The BEDMAS Conspiracy (14 page)

“Are you okay?” the four of us asked in unison.

Daniela looked both elated and stunned. “Sarah, Lisa, and Janine are going to kill me. Not to mention the basketball team who had Olaf playing point guard next week.”

“They'll get over it,” I said. “What about you?”

But the shock had apparently worn off by this point, leaving her just plain old happy. She grinned at me and flashed me two thumbs up.

Next, I turned to our drummer and caught him up in a bear hug.

“Eldrick! Why didn't you tell me you could drum like that?”

“There are a lot of things you don't know about me,” he said smiling. “Hey, Sludge!”

Sludge had joined in the hug.

“You're back!” I said, giving him a high-five.

“Yup. It was so weird, man! One minute, I'm up on stage staring at a watch, and the next minute, I'm in the crowd watching you guys onstage. And Gary's beside me and he's freaking out, yelling ‘Chicken Licken! Chicken Licken!' at the top of his lungs. Looks like someone's beaten him up pretty good, too. He has a big black eye.”

He turned to Daniela. “Nice to have you back, Red,” he said to her with a wink. “Always thought you looked better as a carrot-top.”

“Never knew you'd make such an awesome chicken,” said Daniela, grinning. “
Cluuuck, cluck,
cluck
!”

And as the whole band stood together, it was hard to tell who laughed the loudest.

It turned out that chicken jokes never got old.

Even weeks after the competition, no one could look at Sludge without letting out a long
cluuuck.

Eldrick had taken to calling Sludge his fowl-mouthed friend. Meena referred to him as her barnyard buddy.

We sat in my garage, jamming and joking.

“I'm getting hungry,” said Daniela after a few songs. “Anyone up for…wings?”

We all cracked up.

“Yeah, that's one for Helen the Hysterical,” grumbled Sludge.

Mercifully, I changed the subject. “So have you guys decided what you're going to do with your share of the winners' cheque?”

In the end, the competition had been close but, our final song, “Unexpected Surprises,” had put us on top.

“It's one thing to write a great song, but it's something else to let the audience really
experience
it,” one of the judges told us after the show. “And the BEDMAS Conspiracy's performance was definitely an
experience
!”

“I'm taking a summer course at the Fashion Design Institute,” answered Meena. “I am so sick of mauve. I've been saying for months that green is the new purple.”

We waited for the echo from Beena.

“Space camp!” she declared unexpectedly. “There's a big universe out there and I want to explore it a bit.”

“And what about you, little guy?” asked Sludge, throwing his arm around Eldrick. “I saw the way Lisa Hutchin looked at you after the show. You gonna use some of your cash to take her out?”

Eldrick blushed a deep crimson. He smiled shyly and the light glinted off his new braces.

“I'm sure she won't mind the metallic teeth,” said Sludge.

“Actually,” said Eldrick. “I got a phone call last night. It was the guys from Metal Mouth. You're looking at the new drummer for their summer Bar Mitzvah tour.”

“Nice!” we all agreed.

“So,” I said, changing the subject. “Looks like I might need some help if I'm going to ace Friday's science test. After all, I've got a B average that I'd like to hold on to.”

Eldrick's eyes instantly lit up. “Science? No problem!”

“I've read the chapter but I'm having trouble with the terms. It would be awesome if we could come up with a song to help me remember some of the words.”

The Z's nodded and grabbed their instruments.

“What's the topic, buddy?” asked Sludge.

“Whatever it is, I'm sure it won't be hard to come up with a rhyme,” said Eldrick confidently.

“Great!” I answered with a grin. “So…anybody know what rhymes with
electromagnetism
?”

More adventures from
J. R. Wilcott Middle School

Michael is lazy, unmotivated, and the most popular president ever elected at J.R. Wilcott Middle School. But one day, he eats a whole pan of his mother's triple chocolate brownies. Before he knows it, Michael has become his worst nightmare—a know-it-all and a brainiac.

Something doesn't add up!

Don't miss this prequel to
The BEDMAS Conspiracy
by Deborah Sherman.

What is your musical background?

I have never been in a band but I did play the piano when I was a kid…that is, of course, until my piano teacher suggested that I “take a break” from playing. I'm not really sure if I had any piano talent because I never ever practised.

If I could play an instrument in a band, it would be the bass. Then I could hang out at the back of the stage, play a few notes, and have fun.

My favourite band is probably Death Cab for Cutie. My little girl is a Feist fan because she counts to four in one of her songs!

If you had to pick one character from
The BEDMAS Conspiracy
that you were most like in school, who would that be? Who inspired some of your characters?

The inspiration for Adam was probably my husband. I saw one of his old report cards where his teacher called him a dreamer. He was (and is!) a smart guy but he never really focused on what the teacher was saying or on studying for tests. Whenever we walk by his grade school, I always point to the window and joke that's the window he stared out of all day long.

I was probably a combination of Eldrick, Sludge, and Adam: Eldrick because I actually didn't mind studying; Adam because math was my worst subject; and Sludge because I had a bit of a devious streak…although nothing to land me in the back row of detention for a month.

Which character was the most fun for you to create?

Sludge is always fun to write. He is a goof but a goof with a big heart and (perhaps to some people) surprisingly intelligent. I love a character who is full of surprises. Sludge is full of surprises. But so is Eldrick. He is much more than people give him credit for at the beginning. I work as a teacher, so every year I meet a handful of kids who are a bit different. Sometimes those kids aren't always as appreciated as they should be….at first!

You've done quite a bit of travelling. What are some of your favourite places to visit?

Italy is one of my favourite places to visit because it is so historical and the food is delicious—the best pizza ever! And, nothing can top walking on the Great Wall of China during Chinese New Year. But one of my favourite vacations took place camping in the Maritimes.

If you were going to compete in a talent competition, what would your chosen talent be?

That is a tough one. My students would tell you that drawing is NOT one of my talents. (In fact, just yesterday, one of my students demanded that I take drawing lessons from him. He is five! Though he did teach me how to draw a pretty good cruise ship.) Tap dancing sounds fun, though.