Extraordinary Losers 1 Read online

  CHAPTER 10: AN INCREDIBLE TRUTH

  It was the day my mother had a jam session.

  Jam – where all her hip-hop dancing friends would meet and showcase their talent. Sophia and I were left to the devices of Aunty Maryanne, who was busy uploading her pictures on Facebook.

  “Darryl, what’s the password again?”

  “It’s Seewhatsee,” I said.

  “Okay, I will help you to cook Maggi Mee later and help you with your homework,” she promised (though I did not think she was much of a help). My homework was no ordinary feat.

  Suddenly, Sophia emerged from her room in a sleeveless blouse and a micro-mini skirt.

  “Yo, Bro,” she said.

  “Where are you going, Soph?” I asked.

  “Yes, where are you going, Sophia?” Aunty Maryanne bellowed. “You cannot go meet anyone, ah.”

  “No… just downstairs. To buy snacks.”

  I had a feeling it wasn’t so simple.

  “Are you sure?” I asked. “If yes, I will come along too.”

  “NOOOOOO!!”

  “Why?” My suspicion grew.

  “Just cause Watermelon said to… to… come alone. He is meeting me downstairs just for a chat. Finally, I get to see who he is.”

  “No! Sophia! Listen to me. You are not going down alone. If you want to meet Watermelon, I am going down with you.”

  Aunty Maryanne sighed. “Yeah, Sophia. Take your brother along. I don’t want to be responsible if anything happens.”

  Sophia heaved a big sigh. “But you have to wait at the stairwell.”

  “Okay, fine.”

  “Promise you won’t show yourself, unless I call for you?”

  “Promise.”

  I had to go and watch her back. As much as I hated her guts, I knew I had to do the brotherly thing. Besides, I was really curious to find out who this Watermelon was.

  Sophia was snickering girlishly the whole lift trip down. When the door opened, she ran to the stone table and pointed at the stairwell. I took my position, ready to pounce on any disgusting 40-year-old man.

  Five minutes passed, then 10 minutes. She was getting anxious by now. I was growing impatient.

  It was 6.10pm and there was no sign of a Watermelon or the likes.

  Then suddenly, “Hi, Sophia.”

  A familiar voice.

  I peeked. It was Miss Jacobs! What was she doing here?

  “Oh. Hi… hi, Miss Jacobs,” Sophia greeted.

  Miss Jacobs was all smiles. It couldn’t be her. She wasn’t wearing a Watermelon T-shirt.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked.

  “Er… waiting for someone,” Sophia replied.

  “Watermelon?”

  “Yes… you!” Sophia gasped. “It’s you! Oh my goodness!”

  “Yes, all this while. The late night chats and messages, all me.”

  “Really?” Sophia‘s lips quivered a little. Severe embarrassment and disappointment overwhelmed her.

  Miss Jacobs wasn’t smiling. She pursed her lips in concern and her eyebrows suddenly furrowed. “You know, Sophia, I was hoping you wouldn’t come. You actually agreed to meet a total stranger?”

  “I thought it would be okay as we were friends,” Sophia muttered.

  “Never meet up with ANY strangers. If you have never seen them in person, NEVER AGREE to meet up with anyone, okay?”

  “Yes, Miss Jacobs.” Sophia bowed her head low and hid behind her long dangly fringe.

  “You’re fortunate that this time, it was me. There are many dangerous people out there, Sophia, so please be careful. Promise me you will never do this again!”

  Miss Jacobs had never been so fierce before. I guess she chided Sophia for her own good. NO teacher would go to that extent. No wonder she was “on leave”. If she had been in school for the past few weeks, she would never have had the time to meet all the students. Miss Jacobs had “befriended” her students to warn them of online sexual predators and teach them cyber safety. What a dedicated teacher.

  “Guava? Was that you too, Miss Jacobs? Sophia asked. “Darryl’s new friend?”

  “Yes,” she said. “To the Primary 6 students, I am Watermelon, and to the Primary 5 students, I am Guava.”

  Drats! I should have talked to “Guava” more too. It was her all this while. “Guava” and “Watermelon” were her pseudonyms. I wanted to show myself at this time. But I couldn’t. Not with my undersized T-shirt, greasy hair, crusty ears, blackened fingernails and unbrushed teeth. I didn’t want the lovely Miss Jacobs to see what a loser I was.

  I guess, at the end of the day, I was still just a loser…

  Wait, maybe not just a loser. An Extraordinary One.

  The End

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  I wish to thank the following people for their invaluable contribution to the book Extraordinary Losers.

  My Family for always believing in me.

  Eliza Teoh (Editor) for her patience and unwavering dedication to exlosers.

  Cherryn Yap (Illustrator) for bringing out the best in the story.

  Serene See (Designer) for her magical touch.

  My students, Norman, Glen and Megan for brimming with creativity and life.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Jessica has been teaching publicly and privately for over 10 years. She has written six English Model Composition books for Primary 1 to 6 students. Jessica’s debut novel The Singapore Kid won the Popular Readers’ Choice Awards in 2011 and was shortlisted for the Hedwig Anuar Children’s Book Award 2011. Through her second book, Extraordinary Losers: Operation Pants on Fire, she touches on the things closest to her heart: friendship, courage, the inner person and, of course, donuts and chips. She loves to listen closely to children’s babble because she feels that that’s the time in life when most truths are uttered.

  COPYRIGHT

  First published in 2012 by Bubbly Books Pte Ltd

  26 Sin Ming Lane, Midview City #06-121, Singapore 573971

  First published in digital form in 2014 by Monsoon Books ISBN (ebook): 978-981-4423-52-6

  Text Copyright © 2012 Bubbly Books Pte Ltd

  The moral right of the author has been asserted.

  All rights reserved. You may not copy, distribute, transmit, reproduce, or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, names, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or persons is entirely coincidental.

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