My Worst Frenemy

by Marcus Emerson

  Waiting wasn’t going to be the hard part. The hard part was going to be figuring out what to do next.

  My ninja clan was on the top step of the nook in the lobby. I could see them through the tinted windows that lined one side of the cafeteria. After scarfing down my lunch, I dumped my tray and stepped into the lobby.

  Wyatt was sitting with them talking about what happened after they escaped the stairwell. He even pulled his shirt up to show them the bruise he got from tumbling down the stairs.

  ‘Seriously, dude,’ Gidget said, disgusted. ‘Put your shirt down.’

  Olive stepped out of the cafeteria after I did, walking towards the group. But when she got closer, she started sneezing. She sat on a bench and wiped her nose.

  ‘Stop using that cheap perfume!’ she yelled at Brayden from across the lobby.

  ‘It’s cologne,’ Brayden yelled back. ‘And it was super expensive!’

  ‘It was a waste of money because you smell like a pinecone!’ Olive said.

  ‘I smell like a man!’ Brayden shouted.

  Naomi and Gidget giggled. Slug smiled, shaking his head. Wyatt was sitting with his back against the wall, staring angrily at nothing.

  I waved my hand in front of Wyatt’s face. ‘You figure anything out since this morning?’

  ‘No,’ he said, shaking his head. ‘I still don’t know who the leaders of the ninja clans are.’

  Glancing at the front office, I said, ‘We could always go to the principal with this. Tell him that a bunch of ninjas are training on the roof and …I’m just now realising how crazy it all sounds when I say it out loud.’

  ‘Right?’ Brayden said. ‘We’ll be the ones locked away in detention.’

  ‘Doesn’t matter,’ Naomi said. ‘Those ninjas aren’t on the roof anymore. They probably cleared out right after we got away.’

  ‘Could we challenge them?’ I suggested.

  Wyatt sat up. ‘I thought you didn’t fight.’

  ‘No, not to a fight,’ I said. ‘To, like, a dance off or— Never mind. I knew that answer was dumb before I finished the sentence. What’s wrong with me today?’

  ‘How about we do nothing?’ Naomi said.

  ‘I like that idea!’ I said.

  ‘Seriously though,’ she said. ‘For all we know, those ninjas could just be a buncha kids that want to hang out and practise ninja moves. Maybe there isn’t some kind of ultimate plan they’re working on. What if all this running around and chasing they’re doing is because you guys keep messing with them?’

  Naomi had a point. The only times I ran into them that week was because I was the one going after them.

  The first time was on Monday when I helped Wyatt.

  The second time was when I used myself as bait.

  And the third time was earlier that morning when we barged in on them drinking coffee.

  All three times, it was me going to them.

  ‘I think we should leave them alone,’ Naomi said. ‘I bet this is just some kind of little club for them. If that’s all it is, then we’re fine.’

  ‘I’m not fine,’ Wyatt said. ‘It’s my club to lead! Not theirs!’

  Naomi looked right at Wyatt. ‘Bummer, man.’

  Wyatt’s jaw flexed, but he didn’t say anything. He stood up, and then he walked away down the hall. Olive ran to catch up with him.

  Wyatt definitely wasn’t happy. What did he think was going to happen though? That he was going to get his red ninjas back just like that? There had to be a part of him that knew it might not happen, right?

  Everyone on the team was in the science lab after school. Everyone except Wyatt. I hoped he was just running late.

  Slug and Brayden had finished the outer shell and were letting the paint dry before putting it on Hup-Hup, our robot.

  Zoe and Faith were switching Hup-Hup on and off, amazed that the machine was working perfectly.

  Carlyle’s team was quiet for a change. Wanna know why? They weren’t even there.

  I peeked over the sheet to get a glimpse of their robot. I was shocked to see that all the pieces from Tenderfoot Industries were still spread out on the floor in messy piles. I wasn’t sure Carlyle’s team even had a robot.

  Dante was in his corner. He was sitting on a chair, gawking at the broken robot that he trashed the day before. ‘How could I have done this …’ he whispered to himself.

  ‘That’s the face of a kid who can’t even anymore,’ Naomi said when she saw me staring at Dante.

  ‘Can’t even what?’ I said.

