So Gross! by J A Mawter Read Free Book Online Page A

he raced to catch up with the others. He could see Alex at the back with the stragglers.
    ‘Hiya, Al,’ he said, matching his stride.
    ‘You’re late,’ huffed Alex. ‘What happened?’
    ‘Stayed up till midnight and slept in.’
    ‘Midnight? What were you doing till midnight?’
    ‘Research. For my presentation on Friday. It’s going to be about the box I was given,’ answered Marley.
    Alex didn’t believe him.
    ‘Suuure . What is it with you and that box anyway? Bet you were watching TV.’
    Marley was getting fed up. ‘No, Al. I was actually out on a hot date.’
    Unfortunately for Marley they were running past Miss Riley when he said that. She gave him the Boulder but it didn’t stop him in his tracks. He just kept on running.
    By the time he finished his twenty laps of the courts, the others had paired up for a practice hit. Normally Marley would have partnered Alex, but Candace Tan was away and Alex had to go with her partner, Gina Thesopholous.
    Alex wasn’t impressed. If Marley had been on time then Alex wouldn’t have had to play with some dumb girl.
    Marley looked around. He wasn’t too impressed, either. The only one left with a racquet was Miss Riley.
    ‘Grab your balls, Mr Morgan, and go down the other end.’ Miss Riley did a practice serve. The ball whizzed past Marley’s head as he walked to the service line. It landed perfectly in the corner. Marley touched his box for good luck and gripped his racquet. If he wanted to be a champion at tennis he couldn’t let one fat old teacher get the better of him.
    To Marley’s credit he slammed and lobbed and blocked and rallied with the best of them, making Miss Riley lunge all around the court. He got several Poison Darts for his efforts but a huge amount of satisfaction. By the end of it Miss Riley was red in the face and breathless.
    ‘Nice one, Marley,’ whispered Alex, who couldn’t stay angry for long. ‘You showed her.’
    Miss Riley was not happy. While the others were getting changed for class, she made Marley lug the plastic bin of balls into the shed. Celeste Whittaker was given the responsible job of unlocking and re-locking the door. She tapped her foot and jingled the keys, but never once offered to help as Marley heaved and huffed his way towards the shed.
    When the bell rang for class, Celeste was fully dressed. Marley wasn’t. He filed into the classroom, his tennis shoes still on his feet.

Chapter Five
    ‘Since when has Fullerton North Primary worn white school shoes on their feet, Mr Morgan?’
    When are you going to let up? thought Marley.
    ‘You are a disgrace. If Celeste Whittaker can be ready on time, surely you can be, too. Go outside and dress for class properly.’
    Miss Riley turned to the children. She was wearing a big Two-By-Four, which was a bit of a worry as she was very cross. ‘Class, our standards are falling. It’s time we had a uniform inspection.’
    Twenty-seven Poison Darts flew in Marley’s direction. If it weren’t for him this wouldn’t be happening. Alex refused to look at him.
    Marley slunk out of the classroom.
    Give me an angry tribe of pygmy hunters any day, he thought.
    Five children were given a lunchtime detention for not wearing the proper school uniform. Marley was one of them. In the rush to get out of the house that morning he’d forgotten to pack grey socks.
    Five children lined up with plastic bags in the playground, their punishment to collect a hundred papers each. Not that Miss Riley would count, of course, but you never could tell. Their shoulders drooped in the midday sun. It wasanother one of those days when you could fry an egg on a slippery dip.
    ‘Thanks, Marley,’ said Katie Solomon, wiping the sweat from her forehead. ‘It’s all your fault we have to do this.’
    ‘Yeah, Morgan,’ said Sam, who was no longer His Man. ‘If we get sunstroke you’re gonna pay.’
    Marley didn’t know what to say. They were right. Their only crime was that they were in the same