Rivals Read online

  I put my hand on Bear’s arm. I noticed Jimmy turned a bit red. Ignoring that, I slowly drained some of the energy from Bear. “I’m more than meets the eyes or the senses,” I told Bear.

  I removed my hand.

  Bear rubbed the spot I had touched. He shook his arm, trying to wake it up. "Yeah, I see that."

  “I don’t appreciate you barging in on us like this!” I told him. Motioning to Lester and Lewis’ table I ordered. “Now go sit with them.”

  Bear stood up. “You’re playing hard to get,” he said. “I like that!”

  “Go!” I ordered again.

  Bear stood up and headed towards the other table. So did Timmy, Wayne, and Chris. Oops used a bit too much power there.

  “Timmy, Wayne, Chris, you guys stay here with us,” I said calmly.

  They all stopped moving and smiled. “Phew,” Wayne sighed. “I thought you didn’t like us anymore.”

  “Me too!” Chris sounded relieved.

  “That Bear is not normal,” Ruby said. She smiled. “Still he is kind of cute. And, his arrival should soon make people forget those silly rumors about me.”

  Next thing I knew, Sasha dropped her tray down at our table. “I’ve decided to honor you with my presence,” she said.

  “Great!” all the boys at the table said with grins.

  Seriously, I thought to myself.

  “Sasha, I thought you didn’t like me,” I said.

  “Oh, I don’t,” she said. “Still, my mom and Jimmy’s mom want me to try to get along with you. So I will.” She smiled at Jimmy. “Besides, I do like Jimmy.” She touched his hand with her hand.

  I removed Sasha’s hand from a smiling Jimmy.

  “Hands off! Literally, hands off!” I told her.

  Sasha sat back in her seat and crunched on a carrot. “Do I detect some jealousy? I do. Don’t I?”

  I fought back the urge to stand up. I fought back another urge to use my command voice on Sasha. I didn’t want to go that way twice in one lunch period or I might have been proving Sasha’s point for her.

  “You know you two can’t be together. Right?” Sasha said. “Both your mothers tolerate you two talking but anything else and they would go nuclear.”

  “We’re working on it,” I said.

  “Yeah, I’m sure they will figure something out,” Ruby added.

  “Oh, you can talk,” Sasha snickered to Ruby. “I thought you'd be hiding behind Nina until you weren’t the news of the day. And really, how can anybody eat hotdogs with peanut butter. They are bad enough on their own.”

  “I’m not hiding, I’m laying low,” Rudy insisted. “And I don’t eat hotdogs with peanut butter!”

  “Look, kids, I’m not here to argue or to point out your many flaws, except for you Jimmy.”

  “Thanks!” Jimmy beamed.

  “I’m here to play nice and make my mom and Jimmy’s mom happy. Okay?”

  “I like the idea of my mom being happy!” Jimmy said.

  Sasha looked at me. “What about you BFFN?”

  “BFFN?” I asked.

  “Best friend forever NOT!” Sasha said.

  “Hey, that’s a good one,” Jimmy said.

  “Yes, sure is,” Frank said.

  I wasn’t buying this act like Jimmy and Frank were. Nope, those two boys were being influenced by a pretty face, a wide smile, and maybe something else. I knew Sasha had shown the ability to hypnotize people and it appeared that she had improved.

  “How would our fake friendship work?” I asked, figuring it might be easier to go along than to fight.

  “We sit at lunch. I take some photos of you and me. I put them up on Facebook. You become more popular. I make my mom happy. Then I also take some photos of Jimmy and me,” she said with a smile. “That will make both our moms happy.”

  “I’d like that!” Jimmy said, sounding a bit too eager.

  “Hey, can I be included in this?" Frank asked. "Jimmy's mom likes me more than Nixy."

  I shot Frank a glare.

  “I mean, Nina!” Frank corrected.

  I kept my glare on him.

  “What? I am just speaking the truth!” Frank asserted.

  Sadly, I had to admit he was.

  Timmy, Chris, and Wayne slid down the table closer to Sasha. “Can you take a picture with us, too?” Timmy asked.

  “Yeah!” Wayne said. “It would really help our cred.”

