Rivals Read online

  Mailman Steve hopped up from the couch. He started towards the door.

  “Dude, change back so you look like a human!” Ruby called to him.

  “Yes, good call!” he said. He shrunk back down to human size and became a more human color.

  "Does anybody else think he was cute?" Aunt Mika asked.

  “Just take the kids to school please!” Mom said.

  Nina Note: Okay, now it looks like I have another enemy who can influence people and trolls to do things to make my life more difficult. Should I be worried? Probably. Was I? Nah, I felt confident that no matter what the world threw at me I could handle it. I guessed it was the tiger in me.

  Chapter 4: School

  Driving to school with Aunt Mika, I filled Ruby in on all that had already gone down that morning.

  “Wow,” Ruby gushed. “Your dad tested you with a sand golem?”

  I nodded. "Yep, it smashed right through my wall."

  “Talk about a rude awakening,” Frank joked.

  Ruby and I both giggled a little. For a Frank joke...that was pretty good.

  “And you moved something with your mind?” Ruby asked.

  I nodded again. “Yes, it felt good. Different, but good.”

  “Then your Grandma Jasmine showed up and gave you a long spiel about you being different. Like you are the chosen one!”

  “Yes,” I said.

  Ruby smiled. “That is so cool!”

  At the time, none of it had seemed cool. In fact, it all seemed very annoying. I may not need my sleep, but I enjoy and appreciate my sleep. I did not appreciate having to battle a sand golem before the sun came up. Not to mention, I really didn’t love the fact that Grandma Jasmine would burst into my room and lecture me. I had a feeling she was more interested in what I could do than who I was. That bugged me. Additionally, I felt kind of annoyed about having two grandmas who always popped in and out on me.

  But seeing how Ruby reacted made me realize how really incredible this all was. I’d beaten up a sand golem. I could move objects with my mind. With my unique heritage, I had the potential to do so much. Life may not be perfect, but it was pretty good.

  Walking into the school, I felt happy. My life was different but different is good. Besides, everybody is different and that’s part of what makes life so interesting.

  Frank was immediately greeted by Timmy, Wayne, and Chris. They had some baseball cards that they just had to show Frank.

  I saw Jimmy standing by my locker. I smiled. I picked up my pace, anxious to get in some Jimmy time before school started. Of course, Barb Bash intercepted Ruby and I. The weird thing was that she ignored me and zeroed in on Ruby.

  “Oh, Ruby girl, I knew you were weird. But not THAT weird!” she snickered. “So gross. So, so, so gross.”

  Glancing around, I noticed a bunch of other kids were pointing and laughing at Ruby.

  Ruby whispered, “I have no idea what you are talking about.”

  “Really?” Barb said in a mocking tone of total disbelief.

  Ruby remained calm. She nodded. “Really.”

  Barb sighed out of frustration. Somehow, her taunting didn’t mean as much if Ruby didn’t know why she was being taunted. Barb showed us her phone. There, on the school’s blog, was an article entitled: School geek, Ruby Di loves eating hotdogs with peanut butter and cabbage. Says she loves the loud and super stinky farts they give her.

  “Oh…” Ruby said, taking a step back. “I do love peanut butter and cabbage, but I’m not a fan of hot dogs, they make me burp.”

  “Sure, sure, that’s what they all say!” Barb said.

  “Barb, you know as well as anybody that you can’t believe everything you read on a blog post,” I told her. “It’s even written by anonymous!”

  “True, I know you can’t believe everything you read on a blog. But I like this, so I chose to believe it!” Barb said. Pointing to all the other kids in the hallway, she added, “And I don’t think I’m alone here.”

  Most of the other kids nodded in agreement. They pointed, laughed and snickered at Ruby. Ruby was so cool; she walked to her locker ignoring them. I noticed a few kids including Timmy, Jimmy, and Chris who weren't laughing. They all looked at Ruby as if they could relate. Frank looked angry. At first, I didn't recognize that look because I can't remember ever seeing Frank angry before. But Frank was a guy who protected everybody...especially those he cared about. I could feel him seething from across the hall. I lifted a hand to Frank. I mouthed the words, ‘stay calm’.

  I also saw Sasha standing at the other end of the hall. She didn’t snicker or laugh, like the others, but she certainly was paying attention. I could sense she loved this.

