So, about 6-7 people went to slouch in the corner, Xianwen included.
But Xianny was obiously worried, right? Like three terms of zuo wen just gone down the drain into the grubby hands of a mole.
So we, 3e, decided to help her. (Faint strains of Star Wars music)
Denise, Amanda and Joycelyn were trying to grab the book back, but Edna Mode would not turn her back on the teachers' table. So, we needed to distract her right? Right? (Salad, you are not allowed to answer this.)
Me: Ms. _____, how do you spell encyclopaedia? (fyi, I can spell it, okay)
Ms. _____: (Remaining where she is, facing the teachers table) Well, its spelled E-N-C-
Me: WAIT WAIT WAIT! You see, in the book here, its spelled P-A-E but in another book I read, it was spelle P-E and-
Ms. _____:Well, the book you were reading was probably the American spelling and-
Me: ARE YOU SURE? Because- look here! (Points at the book and gestures wildly, so that she will come over)
[Denise tries to grab the book, but fails as Edna suddenely turns back towards her]
Ms. _____: Well, you see, in the English language- (walks over to me)
Me: See, here! The spelling-
[Denise almost grabs the book but has to quickly sit down as the mole turns back]
So, shit right? First attempt failed. But there was hope. Its name was Cheryl Seah.
Cheryl was standing in the corner, since she hadn't brought her book, singing to herself in Chinese and glaring at Evangeline at every possible opportunity. Her hand suddenly shot up in the air, and she said - "Ms. _____, I wanna apologise to you for not bringing my textbook." Pleased that someone was acting even remotely remorseful, the Mole walked over to her, her face aglow. Cheryl started bowing to her. Repeatedly.
Denise grabbed the book, her arm shooting out in a single, graceful, calculated move.
By this time, the whole class was alert, watching the Mole's every move like a predator would watch its prey before pouncing. You could see the bloodlust in Yanka's eyes and for once, she neither ate nor slept in class, her shrewd, calculating eyes burning with an intensity that would make even Evan scream. (If Evan would scream, Nat would surely die, but let us not dwell on unpleasant matters.)
A few others started whispering to Denise and Amanda to not to keep the book with them, cuz if Edna Mode found out, they would be the first she suspected. We weren't actually whispering, come to think of it, we were more like screaming, but since old woman who teach are generally deaf as a rule...
We tried to replace the book with an empty one, and Marisa, who's lessons had finished by then (Ms. _____ refused to let us off), was extremely kind and ran to the bookshop to buy us a blank zuo wen book. But we couldn't just put back a blank one cuz the Mole had opened the original book and seen writing there.
What do we do? What do we do?
People were thinking of just writing random chinese words into the new book and quietly placing it on the table. Other people, convinced it wouldn't work, were trying to just give Edna the book back.
I have to admit, at that point of time, I started rushing to finish undone A Math homework, before Priscilla passed it up to Ms. Goh. Just as I finished that last, dreaded sum, singing "ain't no mountain high enough" as loud as I could, a scream, once again, of
"WHAT HAPPENED TO THE CHINESE BOOK?!?!"
pierced the air, shattering my eardrums, and causing Jin Yee to actually look up from her manga.
Edna Mode was trembling with rage, her teeth chattering, the colour of her face a bright vermillion. She scurried towards Samantha, Nicole H., Joycelyn, Denise and Amanda's side of the class.
"ONE OF YOU HAS THE BOOK. WHO IS IT? WHO? I CAN CHECK ALL YOUR BAGS RIGHT NOW!"
"What happened? What did you guys do to the new book?" I asked Hilary, who didn't answer, her eyes fixed on Edna, albeit with a rather satisfied look on her face. "WHAT HAPPENED??" I repeated, but she still didn't answer. Overcoming the urge to grab her neck and throttle her for an answer, I turned to watch the scene.
Amanda meekly handed Ms. _____ the book, trying hard not to laugh. Denise, miraculously awake, was also smiling. Poor Xianwen, however, was very confused. I could practically hear her screaming "What's going on?!?"
Then, the Mole started screeching again.
"THIS BOOK IS MUCH THINNER THAN IT WAS TEN MINUTES AGO! WHY ARE THERE ONLY THREE WRITTEN PAGES???"
In that split second, I understood why people had been looking so happy and content. Some people - bless them- had ripped out all the Compos Xianwen had written, and hid them, leaving only the first compo and the remaining blank pages there.
"I CAN BOOK YOU ALL FOR THEFT! YOU'RE NAME WILL GO INTO THE BEY-THAH SYSTEM! ONCE I HAVE ENTERED IT, EVEN IF I WANT TO, I WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO REMOVE IT! DO YOU KNOW THEFT IS A NINE POINT OFFENCE?"
People had started laughing openly by then. We knew that we had won. Against the Mole.
Ms. _____ tried to search Denise and Amanda's desk, but took one look at the piles of rotting worksheets piled up around them, and gave up. After lecturing and screaming at us for the whole lesson, she insisted on finishing the lesson we had planned for that day, so that we were finally release almost 25 minutes late. (Guess we deserved it though)
Once the Mole had burrowed out of the class, Xianwen (who had been standing in the corner the whole time) rushed forward.
"Oh my gosh! What happened to my zuo wen? You know how angry lao shi gets when someone loses the book?"
Our faces split into wide, almost identical grins.
From the front corner of the class, a sheaf of loose papers was pulled out from below someone's desk.
Another pile of papers emerged from ______'s bag.
Someone gleefully ripped out another stack of paper's from under Krithika's desk. (she was absent)
We put all the compos back in order, then handed it to Xianwen. Her complete zuo wen, minus the first one, clutched in her hands, she turned towards the rest of 3e, tears of gratefulness in her eyes.
We all smiled first at the still speechless Xianwen, then at each other, turned as one to glare at Ms. _____'s retreating, hunched figure, and from that day onwards, 3e was a united class.
End of story.
ps: We SERIOUSLY became more bonded after that. See? And all it takes is a deranged, senile old woman, yelling about theft and the police, to bring people closer together.