  Sasha rolled her eyes. “I’m not sure even I can help you guys, but I will try.”

  I didn't like this much. But I knew Sasha had a point. And truthfully, with trolls and Bear popping up, and who knows what else the supernatural world would throw at me, I needed to pick my fights carefully. If Sasha wanted to pretend to be friends, I could handle that. Right?

  Turning to Ruby, I asked, “What you think RBFF?”

  Ruby grinned. "There is an old saying...if you can't fight ‘em, join ‘em." She sighed. "I think this is the best and most logical course of action."

  “I’m not thrilled by how Jimmy is loving this so much,” I whispered to Ruby.

  “Yeah, well he is a guy, and even good guys like Jimmy aren’t that deep when it comes to impressing a pretty girl,” Ruby said.

  The lunch bell rang. For once in my life, I was actually happy to get to class.

  Nina Note: Yeah that had to be the longest, most awkward lunch of my life. I didn’t like Bear, not sure why. He just made me too uncomfortable. He came off so confident. Maybe I didn’t like having another wereperson in school? Nah, I couldn’t be that shallow. Could I?

  I knew why I didn't like Sasha. I didn't trust her one bit. I really didn't like the way Jimmy looked at her and the way she returned his look. Okay, she might have been playing with him. But Jimmy...no he wasn't playing. He felt an attraction to her. I guess I couldn't blame him. Sasha had a way about her and the girl radiated charm, confidence, and beauty. Seriously, what am I saying here?

  Chapter 7: North Pole???

  Even though it wasn’t football season yet, Coach J decided to have some special practices. He wanted to show the team how good Bear was. After school, Ruby, Frank, and I decided to watch the practice before walking home. I not only wanted to see Jimmy but I also wanted to see if Bear was as good as he said he was.

  Sadly, sitting in the stands, it soon became apparent that Bear might have been even better than he’d bragged.

  Nobody on the team could stop him. Jimmy would hand Bear the ball and he would plow through the other players knocking them down like they were bowling pins.

  Coach J’s face was beaming with a constant smile. Until Bear showed up, I had no idea the coach could smile so much.

  “Bear, take it easy!” Coach J shouted. “Remember these guys are on your team!”

  “Right, Coach J,” Bear said with a salute. He stood thinking for a moment and then called, “Hey, Coach, can I play a little defense now? I like to play all the time! I hate coming off the field.”

  “Sure!” Coach J beamed.

  For the next ten or fifteen minutes, Bear lined up on the opposite side of the field to Jimmy. Jimmy would get the ball to try to pass. Bear would rip through the blockers and pull Jimmy to the ground before he had a chance to throw. A couple of times, Jimmy got the throwaway but Bear would leap up into the air, knock it down and then clobber Jimmy.

  “Ouch," Ruby said, burying her head in her hands. "This is becoming hard to watch."

  “Jimmy’s tough, he can handle this,” Frank said. “Right, sis?”

  I kept watching in silence, taking in all the action. Bear had to be stopped. The problem was that nobody on the field could do it. I got up from the stands and walked towards the field.

  Reaching the field, I yelled, “Timeout! Timeout!”

  Everybody stopped playing and turned to me. I saw sighs of relief on each of their faces...except for Bear and Coach J.

  “Thorn, what are you doing on my field?” the coach yelled. “Your brother is the one I want out here, not you.”


  Walking by Bear, I patted him on the back. “Nice job, big guy!” I told him, pretending to be impressed. I concentrated on draining him of energy. I think I felt some of his strength surge into me. I patted him harder on the shoulder.

  Bear rubbed his shoulder, "Hey, I felt that. Man, you should join the team."

  Running up to Coach J, I asked. “Can I join the team?”

  Coach J nodded. "Yeah, I know. Both Thorns are monster strong, but I can't have a girl on the team without doing all sorts of paperwork. I really don't like paperwork, it's so much work."

  Bear backed me up. "She is really strong!"

  The Coach sighed. “Thorn, if you really want to join, I’ll see if I can get permission from the PTA and the school board. I’ve seen you move and you do move like a cat...you could be a great addition to Bear.”

  Jimmy walked up to us. “What’s going on?”

