My Worst Frenemy

by Marcus Emerson

  I freed myself from the clutches of the balloons and took my mask off. ‘I got cornered. Those ninjas must’ve thought these black balloons were my other ninjas.’

  Wyatt snorted. ‘I thought they were too.’

  ‘I got super lucky then,’ I said.

  ‘But hey!’ Wyatt said, grinning. ‘Our plan worked! You got their attention!’

  My blood boiled. ‘It didn’t work at all, dude! I got them to chase me, but we still don’t know where they’re hiding!’

  ‘Fine,’ Wyatt said. ‘Maybe it didn’t turn out the way we …’

  I looked at Wyatt. ‘The way we what?’

  Wyatt didn’t answer. He was staring at a spot on the floor next to the door. Kneeling down, Wyatt slid his hand across the linoleum.

  ‘Look at all these tiny pebbles,’ he said.

  The pebbles were small and speckled black and grey.

  ‘This might not have been pointless after all,’ Wyatt said. ‘Looks like we just found a solid clue.’

  ‘You’re just gonna take that back to the lab,’ I said sarcastically. ‘Study it under a microscope, and then cross reference the evidence to figure out which quarry it came from?’

  ‘If you’d rather be bait again …’ Wyatt trailed off, smirking.

  ‘No, no!’ I said. ‘Clues are good! I’m all about clues, dude!’

  If studying clues meant I didn’t have to get hunted by a bunch of ninjas, then I was gonna study clues like it was my job.

  I spent the rest of the morning looking over my shoulder every couple of seconds. It sounds paranoid, but when you’re worrying about ninjas sneak-attacking you, checking every couple of seconds might not even be enough.

  I scanned the cafeteria for my friends. I didn’t have much of an appetite so all I got was a juice and a chocolate-chip biscuit.

  ‘Outta the way, mouthbreather!’ Gidget joked from behind me.

  I stepped aside to let Gidget through. She had a bottle of water in one hand and her phone in the other, still tapping away with one thumb. She wasn’t even looking at the screen! If there’s ever a texting event at the Olympics, she’ll win gold.

  Naomi was next to her. ‘What’s up with you?’ Naomi asked, carrying her lunch tray.

  ‘We said your name a billion times,’ Gidget said, nodding back to lunch queue. ‘You totes ignored us.’

  ‘I didn’t mean to,’ I said. ‘I’ve just got a lot on my mind.’

  ‘The robot?’ Gidget asked.

  ‘Wyatt?’ Naomi said.

  ‘Both,’ I said.

  Naomi could tell I was stressed and didn’t want to talk about it, so she changed the subject. ‘Biscuits and juice? Lunch of champions, right?’

  I let out a small laugh. ‘You’re probably right, but when I want chocolate, I gotta get it.’

  ‘Right?’ Gidget said.

  Naomi and I followed Gidget to a table.

  ‘So …’ Naomi said. ‘What’s bothering you?’

  Naomi was the kind of friend who didn’t pull punches. If she disagreed with you, she’d tell you. If she had a problem with something you were doing, she’d tell you. If you looked like life was beating you down, she’d ask how she could help you.

  I really liked that about her.

  ‘I’m not sure,’ I sighed. ‘Maybe it’s Wyatt. Maybe it’s the robot. Maybe it’s Olive tagging along everywhere.’

  ‘Where’s everywhere?’ Naomi asked. ‘She was only with us last night.’

  I forgot that my friends didn’t know I’d met with Wyatt earlier that morning. And I wanted to keep it that way … at least for a little longer.

  ‘Yeah, that’s what I meant,’ I said. ‘She’s prob’ly gonna be everywhere now that Wyatt’s on the team.’

  Naomi narrowed her eyes. ‘You’re working with him on something else, aren’t you?’

  ‘No! I mean, yes!’ I said, not sure which answer I was going to go with. And then I surprised myself. ‘Yeah, we’re kind of checking out some things.’

  ‘I think you’re putting too much trust in Wyatt.’

  ‘No, I’m keeping my distance. It’s just that … I mean, he’s kind of being cool right now, and there are things he can help with.’

  ‘What’re you guys up to?’

  ‘I don’t want to say anything yet. Not until I have a little more information.’

