Extraordinary Losers 3 Read Free

Brightstars and raised his arms in triumph. Blue House went wild with excitement. In contrast, Clandestino was stretching his legs awkwardly, like a frog dancing to the jungle beat.
    â€œOh no, oh no, what is he doing?” Mundi started blinking awkwardly at the floor. He felt embarrassed for Clandestino. Adam was stretching too, but in a way that was making the girls swoon.
    Then, just when the match was about to start, Leonard hopped onto the track. He was waving a piece of cloth in his hand!
    â€œNow?!” I moaned. “I can’t believe this!”
    I strained my ears to listen closely. He walked calmly and steadily towards Clandestino. It seemed odd that Leonard was taking his time when the whole school was waiting for him. He kept his right arm straight like he was marching while his left hand continued to wave the piece of cloth. I smelled a rat.
    â€œHey, Clan, you forgot this!”
    â€œHuh?! My number 605!” Clandestino said in surprise.
    It was Clandestino’s race number! And true enough, he did not have it tagged to his house T-shirt.
    Clandestino grabbed the number tag. “Why are you so nice to me all of a sudden?”
    â€œNo reason, just looking out for all the contestants in the race.” Leonard had a smug look on his face. Very bizarre.
    â€œThanks.” Clandestino grabbed the number tag, pinned it on his shirt and got into position again. Leonard ran off quickly and disappeared from our view.
    I was definitely on edge. Every part of me was anxious for Clandestino; even my toes were twitching. “Come on, we need this! We need this badly!” I prayed.
    Mundi’s eyes glistened with hope. He turned to me and flashed his deep dimples. We knew we would see magic soon. Images of victory and our friends hailing Clandestino – and by extension us (since we were inseparable) – came to my mind. Would they throw us up in the air? Would our house stand up and applaud us and would we finally have the title LOSERS taken away from us?
    Mundi was fiddling with something on his hand. It looked like a peculiar watch.
    â€œHey, what’s that?” I asked.
    â€œNoth…”
    Before he could finish his sentence, there was a loud BANG! A single gunshot sliced though the air, electrifying the atmosphere. By the time I fixed my eyes on the track, Clandestino was already in the lead! Everything slowed down in milliseconds before my eyes. I could see his long legs stretch incredibly, like springs pulled to the limit. Every single leap seemed effortless. The other competitors were far behind. My cold muesli breakfast and ice cold Milo swirled around in my tummy like brown waves crashing about. The anticipation was just too overwhelming!
    I heard Janice shout in the front row, “GO, CLAN! GO, CLAN!”
    She was yelling at the top of her voice and from the bottom of her heart. It sounded like a thousand students were cheering for him when in reality it was only one fan. And the most loyal one at that! If you didn’t already know by now, Janice had a special ability – her voice. She could mimic anything, anyone and everyone! She could mimic not only a voice but also amplify it a thousand times!
    â€œThree, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, at 5 metres per second…” Mundi was counting Clandestino’s speed methodically, blinking with every step. Clandestino was dynamic! He was running effortlessly. Pride was written all over his face.
    â€œYay!! We are winning!” I cheered.
    Everyone could not believe what was unfolding before their eyes. Clandestino, the tallest and the most unhygienic boy in school with the oddly chopped hairdo, was leading the race?
    Then, just when the dream of winning was becoming a reality, the tables suddenly turned!
    â€œWhat is this?” Clandestino yelled. “My legs suddenly feel heavy. Something is pulling me down!” He slowed down considerably and grimaced in agony. The rest of the