That is, until it wasn’t.
Suddenly, the gum turned icy hot. Like cinnamon, but cinnamon coated in lava. Then, just as quickly, it turned super sour. Way, way sourer than the sourest sour strip he’d ever tasted. And then he was blasted by an overwhelming fruity flavor.
Strawberry? Or maybe cherry?
Or maybe—
Ollie didn’t finish that thought. Rather, he couldn’t finish that thought, because right then the gum did a bunch of really, really weird stuff.
He could feel the bubble gum in his mouth shooting and expanding in all directions, as large and destructive as an atomic bomb, but worse. Ollie felt a rush of power flood through every muscle in his body. The sensation of careening down a steep rollercoaster drop started from his stomach, spread through his torso, crept up his arms, caused his hair to stand up straight, and shot out of his toes.
He was spinning. Or maybe the room was spinning. Or maybe the world was spinning so fast that merely standing demanded all his focus.
He felt his body expanding. Upward, outward, in all directions. It was too much to feel at once, but the one thing he was still aware of was the sticky gum in his mouth.
And in an instant, the sensation stopped. His stomach rolled, threatening to bring his birthday pancakes back for round two. When his eyes stopped bouncing around in his head, Ollie noticed that he was much closer to the ceiling than he had ever been before. He lurched forward and fell toward the ground. It took a lot longer for his face to hit the carpet than it usually did.
He found his footing again and spotted himself in the mirror.
But his reflection wasn’t . . . him.
The giant that stared back at him was six and a half feet tall and had arms the size of dump trucks. He was covered in muscles, and his muscles were covered in muscles. His neck and jaw were as wide as a beach ball; his hair was long and flowing, and looked perfectly conditioned; and his skin was spattered with a golden, muddy spray tan.
“Whoa,” said Ollie. In a really deep voice that wasn’t his own. The gravelly, spine-chilling voice definitely matched the gargantuan creature that stared back at him.
Ollie had never felt anything quite as exhilarating, or as terrifying.
Or maybe both?
This is nuts, thought Ollie. It didn’t feel like a dream. Or a nightmare. And yet, how was any of this happening? People didn’t transform into muscly giants by chewing bubble gum. Or did they?
Ollie wasn’t a regular gum chewer, so maybe he’d missed out on some gum secret that others already knew? Were gym memberships a cover by the bubble gum–making companies?
That’s crazy, thought Ollie. But then again, turning into a giant was crazy, too.
“Exhilarating. Terrifying. That’s how you’ll feel after you’ve completed my five-part series and found the ’rassler inside yourself!” shouted Professor Pain from his phone.
Ollie, surprised, leapt into the air and smacked his head on the ceiling. He had completely forgotten he was watching the Professor Pain video. It continued to play uninterrupted.
“Stick around for part one of my five-part series,” declared Professor Pain. “Coming to you right after these messages from our sponsors!”
Ollie leaned over to pause the video. His meaty finger tapped—well, slammed—into his now-tiny phone, creating a large crack that snaked across the screen.
“Oh, no,” moaned Ollie.
He didn’t know his own strength. Before this, he had no strength. And now he (apparently) wielded a lot of it. He needed to be careful. If he broke anything else, his mom might put a stranglehold on his allowance. He turned and bumped into the lamp, which knocked over onto the ground. He dove to grab it, but he missed and ended up sliding headfirst into his desk. His momentum sent his head straight through the cheap wood.
He tried to pull it out and, in his panic, ended up lifting the entire desk off the ground. He spun around, wearing the desk on his head like a helmet, and threw it off.
The desk crashed on the bedroom floor with a loud thud.
He flinched and waited for his mom or his brother to call for him.
Luckily, they were asleep and, both being heavy sleepers, didn’t seem to hear.
He looked around and collided face-first into a model of a spaceship that hung down from the ceiling. The spaceship took flight. It was aimed directly at a bookshelf, which, after being hit with a high-flying spaceship model, tilted suddenly to one side.
Ollie sprang forward to catch the falling bookshelf but succeeded only in ripping the entire shelf right off the wall.
