"Teeth tear and chew," Coach Lawerence was explaining during health class a few days after the first Spring Fling challenge, "Grinding the food into a paste before it's swallowed. Then, it travels down the windpipe- I mean esophagus."
"So the reason you two came in covered in dirt, wasn't because you two..." She trailed off, "Which would've been equally weird, but whatever. It was because you were fighting a mud monster..."
"While there was some gnarly troll dude watching you?" Toby added, "Talk about creepy."
"I know," I agreed, "It was like he was studying us..."
"What are you gonna do?" Claire again ignored me speaking and turned her attention to Jim. I was growing tired of that and glowered at her in annoyance.
"I don't know." He replied honestly, "We haven't figured it out yet."
"To the guts," Coach Lawerence continued, "where your juices break it down into a bubbling nasty soup. So, after it weaves through all this mess," He pointed to the intestines on the board, "it comes out the old, you know... the back door..."
"Coach?" Steve raised his hand expectantly, "Yeah, thank you. I don't mean to butt in." He paused as the class snickered, and I gave him a disgusted look as Jim rolled his eyes, "But I'd like to gas you a question."
The class laughed louder that time and Steve smiled victoriously, "Hey!" He shouted, snickering a little himself, "Poo's laughing?"
"Watch it, Palchuk." Coach looked at Steve, thoroughly unamused.
"No one you dung-head." I retorted, making him scowl.
"Hey, Stone! All have none of that alright!" He turned on me next.
"Exactly." Jim nodded, "Why don't you shut your hole, Steve." Hostility rose in the air as Steve and Jim glared at each other from across the room.
"Alright, that's it, jokesters." Coach was fed up, "All of you, principal's office. Now!"
_
"You think you can out-poo pun me, Lake?" Steve glowered.
I snorted before Jim could say anything, "Huh, how could he do that? You're the biggest piece of sh-"
Strickler walked in before I could finish, "Young Atlas, Miss Stone. Getting into trouble again, I see." Jim and I glared daggers at Strickler as he walked in and sat at his desk.
"Principal Strickler," Steve tried to be a kiss-up, "This had been a huge misunderstanding.."
"You've got a lot of nerve showing back up here, Strickler." Jim hissed in pure rage.
"I've decided I'm not done with you," Strickler responded with a grin, "Your education has only just begun."
"Good." I cut in, "Maybe we're just slow learners... Because I can't figure out why you came back after we so effectively dropped a bomb on your parade."
"For the record." Steve interrupted us, "I'd like to say, they're not speaking on my behalf.."
"Shut up Steve!" We all snapped at him.
"I'm in a position to make your lives truly miserable." Strickler hissed at Jim and I.
"And we could take you out, right now." I shrugged, "No problem."
"And I could do far worse right now..." Strickler smirked, "Are you ready for that?"
Steve lost it and wailed, "I'm sorry about the poop jokes! They weren't really that funny!"
YOU ARE READING
The Two Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia Book One: Just the Beginning
FantasiJim and his best friends have been dragged headfirst into a world that is not their own. He and Raelynn have been chosen as this other world's protectors. But Raelynn and her sister have secrets, secrets that will have to be revealed if the team is...
