Promises, Promises Page 13

  “Working against you?” Maeve asked in total disbelief. This was getting way out of hand, she thought.

  “Why would you think,” Charlotte asked, looking up at Katani, “that any of us are working against you?”

  “Well, I’m not sure. That’s why I have to ask,” Katani said, looking concerned.

  “Katani, we’re not against you,” Isabel said.

  “You’re not against me, but you’re not FOR me? Is that what you mean?”

  “Enough!” Maeve said. “Isabel spent hours helping you with your posters, and Charlotte helped you with slogans and your speech. It’s not fair to question their loyalty!”

  “I need to know if I can depend on my friends.”

  “This is why we shouldn’t talk about this during lunchtime,” Isabel said.

  “Since when are you making the rules?” Katani asked, staring directly at Isabel.

  “Since when can you change the rules whenever you want?” Maeve asked.

  Katani opened her mouth to say something, but Maeve held up her hand before she could say anything. “Stop. Just stop! This whole election thing is pulling us all apart because you’re letting it go to your head. It’s bad enough with you and Avery going at it whenever you’re in the same room, but don’t start yelling at us!” Maeve said.

  Katani opened her mouth again. She knew Maeve was right. But instead of saying anything, she closed it, and turned and walked away from her friends.

  Well, that did it. For the first time since she left the house, Maeve didn’t have the urge to sing “I feel good.”

  Here We Go Again

  “Are you okay, Maeve?” Charlotte asked as she watched Katani storm off. No sooner had Katani disappeared through the west doors than Avery appeared through the east doors. She paused for a second at the door, scanned the room, then made a beeline for the Beacon Street Girls’ table.

  “Hey! Avery supporters…I have special stickers for all my campaign workers.”

  No one said anything as Avery rummaged through her bag.

  “Look! We just went through this with Katani,” Maeve said.

  “So…”

  “I refuse to go through this again,” Maeve said to Charlotte and Isabel. “I’m outta here. I’m late anyway.” With that, Maeve stood up and flounced out of the room.

  Avery opened her lunch bag and pulled out orange stickers—neon orange and about two inches in diameter. She’d written “Avery for President” on them.

  “Here,” Avery said, pushing two Avery for President stickers toward Isabel and Charlotte.

  “Thanks,” Isabel said, taking the sticker and holding it in her hand.

  Charlotte took one, too. Charlotte couldn’t say anything. And she definitely couldn’t put this on. What would Katani say if she saw her with it?

  “Aren’t you going to put them on?” Avery asked.

  “Maybe later,” Charlotte said.

  “You two are voting for me, right?”

  Charlotte gulped. “I’m undecided,” she said, using the phrase from Katani’s poll.

  Isabel only shrugged.

  “Undecided? How can you be undecided? You guys were the ones who talked me into running in the first place! Now you’re undecided?”

  “Avery…,” Isabel started, but it was clear she didn’t know where to go from there.

  “I guess I should be spending time with people who are planning on voting for me, or at least will tell me to my face whether they are or not.”

  Avery snatched her lunch bag with one hand, and pushed back from the table with her other hand. In an instant, she plopped down at the table where Nick, Adam, and Robert were sitting. She never looked back.

  Isabel looked bewildered. “This is a total mess,” she said, dispirited.

  Charlotte clung to the edge of the nearly empty and silent BSG table like it was a life raft in the noisy school cafeteria. She glanced at Isabel. Charlotte was glad she wasn’t alone.

  Charlotte and Isabel ate in silence for a while.

  “Can I look at your cartoons?” Charlotte asked quietly.

  “I can’t deal with my cartoons right now, okay?” Isabel said abruptly. When she saw Charlotte’s hurt expression, she added, “I’m not mad at you; I’m just…stressed.”

  Charlotte nodded and the two finished their lunch in silence.

  Both were thinking the same thing…what would the Beacon Street Girls be like after this election was over?

  Guilty by Association

  Katani went straight from the lunchroom to the teachers’ lounge to ask Ms. Rodriguez for a pass to work in the library. She felt woozy and not because she hadn’t had any lunch. She wasn’t sure which direction to take.

