5
THE KILLER

Before Tommy went to bed, he texted Ben.

“Bad break, dude.”

“Funny,” Ben replied

“How long until u are back?”

“6 to 8 weeks. Too bad I can’t kick with this!”

“U know I’m doing MMA on Sat.”

“Will b there. Good luck. Can I ask u something?”

“Yep.”

It took a moment for Ben’s text to come.

“Why were u so lame today?”

Tommy lied, “U were 2 good.”

“Nope. U beat u. U always beat u.”

That was true. He felt bad about it. But he now had a second chance. If he could just make the most of it.

The next day at school was hard. The word was out. He was in the MMA event. That was cool. But everyone heard why. That was not cool.

Tommy saw Ben at lunch. He had a cast on his left leg. All the kids signed it. Tommy was last. He tried to be funny.

Finally found a way to stop you! Tommy.

Ben grinned. “You’re going to need to stop more than me.”

“I’ve got a week to prep,” Tommy told him.

“You know who you’re in the cage with?”

Tommy shook his head. “No clue.”

“I saw who it is. It’s on the Bad Dudes website. Some guy named Don Moore. I hate to say it. He looks mean. He looks strong. Tommy? He looks like a killer.”