KALIKABUZA

Chapter 35

I am drinking some delicious iced latte. This is our way of celebrating my team's first victory in the Tournament: we won the golf tournament! With me are Duke, Elise, Bianca, Will, Jackson and Macy. We're sitting in the plaza at Spiky Peak Mall. We have secured this spot as our own—Royal 60's lunch table. I still can't get over how beautiful the view of the park is from here. This is our view. Our mall. And my park. I own this place, and we are going to win the Kalikabuza Tournament! And by 'we,' I mean the Royal 60—I'm staying!

"How many holes-in-one did you get, Princess?" Macy asks me.

I take another sip of my latte. "Like... I don't know! Three?"

"That's pretty good!" Macy comments.

"Really? Good!"

"And Aria's team tied for third, didn't it?" Duke asks. "With my team."

"Yeah, they did," Macy replies, "but only because they got the most holes-in-one bonus points, and we were, uh, disqualified from getting bonus points today..."

"Don't bring that up," says Duke.

"And where did the Hot Rods end up?" Jackson asks.

"They came in fifth," Macy answers, "behind Getafe."

"Yo, and speaking of Aria!" Jackson points behind us.

We all turn: Along comes the beautiful blondie, Aria, looking fabulous in leggings, and a sequin top. "Hey Michelle," she says, "congrats! You won it, girl!" Other Royal 60 members join us at the table.

"Thanks! You came third—good for you too! Climbing high!"

"You know it!" she smiles. Then, she looks at Duke and smiles as well, "And you... and I... are tied!"

Duke chuckles. "Maybe we're tied today... but Swag is still second in the overall Tournament. Who's gonna do something about it?"

"We will!" says Will. He flips his surfer hair, "Latte's coming to get you."

Duke raises an eyebrow, then cracks a smile. "I'm just playing, bro. We're all trying to win, right? As long we kick those Hot Rods out of first place, anyone of us can win!"

"Anyone of us?" Will insists. "Is that a bluff?"

Duke turns directly to Will, "Who knows. But we definitely gotta kick the Hot Rods down the table. Agreed?"

Will nods.

Aria takes a seat beside me. "How are we gonna do that, though? The Hot Rods got a huge head start from day one, and now they're way ahead of us."

"Yeah? Well, today I won a bonus challenge game with Amy Simcox," I call out, "and I found out tomorrow, for thirty bonus points, every team member has to wear a capital K on their outfit. If all of us do that, and the Hot Rods don't find out, at least one of us should be able to take their place."

Duke nods at me.

"So you got us all another thirty points in the bag! Thanks!" Aria cries, and offers a high five—I receive it.

"But it'll take a bit more than that," says Duke. "We really gotta help each other out. I'm sure the Hot Rods will find a way to beat us all. We have to stick together. Today, some of us missed shots to let other Royal 60 members catch up. That's exactly what we gotta keep doing!"

"Yeah, we can do that," Jackson agrees. "A favor for a favor."

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend?" asks Will.

"But we're not enemies," Duke declares.

"True," says Aria. "We're friends... right?"

Heads nod.