  Well, she wasn’t going to waste any more time on the BSG. If they weren’t going to vote for her, then she didn’t want their help. She would get elected on her own. There were plenty of other class votes to concentrate on. She passed out her campaign flyers to everyone who passed her by. She got a few thumbs up, which lifted her confidence enormously.

  As she walked down the hall to the library, she saw space after space where posters once hung. Somehow, between homeroom and lunch, someone had ripped down more posters. Only the rolled masking tape and sometimes a part of the poster remained on the wall. She noticed that most of the posters that were missing had been located between Kelley’s locker and the classroom where Kelley had speech each morning.

  All of a sudden, Kelley’s favorite commercial tagline came to mind…“And I approve this message.”

  What if Kelley was taking down her opponents’ posters because she didn’t approve of their messages? What if Kelley really did it and everyone found out? The notion hit Katani like a brick. Would anyone believe that Katani hadn’t put Kelley up to it? Worse, would anyone vote for her if it was Kelley taking the posters down?

  CHAPTER 14

  On Edge

  Tuesday morning started off gray and dismal. Isabel felt grayer than gray as she walked down Harvard Street on her way to school. She felt exactly like a character in a cartoon with a little cloud over her head.

  As she walked, an idea popped into her head. Isabel saw it clearly in her mind…a little bird with a cloud over its head in an otherwise clear sky. She couldn’t wait to sketch it, so she stopped at the trolley stop, took out her sketchbook, and began drawing. She penned the tagline underneath. When she was finished she held the sketchbook at arm’s length to scrutinize her work.

  Isabel was pleased.

  How come bird ideas came to her so easily? Where were all the ideas for edgy political cartoons? Not one idea for a political cartoon had popped into her head yet. Maybe her brain just wasn’t political. Maybe she was a birdbrain. She chuckled at her own joke.

  However, like any artist, Isabel knew that sometimes you couldn’t wait for inspiration. Last night, she had put pen to paper, adapting two political cartoons—one found in The Boston Globe and the other in Newsweek—to fit the election at Abigail Adams Junior High. At least she had something on paper.

  The problem was Isabel didn’t like either of them. They just didn’t seem right. She liked the bird cartoon she had just drawn much better. Perhaps today would be the day that the political edgy part of her brain opened up and a super election cartoon would present itself.

  With that thought in mind, Isabel slipped her sketchbook under her arm, slung her backpack over her shoulder, and trudged down Harvard Street. One block from school, she heard her name and turned to see Jennifer Robinson jogging toward her.

  “Isabel, I’m glad I caught you. I wanted to touch base with you to see how the cartoons for The Sentinel are coming,” Jennifer asked.

  “I’ve had a couple of ideas,” Isabel said.

  “You know the deadline is a week away. A week from tomorrow.”

  “Yes, I know.”

  “Do you have any finished?”

  “Well, just two…they’re really still in the planning stage.”

  “Ooohhh! I’d love to se
e them!”

  “I don’t know,” said Isabel, holding her sketchbook close to her chest. “I mean, they’re not finished yet.”

  “Come on…let me take a peek.”

  Reluctantly, Isabel opened her sketchbook and quickly flipped past the cartoon she had just drawn to the first attempts at political cartoons she had worked on last night.

  Jennifer looked at the first one. She read the line below. The ends of her mouth curved up into a small smile. She nodded and then flipped to the next one. Jennifer read the tagline and chuckled a bit.

  “Isabel! These are great! I love them.”

  “Really? I thought maybe they were a little much.”

  “Perfect! They’re perfect! Bring them by the office today and we’ll photocopy them.”

  “Oh, no,” Isabel said, reaching toward her sketchbook. “There are some smudges, and well…these are rough. I need to redraw them, and the lettering is off…see. I need to redo them. Make sure they’re centered.”

  Jennifer reluctantly handed the sketchbook back. “Well, okay. Oh, and sign them. I noticed you didn’t sign these. Don’t forget…the cartoons are due next Tuesday, or Wednesday morning at the latest. We go to press right after school on Wednesday so the paper will be out on Thursday before the election. Two more just like these.”

