by Laura Wood
“I told you,” I say weakly, “he stole my chocolate cake, he told me I would lose, he refused to take me or the campaign seriously … he called me sweet.” This last bit is a growl as I tick things off on my fingers.
“To be honest, Effie,” Lil says, “none of that sounds that bad.”
“You had to be there,” I grumble.
“It’s nothing compared to my rivalry with George Petikis.” Lil’s face darkens.
“Why?” I ask, intrigued. “What did George Petikis do?”
Lil cracks her knuckles, threateningly. “Oh, he knows what he did,” she says mysteriously. I decide it’s best to let that one go.
Just then the doorbell rings.
“Gaaaaah!” I exclaim. Lil and Dad eye me with pity. I pull my shoulders back and go to answer the door.
Standing on the doorstep, I find that I am almost as tall as Aaron. His dark, shiny hair is all tousled and he’s wearing a big coat and a yellow woolly scarf.
“Hi,” he says flatly, and he has the look of someone who is about to be led to the guillotine.
“Hi,” I reply. “I suppose you’d better come in.” I step grudgingly aside.
Aaron follows me in, dragging his feet across the floor. In the sitting room, Lil has jumped up.
“Hello,” she says, eyeing him narrowly.
“Hi,” Aaron replies in quite a friendly way actually. “Nice Olaf costume.”
“Thanks.” Lil straightens one of the sleeves. “My dad made it.”
“Cool,” Aaron replies. I look at him, bewildered. “I have a little sister, too,” he says, shrugging.
“Does she make you sing duets with her as well?” I ask unthinkingly.
Aaron smiles, and his nose crinkles up a bit. “Yeah,” he laughs. “I always have to be Hans.”
Lil looks at him with obvious glee. “I’ll go and get my CD!” she cries. “Dad’s hidden it in the laundry basket.” She rolls her eyes. “So predictable.”
“No thanks, Lil,” I say quickly as Aaron’s eyes widen in alarm. “We’ve got work to do.”
Lil’s bottom lip sticks out. “Oh,” she pouts.
“Maybe some other time,” Aaron says.
“OK,” Lil smiles, and I swear she bats her eyelashes. For goodness’ sake – is everyone that easily won over by Aaron?
At that moment Dad comes in. “Hi!” he exclaims. “You must be Aaron. I’m Dimitri.”
“Hello.” Aaron smiles politely.
“Do you guys want to grab some drinks and snacks from the kitchen?” Dad asks. “I understand that brain food is needed today.”
We follow Dad into the kitchen, where I make two big glasses of squash and Dad and Aaron argue over whether Hobnobs or custard creams are the superior biscuit choice. I glower at them. It seems Aaron is working some kind of charm spell on all of my family.
“Right, well, I guess we should go upstairs then,” I say with all the enthusiasm of a lump of ice. “This dance isn’t going to plan itself.”
Aaron obediently grabs the plate of biscuits and we go up to my room. Aaron goes straight over to my bookcases and starts having a good nosy around.
“You’ve got a lot of books,” he says.
“I like to read,” I say, awkwardly. I sort of hover in the middle of the room, unsure where I should sit or what I should do.
“Hmm.” Aaron makes a non-committal sort of noise. He doesn’t look awkward or uncomfortable at all. I wonder what he is thinking. What I’m thinking is that it’s quite personal looking at someone’s bookshelves. All of my favourite books say so much about me, it’s like seeing into someone’s soul. I watch his eyes move past my well-loved Roald Dahl collection, the tattered Malory Towers books that I read, dreaming of being shipped off to boarding school. He pauses on the three different complete sets of the Harry Potter books.
“Oh, wow!” he exclaims suddenly, pulling a book off the shelf. “My Neighbor Totoro! I love the film. I didn’t know there was a book as well.”
“Oh yeah, it’s great.” I am immediately caught up in his enthusiasm. “You can borrow it if you like.” The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them.
Aaron looks at me in surprise. “Really?” A little frown puckers his forehead. “That would be great, thanks.” He looks down at the book in his hands.
An awkward silence fills the air.
