For more than twenty minutes, Fern and Wilbur and Templeton and Charlotte blocked out all of Alec’s problems and worries and fears. He probably would have kept reading right up until six o’clock, but about five-forty-five, someone tapped him on the shoulder.
“Hi, Alec.”
Alec looked up, blinking as he shifted back to real life. It was Mr. Willner.
“Oh…hi.”
Mr. Willner said, “These are your newest club members. This is Sarah Jeffries, Julia Hampton, and Ellen Gabriel.”
Julia smiled and said, “Hi, Alec. So, like, where should we sit?”
It was lunchtime on Wednesday, and Alec realized that in the excitement about the three new girls who had shown up yesterday, he had forgotten to tell the other club members about his kickball bet with Kent. So he found Nina and told her.
She stared at him. “You’re kidding, right?”
Alec shook his head. “No—he’s really coming. We made a bet that if I could score one run during that kickball game, then he had to join our club for five days, starting today, this afternoon.”
“I can’t believe you did that right after I told you how I didn’t want to see him anymore!” Nina thought a second, then asked, “But…what’s he going to do?”
“Same thing we all do—read. That was part of the bet. And I get to choose which book.”
“Oh.” Then with a devilish smile, she said, “You should make him read Lily’s Ice Princess book!”
Alec was glad to see a smile, but he quickly said, “It really ought to be a book he’ll like.”
Nina scrunched up her face, thinking. “So…a sports story?”
Alec shook his head. “Something he probably wouldn’t choose on his own.”
Nina scowled. “But what if he sits at the table with a book open and won’t read, all stubborn and mean? It would be just like him to do something like that—to sit there and tease everybody for five whole days!”
Alec shrugged. “That could happen, but I don’t think it will.”
Then he told Nina the way he had offered to call off the bet after he’d won it, and how Kent had said no.
“Wow,” she said.
“Yeah, I was surprised, too. But he was totally…” Alec paused, looking for the right word, and then he found it. “He was totally honorable.”
Nina snorted. “Kent? Honorable? I won’t believe that till I see it!”
Pretending to be serious, Alec said, “So…would you like to make a bet about it?”
“No!” Nina said. “No more bets!”
After the final bell on Wednesday, Alec rushed to the gym so he could be the first to arrive at the club table. He looked around, trying to figure out where to fit eight kids—six more than he had ever imagined being there!
But he didn’t have much time for imagining. Kent showed up less than a minute later—with a scowl on his face and a chip on his shoulder.
“So, can I sit wherever I want?”
“Well, Nina usually sits at the far end over there, and this is where I usually sit, and Jason—”
Kent interrupted. “Okay, okay—just look at the magical seating chart inside your head and tell me where to sit.”
“There,” Alec said, and he pointed to a spot across from him but a couple feet from the end of the table. That way, Kent wouldn’t be looking across the table at Nina…or sitting next to Jason. Alec was suddenly glad to have all those fourth-grade girls to spread around the table today…like insulation between positive and negative wires—good for preventing sparks. Or explosions.
Kent sat down with a heavy thump, and his weight shook the whole table—which he clearly enjoyed. He said, “So are you going to hook me up with a book, or do I have to just sit here like an idiot?”
Alec was glad Nina hadn’t arrived, because this was exactly what she had predicted. It was the same old Kent—not the honorable warrior from yesterday who had insisted that he wanted to stick to the conditions of their bargain.
But since his talk with Nina, Alec had been busy.
Right after lunch, he’d dashed to the school library before social studies. He arrived at the front desk out of breath. “Hi, Mrs. Haddon. Um, this guy I know? He’s kind of a jerk, and he thinks reading is stupid, so I have to find something he’ll like—even if he tries not to.”
The librarian smiled. “In my business, we don’t call them jerks—we call them reluctant readers, and there are lists and lists of books for kids like that. What grade is he in?”
