Punished! by David Lubar

Author:David Lubar [LUBAR, DAVID]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780761382799
Publisher: Lerner Publishing Group

CHAPTER SIX

Slowly Running Out of Time

As I sat in school the next day, every tick of the clock seemed like an explosion. Time was racing away. I kept reaching into my pocket to make sure the camera was there.

“Still looking for oxymorons?” Benedict asked when we sat down in the cafeteria for lunch.

I nodded. As much as possible, I was trying to keep my mouth shut. I held up my index finger to show him I just needed one more.

“How about cafeteria food?” he asked. “Anything they serve in this place really isn’t food.”

That was funny, but I didn’t know if it was a real oxymoron. I checked around to make sure nobody was watching me, then took out the camera, aimed it at the slowly hardening mass of gunky macaroni on my plate, and pushed the button.

Nope. No luck.

“Is it broke?” Benedict asked. I guess he’d noticed it hadn’t clicked.

“Broken,” I said, automatically, just like Professor Robert Wordsworth had said to me. I shook my head. “Nope.”

When we got back from lunch, Ms. Glott took over the lesson. “I love words,” she said. “There are so many ways to have fun with them. I’ll be sharing a lot of that with you while I’m here.”

I stopped listening. I was desperately searching the room for that last oxymoron. I ran every adjective I could think of through my mind. Tall, short, big, little, slow, fast, and tons of others.

Nothing.

I could feel sweat trickling down my forehead. Dry sweat? No. Fast trickle? No. Soft forehead? No,no,no.

The bell rang. I checked the clock. Three-thirty. It would take me half an hour to get to the library. And I only had until 4:05 to find my last oxymoron.

As I walked toward the door, I glanced over my shoulder at the front desk. Mr. Vernack was talking with Ms. Glott. They were laughing and discussing onomatopoeia. Normally, I’d be happy to have such a fun student teacher, but I had too much on my mind right now. I needed that last oxymoron.

“Student teacher!” I shouted, smacking myself on the forehead. I couldn’t believe I’d been searching all over the place when the answer was right in front of me. Student was the opposite of teacher. I whipped out the camera and pointed it at her.

Ms. Glott glanced over toward me and smiled.

Please, I thought as I pressed the button.

CLICK!

Whirrrrrrr.

It sounded like some gears were turning inside. I left the classroom and hurried to the library.

“Seven oxymorons,” I said, putting the camera down on the table in front of the professor.

He took the camera and slipped it into his pocket. “Did anyone help you?” he asked.

I thought about Benedict running around with me. I guess he tried to help, but I’d been the one who’d found the oxymorons. “Sort of,” I admitted.

“Do your own work from now on,” he said. “If you tell anyone too much, you might never be cured.”

He reached into another pocket and pulled out a small, cloth bag that was tied at the top with a piece of gold string.

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