  ‘More information on what? Have you forgotten that I used to be a Scavenger? That I know secrets about kids that would make their mothers weep?’

  ‘No, I didn’t forget.’

  ‘Then tell me what you guys are doing. You need someone you can trust to keep you grounded.’

  I said nothing.

  ‘Whatever, dude,’ Naomi smiled. ‘I’ll just have to be your secret guardian ninja then. I got your back from the shadows. I promise.’

  ‘You don’t have to—’ I said.

  ‘You can trust me,’ Naomi cut in, making a serious face. ‘I made my mistakes and I vowed never to make them again.’

  ‘I know,’ I said, finally reaching the table where the rest of Team Cooper was sitting. ‘I need to get a little more info before I say anything else.’

  I couldn’t tell if Naomi was frustrated or hurt. ‘Kay,’ was all she said before taking the spot next to Gidget.

  Zoe, Faith, Brayden and Slug were sitting quietly. Olive was at the other end of the table next to Wyatt, who was in the middle of telling a story.

  ‘… so I turned the amp off and got out of there as fast as I could!’ Wyatt said.

  Laughter exploded from the rest of the table. Wyatt’s story must have been a funny one.

  ‘What happened after that?’ Brayden asked.

  ‘They called my parents,’ Wyatt said, ‘but I never got in trouble for it. They figured I was a kid bein’ a kid. I got a stern talkin’ to from my parents because it was at a funeral, but I never got grounded or anything.’

  ‘Man,’ Slug said. ‘My parents would freak if I ever did that.’

  Wyatt chuckled, wiping a tear from his eye. And then he pointed at Brayden with both hands. ‘Hey, dude, my dad said it was cool if we used his quad bike to go monster hunting sometime. He said it’s fine as long as we don’t ride after dark.’

  Brayden slapped the table. ‘Awesooooome!’

  Everyone was laughing at Wyatt’s stories? Brayden and Wyatt had a monster-hunting date? What the heck was happening?

  I dropped my biscuit on the table and sat on the other side of Naomi.

  Wyatt went on with another story, making my friends laugh until their sides hurt. Zoe was in tears.

  I wasn’t sure what I was feeling. I wanted Wyatt to join the team. I wanted to give him another chance and I wanted my friends to make him feel welcome.

  So why was it so weird?

  Wyatt leaned back in his chair, and then did the two-handed point again, but this time at Slug. ‘Hey, I’m makin’ corndogs in the science lab tonight. How many should I put you down for? Two? Three?’

  ‘Dude, five,’ Slug said. ‘And one pillow ’cause I’ll be takin’ a corndog nap afterward.’

  ‘You got it, brah,’ Wyatt said and then looked at everyone else. ‘Corndogs with a side of mac and cheese while we work! Sounds perfect!’

  My friends nodded, talking about how much fun it was going to be.

  Yep. Definitely weird.

  I didn’t see any other holiday ninjas for the rest of the day. And trust me, I was looking.

  I was sitting in the science lab, waiting for the rest of my team to join me. It wasn’t like any of them to be late, especially Zoe, but there I was … alone.

  Carlyle’s team was behind their sheet singing more pirate songs, swaying back and forth so hard that it felt like the floor was bouncing. How were getting any work done? They spent all their time acting like a buncha dizzy pirates!

  Every now and again, the sound of a hammer clinking came from Carlyle’s corner, but it wasn’t from them working. It was in tune with the beat of one of their shanties.
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  Ugh! Stinkin’ pirates!

  A loud crash came from Dante’s corner. I sat perfectly still, watching his shadow. He was kicking and pushing his robot, yelling because it wouldn’t work.

  ‘That kid …’ I whispered. ‘Just … wow.’

  I heard Carlyle laugh loudly. I poked my head out from behind the bed sheet and looked at the pirate’s section of the room.

  Scattered across the floor were all the parts for their robot. One of the pirates was looking over the pieces. He looked like a confused dog, tilting his head.

  Another pirate had a tricycle that he rode in small circles like he was part of a pirate circus or something.

  At the edge of their circle was something that looked like an empty container. It was huge too. At least, huger than the robot my team was building.

  And yeah, huger is a word. I just added it to the dictionary. Don’t look though. It’ll take time for it to update …

  Carlyle’s team hadn’t even started building their robot!