After Alec had answered, she tapped on her keyboard a moment, peered at the screen, and then turned it so he could see it, too. “This is an excellent list—surefire, can’t-miss books. I know you’ve read a lot of these, so just pick one. I guarantee that these books are jerk-proof!”
She was right—he had read all the books in the top twenty on this list, and one of them jumped out at him. It was such an obvious choice that he should have been able to pick it without any help.
He pointed at the screen and said, “This one—is there a copy I can check out today, like right now?”
Mrs. Haddon did have a copy available, and that was the book Alec slid across the table to Kent.
He looked at the cover illustration. “Oh, great—a book about an ax murderer! Thanks a lot!”
Alec almost laughed, but he kept his face stony, his eyes serious. “Listen, you’re the one who said you wanted to keep your word, and the deal is that you sit there and keep quiet and read the book I give you. So either get up and leave, or shut up and read!”
Kent started to reply but then clamped his face into a frown, opened the book, and started reading.
As the other six kids showed up, Alec motioned that everyone needed to stay quiet.
When he put his finger to his lips and shook his head at Julia Hampton, she immediately rushed around the table and whispered in his ear, “But you said we could talk about our book!”
Alec whispered back, “Yes, but you all have to read the book first, right? So today is a reading-only day.”
Julia accepted that logic, went and whispered to Sarah and Ellen, and then all three of them settled down to read. They each had a brand-new paperback of a book Alec had never seen, something about cats and dogs.
After fifteen minutes or so, Alec glanced up and caught Nina looking at him. She secretly pointed toward Kent, who was sitting there being completely true to his word—and Nina didn’t try to hide her amazement.
Then she smiled at Alec and silently mouthed the words “Perfect book!”
Alec smiled back and nodded in agreement.
And sneaking his own quick look, Alec was amazed, too. Because Kent sat motionless, eyes locked on the page, reading that book with the same intensity he’d have used to pitch a kickball with the bases loaded.
And why not? Like the librarian said, some books are guaranteed jerk-proof—and Hatchet was a genuine winner.
The Losers Club had a problem. It was Thursday afternoon, and the new girls were unbearably noisy—even when they were supposedly reading. They whispered and teased and giggled, and kept telling each other about favorite little bits they found in their book.
The three girls bothered everybody, especially Kent, who was still trying to hide how much he was into Hatchet. He kept growling and frowning—mostly at Julia and Sarah, who sat on either side of him. But the girls ignored him and everyone else, and their annoying chatter didn’t let up.
And this was why Alec had to spend his first forty minutes of Extended Day tracking down Mrs. Case over in the cafeteria, getting permission to have a second table for the Losers Club, returning to the gym to okay that with Mr. Willner, and then walking over to the cafeteria with him to help roll one of the big folding lunch tables back to the gym.
Steering the table into the gym near the Active Games corner, Alec noticed that the kickball kids seemed to be getting along fine without Kent—there was a lot more laughing and goofing around. Instead of three regulation-sized teams, they had two lar
ger teams. They were just playing for fun, and everyone was loving it.
As he pushed the table closer to the back wall, Mr. Willner asked, “Do you want this next to the first one?”
“No!” Alec said quickly. “This table’s for the kids who want to talk about their books. So, like, maybe twenty feet down along the west wall—is that okay?”
“Sure,” he said, “there’s lots of room.”
By the time the three girls were settled at the new table, it was almost four o’clock. Alec could tell that Lily, Jason, Nina, and Kent were relieved to have the three chatterheads a safe distance away, and so was he.
Alec was ready to start Brian’s Hunt, the only book in the Hatchet series that he hadn’t read. He wanted to be sort of an expert on the whole set in case Kent ever wanted to talk about them. He didn’t really think that would happen, but he was going to be ready anyway.
He did know one thing that was going to happen for sure: Kent was going to finish Hatchet very soon. He had looked over Kent’s shoulder a few minutes earlier, and he was on page one hundred and fifty-five.
