Maeryc and the Wish-Granter's Code

     "At least you got one," Maeryc tried to console his friend who, like a volcano, had erupted from his chair, then fizzled out with his last dying embers of hope to go dormant forever, slumped against the desk like a worthless hunk of rock!

     "We need a miracle, Maeryc!" the Korbat wailed piteously. "Nothing short of a miracle can help us now!"

     "Okay," said Maeryc after a pause, with the air of a man consenting to something he had previously fought tooth and nail to avoid. If Spike hadn't had his face squished pathetically against his desk, you might have seen him raise his eyebrows in confusion.

     "Okay," Maeryc repeated silently to himself, "we need magic. We're hopeless without it."

     As he thought these words, a splash of colour caught the baby Scorchio's eye. It was a red sticker stuck on somebody's math assignment. It said 100%.

     Ms. Emery was making her way to Matt and Jayson's desk. "Yeah," thought Maeryc, "Matt would probably get a hundred percent." But something surprising happened when Ms. Emery laid the papers down. It wasn't Matt, but Jayson who picked up the one with the sticker!

     Maeryc was expecting Jayson to rip it into a million pieces and hand it back to Matt. But no, Matt had tucked his own paper away in his desk. Jayson looked over his paper for a moment, then quietly did the same. There was no celebration, no rubbing it in Matt's face, no standing on the desk and shouting to the world about his grand achievement. Was it normal for Jayson to do so well on his math homework?

     "He probably threatened Ms. Emery," Maeryc muttered darkly. But the more he thought about it, the less likely it seemed. Ms. Emery was nice, but she was a no-nonsense green Eyrie who had been ruling the second grade with iron talons for thirty years. No, if Jayson got a hundred percent on his math homework, it must have been by his own merits.

     Then and there an idea started to form in Maeryc's brain. He remembered the conversation he had had with Ceila the night before. Of course, the absolute last thing he wanted to do was ask Jayson to tutor him and Spike! He could just imagine the kind of teacher he'd make. He'd probably give them the strap every time they got a question wrong!

     Still, Jayson could probably help them a lot... And maybe if someone acknowledged that he was good at math - if someone could only recognize him for something other than being a bully - maybe he would stop giving Matt such a hard time.

     Maeryc looked at Matt sitting quiet and unobtrusive at his desk. He looked at Spike face-planted on his. But Dr. Sloth's Socks, he really didn't want to ask Jayson for help!

     At first recess, Ms. Emery and Mr. Twigger's classes resumed their game from the day before. This time it was Ms. Emery's class's turn to play the Darigan forces. As always, the Dariganni doubled as the possessed Meridellian peasants for this crucial part of the story. But Matt - poor Matt! - this was his least favourite role to play! He was far too shy and polite to glomp onto another student and bar their escape! He just wasn't raised that way!

     "Oh, come on, Matt!" Jayson chided impatiently. "How hard can this seriously be?"

     But it was very hard for Matt. He was a 'hands-off' kind of guy. He barely hugged his own mother! How could he just grab a Neopian he didn't even know?

     Jayson sighed audibly. "Here, I'll show you." And before Matt knew what was happening, Jayson had turned around and seized a blue Cybunny from Mr. Twigger's class, and with one swift shove he sent the small girl flying, stumbling, falling to the ground.

     "Waaaah!" The Cybunny started to cry. Her classmates came running. When she stood up they could see there was blood on her knee. And underneath her... Sloth in a Box, it was that blasted tree root again!

     "You've really done it now, Jayson!" shrieked Laura, who had witnessed the entire scene.

     The Cybunny's classmates were saying she had to go to the nurse's office. "He pushed her?" asked the children as they gathered round to see.

     "Why would you do that, Jayson?"

     "That was mean!"

     "She'll probably need stitches because of you!"

     "You're such a bully."

     "I'm sorry!" Jayson cried. "I didn't mean to hurt her."

     "You expect us to believe that?" challenged Laura indignantly. "You're always trying to hurt someone."

