BenBee and the Teacher Griefer Read online

  CHAT INFRACTION

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: double up their own reading

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: plus! also! he can play sandbox in class which would be awesome so lets get all Spartacus up in here—

  CHAT INFRACTION

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!! IS EJECTED FROM GAME

  THIRTY MINUTE RESPAWN COUNTDOWN BEGINS

  BenBee: just tell me what the plan is and i’ll help. for now tho, can we

  BenBee: please

  BenBee: build

  BenBee: this

  BenBee: frickin

  BenBee: frackin

  BenBee: pyramid

  BenBee: oh shiitake mushrooms, my dad is coming up the stairs i have to go

  BenBee HAS EXITED GAME

  0BenwhY: i rly am surrounded by dingleberries.

  BEN B

 

  It feels strange.

  The same,

  but different.

  Different but,

  familiar.

  The keyboard

  under my fingers.

  My fingers

  typing words.

  Not Sandbox words, though.

  Not chat words.

  Assignment words.

  Spelling. Grammar. Notes.

  And it’s nice.

  (Not nice, like fun nice, or Sandbox nice.

  But nice, like brain and fingers agreeing nice. Not stressful nice.)

  Easy nice.

  Do not

  let me catch you

  doing anything

  anything

  but schoolwork.

  That’s what she said,

  after school,

  yesterday,

  when we talked about

  how typing my notes

  and tests and stuff

  in class

  might be a super great thing

  to try.

  I’ll make a note,

  in your file,

  about this accommodation.

  And if the typing helps,

  when school starts in the fall,

  you can get something called a 504

  so that you can type in every class.

  She pointed at me.

  No games.

  Only schoolwork.

  I shook her finger,

  like you shake someone’s hand.

  Deal.

  We both laughed

  and I felt lighter somehow,

  brighter somehow,

  like a light I didn’t know was there

  had finally been

  switched on.

  Art Class Monday.

  Soccer Practice Tuesday.

  FART Tutoring Wednesday.

  Handwriting Thursday.

  Piano Lessons Friday.

  Soccer Game Saturday.

  House Cleaning Sunday.

  Everything is still the same.

  Nothing there has changed.

  That’s how it is.

  That’s how it was.

  That’s how it will be.

  My days of the week.

  My path to greatness.

  Typing has never been part of it.

  But now I wonder . . .

  could typing be the key

  Mom and Dad have been searching for?

  The thing that finally makes me,

  Ben B,

  perfectly

  lined up

  typed up

  smart?

  Can I finally

  be good at something?

  Huh.

  BEN Y

  <0BenwhY>

  Today.

  I open my eyes

  look up at the ceiling,

  as Esme reads softly,

  her voice drifting up

  from the bottom bunk.

  Benicio looks down,

  his half smile

  crooked,

  hiding his deep voice,

  hiding . . .

  so much.

  I reach up,

  touch the photo taped to the ceiling,

  notice the colors,

  they’ve started to fade,

  a year of sunlight

  sneaking through the window,

  trying to take him from me

  again.

  I close my eyes.

  My morning breath

  catches

  in my chest.

  It’s coming.

  The anniversary.

  I feel it breathing down my neck,

  I feel it sitting on my chest.

  Even Esme’s sweet voice

  can’t calm my jumping stomach,

  can’t find answers to the whys

  that swirl around me,

  making me dizzy

  as I look at them

  and wish I could find

  their answers.

  Lucky for me,

  I have an excuse

  to run from my room,

  to burst into the sunlight,

  to fly onto the bus

  and

  ride

  ride

  ride

  far away

  from my room,

  my house,

  my sisters,

  my mother.

  Can’t be late for school, right?

  Even summer school, right?

  And today’s a big day,

  the Javier day,

  the day we’re going to get him to read,

  the day we show him

  he has nothing to run from,

  nothing to hide,

  that we’re here for him,

  and . . .

  whoa

  whoa

  oh man.

  I hate it when out of nowhere,

  I start to cry.

