I reared back, surprised. “Really?”
“Yeah, I’m going to have three afternoons a week off now. My mom said I’ll probably fall behind the other girls, but…” She shrugged as her voice trailed off.
I knew that had been a tough decision for her. She loved gymnastics, and she was so good at it. But it had clearly been too much lately. I didn’t quite know what to say, so I settled on “I hope it makes you feel better.”
Ava nodded, scraping her sneaker back and forth against the ground. “Could I… um… could I still join the Red Club?”
I watched her for a minute. She’d betrayed me. But part of the reason was because I’d shut her out.
“I’ve had a lot of time to think about things, and I wanted to say sorry too,” I said.
“What for?” she asked.
“For not letting you in the club to begin with. Traditions don’t have to stay the same. I should have pushed to let kids who didn’t have their period yet join if they wanted to. Especially when one was my best friend. We’re changing the club rules so no one else will feel left out like you did. It wasn’t fair, and I’m sorry.”
Her face crumpled up like she was fighting back tears, but happy ones this time.
“It’s still going to meet on Wednesdays,” I said. “I hope you’ll have time with your different schedule.”
“I’ll make time!” she said enthusiastically. “It’s important. You’re important… to me.”
I saw a flash of something—the old Ava, the old us.
I aimed a thumb at my front door. “Cee and the girls are coming over for some Red Club planning. My mom bought ice cream. Do you want to come over too?”
“Yeah!” she said, with a smile so bright it could charge up a lightbulb. “I really do.”
* * *
Cee brought her laptop, and we spent the afternoon at my dining room table creating an official Red Club website. It was a little awkward with Ava at first, but the girls followed my lead. Forgiveness felt good. Not ice cream good, but hardly anything feels ice cream good.
We changed some of the rules of the club, to make it more inclusive. And we uploaded instructions on how other girls could create Red Clubs in their schools, with suggestions on meetings and tips from everything we’d learned.
By the end of the week the Red Club had forty-three chapters in the United States and fifteen more across the globe.
We never truly know how our actions will affect people. I didn’t know our little movement would lead to the largest number of students sent home in the same day in Hawking Middle School history. I didn’t know my blog post would spread so far, so quickly.
We’d wanted to create change in our school, and we ended up inspiring girls all over the world.
And that felt ice cream good.
Acknowledgments
Hugs and thanks to these awesome people:
My agent, Kate Schafer Testerman, who loved this idea from day one.
My editor, Alyson Heller, who helped me shape the book with enthusiasm and insight.
The rest of the team at Aladdin/Simon & Schuster for their support and hard work, including Mara Anastas, Fiona Simpson, Chriscynethia Floyd, Rebecca Vitkus, and Tiara Iandiorio (for designing the cover of my dreams).
My friends who, when I announced that I was writing a period book, said, “Of course you are.”
You, yes you, for reading this book, telling your friends, and spending your time with my Riley.
And finally, endless thanks to my family—Mom and Dad, the in-laws, Mike, and Ryan. I couldn’t do any of this without your support and cheerleading. I love you!
About the Author
Kim Harrington is the author of Clarity (a 2012 ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers), Perception, The Dead and Buried, and Forget Me for teens, and the Sleuth or Dare and Gamer Squad series for younger readers. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband and son. When she’s not writing, she’s most likely reading, watching one of her favorite TV shows, or fantasizing about her next vacation.
Visit us at simonandschuster.com/kids
www.SimonandSchuster.com/Authors/Kim-Harrington
Aladdin
Simon & Schuster, New York
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
ALADDIN
An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com
First Aladdin hardcover edition October 2019
Text copyright © 2019 by Kim Harrington
Jacket illustration and hand-lettering copyright © 2019 by Risa Rodil
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
ALADDIN and related logo are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-866-506-1949 or [email protected].
The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event contact the
Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com.
Book designed by Tiara Iandiorio
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Harrington, Kim, 1974– author.
Title: Revenge of the Red Club / by Kim Harrington.
Description: First Aladdin hardcover edition. | New York : Aladdin, 2019. |
Summary: When middle school journalist Riley Dunne learns that an important and beloved club is being shut down, she uses the power of the pen to instigate much-needed social change.
Identifiers: LCCN 2018061279 (print) | LCCN 2019001450 (eBook) |
ISBN 9781534435742 (eBook) | ISBN 9781534435728 (hc)
Subjects: | CYAC: Reporters and reporting—Fiction. | Clubs—Fiction. | Social change—Fiction. | Middle schools—Fiction. | Schools—Fiction. | Family life—Massachusetts—Fiction. | Massachusetts—Fiction.
Classification: LCC PZ7.H23817 (eBook) |
LCC PZ7.H23817 Rev 2019 (print) |
DDC [Fic]—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018061279
Revenge of the Red Club Page 15