1 LOCK-IN EVE Ever since his accident a few years ago Marco Martinez wasn’t exactly excited about Halloween or trick-or-treating It wasn’t easy going from door to door in a wheelchair Even rolling up some of the steeper driveways could be tricky Besides he was in sixth grade and really getting too old for trick-or-treating Even so he wasn’t thrilled with the idea of spending Halloween at the school lock-in either Both Wheatley Elementary School and Middle School thought it was a great way for 5
students to have some Halloween fun without turning them loose on the streets On the eve of the lock-in Marco tried his best to convince his dad otherwise Dad it makes more sense for me to stay home and get some real work done on my micro-bot Marco said I need you to go tomorrow Marco his dad said sitting down to dig into his locally famous chili I actually have your brothers convinced they’d have more fun at the lock-in than trick-or-treating The last thing we need is a house full of hyperactive Martinez boys their teeth rotting away from eating too much candy Marco ate a spoonful of chili and washed it down with a sip of milk He knew his dad was exaggerating 6
They have games and movies Marco Felipe his youngest brother declared For free We have all of that at home Marco replied quickly Why go to school for that It’s good for you to get out of the house once in a while his dad said If you stayed home you’d just end up staring at your computer all night You need to take a break from that Make some friends Have some fun Programming is fun Marco thought They’re going to have popcorn too Rodrigo said stirring his chili around As the middle kid Rodrigo was what Dad called a challenge especially when it came to eating If given the choice he’d eat macaroni and cheese for every meal Popcorn however was his go-to snack 7
