The Stolen Shark’s Head
Thwop!
I blew a huge pink bubble and it popped all over my face.
I’m never going to find a lead story for this week’s edition, I groaned, peeling a sticky pink layer from my nose.
I tapped my fingers on the desk and stared out of the classroom window.
Then my jaw dropped!
Two shadowy figures dressed head-to-toe in black were slinking out of the gymnasium window carrying an enormous shark’s head. They checked over their shoulders, then turned and ran into the darkness.
I sprang from my desk, sprinted down the hall, and out the front door of the school, determined to catch the sharks-head-stealing thieves.
The gymnasium is in a separate building from the main building where I work on the newspaper, so I had to make my way around to the front of the school, take a hard left, then head straight back towards the gym. By the time I got there, it was too late. The bandits were nowhere in sight.
I pulled my cellphone from my pocket and flicked it on, hoping to light up any evidence the culprits had left behind. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my crime-solving adventures, it’s that criminals always leave something behind.
I shined the light around and sure enough, a fragment of blue and white fabric was caught on a sliver of wood protruding from the window sill. I fished in my backpack for tweezers and a plastic baggie, carefully gripped the scrap of cloth, and dropped it into the Ziploc.
I inspected the ground and discovered two sets of footprints leading away from the window. They were rather unique footprints; large, with 5 holes in the toe area and two in the heel. Cleats. I snapped some photos, then started following the prints. They led me through the grassy area behind the gym, and ended at the student parking lot.
The prints were harder to follow once I was on concrete instead of grass. I shined my light onto the parking lot, afraid my trail had come to an end. I stood there wishing my dog Jynx was with me – he could sniff them out.
I was just about to head back to the building when I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. Could it be? I ran to one of the empty parking spaces and knelt down. It was! A piece of fur from the shark’s head. I dropped the fuzzy evidence into a fresh Ziploc, and blew a nice-sized pink bubble.
As soon as I got back to the school newsroom I dialed the Sheriff’s office.
A deep, familiar voice picked up, “Sheriff Weever, may I help you?”
“Hi Dad,” I said.
“Hey Jessie, what’s up, kiddo?”
Kiddo. My dad still treats me like a baby. I know he means well, but I’m 15 years old! I shook my head and tried to be patient with him. I explained to him what had just happened and he told me to stay put - that he would be right over.
Word travels quickly in a small town like Seaside, and it wasn’t long before my dad, School Principal Hillis, and Coach McChesney arrived at the school.
Coach McChesney unlocked the door to the gym and evidence of a crime was obvious. Spray painted on the wall was a tiger, and enormous green and gold letters that spelled out the word LOSERS. The front case where trophies, photos, and other sports memorabilia are kept was wide open, and the contents of the case were in disarray. And the school mascot was now Sammy the Headless Shark.
“This is obviously the work of someone from the Tillymook Middle School,” Principal Hillis declared with conviction.
“Obviously,” agreed Coach McChesney. “Who else would steal Sammy’s head and paint the wall like that?”
The Tillymook Tigers and the Seaside Sharks had been rivals for years. Tiger colors were green and gold, just like the graffiti on the wall.
I thought about the scrap of blue and white fabric I had found on the crook’s escape hatch.
My dad was saying, “Now let’s not jump to conclusions, you two. This is all just circumstantial evidence.”
“You’re right, Dad,” I said. “I think someone from our own school did this!”
My dad looked at me with his head tilted and one eyebrow raised. He let out a heavy sigh and rested a hand on his hip. I knew the tone that was coming next.
“Jessicaaaaah, what do you know about all of this? You haven’t been playing amateur detective again, have you?”
I raised my shoulders in a guilty gesture, crinkled my nose, and nervously blew a bubble. Amateur – I hate that word.
“Here’s what I know, Dad,” I reached into my backpack and retrieved the blue and white fabric. “This was caught on the window sill where the thieves escaped. Someone must have been wearing blue and white under their black disguise. These are our school colors. No Tiger would ever be caught dead wearing these colors.
I also found footprints leading away from the window. I followed them to the student parking lot and…”
“Jessica,” my dad was shaking his head and trying to interrupt me with a scolding tone.
“No listen, Dad. I found this in an empty parking spot.” I held up the fuzzy scrap of Sammy the Shark’s fur. “No one can park in that lot without using a Seaside High School ID, and anyone leaving the lot has to swipe their card again. I think if we check the computer log around the time of the break-in we will have our suspects red-handed. Or should I say blue & white handed?”
After checking the parking lot computer records and questioning several suspects, two players from the Shark’s JV football team admitted to everything, insisting it had “just been a prank” and that they “had never intended to keep Sammy’s head”.
“They were hoping to cause trouble for the Tiger football team,” Dad told me. “Unfortunately, the boys seemed surprised to learn that what they had done was a crime, not a prank, and the only ones they had caused trouble for were themselves. Both kids have been suspended from school, kicked off the football team, and will be cleaning the mess they made of the gym wall and the display case. It’s up to a judge to decide if there will be more severe penalties in addition to that.
