Extraordinary Losers 3 by Jessica Alejandro Page A

I came to my curly-haired friend.
    â€œHey, what are you doing, buddy?” I asked as I took out my headphones.

    â€œHuh?!” He was a little shocked to see me. “Nothing, Darryl. No?” He stuffed a small paper bag into his pocket.
    â€œThen, why are you standing here?”
    â€œNo… I… I… I…” He looked to the school security guard, Uncle Andy, for help.
    â€œNothing, boy,” Uncle Andy said, frowning, like I was a busybody. “Okay, Mundi, you better go off now!”
    â€œOkay!” Mundi clenched his pocket tightly and licked his lips in nervousness.
    â€œTake care, okay! You can start using it today!” Uncle Andy said as his eyes fixed sharply on Mundi like bright beetles.
    â€œThanks! Bye, Uncle Andy!” Mundi waved and flashed his deep dimples. “Th-th-thanks!”
    â€œNo problem!” Uncle Andy smiled, his gold tooth reflecting the morning sun. “Remember to…” He placed his index finger at his lips, gesturing “quiet”.
    Mundi nodded and quickly walked towards the canteen, avoiding me.
    â€œThanks for…?” I said when I caught up with him.
    â€œHey, Darryl! It’s nothing really. No?” Mundi shifted his spectacles into place.
    Mundi was a painfully shy boy. He almost never spoke to any adult. Not even his teachers. But since the start of the year, he had been having conversations with Uncle Andy. Uncle Andy had been working in our school for about eight years but no one really bothered about him. No one cared to greet him or say hi.
    However, one day during the haze period, Mundi saw how humid and hazy it was and offered Uncle Andy a can of Coke on his way out from school.
    â€œWhy did you do that, Mundi?” Janice asked.
    â€œWell, it’s so hot, no? And… and… and Uncle Andy doesn’t have any air-conditioning in his office. No?”
    â€œYou call that an office?” Clandestino laughed. “That’s a small little shed with a small little fan.”
    Just then, Janice took out a clear plastic bag from her school bag. There was only one coffee donut left. She stopped and thought for a while with her finger on her cheek. Then she pinched a little of the donut and popped it into her mouth.
    â€œHmmm, still tastes good.” She licked her lips. “I shall share this with Uncle Andy too.” She acted as though she was testing to see if the donut was still edible, but we all knew that she couldn’t bear to part with it and just had to take a bite before giving it away.

    Mundi spoke up. “He must be so bored, directing traffic and collecting identity cards all day.”
    Janice strode back and proffered the one-twentieth-eaten donut to Uncle Andy. Uncle Andy was surprised. He looked at all of us, accepted it hesitatingly, smiled and waved back.
    Clandestino thought he had quite a cool job. “I wonder how much he is paid.”
    â€œHe looks bored,” I said. “That’s why he is always blasting his favourite Chinese opera tunes on his little radio!”
    â€œ Wo hui yong yuan ai ni ,” Janice sang, mimicking an opera tune. I will always love you .
    â€œEarache, earache,” I said, covering my ears. If anyone knows about good music, it has to be me. With my superhuman ears, I can discern every tone and every pitch and tell good music from bad.
    Uncle Andy did look a bit lonely. Every morning, he would scan the sea of Brightstars marching into school. He probably knew our names, the colour of our bags, the times we arrived and who we hung out with. No one bothered to give him a second look, except maybe Mundi. We knew nothing about him, except that he was Uncle Andy, the guard who liked to unbutton his shirt and blast the neighbourhood with his music.
    But today, there was something different about Uncle Andy. What did he give Mundi and why was it a secret?

CHAPTER 2: HIP HIP HOORAY!
    What do we do now?” I looked at Mundi,