by Annie Bryant
Gathering up her notebook, Maeve felt as if she was crossing the Sahara Desert, her throat was so parched. She dug out a water bottle from her backpack, took a big swig, and hurried out of the room and down the hall to the library where someone would supervise her.
She got to work and she tried, she really tried. Matt had told her not to spend too much time on one problem. Skip it and come back to it later. Go through and work all the easy problems, answer the easy questions, then start back and try the harder ones.
The problem was there were no easy problems, no easy questions. She remembered to breathe like Matt told her, and she found a few she understood and worked those. She wasn’t even halfway finished, though, when the buzzer made her jump and drop her pencil.
Ms. Curtis, the media librarian, walked over to where Maeve sat. “You have fifteen more minutes, Maeve, or even a half hour if you need it,” she said. “Fortunately it’s lunch time.”
“I’m not even half finished,” Maeve managed to say in a panicked voice. She wished she could vanish like a rabbit in a hat. Like Marty in the magic hat at the talent show. She wished she could run out the back of the school through a secret, hidden tunnel.
And at the mention of lunch, Maeve swallowed the lump rising from her stomach to her throat. She had to get away from this test. Feeling very weird, she shook her head, grabbed her things, and ran, leaving her test on her desk. Ms. Curtis could give it to Mr. Sherman. She didn’t even know if she’d put her name on it, but he’d know it was hers. She had scribbled all in the margins. No one else in the class would turn in a half finished test.
She stopped short of running all the way to the office. Her heart was pounding, her breath coming in short panting huffs. Please, please, don’t let me faint in the hall. Let me be humiliated in private.
“Maeve?” Ms. Sahni, Mrs. Fields’s secretary, ran to help her as she stumbled into the office. “Are you sick?”
Maeve nodded her head. She pointed to Mrs. Fields’s office door.
“Maybe the nurse’s office would be a better place to go. You can lie down.” Maeve could tell that Ms. Sahni was afraid that she was going to throw up, and that she wanted to turn Maeve over to the nurse rather than send her in to Mrs. Fields.
Maeve shook her head and pointed to the principal’s door again. Fortunately, the door opened like magic, and Principal Fields stepped out.
“Why, Maeve, come in. Are you sick?” Mrs. Fields took one look at Maeve and knew something was very wrong.
Maeve nodded, walked past Mrs. Fields, and collapsed in a chair before she could faint dead onto the floor.
Mrs. Fields brought a cup of water and placed it before her. She watched as Maeve drank the entire cup. Then Maeve got out a tissue and mopped her head again.
“I—I—”
“Don’t try to talk for a minute, Maeve. Just relax.” Mrs. Fields closed her door, walked around, and sat in her desk chair. She gave Maeve another couple of minutes to compose herself and then began to talk softly.
“You know, Maeve, I am sitting here doing the budget for next semester. These figures are making my head swim. I can’t make any sense of them. Would you like another glass of water?”
Maeve nodded. Her heart was slowing down and her throat was beginning to feel like normal. It must be the water, she thought. Avery told her once that water had amazing healing powers.
“Did you take your math test today, Maeve?”
Ruby Fields had been a junior high principal forever. She read kids’ minds. Seldom did they actually have to tell her their problems. She knew before they spoke. She knew that Maeve struggled with math, that she had a math tutor, and that she had dyslexia, since she had been the one to give permission for Maeve to use a laptop in class.
Maeve nodded in between gulps of her “healing water.” She promised herself she was going to start drinking more water every day. It couldn’t hurt, she reasoned. Maybe it would even help her with math.
“Yes, math tests can be very stressful sometimes. I can’t tell you how many kids come in here worried about failing.”
Maeve’s eyes widened. She wasn’t the only student who was freaking out about math. “Math makes me sick.”
“The test made you sick? Or the idea that you may not have passed the test?” Mrs. Fields asked.
“Both. I’m sure I failed the test, Mrs. Fields. I didn’t even get it finished, but I just couldn’t work any longer. Does that mean I’m going to flunk seventh grade, that I have to take it over again next year? I’ll just die if I have to stay back and all my friends go to eighth grade without me.” Maeve slumped back in the chair.
“I’m not sure it’s gotten that dire, Maeve. I’m going to call both your parents and arrange a conference. Do you want me to have one of them come and get you, take you home for the rest of the day? How much sleep did you get last night?”
“Not much,” Maeve admitted.
“Let’s do that. You go home, have a nice nap, and see if you don’t feel better. Then we’ll find a time to talk at length, and see if we can’t get to the root of this problem.”
