Turning Red: Changed

Chapter 8 - Dodgeball/In the School's Bathroom

It was another day at Pearson Middle School. Mr. Kieslowski got us to change into our gym outfits. Yup. We're playing outside today. And my teacher got us each a dodgeball. Uh oh. We're playing dodgeball. I was positioned next Abby. She was right between me and Priya. And Mei was next to Priya. Mei doesn't seem happy about last night. I guess she failed to get her parents to let her go to see 4-town. Mei evades the upcoming dodgeballs on her way. "That presentation was bomb.com. I sited all my sources. I have sparklers." She added. Mei threw her dodgeball hard. I don't blame her for being mad. "And she still said no!" She exclaimed stressfully. Priya dodged two dodgeballs. She got reflexes with her head. "My parents said I can go when I'm thirty." Priya stated in her frown. Abby got two dodgeballs on her both hands. She defends herself pretty much. Abby was mad. "Mine called it stripper music." She added. "What's wrong with that?" Abby asks herself. Did she catch a dodgeball with her teeth? It was my turn to report my last night's result. I was not thrilled. "Mine said yes. Then I have to buy the ticket." I added. I caught the dodgeball. "Who the heck's got that kind of cash?" I wondered myself too. I gasped. That dodgeball almost hit me on my head. I was off guard. Mei catches another dodgeball. She seemed to be melancholy about one of her parents. "I know my mom's worried. But sometimes she's just so..." Mei stumbles on her saying. I still have my dodgeball. I kept dodging every dodgeball that comes at me. As I turned my head to the high fence, I recognized someone. Mrs. Lee's here? In her car? Why the heck is she's spying on her again? Mei isn't going to go red panda here. Most of the time, I don't understand Mrs. Lee at all. Mei told me yesterday that she don't like me. What kind of a mom she think she is? The way Mei sighs about her, I could only guess one thing about Mrs. Lee. She was anxious. "So um..." Mei said. I raised my eyebrow at Mrs. Lee. "Wacko." I uttered. Abby, Priya and Mei glanced at me. I gestured them to the other direction. They looked at their left. They became astonished. Mrs. Lee not only in her car. She got binoculars with her. I was right. Mrs. Lee IS wacko. The school security guard was pursuing her. "Ma'am, please!" He shouted. She was trying to drive away from him. "I'm sorry, please." The school security guard failed to halt Mrs. Lee.

There was laughing coming to the front of us. Someone far away. Ugh. It was Tyler. He was so immature again. "Little mama's girl." Tyler mocked Mei. He was pointing and laughing hard at her. "No wonder Mei is such a loser." Tyler said. He has better take that back what he say. I stared at my friend. The one with her red-orange hair. I have never witnessed her anger before. She furrows her brows close to her eyes. Mei was frowning. She squeezes her dodgeball tighter. I don't really know what is Mei going to do next. Her face became red as a fire hydrant. She grunts twice. And then, her right arm became her red panda arm. Oh no. Mei threw her dodgeball so much hard. Oh why? She didn't have to do that. It almost goes to Tyler's head. He freaked out. Tyler ducked himself down. The dodgeball broke the school's glass window.

There was a whistle being blown by Mr. Kieslowski. He was angry. Mr. Kieslowski faces Mei. "Illegal throw! You're out, Lee!" He shouts. Oh she was still mad. "What?!" Mei added, exclaiming. Me, Abby and Priya had to hold her down. We even escorted her back in our middle school. We smiled nervously at our teacher. "But Mr. K?!" Mei exclaims. I have to calm her down. "Hey, chill." I added. "Let's go, let's go." I whispered to my poor friend. She was seriously losing it.

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The four of us headed to the school girls' bathroom. We pushed Mei to the far end of the place. I alerted her. "Calm down, Mei." I said. She was almost settled down yet bothered. Priya was serious. "Dude, keep it together." She aforesaid.

Me, Abby and Priya have not ever seen her more tense before. For what Mei describes about her life, I think she's trying to be her actual person. She faced us. Mei couldn't take it anymore. "I can't. We need to see this concert." She added. "Why doesn't my mom get that?" Mei asks herself. I always wondered why Mrs. Lee don't get her. I don't even get still why she doesn't like me. I'm doing nothing to hurt my friend. Mei goes venting about herself. Man, she's really pestered. "I never ask for anything. My whole life I've been her perfect little Mei-Mei. Temple duties, grades..." Mei mentions. Abby and Priya steps forward.

