The next day, as I headed to school, I couldn't wait to see Karyn. My head had been swimming with ideas about how to use the stone, and I couldn't wait to discuss it with her.
I must have been looking around for Karyn too much, because I wasn't watching where I was going. I was walking around a corner when I crashed face-first into Biff, the school's star athlete. Captain of the swim team, top basketball player, and all-round jerkface, Biff was not someone I wanted to get on the wrong side of. Too bad he was carrying a giant, red slush drink.
As I ran into Biff, the slush plashed up into the air, out of the cup, and all over Biff's hair, face, clothes, and varsity jacket.
"Oh jeez, I'm so sorry, Biff!" I cried out as I tried to help. I swear, I could almost see the cold, sticky, red slush melting into steam as it dripped down Biff's face. A couple of his buddies grabbed me by the arms and slammed me into a locker. I was sure that I was about to lose a couple of teeth when I was saved by Mr. Smith, the gym teacher, coming around the corner.
"What's going on here?" he demanded.
"Nothing," said Biff, who was constantly struggling to keep his grades high enough to stay on the school teams. "Just a little accident that we're cleaning up!"
"Go get yourself cleaned up, Biff," Mr. Smith demanded. "Let Gibson go - no use getting yourselves suspended over that little punk."
I felt a wave of relief wash over me as the goons put me down and headed towards the washrooms with Biff.
"This isn't over, Jon," Biff growled over his shoulder as they retreated.
I probably should have headed home and applied to transfer to another school right then, but I guess the power of the stone made me feel stronger than I was. I didn't have any classes with Biff that day, and I forgot to watch over my shoulder as I was showering after gym class. I hopped into the shower, hoping to clean myself up before the locker room filled up with other seniors. I didn't realize that nobody else seemed to be rushing to get changed - in fact, the locker room was unusually quiet.
As I was rinsing soap out of my hair in the shower, I felt strong hands grab onto my wrists, and then onto my ankles. I shouted and struggled, but I couldn't get free. With shampoo running into my eyes, I couldn't see my attackers clearly, but I felt myself being carried out of the showers. I could tell by their voices that they were boys - Biff and several of his cronies, definitely.
"Stop! Let me go!" I screamed, but it was no use. The people who were holding on to me carried me, squirming and naked, right out of the change room and into the open gym. I heard voices laughing and jeering at me, but I still couldn't see very clearly.
Suddenly I was being carried into another room. Strong hands forced me upright and jammed me into a locker. I could barely move my arms but I tried to hold the door open. It was no use - I felt the locker shut tight on me, and then I heard an ominous CLICK as someone closed the lock on the outside.
"Let me out!" I yelled, freaking out with claustrophobia. I yelled for what seemed like ages, although it couldn't have been more than a few minutes. I heard voices outside of the locker - this time it sounded like girls, rather than the boys who had locked me in. I heard the lock click open, and I scrambled out of the locker as fast as I possibly could. I stumbled and fell on the floor, and heard screams and giggles from all around me. I wiped the soap from my eyes and found myself lying on the floor, wet and stark naked, in the girls' change room. The girls, who were all fully dressed, were screaming and running around like crazy, except for a few (including Sarah McMillan) who were pointing at me and making fun of my nakedness. Next thing I knew, Mr. Smith was standing over me with a towel, ordering me to go to the principal's office.
I was infuriated when I found out that, somehow, there had been no witnesses to the assault on me. Not only was Biff going to get away with this, but I was getting suspended and possibly expelled for "sneaking into the girls' change room" with the intent of "committing a sexual assault". The school generously decided that they weren't going to press charges, but they phoned my parents and I had to walk out of the school past dozens of whispering and pointing classmates.
What Biff hadn't counted on, however, was that I still had a magic wishing stone.
