Read Online I Have a Bad Feeling About This by Jeff Strand - Free Book Online Page A

people to choose from, Henry didn’t think it would be too humiliating to be picked last for the shelter-building teams, but this wasn’t how he wanted to start his new era of dominating the camp.
    â€œStu,” said Max, “pick a number between one and ten.”
    â€œOne.”
    â€œOne?”
    â€œYes, sir.”
    â€œYou realize that if somebody else picks two, they get all of the numbers between two and ten, right?”
    Stu nodded.
    â€œHenry, pick a number between one and ten.”
    â€œTwo.”
    Stu cursed.
    â€œRandy, pick a number between one and ten.”
    â€œTwo.”
    â€œWas he allowed to pick the same number?” asked Erik.
    â€œNo, he disqualified himself. Erik, pick a number between one and ten.”
    â€œFive.”
    â€œExcellent choice. But the number was one. Stu and Henry, you’re the team captains. Henry, make your first and only selection.”
    â€œRandy.”
    Max glared at him. “With all due respect, I think we can all agree that Randy is not your best possible option. Please explain your reasoning.”
    â€œHe’s my best friend,” said Henry.
    â€œAnd that automatically makes him the best shelter-builder?”
    â€œNo,” said Henry, thankful that he had blurted out Randy’s name before he stopped to seriously consider who might be best at the task, which would have plunged him into a moral quandary about the loyalty of friendship versus the end goal to be achieved. He wanted to win, but he wasn’t going to dump Randy to help him achieve that goal. Only a total jerk would do that. He was a nerd, not a jerk.
    Max nodded. “In a survival situation, it is often more important to have people who are trustworthy than people who are competent. You don’t want to share a shelter with somebody who will try to feed you to whatever might be trying to eat you. Well done.”
    â€œThank you, sir.”
    â€œStu? Your pick.”
    â€œAw, man.” Stu looked back and forth between Erik and Jackie. “I feel like Erik is probably stronger—”
    â€œ Probably stronger?” asked Erik.
    â€œBut Jackie would take up less room in the shelter, so we wouldn’t have to make the shelter quite as big. Then again, Jackie’s hair would be more likely to stain the pillows, unless we use leaves for pillows, in which case he would just be staining the leaves the same color that they already are.”
    â€œ Probably stronger?” Erik repeated.
    â€œHey, it’s not like I’ve seen you two arm wrestle,” said Stu.
    â€œMake your pick,” said Max.
    â€œOkay, the person I choose for my team is…umm… Jackie. ”
    Jackie beamed.
    â€œâ€¦Stay in line,” Stu continued, “because I pick Erik.”
    â€œAw, dude,” said Jackie. “That wasn’t a cool way to do it.”
    â€œYeah, you’re right. I change my pick to Jackie.”
    â€œYou don’t get to change your pick,” said Max.
    â€œOkay, good.”
    â€œJackie, since you were picked last, you will be given the most important task. You are now the sabotage crew. At certain brief intervals, you will be allowed to destroy the hard work that your fellow campers have done.”
    â€œ Sweet !”
    â€œHere’s how this is going to work,” said Max. “You will have one hour to build a shelter. The team that does the best job of constructing a shelter in which you could spend the night and not die is the winner.”
    â€œWhat do we win?” asked Henry.
    â€œYou win the gift of potentially not being dead. Also, the losing team has to make lunch. The competition begins…now!”
    Erik whispered something to Stu and they immediately took off running. What did Erik know that Henry didn’t? Was there a Home Depot nearby?
    Randy held the injured bird, wrapped in a blue cloth, and gently stroked the top of its head with his thumb. “We could