He put the shelf, and the large stack of books it supported, on top of his overturned desk.
He had made a mess of his room. Well, more of a mess. He crawled back over to the mirror and looked at the person staring back at him.
The person that was apparently him.
What is happening to me? thought Ollie. I’m . . . big . . . I’m strong . . . I’m . . .
Ollie started to panic. This kinda stuff only happened in books or movies, and he was pretty sure that he wasn’t in one of those. But with the way things were going, nothing would surprise him at this point. Was he going to be stuck this way forever?
He opened his mouth to scream, but before any sound came out, the gum fell from his mouth and onto the floor. And when he stopped chewing the gum, the hulking dude in the mirror deflated, as if the air had been let out of a balloon or a bubblegum bubble had been popped.
He looked down at Professor Pain’s wad of gum. He crawled over, picked it up, and held it close to his face. He was almost a little afraid of it. Well, not it, but what it did.
He didn’t know how, he didn’t know why, but somehow, someway, chewing Professor Pain’s thirty-year-old gum turned Ollie into a huge, lumbering hulk.
Hollis had said birthday wishes weren’t real, but his wish had come true.
Ollie was—finally—big and strong.
CHAPTER 9
Ollie’s mom’s voice drifted up the stairs from the kitchen.
“Ollie! Come on now. You’re going to be late for the bus. Again.”
Ollie wiped his eyes. His head pounded, and he felt nauseous, like the time he and Hollis rode the spinning ride at the carnival over and over again until they puked.
Only, this was much worse. When his vision finally steadied, he realized that he was sprawled on his back on the floor of his bedroom.
The sun sliced through the curtains. It must be morning.
Ollie sat up slowly and rubbed the back of his head. He felt like he might have a bruise.
And it felt . . . sticky?
And then he touched it. The wad of gum.
It was stuck to the back of his head and clinging to his long, unkempt hair. He yanked it out, pulling some strands of hair with it, and winced. That had really hurt. His eyes watered as he looked down at the gum he now clasped in his palm.
Ollie had spent all night inspecting the gum and searching the internet for answers. There were many articles that popped up, with titles like “Chewing Gum Makes You More Productive!” and “Seven Surprising Benefits of Chewing Gum,” but none of them mentioned anything about magically transforming into a brawny giant. He must’ve passed out mid-search and landed in the gum.
“Ollie!” his mom shouted again from downstairs. “Hurry up!”
Last night, he had chewed the gum and had become big. But that had to have been a dream, right? Gum didn’t make people transform. At least not any gum he knew of. He’d been having vivid dreams lately, but that one was the most realistic he’d ever experienced . . .
There was only one way to find out. He slowly placed the gum onto his tongue, closed his mouth, and chewed. A dash of icy-hot flavor. An explosion of power. An eruption of adrenaline. And just as he had done the night before, Ollie shot upward. He shot outward.
And just like last night, he transformed into a giant, hulking version of himself.
He couldn’t believe it. “Not a dream!” yelled Ollie,
and he let out a cheer.
There was a knock at the door.
Ollie’s heart nearly burst out of his bulging pectoral muscles. As quickly as he could, he spat out the gum. And just like a balloon being popped, the hulking figure deflated back into Ollie again. And not a moment too soon.
“You aren’t even dressed,” exclaimed his mom as she opened the door. “I’ve been calling up to you all morning. Buses wait for no one! Just because you’re eleven now doesn’t mean you can be lazy.”
She shut the door and headed back downstairs.
Ollie’s phone chimed. It was a text from Tamiko.
Dude. Check out this video for beating Kragthar.
Kragthar? How could he think of video games at a time like this? Somehow, Professor Pain’s already-been-chewed gum was . . .
Magic?!
He knew that sounded ridiculous, but how else could he explain what was happening? He remembered that he had wished he were big enough to take on Hollis.
Had this disgusting piece of gum granted his wish?
Or had the wish made this disgusting piece of gum magic?
He had heard of people wishing on stars or birthday pancakes, but wishing on a disgusting wad of gum? It was ridiculous! It was insane! It was impossible!
