Cheating for the Chicken Man Read online

  Honestly, Kate hadn’t known why so many birds flipped.

  “And what about food?” J.T. asked. “The company keeps tabs on the feed.”

  “So we’ll buy some feed!”

  J.T. still looked doubtful, but there was a slight upturn at the corner of his mouth. “Kate,” he said, “you have got to make peace with the food chain.”

  Quickly, they caught the three birds and placed them in a metal cage that had been left behind. They filled a can with water, scooped feed out of the trough and headed off through the soybean fields to the abandoned Beck property next door. After squeezing through a barbed-wire fence and passing the cage over it, they stepped through the tall grass and weeds behind the farmhouse.

  “I’ll bet there’re a few million ticks in here!” Kate said.

  “Yeah, we’ll probably be covered with ’em!”

  Kate was glad they both wore jeans and sneakers, but she knew the ticks—and chiggers, too—would have a feast on their bare ankles.

  The barn at Beck’s farm had been torn down years ago. All that was left was a house swallowed by ivy and kudzu and several run-down outbuildings where the farmer used to keep pigs and chickens. They found the old chicken coops, one of which was in fairly good shape, and took the chickens inside. Only one perch was up, but Kate doubted the birds would even know how to fly up and sit on the rail.

  “I’ll come over after school tomorrow and nail a couple of loose boards in to make it more secure,” J.T. said. “And I can probably fix them up a little outdoor run with leftover chicken wire.”

  “Won’t that be something? Except for the walk over here, these chickens have never been outside! They’ve never seen daylight!” Excited, Kate kneeled on the dirt floor and opened the wire cage. Cautiously, the three chickens emerged.

  J.T. stood back and crossed his arms. “I can’t believe we’re doing this.”

  “Don’t worry,” Kate told him. “It’ll be our secret.” She pressed her lips together. She was good at keeping secrets.

  *

  Back at home, changing up for school, Kate heard a text message land on her phone.

  Jess: OMG—there’s a Facebook page of a chicken with J.T.’s face.

  Holding her breath, Kate clicked on the link and saw for herself how J.T.’s eighth-grade picture had been pasted onto a chicken’s body. The page was called “Chicken Man.” Already dozens of kids had “liked” it. She knew Curtis was behind it. Curtis and Hooper Delaney, who was a computer geek like her brother.

  Kate sank down on the edge of her bed. Poor J.T. He did not deserve this. She had to do something. The bully’s words repeated in her head: If you write that assignment for me, I’ll leave your wimpy brother alone.

  How could she do that, though? It was cheating!

  But wasn’t keeping those chickens alive cheating the chicken company?

  Wasn’t it cheating on her mother when she lied and got J.T. to her father’s funeral?

  Yes, but in both cases it was for a good reason and no harm was done.

  So, Kate thought to herself, if you had a good reason, and kept it quiet, and no harm was done, it was okay?

  She chewed on her bottom lip. No. She wasn’t at all sure her reasoning made it right.

  But even if it was cheating, she thought, if you made a deal and kept it quiet in order to protect your brother, to give him a chance and save your family, was it so terribly wrong?

  ~12~

  A GOOD BROTHER

  Come on, Kate! Be aggressive!” the coach yelled.

  But Kate froze with the hard, white ball nestled against her field hockey stick.

  “Kate!” Coach Dietrich ran along the sideline toward her. “Sometimes a good defense means being aggressive! Go for it! You’re wide open!”

  Had the coach really said that? It was like she knew what Kate was thinking, only it wasn’t about field hockey strategy.

  Suddenly, a wing from the opposing team charged full steam toward Kate. At the last instant, Kate calmly flicked the ball over her opponent’s stick, then took off and drove it to her left halfback.

  “Good job!” Jess said after the game as the two girls walked across the field back to the locker room. “You, like, really faked that girl out!”

  “Thanks,” Kate said. “Think Coach will let me play sweeper again?”

  “Are you kidding? She’d be crazy not to let you!”