  Maintaining her dignity, Ruby opened her locker. “Hello Jimmy,” she said as if nobody else was watching.

  “Ah, hi,” Jimmy said. “Sorry about this.”

  Ruby shrugged. "No problem. I know it's not true and that's really all that matters. After all, I believe in the truth and I know the truth will eventually come out."

  Giving Jimmy a smile, I said. “Thanks for being so supportive.”

  Jimmy grinned back. “I know Ruby and she doesn’t fart or eat hot dogs,” he said.

  Randi and Sandi Dunn walked by holding their noses. "Jimmy, you are a cool kid, why are you hanging out with Ruby Farts A Lot?” Randi asked.

  “Yeah,” Sandi added. “Are you holding your breath? Are you doing it to make you stronger?”

  Turning to the two cheerleaders, I ordered. “Look, ladies, leave us alone! Ruby doesn’t fart!”

  The two girls’ eyes glazed over. They turned and walked away in a slight daze.

  Ruby patted me on the shoulder. “Thanks for doing that, but you didn’t have to. I can handle this.” She lowered her voice. “Besides I do fart, everybody farts.” She grinned.

  Frank rushed over to us. “I’m glad you did that. These people are making me angry. I don’t like them being mean to Ruby.”

  Ruby looked up at Frank. “Frank, I appreciate your concern, I truly do. But this will blow over. By tomorrow there will be a new hot rumor and I will literally be yesterday’s fake news. For now, let’s all just remain calm.”

  Frank stomped a foot down. “I’m so steamed up.”

  “Be calm, bro,” I said.

  “Yeah dude, I’m mad too, but reacting to it will make it worse,” Jimmy said.

  “I can handle this,” Ruby insisted. I could sense she was upset but trying not to let it get the best of her. Pointing down the hall, Ruby told Frank, “Now go, don’t want you to be late for homeroom.”

  “Right!” Frank said, turning and running towards his homeroom.

  With my arm around Ruby’s shoulders, we walked towards our homeroom. "You handled that great," I told Ruby. "I'm still angry though. They have no right to be so mean to you! You don’t deserve it!"

  “Let it go, girlfriend,” Ruby chuckled.

  Sasha intercepted us before we could reach homeroom.

  “Hi, Jimmy,” Sasha said with a wink in her voice and her eyes.

  “Hi, Sasha,” Jimmy said.

  Sasha looked at Ruby. "Ruby dear, if you need any anti-farting tips, I am an expert on self-control and I would love to help you!"

  Ruby shook her head. “Thanks, Sasha, I’ll be fine!”

  “Cool,” Sasha said. “If you change your mind, just let me know.”

  Sasha turned and walked away.

  “Isn’t she a nice person?” Jimmy said with a grin.

  I sighed.

  “What?” Jimmy said, truly confused. “She offered to help!”

  Shaking my head. “She’s loving this!” I told Jimmy.

  “What?” Jimmy said.

  “That was a fake offer if ever I’ve heard one,” Ruby told him. “Still, it’s sweet that you believe her.”

  “Man, I am getting gullible!” Jimmy said.

  Nina Note: I did not like the kids at school making fun of Ruby. That annoyed me as much as it did Frank. I found it ama
zing though how well Ruby handled the entire matter. I knew it bothered her, but she didn’t let it get to her!

  I didn’t trust Sasha. And, I REALLY didn’t like the way Jimmy responded to Sasha!!

  Chapter 5: Meet Bear

  On our way into homeroom, I heard Timmy and Wayne say, “Oh come on guys, let us please keep our lunch money. I thought we were friends now.”

  “We tolerate you, nerds,” Lester said. “But we still need to eat.”

  I turned to see Lester and Lewis towering over Timmy, Wayne, and Chris. Lester held out an open hand.

  I groaned. “Won’t those two big dummies ever stop?”

  “Hey, leave those twits alone!” I heard a voice growl.

  There, standing behind Lester and Lewis, stood one of the toughest kids I’d ever seen. He may not have been as tall as Frank, but he was solid and supremely confident. Pointing a finger at Lester and Lewis, the kid said, “And I mean now!”

  Lester and Lewis both stood there with their mouths agape. "Who are you?" Lewis asked.

  “The name is Bear…Bear Brown,” the very amply named kid said.