I clear my throat nervously and perch on the edge of my bed, gesturing to the desk chair across from me. “Why don’t you sit down so we can get on with planning this thing?” I say, and it comes out a bit sharp and pointy.
“Sure.” Aaron shrugs and flops into the chair. He opens his backpack and pulls out a notebook.
I reach under the bed and pull out the shiny new ring binder that I have dedicated to this project. It is already full of bits of paper separated by colour-coded dividers.
“Wow,” Aaron says, and he looks a bit dazed.
“I’ve already done a lot of research,” I say, “using the details Miss Sardana gave us.”
“Yeah.” Aaron nods. “I can see that.” He reaches out and takes the folder, flipping it open. “Category: decorations,” he reads. “Subcategory: balloons; sub-subcategory: balloons, novelty shapes; sub-sub-subcategory: balloons, novelty shapes, animals.” His eyes widen. “Wow, this is … intense.”
“Yes, well.” I snatch the folder back from him before he can realize there are a further eight subcategories in this section. “I like to be thorough.” I tap my fingers on the front of the folder. “Anyway, I think the main thing we need to decide is what theme we’re going with, then it’s pretty easy. Miss Sardana has already organized the food and drink so our main responsibility is the decorations.”
“Sure,” Aaron says, flipping open his notebook. “Well, I had a couple of ideas.”
I’m so surprised that he’s done any preparation that I just stare at him. It must be pretty easy to read my expression because he quirks an eyebrow. “There’s no need to look like that,” he says. “I have organized things before. In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been doing this job for almost a year now.”
“I suppose I just didn’t think you took it that seriously,” I say.
Aaron snorts. “You mean I don’t take it as seriously as you do.”
I think about this. “Well … yes,” I say finally. “But it’s not a bad thing to take it seriously.”
“I guess,” Aaron sighs. “Why do you care so much? Isn’t it exhausting caring about every little thing?”
“I’ve never really thought about it.” I shrug. “I just see the thing that needs doing, and I want to do it the best I can.”
Aaron is quiet, his face thoughtful. “And you don’t think I’ve been doing my best?” he asks.
“Maybe you haven’t been doing a bad job, exactly,” I admit grudgingly. “But think how much better it could be. I want to use my voice to champion for others, to make sure that they’re heard and listened to.”
There’s a pause.
“Well, I guess I’m going to have to start campaigning for real now,” Aaron says. “I hope you’re ready for some serious competition.”
I raise an eyebrow at him. “Bring it on,” I say.
CHAPTER Twenty-Six
The Highworth Grange Chronicle Issue No. 204
SHOCK POLL REVEALS THE FIGHT FOR STUDENT COUNCIL PRESIDENT IS NECK AND NECK!
By Catriona McGiddens
An official poll of students reveals a tight race between current junior class president Aaron Davis and newcomer Effie Kostas.
In a recent survey undertaken in the canteen at lunchtime, this newspaper discovered SHOCKING results, revealed EXCLUSIVELY here.
When asked, over 40% of students* revealed they would be voting for new student and underdog candidate Effie Kostas. This result should upset those on TeamAaron, who assumed his victory was a certainty.
When asked about her choice, an Effie Kostas voter (who wishes to remain anonymous) said that she was swayed by Effie’s ENTHUSIAS
M and passion. “She obviously cares about the school,” our source said. “And she really listens to people. I never really thought the student council could do much before, but she wants to make a lot of changes. I think that’s INSPIRING.”
Aaron Davis supporter Ed says that Aaron is the “OBVIOUS CHOICE”. When asked why he thought this, Ed was unfortunately called away to watch a YouTube video of a dog on a skateboard and didn’t respond.
Up to this point Aaron Davis has been considered a definite winner for the job, relying mostly on his reputation to clinch support while Effie has been hitting the streets. But with only thirteen days to the election, can Effie claw herself an unexpected victory, or will the tide remain in Aaron’s favour? I guess only TIME will TELL.
Meanwhile, this reporter has heard that Aaron Davis was spotted entering Effie Kostas’s house last night. Sources INSIDE THE ADMINISTRATION reveal that the two candidates have to plan the Winter Dance together. “SPARKS WERE DEFINITELY FLYING,” my source (who wishes to remain anonymous for legal reasons) confirmed before leaving for netball practice. Whether these two are rivals or something more remains a mystery, but one thing is for sure … all eyes will be on them at the dance next week.