  “I hope you’re right.”

  “So what happened with J.T. and the Facebook thing?” Jess asked as they continued walking.

  There it was again. Everybody focused on J.T. and how he was being bullied. Everyone seeing it and talking about it—but nobody stopping it!

  “I don’t know if he saw it,” Kate said. “He was sick again this morning, so my guess is, yeah, he did see it.”

  “Gosh, Kate.”

  “I know, but what can I do?”

  “Actually,” Jess said, “I was thinking we could organize a protest at school. A whole bunch of kids could get together and make a different Facebook page to support him. I read about this girl who got bullied at her school, and some kids did that, and she was voted homecoming queen!”

  Kate was shaking her head even before Jess finished. “There are too many mixed feelings about J.T. right now. It wouldn’t work.”

  Jess sighed as they continued walking. “Maybe pray about it, then. It’s all I can think of, to keep praying, and maybe if J.T. ignores Curtis, he’ll stop.”

  Kate turned to her friend. “J.T. has not exactly been egging him on.”

  A car horn blared from the nearby student parking lot, distracting them, and the two girls stopped.

  “What? Is that him?” Jess asked. “Is that Curtis Jenkins waving at us?”

  “Appears that way,” Kate said as her stomach began to knot up.

  “What’s he doing here after school? Detention probably,” Jess said, answering her own question.

  This was her chance, Kate thought, staring in his direction.

  “What is his problem?” Jess continued. “Isn’t it enough he bullies J.T.? Don’t let him start with you, Kate!”

  “Don’t worry, I won’t,” Kate said. “In fact, I’m going to go tell him that right now.”

  “What?”

  “I’m going to go talk to him. But let me do this alone, okay?”

  “Kate!”

  “I’ll be right back. I’m just going to talk to him.”

  “I’m not moving from here!” Jess called after Kate. “I’m watching! If he lifts one finger to hurt you, I’m going to have the whole team and the coach over there!”

  Kate walked quickly, but Curtis had started his truck and was backing out of his parking space.

  Breaking into a run, Kate headed for the school driveway to cut him off. She stood boldly in the middle of the road, holding up her left hand to stop him. When he did, she tightened the grip on her field hockey stick and approached the open window on the driver’s side.

  Curtis seemed amused. “I like your little pigtails, Kate.”

  Kate glared at him.

  “You ain’t gonna hit me with that, are you?” he asked, eyeing the hockey stick.

  Kate’s hard expression didn’t change. She actually wondered how many of his teeth she could break with a hard, fast whap.

  His grin disappeared. “Uh, Kate, what—”

  “I’ll do it!” she snapped, cutting him off.

  Curtis pulled back. “What? Hit me?”

  Kate’s heart was already pounding from two hours of exercise and a run across the field, but now it beat triple time. “I’ll write that essay for you if you leave J.T. alone. And if you take down that Facebook page immediately!”

  “Aha,” Curtis said. He relaxed and the smirk reappeared. “All right, then. Good decision. It’s a deal! And I’l
l get that computer problem fixed ASAP.”

  “So give me your cell phone number.”

  “You want my number? Cool!” Curtis replied.

  “Not because I want it, but I’ll need some information if I’m going to write that assignment for you.”

  “Oh, yeah, right.” Curtis rooted around in his truck for something to write on and ended up giving Kate his cell phone number on the back of a gas receipt.

  Kate snatched it from his hand and ran back across the field.

  “Thanks!” Curtis called after her. “You won’t be sorry!”

  But Kate didn’t know if she’d be sorry or not. This was new territory for her—cheating. It was a gamble that came with a high price, because her good grades, her reputation, all of it was at stake if anyone found out.

  But what could she do? No one else was stepping in to help her brother. Kate bit her lip so hard she actually drew blood.

  “What did you tell him?” Jess asked after jogging to meet Kate.

  “I told him to leave J.T. alone,” Kate said, balling up her hand to hide the slip of paper.

  Jess snorted. “What? You think he’s going to listen to you?”

