CHRIS HAD HIS ARM IN a sling.
Jalen wondered how necessary it was, or, as Daniel insisted was the case, if he was simply continuing to support his excuse for flopping in the championship game against Bronxville. Jalen, Cat, and Daniel all sat down on the end of a table just across the main aisle from Chris and his bunch.
“Watch this,” Daniel said, angling his head toward Chris.
Chris used his left hand to open his lunch bag and dig down into it for a sandwich. He stopped talking and his face got a funny look. When he pulled his hand out of the bag several little brown rabbit turds popped out and rolled across the table. Several others were smeared onto his fingers in a brown and putrid yellow mess.
Chris’s face went from confusion to horror. Instinctively, he sniffed his soiled hand. With a bark, he exploded up out of his seat. His chair screeched across the floor, but before he could take a step, he gagged and vomited on the lunch table. The wet slick spatter flowed like a tide, spilling from the table’s edge in brown sheets to the floor.
Everyone within thirty feet issued a collective groan. “Ewww!”
Daniel craned his neck and casually observed, “Looks like he had bacon for breakfast.”
Dirk, who’d been sprayed by the blast, staggered to his feet, slipped in the puke puddle, went down like a dynamited building, and was barely able to get to his knees before a gusher of barf spewed from his own mouth. Another universal groan filled the air, this time punctuated with little horrified yelps from various girls who weren’t used to such spectacles.
There was some nervous laughter, but most kids reacted with a mixture of horror and disgust. Daniel bit back a grin and trembled with the effort it took not to burst into celebration. He snickered to himself and looked down. “Oh, that’s too much. That’s just too perfect.”
Jalen wiped the smile off his own face several times and disguised his glee with several fake coughs. Cat wore a look of genuine sympathy, but that was just Cat. Even though she knew Chris was a big jerk, she’d still feel bad about him being sick and embarrassed.
“You did that?” she said in a hushed voice, leaning toward Daniel across the table.
“We did that.” Daniel gave Jalen a satisfied look. “You know those bunnies you see all over the lawns in Mount Tipton? Well, their poop has to go somewhere.”
“You dumped them in his lunch bag. Wow,” said Jalen, impressed.
A custodian showed up with a mop and a bucket and began to clean up the mess as Dirk and Chris stumbled off toward the bathroom. The sharp smell of disinfectant cleaner cut into the sour scent of vomit.
“That’s really disgusting,” Cat said.
“So is that.” Daniel pointed to Jalen’s swollen jaw.
Cat frowned and looked at Jalen. “True.”
“I look that bad?” Jalen’s heart sank.
“No.” Cat giggled. “That they did it is disgusting. It’d be hard for you to look bad, Jalen.”
“Aw, man.” Daniel paused as he removed a sandwich from his own lunch bag. “Who needs rabbit poop? ‘Oh, Jalen, you’re so cute.’ You’re making me barf.”
“I didn’t say ‘cute.’ ” Cat turned to Jalen.
Jalen felt his face heat up, and he changed the subject, even though he was delighted by Cat’s attention. “So, we gonna watch the game together again tonight?”
“You guys are welcome,” Cat said, taking out a small tub of yogurt and digging in. “I’ll have my mom order some more pizza, and we can celebrate.”
“Celebrate?” Jalen asked.
Cat’s eyes were aglow. “Tonight it’s going to happen. I was checking out Kluber’s stats at breakfast this morning. I’m telling you, JY is going to be texting me before he leaves the locker room tonight. He’s gonna be begging to get you back.”