Space Case by Stuart Gibbs Page B

he should get off his lazy butt before Chang drove his foot up it.)
    From there things only got worse. None of the Sjobergs had been very nice to begin with. Now, realizing they’d spent more than some entire countries made in a year to end up in their own private hell, they turned on us, becoming even nastier than before. Any encounter with them was a bad one. The only Moonie any of them remotely got along with was Cesar Marquez, and that’s only because Lily Sjoberg had a crush on him. And since Cesar didn’t like his little brother much, the Sjoberg kids were worse to Roddy than to anyone else.
    When I found them in the rec room, Patton and Lily had just swiped Roddy’s hologoggles and were playing keep-away.
    â€œCome on! Give them back!” Roddy whined as he haplessly ran back and forth between the twins. “I was just about to liberate Titan from the Pernicious Skrinks!”
    â€œOoh!” Patton Sjoberg taunted. “If you’re such a big hero, why can’t you get your goggles back?”
    â€œWhy do you guys have to be such jerks?” Roddy mewled.
    â€œWhy do you have to be such a loser?” Lily shot back.
    Normally I might have hustled off before anyone noticed me. I didn’t like the idea of being on Patton Sjoberg’s bad side. In addition to being as mean as a rabid badger, he was also quite strong. He spent most of his time at MBA in the gym, bulking up his muscles. His biceps had grown by an inch in the last four weeks. And Lily was pretty strong herself, surprisingly tall and broad for a girl.
    But I needed a favor from Roddy, and Roddy wasn’t much for helping anyone but himself. So I figured I’d get on his good side.
    Roddy made a desperate lunge for Patton, who flipped the goggles over his head. Given the low gravity, they sailed high into the air.
    I cocked my legs and launched myself as hard as I could. On earth my vertical jump was about two feet. On the moon it’s four times that. I flew over Lily’s head and snatched the goggles before she could.
    Unfortunately, even after six months I was still mastering low gravity. I flew much farther than I’d expected, crashed into the wall, and tumbled back down to the floor. Still, I managed to keep a hold on the goggles. When I got to my feet, the Sjobergs were flanking me, glaring hatefully with their beady blue eyes.
    â€œLook who thinks he’s a hero now,” Patton scoffed. “Give them back, Dash.”
    He reached for the goggles, but I yanked them away. “They’re not yours.”
    â€œThey’re not yours, either,” Lily said. “We’re trying to have some fun here and you’re ruining it. So why don’t you blast off and leave us alone?”
    â€œWhy don’t you go instead?” I asked. “I’ll bet Roddy was here first.”
    Patton scowled. His muscles flexed, stretching the fabric of his shirt. “Hand over the goggles,” he said. “Trust me. You do not want to make enemies with me.”
    I turned to face him, and as I did, I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the SlimScreen. Behind my back, Lily Sjoberg was coiling to strike. “You’re right,” I said. “I don’t. But that shouldn’t mean I have to give you whatever you want.”
    â€œThen we’ll just take it.” Patton sprang at me. At the same time, in the reflection, I saw his sister do the same.
    I was ready for them, though. As they both came at me, I launched myself again. I soared out of Patton and Lily’s path and they slammed into each other, clocking heads so hard that I could practically hear their tiny brains rattle around in their skulls.
    This time I stuck the landing, alighting perfectly by Roddy. “Here you go,” I said, valiantly handing over his goggles.
    He didn’t even say thanks. He was too busy watching the Sjobergs.
    Patton and Lily staggered a moment before regaining their balance, then