A/N: Seeing as this category doesn't have much, I've decided to contribute a Todd/Maurecia fic to alliveate that. Hope you all enjoy!

Disclaimer: Wayside copyright Louis Sachar, Nickelodeon, and Teletoon. I don't own it.

Love is like a game of chess. One wrong move and you're mated.-Unknown

Todd gave one last exhausted breath as he finally made it to the thirtieth floor of Wayside. He had yet to discover the reason why Kidswatter had yet to install a decent elevator, one that didn't only work when the stairs were out of order. Then again, he still didn't understand how stairs could be out of order, much less how it could be in such a way that you could go down them, but not up. He had given up trying to get Wayside's logic months ago.

He had also given up trying to figure out why Maurecia had to pick him above every other student in the school to have an obsessive crush on. That question slapped him in the face once more as he neared the doorway to Mrs. Jewels's classroom to discover that someone (i.e.: Maurecia) had plastered a rather large and heavily decorated poster on the entryway to the classroom. It was large, decorated with glitter, and contained the phrase 'Todd Loves Maurecia (heart).'

Todd clenched his fists in anger. He ripped the sign off the wall and pushed on the doorway, which was hinged at the top. Immediately as he entered his classmates pointed and snickered, giving him the impression that they had all seen the glaring message. And, in the furthest right row, second seat, was a purple haired girl looking too happy to escape suspicion.

"I assume you're responsible for this," he said, holding the source of his problems in front of her face.

"Why, Todd, how could you suggest such a thing?" she asked, trying to play innocent.

"Let me see your backpack," he demanded. Puzzled by the request, the girl handed him the requested item. He quickly unzipped the front pocket and buried his hand inside. He pulled out…

"A half full can of glitter, the same kind that was used for the poster," he declared, putting the evidence on her desk.

"Oh, that doesn't mean anything."

"Markers that are the same colors as the words on the poster."

"I…like to color?"

"A list of alternate slogans for the poster."

Maurecia didn't have an excuse for this one.

"Notarized photos of you making the poster."

"…Why did I take those?" she asked herself out loud.

Todd lowered his head in frustration. "Maurecia…what is it going to take to get you off my back? I've said before, I'd rather do anything than be your boyfriend!"

"Would you eat more of Miss Mush's Mushroom Surprise?" Myron stepped in. It was apparent that the entire classroom was enjoying this conversation.

"No, because that would cause me to fall in love with someone, and it could end up being Maurecia, which wouldn't be much better. What's Miss Mush's second most disgusting food?"

"Uh…that would be It," Dana informed.

"…What's It?"

"It is the most disgusting creation ever concocted…next to Mushroom Surprise, of course."

"Alright then," the carrot-topped boy declared as he turned back to the source of his frustration, "I'd rather eat an entire plate of that than be your boyfriend!"

This got collected gasps and whispers from the other fourteen students and Mrs. Jewels, and a scowl from Maurecia. "Oh yeah?" she yelled, standing up and pounding her palms on her desk. "Well, I bet you wouldn't."

"I bet I would!"

"Oh yeah? Well, let's make a bet. If you can't eat a whole plate, you have to be my boyfriend for a whole week!"

"And if I can eat it all, you have to leave me alone for a week!"

"Fine!" Maurecia said, suddenly staring down at the boy.

"Fine!" Todd retorted, now the higher one.

"Right now?" the girl asked, once again higher.

"Let's go," he declared, now the higher one.

Both kids jumped off the desk they had gotten on top of to stare down at each other and made a dash for the cafeteria. The rest of the class and Mrs. Jewels, who had remained quite in hopes that something like this would happened, followed.

For the second time that semester, Miss Mush found Mrs. Jewels's class standing outside her cafeteria.

"Miss Mush, Todd would like some of It."

That got the cook's attention. "Really? Not even Sammy will eat that. Will you, you stuck-up rat?" she said, giving a sideways glance at the petrified rat on one of the counters. Of course, Sammy said nothing.

Mush placed a welding mask on her face before pulling a pot out of one of the cabinets. She unscrewed the lid on the heavily armored pot, and then pulled it off, unleashing a large amount of steam that had everyone coughing.

Todd was sure that the substance Mush pulled out wasn't technically food. It was a wiggling, steaming pile of orange goop that appeared to have hair growing out of it. The cafeteria lady slapped a pile of It onto a plate, stuck a spoon in It, and presented It before the boy.

The carrot-topped boy gulped. "This was a bad idea."

"Really?" Maurecia said hopefully. "Does that mean you won't eat it and be my boyfriend?" she asked, as her eyes became hearts.

In response, Todd grabbed a spoonful of the strange substance and, after some hesitation, shoved it in his mouth.

Instantly he regretted this. The substance was so amazingly disgusting that he felt like he would vomit right then and there. Somehow, he managed to muscle his way past his gag reflex and swallow the so-called food, which continued wiggling all the way down.

The class laughed as Todd turned a peculiar shade of green. Maurecia donned a sly smile at the sight. "Aw, what's wrong, Todd? Don't think you can finish it all?"

"N-no, I'll be fine," he declared stubbornly as he scooped up another spoonful. As he brought it to his lips, he began to wonder if this truly was the lesser of two evils.

Todd moaned in his seat. By now his face was a completely green and he felt that the entire contents of his stomach would be ejected out of his mouth.

"Come on, Todd, only one more bite to go," Dana said encouragingly.

Maurecia was now nervous. Only one more bite and she couldn't even talk to Todd for a full week. Maybe it was her that had made the mistake.

Todd weakly scooped up the last bite.

The entire class looked on in anticipation.

Todd moved the food toward his mouth.

Maurecia gulped.

The remaining bite moved past Todd's lips.

Then, suddenly, the carrot-topped boy dropped the spoon. He clutched his stomach and clapped his other hand over his mouth. So quickly that no one saw him move, he jumped from his seat, ran over to the sink, and upchucked all the food he had eaten in the last twenty-four hours.

When he finished, he slumped down to the ground, still feeling sick. Everyone crowded around him.

"Goodness, Todd, are you okay?" Mrs. Jewels asked.

"Uh…stomach…on…fire…" he managed to choke out.

"He should be fine," Dana assured. "That probably got all of the It out of his stomach."

"Yeah," Todd began. "I'll be…all…right," he trailed off when he noticed an alarming fact. Maurecia was grinning ear-to-ear. "Maurecia…what are you…"

"You didn't finish it," she said simply.

The boy looked puzzled. "What are you talking about?"

"You didn't finish the whole plate," she clarified.

Todd mulled over this fact for a split second before his eyes widened in horror.

"She's right, Todd," Dana quipped, "you left your seat before you ate the last bite, and the bet was you eat the whole plate."

"No…" Todd whispered.

"Todd, it's important to always keep your bargain," Mrs. Jewels said sagely.

"Oh no…" Todd moaned.

"You lost the bet," Maurecia said in singsong. "You have to be my boyfriend for a whole week!"

At the last word, the purple-haired girl gave him a playful punch in the arm. Of course, the punch sent him flying across the room and into the nearby cabinet.

As he got up, Todd moaned. It was going to be a long week.