* This poll was based on a sample of the school population. This dedicated reporter talked to over twelve students to obtain these figures. Note: this may or may not be an accurate representation of the way the voting works out.
CHAPTER Twenty-Seven
In the end, Aaron and I settle on a “Winter Wonderland” theme. It might seem a bit predictable, but at such short notice I know we need a straightforward theme if we are going to pull off my spectacular vision.
Much to my surprise, the planning process is actually going OK. After that first conversation in my room Aaron and I don’t discuss the campaign again, although I notice that lots of VOTE FOR AARON posters begin appearing alongside the Effie posters in the hallways, and I have seen quite a few people wandering around with #TeamAaron badges on. (I am pretty mad with myself for not thinking of doing badges, actually.) It really does seem as though Aaron is finally taking the campaign seriously, and it’s quite a relief to feel like he’s finally taking me seriously as well, instead of treating me like some “sweet” delusional girl.
I am also surprised by the new side of Aaron Davis I have been seeing. He’s been alarmingly helpful with the party planning. Don’t get me wrong, we’re not becoming friends or anything, but maybe, just maybe, he’s been downgraded from mortal enemy. Not that it’s changed anything in the campaign department… I still plan to kick his butt, but at least he’s starting to feel like a more worthy foe.
On the afternoon that the dance is taking place, Aaron and I meet to set things up. The rest of my team offered to help as well, but they’ve been working so hard that I really want them to just have a nice time. They’re all coming to the dance later, and I want them to walk in and get the full effect. It is going to be brilliant.
“Oh. My. God,” Aaron says when he walks in to the hall. His eyes widen and as I look around I realize that it is possible that I have gone a bit overboard. “Kostas,” he whispers, shaking his head, “what have you done?”
“It’s not my fault,” I say quickly, pushing my way past the inflatable candy canes. “I got into some pretty tough negotiating with the party decoration people and about halfway into the second hour the guy cracked like a nut. He let me have everything for less than a quarter of the price.” I gesture around me at the roomful of props and balloons. “All we have to do is make sure we put up the sign advertising ‘Hank’s Party Supplies’, and mention their terrific prices over the loudspeaker.”
“Oof.” Aaron trips over a pile of plastic tubs. “What’s this?” he asks.
“That’s the liquid snow,” I say. “For the snow machine.”
My phone starts ringing. “Hang on, Aaron.” I hold up one finger. “That’ll be my reindeer guy.” I make my way out of the hall to get better reception.
“Reindeer guy?” Aaron murmurs, gazing around him in bemusement. When I come back he’s unpacking a box full of giant sparkly silver snowflakes that we’re going to hang from the ceiling.
“This stuff is amazing,” Aaron says grudgingly. “We never usually have anything like this. Are you sure you’ve done it on budget?”
I snort. As if I would ever exceed a budget. “I have several spreadsheets and three graphs with the full breakdown on if you need to see them?” I say.
“No, no.” Aaron shakes his head and holds his hands up in a gesture of surrender. “I believe you. I don’t know how you managed it, but I believe you.”
“So we’d better get started,” I say then. “I mean, if we’re going to get this finished in the next couple of hours, then we’ve got a ton of work to do.”
Miss Sardana and Frank the caretaker arrive to help and then we’re joined by a couple of the other teachers as well. Everyone seems slightly speechless when confronted with the decorations, and I am busy running around and shouting directions at people because for some reason they are finding it difficult to grasp my vision and I really want every detail to be perfect.
“Chill out, Kostas.” Aaron grins at me over the shiny blue paper chains we are making. “This is going to be the best party Highworth Grange has ever seen. Just you wait.”
I feel a shiver of anticipation running through me. I hope he’s right.
By the time we finish setting up I don’t have long to get home and get changed. Mum has come back early from the library so that she and Lil can help me get ready. After much deliberation we ordered a dress online that is made of silvery-blue material with long, floaty sleeves. It is silky and the material ripples between my fingers like water. Mum does my hair, carefully combing out all the tangles and smoothing the curls down. Lil lends me a lip balm that she bought with her pocket money that is peach and shimmery. When I’m ready I stand in front of them. “Well,” I say, “what do you think?”
