Part Two: Surprise, Surprise!
Magnet swallowed alittle bit as he bordered the bus. He hadn't been to his school in ages, and he wondered if it changed much. He couldn't even remember most of it.
His two best friends, Adam and Mark, waved to him as he came on. He grinned.
"Hey guys!" he said, sitting down.
"Dude! I was wondering when you'd get back! Jeez you've been gone long!" said Mark.
"I know! So how much has changed since I left?"
"Not much," said Adam. "Same boring place as before."
Magnet laughed.
"So, MAGNET, miss camp yet?" said Adam, saying it as a joke.
"Actually yeah, I am." said Magnet.
The two boys gaped at them.
"You ARE? You're joking, right?" said Mark.
"No. It was actually...... sorta.... fun there."
"No way! How could it be fun?"
"Didn't you read my letters?"
"Well, yeah...." they said. Magnet looked at them.
"You didn't?"
"Look, man, we wanted to, really, but mom didn't want us talking with a juvenile delinquent." explained Mark. Magnet shook his head.
"I'm NOT a juvenile delinquent." he said.
"That's what I said." said Mark quickly.
"Maybe you can tell us about it at lunch." suggested Adam.
"Yeah I guess."
*
The bus stin the front of the school, and a big banner was hung up, saying "Welcome back, Jose!"
"Good grief!" said Magnet, shaking his head as he entered the school.
Girls were whispering and giggling when he passed, and guys would say, "Is that that guy whose been gone for a year?" when they saw him. He was getting rather tired of it. Classes he was in were postponed, as the teachers spent the whole times telling him what they were doing this year and what he had missed while he was gone, they how they hoped he wouldn't go stealing again. Magnet was walking to lunch when he bumped into the teacher who ran the Student Store.
"Ah, Jose is back! Gonna try stealing notebooks again?" he said coldly. Magnet just ignored him and continued to the lunchroom, where he sat with Adam and Mark.
"Man, people are so strange." he said as he sat down.
"You're just noticing that?" said Mark.
Magnet shrugged. "Everyone keeps WHISPERING...." he said loudly as a group of kids nearby were whispering about him. They suddenly stopped, and hurried passed him to their table, then started talking more.
"Sorry dude, but rumors went around."
"Like what?"
"Like one person said you stole a puppy and through it over a bridge when the police came after you." said Adam.
"That was Hecter throwing SHOES over the bridge. And he did that WAY after I was arrested." Mark and Adam just shrugged.
"Perhaps." said Mark. Magnet just shook his head and ate in silence.
"Hey! You're supposed to tell us what was so fun about this camp now. Come on1 Tell us!" said Mark.
"Alright...." So he told them. He told them the TRUTH on what he did with the dog and what happened at camp Greenlake.
"DUDE! No way! A GIRL came to camp? And you played spin the bottle? Whoa! I need to steal something to get sent there!" said Adam.
"It's closed." said Magnet.
"Sh*t."
"Where does this, Becky person live, anyway?" asked Mark.
"She lives right here." said a female voice behind Magnet.
"No she doesn't!" said Magnet, spinning around in his chair. Then he gasped, the color draining away from his face as he stared at who was in front of him.
"Hilary," he managed to say. "What are you doing here?"
Hilary laughed in her snobbish way, flipping her hair.
"I just moved here before Camp Greenlake. I had no idea whatsoever that YOU went here." her voice was so fake.
"WHAT are youdoing here." he repeated through gritted teeth.
"I just told you, Jose." she said, grinning. The girls around her were staring and watching, laughing when she laughed.
"You KNOW her?" whispered Mark.
"I hate her." he answered.
"How can you hate a body like that?" said Adam. Magnet kicked him.
"Jose! Hoe mean of you! Don't kick one of your best friends!" Hilary said, slapping Magnet on the shoulder pathetically.
Magnet didn't say anything.
"Anyway, do you miss you're stupid friends at that stupid camp? Do you miss you're GIRLFRIEND?" she said in a fake sad voice, and she pretended to cry.
"Go away." he muttered, trying to eat.
"Look Magnet. I have you." she said suddenly in an icy voice.
"The Warden isn't here right now." he said in a bored voice.
"That's not it. Almost everyone now knows you have a girlfriend from Camp Greenlake. If you aren't nice to me, I'll tell everyone how you were all over me and you SLEPT with me when I arrived-"
"YOU DID ALL THOSE THINGS TO ME!" he said, spinning around and knocking his tray on the floor, glaring at her. She laughed.
"Anyone would believe me. I mean, who WOULDN'T do all those things to me?" she said. Magnet was still glaring at her.
"Well? What do you say?" said Hilary.
Magnet realized what had happened. If he wasn't nice to her, she'd spread rumors that would destroy his life. If Becky found out those rumors, would she believe them?
He didn't answer.
"Well, I'll give you time to think about it." she said sweetly, then walked away with her friends. His two friends watched her like she was one of those models on TV walking in slow motion. He glared at them, but didn't stop them. He just continued eating, swearing under his breath.
*
Magnet went home that day miserable. He didn't know what to do. He paced around the room, thinking for hours it seemed, then tried to do his homework. He kept glancing at the phone. Finally he picked it up and started to dial.
"Hello?" said Becky's voice. Magnet didn't answer.
"Hello?" she said again. Still he didn't answer. He heard her hang up. He threw the phone onto his bed, then sat down, staring at his homework again. Then he sighed. He couldn't concentrate. Hours later he fell asleep at his desk in his room.