Maeve listened to Mrs. Fields call her mother. Part of her wanted to go home, part wanted to go to lunch with her friends. But she didn’t think she could handle all of them asking her questions about the test and how she thought she did. Even though she was relieved to know that there were other kids who were bad at math, she was still embarrassed. No one likes to feel like they are at the bottom of the barrel. She sighed. Mrs. Fields suggested that she lie down on the couch and close her eyes for a while until her mother came. Maeve thought that was an excellent idea. When the principal placed a soft blanket over her, she felt relaxed for the first time in she didn’t know how long. Katani was lucky to have such a sweet grandmother, Maeve thought, as her eyes began to shut.
“Maeve?” Ms. Kaplan looked in the door in what seemed like a very short time. “Sweetie, it’s time to wake up. Are you all right?”
“I think Maeve would benefit by taking the rest of the day off, Ms. Kaplan. When you have a chance, could you give me a call? I’d like to arrange a conference with you and Maeve, her father, and Mr. Sherman. Let’s see how we can work out this problem.”
The word problem flashed larger than life for Maeve. She saw it in brilliant Technicolor spread across a movie marquee. Problems with Maeve. Maeve and the Math Monster. Mother and Father Disown Daughter for Failing Math Test. One on One with “The Crow.”
Staying Loyal
Katani found the BSG at their cafeteria table. She flopped down, set her tray before her, and sighed.
“The math test made Maeve sick.” Katani took the lid off her cup of strawberry yogurt.
“How do you know that? Maybe she just went to the library,” a concerned Charlotte offered.
“I’m sure. I saw Ms. Kaplan come and get Maeve from the office. Looks as if she’s going home for the afternoon.”
“Made her sick?” Avery said. “Really sick?”
“Well, she’s going home isn’t she? People don’t get to go home in the middle of the day unless they are sick. What can we do?” Isabel asked.
It was so Isabel to want to help, Katani realized. She gave her friend a quick smile.
“I hope she can come to the sleepover tonight,” Charlotte said. “The evening won’t be the same without her.”
Dillon and Nick stopped at their table. “Where is Maeve?” Dillon asked. “Is she still taking her test?”
“Her mother came and got her. She had to go home early.” No way was Katani going to reveal that her friend freaked out about a math test and had to go home to get it together.
“Tell her I’ll call her tomorrow,” Dillon said. The two boys walked away. Mr. Popular stopped to chat at practically every table.
“Whoa, I wish we could tell Maeve right now that Dillon is going to call her tomorrow. She’d feel better immediately,” Charlotte said. “Did you notice that Nick didn’t say he’d call me tomorrow?”
“Bet
he will, though,” Isabel teased.
“He has hardly spoken to me all week!” Charlotte was beginning to wonder if Nick liked her any more.
“Maybe he was studying. I think a lot of kids get freaked out by too much work,” Isabel said. “Maeve more than anyone, but I get nervous, too.”
“I was up late studying. I hope I won’t fall asleep during our sleepover,” Charlotte said.
“We can find something fun to do.” Avery took a bite of her chicken and avocado wrap. “Maybe we can think of a new project.”
“Or decide what clothes to wear to the—” Katani stopped herself.
“To the party, Katani,” Avery said. “That’s all right. You can talk about it. I’m over it.”
“I can’t go to the party either, Avery…. I have to take over a baby-sitting job for Elena…. She has a date.”
“Baby-sit…I can think of lots of things I’d rather do than baby-sit, but I do like to make some money. The Sports Locker has the coolest new basketball sneakers. Don’t forget, Izzy, today is the second day of basketball tryouts.”
“I know. I’ve been almost as worried about that as I was about the math test.”
“BSG, I have an idea,” Katani said as they were gathering lunch clutter and getting ready to leave the cafeteria. “We’ve got to help Maeve with her math. What if she’s right? What if flunking math would keep her back in seventh grade for another year?”
“No way.” Avery shook her head. “Can they do that?”
“They can do anything they like,” Katani said. “I think it’d be up to her parents and my grandmother, but she’s struggling with all her work. We have to help her.”
“But, how?” Charlotte asked. “I like math, it comes easy to me but I think I could help her more with writing.”
“We have to make math fun,” Katani announced.
“Fun?” Avery finally said. “I don’t think there are too many people, except those super math geek geniuses, who think math is fun.”
“What does Maeve like best, do best?” Katani asked.
“Sings, acts, dances, remembers old movies.” Charlotte had gotten out her notebook and made a list as they talked.
“So we turn math into singing, dancing, and maybe even old movies.” Katani made it sound simple.
