Read Online Sammy Keyes and the Psycho Kitty Queen by Wendelin Van Draanen - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Wendelin Van Draanen
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wantin' a ringside seat before, but
underneath
it?”
“You want I should throw her out?” El Gato asks him.
Dave shakes his beefy tan neck. “Uh-uh. Throw her up here.”
“Up there?”
“Uh-huh.”
And with that, El Gato lifts me by the back of my jeans and my shirt and passes me through the ropes.
“You must want to wrestle bad, huh?” Slammin' Dave says with a grin.
I look from side to side. “Uh—”
“Well, come on. Let's see you take a bump.”
“But—”
“What do you say, guys?” he calls to the class. “Think this girl can be the next Chyna?”
All of them snort and snicker, and one of the plumper guys even laughs and says, “Not in this lifetime!”
“Shut up, Tubby,” I grumble at him.
“Oh,” Dave says. “She's got attitude!” I start to say something back, but he cuts me off with, “That's
a good
thing.” He puts an anvil arm around me. “You learn anything, being under there?”
Now what my brain wants my mouth to say is, No sir. I'm sorry, sir. And I promise I won't do it again, sir. Butinstead I pop off with, “Yeah. That you need a new janitor. It's a dump under there.”
He laughs, then calls, “Hey, Tony! Yo! Tony, you still back there?”
The guy who'd tossed Holly's trash when we'd been spying through the back door appears from around some lockers. “Yeah?” he says, and when he recognizes me, he says, “Hey, chiquita.” Then he turns to Dave. “What's up?”
“Tony,” Dave says, “this young lady's calling your professional services into question.”
“That so?” Tony asks, raising an eyebrow at me.
Now, this is all making me pretty nervous. So I say, “Look, I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean anything. And I'm sorry I snuck in. I just wanted to, you know,
experience
it.”
“You want to experience it?” Dave says, spreading his arms. “Go ahead—take a bump.”
Me and my big mouth. And from the grin on his face I can tell—the idea is definitely growing on him. He says, “You saw what I was teaching, right? Let's see what you learned.”
Well, the whole thing seemed pretty stupid to me, but I just wanted
out
of there. So I said, “Fine.”
“Uh…,” El Gato says, stepping forward. “You think that's such a hot idea?”
Well, forget him! Stupid creepy cat. I toss him a look, then squat, cross my arms, and tuck my chin. And before I can even think about what I'm doing, I rock on my toes, imagine someone's yanking a rug from underneathme, throw back my shoulders, and BAM! I hit the mat.
I just lay there for a second. It hadn't hurt at all. Well, not like you'd expect, anyway. Then I rolled up and bounced on my toes. “Wow. That really works!”
Dave's eyes were wide. His jaw was dangling. And after all of two seconds of gaping at me, he turns and says, “See that, Benny?
That's how
it's done.”
“Beginner's luck!” Benny calls back.
Slammin' Dave snickers. “You could use some of that, my man.” Then he turns to me and says, “Again.”
Again? Uh-oh. It probably
had
just been beginner's luck. But I wanted to try it again—something about doing it right felt really good. So I squat, cross my arms, tuck my chin, rock up, and… BAM! I hit the mat again. And man, I gotta tell you, it felt great. I felt, I don't know, tough.
I rolled up, and before Dave could stop me, I tried it again.
BAM!
I rolled up again and said, “That is so cool!”
“Bet she can't take a front bump,” Benny yelled.
“Oh yeah?” I called back. Then I turned to Dave. “What's a front bump?”
Dave shakes his head and says, “We don't have time for that,” but Benny calls out, “Sure we do! Huh, guys?”
Now you can tell that the other guys aren't big on the idea, but Benny says, “Twenty-five bucks says she can't do it.”
“On what?” the guy who looks like a marine asks. “Her first try?”
“
Fifty
bucks says she can't do it on her first try.”
There's a minute of silence where everyone seems to be staring at me. But then Tony
underneath
it?”
“You want I should throw her out?” El Gato asks him.
Dave shakes his beefy tan neck. “Uh-uh. Throw her up here.”
“Up there?”
“Uh-huh.”
And with that, El Gato lifts me by the back of my jeans and my shirt and passes me through the ropes.
“You must want to wrestle bad, huh?” Slammin' Dave says with a grin.
I look from side to side. “Uh—”
“Well, come on. Let's see you take a bump.”
“But—”
“What do you say, guys?” he calls to the class. “Think this girl can be the next Chyna?”
All of them snort and snicker, and one of the plumper guys even laughs and says, “Not in this lifetime!”
“Shut up, Tubby,” I grumble at him.
“Oh,” Dave says. “She's got attitude!” I start to say something back, but he cuts me off with, “That's
a good
thing.” He puts an anvil arm around me. “You learn anything, being under there?”
Now what my brain wants my mouth to say is, No sir. I'm sorry, sir. And I promise I won't do it again, sir. Butinstead I pop off with, “Yeah. That you need a new janitor. It's a dump under there.”
He laughs, then calls, “Hey, Tony! Yo! Tony, you still back there?”
The guy who'd tossed Holly's trash when we'd been spying through the back door appears from around some lockers. “Yeah?” he says, and when he recognizes me, he says, “Hey, chiquita.” Then he turns to Dave. “What's up?”
“Tony,” Dave says, “this young lady's calling your professional services into question.”
“That so?” Tony asks, raising an eyebrow at me.
Now, this is all making me pretty nervous. So I say, “Look, I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean anything. And I'm sorry I snuck in. I just wanted to, you know,
experience
it.”
“You want to experience it?” Dave says, spreading his arms. “Go ahead—take a bump.”
Me and my big mouth. And from the grin on his face I can tell—the idea is definitely growing on him. He says, “You saw what I was teaching, right? Let's see what you learned.”
Well, the whole thing seemed pretty stupid to me, but I just wanted
out
of there. So I said, “Fine.”
“Uh…,” El Gato says, stepping forward. “You think that's such a hot idea?”
Well, forget him! Stupid creepy cat. I toss him a look, then squat, cross my arms, and tuck my chin. And before I can even think about what I'm doing, I rock on my toes, imagine someone's yanking a rug from underneathme, throw back my shoulders, and BAM! I hit the mat.
I just lay there for a second. It hadn't hurt at all. Well, not like you'd expect, anyway. Then I rolled up and bounced on my toes. “Wow. That really works!”
Dave's eyes were wide. His jaw was dangling. And after all of two seconds of gaping at me, he turns and says, “See that, Benny?
That's how
it's done.”
“Beginner's luck!” Benny calls back.
Slammin' Dave snickers. “You could use some of that, my man.” Then he turns to me and says, “Again.”
Again? Uh-oh. It probably
had
just been beginner's luck. But I wanted to try it again—something about doing it right felt really good. So I squat, cross my arms, tuck my chin, rock up, and… BAM! I hit the mat again. And man, I gotta tell you, it felt great. I felt, I don't know, tough.
I rolled up, and before Dave could stop me, I tried it again.
BAM!
I rolled up again and said, “That is so cool!”
“Bet she can't take a front bump,” Benny yelled.
“Oh yeah?” I called back. Then I turned to Dave. “What's a front bump?”
Dave shakes his head and says, “We don't have time for that,” but Benny calls out, “Sure we do! Huh, guys?”
Now you can tell that the other guys aren't big on the idea, but Benny says, “Twenty-five bucks says she can't do it.”
“On what?” the guy who looks like a marine asks. “Her first try?”
“
Fifty
bucks says she can't do it on her first try.”
There's a minute of silence where everyone seems to be staring at me. But then Tony
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