  Jennifer turned and headed toward school, leaving Isabel to put her sketchpad back into her backpack.

  Isabel looked at the cartoons again. She wasn’t as excited about them as Jennifer was. In fact, she was just thinking she would be embarrassed to sign her name to them when someone tapped her on her shoulder. Her first instinct was to hide the cartoons and she crushed them against her chest.

  “Guess who!” Maeve said. “What’s that?”

  “Oh, just cartoons I’m working on for The Sentinel.”

  “Let me see!”

  “No, they’re not ready for general viewing yet.”

  “Oh…but I’m not ‘general.’”

  “Not yet…”

  “Anyway, I’m glad I ran into you,” Maeve said as they started off toward school. “I’m looking for pink…anything you might have in your craft stuff…feathers, sequins, yarn, faux leather…oh, leather! Can’t you just see Marty in a tiny pink biker outfit with a pink do-rag on his cute, little head?”

  “Oh, this is for Marty?”

  “Yes, remember, for the ‘My Pet Looks Perfect in Pink’ contest.”

  Maeve stopped at Isabel’s locker and talked nonstop about all of her pink ideas as Isabel hung up her jacket and got her books organized.

  “Walk me to my locker,” Maeve urged when Isabel shut her locker door.

  “Have you decided which costume?”

  “No,” Maeve said as they arrived at her locker. “I’ve decided to see what pink things I can collect and then fashion a costume from what I have, instead of picking a costume and then not being able to find the stuff to make it.”

  “Hmm, makes sense,” Isabel said.

  “Hey, Charlotte! What little pink things have you found?”

  “Nothing yet, Maeve. Sorry, I didn’t have time to look last night.”

  The three continued to discuss outfits for Marty as they walked to homeroom together.

  “Oh, can’t you just imagine him in a little pink clown outfit?” laughed Isabel. Charlotte and Maeve giggled at the absurd image of Marty as they headed into homeroom.

  “Hey,” they heard someone call to them. Avery was rushing in their direction.

  “They’re gone! I can’t believe it! Gone! Gone! Nothing left but a little tape with poster board stuck to it,” Avery said.

  “Chill, Avery. What are you talking about?” Maeve asked.

  “My POSTERS. Every single one of my posters is gone…all six of them!”

  They didn’t have a chance to let that news sink in yet before Katani rushed up behind them. “I don’t believe this,” she said.

  “What?” Maeve asked.

  “My boards!”

  “Are yours missing, too?” Charlotte asked.

  “Well…at least there are a few left.” Katani pointed to the one still hanging between the row of lockers and Ms. Rodriguez’s door. “Did you see, Isabel? They’re gone. Hours and hours of work down the tube.”

  “What’s going on?” Avery asked.

  Katani turned to Avery. “I haven’t had a chance to count, but some of my posters are missing. A LOT of them are missing.”

  “Big deal, Katani! All of mine are gone. ALL of them!”

  “It’s not the same thing, Avery,” Katani said. “You didn’t have that many to start with. And…”

  “And what?” Avery asked.

  “Well, it’s not like you had much time invested in them,” Katani said with a shrug.

  “So, how is that important?” Avery demanded.

  “My posters—well, they weren’t really even posters, they were boards. They represented a lot more thought, planning, and effort! We worked on them for hours. HOURS!” Katani said, looking directly at Isabel, her eyes brimming.

  Avery scrunched her face into a scowl. “Well, I’m running for class president, not some artsy award. Besides, you had help! I had to do mine all by myself. Everyone was too busy to help me.”

  Katani rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “A good leader would be able to get people to help.”

  “At least I’m not a backstabber, Katani.”

  “Backstabber! Who are you calling a backstabber?” Katani asked, putting a hand on her hip.

  “You! That’s who! ‘Oh, Avery, you really should run for president!’ is what you said to my face, when all along you were planning on running yourself.”

  “I was NOT!”

