-
P34~44
by:
乔世琛
‘
Oh have you? What
for?
’
‘
Where
’
s my fudge bar? I
told you to bring it today.
’
‘
He must have
forgot,
’
Sparrow said
bravely.
‘
Who asked you,
midget?
’
sad Wicks, raising
his fist. Sparrow ducked away.
Wicks
held out his hand to Danny.
‘
Fudge bar, Specs.
You
’
d better have
it.
’
‘
It
’
s
in my bag,
’
said Danny,
‘…
But
there
’
s one
problem.
’
‘
Oh yeah,
what?
’
‘
You
can
’
t have
it.
’
He
was
amazed
at
the
words
he
’
d
just
spoken.
It
must
have
been
the
potion
speaking.
Wick
’
s
mouth was open but nothing was coming
out.
‘
Say that
again,
’
he said at last.
‘I
said
it
’
s my fudge bar. You can
get lost.
’
A
crowd was gathering round them. Danny could see
Laura and her friends at the front. No one
had ever told Wicks to get lost before,
and they wanted to see would happen.
Danny felt scared but also reckless. It
was as if the potion hand released a cork inside
him.
Wicks took hold of
Danny
’
s arm and started to
twist.
‘
You go and get it
right now, Specs.
’
‘
Sorry no. I think you
should lay off the sweets, Wicks. Your teeth are
going green.
’
‘
What did you
say?
’
‘
They
’
re green. Everyone
calls you Grotgums
’
The crowd laughed. They
couldn
’
t believe their ears.
Here was quiet Danny Doolan, standing up
to the worst bully in the school.
Wicks was furious. He started to twist
Danny
’
s arm harder. Danny
felt as if it was on fire.
Then he
heard Laura Mills
’
voice
call out,
‘
Let him go,
Grotgums!
’
Someone else took
it up and
soon the whole crowd was
chanting:
‘
Grotugms!
Grotugms!
’
Wicks
stared round at them, his face as red as ketchup.
He liked to pick on younger kids when
they were alone. He
wasn
’
t used to facing a
whole crowd shouting at him.
The noise
had reached a teacher who was heading that way.
Wicks let go of
Danny
’
s arm and run off.
Danny
watched
him
go.
It
was
incredible.
He had
stood
up
to
Wicks
and
survived.
The
potion
really worked. It
changed him into a different person, someone who
could do or say anything.
People were
staring at him in a new way. One of them was
Laura.
‘
Thanks for starting
that,
’
he said to
her.
’
Laura
smiled.
‘
Serves him right
for pushing me. Is your arm
okay?
’
Danny had
forgotten his arm.
‘
Yeah,
’
he said, bravely.
‘
It just stings a
bit.
’
‘
What got into
you?
’
asked Laura.
‘
He could have murdered
you.
’
‘
I was sick of him. I had to
do something.
’
At
this point the bell went.
‘
Well, see you
later,
’
said Laura.
‘
Are you going to the
audition this
afternoon?
’
‘
Yes
…
yes, I
am,
’
said Danny hastily.
‘
In fact
I’
m going to try for the
part of Bugsy.
’
He walked away felling two feeling two
metres tall. He had spoken to Laura Mills. After a
whole
year,
he
’
d
finally
spoken
to
her.
And
she
hadn
’
t
laughed
at
him,
she
’
d
talked
back.
Then
he