Illusion: Destiny Awaits (In Editing)

17 - Christi

"The game we're going to play is called... uh... well, forget what it's called. How you play it is... I've made a bracket for this game. The bracket lists who will be playing against who. So, what you'll do is you will each battle each other. The winner of one battle will battle the winner of another match. Then so on until we have a winner! Got that? Okay! Find your seats and take a look at the bracket!" he finishes, looking very pleased with himself.

"Uh... Mr. W?" Someone asks.

"Yes?"

"Uh... what are we battling for?"

"I have a stash of donuts, cookies, candies and more in my car. That's the prize."

"What if we don't like donuts?" Another kid asks. Sabrina gasps.

"How can someone not like donuts?!?!?!?!" she whispers fiercely to me. I shrug in response.

"Hmmm... there are candies and cookies..." Mr. W suggests.

"What if we're going on a diet?" Someone from the back of the room comments.

"Well... I have some cheese as well. But nothing more than that."

"CHEESE?!?!?!?!?!!?!?" A student screams. The student hops up and down and up and down.

"I love cheese! Cheese is amazing! It's like the source of all amazing things! Cheese is so good too! It's healthy, and works well in almost any situation! Like... when your door won't stay open! Use a cheese wedge! When someone is in distress! Make a cheese rope! Or... need a bookmark? String cheese will come in handy there! If someone is threatening your life? Offer them cheese!"

Mr. W gives the student a quizzical look.

"It's true Mr. W! I read somewhere that if you're nice to people, like... you know, if you're say... in a jam... like someone has kidnapped you and tied you to a chair and is holding a knife up to your heart? Be kind, and they won't hurt you! And no one can turn down cheese! Like... who wouldn't want cheese?!"

"Someone who's lactose intolerant," Jace mutters next to me. I stifle a giggle.

"And also..." the student starts.

"Okay now, thank you, Sabrina." Mr. W clears his throat.

"Mr. W?" Jace asks.

"Yes, Jace?"

"You never really taught us how to play the game."

"Did I forget?" He face palms himself. "Well, first, on the count of three, you put your hand in a specific way. Like if you pull it into a fist, that beats a hand with two fingers out and slightly apart." He demonstrates in front of the class. "But if you lay out your hand flat... palm down, that covers up the fist, which means the fist is defeated. So that leaves the flat hand and the two-fingered hand." He continues to demonstrate. "Then, since the flat hand is flat, the two-fingered hand can easily "go through it." That means that the flat hand is defeated and the two-fingered hand remains."

I raise my hand.

"Yes, Christi?"

"So it's basically a big game... slash... tournament of Rock, Paper, Scissors?"

"What the heck of a game is that?"

My hands start to sweat. "You don't know what Rock, Paper, Scissors is?"

"No! Of course not! In fact, it sounds quite violent to me!"

"Well... it's just like how you showed us... but... it's like... uh..."

Thankfully, and to my relief, Jace swoops in and fixes my mistake.

"Doesn't matter how you play it! Christi was just mentioning that we all understand how to play!"

Mr. W nods in agreement. "Okay kids, here's the bracket!" He starts drawing a bracket, with names on it, on the whiteboard. Once he's finished, I take a good look.

"Uh, Mr. W? Where is the rest of the homeroom? They aren't on the board," I say.

He just nods.

"That's the way it's supposed to be. Remember at the beginning of the year when you all filled out a form saying whether you would like a chromebook day or a game day?"

"Oh yeah!" Sabrina says behind me.

"Well," Mr. W continues, "16 of you picked a game day, and 7 of you picked a chromebook day, so that is why there are only 16 people in the bracket. Lucky for me, it's a perfect fit."

"Ohhhhhh..." we all say.

"Shall we get started?"

"Yeah!!!!" we scream.

"Great!" Mr. W claps his hands together. "Go find your partner."

We all crowd around the whiteboard. I'm paired with Joe. Hmmm... I back away from the whiteboard and look around for him.

He's in the corner reading Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters.

"Hi there," I say to him. "Enjoying your book?"

He nods without looking up.

"So... about the game?"

"Huh?"

"Rock Paper Scissors tournament," I prompt. "You're battling me..."

At the mention of that, he jumps up, throws his book back on his chair, and puts a competitive look on his face.

With immediate enthusiasm, he exclaims, "You're on!" I laugh.

"Sure thing!" I answer.

Our short conversation is interrupted by Mr. W, who has started speaking.

"The way this works, is that we will not have all battling pairs compete at the same designated time. So, we will start at the top of the list. Our first battling pair will be Sabrina and Holli."

I look at Sabrina. She seems nervous.

"Are you ready?" I ask.

"No!" she answers. "Holli is really good at rock paper scissors. Remember three years ago when we had a contest?"

"Oh yeah," I reply, thinking back to the memory. "She beat everyone."

"Exactly!" Sabrina pouts.

"Hmmmmm..." I say, wondering.

"What?" she questions.

"I have an idea."

"You do? What is it?"

"Well, we've played rock paper scissors with her multiples times at lunch before..."

"Yes?"

"And you and Holli were always beating people, but you could never beat her."

"Yeah, I know. Don't need to rub it in!"

"But that's not the point. Since you and Holli always battled each other in the end, you need to find out what she did to beat you. Does she mostly throw rock? Paper? Or scissors? Then, when you find this out, then you can throw the opposite to win."

"That is a good idea," Sabrina agrees. "But what if I throw the wrong one, or our idea was wrong?"

"Uh... well, it is what it is. Can't do nothing about it."

"I hate your grammar," she says, and I shove her playfully.

"Sabrina and Holli! To the front of the classroom!" Mr. W says.

"That's my cue," Sabrina whispers.

"Go burn her!" I exclaim. She widens her eyes in horror. "I meant... not literally."

Sabrina nods.

I watch as she takes her spot at the front of the classroom.

"Ready?" Mr. W says.

"Ready," they both answer.

"Go ahead."

~

Sorry, this was sorta a filler chapter. I know it's boring...