  “How come I’ve never seen you before?” Lewis asked.

  “Coach J recruited me from Shoreline City. I’m going to be the star of the football team,” Bear boasted. The kid really didn’t lack for confidence.

  Sniffing the air, I realized he had a different scent. My guess was he was a werebear. He had thick reddish-brown hair and reddish-brown eyes.

  “Well, nice to meet you, Bear,” Lester said. “But these are our nerds.”

  “Actually, we aren’t your nerds,” Timmy argued.

  “I thought you said we were friends, buddies, comrades?” Lewis said.

  “Friends don’t take other friends’ lunch money,” Timmy said.

  “Friends don’t let big guys go hungry,” Lewis insisted.

  “We could share with you,” Wayne offered.

  Bear pointed away from Lester and Lewis. “You little nerds get lost!” he ordered.

  “Yes sir, Mr. Bear,” Timmy said.

  He, Chris, and Wayne scurried off.

  Lester and Lewis watched in disbelief. “Well, at least we have our own lunch money still,” Lester sighed.

  Bear shook his head. He held open his hand. “Your lunch money is now my lunch money,” he told them.

  “Dude!” Lewis said. “You might be big but there are two of us and we know how to fight.”

  Bear grabbed them each by the shirt and lifted them up off the ground like they weighed almost nothing. "Like I said, you can give me your money or I can take it. I left mine at home. My mom just took a new job with some weird company, therefore, she didn't have time to give me all the cash I needed."

  Lewis and Lester just grinned. “Why didn’t you say so, friend?”

  “I’m not your friend!” Bear insisted.

  “Dude, we’re going to be teammates, we’re on the football team, too!” Lester informed Bear.

  Bear dropped them to the ground. “Why didn’t you say so?” Bear grinned.

  “Does that mean you won’t take our money?” Lester asked.

  Bear shook his head and held out his giant hand. “Nah, just playing with you, bozos. Hand over the cash.”

  The two bullies gave their money to the bigger bully. I thought about stepping in but decided to stand back for now...especially since I saw Coach J heading down the hall. Coach J was all smiles.

  Patting Bear on the back, he said. “I see you two have met our new star running back. Bear here, is going to run all over the competition. He’s going to run us to the championship.”

  “Yeah, we’ve met him, coach,” Lester said.

  “He seems like a swell dude,” Lewis said.

  “Good, good,” Coach J said. He guided Bear past the two smaller bullies. “Come on Bear, I want to take you to your homeroom and introduce you to everyone.”

  “Sure, Coach,” Bear said.

  Coach J led Bear towards our room. I've known Coach J for a while now. I'd never seen him beaming like this.

  Coach J steered Bear to Jimmy. “Bear Brown, I’d like you to meet Jimmy Chaser. Jimmy will be the one handing the ball off to you.”

  “I can also throw down-field pretty well, Coach,” Jimmy added.

  Coach J shook his head. "Nope, won't be needed any longer. Now that we’ve got Bear, your job is simply to hand him the ball and watch."

  Bear patted Jimmy on the head. “See, Jimbo. I make your life easier!” he smiled.

  Bear turned to Coach. “Coach, I’m also an awesome defender. I can play anywhere on the field.”

  Coach J beamed even brighter. I was surprised he didn’t float off the ground. He pointed at me. “That’s Nina. Her brother, Frank is our best baseball player and would be a great football player except his parents won’t let him play football.”

  I offered Bear my hand. “My parents don’t want Frank hurting other people; he’s really strong.”

  Bear shook my hand, his hand engulfing mine. I squeezed hard just to let him know I knew what he was. Bear pulled back, his hand in pain. “Ouch!” he said, shaking his hand. “Your grip is like a vise!”

  Coach J immediately looked at Bear’s hand. “Are you okay?”

  Bear laughed. “Just teasing, Coach, I’m fine.” Looking me in the eyes, he said, “I barely felt her handshake. It felt like a kitty cat’s.”

  Yep, Bear knew who I was, too. Little did he know that I had barely used my strength on him. That was just a test on my part.

  Coach J led Bear up to the front of the room to Ms. Mars’ desk.

  Ruby stood there and waved to their backs. “I’m Ruby, BTW,” she said.

  Coach J ignored her. “Ms. Mars, I hope you have an extra big desk for this extra big special guy!” Coach told her.