  “Nina is thinking about joining the team!” Bear said.

  “Really?” Jimmy asked me looking surprised.

  Poor Jimmy, he was so exhausted he couldn't figure out I was doing this to give him a break and to drain Bear a little. It might have been better if Jimmy didn't figure that out. I know how boys can sometimes let their egos get in the way of common sense.

  Looking Coach J in the eyes, I said, “Actually, Coach J, I don’t want to cause any extra work for you or the team. Besides, if I played, it would take some of the attention away from Bear and Jimmy. I don’t want that. And this team is so good without me.”

  “You do have me!” Bear added.

  I walked casually back to the bleachers. Watching the end of the practice, I smiled as I saw Jimmy toss a couple of passes past the now weakened Bear. Hopefully, Bear knew what I had done to him so he would know not to mess with my friends or me. Tigers take down bears every time.

  My phone beeped. Looking at it, I noticed a message from Mom:

  MOM> Hey honey. Your dad and I are heading to the North Pole 4 a week.

  MOM> I know you and Frank will be good for Aunt Mika.

  MOM> Love you guys. I’ve always wanted to wrestle a polar bear.

  When walking home after practice, Jimmy moved very slowly, as though each step hurt.

  “Bear is as good as he thinks he is,” Ruby said.

  Jimmy nodded. “Yeah, the kid is a monster. I couldn’t get past him until he finally got tired towards the end. Luckily for me, he doesn’t have my endurance.”

  “Yeah, that’s it,” I said.

  “Wait, I thought you drained Bear?” Frank said.

  I shook my head at Frank. “No, Frank, that’s not what happened.”

  “Wait…it is what happened. Isn’t it?” Jimmy said to me.

  Looking down at my feet, I said. “Yes.”

  “Thank you. Thank you! Thank you!!” Jimmy said hugging me. “That kid was crazy unstoppable.”

  “I was afraid you’d be mad,” I told Jimmy.

  “Nah, I’ll never complain about you saving me from constant pain. Please tell me that kid isn’t normal.”

  “He’s not,” I said. “He’s a werebear.”

  Jimmy nodded. “That makes sense. Now I see why my mom says werepeople are almost as dangerous as vampires. That kid is nasty.”

  “Agreed,” I said. “We need to figure out what he’s doing here.”

  “Oh, that’s easy!” Grandma said, suddenly appearing. “It’s also obvious.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  Jimmy stopped. “Is she talking to someone right now?”

  “Probably talking to our grandma. Our grandma’s a ghost,” Frank said.

  “Phew, so I’m not going crazy from being hit so much,” Jimmy said. “Wait, your grandma is a ghost?”

  Frank nodded. “Yeah, one of them is. I hear she’s really cool and nice, even though only Mom, Nina, and our other grandma can see her. You might have been able to see her after you kissed Nina that time, but then my mom erased that from your memory. Mom said and I quote, “It’s too much for a little human mind to take…” Frank paused for a second. “No offense meant. At least not from me.”

  “No offense taken,” Jimmy said. “She was right, that is a lot to take in….”

  "Grandma, what are you talking about?" I asked. "Surely you didn't send Bear to our town."

  Grandma shook her head. “Nah, I’ve never been a fan of bears. Too furry and they don’t have the soft kind of fur. I don’t even like teddy bears. It freaks me out that they never blink.”

  “Then who brought Bear here?” I asked.

  “I did!” a voice said from above. Grandma Jasmine dropped out of the sky to the ground in front of us.

  “Did I just see what I thought I saw?” Jimmy said.

  “Depends. Did you see our Grandma Jasmine just drop from the sky?” Frank asked.

  “I saw some lady who looks about the age of our moms fall from the sky and land on her feet,” Jimmy said.

  “Yep, that’s her,” Frank smiled. “She’s really nice.” He paused for a moment. “Unless you make her angry.” He shuddered. “Don’t make her angry.”

  “I’ll try not to,” Jimmy said.

  “Grandma, you just fell from the sky in public, yet you lectured me about stopping two hoodlums with people around?” I said, not even trying to hide my confusion.

  “Dear, I’ve dazzled many around us with my shocking beauty. None of the humans except for your two little friends can see me. The rest are all sucking their thumbs.”

