Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2 At first glance, you might have thought two huge, goofy- looking birds were flapping around in a giant cage. In fact, it was Michael and Justin, suspended by their tighty- whities inside the playground dome climber. Everyone at Walnut Creek Elementary knew that Edgar's favorite bully go-to was the wedgie, but he always made a point of finding creative ways to use it. "Edgar, you are a wedgie artist!" commented Pete, one of the smaller fourth graders. "Let's get out of here!" Edgar said to his two minions. "Hope you two don't mind if we don't HANG OUT with you!" He laughed. His buddies laughed even louder. "HAHAHA!" they belted out as they walked away proudly. "Help!" Justin shouted as he and Michael dangled helplessly above the wood chips. "Get us out of here!" Michael hung in midair, arms folded. "We are fifth graders now," he fumed. "This can't be happening." "It obviously is," Justin replied. "Edgar is still bigger, even though he's a grade behind us." "Yeah, but we're smarter!" Michael shouted.

"Are we?" Justin asked. "Are we?!" "If we don't make Edgar pay for this, it's going to ruin everything for fifth graders everywhere forever." "What do you mean, 'make Edgar pay for this'?" Justin asked. "Also, what do you mean, 'we'?" "I mean revenge." Michael twisted around, trying to unhook himself from the climber. "Remember when we built that water balloon launcher out of rubber tubes and

a funnel? Imagine Edgar getting off the bus in the morning and, WHAM! A water balloon right in the face! He's soaked all day!" Justin shook his head. "We'd get suspended, or Edgar would kill us, or both." "There's got to be something we can do with bees," Michael pondered. "The flying, stinging kind?" Justin asked. "Yes. Bees." Michael tapped his fingertips together like a supervillain. "You're nuts." Justin turned his back on Michael and called out again, "HEEEEELLLP!"