  ‘You know,’ Naomi said. ‘He is unable to even. He’s lost the ability to even. He can’t even!’

  ‘Someday I’m gonna make a poster that says ‘you can even’,’ I said.

  ‘Where’s Wyatt?’ Zoe asked, finally realising the last member of our team was absent.

  ‘Probably blowing off steam somewhere,’ I said. ‘Punching tree trunks or something.’

  Faith raised her eyebrows. ‘Is he mad?’

  ‘He’s not happy,’ I said.

  ‘What happened?’ Zoe asked, concerned. ‘Did you guys get in a fight? I knew he was trouble!’

  ‘No,’ I said. ‘Nothing like that. He’s just going through some things. He probably wants to be alone.’

  ‘I did,’ Wyatt’s voice came from the door. He was leaning against the frame with his hands in his pockets. ‘I’m better now though.’

  ‘Oh, good,’ Zoe said. ‘You’re a member of our team, and I’d hate for you to miss out on anything.’

  ‘Where’s Olive?’ Brayden asked.

  ‘She had to take off or something,’ Wyatt said. ‘Her dad was going to pick her up today. Never mind her though. I wanted … to … um …’

  Everyone fell silent as Wyatt stumbled over words like they were speed bumps.

  ‘I know that I … it’s not been the greatest … um …’ he stopped, taking a deep breath. Finally, he said, ‘I’m sorry I was kind of a jerk today.’

  Whoa. Was Wyatt apologising to me? He was looking right at me. There was the word ‘sorry’ in his sentence, and it wasn’t followed by a ‘but …’.

  Yup. I think Wyatt was apologising. It was slow and awkward, like nails on a chalkboard. I just wanted it to be over already!

  ‘It’s cool,’ I said, nodding.

  ‘What did you do?’ Zoe asked, confused.

  ‘I don’t really wanna talk about it,’ Wyatt said. ‘Chase was right. He’s been right the whole time. And I’m just saying sorry.’

  I think Faith’s mind was blown because her jaw dropped and her eyes were wide.

  ‘Y’know,’ Zoe said, ‘when Chase let you on the team, I wasn’t happy about it. I don’t think any of us were. But you proved us wrong. Especially with all the snacks.’

  Wyatt’s eyes softened. ‘Then I guess it was a good thing I ordered some cupcakes for our final day working as a team.’

  ‘There’s a lot more happening at school this year,’ Zoe said. ‘Maybe we’ll all be on the same team again.’

  ‘That’d be awesome,’ Wyatt said, glancing at his watch. ‘The cupcakes’ll be here any second.’

  ‘It’s time for our break anyways,’ Zoe said, standing up. ‘Are they delivering them to the lobby?’

  Wyatt nodded.

  ‘Cool,’ Zoe said. ‘Faith and I will go grab them. Anyone else wanna come too?’

  ‘Totes,’ Brayden said, standing. ‘We’ll have to wait outside though because the doors are locked after school finishes. Someone will have to let us back in, so one of us has to stay in the lobby.’

  ‘I’ll stay in the lobby,’ I said. I didn’t feel like standing outside in the cold.

  ‘Me too,’ Wyatt said.

  Wyatt and I were sitting on the top step in the nook, watching through the window as the rest of our team jumped off the benches outside.

  Naomi wasn’t with them. She forgot something at her locker and headed that way.

  Without warning, Wyatt jumped to his feet, staring down the hall.r />
  I didn’t have to ask what he saw because I knew the look on his face. I’d worn that look at least a hundred times before.

  There were ninjas in the hallway, and they were coming for us.

  The cupcakes Wyatt ordered hadn’t been delivered yet, so the rest of Team Cooper would be outside for another few minutes. That was good. It meant they weren’t in danger when the holiday ninjas stormed the halls.

  The front office was empty. And then I realised that it wasn’t that the teachers were gone at the worst times – it was that the ninjas waited until they were gone.

  Wyatt walked towards the middle of the lobby. ‘I can hear their footsteps.’

  ‘That means they want you to hear their footsteps,’ I said.

  ‘If I were still their leader, it would mean that,’ Wyatt said, ‘but since I’m not their leader, it means they’re terrible ninjas.’

  Pulling my mask over my face, I said, ‘You should get your mask out.’