  JORDAN J

 

  Okay okay okay we are about to Spartacus Javier. This is it, this is what we talked about, this is when Javier is going to see how he’s just as good or as bad or whatever at reading as the rest of us, because sure we’re all different like how Ben B has two different colored eyes but also we’re all the same like how reading out loud feels basically the same as standing naked on a stage, or how I would imagine it, anyway. We are going to Spartacus Javier and it is going to be even more awesome than when all those people yell out I AM SPARTACUS in the movie so that the bad guys can’t find him. If this was a movie I guess the book would be the bad guy? And all the words in it would see that we are all the same and they can’t beat any of us and this is so exciting I can barely breeeeeeeeeeeeathe, here we go!

  Javier is always hiding behind his hoodie so I have to lean over and peek into it as soon as I’m done reading and I say Have you seen the movie Spartacus? Can we all Spartacus you to help you read out loud? And he looks at me like I am wearing that diaper thing Spartacus wears and then I say Come on trust me, that movie has never steered me wrong and we all know you want to play Sandbox in class, plus we miss you when you don’t play so let us help you read out loud. Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease. And Javier looks so confused he almost makes me laugh except he picks up the book from his desk and stands up and holy cats I can’t believe this is happening.

  Javier! Starts! Reading! Out! Loud!

  Ms. J looks like Spartacus (the dog, not the movie guy) when Spartacus thinks she’s hiding but she’s really standing in the middle of the kitchen waiting for you to drop a piece of cheese, and everyone else is holding their breath, too, and Javier says D-d-d— and I know he’s going to say the word do because I can see it in my book, so I shout

  DO!

  I AM JAVIER!

  so that way Javier knows that I know what it’s like to be standing there having a hard time with a word and also so that the words know that we are all the same and they can’t beat us down and now Javier looks at me like whut before dipping his head back to the book and reading with his deep, deep man-voice, Y-y-y, and I whack Ben Y in the arm because it’s her turn now.

  Ben Y yells ou
t YOU and thenI AM JAVIER, but not as loud as I yelled mine and oh boy those words know who’s the boss now. They know we’re all in this together and we’re all the same as Javier even though no one else has a stutter and now Javier is giving his whut look to Ben Y and Ben Y is taking his whut look and adding a little bit of a huh to it and she’s flinging that huh whut look at me, but whatever, this is working and it is awesome and now Javier’s deep, deep man-voice says, Ch-ch-ch— and I point at Ben B because it’s his turn now and my heart is pounding so hard because we are all Javier, we really really are, and he is getting to see it and it’s just like we’re in the movie.

  Ben B looks in his book and shouts CHOOSE, and then he shouts I AM JAVIER and there’s this energy in the room like we are all onstage and it’s the final dance of Fierce Across America and Veronica Verve is about to announce the winner and we all know that we are all the winner because we are all Javier and I can’t help but laugh a tiny bit and jump up and down a tiny bit even though Ben B and Ms. J have added some extra huhs and whuts onto the huh whut look and Javier adds some pointy eyebrows and a mouth so scrunched up it looks like a cat butt and he points it right at me as he smashes his book onto his desk WHAM, grabs his stuff, and runs out of the room.

  Wait.

  What just happened?

  JAVIER

 

  CHAT

  Divergent Dingleberries

  Private server created by: BenBee

  Password required

  Avatar name: JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!

  Password: • • • • •

  Remember! Ghost Season is coming! Protect your lives, your health, and your gold by avoiding ghosts at all costs. Think you can outsmart the ghosts by logging out? Think again! All logged out avatars will remain in sleeping mode, so make sure you’re protected. Get melted during Ghost Season? Gonna cost ya!

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  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!! ENTERS GAME

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: no one here.

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: too early after school?

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: i can wait

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: i can wait

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: i’ll wait forever

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: a million years

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: there won’t be a game anymore

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: but i’ll still be here

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: to say i’m sorry

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: even though i don’t really get it

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: we were really Spartacusing so well

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: and we were showing those words that WE have the power

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: and i don’t understand

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: why that made Javier so mad

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: but it definitely did and

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: I definitely feel bad and confused and then bad again

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: i am doing such a good job of not getting a chat infraction and wow wow i can’t believe no one is ev—

  CHAT INFRACTION

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: what! no way! how was that too many characters???

  JJ11347 ENTERS GAME

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: oh hey, ms j.

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: wait. why are you here? this isn’t school.

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: teachers don’t chat or play sandbox with students after dinner, do they?

