Chapter 14

Chapter 14 FIELD DAY! IN WHICH BARON SWEETCHEEKS SHOWS HIS TRUE COLORS AND EVERYONE HAS A GREAT TIME! Field Day had come at last to Woodsword Middle School. Morgan wouldn't have missed it for the world —even though he was still on crutches, and on strict orders to stay off his foot. "Good to see you, Team Blue!" Ms. Minerva said when Morgan entered the school. He was wearing his team color and a bib with his participant number: 43. She checked him off a list. "Wait a minute," said the teacher. She looked at his crutches. "Number forty-three, I have you down for the relay race. That can't be right."

"Sure it is," said Morgan. "I missed the deadline to change my event. So participant number forty-three will definitely do the relay race." Po came forward on his wheelchair to greet Morgan with a high five. (It made Morgan wobble, but he didn't fall.) Po was also wearing blue, and his bib number was 13. He was already set to deck his wheelchair out like an ancient Greek chariot! "You ready to make the trade?" Po asked him. Morgan grinned. "Let's do it." As Ms. Minerva watched, the boys removed their numbered bibs—and traded them. Morgan affixed number 13 to his shirt, while Po took number 43 for his own. Ms. Minerva smiled. "A brilliant display of problem-solving," she said. "Participants forty-three

and thirteen, enjoy your events. And do Team Blue proud out there!" Later that morning, wearing Morgan's bib, Po took his place on the track. Theo and Harper were there, too, along with the relay runners for the red, gold, and green teams. Morgan and Jodi watched from the bleachers, along with a couple of very special guests—Baron Sweetcheeks and Duchess Dimples!

"Let's go, Team Blue! Let's go, Red!" cried Jodi. "Duchess Dimples is rooting for both of you!" Theo called from the sidelines, "Actually, hamsters are almost entirely color-blind!" Jodi called back, "She is no longer rooting for you! She's just squeaking enthusiastically in your general direction!" A bell sounded, signaling the start of the race. Harper took an early lead, sprinting ahead of her competition. But she used too much energy too soon, and the other teams caught up just as she handed the baton to Theo. Theo stumbled a little as he started, and the other racers pulled ahead. But as Morgan watched, Theo churned his arms and legs. He kept his eyes ahead of him, and he quickly reached Po sooner than they thought he could. Po shot forward in his wheelchair, as fast as Morgan had ever seen him move. Po's time on the basketball court had obviously made him quite adept at bursts of speed.

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Po started in last place. He overtook Team Gold, and then Team Green… but Team Red finished just ahead of him. "Second place!" said Jodi. "That's great!" "It is," said Morgan, clapping furiously… while being careful not to knock Baron Sweetcheeks and Duchess Dimples over. The hamster seemed unimpressed with the race. The whole time, he only had eyes for the Duchess. Jodi's event was discus throwing. She got first place in the competition despite a wild first throw that almost gave Ms. Minerva a surprise haircut. And then it was Morgan's turn. At first, he felt pressure to do as well as his sister had. Winning first place would feel really good! But then he remembered: he was supposed to be having fun, not stressing himself out. At Ms. Minerva's suggestion, he even tried meditating. It calmed him down a little. He especially liked focusing on his breathing. The free-throw basketball event would not have been Morgan's first choice. He wasn't a natural at