The Zucchini Warriors by Gordon Korman Read Free Book Online Page A

leaves.
    “So I said, ‘Mr. Sturgeon, if you’re going to punish my players, you’ll have to punish me, too.’ And he put me on leaf-raking duty.”
    The Zucchini Disposal Squad was spread out all over the rolling lawns of Macdonald Hall, raking the mid-September leaves as part of their punishment for the previous night’s incident. There was also a lot of dishwashing, essay writing and suspension of privileges divided up among the squad’s ten members.
    “Come on, Mr. Carson,” grinned Bruno, working his own section of grass. “You know you don’t have to do this.”
    “Forget it,” said Carson stoutly. “I refuse to allow The Fish to call my bluff. I’m holding out until he takes us
all
off punishment.”
    Boots laughed mirthlessly. “You’ll wait a long time.”
    “Probably. It’s unbelievable. Thirty years go by, and he still has my number. I’m in shock! My head hurts, too,” he added, touching his bandage gingerly.
    Bruno scanned the skies. “One of these days it’ll rain, and we can get good and soaked, and sneeze in front of Mrs. Sturgeon. Then she’ll shame The Fish into letting us off the hook.”
    Carson looked at him with a new respect. “I never thought of that. Well, we’ve got to look at The Fish’s point of view, too. You know that needle-nosed guy who was at the riot last night? He’s an inspector from the Ministry of Education.”
    “Oh, no,” moaned Boots. “We really made a great impression.”
    Bruno shrugged. “It’s not our fault Miss Scrimmage is crazy. But it does explain why The Fish got so steamed over a minor incident. I’ve never seen so many guys getting chewed out at the same time that they wouldn’t all fit on the bench!”
    Boots snorted. “It was memorable — all of us crammed in there like sardines, The Fish hitting the ceiling, Elmer whimpering, the Blabbermouth filling in extra details —”
    “Come on, men,” interrupted Mr. Carson, quickening his pace. “We’ve got to get all this done by football practice.”
    As Mr. Carson raked his way north toward the stadium, Bruno and Boots worked in the opposite direction, and soon found themselves alongside Myron and Dave, with Elmer Drimsdale not too far away.
    Elmer looked at Bruno reproachfully. “I shouldn’t be here, you know. I should be with my bush hamsters. Time could run out on the whole species while I’m raking leaves.”
    But Bruno’s attention was on someone else. “Hey, Blabbermouth. How come you’re so quiet today? All talked out? Ever eat a rake? Want to try mine?”
    “Sorry about that,” said Myron blithely. “It just slipped out.”
    “Slipped out?!” howled Boots. “Two hours of details just
slipped out
?”
    Myron shrugged. “It won’t happen again. Hey, you guys don’t know about Chris Talbot’s ingrown toenail.”
    “Shut up,” said Dave.
    “They’re going to have to operate.”
    Dave looked earnestly at Bruno and Boots. “You see? Don’t be too hard on him. He can’t help it. He’s a blabbaholic. Whatever goes in his ears comes out his mouth.”
    “Well, okay,” said Bruno, “but from now on it’s your responsibility to control the Blabbermouth. If he sells us out and we have to kill him, it’s on your head.”
    Working together, the five boys were the last to finish, coming to stand exhausted in the shadow of an enormous mountain of leaves right in the centre of the lawn behind the Faculty Building.
    “I can’t believe that after all this work we have football practice,” gasped Boots. “I’d give anything for a shower and a nap.”
    Bruno shook his head. “Look.” He pointed in the direction of the dormitories. “Here comes one of the guys already suited up.”
    Elmer frowned. “He’s coming awfully fast.”
    Boots, who had the sharpest vision, suddenly went white. “It’s The Beast!”
    “Hey, Calvin,” called Bruno. “What’s your hurry? Come on — slow down. Hey, Calvin! Calvin —
hit the deck
!” The five boys dove out of