Making the Cut by David Skuy Read Free Book Online Page A

balance between fruit and fibre.”
    That broke Slogger up. “You’re a twisted young man,” he said.
    Then he and Scott did a hilarious pretend handshake, which started with a patty-cake, and ended with elbow strikes, flapping arms, and two fingers wiggling behind their ears.
    Scott, Nick and Slogger cracked jokes and dissed each other all the way to the cafeteria. Charlie followed along, struggling to keep up with the rapid-fire conversation. He’d always envied Scott and Nick for how easily they made new friends and could talk to anyone. Charlie was usually at a loss for words when he was with people he didn’t know well.
    There was a fairly long lineup for the food. Charlie took a tray and joined it. Still only half-awake, he looked around the cafeteria. Jen was wheeling a large whiteboard against a wall. A bunch of early risers were already finished eating, Corey among them. He was holding court, gesturing wildly, to a table full of listeners.
    “Ladies and gentlemen.” A loud voice jarred Charlie out of his sleepy thoughts. “For your amusement and pleasure, I shall attempt the impossible. Behold the great Jakerini, who shall attempt to juggle three eggs with a bowl of cereal on his head.”
    That got everyone’s attention.
    “Ten bucks says he drops it all.”
    “A hundred bucks says he falls on his butt.”
    Jake laughed and bowed to the crowd. “I thank you for your encouragement. I require silence, please; and do not attempt this on your own. I am a professional, and you could get hurt.”
    “Or end up looking like a doofus,” someone quipped.
    Jake laughed, and then slowly placed the cereal bowl on this head.
    “Ta da!”
    The guys clapped loudly, and a chant went up.
    “Jug-gle! Jug-gle! Jug-gle!”
    Jake raised the three eggs — and he actually began to juggle. Everyone went crazy, whistling and clapping in appreciation. He caught the eggs — and that’s when the cereal bowl fell, and the milk splashed all over his shirt and sweatpants.
    Charlie would have felt sorry for him — if it hadn’t been Jake. Talk about awkward.
    Only Jake didn’t look the slightest bit upset. He was laughing his head off, and so was everyone else. He bowed deeply.
    “Can you juggle bowls of soup next?” someone asked.
    “How about spaghetti and meatballs?”
    “Thank you. Thank you. I’ll be performing here all week.” Jake picked up the bowl and put it on his head like a hat, took his food tray back from Zane, and a large group of guys followed them to a table.
    Scott leaned over to Charlie. “I always knew he belonged in a circus ’cause he’s such a clown.”
    Charlie was too stunned even to laugh. This wasn’t the Jake he knew. Where was the bully who took himself so seriously and picked on people all the time? He’d only met Slogger and Corey, and he barely knew them. Jake was already friends with half the camp.
    Charlie never ate a big breakfast, especially this early, and so he helped himself to some cereal and an orange juice and joined his friends.
    “So what happens today?” Scott asked.
    “Did you forget to read your schedule? Jen will be terribly disappointed,” Nick said.
    “Of course I read it. I’m just testing you.”
    Corey had spent half an hour last night explaining the schedule to Charlie, so he practically knew it by heart.
    “First, we get divided into our teams,” he said. “Then we meet our coaches, when we’ll be given a binder with practice drills and forechecking and defensive schemes sketched out. Then we have our first team practice. That’s followed by lunch, down time for an hour, during which my roommate will do tons of sit-ups and push-ups or go for a run …” That got a laugh from Nick and Scott and a quizzical look from Slogger, “and then a second practice. According to Corey, we definitely will not scrimmage today. No chance. Then it’s free time to dinner, and there’s a movie in the cafeteria until curfew at ten.”
    All three guys began