I got about halfway through the packet when the bell rang, and then, thankfully, it was time for gym. But I was so distracted during volleyball that I sent two crazy serves careening around the gym, and missed an easy ball that Bianca lobbed right at me.
“Don’t these teachers know that we have lives?” I complained to Avery at lunchtime.
At lunch I sit with my closest friends on the basketball team: Avery, Hannah, Natalie, Caroline, and Patrice.
“You mean all the homework we’ve been getting lately?” she asked.
Patrice groaned. “Tell me about it! It’s killing me!”
“Yeah, it’s like they threw every test and project at us at once,” Natalie agreed.
I felt a little bit relieved, knowing my friends felt the same way as I did. I took a bite out of the turkey pita sandwich my mom had packed for me.
“Ebear’s project is so much work,” Patrice added. “But at least it’s interesting.”
“And how about those journal entries for English?” I piped up. “I mean, who can write one of those every night?”
Everyone was quiet when I said that, and I had a sinking feeling—a feeling that I was the only one with that problem.
“You mean you do yours every night?” I asked.
“Well, sure,” Avery responded. “It’s pretty easy.”
“Yeah, plus the book is very good,” Hannah said.
I lowered my head on the table. “I am doomed!” I said. “I can’t keep up with any of this.”
Avery patted my shoulder. “You’ll be fine, Elle. You can catch up tonight.”
“But we have practice!” I said, coming up for air long enough to take a bite of sandwich.
Caroline nodded sympathetically. “It’ll be okay, Elle.”
“Thanks,” I said. I had always been friendly with Caroline, but lately I was wondering how we hadn’t become better friends. How I hadn’t even known that she had two brothers. It made me want to spend more time with her, but time was not something I had a lot extra of. Especially since I didn’t even have time to hang out with Avery, and I barely saw Blake anymore either.
“I just gotta get through practice,” I muttered to myself, and then I finished my sandwich.
• • •
Because it was Wednesday, I didn’t have to worry about Coach Ramirez starting practice with a game tape. We stretched and did laps around the gym, and then we did some shooting drills. I like those way better than footwork drills. One thing I am good at is getting the ball through that hoop.
When practice finished, I promised myself that I would be super focused. I ran around with Zobe in the backyard, showered, and helped Mom with dinner. I wolfed down my food in record time and jumped up, clearing my plate.
“Whoa, Elle, where’s the fire?” Dad asked.
“Homework!” I said, and neither of my parents could argue with that. I bounded up the stairs two at a time, with Zobe at my heels. Then I shut the door behind us and got to work.
First order of business was the outline for Ms. Ebear. I spent a whole hour researching so I could add more detail and sources. I looked on the public library’s website to find books I could use for the report.
It was eight o’clock when I finished, and I felt good about it. Next I read a chapter in the novel and wrote two journal entries. I still wasn’t caught up, but I knew I needed to move on to my science test.
Now it was nearly ten o’clock, and I heard a knock on my door.
“How you doing, Elle?” Dad asked, poking his head into my room. “It’s getting late.”
“I’m okay,” I said. “I just have to study for my science test.”
“Fine,” he said, “but try to call it quits at eleven, okay?”
“Sure, Dad,” I said. “Love you.”
“Love you too, Elle!” he said.
I took out my science packet and began searching for answers to the practice questions in my science book. I knew that a nucleus was like the brain of a cell. But what the heck was a golgi body?
“The golgi is a system inside the cytoplasm,” I read out loud. “It packages proteins into membranes and ships them to other parts of the cell.”
I looked through my notebook. Ms. Rashad had said that the golgi was like the “mail room” of the cell. That I could remember. At least, I hoped I could!
I had a full hour to study for the test. I finished the packet by 10:45, and I knew I should read through it, but I started yawning like crazy. My head started to droop. I woke up with a start at eleven with drool running down my chin. I had fallen asleep over my science book!
I knew there was no point in studying anymore that night. I turned off the light and snuggled in with Zobe. After I fell asleep, I dreamed of a big purple monster named Golgi that wanted to steal my cells and ship them to California.
As it turned out, I would have been better off facing that monster than going to school on Thursday!
10
Getting It Done!
Explain the role of mitochondria in cellular respiration.
I stared at my science test, blinking. I knew that muscle cells have a lot of mitochondria. So I wrote that.
Muscle cells have a lot of mitochondria.
Then I chewed on the end of the pen. Mitochondria . . . muscles . . . mitochondria had something to do with energy, I remembered. But exactly what, I wasn’t sure. But I added another sentence.
Mitochondria produce energy for the cell.
That seemed good enough, so I went on to the next question, about the nucleus. For some reason, that’s the one I remembered best. The nucleus was like the brain of the cell. I wrote down the answer, hoping that my own brain wouldn’t let me down for the rest of the test.
I got through the test without leaving anything blank. But I had a sinking feeling that I was getting a lot of things wrong, or only partly right. When the bell rang, my palms were sweaty and my shoulders were tense.
“Well, that test was pretty rough,” I told my friends at lunch time.
“I don’t have Rashad until seventh period,” Patrice said. “What’s on the test?”