  Kate didn’t want to say much more. “I think he’ll be nicer,” she told Jess. “I told him I just wanted to be friends, that God was watching—and I think we connected.”

  Jess’s eyes grew big.

  Kate couldn’t help herself. “Yeah, I was thinking of Proverbs. How about ‘a gentle answer turns away wrath: but a harsh word stirs up anger.’”

  Now she was not only a liar and a cheater, but a blasphemer, too, Kate thought. She pressed her lips together and could taste the blood from her lip.

  Jess beamed. “Kate, that is awesome! I mean, that is so incredibly awesome.”

  “Well,” Kate said, licking her bottom lip as they resumed walking, “we’ll see about that.”

  *

  After dinner, after a trip to check on her refugee chickens and homework, Kate went to fetch Hoppy from his cage outside and took him up to her room. She closed the door and let the rabbit explore while she sat cross-legged on her bed and sent the first text message to Curtis.

  Kate: A short bio. So tell me about urself.

  Curtis answered right away.

  Curtis: What do u want to know?

  Kate: What do u like to do? Other than bully people?

  Curtis: Wrong attitude . . .

  Kate: What? U think I enjoy this?

  No response. Had she insulted him? She needed to be careful.

  Kate: How old are u?

  Curtis: 16

  Kate: Tell me about ur family.

  Curtis: Like what?

  Kate held her hands palm up and asked her stuffed panda, “Do you believe this?”

  Kate: Who do u live with?

  Curtis: My mom and her boyfriend.

  His mother’s boyfriend. She wondered what happened to his father.

  Kate: What do u do outside of school?

  (She mouthed, silently: “Besides be mean to people?”)

  Curtis: Not much. Weekends I work at this bbq place.

  Okay, what else? Kate wondered. She thought of the camo clothes he wore.

  Kate: U hunt?

  Curtis: No.

  Kate rolled her eyes. Was that all he was going to say? But then another text came.

  Curtis: Fish. Me and my brother, justin, we fished every river and creek in the bay.

  Kate: No way. My uncle is a waterman. Over a hundred thousand creeks and rivers flow into the bay. No way u fished every one.

  Curtis: Maybe not all.

  Another long pause. While she waited, Hoppy tried to jump up on Kate’s bed, but couldn’t quite do it without the missing hind leg. Kate reached down and scooped him up. When he settled beside her, she stroked the cottontail between his ears and watched as he closed his eyes. Kate glanced back at her silent phone. She wasn’t going to get any information from Curtis if she kept insulting him. She sent another text.

  Kate: What do u fish for?

  Curtis: Sun, perch, trout but mostly rock. First time I fished with my brother i caught a 32 inch rock weighed 16 lbs.

  Kate: How old were u then?

  Curtis: 6 or 7. Got a picture of me holding that fish on my bureau.

  Kate: To catch rock, what do u use for bait?

  Curtis: I like live-lining with small spot and circle hooks.

  Kate had no idea what that was, but fishing, yes, that would be the topic of the short bio she’d write for Curtis.

  Kate: How old is Justin?

  No response. Kate waited a minute or so before texting again.

  Kate: How old is ur brother?

  Curtis: Justin is 8 years older than me.

  Kate: Are u close?

  Curtis: Very.

  Kate: What makes him such a good brother?

  Curtis: My brother was tough and no one ever messed with him. Smart too and we had a lot of fun.

  Kate: Like what?

  Curtis: Fishing and camping mostly. My brother taught me everything I know about engines.

  Kate was trying to think of the next question when another text came:

  Curtis: My brother looked out for me when nobody else did.

  Kate: Guess u’d do just about anything for ur brother, right?

  Curtis: U name it.

  Kate: Interesting because I have an older brother I love a whole lot, too. And look what I’m doing for him.

