Page 127 of Christmas off Script
Finn high-fived Zach.
Fuck.
‘Keeping with the antipodean theme,’ Derek continued, ‘Australia is where people leave out beer for him.’
Finn high-fived Zach again.
Double fuck.
‘And the country that invented the snack made from puffed rice, dried fruit, and coconut, is also Australia.’
Finn and Scott high-fived Zach and Leo’s stomach plummeted.
‘I’m sorry,’ he muttered to Ella.
‘It’s okay,’ she whispered. ‘They can’t have got every question right.’
But as the rest of the answers were read out, Finn’s expression got happier and happier, turning him from a growling man-bear into someone old ladies no longer crossed the road to avoid.
‘Okay! Here’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for!’ Derek cried. ‘In third place, with seventy-eight points, is—’ he rolled his eyes ‘—Actually, in First Place Because They are The Best at Everything.’
‘What?’ Leo, Ella and the Beardy Boys yelled.
Leo’s oldest sister, Estelle, stood up at a table along with her boyfriend, James. ‘Thanks, Derek. We’ll take the chocolates now and be off.’
Derek shook his head. ‘Nice try. Next time I’m vetting team names.’
The sigh of relief from Leo, Ella, and the Beardy Boys was audible.
Estelle snorted with laughter and high-fived James. ‘That was so worth it.’
‘In second place,’ Derek said firmly, ‘with eighty-one points is…’
Leo and Ella leaned forward.
‘…Do They Know it’s Quizzmas!’
Huh?
‘Which means,’ Derek continued, ‘we have a tie for first place! Both the Noel it Alls and the Beardy Boys only got one answer wrong!’
Leo hung his head. If only he’d listened to Kurt, they would have won outright.
‘So, for the first time in the history of this illustrious tournament, we’re playing a two-minute rapid-fire round. Each team must nominate one person. They will stand on either side of me and I’ll alternate asking them questions. Each player gets two seconds to answer. If they haven’t done so within that time, then I’ll move on and they forfeit the question. I’ll have a stopwatch, and the lovely Janet will keep score. Okay then, can I have your team representative up here, please?’
Kurt sat back. ‘Don’t even think of looking at me.’
Ella nodded and gazed at Leo, her forehead creased with worry. ‘Can you do it?’
‘You sure you don’t want to? You know more than I do.’
‘My head’s in bits. This is a mind game more than anything else. You can stay focused better than I can right now. Please.’
He took her hand and squeezed. ‘Of course.’
Leo stood, his arms spread wide as he sauntered to Derek’s side. ‘The champion has arrived!’
‘Don’t speak too soon,’ Finn growled, looming on the other side of Derek like he’d been woken up prematurely from hibernation by a class of preschoolers playing the recorder.