“Everything from that packet she handed out,” I replied. “So if you studied that, I think you’ll be fine. But I ran out of study time last night.”
“You’re running out of time for a lot of stuff lately,” Avery mumbled, not looking at me.
I didn’t have to ask what she meant. I knew.
“I’m sorry, Avery,” I said. “I know you want to meet Zobe. It’s just . . . everything’s been crazy. Between homework and practice and volunteering, I’m just trying to figure it all out. I will invite you over soon, I promise.”
“Sure,” she said, but she avoided my eyes and dipped her spoon into her yogurt.
I didn’t like things being tense with me and Avery. I knew I needed to talk to her more about it, but not in front of everyone in the cafeteria. I’d have to do it soon, though. But when?
It couldn’t be after school, because I was volunteering at Camp Cooperation. When the last bell rang at the end of the day, I walked over to the elementary school. Caroline was there when I got there, and Pete ran right up to me.
“Elle, let’s go outside!” he said. “Let’s play ball!”
Brian approached us. “Are you okay with the outside kids again today, Elle?”
“Sure,” I said. “Unless Caroline wants to do it.”
“I don’t mind staying in,” she said, and she grinned. “Besides, Pete would be mad at me if he didn’t get to play ball with you.”
“You’re both good at ball,” Pete said. “But I get to play with you all the time, Caroline.”
“That is so true,” Caroline said, and she rolled her eyes at me. I got the idea that Pete was a little brother who needed a lot of attention.
“Let’s go, Elle!” Pete said, and he ran outside. I jogged after him, and Brian followed with Lily, Addie, and Max.
Brian jogged to the edge of the field to grab the soccer ball for Lily a
nd Addie. Pete picked up a rubber ball and ran over to Max.
“Max, let’s play quiet ball with Elle!” he said.
Max shook his head.
“Come on Max, let’s play!” Pete said.
“I said NO!” Max yelled. Then he took the ball from Pete’s hands and threw it right in his face!
I didn’t know what to do. Was I supposed to scold Max? Or comfort Pete? Or get between the boys? I froze, because I didn’t want to do the wrong thing.
Luckily for me, Pete handled it. “It’s okay, Max,” he said. He wasn’t even mad that Max had hit him with the ball. “I’ll get Brian.”
Pete ran to get Brian and pointed to Max. Brian hurried over to Max and tossed me the soccer ball.
“Elle, why don’t you and Pete kick the ball around with the girls for a bit?” he asked.
“Sure,” I said, glad to be told what to do. “Is that okay with you, Pete?”
“Soccer’s not as good as baseball, but it’s okay,” Pete said. I put the ball on the grass in front of him and he started kicking it toward Lily and Addie.
I glanced back at Brian, who was kneeling down and quietly talking to Max. The little boy was nodding calmly. Brian gave him a ball, and for the rest of our time outside he threw it up and caught it, over and over. But he seemed happy.
At snack time, I approached Brian.
“I think I need some training or something,” I said. “When Max hit Pete with the ball, I didn’t know what to do.”
“That’s okay,” Brian said. “I wasn’t far. Still, training’s not a bad idea. I’ll talk to Janette and Vicky about a volunteer training session.”
I looked at Pete, who was eating his apple slices next to Addie. The two of them were cracking up about something.
“How did Pete know exactly what to do?” I asked.
“Pete and Max have been friends for a few years,” Brian replied. “He knows Max really well. And he’s also a smart kid.”
I nodded. “That’s for sure,” I said.
I kept thinking about Pete and Max until it was time to go. Pete was a really good friend to Max. He knew exactly what Max wanted. And I knew what Avery wanted—to spend some time with me. I had to make that happen. I promised myself that I wouldn’t let anything get in the way of making time for Avery.
Caroline, Pete, and I were waiting to get picked up when Pete said, “Elle, why do you have to go to your house? Can’t you come to our house?”
“Sorry, Pete,” I said. “But I have to play with my dog and eat dinner with my family. And do my homework.”
“Come on Saturday!” he said.
Caroline looked at me and shrugged. “I know Pete invited you, but I think that would be nice,” she said. “If you’re free on Saturday.”
I searched my mind. I think Avery and I had talked about her meeting Zobe on Saturday. But that wouldn’t take all day. I was sure I could do both. And how could I say no to Pete?
“Um, sure,” I said. “For a little while. Maybe in the afternoon.”
“Yay!” Pete said.
Then my phone beeped with a text from Amanda.
Are we still on for our doggy date Saturday?
Amanda! I’d forgotten all about it. But the doggy date wouldn’t take too long—maybe an hour. And Amanda had been bugging me for a doggy date for so long, I hated the idea of disappointing her, too.
Dog park 10 a.m.? I texted back.
she replied.
That made me happy, and I was feeling pretty confident. I was making time for all my friends. Getting my homework done. Volunteering. I was doing all the stuff I wanted to—and needed to.
A little voice inside me asked an annoying question: But are you doing it well, Elle? Or just doing it?
I ignored that little voice. I was going to get everything done, and I wasn’t going to let anything stop me!
11
D Is for Disaster
Friday morning started out pretty well. And then it went downhill, fast.
