"Here he comes," Julia Saks whispered.
Everyone at our lunch table looked up. "What amazing muscles!" said Amber Sweeny. She was talking about our new gym teacher, Mr. Krebs who'd just entered the cafeteria.
Because he was new that year, he'd gotten stuck with lunch duty. "What a hunk," Julia said dreamily. "What a freak," countered Josh Hopka. Mr. Krebs was the most muscular person we'd ever seen in real life. His arms and chest bulged through his dark blue polo shirt, stretching the material tight. His neck was like a tree trunk and you could see the ripples in his stomach through his shirt.
"He's unnatural," I said. "A freak o' nature," Andy Kent summed it up. Josh and I smiled. We watched as Mr. Krebs caught a glimpse of his reflection in a cafeteria window. He flexed his right arm, making the muscle bulge even more. I was certain his shirt sleeve was going to rip, but it didn't.
"Aw, my hero!" Alex Silver whispered in a high falsetto. The guys chuckled, but Julia Saks narrowed her big brown eyes at us. "You're just jealous," she said. "No way!" Josh insisted. "You think I'd want to be a musclehead? Forget it." He turned to me. "What about you, Jake?" Instead of answering, I glanced over at Amber, who was still gazing at Mr. Krebs. Amber had long, straight, brown hair and smooth flawless skin. She was really pretty. "See?" Julia smiled knowingly. "Jake wouldn't mind looking like that." Amber turned and caught me with her almond- shaped green eyes. I quickly looked away.
"Watch this," Alex whispered to us. He waved his arm. "Hey, Mr. Krebs!" "What's up, Silver?" The gym teacher stepped up to our table and crossed his massive arms. He had a deep, husky voice and a square face with short black blonde. It was only 11:30 in the morning, but his jaw was already darkened by stubble. "How long does it take to grow all those muscles?" Alex asked innocently. Josh sniggered silently. Andy covered his mouth with his hand and tried not to laugh. Mr. Krebs didn't notice. "I started lifting when I was fourteen," he replied. "Just about your age." "How often?" Alex asked. "Four or five days a week." "Wow!" Alex pretended to be impressed. "How many hours a day?" "Two or three at least."
We traded amazed looks. It was hard to imagine doing anything for two or three hours a day . . . except, maybe, watching TV. "How come so much?" asked Alex. "You have to work on all the major muscle groups," Mr. Krebs explained. "It's not just having big muscles. It's about symmetry and cuts." "What's that?" Andy asked. "Symmetry means having a balanced physique," Mr. Krebs explained. "It looks bad if you have big pecs and no traps. Cuts mean muscle definition. You want to see each individual muscle." "Oh, I get it." I gave an exaggerated nod.
"But here's the thing I don't get, Mr. Krebs. How come you can't find any clothes that fit?"
Mr. Krebs face hardened and his eyes became beady. He'd just realized that we were goofing on him. "This is the largest size this shirt comes in," he replied icily. He glared down at me.
Buzzzzzzz! The bell rang.
We all began to get up when Mr. Krebs stopped me in my tracks. "Where are you going Sherman?"
"School's over. Can I go or is this, like, detention?"
Before Mr. Krebs could answer, Mr. Dirksen, the science teacher, walked over. "What can I do for you, Phil?" Mr. Krebs asked. "I have to move something heavy from my car into the gym for the science fair," Mr. Dirksen said, looking more at me than at Mr. Krebs. "And I was hoping to find a few strong backs." Mr. Krebs smiled at me. "Looks like the answer to your question is yes, Sherman, this is detention for you. And while you're serving it, you can help Mr. Dirksen move his stuff. Get your coat. It's snowing outside."
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