Panda—now recognized by the name after he spent the entire day yesterday fixing that mess—huffed with great effort as he trudged along outside. It was PE, which meant he was not having any fun at all. Worse, Ritzer had been absent for a couple days and now that the bully was back, the pudgy bear was becoming the new bull's-eye. Not like that was any surprise.
It started off right away. As soon as he sat down, gum was in his seat. He should have been more wary, should have looked before he sat, but he was still so sleepy in the mornings. It was seven-thirty, which is when he went to school before he moved, but this seven-thirty was an hour and a half before his old seven-thirty.
Then, Beck, that stupid chihuahua, kept tapping his foot against the leg of his desk. It may not have been intentional, but the bear couldn't stand that kind of noise; it was bothersome and annoying. But, because he hated Beck since day one, he imagined the mutt was doing it on purpose just for him.
Then, during reading when it was his turn, Ritzer and the stupid mutt would cough and yawn a lot more than usual, which no one seemed to pick up on. If there was one thing that annoyed Panda most it was that the other kids were so ignorant. None of this would ever pass at his old school; there, if you stepped just a little out of line you paid for it with your toes. He wished he was with his little brother in that private school, but of course he didn't get the brains—just a fat—
"Oof!"
Panda clutched his shin. He should have been looking where he was running. Those stupid bullies, they were obviously making him think about how annoying and stupid they were so he'd hit the stupid fence. Why was there such a low fence out on the course they had to run any way?
"Ouch," said a kid as he passed, but made no effort to stop his pace.
"Haha!" A cheetah laughed as he bounded over the little fence that gave Panda so much grief.
Others just looked. But even that was annoying. Being the new kid just sucked.
"You okay?"
And of course, here he was again, two days later just like recess. But this time it wasn't Lyza who asked, it was her friend. "Yeah, I'm fine," Panda muttered, getting up. He started to walk but he had a limp.
"Careful, if you lie you'll hurt your fibula too," she chuckled, the black stripes on her cheeks curling up with her smile.
Panda just looked at her blankly. Whatever joke she made flew right over his head. She shook hers.
"Nevermind, you should probably go to the nurse to get ice on it. Want me to walk you back?"
"I'm fine," Panda muttered, "It's cold as ice out here anyway."
Other kids were passing by, staring at them. He tried to walk, and managed even with the limp. But the girl didn't really leave; she walked with him.
"Hey Emmy," said the other tiger as he approached them from behind, "Hey, Panda; you okay?"
"Why does everyone wanna know if I'm okay?" He snapped.
The two tigers glanced at each other, and then the girl spoke, "Look, Panda, I know it's tough being the new kid an—"
"Ritzer's coming," Ket announced under his breath.
From behind the lion trotted up, wearing light jeans and a t-shirt, which Emeral thought was really stupid considering how he was absent for three days, probably with a cold. He still had the sound of a congested nose, and kept snarfing up snot all day.
Emeral was very much used to things that would gross most girls out, but snot was still one thing she just could not stand.
"Hey Robby-boy," Ritzer said, "I hear y'fell? Y'okay?"
His hand fell on Panda's shoulder; and Panda whipped around and pushed him back. "Get off me!" He shouted, fighting to keep balanced on his good foot.
"Whoa, no need ta throw yer weight, man," he said.
"Panda's fine, Ritzer," Emeral said flatly, "I already looked at it. He just has a bump."
"Really? I gots a boo-boo, wouldja look at mine? It's big'n'red and it's between my legs, so makes it hardta walk."
Emeral didn't miss a beat; "Oh, that can only be fixed by cutting it off."
"You guys are sick!" Panda shouted.
"Ritzer," Ket muttered, "shut the hell up and go away."
"Fine, fine. See if I'ver help Robby-boy'er again," Ritzer patted the panda on the back.
Panda reflexed by throwing his hand off. The bully put his hands up as if the bear would lunge at him and tear him up, and backed off, running ahead back to the gym to finish up his last lap. Panda scowled. "I hate this place."
"Don't say that," Emeral said, resting her hand on him—"Ew! What's...oh gross!"
"What?" Both boys asked.
"He—" she whimpered, flicking her hand, "he wiped his snot on you!"
Panda shrugged. "It's just snot."
Emeral made a yacking noise, "I—I gotta wash my hands."