  The door to the science lab swung open, and Wyatt walked through. My entire team was behind him, listening to another one of his stories.

  Olive was the last through the door. She lagged way behind because of Brayden’s cologne. Once she was in the room, she took the same seat against the wall, just out of noseshot of Brayden’s musk.

  ‘Right?’ Wyatt said, flipping a chair around as usual. ‘If they didn’t want kids crawling on the dinosaur fossils, they shoulda put a sign up!’

  ‘Dude,’ Slug said. ‘You. Are. Wild!’

  Wyatt laughed. ‘You woulda done the same,’ he said.

  Zoe giggled like a schoolgirl with a crush.

  Wyatt eyeballed me with a smile on his face. I couldn’t tell if it was a villainous smile or not, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that letting him on the team might’ve been a mistake.

  ‘You guys are late,’ I said, worried about the ton of work we still had to do.

  Wyatt spoke for everyone. ‘Sorry, man. Remember how I said I wanted to make corndogs? Well, the kitchen staff wouldn’t let me bring a fryer in here, so I had to make ’em in the kitchen. We were eating.’

  Slug leaned back, yawning. ‘I’m stuffed.’

  ‘You guys didn’t invite me?’ I said, my voice cracking slightly.

  ‘Tried to find you, but couldn’t,’ Wyatt said.

  ‘I would’ve texted you,’ Gidget said. ‘But I totes forgot.’

  I didn’t know what to say.

  Slug snorted loudly as he slid to the floor. He was taking his corndog nap.

  Wyatt got up from his seat, suddenly holding a knitted blanket. I had no idea where he got the blanket, but once again, I wasn’t surprised. He placed it over Slug and said, ‘Shhhhh, this little guy’s pooped. Let him get some rest.’

  Oh.

  My.

  Corndog.

  Was I was still dreaming somehow? I pinched myself on the arm to find out.

  Nope. Definitely not a dream.

  Zoe and Faith were hard at work with the guts of the robot. It wasn’t much, but Dr Tenderfoot said it didn’t need to be. We only had a couple of days to finish the robot.

  Zoe and Faith attached the battery pack to the stomach of the robot, which was then plugged into a small gearbox that was connected to the robot’s shoulders.

  Then the gearbox turned the main gear, which would move the robot’s hand and make it look like it was waving. At the top of the robot was a light bulb.

  Gidget and Faith took it a step further and connected a small metal shaft to the robot’s side and wrist. The plan was that the main gear would turn and move two parts at the same time, pushing the arm up and waving simultaneously.

  Pretty genius if you asked me.

  Slug and Brayden were meant to be putting the finishing touches on the shell of the robot, to give it that extra boost of ‘cool’.

  Except the shell they made looked like a giant cow.

  ‘What’s that supposed to be?’ Faith asked.

  ‘A cow!’ Brayden said proudly.

  ‘Can’t you tell?’

  ‘Sorta,’ Faith answered, walking slowly around the shell. ‘I mean, it could be a cow from, like, a nightmare or something.’

  Zoe perked up. ‘Oh, nightmare cow! Gotta remember to tell Brody about that. It’d be a great band name.’

  ‘It’s not like I got much help from Slug,’ Brayden continued, nudging the sleeping kid on the floor.

  Slug snorted, but kept right on sleeping. His arms and legs twitched.

  ‘Slug’s chasing squirrels,’ Gidget said.

  ‘I think it looks great,’ Naomi said.

  ‘Thanks!’ Brayden said.

  ‘The competition’s not based on appearances anyway,’ Naomi added. ‘So it’s not like we’ll lose points for having an ugly robot.’

  Brayden made a face. ‘Thanks?’

  ‘Naomi’s right, you guys,’ Wyatt said. ‘We just gotta make this thing work. That’s all that matters.’

  ‘Oh, it’s gonna work,’ Faith said confidently. ‘Let’s do this.’

  Zoe looked at everyone with an excited smile. She placed her finger on the switch under the robot. ‘Three … two … one …’

  Everyone held their breath. Zoe flipped the switch.

  And nothing happened.

  Zoe scrunched her nose and then flipped the switch back and forth rapidly.

  The robot didn’t do anything.

  ‘C’mon,’ Zoe said. ‘Work!’

