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  ivaluecanadianstories.ca

  FINAL CUT

  MARTY CHAN

  Copyright © Marty Chan 2022

  Published in Canada and the United States in 2022 by Orca Book Publishers.

  orcabook.com

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

  Title: Final cut / Marty Chan.

  Names: Chan, Marty, author.

  Description: Series statement: Orca anchor

  Identifiers: Canadiana (print) 20210346833 | Canadiana (ebook) 20210346841 | ISBN 9781459834187 (softcover) | ISBN 9781459834194 (PDF) | ISBN 9781459834200 (EPUB)

  Classification: LCC PS8555.H39244 F56 2022 | DDC jC813/.54—dc23

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2021948709

  Summary: In this high-interest accessible novel for teen readers, a bullied teen plots the ultimate revenge.

  Orca Book Publishers is committed to reducing the consumption of nonrenewable resources in the production of our books. We make every effort to use materials that support a sustainable future.

  Orca Book Publishers gratefully acknowledges the support for its publishing programs provided by the following agencies: the Government of Canada, the Canada Council for the Arts and the Province of British Columbia through the BC Arts Council and the Book Publishing Tax Credit.

  Edited by Tanya Trafford

  Design by Ella Collier

  Cover photography by Getty Images/Prostock-Studio

  Author photo by Ryan Parker

  Printed and bound in Canada.

  25 24 23 22 • 1 2 3 4

  To Brad Smilanich, my movie-recommending guru.

  Chapter One

  “Run!” I shouted. “Full speed, Maya. Go, go, go!”

  My best friend sprinted across the schoolyard as she looked back at the empty track field. Suddenly she tripped and fell to the grass, barely breaking her fall with her hands. Maya scrambled across the ground, panting.

  “This way,” I yelled. “Come on!”

  She swept her long black hair out of her face and looked my way, her eyes wide with fear. She struggled to climb to her knees, then tried to stand up.

  “Ow!” she yelped as she took a step. She hopped on one leg. “My ankle. I think it’s sprained.”

  “Ignore the pain,” I cried. “Run!”

  Maya limped ahead, looking over her shoulder. “Someone help me.”

  Before she could take another step, the world went dark. I looked up from my camera. Denise had blocked my shot and ruined my take. She was the monster queen of our middle school and could destroy a student’s life with just one rumor.

  “Excuse me, Denise,” I said. “Can you step out of the way?”

  “Oh?” Denise said, dusting off her denim jacket. She didn’t move an inch. “I didn’t know that you were in charge of where I’m supposed to stand.”

  “Piggy bothering you?” a voice called from behind me.

  I turned. If Denise was the monster queen, her boyfriend was the beast jerk king. Cole cracked his knuckles and grinned. His braces gave him an evil silver smile.

  “The name’s Mason,” I said.

  “Right, Piggy.” Cole threw his arm around Denise and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “This loser bothering you?” he asked.

  “Yeah, he’s telling me where to stand,” Denise said.

  “Seriously?” Cole said. “You think you can tell her where she can go? You know it’s the twenty-first century, right? My girl can do what she wants. What are you doing anyway?”

  “It’s none of your business,” I said. “You have the whole field you can use. I just need this spot for another five minutes.”

  Cole let go of Denise and took a step toward me. “Want to move me, Piggy?” He had called me Piggy ever since we started playing rugby together. We were the same size, but he didn’t like that I could run faster. He was captain and decided to make me his punching bag for the rest of the season. He’d given me the nickname when he learned my dad was a cop. Cole was the main reason I quit the team.

  “Leave Mason alone,” Maya shouted as she ran toward us, her limp gone.

  Denise laughed. “Weeve him awone. Speak English much? Why don’t you go back to China?”

  “I’m from Vietnam,” Maya said.

  “Wherever,” Denise said. “Go back to where you came from. Don’t stink up our school.”

  I gritted my teeth. I could take these jerks teasing me, but I couldn’t let them make fun of my friend.

  “Maya was born here,” I said. “If you bothered to get to know her, you wouldn’t be so ignorant.”

  Denise narrowed her gaze at me. “What did you call me?”

  “You heard me,” I said.

  “Take it back,” Cole said.

  “I can handle this, Cole,” Denise said as she walked toward me.

  “You know I’m livestreaming all of this right now?” I said, moving closer to the camera on the tripod. “Everyone probably heard everything. Maybe even the principal.”

  Denise glared at me. Her short red hair made it look like her head was on fire. She stared right into the camera.

  “Some people can’t take a joke.”

  Cole rolled up beside her on his longboard. “Yeah, Denise. Snowflakes are so sensitive these days. Hello, butt sniffers. Hope you’re enjoying the show.”

  Denise laughed. “Sniff away.”

  He sniffed the air. “Ah, fresh butt hurt from all poor little snowflakes.” He kicked his board up into his hand. “Come on, Denise. Let’s go back to where we came from.”

  As he turned, his longboard smacked into my tripod and sent the camera flying. I lunged to catch it. Too slow.

  “Oops. Sorry about that,” Denise said.

  They laughed as they walked away. I rushed to check my camera. Nothing looked broken.

