Not So Normal Norbert by James Patterson & Joey Green

Author:James Patterson & Joey Green [Green, James Patterson and Joey]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Random House UK
Published: 2018-07-22T16:00:00+00:00

Everyone in the room cheers like crazy. Apparently, most of them feel the same way about Roger Payne as I do.

Roger doesn’t know what to say next. He’s speechless. Totally stumped. Startled that I just took him down a notch.

Large Marge blows her whistle. She races over and raises my arm in the air. I’m declared the winner of my first improv game. Unbelievable. I’m more stunned than Roger is.

Bucky Buckner rises from his seat in the front row a gives me a high five. “Well played, Norbert. Way to go!”

I hop down from the stage.

“You’re really funny,” says Charlene. She gives me a hug. “I’m really proud of you. That took a lot of courage.”

Okay, I admit it. That was fun. I’m eating up the attention. Maybe I do belong here. Maybe I’m more imaginative than I realize.

My eyes dart around the theater. Sitting in the back of the audience, Sergeant Sergeant shoots me a dirty look and sneers. I guess he’s mad I didn’t slip into his trap and make Bucky give me one last strike.

Large Marge pats me on the back. “You’re a natural, Norbert. We’d love to have you join our improv group. Consider this a formal invitation. What do you say? It’s a lot of fun.”

Her kind offer catches me completely off guard. “I … uh … I’m not sure.”

Bucky raises his eyebrows. He grabs hold of an imaginary baseball bat and pretends to take a swing in the air. Like I really need someone reminding me how many strikes I have.

The problem is, I don’t want anyone thinking I’m different and dangerous. Not Bucky Buckner. Not Large Marge. And certainly not Sergeant Sergeant.

Besides, I honestly don’t know if I’m clever enough to keep up with everyone else. It’s a little intimidating. And by “a little,” I mean tremendously.

Although, I wouldn’t mind spending more time with Charlene Gordon. She’s smart, funny, and super nice. Adorable, too. I’d really like to learn more about her. Like why she eats only with chopsticks.

Charlene caresses my hand. “Say yes, Norbert.” She gazes into my eyes.

“Yes, Norbert.” I’m totally smitten. I guess you could say I’ve gone completely gaga.

Smiling, Bucky leaves the auditorium.

Sergeant Sergeant still leers at me. He frantically taps the screen of his Truthcorder.

“You won’t be sorry,” says Large Marge. “You’ve definitely got the spark.”

“The spark?”

“The spark of imagination,” says Charlene.

I hold a finger to my lips. “Shhh! Not so loud!”

My eyes scour the room to check whether Sergeant Sergeant overheard any of this conversation.

Sergeant Sergeant and his Truthcorder are no longer in the audience.

Did I luck out after all?

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.