Miss Mush proudly dumped a hot lump of Mushroom Surprise on a paper plate and handed it to Ron. He put it on his tray, then pushed it over to the cash register, where he paid for it.
The news quickly spread around the cafeteria, then up and down the stairs and out to the playground.
“Ron ordered the Mushroom Surprise!”
“Ron ordered the Mushroom Surprise!”
Mrs. Jewls was sitting in the teachers’ lounge on the twelfth floor when Bebe burst into the room.
All the teachers were shocked to see her.
“Bebe, you’re not allowed in here,” said Mrs. Jewls. “This is a secret place.”
“Ron ordered the Mushroom Surprise!” Bebe shouted; then she ran back up to the cafeteria.
As Ron sat down at a table, eighty-seven kids crowded around him to watch him eat.
“I wonder what the surprise is,” said Deedee. She had the best view. She was pushed right up alongside Ron’s chair.
“Maybe it tastes good,” said Leslie. “Maybe that’s the surprise.”
“No, I think it’s called Mushroom Surprise because after you eat it, it’s a surprise if you don’t die,” said Mac.
“Louis eats it. He’s not dead,” said Jason.
“Louis has been eating Miss Mush’s food for so long, he’s immune to it,” said Allison.
Ron dug his plastic fork into the goop. He raised it to his mouth.
Dana covered her eyes. “I can’t watch!” she exclaimed.
Ron opened his mouth wide. The fork entered. He brought the fork out again.
It was empty!
Ron chewed twice, then swallowed.
“He ate it!” Deedee announced for those who couldn’t see.
Stephen screamed.
“Hmm,” said Ron. “Not too bad. It sort of tastes like a mixture of bananas and spinach.”
“What’s the surprise?” asked Deedee.
Ron looked at Deedee. His face flushed and his eyes changed color. His whole body began to shake, like a washing machine on the spin cycle.
Deedee was afraid he was going to throw up. She tried to get away, but with everyone crowded around, there was no room for her to move.
But Ron didn’t throw up. He stood up, put his arms around Deedee’s neck, and kissed her smack on the lips.
He sat back down. His eyes returned to their normal color.
“Ylah!” said Deedee, wiping her mouth on her sleeve.
“What’s the matter?” asked Ron.
“Don’t you know what you just did?” asked Allison.