  JJ11347: Hi, Jordan. You’re right, I don’t want to interfere with you all while you’re playing at night. But—

  CHAT INFRACTION

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: we’re the same, Ms. J! Haha. Too many words.

  JJ11347: Too many words, and yet we both have trouble finding the right ones, don’t we? Have you talked to Ja—

  CHAT INFRACTION

  JJ11347: Oh, come on.

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: i know! chat infraction is the serious worst

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: i haven’t talked to Javier, but i wish i could so i could say sorry

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: do you know why he got so mad, though? we were helping him

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: i know he wants to play sandbox in class

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: and ben y and i figured out the stuttering thing

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: and I thought that Spartacusing him would be perfect, but

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: ugh

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: we just wanted to help him

  JJ11347: When someone has an ability different than our own, like dysfluency, it’s good to ask before you try to help.

  JJ11347: Did you ask Javier first?

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: no. we, well, i, wanted to kind of surprise him with it

  JJ11347: I appreciate that you were trying to help, but you know what your next steps are, right? You know wh—

  CHAT INFRACTION

  JJ11347 HAS BEEN EJECTED FROM THE GAME

  THIRTY MINUTE RESPAWN COUNTDOWN BEGINS NOW

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: yes, i know.

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: that’s why i’m here

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: i need to say i’m sorry

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: so i’ll wait

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: until Javier shows up

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: and Ben B and Ben y

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: i’ll wait forever

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: to say sorry

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: maybe ms. j will come back and I can do a good deed

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: to make up for my accidental bad deed

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: maybe i can help ms. j get a pork chop

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: just help and help and help

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: and stay here

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: in Mom’s office

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: because Spartacus

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: the dog not the movie guy

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: is coughing so much

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: i can’t hear Dance Across America

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: and that makes me nervous in two ways

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!!: and this Javier thing makes me nervous in another way and so i’m just feeling really nervous right—

  CHAT INFRACTION

  JORDANJMAGEDDON!!!! HAS BEEN EJECTED FROM GAME

  THIRTY MINUTE RESPAWN COUNTDOWN BEGINS NOW

  0BenwhY ENTERS GAME

  0BenwhY: anyone here?

  0BenwhY: that is an epic chat log

  0BenwhY: whoa

  BenBee ENTERS GAME

  BenBee: hello?

  BenBee: what did i miss?

  0BenwhY: hey, Ben B. check out the chat log.

  BenBee: hey.

  BenBee: oh wow.

  BenBee: you want to wait with me until he respawns?

  0BenwhY: we do have this pyramid to finish.

  BenBee: yep. if we don’t save ourselves, no one else will.

  Congratulations! You have survived ghosts and surprise enemies and even the elements! (Brrr, it got cold there for a little while, didn’t it? Good thing you made those extra torches!) You might think you have developed the skillz and intuition to move through the rest of your adventure with ease. But! If you did think this, you would be in trouble. That’s right, the toughest part of your journey awaits:

  The battle to save ur self!

  To find respite in the nearest village, turn to page 80.

  To stay with your current ragtag set of “allies,” turn to page 180.

  From Save Ur Server, Save Ur Self: A Many Choices Sandbox Adventure Book by Tennessee Williamson

  BEN B

 

  You’re doing great.

  Look at all those notes!

  Her words echo

  echo

  echo


  in my brain.

  I’m doing great?

  I look at the words on the screen.

  The letters all line up,

  not huge and wiggly,

  not scattered on the page.

  These are real people words.

  Anyone words.

  The letters are neat.

  They’re perfectly shaped.

  No hand cramps from a pencil,

  nobody saying quietly

  I write like I’m still in first grade.

  Perfect words,

  and they came from me.

  From me.

  She might be right.

  I might be finally

  for once

  doing great.

  High five and bye.

  High five and bye.

  High five and bye.

  She doesn’t let go,

  at the end of our high five,

  instead she squeezes

  once

  twice.

  I want to set up a meeting,

  she says,

  with your mom and dad.

  I think we can work together,

  try to get you a 504.

  Do you remember what that is?

  A voice echoes from above:

  Jeans?

  We both look up.

  Ben Y leans over the stairs,

  grinning

  like a goof.

  No, Benita.

  Goodbye, Benita.

  Please stop