  “Is it okay?” Maya asked as she knelt beside me.

  “Yeah. Don’t let those jerks get to you,” I said.

  “Not the first time I’ve heard that insult. Mason, I can’t believe they thought you were livestreaming,” Maya said.

  “Hey, what they don’t know can’t hurt us,” I said.

  “True. Want to do another take?”

  “No, I think I got enough from you before they showed up.”

  “Come on. I think I have another take in me,” Maya said. “I can make my limp look more real this time.”

  I shook my head and started to unscrew the camera from the tripod. “No, we’re losing the light.” I pointed up at the clouds blocking the sun. “I can finish shooting our movie tomorrow.”

  I handed Maya the camera and turned to watch Denise and Cole halfway across the field.

  “I wish they could get a taste of what they dish out,” Maya said as she put the camera into its carrying case.

  “Ha. They wouldn’t be able to handle it,” I said. “I’m so glad I’m getting out of this city.”

  “You looking forward to going to Toronto?” she asked.

  “Anywhere is better than here,” I said. “I get to escape from these jerks.”

  “Take me with you?”

  “Of course. I need my leading lady for all my horror movies,” I said.

  She smiled. “When do you leave?”

  I folded up my tripod. “Dad’s already there. Mom’s dealing with the movers. We drive out Monday, so tomorrow’s my last day.”

  “I’m going to miss you, Mason. Who’s going to turn me into a movie star?”

  “Well, maybe this will be your big break. Just one more scene, and I should have all I need,” I said.

  “And if it’s a hit, I get to be in the sequel, right?” she joked.

  “Of course. I’ll fly back, pick you up in a limo. We can jet off to Hollywood,” I said.

  “Well, I’d better get my own trailer and assistant.”

  “Nothing but the best for you. I should make Denise and Cole the monsters,” I said.

  “Too scary.” Maya made a face.

  I laughed. “Yeah, we don’t want to freak out the—wait. That just gave me an idea.”

  “What?” she asked.

  “Maybe they’re not right for our movie, but I can make them stars of their own movie.”

  She leaned in. “Ooh, sounds like a horror classic in the making.”

  I grabbed the camera case from Maya. “No, I’m thinking of this one as more of a comedy.”

  “Mason, what do you have planned?” she asked.

  “You’ll see,” I said as I stuffed the gear into my backpack.

  Chapter Two

  The next day my latest video hit the internet. All the kids at school were buzzing about the clip. I felt like I was on the red carpet at a movie premiere, but I couldn’t t ell anyone that I was the director of this viral video.

  Still, I could enjoy their comments on the sly. I lurked behind a group of ninth graders as they watched my video on a phone.

  On the screen, Denise’s and Cole’s faces were pasted onto the butts of two pit bulls.

  Cole said, “Snowflakes are so sensitive these days. Hello, butt sniffers. Hope you’re enjoying the show.”

  A bark came from Denise before she said, “Sniff away.”

  Cole sniffed the air. “Ah, fresh butt.”

  The clip ended with a big fart sound effect and a loop of Cole and Denise repeating their last lines.

  “Sniff away…Ah, fresh butt.…Sniff away… Ah, fresh butt.…Sniff away…Ah, fresh butt.”

  One boy howled with laughter. “Play it again! That’s hilarious.”

  When Cole and Denise had interrupted my shoot, the camera had caught everything they said. All I had to do was use an effects filter to stick their faces on two dog butts.

  “They’re buttheads!” a girl said with a laugh. “‘Sniff away.’ Hilarious.”

  More students crowded around to watch the clip. I cracked a smug grin and enjoyed the rave reviews.

  Cole and Denise walked down the hallway. I slipped to the back of the crowd and watched as Cole pushed his way to the middle, smiling.

  “What’s so funny?” Cole asked. “Let me see.”

  Silence fell on the crowd.

  Denise raised an eyebrow. “Why are you all looking at us like that?”

  “Sniff away,” came Denise’s voice from the phone, followed by Cole’s voice saying, “Ah, fresh butt.”

  Everyone burst out laughing.

  “What is that?” the real-time Denise asked.

  Cole grabbed the phone and watched the clip. Denise’s voice rang out. “Sniff away.”

  “Who posted this?!” Cole growled.

  His voice sounded from the phone. “Ah, fresh butt.”

  Laughter filled the hallway. Denise pulled Cole away before he could punch the kid with the phone. I giggled to myself and walked away. Mission accomplished.

  I couldn’t wait to find Maya to show her my new masterpiece. She was sitting at her desk in our homeroom, staring at her phone. Off to the side a few students were chatting.

  “Maya, I have to show you something,” I said as I headed to her desk.

  Her face lit up as she held up her phone. “You mean this?” she asked.

  My movie played across the screen. I beamed.

  “It’s amazing,” she whispered.

  I took a bow. “Thank you, thank you, thank you. No, seriously, thank you.”

  “Cole must be losing his mind,” she added.

  “Saw him in the hallway,” I said. “He’s definitely not happy.”

  “You’d better be careful.”

  “I’ll be long gone before they figure out it was me,” I said.

