Sorry for my bad English.
Tonight is the school Spelling Bee, or whatever Erika heard from her friends.
She heard Double D proudly stating that he, along with his friend Ed, was going to participate and win for the eighth consecutive year. It seems the school competition is open to all grades.
She didn't care too much about the spelling contest but warned her friend to not be overconfident and quote a Chinese philosopher: There's no great danger than overestimate your opponents.
But Double D merely thanked her advice and went to his way. The Brazilian sighed and made her way out of the school when one of the professors tapped her shoulders to call her attention and asked her to accompany him to the school's director's office.
There, also was Nazz, and the news shocked the blonde girl.
-WHAT?! -Nazz shout. -But I always present the spelling be since first grade!
Apparently, Erika was going to present the Spelling Bee this year by request of her classmates, and being the polite girl she is, she accepted, leaving Nazz shocked.
The night came and cars parked on the outside. The Brazilian did not know why she was waiting, knowing that her father would pick her up only after the competition is over.
Sighing, she went to the stage.
Once inside, she notices Kevin on the stage testing the microphone while Jonny rushes backstage with Plank in his hand, of course. Seeing that she had time before the competition start, she went backstage as well to see how her friends were going.
There she found Double D is reading a book really big book until Jonny came and interrupted his reading.
-You haven't got a chance this year, Double D. -Jonny began. -Plank's been training!
With that, the big-headed boy laughs until she and Double D notice not far from there, an exhausted Rolf, practicing with Jimmy.
-W...O...C...H. Wrist clock!
-I can't feel my toes anymore, Rolf! -Jimmy said. -We've been practicing for hours!
-What prayer does Rolf have against this... -Rolf starts and then grabs Double D. -... this too smart for his hat Ed-boy?!
-Yes, well, good luck, gentlemen, I'm sure all will be well. -Double D said, escaping Rolf's grip.
-Pobre Rolf. -Erika said in Portuguese, knowing the spelling bee would harder for the son of the Shepard than to her.
-What are you doing to that poor defenseless dictionary!? -She heard Double D asks loudly from inside the locker room.
Double D enters the locker room, where Eddy was ripping pages from a dictionary and stuffing them into Ed's ears.
-What are you doing to that poor defenseless dictionary!?
-What's it look like?- Eddy began as he stuffs another page in Ed's ear. -Ed's cramming for the spelling bee! Feeling smarter, Ed?
-What? -Ed asked, clearly not hearing a word of what was spoken.
-As proud as I am that Ed decided to participate, I fear the competition may be a tad over his, um, head? -Double D stated.
-Aah, don't you worry your little egghead about Ed. -Eddy began as he approaches Double D. –Cause you'll be going down in the third round. Right?
-I beg your pardon? -Double D asked to be sure about what he just heard.
-I made a big bet with Kev that Monobrow's gonna win in the third. -Eddy, now standing on Double D's shirt, explains his plan. -So stick around a round or two so it looks good, then bam! Take a dive. - He finishes the explanation and undoes Double D's tie.
-Surely you jest, Eddy. -Double D starts and the grin disappears from Eddy's face. -How could you ask me to disengage the rules of literacy? -Double D asks as he moves in front of the mirror to fix his tie. -To squander the values of scholastic tradition! To spit upon the very foundations of what our language is built on!
-So you're saying you won't do it? -Eddy asked to be sure about what he just heard.
Double D leaves and lets the door swing shut, answering Eddy's question and making him panics.
-What? -Ed asked, still deaf.
The lights go down, the applause was heard, and spotlights hit the stage.
Erika walks robotically to the stage, showing how nervous she was as she makes her way to the microphone to announce the spelling bee, and for some reason, she could feel someone glaring a hole in her head.
Ed, Double D, Rolf, and Plank were all sitting and ready to start.
