Rick's P.O.V.

    After my little talk with Emma, a girl I believed to have fallen for, I went to see Mr. Raditch. Luckily, he was in his office, but he seemed rushed. Still, I felt that what I had to say was important. I knocked on the door.

"Mr. Raditch sir. I require a kind of favor. Um, it's concerning a member of the Whack Your Brain team."

 Mr. Raditch continued to search around his desk, gathering papers and such. "Do I look like I have time to chat, Richard? Your point?"

    I didn't hesitate to answer. "He's harrassing me, sir." He continued his search for who knows what.

"Harassing how?" he asked me.

"Well, he doesn't like me and he has no problem expressing it."

    Mr. Raditch finally looked at me. "So are you asking me to order this student to like you? Do you really think that will resolve matters? Richard, I've told you time and time again: It takes two to tango."

    I tried to get a word in. "Sir-" He didn't let me finish.

"You don't like him and he doesn't like you. So I suggest you try harder to get along. Come back if anything serious happens. That is all."

    I couldn't believe it. He felt that because he was so busy that what I had to say wasn't important. I left his office, once again beaten. As I was walking, I thought about the afternoon before. Jimmy and Spinner threw my hat in the dumpster, held me up so I could look for it, and pushed me in. Then I heard them drive off in Spinner's car, leaving me there to get out by myself. Lately, my bad side was getting a hold of me. So the next day, after I was sure that Spinner couldn't see me, I spray painted a big, black X on the driver's door of his car and its window.  Then I did the same to one of his friend's cars. I felt I had accomplished a great thing. I was taking back what little dignity I had left.

    I left the parking lot and rushed through the halls to get to Homeroom. As I was rounding a corner, I bumped into Jimmy who did not look happy.

"You might want to watch where you're going, loser."

"You watch where you're going, Neanderthal!" I countered. I tried to walk around him, but he stepped in front of me.

"What'd you just say?!" He was probably going to pummel me when Mr. Simpson, head of the Whack Your Brain team, appeared. Jimmy quickly turned around, pretending he wasn't trying to kill me.

"Morning, sir! I've got a hall pass. I'm good?" Jimmy was a smooth talking guy. People believed pretty much anything he said and being probably the richest person in school, he was respected. He was also the M.V.P. for the basketball team. He has been for the past two years. That alone made him a favorite among everyone or perhaps just a lucky person. He was also quite smart. Smarter than a majority of his friends no doubt. But sadly, he wasn't smart enough to see the change in me.

"Quick. World's longest rivers in order", Mr. Simpson ordered Jimmy.

    Jimmy glanced over at me for a second before returning his attention to Mr. Simpson. I could tell he was confused. I, too, was perplexed.

"Uh, ok", he started. " The Nile, The Amazon, and, . . .". He hesitated. "The Yangtze?"

    Mr. Simpson threw out another question. "Most NBA championships?" Jimmy was quick on that one.

"Boston Celtics, why?" Both of us wanted to know what this little quiz was for.

"Well, we've got geography and sports covered. Rick, meet your new teammate!"

    I was lost. I didn't want to believe him. I wished he was lying. Having Jimmy on the team was a blessing but also a curse. On the upside, Jimmy was smart and would be a good contribution to the team. On the other hand, I would have to be around him for more often than I would've liked. And besides that, we already had enough members for the team. We didn't need anymore. But when this happened, I wasn't really thinking about all this.

"What?!" I asked, half surprised, half upset.

"Heather Sinclaire just came down with mono", Mr. Simpson explained. "Her loss is Jimmy's gain." He turned to Jimmy. "Welcome to Whack Your Brain." He quickly left. Jimmy and I looked at each other. I didn't want him on the team. He didn't want to be on the team because I was there. But there was nothing we could do. We were stuck together. It was for this reason that I was so upset while I was talking with Emma and Toby. I wanted the world to end.

    I came back to reality. I remembered I had practice that day. That meant I would have to be around Jimmy. I decided that I wasn't going to let him bother me. I wouldn't let him. I was too mature to let him get to me. My fear of him was over.