Havoc - Piper McLean

3: Hedge is a Furry??

|hedge is a furry??|

—The storm churned into a miniature hurricane. Funnel clouds snaked toward the skywalk like the tendrils of a monster jellyfish.

Kids screamed and ran for the building. The wind snatched away their notebooks, jackets, hats, and backpacks. Camilla skidded across the slick floor.

Leo lost his balance and almost toppled over the railing, but Piper grabbed his jacket and pulled him back.

"Thanks!" Leo yelled.

"Go, go, go!" said Coach Hedge.

Dylan was holding the doors open, herding the other kids inside. As soon as Leo was on the skywalk, Piper ditched them and ran to the doors, expecting Camilla and Leo to do the same. 

To their credit, they tried— but they skidded on the glass like baby deer on ice.

When Camilla looked back up, Piper was holding the other door open along with Dylan. Her snowboarding jacket was flapping wildly, her dark hair all in her face. Camilla thought she must've been freezing, but she looked calm and confident— telling the others it would be okay, encouraging them to keep moving.

Camilla, Jason, Leo, and Coach Hedge ran toward them, but it was like running through quicksand. The wind seemed to fight them, pushing them back. Seriously, what the fuck was happening? Why couldn't she have one fucking field trip where nothing went wrong?

Dylan and Piper pushed one more kid inside, then lost their grip on the doors. They slammed shut, closing off the skywalk.

Piper tugged at the handles. Inside, the kids pounded on the glass, but the doors seemed to be stuck.

"Dylan, help!" Piper shouted.

Dylan just stood there with an idiotic grin, his Cowboys jersey rippling in the wind, like he was suddenly enjoying the storm. Cam wanted to punch his stupid smile.

"Sorry, Piper," he said. "I'm done helping."

He flicked his wrist, and Piper flew backward, slamming into the doors and sliding to the skywalk deck.

"Piper!" Jason tried to charge forward, but the wind was against them. Coach Hedge pushed them back.

"Coach," Jason said, "let me go!"

"Jason, Leo, Camilla, stay behind me," the coach ordered. "This is my fight. I should've known that was our monster."

"What?" Leo demanded. A rogue worksheet slapped him in the face, but he swatted it away. "What monster?"

The coach's cap blew off, and sticking up above his curly hair were two bumps— like the knots cartoon characters get when they're bonked on the head. Coach Hedge lifted his baseball bat— but it wasn't a regular bat anymore. Somehow it had changed into a crudely shaped tree-branch club, with twigs and leaves still attached.

"Okay, can someone tell me what the actual fuck is going on?" Camilla had to yell to make her voice reach the others over the wind noises.

"Language!" Coach warned.

"OH I'M SORRY COACH I BETTER DROP AND GIVE YOU TWENTY!—"

"Camilla, stop!" Jason put a hand to her shoulder. She may have had butterflies even though this was literally the worst moment for it. 

Dylan gave them that psycho happy smile. "Oh, come on, Coach. Let the boy attack me! After all, you're getting too old for this. Isn't that why they retired you to this stupid school? I've been on your team the entire season, and you didn't even know. You're losing your nose, grandpa."