"MONDAY, MARCH 24
I feel really bad about not being more supportive of Brandon and his scholarship project.
I know what it feels like to be SUPERworried about how your tuition is going to get paid. Been there, done that! Got the T-shirt!!
I just hope he's not at risk for having to transfer schools !! I need to talk to Brandon today to find out when we can meet again so I can help him.
Anyway, I was a little nervous about showing my face in my martial arts class today. Hey! You'd feel a little AWKWARD too if you'd almost knocked out your teacher!
And it didn't help matters when I saw MacKenzie and Jessica whispering about me and giggling.
OMG! I CRINGED when I actually saw Sensei Hawkins. It looked like someone had toilet-papered his face or something!"
"Come on! The punch wasn't that hard. Were the ten rolls of bandages really necessary?! Or the three pints of assorted Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavors he'd piled on a waffle cone?!
"Listen up, pip-squeaks! Being a karate master isn't just about kicks and . . . um, PUNCHES," the Hawk said, glaring at me. "It's about a killer instinct!"
In spite of his tough talk, I could have sworn he flinched when I suddenly leaned forward and sneezed. He almost dropped his ice-cream cone.
"You have to be wise and clever to outsmart your enemy. For instance, take these bandages!" He pointed at his head. "They're FAKE! I'm just using them to make a "point. Got it? In real life, you'll never see bruises on the Hawk, because they're too SCARED to show up!"
He did a three-punch combo and yelled, "HIIIIIIIII-OOOUUCH!!" Then he grabbed his jaw and whimpered in pain like a small puppy. Next he made a very shocking announcement. . . .Today is a pop quiz!"
"And don't you DARE think it's because I'm sore or injured. Or that I'm PUNISHING the class for my, um . . . FAKE fractured jaw. I just wanna see if you have the knowledge required for a true martial arts warrior."
"What? No punching?" a boy in front of me grumbled sarcastically. "Why don't you spar with Knuckles Nikki today? That'll be fun!"
"Nah! He's probably afraid Muscles Maxwell will knock his lights out again!" the boy next to him snickered.
Knuckles Nikki?! Muscles Maxwell?!
I groaned and buried my face in my hands.
Hey, call me a DORK! But NEVER, EVER call me those names! It makes me sound like a heartless THUG or BULLY!!
"It's okay, Nikki," Chloe said, patting my shoulder sympathetically. "Look on the bright side. With your new rep, you won't be the first person eliminated in dodgeball anymore! Everyone will be scared to death to hit you!"
"Hmm. Actually, that would be nice . . . ," I mused."
"Wait a minute, WHAT was I saying?!!!
"I'm NOT that type of person!" I muttered. "It was all an accident, people! An ACCIDENT!!"
"No talking, pip-squeaks! The Hawk better not hear a pin drop!" Sensei said. "Now get to work so I can EAT this ice-cream cone before it melts! Er, I mean, um . . . MEDITATE . . . to become more awesomely powerful!"
When did a martial arts pop quiz become more difficult than a math one?! When I read over my quiz, I suddenly realized that everything I knew about karate I'd "learned from the Disney and Nickelodeon channels and Saturday morning cartoons.
And unfortunately for me, it was all WRONG!! . . ."
"I guess I thought the questions were going to be SUPEReasy, like, "Who's your favorite Ninja Turtle?"
Wow! That quiz was really HARD!
If I want to pass this class and earn a belt, I'd better start studying for the final written test. It's on Friday, which means I only have five four days left to prepare for it!
I guess I'll be adding THIS to the long list of Stuff That I'm Way Too Busy to Get Done So Why Even Bother to Try!!
!!"
