“Wow, Derek! Looking good!” Vijay said as he watched Derek spin around on his back then flip back onto his feet. “Rock on!”

“It really is going to be good, isn’t it?” Derek said. “I mean, it looks good to me. I don’t know what else we could add at this point to make it better.”

“Well, we do need to work Gary through his part a few more times.”

“He promised to come tomorrow,” Derek said.

“Well, he doesn’t have as many pieces to work on as we do,” Vijay said. “A couple times going through it should be enough.”

“Okay, Vij. I guess we’re done for today, then.”

“See you tomorrow in school,” said Vijay, high-fiving Derek. “Man, this really is going to be a thriller!”

“I quit.”

Derek stood staring at Gary Parnell’s impassive face. “Huh?”

“I said, ‘I quit.’ What part of ‘I quit’ don’t you understand, Jeter?”

“What do you mean, you quit? You can’t quit!”

“Oh, really? Who’s going to stop me? You?”

“Gary, you promised! You can’t back out now.”

“Watch me.”

“But why? You’re doing great! You’re going to be a hit, believe me!”

“A hit?” Gary snorted. “I think not. More like a crash and burn. Let me fill you in on my recent nights, Jeter. For your information, I have been enduring one awful nightmare after another. I wake up in a cold sweat, dreaming that the whole school is laughing at me!”

“Gary, come on… listen—”

“No, you listen, Mr. Busta Moves! One night I dreamed I was up there in nothing but my underwear—and there was a big rip in the back of my boxers! Another night—or maybe it was later the same night—I dreamed the real monster was chasing me down the school hallways. No matter how hard I ran, I kept going slower and slower, until he was right behind me, and I could feel him breathing down my neck!”

Other kids standing around them in the hallway turned to look, as Gary’s voice broke the sound barrier in the echoing space.

Scowling back at them, Gary lowered his voice to a hush. “I’m out, that’s all. Go find yourself another monster!”

“Great,” said Derek, really steamed now. “This is just great. What are Vijay and I supposed to do without a monster? The show’s only two days away!”

“I sympathize with your problem, Jeter,” said Gary. “Boo-hoo. Lucky it’s not my problem.”

“But Gary, a promise is a promise! You can’t go back on your word! Where’s your self-respect?”

“Oh, no problem. I respect myself for being smart enough to know when to abandon a sinking ship.”

“But—”