  ‘I don’t have a mask,’ Wyatt growled. ‘Remember? They took it from me.’

  ‘You don’t have extras?’

  ‘Uh, yeah, I had a hundred extras,’ Wyatt said. ‘I gave them to the kids in my clan before I got booted!’

  The footsteps were getting louder, and they were coming from the hallways on both sides of the lobby.

  ‘They’re gonna corner us out here,’ Wyatt said.

  ‘There’s no way they’d try to fight us, right?’ I asked, unsure. ‘I mean, we’re two guys against their what? Hundred ninjas?’

  ‘It’s probably not that many,’ Wyatt said. ‘Trust me, I know. Trying to get that many ninjas to work together on one thing is impossible.’

  ‘Okay, so less than a hundred, but more than two,’ I said. ‘Ugh … sounds like a story problem.’ I paused, and then chuckled. ‘One ninja clan leaves their dojo travelling at ten kilometres an hour. A second ninja clans leaves their dojo going fifteen kilometres hour. How long will it take for the second ninja clan to pass the first one?’

  Wyatt sighed, watching the hallway. ‘They’re leaving two different dojos. It doesn’t work. What if the dojos were on opposite ends of the planet? Then the second ninja clan would never pass the first one.’

  ‘I, uh …’ I said, racking my brain. ‘Never mind. It was just a joke.’

  ‘Get your head in the game, Cooper,’ Wyatt said. ‘We gotta act fast. Those ninjas are gonna turn the corner any second!’

  ‘We can’t go outside,’ I said. ‘And both hallways are out, so—’

  ‘Too late!’ Wyatt said, pointing at a group of kids running straight for the lobby.

  I spun around to check the hall behind me. Kids had already turned the corner there too. My stomach lurched, but I quickly realised the students weren’t wearing ninja outfits. They were wearing gym clothes.

  I tore my mask off and stuffed it back into my hood before anyone could see me wearing it.

  Relieved, I watched the two groups of kids run past each other in the lobby. It was the track team. Sometimes they ran laps in the hallways when it was too cold to run outside.

  ‘Comin’ through, guys!’ the track team captain called out.

  Wyatt swallowed hard and let out a sigh. He looked at me as the track team passed us on both sides. The crowd was thick enough that it was hard to see the walls behind them.

  ‘Maybe we’re being a little paranoid,’ Wyatt said to me.

  The track team started to thin out, and after a couple of seconds, they were gone. Wyatt and I watched them disappear down the hallway.

  ‘That was a little freaky,’ I said.

  ‘Not as freaky as us,’ a girl said from behind Wyatt.

  Wyatt and I turned out around, and I almost jumped out of my skin.

  There, facing the two of us, was a small pack of green ninjas.

  Wyatt and I turned around to run, but the ninjas were too quick. They circled around us, blocking our path. The only way out was the door to the cafeteria.

  I ran for it – I wasn’t about to be in the middle of a ninja mosh pit. Wyatt followed me, pushing me through the door.

  For the second time that week, Wyatt and I fell through a door. We rolled to a stop on the cold floor of the cafeteria. Lunch tables had been folded in half and set up in a long line down the back of the lunchroom. The huge fluorescent lamps that hung from the ceiling were switched off.

  The sun was still out, but the tinted windows meant it was dark in the cafeteria. It looked like it was the middle of the night.

  ‘Get off me,’ Wyatt groaned.

  ‘Sorry,’ I said, getting to my feet.

  The green ninjas stepped through the door calmly. They knew Wyatt and I had nowhere to run, so they weren’t in any hurry.

  And then a single red ninja appeared behind them. He was wearing a yellow cape over one shoulder. I had seen him once before, but not for more than a couple seconds.

  ‘What do you want?’ Wyatt said. ‘Not enough that you guys took my mask, huh?’

  ‘I didn’t take your mask,’ the girl ninja said. The rest of the green ninjas stood behind her with their arms folded. She must’ve been their new leader.

  The red ninja in the back said nothing.

  ‘Then what do you want?’ Wyatt said loudly, but not shouting.

  ‘We’re here to deliver a message,’ she said.

  ‘And what’s that?’ Wyatt asked, clenching his fists.

