Banged my knees hard.
The music stopped. I was still on my knees.
A heavy silence fell over the gym. I turned to see everyone staring at me.
Slowly, I climbed to my feet. “I’m such a total klutz,” I said. “I … uh … I’m usually great at the Stomp. It’s my favorite.”
Four grim-faced boys came marching toward me. They squinted at me menacingly.
I turned to run. But some kids moved to block the gym doors.
The four boys lurched up to me, hands on their waists. They didn’t blink. They stared hard, as if studying me.
A chill ran down my back. “What’s the problem?” I asked in a tiny voice.
22
I’d seen these guys in the halls. They always walked together, kind of strutting. They waved and called out to everyone they passed.
They were popular. They seemed to know everyone.
All four of them were dressed in dark khaki cargo pants and black shirts that came down nearly to their knees. Like they were in a club or something.
They were pretty okay looking for zombies. Tall and athletic. Three blond dudes and one with red hair. The red-haired guy had a black patch over one eye.
Their skin was very pale and tight on their faces. Otherwise, they could pass for normal living kids.
They formed a semicircle around me. They grinned at me, but their eyes were cold.
“I’m Ernie,” one of them said. “How you doing?”
“F-fine,” I stuttered. “Good party.”
“You like it here?” he asked. He seemed to be the spokesman. The other three had their grins frozen on their faces, like they were wearing masks.
“Yeah. Good school,” I said.
Ernie looked me up and down. “You
sure
you like it here?”
“Yeah. Sure,” I said. My legs were shaking like they were made of Jell-O.
“Hard being the new kid, huh?” Ernie said. The other three boys snickered.
I swallowed. “Yeah. But everyone’s been totally nice,” I said. My voice cracked on the word
nice
.
Ernie’s grin turned into a sneer. “You’re not too good at the Stomp,” he said. He swung around to his friends. “Not too good, is he?”
“Not too good,” the red-haired dude chimed in.
“Maybe he needs to practice,” another guy said. “You know. With us.”
“Yeah. Maybe he needs to practice,” Ernie agreed. “What do
you
think, Matt? Think you need to practice?”
“Well … uh …”
Before I could answer, Franny appeared. She pushed her way into the center of the group. “What’s up, guys?” she asked.
“We were just making friends,” Ernie replied. “Trying to help out the new kid.”
“Yeah. Making friends,” the red-haired guy repeated. His expression didn’t look too friendly.
“Come on, Ernie. This is a party,” Franny said. She pulled me away. “Give Matt a break. Why do you want to get up in his face?”
Ernie threw his hands up. “Just making friends,” he said. The other three laughed.
Franny dragged me away. “Those guys are dangerous,” she whispered.
The music started up again. Everyone started talking at once, as if someone had pushed an ON button.
Franny pulled me behind the bleachers. A food fight had broken out above us in the seats. Kids were heaving blobs of meat and rotten fruit at one another. The bleachers shook from all the commotion.
“Those guys are really popular,” Franny said. “They rule the school.”
“They weren’t being friendly,” I said. “They lied about that.”
“They suspect you,” Franny said. “They think you’re alive.”
“I
am
alive,” I said. “We’re both alive, right? How come they don’t pick on
you
?”
“Because I’m a better actor than you,” she said.
Loud cheers rang out above us. The bleachers shook. A fat blob of meat came sailing down and squished at my feet.
“I’m going to help you,” Franny said. “Here’s what we’re going to do. First, you’re going todance with me. Dance like a zombie. Everyone will be watching you.”
“Nice. No pressure,” I said.
“Don’t make jokes. Your life depends on
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