-G-good evening! -The Brazilian girl starts, a bit nervous. -W-welcome to the Eighth Annual Peach Creek Spelling Bee! -More applause came as Double D blushes, Rolf cowers, Ed is sitting backward, and Plank stays still. She still doesn't know how he is one of the participants. -L-let's begin, o-okay? Double D. Your word to spell is... cerebral.
Double D smiles and makes his way to center stage while Ed waves at the audience.
-Cerebral. C-E-R-E-B-R-A-L. Cerebral.
-Correct.
As some applauses were heard, Eddy falls to the ground.
-I'm ruined. Tapped out. Busted. -He states in total despair.
A bit melodramatic, isn't he?
Then it comes the next name Erika should call, unsure if she should or not.
-Uh, Plank? Okay. Your word is... deciduous. -Erikas says as Ed waves his legs, then looks at Plan and poke him to see if he will move.
Jonny holds Plank up to the microphone and they wait for him to spell the word, and Erika still did not know how to handle the situation.
After a few seconds, the buzzer rings, signaling the turn is over.
-I'm... so sorry, Plank. You... ran out of... time? -Erika asks, still not knowing how to handle the situation.
-What are you, deaf!? -Jonny objects and perches on the microphone like a vulture. -He got it right! I got my eye on you. Wood-hater! -He then leaves the stage with his... friend.
-Oookaaay... -Next is Rolf. -Erika calls for the blue-haired boy. -And your word is... Colonial.
Rolf begins to hyperventilate as he makes his way to the microphone, and Erika grimaces seeing Ed poking his nose. Rolf is greeted with applause but keeps breathing heavily into the mic as he tries to find his voice to speak.
-Rolf's mind goes blank. -He speaks on the microphone. -Colonial. -He speaks and continues to pant until... -POPPYCOCK! CURSE THIS MONKEY RITUAL OF ENGLISH WORDS! -He then knocks the mic over and is surprisingly greeted with some applause. -Thank you, Nana! -He thanks her before runs off the stage with some joy.
-Ed! -Erika calls for the biggest Ed. -Your word to spell is... Ectoplasm.
-Oh, man. -Eddy states with despair.
-Get ready to cough up, loser. -Kevins says, confident of his victory on their bet. -Cause my boat just came in.
Ed at first seemed not to hear the word asked for him to spell, but then he smiles.
-Oh oh I know! I saw it in a movie once! -Ed lies down and rolls near the fallen microphone. -Ectoplasm. E-C-T-O-P-L-A-S-M. Ectoplasm.
-That's... correct. -Erika says, surprised.
Double D and Kevin look shocked while Ed and Eddy smile widely.
-Alright, now it comes to you two! -Erika says making Ed smile while Double D seemed a little nervous.
-Looks like that boat's on the other foot, huh Kev? -Eddy asked, confidence back to him after Ed spell his word.
-C'mon, Double Dweeb, you pull through, man. -Kevin says under his breath.
-Okay, Double D, your final word is... Gravy.
Seeing the word he needed to spell, the smile returns to Double D's face along with his confidence also back.
-Better luck next year, Ed. -Double D says faking sympathy, and walks to the microphone. -Gravy. G-R-A-V-I. No Y! Y is what I meant to say. -Noticing the slip of his tongue, Double D tried to explain himself.
-Oh I'm sorry Double D, but you know the rules. Over to you, Ed. If you spell correctly, you will be the winner.
Ed walks over to the microphone and moves Double D aside and spells.
-Gravy. G-R-A-V-Y. Gravy. -And he finishes with: -Yum.
Applause greets this statement and someone, probably Ed's father, throws his hat in the air. Roses are thrown on stage as Erika approaches Ed.
-Congratulations, Ed! -Erika starts and pins a blue ribbon on Ed's jacket. -You're this year's winner of the Peach Creek Spelling Bee!
Finishing her statement, flashbulbs go off, blinding Erika a little. She stumbles in whatever direction and yelp as her foot sets off the stage.
With the spelling bee long ended, Eddy holds out his hand to collect his payment.
-Sure stinks to lose, huh Kev? -He rhetorically asks as Kevin hands him a dollar.
