactly what it was.
‘Cutting it pretty close, don’t you think, Mr Cooper?’ Principal Davis asked into the microphone from the front of the gymnasium.
I nodded, raising the envelope in my right hand, while clutching at a cramp in my side with my left hand. ‘Sorry,’ I said. ‘I have—’
‘Of course,’ Wyatt said, just loud enough to cut me off. ‘Of course you can’t beat me. You’ve never been able to beat me.’
I stopped, waiting for Wyatt’s monologue.
‘Remember your first week here?’ he asked
quietly as he came closer. ‘I kicked your butt, man. And I could do it again and again, but you’re too much of a goody-goody to take me on. Go ahead and tell on me, dude. That’s why you’ve lost your ninja clan. That’s why you’re a terrible leader – you just keep crying to someone else in charge.’
My jaw twitched and I ground my teeth.
‘The principal’s right there,’ Wyatt growled. ‘Your team don’t stand a chance against me and my red ninjas anyway. Dodgeball’s a man’s game.’
Looking at the red dodgeballs on the floor, I lowered the envelope.
‘What’re you doing?’ Faith asked.
‘Leading by example,’ I replied, turning away from the principal.
Once Faith and I met with Brayden and Gavin, the principal spoke into the mic again. ‘Five minutes to prep. After that, the game begins.’
‘Why didn’t you go to Principal Davis?’ Faith asked.
‘What’s she talking about?’ Brayden said.
I looked at Brayden, remembering that Dani wasn’t who he thought she was. ‘I have proof that Wyatt cheated all week.’
‘Oh!’ Gavin said. ‘That’s awesome, right? That means we win, doesn’t it?’
I shook my head. ‘It does, but that’s not how I want to win. Let’s show Wyatt what we’re made of for once. I’m tired of getting walked all over. No fists, no fighting, no trouble. Just an honest game of dodgeball. We can win this.’
After a moment of looking at each other, my friends all agreed with me.
We were about to play the most important game of dodgeball we’d ever played in our lives.
In front of the entire school.
No pressure, right?
Coach Cooper blew the whistle, starting the game.
Wyatt’s team sprinted toward the red rubber balls sitting in a line at the centre of the gym. My team raced towards the same goal.
Our shoes squeaked loudly on the freshly polished floor, but the noise was mostly drowned out by the screaming kids in the bleachers.
Wyatt’s team was faster, and made it to the dodgeballs first.
We dove out of the way, avoiding the first wave of attack.
Rolling across the floor, I had to slide my body quickly to avoid a couple more balls that were thrown at me. Wyatt must’ve given the order to take me out first.
I saw Faith slide on her knees, grabbing a red ball and bringing it to her face to deflect one that Wyatt had thrown at her. It bounced off her ball, making the classic PONG sound.
Faith did a backwards somersault to get back to her feet. Then she clutched the ball with her right hand and swung it around once in a huge circle, flinging it across the gym like she was pitching a softball.
A kid from Wyatt’s team tried catching the ball so Faith would get out, but she had thrown it too hard. It bounced off his hands and flew into some kids in the crowd.
‘Out!’ Coach Cooper shouted after blowing into his whistle.
Faith fist pumped while jumping up and down. She looked at me, excited to have the first out.
Suddenly, a red ball nailed her square in the cheek.
‘No!’ I shouted, reaching my hand out.
Stumbling back, Faith rubbed her cheek, but had a smile on her face. She rolled her eyes and shook her head like she was more embarrassed than upset. ‘Serves me right!’ she yelled.
Brayden and Gavin were taking quick steps to the centre line, their fingers gripping their dodgeballs.
Gavin went with a simple overhanded approach, but his ball sailed a little too high, missing his target.
Brayden threw his arm out wide, sending his ball toward the ground. His strategy was to try and throw it low enough that it was impossible to catch, hitting the target just before bouncing on the floor. If you weren’t paying attention, his ball would hit you, but if you saw it coming, all you had to do was lift a leg to dodge it.
That’s exactly what Wyatt did. He stepped over Brayden’s ball like it was no big deal. Whipping both hands over his head, he chucked a ball at Brayden.
Brayden stepped backwards to get out of the way, but caught his shoe on the floor. He fell to his butt as Wyatt’s ball soared over his head, missing him.
It would’ve been a victory for Brayden except the rest of Wyatt’s team noticed he was helpless on the ground.
Wyatt and his team concentrated all their fire on Brayden. It was like a rapid-fire dodgeball machine, all aimed at one kid.
Brayden froze up, cowering on the floor as dodge balls rained down upon him. He didn’t stand a chance.
The whistle was blown again. ‘Out!’ Coach Cooper shouted, pointing at Brayden.
‘Down to you and me,’ Gavin said.
‘If we can catch one of their balls, we can bring someone else back in,’ I said.
