5+Fai+Chang+Tse+Hwee+Joey

Main Characters: John and Tim are the notorious pair. John-the notorious boy who created the prank-mischievous, playful, cunning, menacing Tim- one of the accomplices of John, also a good friend of Tom and Jim- mischievous, playful, cunning, menacing, friendly, caring

Jim and Tom are unpopular in class. Jim- one of the witnesses- impatient, impulsive, caring, worrying, smart, virtually perfect Tom- the boy who noticed John setting up the prank- kind, caring, selfless, smart, worrying, virtually perfect

Main points: 1. Jerry’s birthday was held.

Purpose: The setting in which all the important scenes would occur.

2. Noticed John and Tim behaving sneakily

Purpose: Without this setting, no suspicion about John and Tim would be made and thus, Tom and Jim would not be able to anticipate that they were up to no good.

3. Followed them and recorded the whole process of John and Tim setting up the prank for Jerry.

Purpose: Without them recording the entire process, they could not have sufficient proof to prove that John and Tim were the culprits of the prank.

4. John and Tim guarded their prank.

Purpose: Without them guarding their prank, Jim and Tom could easily remove the prank and thus, they would not have to hurt anyone’s feelings or let them be hurt physically.

5. Deliberated on whether to report them especially when Tim, their best friend was involved in the prank.

Purpose: Without this deliberation, the readers would not have noticed the friendship between the three and the sense of justice Tom has.

6. Showed everyone at the party the truth about John and Tim.

Purpose: Without them showing everyone, they would not know the truth about John and Tim.

7. John and Jim had to face the music for their pranks.

Purpose: To show that bad will always get what they deserve for what they did.

Streamers hung high in the ceiling as Tom and Jim made their way through the crowded living room to the bathroom. The very atmosphere of the air emphasized how Tom and Jim were outcast in their class, only invited to the birthday party they were at as the birthday boy, Jerry’s, parents made him invite everyone in the class. The very thought of gate-crashing on someone’s party made Tom and Jim very embarrassed and uncomfortable. Their only wish was to find some place that they could hide from the sneering looks of their classmates. The fact that they were outcast puzzled them. Yet, they had never stopped trying to fit in, whether it was playing games or crack the same jokes, but it was all to no avail. They had not done anything wrong and except for their strange looks, they were virtually flawless, having good results and being kind and friendly. They were the objects of their classmates’ burning hatred. In their class, there were John and Tim who were famous for their pranks and tricks and they were being termed as the “notorious pair”. They were disliked by the whole class but not as bad as Tom and Jim whom they sneering called ‘dull tortoises’. Sometimes, when Jim was ridiculed, Tim would often stand up for him. Thereafter, he became very dependent on Tim and relied on him to stand up for him and slowly friendship developed.

As Tom and Jim took turns to go into the toilet, they noticed the notorious pair, widely known in school for their pranks, sniggering and whispering to each other. Every cell in their body told them that those two notorious boys were up to no good. The decision was made, they decided to follow them. As they approached Jerry’s room, suddenly, they were clear about what they were about to do and the mere thought of that sent shivers through their spine. They were placing staple bullets on the floor, which was gigantic, the size of a button and they had it pasted on the floor, which had the sharp side up! As the staple bullets had the identical colour as the floor tiles, it was perfectly camouflaged!

Terribly shocked and worried by what they saw, their eyes widened and their jaws dropped as they got “a glance of the future” in which Jerry would be screaming and bleeding. In an impulse, Jim ran out and wanted to give them a piece of his mind but fortunately, Tom managed to stop him in time before their cover was blown. “No Jim, we cannot blow our cover now, we got to get evidence to press our charges against those two menacing people .” As Tom whispered to Jim, he fished out his cell phone from his pocket and started to film the entire process of those two laying the staples. “Now, we got these sneaky pranksters…” John and Tim stayed close beside the staples to guard them from any people. Tom’s head was like a battle field, as he deliberated on whether to tell the truth and report on his good friend. Finally, in what seemed like an eternity, he made a decision…

The night arrived like a disease and soon, consumed the entire city as it was plunged into darkness. It was now time to leave the premises of Jerry’s house but before anybody had the chance to leave, Tom and Jim stated, “Wait, before anyone leaves, we have an announcement to make.” At once, all the chatter disintegrated and the house was silent. “Just, in the afternoon, we saw John and Tim, laying staples on Jerry’s bedroom floor and it was to hurt him!” Immediately, everyone started laughing, almost laughing at their stupid and childish acts. A loud piercing voice from John soon echoed the living room, “What prove do you have losers. Just trying to frame us? Well then, where’s your prove?” The sly smile on Tom’s mouth stated that he had anticipated John to state that statement. The smile on Tom’s face almost resembled those of a contented predator, whose trap had managed to catch its prey. But although his face may portray that for someone who was contented, but actually, in their hearts, Tom and Jim felt guilty that the notorious pair had to be exposed and be taught a lesson or else they would continue playing pranks and would never change.

“This will explain everything…” A low trembling guilty voice was emitted from Tom’s mouth as he fished out his cell phone and played the entire process of what had happened. At that moment, gasp of disbelief ringed in everyone’s ears. John and Tim were so embarrassed and hung their head low as they were being humiliated in front of all their friends and classmates and worst of all, the parents were present. Tim’s father was burning with rage. “Out! Now!’ His voice was hard and cold. Then he raised one hand and dealt a stinging blow on his son’s face. The red palm print appeared instantly. Driven by embarrassment, tears streamed down his cheeks as he wiped his frightful tears with a tissue paper. As Jerry’s parents advanced towards them, they were so frightened, frightened to the extent that the tissue paper they were holding had been torn into shreds and floated onto the floor.

Tom and Jim were filled with regrets but after some recollections, they felt that they had approached the matter correctly. They could not imagine what would had happened if somebody was to be injured. In their hearts, they knew that they had lost their one and only good friend who had always stood up for them when they are being ridiculed. They knew that even though if they persuaded them to stop, they would still carry on with their actions.

The next day in the hall, the principal announced that John and Tim’s parents had consulted him about the matter. There was incredulous look on everybody’s faces as they did not expect the matter to escalate up to the school. Their parents had requested that the school’s principal help them discipline them so that they would be taught a lesson which they would never forget. After much deliberation with the parents and teachers, they were given public caning during assembly. Our hearts reached out to them, but fortunately we were glad that they did blame us but were in fact thankful as they began to realise their mistakes and had found a new direction in their lives.

After that incident, the foursome became best friends. Tom and Jim were slowly been accepted by their classmates. They were still being teased and bullied occasionally but it was bearable. Nothing is perfect in this world.

Comment by Bryan Bob Ang: The plot is nice but the names are confusing.