The Good War

by Todd Strasser

  Again, there was quiet in the computer lab. Emma was struck, not just by what Zach had said but by the way he’d said it. Self-assured and without any of the usual jitters or goofiness.

  “That’s the stupidest thing I ever heard,” Nathan argued. “What’s the point?”

  But Emma saw the point. It wasn’t stupid. It was smart and insightful. “He’s right,” she said. “What’s the point of having a club if all you’re going to do is cheat?”

  Nathan’s face grew pinched. Emma could tell that he knew Zach was right. Not that Nathan would ever admit it. Instead, he spun around and headed out the door without saying goodbye.

  Now Zach and Emma were alone in the computer lab. Outside, the sun was shining, and Emma decided she wouldn’t mind walking home after all. When she stood up, Zach gave her a curious look. It struck Emma that in all the weeks they’d been together on the Allied squad, they’d never had a chance to talk one-on-one.

  “Feel like walking?” she asked.

  Zach started to do his rapid-blinking thing, then caught himself. “Uh, okay, sure.”

  They left the lab. School might have been over, but the building wasn’t empty. Out of nowhere four DIY model cars came racing toward them. Emma and Zach jumped out of the way as the little cars zipped past, their electric motors whining. The cars turned at a small orange traffic cone down the hall. One took the turn too quickly and rolled over, but the other three raced back past Emma and Zach before skidding around a corner and disappearing.

  “Radio controlled,” Zach said. “With minicams.”

  Keeping an eye out for more small high-speed vehicles, they walked toward the school lobby. Once again Zach began clearing his throat and sucking air noisily through his teeth. Hoping to help him relax, Emma said, “That was really smart, telling Nathan we shouldn’t do anything about the malware attack.”

  Zach didn’t reply. Suddenly he stopped. He was staring off, lost in thought. “I have to go back,” he said, and jogged away up the hall.

  * * *

  When Caleb got to the yearbook office, Ms. Dean and Callie Potendo were huddled together in front of a computer screen, looking at the student portraits the photographer had sent. Callie was one of the yearbook’s staff writers, but Ms. Dean must have corralled her for the job of reviewing the portraits.

  “Okay, I’m here,” Caleb announced. He expected Ms. Dean to give him a chilly reception and for Callie to be glad to be relieved of the drudgery. Both of them looked at him.

  And smiled!

  “Caleb, they’re wonderful!” Ms. Dean gushed. “The lighting, the expressions, the cropping…They’re fabulous!”

  Caleb was caught completely off guard. “Any retakes needed?”

  “Maybe two or three,” Callie said. “But that’s all. And we’re almost finished.”

  “You don’t have to stay,” Ms. Dean said. “We’ll be done in a few minutes.”

  Caleb left the yearbook office feeling befuddled. It sounded like he didn’t have to worry about being accused of showing bad judgment after all. The photographer he’d chosen might have been disorganized, but according to Ms. Dean and Callie, the portraits were great. Caleb wondered if there still might be time to catch up to Zach and walk home with him, but he had one more stop to make—Ms. B’s room. After the malware incident today, he was worried that she might be having second thoughts about the eSports club. He’d invested so much time and energy to get it going. And now, with the Brooke Ford interview on the horizon, he was determined to keep it going.

  When he got to Ms. B’s room, she was sitting at her desk, grading papers. Ms. B looked up and waved him in.

  “Don’t worry,” she said, as if she could read his mind. “I’m not going to shut down the club.”

  Caleb felt a weight lift from his shoulders.

  “But I have to tell you,” Ms. B went on, “that I am extremely disturbed by what happened. I thought we could stop it by banning the uniforms and Iron Crosses. But after today, it no longer feels like a game. It feels like what was supposed to be pretend evil has seeped into the real world.”

  Caleb didn’t try to argue. He said that he thought the solution might be exactly what she’d said earlier: talking things out.

  “Would you start by giving Nathan a call tonight?” Ms. B suggested. “To smooth things over?”