Ket raised his paw, "Wait Emmy, don't go—" he sighed finishing his statement; "...alone." His hand dropped, swung a little, then came to rest at his side.
"Why can't she go alone?" Panda asked. But he didn't get a response out of the tiger; the kid just stared on even after the girl had gotten back to the gym. He shrugged. "Kayfine, don't answer me. Let's all play 'everyone ignore the new kid'."
"Huh? Hey, wait up." Ket huffed a little as he closed the small distance between him and the limping bear. Their breath steamed as they walked, among the last kids that had yet to finish their lap. "How many you got more to go?"
"This is my last one," Panda replied, his voice undulating with each step. He decided to stop being so muggy. "How about you?"
"Oh, I finished my laps a long time ago," the tiger replied nonchalantly.
Oh gee, Panda thought, Glad to hear it. Next time, you can run my laps for me.
"What?" The tiger asked.
Panda realized he was scowling at the kid. "Nothing." He sped up, the gymnasium within reach, "Catchya later."
Ket slowed as the bear sped up, crossing into the fray of the gym. He entered a few seconds later, to the shouts and screams of a dodge ball game that was already boiling. A baby-blue mini-dodgeball rolled by, its pace slowing...slowing...until it finally stopped as Emeral picked it up.
"That," she said to her boyfriend, "Was gross. I am so going to get Ritzer for that."
"Good luck," he bid with a smile.
Ket enjoyed watching Emeral play dodge ball, and Emeral enjoyed showing off for him.
"I'd have real good luck if you had my back."
But, much as she tried to get him to play;
"I think I'll sit this one out. I ran too much."
She shook her head. "Fine...fine..." She looked at the sidelines, where the kids who normally didn't play sat. She spotted Panda. "Go make a new friend." She said, bopping him with the ball. At the same time, she tapped his foot with hers, giving him a white kiss, and then threw herself into the fires.
Ket watched her play for just a moment; she dodged a bomb and then threw the baby-blue missile, barely nicking one of the kids on the opposing team. He walked casually around the play area, behind the kids that were out and waiting for a fly-by in order to get back in.
There were two types of kids during dodge ball: those that wanted to play, and those that really did not. The kids that did not want to play sat against the walls, at whatever vantage they desired, to either watch the players or figure out the best place to not get hit by rogue alligator-skinned death. The coaches always said that pegging someone who was not playing was an out, but they never enforced that. Ket suspected they enjoyed the occasional misfire.
"Hello, Ket."
He looked to his left. "Hi, Lyz," he said with a smile. "How's it going?"
Not much more was said between them as they casually sat near Panda. The squeak and screech of shuffling feet made for a rushing beat as balls drummed against tile, wall and flesh. Shouts of challenge, laughter at misery, curses of anger; the dodge ball game was like a battle of brutality and magic in another world, where there was no true good or evil and only the might made right and the devious were victorious.
It was obvious to Panda which of the two teams was the mightiest. The fact that it was the team Ritzer, Beck, and that wolf and cheetah kid were on, had nothing to do with it all, no, not in any way whatsoever; nyope. On the other team were a lot of familiar faces from his class; most notably was the white tigress. She was surprisingly good, and one of the few kids on that side of the field that actually played with a semblance of strategy.
"Go Emmy!" Came a voice beside him. It was Lyza.
"Do you hafta shout so loud?" Panda asked.
"Yup," the rabbit replied with a smile, "Gotta make sure she can hear me."
"Go Goren!" Came a shout from across the gym.
"She's going for Ritzer," Ket said, "Cuz he wiped snot on you."
Emeral skipped left, almost crashing into another fumbly kid as she did. The green ball that was about to hit her bounced off the ground and an outie caught it, hopping back into the fray—another face Panda recognized, Kimberly.
Emeral shuffled back next to the girl, they talked in the back for a second, the tigress gesturing and the mouse nodding with a wide grin.
"Is Ritzer like...what? King of the school or something?"
"He wishes," Lyza said, squishing her nose. "He's a bully, always picking on kids. And then there's his little minions. Goren is one of them—Rini, from our class, is in love with him. She's the one that just called his name. It's really annoying."
"Who's the cheetah?"
"That's Virgil," Ket said, "He's the star athlete. Then you know Beck, he's like...the court jester. Then there's Draub...not sure what he is."