Alec pushed everyone else out of his thinking and began to read—and his new novel did not disappoint. Brian’s Hunt picked up a few years after Hatchet, and from the start, Alec couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. The dangers of being alone in the wilderness were similar—but this story quickly became a true life-and-death contest.
Around five-fifteen, Kent stood up and tossed his copy of Hatchet so that it hit the table with a loud smack.
Startled, Alec looked at him.
Kent said, “I’m finished, so I’m heading back over to kickball—still time for a couple of quick games today. That okay with you?”
Alec didn’t blink. “Sure—except that wasn’t what we agreed. You said you would stay five days, not just till you finished one book. But if you really can’t deal with sticking around, it’s fine—totally up to you.”
Jason, Nina, and Lily stopped reading, and they looked at Kent.
He put a smirk on his face and sat back down. “I can deal with anything. So…what now, boss?”
Alec reached into his backpack, pulled out a copy of The River, and slid it across the table. “The book you just finished? The story keeps going.”
That was all he said, and he wasn’t sure if it would be enough.
But half an hour later when Alec glanced up, he saw that same hungry look in Kent’s eyes, that same total concentration. He was deep inside the story, and for the second time in two days, Alec felt like he was witnessing a small miracle.
About eight o’clock Thursday night, Luke appeared in Alec’s bedroom doorway.
“Did you stir up the Caveman Clan? Because yesterday Kent and one of his pals shoved me against the lockers and then grunted, ‘Watch where you’re walking, Little Loser!’ ”
“What? No way!”
Alec felt a surge of anger—and surprise, too. He’d thought that since Kent was honoring his agreement, he would somehow start being more…civilized—maybe even friendly.
Apparently not.
Then he remembered that Kent hadn’t actually arrived at the table until Wednesday after school. But still, roughing up his little brother? Not cool.
Alec said, “I’ll talk to him tomorrow. And let me know if he ever bothers you again.”
Luke shrugged. “It’s no big deal. Like I said, they’re Neanderthals.”
Alec had a thought.
Trying to use an official Big Brother voice, he said, “You know, when you call them that? It’s just like them calling you a loser—or a nerd. It’s another label.”
Which was pretty close to what his dad had said to him.
Luke stared at Alec. With his sarcasm dial set at STUN, he said, “Another thrilling news flash from Planet Obvious.” Then he said, “Anyway, my friend Charles wants to know if it’s okay with you if he starts a Losers Club for the kids who have Extended Day in the cafeteria. He says he’s got two boys and three girls who want to join up when he gets it going.”
Alec’s mouth dropped open. “You’re kidding!”
Of course, Luke didn’t do that. Sarcasm, yes, but not kidding.
Ignoring Alec’s outburst, Luke added, “Charles reads like you do—a total maniac.”
Alec leaned back in his desk chair, thinking.
“Well,” Alec said, “Mrs. Case might not be happy about a second Losers Club—she doesn’t like the name much. You should tell Charles that if he can talk to the person who runs the clubs first, it might help—sort of line up some support in advance. But, yeah, he should definitely give it a try.”
Luke said, “ ‘Do or do not. There is no try.’ ”
Which was one of Yoda’s most famous quotes.
Alec had another big-brotherly thought: Should I explain how talking like Yoda too much might get a kid dunked headfirst into the boys’ room toilet one day?
But he decided that even Yoda would want Luke to learn that lesson on his own.
Friday morning during first-period music, Alec kept watching for a chance to talk to Kent—to look him in the eye and tell him to lay off his little brother. He didn’t want to make a huge deal out of it, but he had to say something.
The chorus was learning a new song, and Ms. Dunbridge said, “Tenors and baritones? I need to work with the altos and sopranos around the piano for a few minutes, so take a break—but keep it quiet.”
Most of the guys sat down on the risers and started talking softly. Several lit up their phones, and a few pulled out homework. Alec stepped forward off the risers, then looped to his left to go around behind them. He was headed for the baritone section, looking for Kent.