“Oh, Effie,” Lil gasps. “You look just like Elsa.” I know this is the highest compliment that she could possibly pay me. I actually do feel a bit like royalty this evening – you know, the kind of queen with brilliant superpowers who can create whole ice kingdoms and rule over her people with fairness and love.
“You look lovely.” Mum smiles and looks a bit misty-eyed. “I hope you’re going to enjoy yourself tonight … I know you’ve been working so hard between catching up at school and running your campaign. We’re all so proud of you.”
The doorbell rings then, before it can get too emotional. “That will be Angelika!” I exclaim, and my teeth are practically chattering with excitement now. I bound down the stairs and fling the front door open. My best friend stands on the step, striking a pose. She is wrapped up in an enormous coat, a purple feather boa around her neck and silver glitter on her cheeks. Her eyes are sparkling, reflecting my own excitement back at me like a mirror, and we both squeal loudly for a minute or two while Dad stands in the background looking confused.
“Well, girls,” he says finally, jangling his car keys in his hand. “Shall we go?”
CHAPTER Twenty-Eight
When we walk into the party it is like something out of a film. I hear Angelika gasp beside me and I feel a shiver of pride weaselling up and down my spine.
“OH. EM. GEE,” Angelika mutters in hushed tones. “It’s like being at the Oscars or something!”
As I look around at the sparkling, spangling, snow-filled scene in front of me I think she might have a point. There are giant silver snowflakes and pale blue streamers and paper chains hanging from the ceiling, twinkling in the light being thrown off an enormous glitter ball. In one corner a path of inflatable candy canes leads to a snowy enclosure where you can have your picture taken with Boris the reindeer. (Miss Sardana just stared, open-mouthed and speechless, when his owner, Toby, arrived in his little truck.) There are blue-and-silver tablecloths covering the long tables full of tasty party food, and big bunches of helium-filled balloons lin
e the sides of the room. There’s a long strip of pale blue carpet that leads to the dance floor, where quite a few of our fellow students are already pulling some impressive shapes in a cloud of dry ice.
Up on the stage there’s a laptop connected to the big speakers that Aaron set up earlier, and he’s made a massive playlist that should keep people dancing all night, or at least until 9.30 when the dance is due to finish and Toby needs to take Boris home for a nice bowl of whatever reindeer eat … Weetabix or something probably. There’s a LOT to take in, and it’s definitely not the sort of spectacle that Highworth Grange will forget in a hurry.
“Hello, Effie.” Miss Sardana appears at my side then.
“Hello, miss,” I say, cheerfully. “It looks like it’s all going well.”
“It is…” Miss Sardana trails off here as though she can’t quite find the words. “It is really something, Effie. I’ve never seen anything like it. You should be very proud. You and Aaron did a great job.”
At the mention of his name I can’t help but glance around to see if I can spot him.
“Come on, Effie.” Angelika is tugging at my hand now. “I want to go and see the reindeer!”
As we make our way through the party I get stopped by quite a few people who want to talk about how good it all looks. Suddenly, the rest of the team appear.
“Effie! It’s amazing!” Ruby yells over the music, her eyes shining. She’s wearing a spangly gold jumpsuit and she looks stunning.
“It looks ace,” Kevin says, straightening the stripy bow tie he is wearing.
“IS THAT A REINDEER?!” Jess thunders.
They are all looking brilliant and we hit the dance floor, laughing and joking, throwing ourselves around to the music. Even Zo is shuffling from side to side with a small smile on her lips. Kevin and Ruby get into a dance-off, Jess pulls out a spectacular robot and me and Angelika have our arms around each other as we sing along until our voices are hoarse. I feel completely and utterly happy. When we first moved here I found it so hard to imagine a scene like this, but here I am, dancing in the middle of a circle of brilliant friends, friends who have believed in me and worked so hard to help me achieve my dream. A warm glow spreads through me, as if I’m spinning around in a microwave of emotion.