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forth, trying to loosen it from his toe. Justice puts his hands above his head and starts flexing his biceps. Now he’s making weird grunting sounds through his teeth.
    â€œKnock off shakin’. I’m trying to get this hook here outta ya!” I yell.
    â€œI’m trying to turn into the man-creature like you!” he moans. “I love the pain, give me more, I love it!” he says through tight lips. I give the hook one last twist and it comes out. Justice looks down at his bloodied big toe. He’s out of breath from carrying on like a lunatic.
    â€œIt’s cool,” I say. “My mum has some Band-Aids.” I’ve never actually caught a Kiwi toe-fish before. I wonder if the old fella at the fish ’n’ chip shop could crumb it for us?

Chapter 21
    Itchy Bottom
    I don’t like lying to Mum. Yesterday I told her I took her advice and got a job. She thinks Justice and I are ball-boys for the Broncos. It’s kind of true. I will be holding a ball, but some very big men will be tackling me.
    It’s my first day of training. Justice and I catch the bus and get off one stop before the stadium. There is a bridge close by and we find a path that leads underneath it. Under the bridge is graffiti, broken bottles and an old wheelie bin. The bin stinks like rotten fish.
    It’s time for me to turn into Deadly D. I’ve never done it on purpose before. Justice is a bit nervous. “Stand thereDylan. Now I am going to get you really angry, but don’t hurt me. I am your friend remember?” he explains.
    â€œYeah, hurry up. We don’t want to be late for training,” I say. Justice turns his back and thinks of a way to get me upset. He spins around and looks me square in the eye. He pokes me in the chest.
    â€œYour bottom is so itchy, because you have … WORMS!” he yells. My mouth starts to turn upwards and I burst out laughing. Justice cracks up too. What a dumb thing to say. It’s so funny that I’m rolling around on the ground.
    â€œWorms? That is so stupid!” I say cracking up. “Can’t you think of something better?”
    Justice looks around. He asks me to stand just out of the shadow of the bridge. He walks over to the wheelie bin.
    â€œClose your eyes and count to thirty!” he says.
    I hear him and the wheelie bin go up the path. I don’t know what he’s doing. I can hear him above me. “… Twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty!”
    â€œLOOK UP!” he yells.
    Justice throws the wheelie bin off the bridge. It lands right on top of me, rotten fish and all. I am trapped insidethe disgusting bin. As I feel a dead fish slide down my face, my blood starts to boil. My hands shake and my eyes go blurry. The muscles start to pop out everywhere.
    â€œAaaggh!” I yell. The thick plastic bin breaks into a hundred pieces as I explode out of it. I am Deadly D. My hair hangs in my face.
    Justice looks down from the bridge. “I’ll only come down if you promise not to hurt me!” he says, peering over the side.
    â€œI promise,” I say in my scary deep voice. He runs down the path and hands me my Broncos training gear. Before I put on my shirt, he throws me a can of deodorant from his backpack.
    â€œSpray this on, bro. You can’t go to your first training session smelling like cat food,” he says.

Chapter 22
    Meet the Team
    The Broncos have hit the field doing some leg swings and partner stretches. Justice and I are late – not a good start. Coach Griffin sees us coming. “Nice of you to make it!” he yells. The whole team turns and looks. Shame! I look down at Justice. He’s busy fixing his fringe with not a worry in the world.
    â€œYeah, sorry ’bout that Coach,” says Justice. “There were heaps of girls at the gate that wanted Deadly’s autograph. He’s better looking than Princey you know.” Scott Prince finishes a hamstring stretch and