[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

"Bring it in here, Honey," she replied. "I'm fixing supper."
She was brilliant in the kitchen, so much so that I was
surprised I had not gained fifty pounds by now. I set down
my backpack by the door, reaching down to greet my four-
legged friend. Reggie was wagging his tail, glad to see me
as usual.
After hanging up my coat and depositing the rest of the
mail on the dining room table, I joined my grandma in the
kitchen. She looked over at me, concerned, as she saw a
look of shock on my face. "What's the matter, Sweetie?"
"Oh, there has been a mistake," I said. "I did not get the
right grade in gym class."
She took the report card from my hand, looking it over.
"Jeff, this is a very impressive report card," she stated. "All
A's and one C."
"Thanks Gram, but I was supposed to be getting an A in
gym too. I had already discussed it with coach McDonald. I
need to keep a high GPA in order to get a scholarship for
college."
"Well don't you worry about that. Your mom had some
insurance money which has been set aside for your
college. You have nothing to be concerned about there
anymore."
"That's not the point, Grandma. Coach McDonald lied to
me. He told me I was getting an A but then only gave me a
C."
"Like you said, it's probably just a mistake. I will call him
tomorrow and we can get it all straightened out."
"No, Gram, please don't call him. I will just talk to him
tomorrow in school. I think I want to handle this one on my
own."
"Okay, but don't fret about it until then. It will all work out."
"So what's for supper?"
"I'm making Swiss steak," she smiled at me. "Yum!
"Hey, I'm gonna go upstairs and read for a little while,
okay? Just `til dinner is ready, unless you need help with
anything."
"No, you go ahead. I'll call you down when it's ready."
I dashed up the stairs, grabbing my book bag on the way
and pulled out a copy of Salem's Lot. It was the first
Stephen King book I had ever read, and I was rather
enjoying it. I looked over at my dresser as I curled up on the
bed, seeing Brett's picture. I nestled next to Reggie and
started to dive into the vampire story, thinking of McDonald
and how he deserved to have his throat ripped open.
*******************
"Just because someone believes in capitalism, that does
not make them a neo-fascist!" Joey was having a heated
discussion with Carly at our lunch table.
"Yes it does, you bonehead. They are the same things,"
Carly shot back.
"Dears, let s change the subject, `kay?" interjected
Elaine. She was in her full British accent mode again.
"Did you guys get your report cards yesterday?" I asked.
Carly looked over at me and started laughing. "What's so
funny?" I said.
"You are, Jeffy. You just want to compare your grades
with ours to rub it in how much smarter you are."
"Not at all," I said seriously. "Besides, I bet Joey's report
card is better than mine this time. I actually got a C in one of
my classes gym."
"You what?" asked Elaine. "I thought you had that whole
situation `handled'."
"I did too, but when I talked to McDonald this morning he
told me that I had not kept my end of the bargain. The team
did not win regionals, so I was not getting the A."
"What are you talking about?" asked Carly.
"Yeah," said Joey, "What does the team's not winning
have to do with your grade in phys ed?"
"Well, you remember when I first started to tutor Brett
Willson? See, I had this deal with McDonald. He asked me
if I would help Brett in his English class so that he could stay
on the team. He was flunking out and was going to lose
athletic privileges. McDonald said if I did that, he would
take care of my grade in gym."
"That's bribery!" snapped Joey.
"No, that's blackmail," corrected Elaine. "He also
threatened Jeff. He said he would flunk him if he did not do
it, and that he'd make his life a living hell."
"Elaine!" I said sternly, staring directly at her to let her
know she was divulging too much information. "Well it really
doesn't matter at this point. If McDonald had not forced me
into this situation, then I never would have become friends
with Brett. Thanks to the coach, I now have this wonderful
person in my life. It all worked out fine. I don't really even
need the A any more, anyways. I now have money for
college from my mom's insurance."
"That is such a load of bullshit!" said Carly. "You are
telling us that you were blackmailed into helping this dude
with his homework and shit, lied to about it, and then finally
only given a C in the class, which you probably would have
gotten at least a B in anyways, and you are perfectly fine
with that - all just cuz you get to be friends with some dumb
jock?"
"I told you before, Carly, don't call him that!" I was [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]