3 Super Mad

CHAPTER THREE SUPER MAD SIMON COULDN'T TELL us about the tree sap on his hands during science. That's because the three of us were in different groups. At the beginning of science, each group took a big oak tree leaf that Mr. Willow had collected that morning. We put the leaf in a shallow bowl of water on the windowsill in the sunshine. Then Mr. Willow talked for a long time about how plants convert the sun's light energy into oxygen and release it. At the end of science period, we observed our leaves—and they had tiny bubbles around their edges.

That was oxygen being released. It was pretty cool. We got our chance to talk to Simon during silent reading time. He sat in the middle of Table 5. That way when he whispered, Rosie and I could both hear him. We held our books up in front of our faces so Mr. Willow wouldn't see us talking. We whispered the whole time. Rosie asked, "What's the deal with the tree sap on your hands?" "I was at Picasso Park yesterday," Simon said. You could tell something was bothering him a lot. "And Max Brutus was there too. He was practicing soccer—just juggling and taking shots at the net. I can't believe how hard that dude can kick. It's like a rocket!"

Rosie and I knew who Max Brutus was: He was the biggest and strongest kid in our grade. He always won at dodgeball—and everything else—in gym. He even knocked Hector Cruz over with a dodgeball throw once. "So how does Max being at the park lead to you getting tree sap all over your hands?" asked Rosie. "I asked him if I could practice with him," Simon replied. "And he said yes. I was surprised because he's kind of a grumpy guy, you know? But anyway, we each took turns in goal. We took five shots each and then switched. He's really good—and strong. He kicks like a high schooler."

I peeked over my book. Mr. Willow was reading at his desk—and not looking at us. I ducked my head back down and asked, "What about the tree sap?" "I'm getting to that part," Simon said. "After a little while, Max had to go home. And I asked him if I could keep playing with his soccer ball. It's a really nice one. It's a replica of the ball they used when the World Cup was here in the United States. It looks like the real thing!" "Did he say yes?" Rosie asked.

Simon nodded and said, "As long as I bring it back to him today." I asked, "So what happened?" "I was punting it real high, just messing around," Simon said. You could tell this was when something bad happened. "You know I can kick good too. And I—"

Simon stopped then. It was like he didn't want to talk anymore. "You what?" asked Rosie. "I accidentally kicked it into the top of a really tall tree," Simon said. "That really big pine tree by the basketball court. And it got stuck." "Oh no," I said. I knew that tree. It was the tallest tree in Picasso Park.