-You'd know, doofus. -But Kevin still answers Eddy's question before approaches Double D, who still was planted on the stage. -Man, have you lost it! -He told the smartest Ed before passing through the curtains. -I lost a bundle on you, Double Has-Been!
While he leaves, Erika approaches Double D.
-Are you okay?
-I'll... I'll be fine, Erika. T-thank you. -He says and leaves the stage, not wanting to talk more about it and admit that Erika was right.
He should have not overestimated his adversaries.
The Brazilian girl sighs and made her way to leave, but notices a box trap set for her. She knew because it had her name written on the side. She raises an eyebrow but decides to ignore whatever it was.
As she leaves the stage, Jonny peeks out the curtains.
-Wood hater.
As she leaves the auditorium, Erika could not help but think about her defeated friend. While not knowing Double D for too long, it was the first time she saw him so down. Not even when Duncan was bullying him she saw Double D so down like that.
The horn of a car got her out of her thoughts and she notices her father's car waiting for her at the entrance.
She enters.
On the next day, Double D's mood did not improve.
He still seemed to be affected by his loss on the spelling bee, he didn't even correct Erika when she spoke two words wrong.
She was about to ask once again how he was feeling when Double D opens his locker and both were surprised to find Ed hiding inside, and for some reason, he seemed scared.
-Ed, what are you doing? -Erika asked.
-Don't say anything, guys. -Was all Ed said and peers out of the locker. -Oh-oh. -He then slams the door, but it was too late.
Sarah approaches the locker and opens it.
-There you are! -She says then holds him by the ear and pulls him out of the locker, knocking Double D before drag Ed down the hall past Eddy to Jimmy. -Okay, smarty-pants, Jimmy wants to know if X is Y, how much is P?
-Sarah asking Ed for academic assistance? -Double D asks, confused.
Eddy, while confused at first as well, sensed a business opportunity and pulls Ed back.
-Twenty-five cents or flunk, squirt!
-Pelo amor de deus, Eddy. -Erika spoke in Portuguese.
-Oh, never you mind him. -Double D began and approached Saraha. -I'll be glad to assist you both free of charge.
-Yeah right, Mr. I-can't-even-spell-gravy. -Sarah mocks Double D and pushed him aside, and gives Eddy a quarter.
The smaller Ed chuckles with glee while Ed reads the problem, and Erika stands back, displeased with the young girl's attitude.
-Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Yes, well. 2P or not 2P, that is the question. -Ed said.
-That's the stupidest thing I've heard. -Sarah complained.
-You are the one who paid for his help! -Erika angrily states. -And now you are complaining?
Before Saraha could shout back at the Brazilian, Jimmy calls for her.
-Sarah! Sarah waits, Ed is right! If you take the P out of the equation, the difference is the answer.
-He's mine! -Eddy says and grabs Ed. -I saw him first! -He then carries Ed away.
-Tickle tickle tickle! -Ed says while being dragged away.
Erika sighs.
-This will be a long day.
Jonny creeps down the empty hall with a butterfly net in his hands. As the bell rings, and he sees his classmates leaving the classroom. Along with the group, he saw his target and hides behind one of the lockers.
Erika reaches her locker and spins her combination and when she opens the door, she was surprised by Jonny coming from inside and trapping her inside the net.
-Got you, Wood hater! -Jonny shouts proudly.
Erika merely stares at him, then grabs the pole of the net and gave a push, resulting in the net, with Jonny still holding, spun around and making the boy hit the last locker of the line. Dazed, Jonny let go of the net, but not Plank, and fall face first on the floor. Erika then takes the net off her and uses it as a billiard cue to hit his big head and make him roll away.
Before she could give one of her bothered sighs, Eddy appears dressed as a salesman for another of his crazy plans.
-Step right up, folks, and behold, Ed! -He begins then pulls out Ed, who is dressed like the stereotypical poindexter. -That's one D, not two. This egghead al-grande shall dot your T's and cross your I's and get you A's and that's no lie. Just 25¢ per question. Cheap.
