Balaclava Boy Read Online Free Page B

Dumisani and I had to stand up on our desk and bow to all our fans.
    So of course Dumisani and I had to stand up on our desk and bow to all our fans.
    The noise went on and on until Miss Venter and Tommy got back from the Germolene Queen. With Tommy smelling of Savlon.
    After school, Dumz and I escorted Tommy all the way home to Daffodil Street. We strode with our backs straight and our arms swinging wide. We did our best to look mean and scary. We scanned the whole area for danger. Most of all, we kept silent. Like proper secret service bodyguards.
    Well, until we got to Tommy’s gate. Then Dumisani said, “You wait! There’s a surprise for you tomorrow!”
    â€œWhat surprise?” asked Balaclava Boy. But then his mom appeared and saw the bloodstain and got very upset.
    Dumz and I walked on towards Frangipani Road. That’s where we both live. Where we’ve always lived. Nearly opposite each other.
    We passed a small red house on a corner. And we stopped. It used to be the house of our Grade Two teacher, Mrs Godfrey.
    Mrs Godfrey had got very sick. And around the playground, a terrible word was whispered: ‘Cancer’. After that we only saw Mrs Godfrey a few times, sitting on her verandah or in her husband’s car. She always wore a head-scarf.
    And another word was being whispered around the playground: ‘Chemotherapy’. Especially by the Grade Sevens. Chemotherapy was special hospital treatment for cancer. It made all your hair fall out.
    Dumisani and I stood outside the small red house with its empty verandah.
    â€œYou don’t think …?” I said. “What if maybe Tommy …?” It was such an awful thought. Too awful to say out loud.
    But after a while Dumisani shook his head. “Nah, Doogz. Because look how he runs around the soccer field. Like a mad thing! Look at the way he sends that ball flying. He couldn’t do that if he was sick, could he?”
    So we headed on to Frangipani Road. Walking quickly towards the sound of steam trains shunting as they carried coal from the Mine to the Power Station.
    There was lots to do. We had to sort out stuff for tomorrow’s Brilliant Idea. And I had to make up something to say for Free Orals. In case Miss Venter chose me.
    Dumisani never prepares anything, though. He just stands up in front and the words come tumbling out of his mouth. He’s so good, he can get the class yelling stuff back at him. Miss Venter calls that ‘Audience Participation’. Dumisani’s Free Orals always have lots of Audience Participation. And they’re always great fun.

9
    Friday Surprise
    On Friday, Tommy wore his navy balaclava again. We hardly noticed. There was too much else to stare at. Our whole classroom had turned into one very strange, very bizarre place!
    Miss Venter looked around with her eyes wide. She kept shaking her head very slowly, not saying a word. Not even “Dear! Dear! Dear!” The whole class – all of us – were wearing balaclavas of some kind! Every single one of us in Grade Four SV!
    Me – I’d borrowed my granny’s tea-cosy. It was a pink-and-purple crocheted one with three pink-and-purple flowers on the top. I had a problem with seeing, though. The hole for the tea-pot handle was long and narrow. So I could only look with one eye at a time.
    And Dumisani had his cousin’s army balaclava on. It was very smart, made of camouflage material. It was also much too big. Dumisani kept yanking it around, but there were still bunches of extra material everywhere.
    â€œIsn’t this awesome, Doogz?” Dumisani said through his bunches.
    I nodded hard so my three flowers bounced around on top of my head. “It’s – it’s surreal,” I answered. ‘Surreal’ is also one of my big sister’s favourite words.
    We turned round to check if Tommy was enjoying his surprise. He was definitely smiling. We knew by the way his eyes crinkled