Please let Snake win, she said in confidence, whispering in my ear as the whole room waited to see how this interuption by the new guy of their normal routine was going to shake out. Before I could talk about the ridiculousness of that, of which I’m sure she was aware, she kissed me, once, twice, thrice, so soft and sweet and murmuring that I got all jellylike and said Okay, dumbly. She smiled. But then a moment later I thought about it. Thought about not only just myself, who had caught the giant water balloon after all, but also that seemingly kinda retarded kid who had got up in the line next to me seeming totally lost, whom I had helped out a little bit. Not to mention the dozens of other people, most of them basically still kids, smiling and playing in this room underneath the great hotel. Why should we let that grinning, popular, rich kid have all the special attention? What were we afraid of? And I said You know I don’t think I can do that. When I had first caught the balloon and prepared to tumble and be chased and what-all (I wasn’t even sure but I was ready), nothing had happened. Everybody froze. What are you doing? Riana demanded, nicely but with a definite edge. Um, okay I guess I don’t know what the rules are, I had said. Why don’t you tell me what I’m supposed to do. I get the balloon, pass it to Snake, and he takes it up to the top. Um. (I paused) Okay I don’t actually think that’s the rules. Where’s miss--? So here I was not thinking I could throw the game, even if it was just a warm-up in a class in the lower level of a resort in some city by a river. But while I was thinking about it, they had gone ahead and hoisted Snake up anyway, and he was grinning away, indulged and powerful, but at the last minute he dropped the balloon, and now I knew I was supposed to let him “win” it back, but I didn’t. I took off toward the back corner of the room. The boys from the next class over saw this, and with devilish delight on their faces, started up a chant: Big trouble, Big trouble...! Haha! I bolted. Out the door, starting through the maze of corridors, not knowing where I was going, but certain they would catch up with me any minute. You can only run so fast when you’re carrying a giant water balloon and besides you don’t really want to get away. They reached me a couple at a time, because the corridor was so narrow. I fought back, using stuff from other classes as much as I could. Strangle holds, straight kicks, whatever. I knew it wouldn’t last forever. But it was fun. And eventually, the great big balloon was going to burst.