  ~13~

  TOO LATE

  Kate lay in bed listening to the rain beat on the tin roof and cascade noisily down the metal gutters. She didn’t think she’d ever get to sleep. But then the cat jumped on her bed, startling her, and Kate sat up with a start, afraid Hoppy was still in the room. But no, she had taken the bunny back to its cage late, before turning out the light. So she must have fallen asleep. The digital clock glowed the time: 4:30 A.M. Something heavy weighed on her mind: the texting with Curtis. Instantly, Kate was wide awake.

  It had been a mistake to cut him off and throw those notes in the wastebasket, hadn’t it?

  But was it too late?

  She had an hour and a half until she needed to get ready for school. There was still time.

  Kate threw off the covers and stepped carefully through the early morning darkness to her small desk where she turned on her computer. Quietly, she pulled the wastebasket from beneath her desk and plucked out the two pieces of lined notebook paper she’d balled up. They crinkled as she smoothed them out on her lap.

  First, she went online and researched fishing in the Chesapeake Bay. She skimmed several articles, highlighted portions, then cut and pasted them into a separate Word document. She scribbled notes on a pad of paper beside the keyboard. When soft morning light started to seep in through the blinds at her window, she started writing. “Fishing for Striped Bass in the Bay,” by Curtis Jenkins, she began. This is a book that every fisherman should have . . .

  By six A.M. she had the 250 words she needed. Quickly, she took a shower and dressed for school by pulling on jeans and the first clean top she came across. After combing out her wet hair, she pulled it into a ponytail bun, popped gold studs into her pierced ears, and gently slid the newly printed assignment into her backpack.

  *

  “Good Morning, Sea Hawks! I’m Karen Duvall for WCOR at Corsica High School. Today is Thursday, September 5. Hot lunch today is chicken egg roll or hot ham and cheese sandwich. The grill line is spicy chicken tenders . . .”

  Listening to the morning announcements, Kate realized she hadn’t made herself a sandwich, and she’d been planning to avoid the cafeteria. She didn’t want to talk to anyone that day, not even Jess. She just wanted to hide out, get the paper to Curtis, and be done with it.

  “Auditions for the fa
ll performance of No, No, Nanette will be held tomorrow after school. Tickets to the homecoming dance will go on sale next Friday . . .”

  How could she even think about things like the homecoming dance? Who would ask her to go, anyway? There was only one boy at school she liked, but forget that. It didn’t matter, Kate tried to tell herself. Dances, pep rallies, football games—they were for the other kids. Already, she circulated in another realm at high school, an outside one.

  The announcements continued. “Just a reminder that the county fair opens in two and a half weeks. . . . A high of seventy-five degrees is expected today. . . . Now here is Jessica Jones with the Quote of the Day. Take it away, Jess!”

  Kate pressed her lips together, hoping Jess wasn’t about to commit social suicide.

  “Good morning, Sea Hawks. I found this quote online. Yeah. I don’t know who it’s from, but I thought it was good. Here goes: When something bad happens, you have three choices. You can either let it define you. Let it destroy you. Or you can let it strengthen you. I hope you’ll think about it. Have a nice day!”

  Not bad. Kate grinned. Good for Jess! Kate thought back on the quote and wondered if what she was about to do would define her, destroy her—or strengthen her. For sure, she didn’t think the cheating would make her stronger. But the whole point, Kate decided, was to make J.T. stronger, to give him a chance, not her.

  Again, she unzipped her backpack and felt inside with her hand to be sure the writing assignment she’d done for Curtis was where she could grab it quickly.

  *

  Creative Writing was after the lunch break. Kate lingered in the hallway just down from the classroom door, waiting and watching for Curtis. When she spotted his camo shirt and blond hair, she walked swiftly in his direction.

  “What’s this?” he asked, looking at the folded piece of paper Kate quietly offered.

  “What do you mean, what’s this?” she whispered harshly.

  Curtis pushed her hand away. “I don’t know. You really ticked me off last night, Kate, so, like, I don’t think it’s gonna work.”

  Kate swallowed hard. She pressed the paper against the books in her arms and hoped no one was watching. There was a pause. It flashed through her mind that there was still time to not do it.