  "Coach, all of our desks are the same size," Ms. Mars told him.

  Turning to Bear, Coach J said. “Don’t worry my boy, I’ll see what I can do.”

  Nina Note: I have had very little experience with other werepeople. I have never met a werebear before. I didn't like the smell of this kid, Bear. I didn't like that he had suddenly shown up in my town. Still, I couldn't pass judgment without getting to know him. Right?

  I mean, come on, he might have seemed extremely arrogant at first, but first impressions, while lasting, can be wrong. I didn’t want to jump to conclusions. Now that Bear had arrived, it sounded like Jimmy would be less banged up by football. I knew Jimmy wouldn’t like that, but I kind of did. I decided to wait and see and to give Bear a chance.

  Chapter 6: A Long Lunch

  At lunch, we all sat at our regular table. Of course, all eyes were on Ruby. Kids laughed and taunted her as she walked past them with her tray. Everybody seemed to want to know what weird things Ruby was eating. Of course, to complicate matters, the cafeteria served hotdogs today and of course, Ruby being Ruby insisted on having two!

  “Oh gross, you’re having hot dogs with pickles on them!” Harry Stoleman taunted as Ruby walked by.

  “Dude, so are you,” Ruby retorted.

  Harry faded into his seat.

  Ruby sat down and said to herself. “This will soon pass. I know it will. Tomorrow I will be yesterday’s news.”

  We sat at our table and started to eat.

  “What do you think of this Bear guy?” Ruby asked, anxious to keep the conversation away from herself.

  “He’s not normal, that’s for sure,” I said.

  “Hey, if he can help our football team, I am all for him being here!" Jimmy said. Looking over at Frank, he added. "Too bad you can't play, big guy."

  Frank chomped away on a hamburger. “While it would be fun. I’d have to be careful not to hurt anybody.” He paused. “I’d like to meet this Bear kid.” He smiled. “Oh, it looks like I’ll get my chance.”

  “Why?” I asked.

  Frank pointed over my shoulder. I turned to look. Yep, Bear was heading over to our table with a tray filled with hamburgers, hotdogs, and glass
es of milk.

  Bear sat down between Jimmy and I, across from Frank.

  “Hey,” he said to Frank.

  “Hey,” Frank answered. Frank held out a hand. “Frank Thorn.”

  Bear took his hand. “Bear Brown.”

  The two giant boys squeezed each other’s hands.

  “Good grip,” Bear said.

  “Likewise,” Frank replied.

  The two released each other’s hands.

  Bear turned to me. “I like you,” he said.

  “You don’t know me,” I smirked.

  Bear nodded. “I trust my senses and my senses tell me I like you.”

  Jimmy forced himself to smile. “Bear, I bet with you on the team we can win the state title.”

  “Why do you say that, dude? You’ve never seen me play.”

  Timmy came over and showed Bear his phone. “Actually, Mr. Bear, sir, we googled you and found a lot of your highlights from your old school.”

  Bear looked at the phone and grinned. “Yeah, I am pretty awesome.” He turned his attention to Frank. “Why don’t you play?”

  “I prefer baseball and basketball,” Frank said. “Less chance of me hurting somebody,” he added.

  “Hey, if somebody gets hurt, they get hurt. That’s kind of the way it works,” Bear said. Now looking at me, he said, “You understand that, don’t you, Nina? After all, we are a lot alike.”

  The weird thing was, I knew what Bear meant. It is kind of a cool feeling - a power trip - knowing that you are stronger than anybody else around you. That if you wanted to...you could take them down. Mom said that being part vampire and part tiger, the urge to be the boss would be strong in me and that I’d have to fight it down and control it. I took a breath to clear my head.

  “I don’t want to hurt people,” I told Bear.

  Bear laughed. “But you love knowing that you could if you wanted to! You say you defend the weak but you enjoy crushing bullies.”

  Wow, I did. There was more to this Bear guy than met the eye. He wasn’t all muscle and brawn. He knew me. Partly because he was a wereperson too, but there was something else going on here. He seemed to know more about me than he could get from his basic instincts. Instincts are great they give you a quick read of the situation. They help you to react, but they aren’t really meant for getting to know a person. They don’t give you deep insight. Bear seemed to have that.