a showdown.
The next morning, I hurried to the computer room before school started. I printed up a bunch of signs. The signs read “READ MY LETTER: YOU WILL DROP FIRST!”
I took a roll of tape from the art room, and I began taping up my signs all over school.
“Sam, are you crazy?” a voice called.
I turned to find Tonya staring at me in horror. She wore a stiff-looking white blouse and a black skirt over black tights.
I finished taping a sign to the science lab door. “Why are you dressed like a pilgrim? It’s not Thanksgiving,” I said.
“I’m in the chorus,” she replied, staring at the sign. “We’re singing at the assembly this morning.”
“Oh, yeah,” I muttered. I had forgotten there was an assembly.
Good, I thought. Good timing.
“Take that sign down, Sam,” Tonya warned. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“It’s war,” I said. “Me against the imp. No way I’m taking it down.”
I held up my stack of signs. “Help me put them up?”
She brushed back her straight black hair. “You’re crazy,” she said. “How can you be so crazy after what the imp did to you yesterday?”
I began walking down the hall, searching for a good place to hang the next sign. “Don’t you want to get rid of the imp, Tonya?” I asked. “Don’t you want to go to a normal school where people aren’t afraid all the time?”
“Of course,” she replied, following after me. “But there’s no way. He has too much power, Sam. Your signs are only going to make him angry. And when he’s angry—”
I grabbed Tonya’s arm. “I’m angry, too,” I said. “Look what he did to my hands.” I showed her the cuts and burns. “I’m angry, too, Tonya. That’s why I’m going to do everything I can to get rid of the creature.”
She tried to pull free. But I held on to her arm. “Why won’t you help me, Tonya? Why?”
We both jumped as Ms. Simpkin came around the corner. “Sam? Tonya?” The principal hurried over to us.
“Tonya, the chorus is already onstage,” she said. “You’d better get over there.”
She turned to me. “Sam, why aren’t you in class? The assembly will be starting in a few minutes.”
“I—I have these signs,” I said. I started to hold them up.
But Ms. Simpkin spun away and trotted back the other way. “Let’s go, you two,” she called back to us. “We have a guest speaker this morning. We don’t want to hold up the assembly.”
Tonya turned and ran toward the auditorium.
I stared after her, thinking hard. An assembly …
An assembly …
Suddenly, I had a plan.
18
The assembly was pretty boring. But no one cared. It meant we got out of class.
The chorus sang two songs. They sounded pretty good. But the girl at the end of the top row slipped during the first song and nearly fell off the bleacher.
She caught her balance. But her face stayed bright red for the rest of the performance.
The speaker was a young woman who talked about volunteering to help out with things in the community. She said kids could make a real difference, and it wouldn’t take up much of our time.
I didn’t really hear too much of her talk. I could only think about the imp and what I planned to do.
Yes, you’re right. I was obsessed.
I had made up my mind to destroy the imp once and for all. And nothing was going to stop me.
When the speaker finished, most kids clapped. A few kids in the back rows booed, just to be funny.
Ms. Simpkin glared at them. Then she walked to the podium to thank the speaker.
I took a deep breath and jumped up from my seat. I pushed my way over kids’ legs to the aisle.
“Hey, Sam—where are you going?”
“Sam, sit down!”
“Ow! Get off my foot!”
I ignored the kids in my row who tried to stop me. I knew what I was going to do. I had been planning it all through the assembly.
Ms. Simpkin didn’t see me run down the aisle. She didn’t see me climb onto the stage.
She was making an announcement about the band concert on Friday
The next morning, I hurried to the computer room before school started. I printed up a bunch of signs. The signs read “READ MY LETTER: YOU WILL DROP FIRST!”
I took a roll of tape from the art room, and I began taping up my signs all over school.
“Sam, are you crazy?” a voice called.
I turned to find Tonya staring at me in horror. She wore a stiff-looking white blouse and a black skirt over black tights.
I finished taping a sign to the science lab door. “Why are you dressed like a pilgrim? It’s not Thanksgiving,” I said.
“I’m in the chorus,” she replied, staring at the sign. “We’re singing at the assembly this morning.”
“Oh, yeah,” I muttered. I had forgotten there was an assembly.
Good, I thought. Good timing.
“Take that sign down, Sam,” Tonya warned. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“It’s war,” I said. “Me against the imp. No way I’m taking it down.”
I held up my stack of signs. “Help me put them up?”
She brushed back her straight black hair. “You’re crazy,” she said. “How can you be so crazy after what the imp did to you yesterday?”
I began walking down the hall, searching for a good place to hang the next sign. “Don’t you want to get rid of the imp, Tonya?” I asked. “Don’t you want to go to a normal school where people aren’t afraid all the time?”
“Of course,” she replied, following after me. “But there’s no way. He has too much power, Sam. Your signs are only going to make him angry. And when he’s angry—”
I grabbed Tonya’s arm. “I’m angry, too,” I said. “Look what he did to my hands.” I showed her the cuts and burns. “I’m angry, too, Tonya. That’s why I’m going to do everything I can to get rid of the creature.”
She tried to pull free. But I held on to her arm. “Why won’t you help me, Tonya? Why?”
We both jumped as Ms. Simpkin came around the corner. “Sam? Tonya?” The principal hurried over to us.
“Tonya, the chorus is already onstage,” she said. “You’d better get over there.”
She turned to me. “Sam, why aren’t you in class? The assembly will be starting in a few minutes.”
“I—I have these signs,” I said. I started to hold them up.
But Ms. Simpkin spun away and trotted back the other way. “Let’s go, you two,” she called back to us. “We have a guest speaker this morning. We don’t want to hold up the assembly.”
Tonya turned and ran toward the auditorium.
I stared after her, thinking hard. An assembly …
An assembly …
Suddenly, I had a plan.
18
The assembly was pretty boring. But no one cared. It meant we got out of class.
The chorus sang two songs. They sounded pretty good. But the girl at the end of the top row slipped during the first song and nearly fell off the bleacher.
She caught her balance. But her face stayed bright red for the rest of the performance.
The speaker was a young woman who talked about volunteering to help out with things in the community. She said kids could make a real difference, and it wouldn’t take up much of our time.
I didn’t really hear too much of her talk. I could only think about the imp and what I planned to do.
Yes, you’re right. I was obsessed.
I had made up my mind to destroy the imp once and for all. And nothing was going to stop me.
When the speaker finished, most kids clapped. A few kids in the back rows booed, just to be funny.
Ms. Simpkin glared at them. Then she walked to the podium to thank the speaker.
I took a deep breath and jumped up from my seat. I pushed my way over kids’ legs to the aisle.
“Hey, Sam—where are you going?”
“Sam, sit down!”
“Ow! Get off my foot!”
I ignored the kids in my row who tried to stop me. I knew what I was going to do. I had been planning it all through the assembly.
Ms. Simpkin didn’t see me run down the aisle. She didn’t see me climb onto the stage.
She was making an announcement about the band concert on Friday
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