Read Online Cheating for the Chicken Man by Priscilla Cummings - Free Book Online Page A

probablywouldn’t be an issue.
    When the bus stopped at school, Kate bid good-bye to Jess and rushed to catch up with her brother. “Hey!” she said, touching his elbow. “Someone sat with you this morning!”
    J.T. kept walking. “Oh, wow.”
    â€œCome on, you know what I mean. It’s a start. I think things will be okay.”
    â€œYeah.”
    Kate stayed by her brother’s side until they were inside the front doors. J.T.’s locker was off to the right while Kate’s was to the left.
    â€œGood luck today,” she said softly before they separated.
    â€œThanks,” J.T. mumbled.
    But both were stopped by a jarring sight: a banner made of loose-leaf notebook paper that had been taped over a long string hung across the hallway near J.T.’s locker. Large letters in thick black marker read:
    THE CHICKEN MAN RETURNS

~7~
    COWARDS
    A hush fell over the crowded hallway. The chatter, the stream of laughter, the slamming of locker doors—all of it stopped. Kids stepped back to clear a path and watched as Kate and J.T. slowly moved forward.
    It was like falling into a trance, Kate thought, a trance of disbelief. She kept thinking that as she got closer, the individual letters would clarify and become something different, or else disappear. Only they didn’t. Instead, the letters seemed to grow larger—and more menacing.
    THE CHICKEN MAN RETURNS
    Kate’s mouth went dry. Her heart pounded.
    J.T. stood silent beside her.
    â€œWho did this?” Kate asked softly, even though she’d suspected right away it was Curtis. It wasn’t like her to make a scene, but shock was quickly turning to anger. “Who did this?” she repeated, her trembling voice a little louder.
    Looking around, Kate saw some of the kids shake their heads and shrug. She also heard some giggling and caught a few smirks. But no one said anything.
    J.T. remained silent and seemed stunned.
    â€œ
Someb
ody
saw!” Kate declared, her voice so loud it surprised even herself. “Who was it?”
    â€œCome on, Kate,” J.T. said, putting his hand on her arm.
    But Kate pulled away and stared at the gawking students. And in that moment, she had a crystallized flashback to middle school, the day all of eighth grade sat in the library during Anti-Bullying Week watching the assistant principal draw a diagram on the board. In the middle, he drew a small circle and called it the Victim. In a semicircle around the Victim, other circles appeared: the Students Who Bullied, the Followers, the Passive Bullies, the Disengaged Onlookers, and the Possible Defenders. They were in that circle right now, weren’t they? Everyone standing there knew it. How could they not care? Did they think it was
funny
?
    Don’t stand by—stand up
.
    But not a single person did.
    â€œYou’re all a bunch of cowards!” Kate blurted out, on the verge of tears.
    â€œKate, please.” J.T. grabbed her arm and tried to lead her away, but Kate wriggled out of his grasp.
    â€œYou’re going to make it worse!” he whispered harshly.
    Kate ignored the warning. She dropped her backpack on the floor and marched over to where the banner was attached at one end with adhesive tape to the wall. The crowd parted to let her through, and everyone watched as Kate reached up to rip off the tape. She walked to the other side of the hall, the banner trailing on the floor behind her, and ripped the other end off. Quickly, noisily, she gathered the papers in her arms, squashing them against her chest, and retrieved her backpack.She looked for J.T., but he was gone.
    People started moving. The show was over.
    Or was it? Kate spotted Curtis Jenkins in the crowd. He was partially hidden, but stretching his neck to watch her. There was no question it had been him. Kate recognized the long dirty blond hair brushing his eyes, the ever-present camo shirt, the trademark smirk.
    She walked up to him. “Was