  The ninja took a moment to answer, eyeballing Wyatt. ‘Give up,’ she finally said. ‘We know you’ve been looking for us all week. Stop it now, or else.’

  ‘Or else?’ I repeated, kind of surprised. ‘A threat? Really?’

  The ninja’s eyes darted to me, but she didn’t answer.

  ‘I’m not giving up until I get my ninja clan back!’ Wyatt said, pointing at the red ninja in the back. ‘You messed with the wrong kid, pal!’

  ‘What makes you think you’ll get it back?’ the green ninja leader asked. ‘Your ninjas have abandoned you.’

  ‘Then I won’t stop until every ninja clan at this school is destroyed,’ Wyatt said.

  The green ninjas didn’t like that. They stomped across the cafeteria with eyes on fire.

  The red ninja stood perfectly still, like he was only there to watch the action.

  Wyatt dashed forward to meet the green ninjas head on.

  The whole thing had got out of hand. Wyatt and I were about to get our butts handed to us on a silver platter, and why? Because I had to stick my nose where it didn’t belong! I had nothing to do with Wyatt and his red ninja clan! I shouldn’t have even been there!

  At that moment, a door at the back of the cafeteria slammed open so hard that it shook the floor. The green ninjas stopped. So did Wyatt.

  I might’ve yelped like a frightened baby deer. I don’t know. There was so much happening that it was hard to tell. Maybe there was a frightened baby deer somewhere in the cafeteria. How could someone even know there wasn’t? Here – prove to me that there wasn’t a frightened baby deer in there. See? You can’t.

  All I could make out were shadows of other ninjas pouring out of the door that had opened at the back of the room. There were dozens of them. Literally, dozens!

  And they were all wearing black. Chalk dust poured from the door, masking them slightly. They looked like floating ninja ghosts.

  ‘What the heck?’ the green ninja leader whispered.

  The black ninjas stopped just inside the cafeteria. They stood like statues and said nothing, which was scarier than it sounds.

  The green ninja leader stepped backwards as her ninjas did the same. She didn’t say anything.

  I squinted at the black ninjas, trying to see who they were. My ninja clan only had five members in it – Brayden, Gidget, Slug, Naomi and me – but these kids were wearing my ninja clan’s colour.

  So who were they?

  And then I saw her. It was just a glimpse, but that was all it took for me to understand immediately.

  Naomi was hiding in the
door where all the ninjas had come from. She winked at me.

  Naomi had made good on her promise. She was my secret guardian ninja.

  When I squinted, I could see that the heads of the ninjas were the black balloons I had told her about earlier in the week. She had painted eyes on them. Their bodies looked like black rubbish bags.

  Naomi had made an army of fake ninjas.

  Puffs of chalk dust burst around the green ninjas, and they began to disappear one by one, scared of being outnumbered. Although the illusion was kind of shattered because I could see them running away after throwing their little chalk pouch on the floor. Ninja vanish? More like ninja hobble away.

  The two holiday ninja leaders were the last in the cafeteria. They were staring across the room at the fake army.

  And then the worst possible thing that could happen, happened.

  One of the black balloons popped.

  The green ninja shrieked. ‘His head exploded! His head ex—wait a second …’

  The green ninja turned around to command her other ninjas to attack, but they were gone. The red ninja grabbed her elbow when she tried to run back to us.

  ‘No!’ the red ninja growled. ‘There’s no time for this! They won’t listen, so we’ll make them pay!’

  ‘That’s such a bad guy thing to say!’ I said.

  ‘Have fun explaining to the rest of Team Cooper how Hup-Hup was crushed,’ the red ninja said.

  ‘Hup-Hup the robot?’ My heart sunk. ‘You wouldn’t …’

  But the two ninjas were already out the door and sprinting toward the stairs.

  Wyatt and I ran as fast as we could but the ninja leaders were too fast. They took the stairs, like, four at a time!

  The rest of my team was still outside waiting for the cupcake delivery. I was bummed that they were out there because if they were inside, I knew they would’ve kept Hup-Hup safe.

  Instead, Hup-Hup was alone and unguarded.

  When we got to the top of the stairs, the two ninjas had just turned the corner.

  ‘We’re not gonna catch them in time!’ Wyatt said.

  ‘We can’t just stop!’ I said, feeling my side cramp up.