Umber In Level 8

+Chapter Ten+

"It was you?" Trix cried.

Gisela didn't have the manners to look guilty. "Yeah. What do you think?"

"What do I think?" Trix's voice rose. "Take them down now!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that." Gisela crossed her arms. "Shred that photo you have of Umber, and we're all good!"

"Um..." Claude Trix slunk towards the lockers.

"See you later, Claude!" Gisela waved. "But do think about my request. It would be such a shame if this got onto the internet too."

+++

"I can't believe Gisela's doing this to me," Trix cried over the Imparter. "I thought she liked me!"

"You can never trust Gisela, Trix." I told him. "I found that out a while ago."

"What do I do?" He asked.

I smiled. I had No-Longer-Dorky Trix right where I wanted him. "You need payback," I said. "I have the perfect idea."

"Umber?" My mom called through the door. "Who are you talking to?"

I quickly wracked my brain for an answer. If my mother knew I was talking to Dorky Trix, my life was over. She was just as judgemental as the other Foxfire prodigies. "Uh, Gisela!" I called.

My mom scoffed. "She's not worth your time. Hang up and do your work."

I guess that the prodigies weren't the only ones who knew about my falling out with Gisela.

"Don't make me regret coming home for the weekend, Mom!" I called. "Stay out of my business!"

My mom sighed. "Fine. It's your life."

Relieved, I put the Imparter in front of my face again. "Sorry about that."

Claude sniffed and wiped his nose. "It's fine. What payback were you planning?"

"How about filling her room with gulons?" I suggested helpfully.

Trix wrinkled his nose. "How about no?"

"What if you replaced all her textbooks with a guide to being dorky?"

"Nope."

"Do you like the sound of putting an elixir in her food? Maybe a balding serum–"

"That's off the table."

"How about you come up with ideas?"

Trix sniffed. "Maybe I should."

"That's the spirit! Do you have a notebook so you can write ideas down?" I asked excitedly.

Trix nodded and showed me his notebook through his Imparter.

"Great! I have to go now, but great talking to you!" I shut off the Imparter and slumped against the wall. Chats with Claude Trix were so energy-consuming. I missed the time when I was popular and he was just a nobody. Things were simpler back then.

[A/N: Yeah, that was a bad ending. Sorry!]