TOM PERRY CONCENTRATED hard. The rocket competition would begin shortly, and he wanted to be sure he hadn’t left any detail unchecked. No possible glitch was too small to be ignored. Nothing could jeopardize his winning.
He had never lost a contest, but that didn’t calm him. Being on top counted, and he pushed himself to remain there.
The other kids, however, rarely came over to him. Whenever they did, it usually made him feel like they’d been forced to do it. No way, though, was he going over to them. He’d win again, and they couldn’t ignore that.
He opened his toolbox. Pushing aside engines, igniters, glue, tape, and clips, he pulled out the pieces of his launch pad and began assembling it.
A shadow fell over him, and…