  Caleb wasn’t thrilled by that idea. There wasn’t only tension between Nathan and Crosby. There was tension between Nathan and the rest of the Allied squad as well. The classroom got quiet. Ms. B tapped her pencil against the desk and glanced down at the papers she’d been grading. Caleb sensed that they’d reached an “Is there anything else we need to talk about?” moment. But before he left, he had one more thing to say: “I know things aren’t going the way we hoped. But it’s the beta test, right? There are always gonna be a few bumps in the road when you try something new.”

  A thin smile worked its way onto Ms. B’s lips. “You’re right. Thanks for reminding me. And it isn’t all bad news. What did you think of Zach today? Being the first one to break up the fight?”

  “Pretty amazing,” Caleb said.

  Ms. B’s smile grew. “I know it’s a cliché to say someone’s come out of their shell but I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done. He really has become a new person.”

  She was right. And that made Caleb feel even worse about how he’d treated Zach at the mall. It was selfish and unkind. He just hoped he could still make up for it.

  * * *

  Heading toward the computer lab, Zach thought about the RC cars that had come racing unexpectedly up the hall. Just like the malware attack had come unexpectedly. And how did you stop a hacker? The same way you stopped those cars. By building a wall. For the malware, the wall meant some kind of two-factor authentication. They already had passwords, so all the club had to do was activate a second level of sign-in, like a text confirmation to each player’s phone. Anyone who didn’t send back the confirmation wouldn’t be able to sign in and play. It was so simple that he couldn’t believe he hadn’t thought of it sooner.

  Zach had just reached the computer lab when he remembered that Ms. B had insisted that no one touch the Providias. But he wanted to share his idea with her so he continued past the lab and headed up the hall to her room. He was just about to knock on her door when he saw Caleb inside. “If you look at where he was only a few months ago,” Ms. B was saying, “lost, constantly clowning and misbehaving, never making eye contact, barely performing academically…and where he is now.”

  Zach stiffened. She’s talking about me!

  “I think back to the day I asked you to get him to join the club,” Ms. B continued. “You saved him, Caleb.”

  “Well, I…I don’t know.” Caleb bowed his head. The truth was, in some ways it felt like the opposite. Getting to know Zach had saved him.

  “But you did!” Ms. B insisted. “If you could hear what the other teachers are saying about him now. What an extraordinary transformation it’s been. I’d really like to tell them about your part in it. I know they’d be grateful, Caleb. And you deserve so much of the credit.”

  Never one to turn down credit, Caleb said, “Well, if you insist.”

  Out in the hall, Zach staggered back from the door, feeling like he’d been shot with a Mega-Blaster. Of course Caleb hadn’t wanted to hang out with him at the mall! He’d never truly wanted to be Zach’s friend. All Zach had been to him was one more opportunity for extra credit.

  Zach backed away, turned, and began to sprint. Down the hall, through the lobby, and out of school. Running as hard as he could.

  MATCH TALLY

  THE AXIS: 3

  THE ALLIES: 4

  When the first bell rang, Zach was in his usual hiding place in the boys’ room. He let himself out of the stall and paused to look at the ceiling. The mystery of the hanging loogies
still intrigued him. How did Gavin do it?

  Just then, the boys’ room door opened. Speak of the devil! It was Gavin. Zach froze. The big red-haired boy stopped when he saw what Zach was looking at.

  Without a word, Gavin cleared his throat, tilted his head back, and fired. A moist brownish loogie smacked into the ceiling. From its center it started to droop. The two boys watched in suspense. Would this loogie’s adhesive mucus properties be strong enough? Would it dry into a perfect, elongated, teardrop-shaped stalactiloogie?

  The central bulb of loogie slowly sagged. It seemed like only a matter of seconds before the force of gravity would overpower the stickiness unique to Gavin’s phlegm. But then, just when it looked like the ever-thinning ligament between ceiling and mucus bulb could no longer bear the weight…it stopped! Zach stared up in awe. Gavin had produced a perfect three-inch-hanging loogie! Had mucus ever created anything so magnificent before?