-Eddy, this is happenstance at best. -Double D tried to warn his friend, only for Kevin to interfere pulling him from his hat.
-What, like we're supposed to listen to you? Burnout. -Kevin says and kicks Double D away. -I'm in. I got some homework that needs doing.
-Hello. Rolf needs assistance, yes? -Rolf asks with Double D on his front but slipping as the son of Shepard walked.
-Oh... my... god... -The day sure was not going easy on Erika's patience.
On the few times she and her father talked, he spoke about the worst any person would do. He was not so harsh in his words but Erika still understood that if someone got everything right, people will care little but if someone happens to make one mistake, a single mistake, people will label this person for a long time.
At first, Erika thought her father was overreacting with this statement until she saw with her own eyes this happen.
Double D makes his way to the cafeteria, brown-bag lunch in hand with a message from his mother.
Dear Eddward, this tuna salad will dry those tears. Love Mom.
He pushes on the door, but it refuses to open. He tries again but is unable to make it open.
-Locked? -He asks. -Hello? Anyone? -He calls not noticing the Brazillian girl approaching.
-Double D, you... -She tried to talk to her friend but was interrupted by Ed.
-May I aid you? As I am a good speller. -Ed says as he pulls Double D away from the door. -See? -P-U-L-L. -Ed spells the word letter by letter, but points at them from last to first. -Pull.
Ed holds the door open for Double D and walks in, and his friend, despondent, follows.
Erika tries once again to talk to him but is interrupted again, this time by Eddy, pointing his finger at Double D.
-Egghead Ed helped you. -The shortest Ed states as he holds up the jarful. -Cough up a quarter.
At this point, Erika's head was going to explode, but it was interrupted one last time, by Double D.
-I reminisce those days when it was my intellect you exploited for your own monetary gain, Eddy. Alas, they're just bittersweet memories now.
-Yeah, yeah, just let me see the cash, Hamlet. -Eddy says and tries to get the quarter from Double D, but was pulled back by his hair by Erika. -Hey, what gives... -He stopped his words after seeing the angry look in her pink eyes.
Outside of the cafeteria, loud thumps were heard, and Eddy exits the cafeteria, rolling inside of his jarful.
The jarful keeps rolling until was stopped by Duncan's feet. The jock eyes the jarful curious, then he grabs it and pulls Eddy's head out of it, a purple eye visible and missing a teeth. He stares at the wounded Ed for a couple of seconds before shoving him back in the jarful and threw it in a random direction.
The lunch for the once smartest Ed was accompanied by silence and grief as he heard his friends talking about how easy school was going to be with someone intelligent doing the work for them.
-It was just one mistake. -He raises his head and sees the Brazillian sitting in front of him. -Don't need to be so down.
-You may want to sit along with someone with a high intellect for once. -Double D stated, ignoring her advice.
-If this is the case, why even bother sitting with Ed when I meet you all?
-He wasn't Egghead Ed when you first meet him.
-And I'm sure that winning a spelling bee doesn't make him an egghead either. I know you are feeling bad but you will really take the statements from people who mistook a football ball for an alligator?
-It is not only that. My mistake sure will haunt me for the rest of my school days. I destined to be Mr. I-can't-even-spell-gravy.
-It was just a slip of the tongue. Those who do everything right will never learn while those who make mistakes will learn with them. You made a mistake, but you can learn from it or just take the words that your friends are saying.
-I'm not sure if I will be able to recover from this.
-Are you saying that you still not recovered from everything you did alongside Ed and Eddy during your time away from the school? You guys fail most of the time but still manage to stand on your feet despite everything. I'm surprised that you guys keep trying despite you knowing that will not work in the end.
-I... suppose you are right.
-You suppose? Of course, I am right! You are the smartest guy I know, the problem is that your friends are a bunch of nincompoops.
-I would not use such a hard word... but I agree with you.