"He's a dud," Lyza commented.
"Did you have anything like this at your old school?" Asked Ket.
Panda shook his head. "No. We all got along just fine."
"She's going for it—Kimberly's the distraction!"
Kimberly darted right and threw a ball at Virgil. The cheetah dodged it easily and laughed, throwing his ball back. But at the same time Ritzer looked to his right and threw his ball—and tried to dodge a ball that collided with his exposed throwing-shoulder. He shouted a crouss-word, and the other team jeered. The coaches blew their whistle and told him to get off the field.
"Wow," Lyza muttered. "That was...really cool."
"That's like something Sun Tzu would do," Panda muttered.
Emeral waded behind the crowd, and made her way toward them. When she arrived, Lyza slapped her a high-five.
"That was awesome! I can't believe you pegged him...again."
"Well, their team does the same thing every game; once you figure out that Virgil is their everything, all you gotta do is lure him away and," she clapped her hands like she was squashing a fly. She looked to Ket, seeking praise. He gifted her with a smile.
"Watch out!"
Emeral flinched as a bright orange missile whizzed between her and Ket; the ball hit the wall and rolled across the ground before one of the outies picked it up and tossed it back to their team mates.
"That was close," Panda said.
"Ugh," Lyza shivered, "I hate roggies," she pulled on her ears, "I'm always afraid I'm gonna get hit and have to go the hopsital or something."
"Lyza," Emeral shook her head, "These balls are soft as paper. They'd have to be going like, warp speed to hit you that hard."
"Not unless someone puts a rock in them like they do with snowballs." The rabbit retorted. "Kids get hurt that way real bad up north, ya know. My dad always talks about how when he was a kid that happened a lot."
"Watch out!"
This time Panda shouted it; and this time Emeral was pegged. Another one flew by, but it froze in mid-air as Ket's hand snatched it in mid-flight. Lyza squeaked as another ball flew by at a clear miss.
"I saw it," Panda said, "It was that wolf kid, the one who knocked me down the other day! He was aiming for us."
Ket looked at Emeral. He was aiming for you.
She looked back. He was aiming at me.
"I caught this ball, right?" Ket asked.
Lyza tilted her head. "Yeah...I guess you did."
"So that means I'm in; right?"
Emeral parted her lips. "Yup. You're in."
With a bit of a sigh Ket walked forward, and Emeral took his place at the wall. She watched with wonder as he stepped closer and closer and finally over the dark red line that marked the borders of the basketball court—and any court. His footsteps resounded in her ear. The air became warmer, her heart felt lighter and her limbs tingled.
She remembered her dream.
"Ket never plays," Lyza muttered.
Panda looked up at Emeral for a moment, and then back at the tiger who was now in the blend of battle. He didn't do anything though; he wasn't frantic like the other kids, nor did he seem too concerned about getting hit. A ball did mark him, thrown by a peon of the other side; he dodged it like he was dodging kids in the hallway.
Emeral's cheeks burned. She looked at Lyza next to her, but the rabbit was too focused on the scene about to unfold. She wondered what was even really going on. She couldn't quite discern truth from her own fantasy; she switched back and forth between reality and dream. One moment her hero was standing calmly with the little yellow sun he held, the next it burst with light and he erupted like a Super Saiyan, flew into the air and threw a kamehameha, obliterating the other side of the world in a gigantic explosion that somehow left half of the gymnasium still standing without a dent.
Just then her mind was plucked back into reality; he abruptly dashed forward as a ball slowed to a stop in the side-front of the court. He threw his yellow sun, and then picked up the purple moon on the ground, whipped his arm and let it fly. Beck and Draub went down. Virgil threw; the ball jumped a dimension and Emeral only saw where it destined—right into Ket's hands. He yelled and threw, sinking Goren's ship.
"...Did that...just happen!?" Lyza's mouth hung open, her front teeth, which were not so exaggeratedly bucked as people made them out to be, peeked from below her lip.
Then, as if to nullify the feat, Shy William from Ms. Hupp's class threw a chance ball and smacked Ket on the knee. The whistle blew, signifying end-game. The five-second feat went almost unnoticed, at least by the coaches who declared Ritzer's side the winners, since none of Ket's victims had even had time to leave the court.
