ol' boys around here. Bunch of lousy, clubfooted good ol' boys.”
Roy was on her again, saying, “Chatty, knock it off! You've scared off your source, and now you're alienating this whole town!”
“But it's not right! I was here first! This is
my
story!”
“It's still your story, Chatty. Calm down!”
“No, it's not! You think they're gonna keep a lid on this? You watch. In half an hour, this place will be swarming with reporters!”
Chatty stormed off to her news van, and I was expecting my classmates to take off, too, but they didn't. Trinity said, “I'm going to call my mom, but I'll wait with you, okay, Nolan?”
“Me too,”Ian said, then looked at Vinnie. “You taking off?”
“No way.”He was walking backward quick, with one eye on Trinity. “I'm just gonna beat Pony-girl to the phone!”She tried to punch him, but he took off running.
Some kids called home on their cell phones. Some went to the pay phone. I didn't have to call anyone—my parents were in the police station.
Maybe even in jail!
Someone else didn't call his parents, either.
Bubba.
And the way he was acting was making me nervous.
He was quiet.
Very quiet.
And he was watching me, kind of pacing back and forth. Like he was thinking.
No, more like stalking prey.
But he hadn't given me trouble in weeks. Weeks and weeks! Ever since I'd done him a great big—make that
enormous
—favor.
But still. Right now, he was looking very…
dangerous.
I tried to wave at him, like, Hey, dude. What's happening? But it was a pretty lame wave, even I could tell.
And it made him do the one thing I
didnt
want him to do.
Walk my way.
Uh-oh. Was he going to pound me?
But why would he?
Unless he… unless he suspected that
I
was the one who'd posted his Big Butt on the World Wide Web. Unless he'd figured out that
I
was the one who'd gotten him busted for bullying. Unless he'd figured out that
I
was…
Shredderman.
Kids were starting to move our way. But before anyone got there, Bubba came right up to me and said, “I'm not as dumb as you think.”
I gulped. “Who said you were dumb?”
“I know that's what you think.”
Actually, I didn't think that. Bubba had managed to get through
years
of bullying and stealing and lying. Sure, I thought he was sneaky, but you can't be dumb and get away with all of that.
I shook my head. “I don't think you're—”
“I can put two and two together, man.”
“You can multiply them, too! And divide them! And probably even exponentiate them!”Man, my
mouth
was the one that was dumb. Real quick, I added, “I didn't mean that the way it sounded. Honest!”
“Just
listen
to me, Nolan.”
At least he wasn't back to calling me Nerd. I gulped and nodded.
“You humiliated me, dude. All those jokes about me. That picture of my butt. I swore when I figured it out I'd beat whoever it was to a pulp.”
I was sweating bullets.
He knew!
Without a doubt, Bubba Bixby knew.
Other kids were coming in closer. And closer. He was going to say it! He was going to blow my cover.
How could he resist?
Bubba looked around at all the kids gathered. He was feeling the power of it! The glory of it!
This was it—I was about to be unmasked.
And by Bubba Bixby!
He looked right at me. There was a hint of a smile on his face. He cocked his nose, like, Come here.
I squinted a little, like, Huh?
He did it again, then said to everyone else, “Step back! I gotta ask Nolan something.”
Everyone backed up, boy! Nobody could figure out
what
was going on, but they sure didn't want to be in the middle of it!
Then Bubba said to me, “Come
here,
dude!”
What else could I do? I moved a step forward.
He rolled his eyes.
I moved another step closer.
He grabbed my arm and yanked me next to him.
But he didn't pound me.
He didn't hurl me onto the pavement.
No, instead, he
whispered
in my ear.
And what he said was, “You need a sidekick, man?”
Chapter 18
A New Sidekick
“I'm serious, dude,”he whispered
Roy was on her again, saying, “Chatty, knock it off! You've scared off your source, and now you're alienating this whole town!”
“But it's not right! I was here first! This is
my
story!”
“It's still your story, Chatty. Calm down!”
“No, it's not! You think they're gonna keep a lid on this? You watch. In half an hour, this place will be swarming with reporters!”
Chatty stormed off to her news van, and I was expecting my classmates to take off, too, but they didn't. Trinity said, “I'm going to call my mom, but I'll wait with you, okay, Nolan?”
“Me too,”Ian said, then looked at Vinnie. “You taking off?”
“No way.”He was walking backward quick, with one eye on Trinity. “I'm just gonna beat Pony-girl to the phone!”She tried to punch him, but he took off running.
Some kids called home on their cell phones. Some went to the pay phone. I didn't have to call anyone—my parents were in the police station.
Maybe even in jail!
Someone else didn't call his parents, either.
Bubba.
And the way he was acting was making me nervous.
He was quiet.
Very quiet.
And he was watching me, kind of pacing back and forth. Like he was thinking.
No, more like stalking prey.
But he hadn't given me trouble in weeks. Weeks and weeks! Ever since I'd done him a great big—make that
enormous
—favor.
But still. Right now, he was looking very…
dangerous.
I tried to wave at him, like, Hey, dude. What's happening? But it was a pretty lame wave, even I could tell.
And it made him do the one thing I
didnt
want him to do.
Walk my way.
Uh-oh. Was he going to pound me?
But why would he?
Unless he… unless he suspected that
I
was the one who'd posted his Big Butt on the World Wide Web. Unless he'd figured out that
I
was the one who'd gotten him busted for bullying. Unless he'd figured out that
I
was…
Shredderman.
Kids were starting to move our way. But before anyone got there, Bubba came right up to me and said, “I'm not as dumb as you think.”
I gulped. “Who said you were dumb?”
“I know that's what you think.”
Actually, I didn't think that. Bubba had managed to get through
years
of bullying and stealing and lying. Sure, I thought he was sneaky, but you can't be dumb and get away with all of that.
I shook my head. “I don't think you're—”
“I can put two and two together, man.”
“You can multiply them, too! And divide them! And probably even exponentiate them!”Man, my
mouth
was the one that was dumb. Real quick, I added, “I didn't mean that the way it sounded. Honest!”
“Just
listen
to me, Nolan.”
At least he wasn't back to calling me Nerd. I gulped and nodded.
“You humiliated me, dude. All those jokes about me. That picture of my butt. I swore when I figured it out I'd beat whoever it was to a pulp.”
I was sweating bullets.
He knew!
Without a doubt, Bubba Bixby knew.
Other kids were coming in closer. And closer. He was going to say it! He was going to blow my cover.
How could he resist?
Bubba looked around at all the kids gathered. He was feeling the power of it! The glory of it!
This was it—I was about to be unmasked.
And by Bubba Bixby!
He looked right at me. There was a hint of a smile on his face. He cocked his nose, like, Come here.
I squinted a little, like, Huh?
He did it again, then said to everyone else, “Step back! I gotta ask Nolan something.”
Everyone backed up, boy! Nobody could figure out
what
was going on, but they sure didn't want to be in the middle of it!
Then Bubba said to me, “Come
here,
dude!”
What else could I do? I moved a step forward.
He rolled his eyes.
I moved another step closer.
He grabbed my arm and yanked me next to him.
But he didn't pound me.
He didn't hurl me onto the pavement.
No, instead, he
whispered
in my ear.
And what he said was, “You need a sidekick, man?”
Chapter 18
A New Sidekick
“I'm serious, dude,”he whispered
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