Gotcha!

DIVMrs. Zookey's class is studying spiders and their prey. Richard can relate, because Patrick has been preying on him all morning.brbrPatrick is the biggest pest in second grade. He gets away with stuff other kids don't. Today he's out to get Richard. When he does something that makes him look smart or Richard look silly, he flashes a sign: Gotcha! Richard has been zapped, powed, and bonked. Even his friends at Table Two are laughing at him, and there's no relief in sight, because Mrs. Zookey wants Richard to be Patrick's partner for an entire field trip. But sticking with Patrick is asking for trouble, and the "winner" gets all wet in this funny, fast-paced Table Two chapter book, full of interesting spider facts./DIVDIV"Four," said Mrs. Zookey. She crossed her arms and waited. Outside our room, lightning zigged across the sky.br"Five," said Mrs. Zookey.brThunder rumbled.brI blinked, but I didn't make a peep. Nobody did. Only a minute before, all the kids at Tables Two and Three had been holding our noses and calling each other stink bugs. That's why the whole class now had to sit with our lips zipped tight while Mrs. Zookey counted to ten.br"Six," she went on. The thunder rumbled louder.brOver at Table Three, Patrick the Pest was straightening his red bow tie. He wore it every day. Today he had it on with a brown-and-green camouflage shirt that hung down way below his knees. It looked really dumb. Okay, at Table Two, we'd been saying "stink bug!" too, but Patrick's table had been saying it loudest. Just the week before, Mrs. Zookey had put him at Table Three, with the quiet kids. Already he'd got them in trouble.brPatrick grinned at me, reached into the pocket of his huge shirt, and pulled something out. I looked over to see if Mrs. Zookey was watching, but as soon as I turned my head, a rubber band hit me smack