  Looking around, I saw everybody on the street stood there...stunned and sucking on their thumbs.

  “See,” she said. Walking over to Jimmy, she added, “Let me guess, this is the human boy you find mildly appealing.”

  Jimmy held out a hand. “My name’s Jimmy Chaser. Ma’am, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  “Of course it is a boy." She patted him on the head. "Now go sleepy byes, I want to talk about things and I don't want you to hear."

  Jimmy closed his eyes and went to sleep. He fell backward but Frank caught him. "Hi, Grandma Jasmine, I mean Jasmine," Frank said.

  Grandma Jasmine gave Frank a kiss on the cheek. “Frank my favorite grandkid! It’s always so lovely to see you. Nice catch of the mortal!” she added.

  “Thanks!” Frank said. “I’m good at catching things.”

  Grandma Jasmine walked over to Ruby and me. Ruby bowed. "It's such a pleasure to meet you, Ma'am," Ruby said.

  “This one is well trained. I see why you keep her as a pet,” Grandma Jasmine said.

  “She’s not a pet,” I insisted.

  “Minion?” Grandma Jasmine asked.

  “No!” I said stomping my foot.

  “Well, she can't be a servant. Even I find that offensive," Grandma Jasmine said.

  “She’s my friend!” I said loudly.

  “Oh, is she?” Grandma Jasmine replied sarcastically. “Have you ever used your powers on her? Made her do something she didn’t want to do?”

  “No of course not,” I replied.

  Grandma Jasmine leaned over and sniffed Ruby’s head. “Her mind has been played with.”

  “Okay, I might have put her to sleep once or twice,” I admitted.

  “Wait! What?" Ruby said.

  “You might have been too excited at times,” I told her. “I might have calmed you down. I did feel guilty about it,” I said lowering my eyes.

  “I’m not sure that makes it better,” Ruby said.

  “See, humans are so picky, they don’t even appreciate us giving them naps when they need them!” Grandma Jasmine said.

  I decided to deal with my relationship with Ruby later. For now, I had bigger fish to fry or question.

  “Grandma Jasmine, what have you done?” I demanded.

  “I sent Bear and his family here. I figured he was worthier of you than the human. Sure, he’s not the brightest of creatures but he has a nice scent about him. And he’s certainly stronger than most. Probably almost on par with you.”

  “But why send him?�
�� I asked. “I’m perfectly happy.”

  “Dear, you are 14 and not married yet. I’d don’t want people to call you an old maid.”

  “Grandma! I am not an old maid. I find Bear to be borderline repulsive,” I insisted.

  “In other words, that’s a no. You do not wish to date him,”

  Grandma Jasmine asked.

  “Yes, that’s a hard no!” I replied, my brow creasing with a deep frown.

  “Okay, I’ll find another way to help you improve!” she said. There was a puff of smoke and she was gone.

  “Yeah, that could have worked out better," I sighed.

  I walked over to Ruby. I put my arm around her shoulder. “What I did was wrong. I shouldn't use my powers on you.”

  “You do feel bad about it?” Ruby asked.

  “I do.”

  “Good!” Ruby said.

  Jimmy woke up and walked over to me. “What’s your Grandma Jasmine have against me?” he asked.

  “Ah, you’re from a family of vampire hunters,” I reminded him.

  “Oh right, I almost forgot about that,” he said. “We have this Romeo and Juliet thing going on.”

  “Except we don’t want to die in the end,” I pointed out.

  “Yeah, that.” Jimmy smiled. He looks so cute when he smiles.

  We walked until we reached Barb Bash’s house, our regular spot where we went our separate ways so neither of our moms could see us and put two and two together. Jimmy and I said goodbye and he headed across the street. Of course, the way my luck would have it, Barb was waiting for us in her yard.

  “Yo, Thorn,” she called from across the picket fence separating her yard from the street.

  “What do you want, Barb?” I asked.

  “Sasha is coming after your boyfriend,” Barb told me.

  “Why?”

  “Because he’s cute and she figures she can steal him to hurt you.”

  “No, I mean why are you telling me this?” I asked.