Where There's Light | ✔

20. School Spirit (2)

"You're a cheater," Nolan accused as we left the ring toss booth.

I couldn't help but laugh at the way he pouted. "If it'll make you feel better, you can take Mr. Penguin home with you." I held the giant stuffed penguin I won out to him.

He shot me a look. "Mr. Penguin? That was the best you could come up with?"

"You have a better suggestion?"

He thought for a moment, running his finger through his hair to get it out of his face. "Spike?"

"Spike?" I echoed.

"Yeah. It sounds bad ass."

"Penguins aren't bad ass. They're cute."

"Why can't they be both."

Good point. "Well, I guess I have a cut bad ass penguin named Spike."

"That you cheated to win," he mumbled under his breath.

I bumped him with my shoulder, knocking him off balance. "I didn't cheat."

As we continued roaming the carnival grounds Nolan was being surprisingly social. He was way more outgoing than I was, that's for sure.

He congratulated players as they passed by, shocking them with fist bumps and high fives. It amazed me how effortless he made everything look. How he smiled and rambled off some football terms that apparently made since to the jocks he was talking to. How, whenever a crazed fan shouted Grizzlies, he'd respond with a growl, just like any other overly enthusiastic fan in the general vicinity.

I found myself just watching him. Admiring the way he interacted with people. You'd never guess that he hated Bellcreek and was desperate to get out.

"You're going to lose your voice if you keep it up," I told after he shouted "Go Grizzlies" for the hundredth time. My own voice was going to be gone just from all the screaming I did during the game.

"No pain, no gain. Right?" He grinned. It didn't looked forced or fake like at the beginning of the night. I started to think he was buying into the idea that he was a Bellcreek fanboy. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't enjoying seeing that side of him.

"So, what do you want to do next?"

"We should do something you can't cheat at." I rolled my eyes, nudging him.

A crowd forming off to the side caught my eye. It was Mr. Barton at the dunk tank, a group of students surrounded him complaining about something. I walked over, Nolan in tow, to see what was wrong.

"I'm really sorry, but Mr. Hughes had a family emergency," Mr. Barton told the crowd. They were apparently upset they didn't get to dunk the World History teacher as promised. He was definitely Bellcreek's most hated faculty member.

"Now if any of you are volunteering take his place..." The crowd quieted down to a murmur. "That's what I thought."

Before I could fully think it through, I was handing Spike and my purse to Nolan.

"What are you doing?"

"Volunteering for the dunk tank."

His eyes widened. "These are the same people who threw eggs at you." Concern across his face, taking me by surprise. Did he actually care?

"Exactly. Now they can channel their aggression into something that'll raise money for the school," I explain, feeling confident in my plan. "It's a win, win."

His gaze shifted to the now disbanding crowd, before coming back to me. His 'I don't care' attitude seemed to crack before me. "You're sure about this?"