  ‘We did everything right!’ Faith said. ‘It was working before we bolted it on!’

  Wyatt leaned closer to the robot, inspecting the small battery pack. And then he pressed his finger on top.

  Everyone jumped back as the robot sprung forwards, alive and moving the way Zoe and Faith had planned. The arm moved up and down while the hand spun in a circle, waving like it was a model in a robot parade. The light bulb at the top of the robot was shining brightly.

  Zoe laughed, wiping sweat from her brow. She was more nervous than she let on.

  ‘It was just a bad connection!’ Wyatt said. He took his finger off the battery pack and the robot stopped moving. ‘All we have to do is screw that part down a little tighter and it’ll be good. We could prob’ly get away with just using a little tape.’

  I sat back in my seat. ‘Team Cooper’s gonna win this thing! That robot is flippin’ sweet! I even like how it’s gonna look like an ugly cow!’

  ‘Hey!’ Brayden said. ‘It might be ugly on the outside, but she’s beautiful on the inside!’

  ‘That’s all that counts,’ Wyatt said. ‘What should we name it?’

  ‘Hup-Hup,’ Faith said.

  ‘I like it,’ I said. ‘Hup-Hup the robot.’

  ‘We’re gonna be rich!’ Wyatt said. Apparently he still thought the prize was going to be a million dollars.

  The whole team was excited.

  Even Olive was smiling from her chair. She had her phone out and was taking pictures of our robot.

  We were almost totally finished, and we still had a whole day to go!

  All the unease I felt about Wyatt disappeared as Hup-Hup came to life. Even Olive sitting in the corner was fine with me.

  Adding Wyatt to the team was a risk, but it turned out to be a good thing. He was making everyone laugh and work together. Maybe there was a reason he was always the leader of a ninja clan – maybe he was a good leader.

  ‘Alright, guys,’ Wyatt said. ‘This calls for a proper celebration. Tonight. My house. Seven o’clock. Pizza is on me.’

  ‘Boom!’ Slug said, snapping to attention. ‘Bring on the pizza! Wait … what’re we talkin’ about? Where am I? Why do I taste corndogs?’

  ‘Give him a minute,’ Gidget said.

  After a second, Slug stretched his arms out and drifted back to sleep.

  ‘He’ll be in and out for the rest of the day,’ Gidget said. ‘He’ll wake up around midnight and complain about how he can’t sleep. Then he’ll play video games until
about four or five in the morning. Then he’ll sleep like a brick until it’s time to go to school.’

  ‘Livin’ the dream,’ Brayden said.

  Wyatt pointed around the group. ‘Alright, guys. I’ll text you my address, and then I’ll see you tonight. Cool?’

  My friends, my best friends, all nodded. Wyatt went around the circle, adding everyone’s number to his phone. My uneasy feeling came back as I watched him.

  I couldn’t put my finger on why it bothered me, but it did. Maybe it was my own problem. Maybe I was just being a little too suspicious when it wasn’t necessary.

  I shrugged it off as best as I could.

  There were bigger things to think about, like getting our robot to actually work! Celebrating at Wyatt’s house might be weird, but at least we were celebrating.

  I was glad we weren’t spending the rest of the night frustrated and kicking our robot the way Dante was probably going to do.

  I looked at Dante’s side of the room to see how he was holding up, but he was already gone.

  I had never been to Wyatt’s house, but when I looked up the address on the internet, I found out that he only lived a couple kilometres away.

  I know it sounds weird that I had no idea Wyatt lived so close to me, but I’ll tell you why – his neighbourhood is totally different to mine.

  His house … was a mansion. And his neighbours’ houses? They were mansions too.

  Brayden and I always rode by his street but the dirty looks the old people gave us were enough to keep us away.

  There were times when life slapped me across the forehead, and made me realise the world was much bigger than what I saw.

  Let me put this in video game terms. When I go to the mall, the other shoppers are NPCs, non-playable characters. They don’t affect my story, they’re just doing their own thing in the background. I’ll never see them again in my whole entire life. But to them? I’m the NPC.

  What I’m trying to say is that seeing Wyatt’s house made me realise he wasn’t a non-playable character.

  Nobody was. We were all on our own mission, passing other people who were on their own mission.

  I know, right? I usually have to take a nap after my brain does that much work.