  Despite the frightening prospect of being so close to the enemy, Zach couldn’t help but nod appreciatively. Bravo, Gavin. You have proven to be without equal in the dark art of loogie launching. You are the True Hanging Loogie Master.

  But then Zach braced himself. The magical moment of the perfect stalactiloogie had passed. It was just him and Gavin, alone in the boys’ room.

  When Gavin pulled something out of his pocket and tossed it, Zach flinched, assuming whatever Gavin was throwing at him was bad. But it was small and looked harmless. Zach caught it: a piece of caramel wrapped in cellophane.

  With the slightest smile, Gavin said, “The secret ingredient.”

  * * *

  The Franklin bus station was a dozen blocks from the square where the rally would take place. Crosby felt tormented by nervousness and regret. He’d never skipped school before. What would his mom do when the attendance office called and asked where he was?

  And here he was in this city all by himself. Even the shorter buildings in Franklin were taller than any in Ironville. And there were hardly any trees or grass. Just streets and sidewalks. And stoplights at every intersection. A block away, Crosby could see a crowd of men, many dressed in tan slacks and white or colorful Hawaiian shirts. Some were wearing black helmets and sunglasses or goggles. Others had masked their faces with bandannas. They were carrying shields and white flags with black crosses.

  Crosby caught his breath and trembled. He was scared. This wasn’t a video game. Those weren’t avatars on a screen. They were real grown-ups—and many of them were big. Some carried metal rods or clubs. Crosby had walked about six blocks from the bus station, but now he seriously contemplated turning back and taking a bus home.

  But the men with the shields and flags were just marching. It didn’t look like they were causing trouble. Besides, Crosby knew it was too late to undo what he’d already done. The next bus to Ironville wouldn’t leave until noon. By the time he got back, school would be over, and his mother would have been called by the attendance office. He was in big trouble no matter what.

  Crosby decided to follow the marching men from a safe distance. He wanted to see what they would do.

  * * *

  As Nathan walked toward the cafeteria for lunch, he couldn’t have been happier. Well, that wasn’t true. If he were still back in his old town and going to his old school with his old friends, he was sure he would have been happier. But if he had to be here in stupid Ironville, things had definitely gone from bad to better. That past weekend he’d gone bowling with Bethany Willis and some of the other popular kids. He felt like he’d passed the test and had been welcomed into their crowd. In fact, he decided that this was the day he’d switch lunch tables and sit with Bethany and Tanisha.

  When Nathan stepped into the cafeteria, he stopped short. For a moment he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Could that really be Zach sitting at Gavin’s table? No way. It wasn’t possible.

  But it was. Nathan headed toward the table where Caleb and Emma sat. They were also staring at Gavin’s table as if they too had just noticed.

  “No, you’re not seeing things,” Emma said when Nathan joined them.

  “If he’s sitting with them, does that mean he’s switched to the Axis side?” Nathan asked.

  “That’s what we’re wondering,” Emma said.

  “No one’s asked him?” said Nathan.

  Emma started to get up. “I think the time has come.”

  Nathan had to admit that he was impressed. The mousy Emma he’d met a few months ago when the eSports club began would never have marched over to Gavin’s table. Now he followed her and Caleb. When Zach saw them, he stared down at his lunch, averting his eyes. But the big grin on Tyler’s face said it all. Zach had gone over to the dark side.

  Before any of them had a chance to ask why, Makenzie said, “There’s no rule that says gamers can’t switch sides.”

  “Whose place is he taking?” Caleb asked.

  “Crosby’s not here today,” said Tyler.

  “Last week it was the malware attack,” Emma said. “This week you’re stealing our players. It’s like, if you can’t win fair and square, you’ll bend the rules until you find a way. What’s the point?”

  It was Gavin who answered: “Chill, Emma. It’s just a game.”