  Isabel felt helpless watching the argument escalate between her friends. Katani and Avery were such a mismatch in height, but they were standing toe-to-toe—Katani leaning down and Avery stretched up practically on her toes, her arms straight out behind her. Isabel couldn’t focus on the words anymore. They were both yelling, the angry tones swirling around them. Other students stopped milling around the hall and gawked at the spectacle Avery and Katani were creating.

  Isabel felt frozen to the spot next to Charlotte. Both were wide-eyed staring at the scene in front of them. Neither had moved since the yelling started.

  Maeve waved her arm to get their attention. “Stop it! Both of you! Stop it!” She moved forward to break them up. Before she could get between them, Ms. Rodriguez stepped into the hall.

  “Katani! Avery! My office! Right now.”

  Everyone in the hall stood still for what seemed a whole minute before they started talking again and shuffling about the hall.

  “This is getting way out of hand,” Maeve said. “I hope Ms. R can straighten them out.”

  Charlotte nibbled the ends of her nails. She did not like arguing—not one bit. Maybe it had to do with being an only child, she thought nervously.

  The three quietly moved into the classroom and took their seats, unable to speak or comment on the scene they’d just witnessed.

  Dillon walked into the room and tossed his books on his desk. He looked directly at Isabel, then Charlotte and Maeve. “I told you this was gonna happen! It was just a matter of time,” he said before he sat down. “They should have listened to me.”

  Isabel’s heart was beating in her throat. She felt slightly sick to her stomach. Oh, how she wished she knew a way to make everything right! A way that this election would end so that Katani and Avery would both be happy and they would be a group again. She missed her friends.

  Short Division

  Avery marched into Ms. Rodriguez’s office and sat in one of the two chairs in front of her desk.

  “This is all your fault,” Katani said under her breath as she sat down in the chair next to Avery.

  “How is this my fault?” Avery asked.

  “Quiet. Not another word!” Ms. Rodriguez said. She stood there for a moment watching the two girls before she walked around to the other side of the
desk. “I want you both to take a deep breath…now.”

  Avery took a deep breath and for some reason hearing Katani, who was sitting right next to her, taking a deep breath at exactly the same time made her angry. She clutched the arms of her chair, picked a spot on the floor to stare at, and tried to zone out. She tried not to even think about Katani sitting in the chair next to her.

  Ms. Rodriguez sat across from them and looked at them for what seemed like forever. Outside in the hall, lockers banged and kids shouted back and forth to each other. Inside the office, the room was heavy with silence. The fluorescent light flickered, giving off angry little jerks of light. The clock on the bookshelf behind Ms. Rodriguez’s desk ticked way too loudly. To Avery it seemed to be shouting, “Hurry up! Hurry up! Let’s get this over with so we can get out of here.”

  The warning bell rang, and Avery flinched and scooted to the edge of her seat so she could bolt when Ms. Rodriguez gave her the okay.

  “Hang on. I’m not finished,” Ms. Rodriguez said.

  What is she talking about? She hasn’t even said anything yet, Avery thought.

  “Before we go across the hall to homeroom, I want you two to think about something. The qualities of a leader—trust, respect, and commitment—are more important than the position itself. There’s not much point in being elected if you have to give up your values in order to win. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

  Avery nodded and she could see Katani nodding to her left.

  “On top of that, you two are good friends. You should remember that you are friends first and candidates second. Do you want this election to ruin your friendship?” Ms. Rodriguez asked.

  The final bell rang.

  Neither of the girls moved.

  Avery continued to stare a hole in the yellowed vinyl floor.

  Ms. R sighed.

  The clock ticked.

  “Let’s get to class.”

  Avery shot up from the chair and beat Katani to the door. She didn’t want to see Katani or look at her face.

  “Wait,” Ms. Rodriguez said.

  Avery stopped and let Ms. Rodriguez walk across the now empty hall in front of her. Their homeroom was buzzing with conversation, but as soon as Ms. Rodriguez opened the heavy wooden door, the conversations withered to a murmur. Most students tried to ignore Avery and Katani as they took their seats, but a few stared openly.