"Violin!" Abby gestured out.

"Tap dancing." Priya pointed out.

Mei agreed with them. She was so annoyed. "We've been so good." Mei added. "If they don't trust us anyway, then what's the point?" She asks herself again.

I was so blown with her. "Wow, who are you?" I added, asking. I grinned my teeth. I became my crazy self. "I love it!" I exclaimed. Abby have her right fist in the air. "Fight the power!" She shouted.

There's something different about Mei. And I'm starting to believe that she did become her own person. And it's only because Mei got a red panda in her. I really wanted to know more how she got it. Despite the genetic thing-y from Mrs. Lee, I think there's more behind Mei. She glances at us. "Yeah, this isn't just our first concert. This is our first step into womanhood. And we have to do it together." Mei declared.

I am seriously loving this. I was contented. "I'm in, girl. I will say it's a sleepover at my house." I suggested.

Abby puts her hands together. She was devious. "The perfect crime." Abby said.

Mei went around to the other side of the bathroom. She was resolute. "Alright, now we just to figure out how to get money for the tickets." Mei added. "Come on, girls. Let's think." She told us.

The four of us are pondering hard. It has been taking a while to get an idea. Abby halts her thinking. She stares at Mei. "Do you know what'll help me think?" Abby inquires. Mei got curious. "What?" She inquired back. Abby can't hold her excitement. "A little panda..." She whispers.

Oh I know what Abby's up to. I kinda want to see her red panda again too. Priya smiles at Abby. Mei narrowed her eyes. "Abby." She said. Abby was reaching out and jumping for joy. "Oh come on. It'll clear my mind." She added. "It's so cute!" Abby exclaimed. Mei sighed. She extends her arms for Abby. "Fine." Mei replied.

Oh Abby. She leaps to hug Mei. She hugged Abby back. Mei closes her eyes to imagine anything. I'm guessing she's picturing Robaire. I can see Mei thinking of him. Her dream boy as a superhero? A prince? Or, or even a merman. I can think of lots of things with Aaron T if I go imagining him.

I heard my friend go nuts.

Mei was squealing with joy. Poof! She became a big red panda again. Mei opened her eyes. She looks down at Abby. She smiles at her. "Happy?" Mei asked. Man, Abby was living her moment. She can't stop feeling her red fluffy fur. Maybe too happy if Mei asked me. "Oh yeah. That's the stuff." Abby replied.

The four of us heard a gasp. We became wide-eyed. It's that blonde girl with beige boots again. She was astonished. "O.M.G." The blonde girl said.

Mei runs into one pink bathroom stall. The poor big red panda was scared. The blonde girl had two of her classmates with her. Two more girls. They have seemed overwhelmed too. The blonde girl would not stop pointing. She was looking at Mei. "That was you in the bathroom!" She added, exclaiming. Me, Abby and Priya guarded the one pink bathroom stall. We frowned at her. "I didn't imagine it!" The blonde girl exclaims. I seriously wanted her and her classmates to stay out of it. Really, I can't let Mei's secret get revealed like that. "Yeah, ya did." I said. Priya was annoyed. "But lost it." She said.

One of the girls raises her eyebrow. "So she is like a magical bear?" The black-haired girl guesses.

The four of us told them directly. "Red panda!" We exclaimed in unison. Mei pops herself right above the pink bathroom stall.

The three girls goes stunned.

She hides herself again in surprise.

Me, Abby and Priya are astounded. There was awkward silence for a moment. And afterwards, they are going big eyes. "You are the cutest thing ever!" The blonde girl added. "Come out, please!" She pleaded.

Poof! Mei got turned into herself again. She got out of the pink bathroom stall. Mei was confused. "Wait, so you like the panda?" She wondered.

Me, Abby and Priya are bewildered as well.

The brunette girl confesses herself. "Like it? I love it!" She added. "I'll give you anything! Money?" The brunette girl offered.

The black-haired girl offers too. "My kidney?" She wonders.

The blonde girl held her heart. She was going into tears. "My soul?" The blonde girl said emotionally.

Me, Mei, Abby and Priya stared at each other. Are these three girls are really paying us? For Mei's red panda? For what we thought together, the four of us had just found our way to get money for 4-Town.