  “Only, now we’re short a player,” Nathan said.

  “There must be a hundred kids who’re dying to play,” Tyler said. “It won’t be hard to find someone.”

  Caleb cared less about the match and more about why Zach had switched sides. “Was this your decision?” he asked him.

  Zach looked away and didn’t answer. Nathan felt disgusted. This proved what he’d always known: that Zach was basically spineless. Like an amoeba that changed shape to fit into whatever place it found itself. Nathan didn’t know what the Axis squad had done to get Zach to switch sides, and he decided he didn’t care. In fact, he was happy about it. Tyler was right that it probably wouldn’t be hard to find someone to take Zach’s place. And then, this afternoon, without their vaunted squad tactician, the Allies would once again thrash the Axis. And when that happened, it would be clear once and for all that it was because of Nathan’s superior gaming skills. Not because of Zach’s so-called strategies.

  * * *

  “I told you Zach was a jerk,” Nathan said as he, Emma, and Caleb walked away from the Axis table. Caleb knew that wasn’t true. There was a big difference between someone who sometimes acted weird—because they were insecure—and someone who was a jerk. In fact, if anyone on their squad had proved themselves to be a jerk, it was Nathan.

  But Caleb still couldn’t understand why Zach had switched sides. He’d been a valued member of the Allied squad. It was the last thing Caleb ever imagined Zach doing. Deep down, Caleb had a feeling that Zach had done it because of him. Was their friendship over? Would they never walk home together again? To be honest, it hurt.

  They were halfway back to their table when Nathan veered off, saying he was going to sit with Tanisha and Bethany. Caleb got the feeling that Nathan wasn’t just going to Tanisha’s table for the day. It was a permanent move.

  The period ended. Even though Zach sat with the Axis squad at lunch, he didn’t leave with them. Caleb went into the hall and waited. When Zach came out of the cafeteria and saw Caleb, he hesitated for a moment but didn’t stop. Instead, he lowered his head and quickened his pace. In a way, Caleb felt proud of him. There had been a time when Zach would have sensed trouble and immediately run in some other direction to avoid it. Even if it meant taking the long way through the corridors and being late for class.

  A moment later they were walking together. How do you start a conversation when you both know exactly what you’re going to say? Caleb wondered. So he simply asked, “Why?”

  “You know why,” Zach answered.

  “Honestly, Zach. If I knew, I wouldn’t have asked.”

  “You’re not my friend,”
Zach said. “You never were. You only acted friendly because Ms. B told you to. All this time, you were sucking up to her. Just for more extra credit.”

  Caleb winced. It felt like Zach had stabbed him with a knife. “Okay, maybe that was true…for like, a minute. But that day we hung out in the library and you showed me the biggest wave ever surfed? I could tell that you were a pretty cool guy. And then at the informational meeting? Yeah, it was obvious you weren’t going to join the club because of that jerk, Crosby. And yes, Ms. B did ask me to get you to change your mind. But know what? I would have done it anyway. Because it ticked me off. You’d already said you liked The Good War, so why shouldn’t you join? When I walked home with you, it was because I wanted to get you to change your mind. Here’s the thing, Zach. I like hanging out with you. You’re cool, and it’s the one afternoon a week that I don’t have to rush to some stupid after-school activity. It’s like freedom for me.”

  Zach smirked. “I have to hand it to you, Caleb. You are good. Really good. Everything you say sounds so real. So sincere. I bet I would have believed every word of it…if it wasn’t for what happened last week after the malware attack. See, I was leaving school with Emma when it hit me how to block that hacker. The whole two-part authentication thing. But when I went to Ms. B’s room to tell her, you were there. And I heard everything she said, Caleb.”

  Caleb racked his brain to remember what he and Ms. B had talked about that could have turned Zach against him. He didn’t have to wonder for long.

  “You did such a good job of getting me to join the club that Ms. B wanted to tell all the other teachers,” Zach said. “She wanted you to get the credit. And you were glad to accept it.”