  Maya shook her head. “He’ll know it was you.”

  “I don’t think he’s smart enough. But what will it matter if I’m halfway across the country?” I said. “Anyway, forget them. Look at what I have for our final scene.”

  I reached into my backpack and pulled out a prop knife and a severed hand, complete with bloodstains. Maya’s eyes grew wide as she grabbed the hand from me.

  “Where did you get that, Mason? It looks so real,” she said.

  “Bought it online,” I said. I pulled out a ketchup squeeze tube and waved it in the air. “Throw a little corn syrup and red food coloring together, and you have a bloody good time.”

  “Nice,” she said. “So I’m assuming this is going to be what’s left of you.”

  I nodded. “Yup. After searching everywhere for me, you learn that the killer got to me first.”

  “Got to hand it to you,” Maya said.

  I rolled my eyes. “You’re too young to be making dad jokes.”

  “Yuk, yuk,” she replied. “So when do you want to shoot?”

  “Today after school?” I suggested. “I’ve got about two hours before I have to get home and pack.”

  “You haven’t started packing yet? Talk about leaving things to the last minute.”

  I grinned and tucked the hand and tube of fake blood back into my backpack. “Got pretty much everything in here. Camera, batteries and special effects. What more does a filmmaker need? Let’s meet by the fence after school.”

  “Okay,” she said. “This is going to be our best movie yet.”

  My last day of classes was all joy, no tears. While I’d miss Maya, I already had plans for a horror movie about her being trapped in a Google Meet. We didn’t have to be in the same city to film it.

  Plus, hearing the constant loop of Cole and Denise’s butthead video everywhere I went was sweet revenge. Payback for all the times they had bullied me. Students were repeating the lines to each other in the hallways. Denise hid in the girls’ bathroom for most of the day. Cole was shaking down kids to find out who had made the meme. I couldn’t think of a better way to end my time at this school. Nothing was going to bring me down.

  As I watched the clock ticking down to the end of science class and the end of my time at this school, my phone buzzed.

  I reached into my pocket. A text from Maya. My mouth dried up as I read the words on the screen.

  They know it was you.

  Chapter Three

  I felt like a victim in a horror movie. Denise and Cole were the killers chasing me down. I had to get home before they caught me. Forget waiting for the school bus to roll out. I had to make a run for it. I slipped my backpack over both shoulders and ran for home.

  The first few blocks, I kept staring over my shoulder to make sure Cole and his pals weren’t on my trail. If this were a horror movie, I should be tripping on a blade of grass right about now. I didn’t, but my legs felt like jelly, and my T-shirt was soaked with sweat.

  My best bet was to duck down a side street and then make my way to somewhere I could catch a city bus. The only problem was, I didn’t know how many people Denise and Cole had rounded up to help look for me. They could be around any corner. I hoped my head start was enough to buy me the time I needed.

  I reached a busy street with shops and restaurants and scanned the area for a bus stop. Ah, yes! I spotted a bus parked across the street and down a block or so. Its door was open. But before I could cross, Denise’s friend Nadia rolled out on her mountain bike. She skidded to a stop between me and the bus. Nadia towered over almost every student and some of the teachers, and she had a mean streak.

  “Hey, Mason,” she said with a sneer. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone.

  No way was I going to wait for her to rat me out. I turned and sprinted in the other direction.

  “Get back here!” I heard her shout.

  The backpack slapped against my sweaty back as I sped away. I hoped my camera would be okay, but that was the least of my worries. I could hear the whiz of Nadia’s bike wheels on the sidewalk as she closed in.

  I nearly slammed into an old couple coming out of a store. The man shook his fist at me.

  “Sorry!” I yelled as I looked back.

  Nadia nearly knocked over the woman, barely zipping around her at the last second.

  “Ring your bell!” the woman yelled. “Damn kids!”

  Nadia ignored her and poured on the speed toward me.

  “Leave me alone!” I screamed as I ran down the sidewalk. “I didn’t do anything to you.”

  “Denise is my friend!” Nadia yelled. “You’re going to pay for what you did!”

  I kept running, but I knew it wouldn’t be long before she caught me. All she had to do was call her friends and I’d be done for. Ugh. Why had I uploaded the video last night? I could have waited until I was free and clear of the school and those jerks before posting it. Could have, should have, would have. I could hear my mom’s voice in my head and picture her wagging finger.

  “You’re dead meat!” Nadia shouted.

  She was so close now I could smell the rubber from her front tire. I swore she was going to pop a wheelie and roll right over my back. I changed course and ran across the street. A truck screeched to a stop in front of me. BEEEEEEPPPP!

  “I almost killed you!” the man behind the steering wheel yelled before punching his horn again.

  I dodged more traffic and somehow managed to get to the other side. Nadia on her bike would have to wait for the traffic to clear before she could cross. At least, that’s what I hoped. I headed along the row of shops, gasping for air. My lungs burned. My backpack loaded with my camera and special-effects gear was slowing me down. Even after two seasons of rugby, I couldn’t keep up this running pace. Why had I brought all my stuff with me today? Could have, should have, would have.

 

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