As Ahmed and I walked down the hallway to our classrooms, I spoke up.
Neil: Thanks for saving me back there, Ahmed! That was a close one!
Ahmed: I'll say! Why are girls so weird?
Weird? I can't believe he said that! But when I remembered what Tamira nearly did, I had to say something.
Neil: If you're talking about Tamira, yah, she's pretty crazy.
Ahmed: Mm-hmm!
Neil: So, uh, what do you like doing when you're not here in class
Ahmed: My friends and I just chill, play B-ball, jam on our guitars and we watch movies.
Neil: I see! So, uh, movie tonight?
Ahmed: Um, okay!
Well, I gained Ahmed's trust and that's good! But I was no closer to finding out why he didn't answer Cindy when she tried to ask him to go with her to the school dance. As I sat in class, I was thinking about what Ahmed told me.
Neil: (thinking) Girls being weird? Does Ahmed think Cindy is weird?
I hoped not! Because Cindy was feeling sad yesterday.
Later, when I met Ahmed again, he was with his friends by the lockers. One of them told a joke.
Ahmed's friend: What do you call a boomerang that doesn't come back to you? A stick, obviously!
Ahmed and the others laugh, but I didn't. That joke was so lame! Where did he hear that? But when I closed my locker after putting my books in, there was Cindy.
Cindy: How's it going, guys?
Neil: Cindy! What's up?
Cindy: Our math teacher, Mr. Boreum, just told me what his first name is. Will!
Will Boreum? I don't know how, but it did sound funny.
Cindy: What did the ghost say when he came over to your place for a dinner party?
Neil: I don't know! What?
Cindy: What a boo-tiful home you have!
Boo-tiful? I got the joke right away! Ghosts say "Boo!" I found that joke funny, but the other boys didn't. I guess they didn't like ghost jokes!
Later during Outdoor time, I was shooting hoops with Ahmed, when Cindy got the ball. I don't know how, but somehow she must have heard me talking to Ahmed earlier. But while Cindy was dribbling the ball, she forgot to watch where she was going and she bumped into a basketball hoop post. The ball flew out of Cindy's hand and it flew right out of the basketball court. I helped Cindy to her feet.
Neil: We'll work on that!
But as I went to look for the ball, I heard voices. I followed them and saw Tom getting picked on by Victor the elementary school bully.
Victor: You're a total loser, Noob!
I couldn't bear to see what was happening, but I knew Tom was in trouble. I angrily hurried over and grabbed Victor by the back of his shirt. But in my fury, I didn't realize that my front teeth and ears changed back to their original shape.
Neil: That is quite enough of that! It's not nice to pick on kids that are smaller than you.
I must have gotten through to him! Because at that moment, Victor ran away, terrified. Unfortunally, the other elementary kids also ran away, leaving Tom alone with me. I was confused!
Neil: What's the matter with them? They look scared!
I hurried off to the bathroom without realizing that Tom saw me and he wasn't scared of me at all. In the bathroom, I looked in the mirror and that's when I saw it: my vampire like teeth and vampire like ears were back.
Neil: Yikes! I changed back!
I hurried over to my locker and took out the alchemist's book. It was good thing I brought it with me! I might have needed it. I looked at the transformation formula's page and found what I was looking for.
Neil: (reading) Monsters beware! If you drank this formula, be warned! Any means of a fury may cancel the transformation too early.
I gasped! When I went to save Tom from Victor, my anger fury canceled my transformation and changed me back. I've got to be careful! Luckily, the book told me that I had to think of something that makes me happy and I'll change back. I thought about Cindy and my human like teeth and human like ears returned.
Neil: (sighs of relief) That's better! But I've got to control my anger or I might scare someone again.