-Besides, I'm sure they will pay more than those quarters once the day is over.
Double D's eyes shoot open at this statement.
At the end of the school day, Eddy, ignoring the bruises Erika gave him, runs at high speed clutching his jarful of coins.
-I'm rich! Candy store, here I come! -He was so excited that he went through a fence.
-Wait for Egghead Ed, Eddy! -Ed calls following his friend.
But Eddy's joy was soon to end when he rounds the corner and sees the displeased faces of his daily customers.
-What? -Eddy asks and they first answer him holding up their failing papers.
-We flunked out! -Began Kevin.
-We got ripped off! -Followed by Sarah.
-We failed everything! -Rolf next.
-Woe is me! -Then Jimmy.
-Egghead's just plain stupid! -Sarah shouts.
-Look! There he is! -Kevin points at Ed, who was running in one place before turns around and heads back in the direction he came.
-Run away! -It was the smartest thing he said the whole day.
Ed and Eddy run through the fence and back to the school while the group keeps chasing them. Ed trips on the steps and lands facedown on Eddy. Double D watches from inside the school the kids starting another of their beatings on the Eds to take their money back.
Eddy managed to crawl inside the school but was grabbed by his hair once again by Kevin.
-Sure stinks to lose, huh dorky? -Kevin says and Rolf grabs the jarful with their money back.
Kevin then drops Eddy in the school and made to leave.
-HOLD IT! -Eddy shouts. -I earned that fair and square!
-It was worth it? -Whatever Eddy shouts next was ignored once the kids heard Erika's question.
-What are you talking about? -Kevin asked.
-Those grades were worthy of the treatment you guys gave to Double D? -Erika asked.
-Wait up, everybody! -She heard Eddy calls. -Let's–let's split the cash! Okay?!
As he approached the group, he was greeted by one last bruise caused by Erika, the girl pulling a thick book from her backpack and hitting the shortest Ed square on the face. He falls unconscious on the ground and allowing Erika to continue.
-For how long he was the smartest person you all knew, only to then you guys pay to Ed of all the people to help you all with your schoolwork.
They shared confused looks, noticing the stupidity of their action before turn back to Erika.
-W-well... -Kevin tried to speak.
-T-the spelling bee... -Sarah began but Erika interrupted her.
-So this one single mistake suddenly puts Double D on equal grounds to Ed intellectually? And winning the spelling bee makes Ed smarter than Double D? Ed probably won because he had to spell words he was familiar with it, and this did not come to any of your minds?
-N-no... it just... -Jimmy tried to speak.
None of them knew what words to say, to excuse their actions, or the stupid act of paying Eddy for Ed's help with their school work. Seeing they had no excuse, Erika spoke again.
-You guys are always calling them dorks. -She says that to everyone, not only to Kevin. -But none of you are much different from them.
With that said, she makes to leave, leaving the kids more than wounded from hearing they are not so different from the three boys they all have problems on a daily basis.
As Erika makes her way to the bus stop, she sees Ed carrying Double D away from the school. All the smartest Ed needed is someone to point the mistake his friends were making, but her words to the kids were trustful. Those kinda acts should not go without punishment or harsh words in this case.
But like she said to Double D, they shall use this mistake to learn, but still could not believe that was a mistake they needed to learn.
With that done, there was one last thing she was curious about.
Where on earth was Nazz all day?
-Aaahh! -Her line of thoughts was interrupted when she fell into a hole. -Mas o que...
-Got you this time, Wood hater. -Jonny says as he peers into the hole.
End of the chapter.
There was not too much Erika could contribute with this chapter, except maybe point the stupidity of the kids in this episode.
The thing of everyone only pointing the mistakes is something from my own point of view. I mean, how many times someone keep rubbing one mistake to you more than once? Like I mentioned before, it is just human nature to point the mistakes over the hits I think this is the word.
Next chapter, we shall see the whole day of this chapter focused on Erika, Jonny and Plank.
See you next time!