Ms. Ebear handed back my revised outline with an A written on it.
This is the kind of work I expect from you, Elle! she wrote. Keep it up!
Seeing that A was a relief, although I knew I still had a lot more to do to finish the project. But it was a good start to being back on track.
My good feeling disappeared in Ms. Rashad’s class the next period, when I got my test back. There was a letter I had never seen on a test before: D. My superhero-size confidence vanished in a flash.
“This was the first big test of the year, and a few of you had trouble,” Ms. Rashad said. “So I am giving everybody who wants to a chance to retake the test on Monday.”
Thank goodness, I thought. If my parents ever found out I had gotten a D on a test . . . I didn’t want to think about it. It’s not that they would be angry, but I knew they’d be disappointed. And there would be lectures. And maybe some other consequences that I could only guess at.
Then Ethan Ross raised his hand. “Ms. Rashad, are you putting these grades up on the school wires, or waiting until we take the retest?”
“I upload all grades immediately into the system,” she replied. “But I will change the grade after the retest.”
My stomach sank. I had forgotten all about the school wires. It was a system where parents could log in and check your grades at any time. I knew that Mom and Dad checked it occasionally. Would they check it over the weekend?
Just tell them, a little voice in my head said. Tell them and get it over with.
Maybe, I told the little voice. Or maybe not. . . .
I was thinking about that D all day. It hung over my head like a cloud, and that stayed during practice, where I missed three easy shots during shooting drills.
“Elle, watch your form!” Coach Ramirez scolded me. “You’re getting sloppy today!”
I saw Bianca smile when Coach said this, but I didn’t blame her. I was playing sloppy.
“Is everything okay, Elle?” Avery asked as we waited for our rides in front of the main building.
I hadn’t told her about the D on my test yet. I hadn’t told anyone.
“Well . . . ,” I began.
Before I could say more, Amanda hurried past us to get to her dad’s car.
“See you tomorrow, Elle!” she called out with a wave.
Avery raised an eyebrow. “Are you busy tomorrow? I was hoping I could come over and meet Zobe, like we talked about.”
“I built in time for you,” I said. “I’ll be back from the dog park at eleven. Can you come by then?” I asked.
“Mom’s taking me shopping,” she replied. “I was hoping I could come by in the afternoon.”
My brilliant plans to see three friends in one day were rapidly unraveling. I had thought of everything—except to ask Avery when she was free.
I frowned. “I’m . . . I’m doing something,” I said. I didn’t want to tell her I was going to Caroline’s because I knew she’d be jealous. “I’m sorry, Avery.”
“It’s fine. You’re busy,” Avery snapped. “We’ll do it some other time.” And right then, her mom pulled up.
Just before Avery got in the car, Caroline walked past us.
“See you tomorrow, Elle!” she said.
Avery froze. She gave me a look that said, “Are you serious?” Then she got into the car without another word.
“Elle?” Caroline asked. I guess I had been staring at Avery.
“Oh, yeah. Tomorrow. I’ll see you then,” I said.
Then my mom pulled up. I slid into the passenger seat.
“How was school today?” she asked.
I hesitated. Should I tell her about the D?
Don’t tell her unless she asks about the test, another little voice said.
That sounded like a good rule to me.
“Fine,” I answered.
“Any plans tomorrow?” she asked.
“I’m taking Zobe back to the dog park in the morning,” I said, “to hang out with Avery’s dog, Freckles. Th
ey met on a walk and they got along really well.”
“That sounds nice, Elle,” Mom said. “Are you okay to take Zobe to the dog park, though? I thought you said he needed training.”
I had forgotten all about that! “Well, he’s good with other dogs,” I said. “As long as there are no little kids inside the dog park, we should be fine.”
Mom nodded. “That sounds reasonable. Any other plans?”
“Caroline from the team asked if I could come over. Her little brother is Pete, the kid I hang out with at Camp Cooperation,” I said. “Can you drive me?”
“I could probably bring you after lunch tomorrow,” Mom said. “Would that work?”
“Perfect!” I told her. “Thanks.”
That night I was too tired to study, and Dad wanted to watch a movie with me anyway in the living room, so I didn’t get any schoolwork done. I didn’t think it was a big deal, though, because it was only Friday and I had the whole weekend ahead of me.
• • •
The next morning, I met Amanda and Freckles at the dog park. A guy with a German shepherd and a woman with a Boston terrier were there already, but since there were no little kids I felt good about letting Zobe off the leash when we got inside the fence. Amanda did the same with Freckles, and the dog immediately started chasing Zobe.
Zobe let Freckles chase him, and then he stopped and they sniffed each other for a while.
“Good boy, Zobe! That’s my good boy!” I praised him, petting his head.
“So, how do you like having a dog?” Amanda asked.
“I love it!” I replied. “He does these sweet, funny things all the time. Like, he puts his head on my lap and his eyes get all big when he wants something. And I like having him sleep with me. Does Freckles sleep in bed with you?”
“Well, I’m not supposed to let her,” she replied. “But sometimes I sneak her into my room. I think I sleep better when she’s with me, for some reason.”
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