Fitness Fiasco

By Verity Weaver and Courtney Huddleston

The Fall Family Fitness Festival promises to be the highlight of Justice Payne Middle School’s year—as long as the sixth graders can overcome their nerves long enough to present their physical activity to the public. But two hours before the festival’s start, students arrive at the gym to a disaster: Hailey’s yoga station and Dawson’s karate station have been trashed.

Who would have ruined these stations? Was it a rival karate kid? Or maybe it was Dawson himself, hoping to prevent a recap of his previous disastrous brick-breaking attempt? Was it the new girl trying to take Hailey’s spot in her friend group? Or was it a concerned father, hoping to get his daughter out of the project?

Crack open a What Happened? book to investigate a preposterous mystery from four different perspectives. See what the witnesses gets right . . . and what they get hilariously wrong. Bet you'll never guess what really happened!

• Language: English
• Publisher: North Star Editions
• Release date: Jan 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9781631634130

Book preview

Fitness Fiasco © 2020 by North Star Editions, Mendota Heights, MN 55120. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, including internet usage, without written permission from the copyright owner, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Book design by Jake Slavik

Illustrations by Courtney Huddleston

Design Elements: Shutterstock Images

Published in the United States by Jolly Fish Press, an imprint of North Star Editions, Inc.

First Edition

First Printing, 2020

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data (pending)

978-1-63163-412-3 (paperback)

978-1-63163-411-6 (hardcover)

Jolly Fish Press

North Star Editions, Inc.

2297 Waters Drive

Mendota Heights, MN 55120

www.jollyfishpress.com

Printed in the United States of America

Chapter 1

The Sign-up

Tuesday, September 3, 10:00 a.m.

Justice Payne Middle School’s P.E. class scrambled onto the gym’s bleachers as soon as the class bell rang. The seventh graders had heard Coach Arthur was very serious about physical education, and some kids, like Jorge Luis Lopez Famosa, didn’t want to risk having to run extra laps. Just the thought of doing anything extra made Jorge Luis quake.

The gym door opened and Coach Arthur, proudly wearing the school colors, walked in. A whistle was draped around his neck, the string tucked under the collar of his gold shirt. His maroon pants swished as he walked across the shiny, slick floor. It was time to educate. Time to excite. Time to exercise!

Coach Arthur stood in front of the class with a clipboard tucked under his arm. He grinned. Exercise is enjoyment. That’s what he hoped to get across to his students this semester, but as he scanned the class, it was clear the majority of the kids would have chosen an alternative to P.E. if it weren’t a required course.

There were, however, a few on his side. Dawson Poole sat with his chest puffed out, displaying a Join the Revolution: Revolution Martial Arts T-shirt. Rivkie Ackermann was in the jump rope club. Hailey Ross wore a yoga sweatshirt. Although these days, that could just be a fashion style.

Coach Arthur smoothed his pants, locked eyes with Jorge Luis, who he knew was not into fitness, and addressed the class. Hello. I’m Coach Arthur. Welcome to P.E.!

Hello, Coach Arthur, the class droned.

This year I have exciting plans for your fitness project. It is something completely new, Coach Arthur said.

The kids spun, swiveled, and stared at one another. Their eyes went wide. Their mouths hung open. Something new was never a good thing. And when it came from a teacher, it usually meant tons of work sucking up their free time. Basically the end of life as they knew it.

No more charting your weekly exercise or keeping food diaries, Coach Arthur continued.

Rivkie’s arm shot up. Why not? she blurted.

It was the journalist in her that had to ask. She didn’t mind work, and did every extra-credit assignment even if she didn’t need the boost to her grade. But a project sounded big and time-consuming, and time was something she didn’t have. Her school, religious, and social lives were completely booked.

I’m glad you asked, Coach Arthur said, although he really, truly, honestly wasn’t, and would have volunteered for a month of morning carpool duty if it ensured that question was never asked again. Last year, some students lied on their fitness logs. We discovered their deception when one student claimed to take his dog on daily walks at the exact time he was playing video games. That student was caught red-handed. Virtually red-handed, actually.

Everyone leaned forward in the bleachers. How did the kid get caught? What was his punishment? And most importantly, what game had he been playing?

Jorge Luis, who had the inside scoop, courtesy of his fitness-log-faking brother, knew Coach wouldn’t say because then he’d have to admit he’d been playing the same game as his student. In fact, they had been on the same zombie strike team. Not that teachers weren’t allowed to play video games, but no one actually wanted a teacher on their team, especially one who played like Coach Arthur. The word around school, possibly (definitely) spread by Jorge Luis’s brother, was that Coach couldn’t tell the difference between a one-armed, eyeball-dangling-from-the-socket zombie and his own military squad with their identifying strike-team patches. Amateur.

As Jorge Luis expected, Coach Arthur ignored the curious eyes and moved on. Your new project involves our school’s Fall Family Fitness Festival. It will now be run by students!

Collectively, the class sighed. Finally, a project that was doable. One night of being forced to walk around, hand out a flyer or two, and give directions? Easy peasy.

But the class relaxed too quickly. Coach Arthur wasn’t finished. Each of you will decide on an activity, set up a station, and present it. Please plan to stay after school that day. Oh, and it’s all for a formal grade.

The gasps and groans were deafening. It was worse than anyone could have imagined. The students knew about the festival, but none of them had actually been to one. The only people who went were the middle school students’ parents. It was that boring.

The questions came fast and furious.

How long does the activity have to be?

What happens if we’re out of town?

Aidan Johnson leaned toward Audrey Del Munson, whispering, Whenever it is, I’m going to be out of town. Even if I have to get my cheeks pinched by my grandma.

Can we write a paper instead? Audrey yelled out.

Coach Arthur shook his head and held up the clipboard. Here is the sign-up sheet. Please sign up by the end of today so I can run all activities by Principal Ross.

All heads turned to face Hailey. She shifted, hid behind her long, blond hair, and focused on a loose string on the sleeve of her sweatshirt. She squeezed her eyes shut and flapped her