     Chaos ensued as children from other grades ran from the playground to see what the commotion was about. Kindergartners cried to see the Cybunny cry, wise sixth graders shook their heads in disgust.

     The schoolyard monitor was alerted. The Cybunny was escorted by her classmates in a parade-like fashion to the nurse's office.

     And above all this tumult, a single voice was heard to say, "Jayson should be expelled."

     When the crowds broke up, and the noise died away - when the students regrouped on the playground, and the schoolyard monitor had agreed not to send Jayson to the principal's office, so long as he promised not to play so rough again - the little Meridell-Darigan war criminal wandered off by himself, unsure whether to stay outside and face the caustic glares and whisperings of the other students, or go back to class and confess his sins to Ms. Emery before his classmates told.

     He hadn't meant to hurt the Cybunny. Truth be told, he wasn't sure why he had pushed her in the first place. A red haze had descended over him. It was Matt's fault. Something about Matt always made him see red.

     Maybe it was because Matt was nice, and that irritated him. How could anyone be that sweet all the time? It wasn't natural! Maybe it was because Matt wasn't athletic, but no one seemed to mind. He was always falling behind, doing stupid things like tripping over tree roots, losing the game for the entire team, and Shiny Sloth Head! No one ever even yelled at him for it!

     Ever since last year in grade one it had been this way. Everyone loved Matt, but Jayson could never figure out why. Matt was good in academics, but Jayson was at least as good! In math he was probably the top of his class! But no one ever praised him for his efforts like they praised Matt. As far as Jayson could tell, no one ever paid him any attention at all.

     Was Jayson jealous of Matt? If he was, he would never admit it, even to himself. He hated the word. Saying he was jealous would mean that he acknowledged Matt's achievements, his likeableness, his superiority - and that he believed it all to be true. No. Jayson wasn't jealous of Matt. But Matt made him angry. Angry enough to throw a little Cybunny girl in the dirt.

     It was in this state of reflection and rage that Maeryc caught up with him. Jayson was pacing around and around and around a tree, appearing not to know, or care, where he was going. The baby Scorchio walked timidly up to the purple Ogrin, raised his hand in a half-wave to show the other boy he had come in peace, and said quietly, "Hey, Jayson."

     "I already said I was sorry," snapped Jayson defensively. "What more do you want me to do?"

     "I heard you're good at math," Maeryc blurted, before Jayson could leave, or before Maeryc could break down and change his mind.

     Jayson stared at the Scorchio, incredulous, for a moment. Had he been thinking out loud? "So what?" the boy demanded.

     "So I was wondering if you could tutor Spike and I. We're, uh, not very good at math ourselves."

     Jayson was dumbfounded. As of ten minutes ago, everyone officially hated him! Now here was Maeryc asking for his help?

     "Why don't you ask Matt to teach you?" the Ogrin questioned. "You said yourself he's better at stuff than me."

     Maeryc blushed, recalling yesterday. "I just meant everyone has their own talents. Matt has his, and you have yours. And yours is math!" Maeryc pursued. "You're really, really good at it! I bet you could be a huge help to Spike and me."

     Jayson was still reluctant.

     "I'll pay you," Maeryc told him. "I'll buy you jelly doughnuts from the cafeteria. You like those, right?"

     Jayson did a double-take. Maeryc had noticed he liked jelly doughnuts?

     Through Maeryc's eyes, it looked as though a light turned on in Jayson's eyes. The boy's whole demeanour suddenly shifted. A shade passed from his face, and he smirked - no, he smiled! A quickly flashed half-smile, but a smile nonetheless!

     "Meet me in the library after school," Jayson instructed, "and don't forget the doughnuts."

     Maeryc laughed and stuck out his hand for the other boy to shake. "Thank you! I will!" he exclaimed, elated. "And don't worry, dude." Maeryc looked the Ogrin solemnly in the face. "I won't forget."

     To be continued…