It had happened.
His mind raced. He had to tell someone.
He typed a response.
Tamiko!
Tamiko replied:
what
SOMETHING HAPPENED
He could see that Tamiko was typing. He had considered telling Hollis last night, but knew that was a bad idea. Sure, anyone, even Hollis, would think this was amazing. But considering his brother was being a puberty jerkface lately, Hollis might take the gum away from him and keep it for himself, just like the laptop; or worse, he’d tell their mom and then she’d take it away from both of them. Ollie was pretty certain that transforming into a mammoth beast violated some unspoken rule he didn’t know of. He wasn’t willing to chance losing the gum. His phone chimed again.
YOU BEAT KRAGTHAR WITHOUT ME?! :’ (HOW COULD YOU?? Lol jk you’d be lost without me. You doing okay after yesterday? Don’t worry. We’ll show Hollis who’s boss
I made a WISH. I chewed the gum! and
???? . . . and????? Also gross
Ollie tried to type an explanation but kept deleting whatever he typed.
I GREW HUGEEEEE
. . . whut
Ollie had a brilliant idea. He knew how to convince Tamiko. He tossed the gum back into his mouth, chewed, and transformed. He lifted the phone to his face and took a photo.
He messaged it to Tamiko. She responded a second later.
. . . who is that?
it’s me!
lol . . . ok . . . so anyway . . . back to the real reason i texted you. my parents are doing that *wellness* thing again. UGH i need you to sneak me some junk food THIS IS NOT A DRILL
“Ollie. I’m not playing around!” yelled his mom from downstairs.
Right. He still had to go to school.
He still had to be Ollie.
He spat the wad of gum into his hand and returned to his puny, normal self. He threw on his clothes, heart pounding. He looked like he had gotten caught in a windstorm. But there was no time. He needed a wrapper or something to store the gum in—there was no way he was letting it out of his sight after what had just transpired. He spotted a piece of neon-blue paper on his desk, snatched it up, and rolled the gum inside.
He ran out to the bus . . . just as it pulled away from the curb.
“Wait! Come back!” he yelled. But his mom was right. Buses didn’t wait for anyone. Hollis pressed his lips against the back window and blew a giant raspberry as the bus left without Ollie.
So Ollie’s mom drove him to school on her way to her other job as a personal fitness trainer. Her hair was wrangled into a bun, and her sleeveless T-shirt flapped in the breeze from the open window. He didn’t mind driving with his mom, but it definitely came with a price. She regaled him the entire ride with a lecture about the importance of being on time. She also yelled at random pedestrians for violating basic traffic rules.
“The crosswalk is clearly painted for the safety of both me, the driver, and you, the pedestrians,” she explained to a confused-looking elderly couple who had veered slightly outside the lines. “The rules are rules for a reason, people!”
He heard only bits and pieces. He had to talk to Tamiko. She was smart and watched a ton of movies. She would know what to do. His mind spun round and round.
All his life, Ollie wanted to be big and strong. And now, with a simple chew, he could be. For years he had waited for someone to come along and defeat Werewrestler. That someone would finally avenge his mom and give the Slamdown Town fans someone worthy to root for. Maybe, with a new champion, more people would come back to watch and the stands would be full again like they used to be. But with the gum, he wouldn’t need to wait for someone. He could take matters into his own hands.
He thought this sort of awesome event happened only to mysterious orphans or aliens in disguise. Or wannabe superheroes. Yet here he was, a regular kid who could not be bothered to tie his shoes correctly or pass a math test, with the power to turn into someone huge. And muscly. And surprisingly hairy. He was more than okay with all of it.
CHAPTER 10
Ollie sprinted from the car the moment his mom pulled up to school, clutching the wrapped gum firmly in his hand. Taking the steps two at a time, he vaulted up the stairs, flew down the hallway, and skidded into Ms. Middleton’s class.
“Tamiko! I have something to tell you,” he shouted.
The whole class snapped their heads toward Ollie. And then they all turned to Tamiko. Tamiko’s face scrunched up as she felt all eyes on her.
