SuperFan by Jeff Gottesfeld Read Free Book Online

from Los Angeles, California. Jayden had somehow recorded her video in a wrestling ring while she did gymnastics across the floor. Like DeJuan, she seemed cool.
    â€œHer mentor is Natalya. She’s been the Divas Champion. Very beautiful, very tough. Now check out the last one.” Rey frowned.
    Up came a video from a kid named Spike Murcer. Spike was from Renton, Washington. He was tall, he was wide, and he was strong. Spike had shot his video in a gym and did bicep curls with heavy dumbbells as he talked. “I want to grow up to be a WWE Superstar. The best way to do that is to be the first SuperFan. That’s why I’m going to win. And everyone else is going to lose.”
    Shawn shuddered a bit. There was nothing that Spike was saying that was so bad, but he just had a feeling about the guy. Plus, there were those huge dumbbells.
    The video ended as the limo stopped in front of Shawn’s house. “Who’s his mentor?” Shawn asked.
    â€œHis mentor?” Rey repeated. “Funny you should ask that. It’s my favorite person in the world: CM Punk.”
    Shawn gulped. “Can you play it again?”
    Rey reran the video. Amazing. Spike even looked like Punk, with dark hair and brooding eyes. He had Punk’s cocky mouth and slight sneer. All he was missing were Punk’s famous tattoos.
    Shawn shuddered. These were the kids he’d have to beat. But how?

CHAPTER TEN
    â€œHey, it’s the SuperFan!”
    â€œNah, it’s not the SuperFan. Shawn Reynolds’ll never be the SuperFan!”
    â€œWell, then. It’s the SuperFraud!”
    Shawn’s ears burned as he took his place in the batter’s box of the Columbia East Middle School baseball diamond. It was two weeks after Rey Mysterio had shown up on his doorstep. Two weeks of exercising in the snow, rain, or shine, of studying the white binder with Peter and Alex, and of reading and rereading Tom Sawyer. Literally every moment that Shawn wasn’t doing schoolwork or his chores, he was preparing for the competition. The only thing he did to relax was play his guitar.
    Rey monitored his progress by e-mail and made changes to his training routine. To build upper-body strength, he told Shawn to put a pull-up bar in his doorway and use it morning and night. To build balance, Rey had Shawn stand on one leg while Peter and Alex tried to push him over. Two days ago, he’d finally made it to the top of the football bleachers without having to stop.
    There was one extra-good part to training that Shawn hadn’t anticipated: It distracted him from the fact that they still hadn’t heard from his father. Carla assured the boys that this was totally normal, but that didn’t make it easier. Shawn still sent daily e-mails so Sanford would come back to a full inbox.
    Now it was mid-March and, again, unseasonably warm. The gym teacher, Mr. Marotta, had decreed that they’d play kickball outdoors.
    As Shawn waited for Mr. Marotta to take the mound, mean cracks kept coming from the other team. The worst came from Jeff Harrison, who was both a terrible student and the class bully.
    â€œYo, Weenie Shawn!” Jeff was shouting from left field. “The only ring you belong in is a ring-around-the-rosy. Ashes, ashes, Shawn falls down! ”
    Jeff tumbled to the ground, flailing his arms and legs. His teammates cracked up.
    Shawn gritted his teeth. Rey had warned him that part of being a celebrity—and Shawn was definitely now a mini-celebrity—was that some people would want to knock you down just because they could. Jeff Harrison was one of those people.
    It wasn’t all bad, though. Other kids were extra friendly now that he was a SuperFan finalist. Some of them would never even give him the time of day before. It was flattering, but it made Shawn really grateful for a true friend like Alex, who’d be his friend no matter how the competition turned out.
    â€œHey, Weenie! Why’d