Now about you and your amateur detective work, young lady,”…
“Amateur?” After that, I didn’t hear much of what my dad was saying. I just wanted him to take me seriously. I popped a fresh piece of bubble gum into my mouth, proud of myself for having solved the mystery and relieved to have a lead story for this month’s edition of the Seaside Sun.
(Insert newspaper graphic of Seaside Sun front cover – maybe with Jessie holding it)
If you would like to read this edition of the Seaside Sun online, log on to http://www. seasidesunnews.com.
You can comment on one of the stories, sign up for the newsletter, and take the poll to share whether you think the boys should have been suspended from school or if you think what they did was “just an innocent prank”?
You can also email me at [email protected]
Jessie Weever
MyCyberLife.com)
“You’re never gonna believe this! Guess who was seriously flirting with me at the CyberMall?” Sarah Thompson gushed to her friend Ashley.
“Who?”
“Ryan Lowe!”
“No way! Ryan Lowe was flirting with you? How can you be sure it was him?”
“Well, it looks just like him. His avatar has long, dark hair and one earring, just like Ryan. Plus, his onscreen name is SharkFtblPlyr1 and Ryan’s a Shark football player.”
Sarah was sprawled out on her bed in fuzzy jammies and slippers, her face just inches from the screen. Her best friend Ashley was on the phone.
“Well, what exactly did he say?” Ashley asked. “Tell me word for word!”
*** needs more in here
“I’m gonna log in and see if he’s there.”
Sarah typed a URL into the browser, www.MyCyberLife.com and a colorful website came up. She entered her user id, BabyGyrl8 and her password. Her avatar appeared, it was a tall pretty blond girl that looked just like her. “I’m going to walk over to the mall and look around for SharkFtblPlyr1.”
Over the last few months, more and more kids were logging onto MyCyberLife and meeting up to shop, flirt, or just hang out. It was getting more popular than real life!
Sarah arrived at the food court. There were kids everywhere, some talking and laughing, some sitting together looking into tablets and laptops, others talking on their phones, and some just walking around carrying shopping bags. It seemed so real.
“OMG, there he is,” she squealed! Her heart started beating faster than normal and her face felt flushed. “OMG, he’s waving at me! He’s coming over here!”
SharkFtblPlyr1 walked right up to her and said, “Hi BabyGyrl8. I was hoping to see you again.”
“I was hoping to see you again, too,” she typed. She felt breathless and her whole body was tingly. Something happened to her every time he was close by. Something new and exciting.
“OMG, Ashley, he’s talking to me.”
“But is he talking to YOU or to BabyGyrl8?” Ashley asked her.
“I don’t know,” Sarah answered.
“I’ve seen you in school,” SharkFtblPlyr1 was saying. “But I was just too shy to talk to you. That’s why I was so glad when I saw you here in the food court. I couldn’t believe my luck. The cutest girl in school was actually here.”
“Ashley, he’s really talking to me! I can’t believe this is happening!”
SharkFtblPlyr1 was standing super close to her, looking at her with a big smile, adorable dimples, and warm, welcoming eyes. His avatar ran a hand through his dark hair and it was the cutest thing she’d ever seen in her life. She’d never felt like this before, and now it seemed like it could actually be true. He might end up being her boyfriend in real life!
“Wow, you’re so lucky,” Ashley said, sounding a little less excited than Sarah, which was understandable. Ryan Lowe was flirting with HER! He was the cutest, most popular boy in school. All of the girls would be jealous.
“I think we should get together in real life,” he said. “What do you think?”
“Ashley, he wants to meet in real life,” Sarah nearly screamed into the phone. “OMG, OMG, OMG.”
His avatar was moving in closer and he put a hand on her waist. “Well, what do you think?”
“Are you sure you know who I am IRL?” she typed.
“LOL. You look just like BabyGyrl8 in real life. I recognized you right away.” Most kids tried to make their avatars look a lot like themselves, but usually in cuter clothes.
“Ok, yes, I’d like to meet in person. That would be awesome,” she finally answered.
“How about if I email you? We can talk in private that way.”
“He just took my email address,” Sarah told Ashley. “I can’t believe this is happening. We’re going to meet for real.”
“Hey, Sarah, I have to go – my mom is calling me,” Ashley interrupted. “I’ll call you back in a little bit”
“Ok, Ash, maybe you can come over later, just call or text me back when you can.” Sarah hung up the phone and just then her laptop buzzed with the sound that indicated she had a new email.
She couldn’t stop grinning, and quickly opened her email program. She had one new message in her INBOX. She let out a loud, nervous sigh, telling herself it was fine – just be cool. She double clicked to open the email. It was from Ryan Lowe and the subject was: Let’s meet in person
She took a deep breath and started reading the email. Then her heart sank, the smile disappeared from her face, and her eyes filled with tears.
The email said:
’You have to be kidding if you seriously thought I would EVER want to be with you, on mycyberlife.com OR in real life. You’re a stuck-up brat and I don’t want anything to do with you. I hope this hurts.’