He ripped the gum out of its neon-blue wrapper and waved it in her face.
“You’re not going to believe it. It’s—”
“Whatever it is, it can wait till after class, Ollie,” said Ms. Middleton. She motioned to his seat. The class giggled. In all his excitement, Ollie had forgotten one important fact:
School was still happening.
“And you know the rules. No gum in class,” she said. Before he could stop her, Ms. Middleton swiped the gum out of his hand and casually dropped it in the trash bin.
Ollie could have screamed. He didn’t, but he could have. He felt all the blood drain from his face. He must have looked as pale as a ghost.
Tamiko shot him a weird look and took her seat.
“Okay,” began Ms. Middleton, “everyone take out your textbooks.”
He took his seat and pulled out his science book, never once taking his eyes off the trash can. He couldn’t believe his rotten luck. He’d just found out he had magic gum, and then of course it’d been confiscated.
Don’t panic, he told himself.
Once class ended, he would casually stroll past the bin and retrieve the gum. He started to feel better. After all, it wasn’t like the gum could get up and walk away.
Just then, the school custodian entered the room.
Ollie watched in horror as the custodian grabbed the trash can, walked back into the hallway, and dumped it into his own, much larger bin. Then the custodian returned the now-empty trash can back to the classroom.
This time Ollie actually did scream, cutting Ms. Middleton off mid-lecture.
“Ollie?! What now?”
The custodian closed the door and wheeled his bin out of sight.
Ollie had to move. And fast! Before he lost the gum forever.
“I have to use the bathroom. And so does Tamiko,” he announced.
“I do?” she asked, confused.
He turned to Tamiko and fixed her with a pleading stare. “You do. Right now.”
Tamiko raised her hand. “Ms. Middleton, I really need to use the bathroom.”
“Inside voices please,” groaned Ms. Middleton. She looked at Ollie, then at Tamiko. She sighed. “Since you clearly will not stop disrupt
ing my class until you’ve settled . . . whatever it is you’re doing . . . Fine. Make it fast.”
Ollie took off down the hall. Tamiko appeared seconds later right behind him.
“For the record, I do not have to go to the bathroom,” said Tamiko.
“We need to get my gum back.”
Tamiko stuck her tongue out, disgusted. “No. It’s in the trash, Ollie. Where it belongs. Honestly, what is going on with you? You’ve been acting weird all morning.”
Ollie was only half listening. He scanned the hallway for the custodian. He spotted the trash bin outside the science lab. The custodian was inside, grabbing another trash can.
“There!” he said. He turned to Tamiko. “Just trust me.”
He and Tamiko ran over to the trash bin and peered in. It was filled with, well, trash: a banana peel, a soda bottle, several used tissues, a wrapper, a half-eaten tuna fish sandwich. And, buried somewhere beneath all that and more, Professor Pain’s magic gum.
“Oh, barf,” said Tamiko. She shielded her nose. “Seriously, Ollie? What’s going on?”
“No time to explain.” He rifled through the trash bin.
“Have you lost your mind?” asked Tamiko.
“Where is it?” He tossed trash over his shoulder and just barely missed hitting Tamiko with a browned apple core.
“Hey!” she yelled.
“Sorry.”
It had to be close. It had to be! Wait . . . There! At the bottom, wedged between a broken stapler and a half-finished yogurt container, was the neon-blue paper wrapper and, inside it, the gum. He thanked himself for wrapping it. Hopefully very tightly.
He grabbed the gum as quickly as he could.
Ollie pulled Tamiko away into the gym. After checking that no one else was around, he shook the wad of gum in front of her face.
“I have something incredible to show you,” he said.
“Wow. Gum. I don’t know if I’ll ever be the same again,” said Tamiko sarcastically. She turned her attention to her phone and started playing Jewel Heist. She glanced up in between lightning-fast finger-tapping. “Well, c’mon, let’s see this life-changing event before everyone thinks I’ve been in the bathroom this entire time.”
Slamdown Town Page 5