And there he was, sitting just about where he had been standing, the large music notebook still in his hands.
Coming up from behind, Alec was about to tap him on the shoulder…but he stopped. Kent had The River hidden inside the music notebook! And he was only ten or fifteen pages from the end—he must have stayed up reading half the night!
Alec tiptoed back the way he had come, but he had the feeling that he could have yodeled or tap-danced and Kent would never have noticed. He was elsewhere.
Five minutes later, as the full chorus began singing again, Alec glanced to his left. Kent pretended to be looking at his music and he moved his lips a little, but the guy was definitely reading—a trick Alec himself had used many times before.
After class, Alec could have caught up with Kent to talk about the Luke business. It also could have been a perfect chance to tease him a little, to say something like “Hey—I saw what you were doing during chorus!”
But neither thought entered Alec’s mind. He was busy thinking about what book to bring for Kent after school, because he definitely needed to be ready with a new one.
By the time he got settled in math class, Alec was sure he should take Brian’s Winter to the club—the third book in the Hatchet series. It was a no-brainer.
Then he thought, But maybe I should bring two or three books and let Kent choose for himself….
On the edge of his math worksheet, Alec started writing down possible books. During the next half hour, the list grew to eight titles—with at least ten others that he had written and then crossed out. And by the end of math class, he had a dozen solid books—the kind that Mrs. Haddon had called “surefire, can’t-miss books.”
Third-period language arts went by fast. Mr. Brock read a story out loud to the class, “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe—one of the creepiest stories Alec had ever heard. At the end of class, he wanted to talk to Nina, but she walked away with a group of girls, and he had to hurry to science.
Just before he got to the room, Luke came trotting up.
“Hey—guess what? Charles and I are all set to start up the reading club today. We’re calling it the Mini Losers—the name was my idea!”
Alec was confused. “But if Charles is starting the club…how come you chose the name?”
“Simple,” Luke said. “I?
??m taking a break from Animation Club, and now I’m one of the founding members of the Mini Losers.”
Alec stared at him. “You? Starting a reading club?”
Luke looked offended. “I read constantly—except I don’t read goofy stories about magic elves and sword fights and talking pigs, that’s all.”
Alec rolled his eyes. “Right—I haven’t seen you read a book in years!”
With a flourish, Luke whipped back the cover of his iPad, tapped the screen a few times, then stuck it under Alec’s nose. “Sixty-two of my books, last time I counted. Welcome to the twenty-first century—genius!”
Alec stared at the small cover images on the screen—books like Surviving Minecraft, Mastering the iPad, Modern Cartooning, iOS Graphics Bank, iPadimation—the titles went on and on. And he had to admit it: My little brother is a reader!
“Yeah,” Luke went on, “I’ll switch back to animation in a few weeks—which is perfectly legal according to the EDP rules. And Ms. Gallo, the woman in charge of our clubs? I texted her, and she—”
“Wait—you texted the clubs lady?”
“Sure, her cell number is right there in the blue program booklet. She said it’ll be good to have a reading club. Got to go—if I don’t get back to the library, they’ll send a drone to hunt me down. But it’s great news, huh?”
Alec nodded. “Yeah, great. See you later.”
As he took his front-row seat in science class, Alec didn’t know why he found Luke’s news so unsettling. But it was.
Yes, they would have a whole different club in a different place—but Alec felt like he would still be connected to it, especially since Luke was on the start-up crew. And was Luke going to be asking for advice and stuff? Because running one reading club was plenty—he didn’t need another.
Which reminded him about all the new kids who had joined up in the gym—five fourth graders! Jason and Lily were pretty solid, but those new girls? So noisy.
This idea that had crept into his head, that it was good to have more and more readers hanging around? He found himself wishing they’d all disappear. He hated having to think about them. It was completely trashing his own reading time. And just when he was starting to feel like he could talk to a girl, and the girl was right there in the same club with him, and she actually seemed friendly? Suddenly there was a crowd around them—plus Kent!