Magnet swallowed alittle bit as he bordered the bus. He hadn't been to his school in ages, and he wondered if it changed much. He couldn't even remember most of it.
His two best friends, Adam and Mark, waved to him as he came on. He grinned.
"Hey guys!" he said, sitting down.
"Dude! I was wondering when you'd get back! Jeez you've been gone long!" said Mark.
"I know! So how much has changed since I left?"
"Not much," said Adam. "Same boring place as before."
Magnet laughed.
"So, MAGNET, miss camp yet?" said Adam, saying it as a joke.
"Actually yeah, I am." said Magnet.
The two boys gaped at them.
"You ARE? You're joking, right?" said Mark.
"No. It was actually...... sorta.... fun there."
"No way! How could it be fun?"
"Didn't you read my letters?"
"Well, yeah...." they said. Magnet looked at them.
"You didn't?"
"Look, man, we wanted to, really, but mom didn't want us talking with a juvenile delinquent." explained Mark. Magnet shook his head.
"I'm NOT a juvenile delinquent." he said.
"That's what I said." said Mark quickly.
"Maybe you can tell us about it at lunch." suggested Adam.
"Yeah I guess."
*
The bus stin the front of the school, and a big banner was hung up, saying "Welcome back, Jose!"
"Good grief!" said Magnet, shaking his head as he entered the school.
Girls were whispering and giggling when he passed, and guys would say, "Is that that guy whose been gone for a year?" when they saw him. He was getting rather tired of it. Classes he was in were postponed, as the teachers spent the whole times telling him what they were doing this year and what he had missed while he was gone, they how they hoped he wouldn't go stealing again. Magnet was walking to lunch when he bumped into the teacher who ran the Student Store.
"Ah, Jose is back! Gonna try stealing notebooks again?" he said coldly. Magnet just ignored him and continued to the lunchroom, where he sat with Adam and Mark.
"Man, people are so strange." he said as he sat down.
"You're just noticing that?" said Mark.
Magnet shrugged. "Everyone keeps WHISPERING...." he said loudly as a group of kids nearby were whispering about him. They suddenly stopped, and hurried passed him to their table, then started talking more.
"Sorry dude, but rumors went around."
"Like what?"
"Like one person said you stole a puppy and through it over a bridge when the police came after you." said Adam.
"That was Hecter throwing SHOES over the bridge. And he did that WAY after I was arrested." Mark and Adam just shrugged.
"Perhaps." said Mark. Magnet just shook his head and ate in silence.
"Hey! You're supposed to tell us what was so fun about this camp now. Come on1 Tell us!" said Mark.
"Alright...." So he told them. He told them the TRUTH on what he did with the dog and what happened at camp Greenlake.
"DUDE! No way! A GIRL came to camp? And you played spin the bottle? Whoa! I need to steal something to get sent there!" said Adam.
"It's closed." said Magnet.
"Sh*t."
"Where does this, Becky person live, anyway?" asked Mark.
"She lives right here." said a female voice behind Magnet.
"No she doesn't!" said Magnet, spinning around in his chair. Then he gasped, the color draining away from his face as he stared at who was in front of him.
"Hilary," he managed to say. "What are you doing here?"
Hilary laughed in her snobbish way, flipping her hair.
"I just moved here before Camp Greenlake. I had no idea whatsoever that YOU went here." her voice was so fake.
"WHAT are youdoing here." he repeated through gritted teeth.
"I just told you, Jose." she said, grinning. The girls around her were staring and watching, laughing when she laughed.
"You KNOW her?" whispered Mark.
"I hate her." he answered.
"How can you hate a body like that?" said Adam. Magnet kicked him.
"Jose! Hoe mean of you! Don't kick one of your best friends!" Hilary said, slapping Magnet on the shoulder pathetically.
Magnet didn't say anything.
"Anyway, do you miss you're stupid friends at that stupid camp? Do you miss you're GIRLFRIEND?" she said in a fake sad voice, and she pretended to cry.
"Go away." he muttered, trying to eat.
"Look Magnet. I have you." she said suddenly in an icy voice.
"The Warden isn't here right now." he said in a bored voice.
"That's not it. Almost everyone now knows you have a girlfriend from Camp Greenlake. If you aren't nice to me, I'll tell everyone how you were all over me and you SLEPT with me when I arrived-"
"YOU DID ALL THOSE THINGS TO ME!" he said, spinning around and knocking his tray on the floor, glaring at her. She laughed.
"Anyone would believe me. I mean, who WOULDN'T do all those things to me?" she said. Magnet was still glaring at her.
"Well? What do you say?" said Hilary.
Magnet realized what had happened. If he wasn't nice to her, she'd spread rumors that would destroy his life. If Becky found out those rumors, would she believe them?
He didn't answer.
"Well, I'll give you time to think about it." she said sweetly, then walked away with her friends. His two friends watched her like she was one of those models on TV walking in slow motion. He glared at them, but didn't stop them. He just continued eating, swearing under his breath.
*
Magnet went home that day miserable. He didn't know what to do. He paced around the room, thinking for hours it seemed, then tried to do his homework. He kept glancing at the phone. Finally he picked it up and started to dial.
"Hello?" said Becky's voice. Magnet didn't answer.
"Hello?" she said again. Still he didn't answer. He heard her hang up. He threw the phone onto his bed, then sat down, staring at his homework again. Then he sighed. He couldn't concentrate. Hours later he fell asleep at his desk in his room.