‘That’s risky.’
‘It is, but worth it if we can pull it off.’
Gavin nodded, and sprinted toward the centre line of the gym.
‘Wait!’ I said. ‘I didn’t mean to try and get them to hit you!’
Gavin slid to a stop, bouncing on one foot, waving his arms around to keep from tripping.
Wyatt’s team grabbed the dodgeballs on the floor. They each took a few steps toward Gavin and then shot their dodgeballs at him.
Gavin was impressive. He sidestepped the first few balls. They were coming at him too fast to try and catch. Grabbing a stray ball off the floor, Gavin stood up, only just blocking another ball from hitting him.
Chucking the ball at Wyatt, Gavin continued to taunt the opposition by running back and forth along the centre line.
I zigzagged towards Gavin as balls bounced past me. I raised a ball over my head, looking at Wyatt. He was crawling along the floor reaching for his own dodgeball.
Throwing it with all my strength, the ball sailed through the air at the leader of the red ninjas.
Wyatt looked up. Instantly, he dropped his body to the floor, avoiding it by millimetres.
Scooping up a ball of his own, Wyatt twisted his legs out and jumped off the floor like some kind of snake.
‘Out!’ Coach Cooper shouted again, pointing at one kid on Wyatt’s team.
Gavin had his fist in the air. ‘Boom!’ he said, and then pointed at the kid.
There were only four kids left in the middle of the gym. Everyone in the bleachers leapt to their feet, cheering and stamping.
The other boy on Wyatt’s team was sprinting toward me with his dodgeball drawn back over his shoulder. He surprised me, which made me freeze up when he threw the ball at me.
Raising my arms instead of diving, the ball hit me right on the shoulder. I heard Wyatt laugh as I shuffled backwards.
Coach Cooper blew the whistle, and I took a breath as I started my walk to the side of the gym with Faith and Brayden.
‘Over the line!’ Coach Cooper shouted, pointing at the feet of the kid who had got me out. ‘You’re out! Chase, you’re still in!’
‘Come on!’ Wyatt shouted, holding his open palms out at the kid who was off sides.
Faith screamed excitedly, jumping up and down with Brayden.
The coach pointed at me. ‘Get back in there,’ he ordered.
I spun around and jogged back toward Gavin who had his hand in the air, waiting to give me a high five.
Suddenly, Gavin’s knees buckled as a PONG! echoed across the room. A red dodgeball rolled out from behind him. Gavin dropped to his knees and fell flat on his face as Wyatt stood at the centre line.
Gavin groaned in pain as he rolled to his back.
‘Out!’ Coach Cooper shouted again, pointing to Gavin.
‘I know, I know,’ Gavin said, pulling himself up and heading to the bench.
The entire crowd was roaring. I couldn’t tell if they were cheering for Wyatt or me, or if they were just screaming to make noise.
It was down to Wyatt and me.
Taking a ball off the floor, I stepped towards the centre line where Wyatt was already standing with his own ball. I flinched – my name
was written on Wyatt’s dodgeball in black marker. I don’t know when he had the time to scribble it out, but I didn’t care. I was more concerned about the fact that he did it at all. Honestly, that was a whole new level of creepy that I wasn’t comfortable dealing with.
‘Looks like it’s just you and me,’ Wyatt said, making sure my name was facing me.
I nodded once. ‘Looks like.’
‘You won several battles,’ Wyatt said. ‘But you’re losing the war. You know that, right?’
I remained silent.
Everyone was still cheering as the two of us stood at the centre of the gym, simply talking to each other.
‘I know all about you and Naomi,’ Wyatt said suddenly.
Mentioning Naomi was like a punch to the gut. I had to blink rapidly to keep focus.
‘What about her?’
‘You really stirred the pot with the Scavengers,’ Wyatt said, rolling his dodgeball in his hands.
‘You know about the Scavengers?’
‘I do now,’ Wyatt said with an evil grin.
‘Thanks to you.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
‘Let’s just say, Naomi and I have similar interests.’
The crowd grew impatient, chanting in unison. ‘Hur-ry up! Hur-ry up! Hur-ry up!’
Wyatt took a step back, clutching his dodgeball as he did.
‘What’s that mean?’ I shouted, not caring if anyone in the gym heard me.
Wyatt glanced to the side of the large room.
Naomi was against the wall with her arms folded, watching the game from the side of the gym.
I felt my knees grow weak.
At that instant, Wyatt’s dodgeball said hello to the side of my face.
In dodgeball, the word for ‘hello’ is PONG! along with searing pain. I wouldn’t recommend visiting the land of dodgeball.
Time slowed to a crawl as my brain tried to understand what was happening.
My world turned bright red and smelled like dirty rubber. The flash of red turned to white that faded slowly as I stumbled backward.
I was out.
I had lost.
Spirit Week Shenanigans Page 11
