Poor Eric was stuck with Gym class for the semester. Actually, he sort of liked it, but that's really beside the point. In Gym that day, they were playing dodge ball. If you've been in a middle school Gym class recently, you know that dodge ball is insanely easy, because all you have to do is stand in the back and not be noticed. There's always about 20 kids who actually want to play, and it all works out.

Eric was in the back, doing a really good job of being not noticed. All of a sudden, on the sidelines, he saw something small and purple. He took a quick look around (just to confirm no one was noticing him), then snuck over to the purple thing.

"Psst - you! Are you a narn?" Eric asked it.

The purple thing, aka Karr, looked up at him. "I'm a norn, if that's what you mean."

"Yeah, same diff. I'm Eric, did Katherine tell you about me? Ever?"

"Oh!" Karr's face lit up. "Are you that lazy, no good excuse of a naven who would be lucky to tell his butt from a hole in the ground?"

Eric paused for a minute. "Yeah, sounds like *Katherine* told you about me. Anyway, follow me." His eyes darted around the room. Nope, no one noticed him still. He led Karr up the stairs, and to the locker room.

"Hey!" The gym teacher obviously did not get the idea that Eric didn't want to be noticed. "Where are *you* going?"

"Uhm, the locker room? I just wanted a drink," Eric lied.

"And what is THAT?" the teacher asked, pointing to Karr. Eric hadn't quite thought to make sure no one noticed Karr, but he wasn't quite the sharpest knife in the drawer to begin with.

So, Eric thought it best to play stupid. "What is what?"

"That."

"I don't see anything."

"How can you not see that?"

"How can you see that?"

That poor teacher then threw up his hands. "Just go!"

"Thanks!" Eric grinned, and led Karr away.

-----

After Eric got Karr to Ms. Gulrie's room, he had to get to Social Studies. As he sat down, the bell rang.

"All right, class," Ms. Smith, the teacher, stepped out in front. "Today, we're going to learn about places on a map. Who can find a place on a map?" She walked to the maps on the wall and rolled one down, obviously not looking. Had she of been looking, she would have seen Ben clinging desperately to the North pole.

Eric squinted. OK, was that an Ettin? Hey, why not take a chance and assume? Eric had to get it down somehow. Create a distraction? Sounded good to him. Eric quietly balled up a piece of paper, and chucked it backwards. It hit one of those nerdy kids. You know the kind, the ones with maybe one or two friends who probably do a lot of experiments in their garage (which they like to call a 'lab') and like to play a lot of computer games. I mean, not that you actually *know* any by name or anything.

As the entire class turned around to laugh, and Ms. Smith hurried to the back, Eric quickly picked Ben off the map and hid him under his desk.

"OK," Ms. Smith insisted, "who did it?" Multiple kids pointed to Eric.

"Gee," Eric slowly started, "I guess you'll have to send me to the office."

"Eric," snarled Ms. Smith, "I know there's nothing you'd like better then to be sent to the office, so I'm going to keep you right here until -- "

The bell rang, and Eric dashed off with Ben close at hand.

-----

"Let's see ... " Katherine took role outside, with Susan near by. "Kass, Karr, Lydia, Ben, Jenna, Boggles.. yep, that's everyone."

"Let's start off," suggested Susan. Everyone abouted face and was prepared to leave, when they saw a clump of ditzes approaching.

"Ohmygosh!" One of the ditzes bent down to the group of creatures. "Like, what are these?"

"Go off." Susan stated. Being blunt was just about the only way to deal with these girls.

"Uh! Why-y? They're so adorable! Oh, wouldn't this one look neat in little ribbons, and we could curl this one's hair, an', an'..."

Katherine noticed Eric over in the distance (unfortunately). Thinking fast, she pointed. "Hey, is that a potential subject for your irrational need of the male gender ... uhm ... I mean, isn't he cute?"

The ditzes all squealed simultaneously and ran over to Eric. Katherine watched happily as they swarmed him.

"Katherine?" Susan asked, after a moment.

"Yeah?"

"'potential subject for your irrational need of the male gender'?"

"They're ditzes. That's all they think about."

"Oh."

Another pause. At this point, Eric had disappeared under the mound of ditzes. Had an NFL talent scout been nearby, each one of these girls would have would up with a contract.

"That was a horrible trick to play on Eric.

"But it was fun."

With that, everyone started home.