The day I learned how to fly, I was worried about Wilson Schlamme.

I spend a lot of time worrying about Wilson. I’ve always had trouble with that guy.

Do you know why?

He thinks he’s better than me—and I know he isn’t.

I’m Jack Johnson. And I’m not the kind of kid who likes to enter contests. Really. I don’t like to compete.

I always let my dad win at chess. Just because it means so much to him to win. And I even let my dog Morty win our wrestling matches on the living room floor.

But Wilson never gives me a break. He always has to prove that he’s the best at everything.

If I’m chewing bubble gum, he tries to blow bigger bubbles. When my bubble is twice as big as Wilson’s, he says that his is rounder!

If my bubble is bigger—and rounder—he sticks his finger in mine and pops it all over my face.

He’s trouble, that guy. Real trouble.

Especially when Mia Montez is around.

Mia is the cutest girl at Malibu Middle School. Ask anybody. Everything about Mia is cute.

She has big green eyes and a perfect, little nose. I think Mia’s nose is the first thing I noticed about her. I really admired that nose. I guess that’s because my nose is kind of big.

And Mia has the prettiest hair. Short, straight black hair. Really shiny. My hair is dark—like Mia’s—but it’s curly. Way too curly.

Know what Mia is totally crazy about? Hearts. It sort of makes sense. She was born on Valentine’s Day.

She wears a heart necklace every day to school. And a charm bracelet with lots of silver and gold hearts dangling from it.

On her right hand, she wears a ruby red heart ring. And she has earrings that match. She looks so cute in all those hearts.

Anyway, when Mia is around, that’s when Wilson is at his worst! He has to show off in front of her. And he has to prove that he’s better than me.

Wilson likes to compete. Wilson likes to win.

So what choice do I have? I have to show Wilson that he’s wrong. I have to prove that I’m as good as he is. I don’t want Mia to think I’m a loser.

* * *

“Jack, can I borrow your eraser?” My friend Ethan Polke tapped me on the shoulder. Ethan sits behind me during free period in school. He never has erasers. He’s always losing them.

“Sure.” I turned around and handed him the new one I bought yesterday. Because he lost my old one the day before.

I hardly use my eraser anyway. At least not when I’m drawing superheroes.

I love to draw superheroes. And I’m really good at it. I never have to fix a single line.

“Hey—that’s awesome!” Ethan pointed over my shoulder to my sketch of The Incredible Laser Man.

The Incredible Laser Man is my newest superhero. I draw superheroes every day. In the morning before I go to school. During free period. And at night after I finish my homework. And then, when I go to bed, I dream about them.

One day I’m going to be a comic book artist. I have a folder at home packed with my superhero drawings. The Fearless Falcon. Shadow Boy. The Masked Mantis. They’re all going to be famous one day. I know it.

I studied my sketch of The Incredible Laser Man. He wore a really cool jumpsuit. His huge muscles bulged against the tight material.

A powerful lightning bolt streaked across his massive chest. Two more lightning bolts zigzagged down his muscular legs.

I drew a pair of mysterious black goggles to hide his eyes—so no one would know his true identity. I didn’t know it either, yet.

First I draw the character—then I make up the story.

The Incredible Laser Man held his mighty arms up to the sky. I started to draw laser beams shooting from his fingertips. The bell rang just as I finished.

I jumped up from my seat. I couldn’t wait to show The Incredible Laser Man to Mia. She was going to love it!

“Hey, Mia!” I held my drawing out to her. “Want to see my—”

“Out of my way, Jackie.” I turned and saw Wilson. He was carrying a drawing too. He shoved me hard from behind.

I fell over Mia’s desk. My drawing flew from my hand and fluttered to the floor.

“Thank you, Wilson!” Mia held Wilson’s drawing in her hand. She flashed him a big smile. “Look at this, Jack. Look what Wilson drew.”

I glanced over Mia’s shoulder. Wilson had drawn a team of superheroes. FIVE of them. Colored in.

In sparkly letters at the top he had written: MIA’S PROTECTORS.

Yuck.

“Look what Jackie drew!” Wilson cried. He snatched my drawing from the floor.

“Wilson, don’t call me Jackie!” I declared. “I told you a million times, I really hate being called that.”

“Sorry. I forgot.” Wilson smirked. “I won’t do it again—Jackie.”

I glared at Wilson. “Give me back my drawing!” I snapped. I reached out for it. But Wilson was too fast for me. He shoved it in front of Mia’s face.

“It’s The Incredible Lazy Man!” he hooted.

Mia giggled at his dumb joke.

I wanted to disappear.

“It’s very cute, Jack,” Mia said, handing it back to me. Then she and Wilson slipped on their backpacks and headed outside.

Okay—so Mia liked Wilson’s drawing better. No big deal, I told myself. I stuffed my drawing into my backpack.

Just wait until we get outside.

Just wait until Mia sees my new twenty-one-speed Silver Streak racing bike.

She’s going to love it!

I ran outside—just in time to see Mia circling my new bike. “Cool!” she said, trying to catch her reflection in the handlebars. “Maybe I’ll ask Mom and Dad for a bike like this for my birthday.”

I knew Mia would be impressed.

“You don’t want that for your birthday,” Wilson snickered. “You want this!”

Wilson pointed to his new bike.

His new heavy-duty dirt bike.

“Oh, wow!” Mia exclaimed. “WOW!”

My stomach twisted into a knot.

“I don’t like those skinny racing bikes,” Wilson sneered, shaking his head at my bike. “Too flimsy. I like a REAL bike.”

I was so steamed! I wanted to take his big dirt bike and ride it back and forth over Wilson’s head.

My new bike was awesome. It wasn’t flimsy at all.

Why did everything have to be a contest? And why did Wilson always win?

Little did I know as the three of us rode home that the contest was only beginning!