CHaPTeR FouR - GiRL-LiKeR CaMP?
Third Street Elementary, following Tuesday, ten a.m. recess
Of all the Ashleys, so far, Ashley Spinelli was turning out to be the most diabolical by far. She had dreamed up so many schemes that eventually would lead to the Ashleys' takeover of the playground… in sixth grade. For now, though, the five girls were cooking up an idea hatched when Ashley S asked one little question…
How come we're boy-likers, but no boys are girl-likers?
Well, the girls were out to change that by making every boy in fourth, fifth, and sixth grade attend a "Girl-Liker Camp" in which they would learn how to like girls - by the Ashleys strapping them to chairs and making them look at beauty magazines and watch chick-flicks starring Julia Roberts or Nicole Kidman. And the price for the boys to pay for not attending the camp was worse than actually attending it - even though the Ashleys all agreed it was a "yucky business", they would kiss the boys if they refused to attend the camp.
The Ashleys had announced their hostile takeover of the upper-class boys at the end of the last recess on that Tuesday. There was a widespread feeling among the older boys that they wouldn't much like the coming days.
The next morning, the older boys were rounded up by the Ashleys and led to an area near their clubhouse where they'd set up portable TV's and VCR's for the boys to watch chick flicks, and reading areas, complete with ropes, for the beauty magazines. Each Ashley acted as a counselor and made sure that all the boys were behaving.
In Ashley S's group were King Bob and T.J., who sat next to each other at their reading station. Before long, Ashley S was involved in scolding a short fourth grade boy for not reading a magazine, so it left T.J. and King Bob free to talk and scheme, all the while aimlessly flipping pages every few minutes or so.
"This is a nightmare," King Bob whispered.
"Tell me about it. This seriously whomps," T.J. answered.
"What happened to the old Spinelli?" King Bob asked wondrously.
"Well, you're not gonna believe this, but this is how it all started…" and quietly, T.J. launched into the story of the dare, the cemetery, and the aftermath. After T.J. finished, King Bob drew a long breath.
"You caught her?" he asked.
"Don't bring it up," T.J. pleaded. King Bob smirked, but knew better than to force it. Besides, he wasn't that dumb; he'd seen Spinelli and T.J. flirting since back when they were in first grade.
"You wanna get her back to normal?" King Bob asked.
"More than anything!" T.J. said, a bit too loud. Ashley S looked up, but they quickly turned to their magazines.
"Let's rally the kids of the playground against the Ashleys and demand that they let her go," Bob suggested. "Let's try that ID card thing you cooked up last time."
"Nope, won't work this time. None of the Ashleys will invite us into the club," T.J. said defeatedly. King Bob thought for a moment, and then his face brightened.
"I have an idea," he said, and then raised his hand. Ashley S noticed.
"What do you want, your highness?" Ashley S bit.
"I was just wondering," he replied, "do you Ashleys like to kiss boys yet?" Ashley S's face twisted in disgust.
"No, of course not! Not until middle school!" she snapped, returning to scolding the fourth grade boy.
King Bob turned to T.J., one eyebrow raised. In an instant, T.J. realized what King Bob was thinking. "No. Absolutely not."
"But T.J., maybe it'll shock her into being her old self again," King Bob pleaded.
"Yeah, and maybe it'll shock me into insanity," T.J. replied sarcastically.
"Look at it this way," King Bob pointed out, "do you want to be stuck here, tied to chairs, reading beauty magazines with pink pages and watching chick flicks with kissing in every scene?" T.J. cringed.
"No, but---"
"T.J., you may be our only hope!"
"Great, you just had to say that," T.J. mumbled. "You do it."
"I'm not the one who likes her," King Bob retorted. "You're the only man, er, boy, for the job." T.J. sighed, defeated.
"Fine, but you owe me big time," T.J. relented.
"If this goes as well as planned, the rewards will pay for themselves," King Bob replied with a smirk.
"You're sick," T.J. replied.