“Okay, and…?” Isabel shrugged. “Do you know how to do that?”
“No, but there must be a way. Let’s look on the Internet. There is an answer for everything there.” Katani jumped up and clapped her hands. “Your assignment, BSG, should you accept it, is by tonight to think of ways to make math fun and easy and in some form that will stick in Maeve’s mind.”
“Maeve is smart,” Charlotte said. “Let’s try.”
“Remember BSG rule number three: We’ll be loyal to our friends and won’t lie to them even if they make a mistake or do something totally embarrassing, like flunk math. One of the most important,” said Isabel.
The Beacon Street Girls left with puzzled faces. How could they make math fun for their smart, math-phobic friend?
CHAPTER 6
Making Math Easy Is Hard
Are you going to eat that piece of chicken, Maeve?” Sam asked with a hopeful look.
“Maybe. But you’d better not eat after me. I have the West Nile virus.”
“Then I’m sure you have to stay home.” Ms. Kaplan smiled at her dramatic daughter.
“Here, Sam, you can have my chicken.”
“You are not going to Charlotte’s without eating,” her mom said.
Maeve popped a piece of chicken in her mouth.
When Maeve finished her chicken and salad, she was still hungry. She jumped up, looked in the fridge, and found one of her favorites—strawberry cheesecake flavored yogurt. “I’m going to eat this for dessert while I change clothes.”
“Can I have your piece of cherry pie?” Sam yelled after Maeve to make sure she heard him.
“Geesh!” Maeve was glad she was going to get out of this house with her pesky, brainiac brother, who seemed to be inhaling all her food.
She put on a warmup suit over a pink long-sleeved T-shirt.
Quickly she stuffed pajamas, lotion, and, reluctantly, her notebook and math book into her overnight bag. Then she started up her laptop to check if the rest of the BSG had left for Charlotte’s yet.
The plan was for the BSG to help her understand math tonight. If Maeve had her choice, she would rather play music and dance. Instead, she was actually spending a free night on math. The test was history…at least until they got their scores. The BSG were awfully nice to offer to help. And who knows? Maeve thought as she twisted her hair into a hair clip. Maybe they could actually help her pass a makeup test. Ms. Kaplan dropped Maeve off, which was good, since Maeve didn’t feel like walking. She was sure that she would perk up the minute she got to the Tower with her friends.
“Maeve, so, are you all right? We were so worried about you.” Katani didn’t wait for an answer and instead handed Maeve a handful of Swedish fish. “I’m surprised your mother let you come, but we would have rescued you if she hadn’t.”
“Yeah, it’s time for all of us to be together and catch up.” Charlotte led the way from her room up to the Tower. “Did you bring any music?”
“Of course. You’re going to love it.” Maeve felt like a new person. She was thrilled that her friends wanted to dance. Dancing made you forget all your troubles. Even Avery, who originally resisted the idea of dancing at their sleepovers, had come around. “Dancing,” she proclaimed, “was almost as good as bowling.” The BSG had laughed so hard at that, but Avery insisted that she was not kidding. “Bowling is cool.” Was there any sport that Avery didn’t like? wondered Maeve.
Katani turned up the CD and the BSG began to shake it up. Maeve danced on an old couch with Marty, who seemed to like the music. He even barked to the beat once or twice. Isabel went spinning around the room while Katani rocked back and forth. Katani was still uncertain about her dancing skills, even when she was in front of her best friends. Maeve told her that she was getting better. But Katani, who was confident about her schoolwork and her fashion sense, felt completely incompetent about dancing. Slow and steady was her motto and not even Maeve’s urging to “break away” could influence her to change.
“Okay.” Avery took charge. “Are we just going to relax and have fun, or should we stick with our plan to help Maeve?”
“You are helping me. Look how happy I am,” she exclaimed as she executed a wild dance step that left the other BSG with their mouths hanging open.
“And the Best Dance Video Routine goes to…drum roll, please…Maeve Kaplan-Taylor,” announced Isabel. “Take a bow, Ms. Kaplan-Taylor,”
“And then pull out your math book,” added Charlotte with a wry smile.
Maeve’s happy smile turned into a sad clown face.
“You can’t fake us out, Maeve. We have a mission to complete and we are all on it,” Avery said as she slid off the Lime Swivel, their vintage salon chair.
Maeve laughed without much enthusiasm. She knew her friends meant well, but she wanted to forget school for the evening. “I vote for relaxing for a while.”
“Anything we do together will be fun.” Isabel poured everyone a cup of lemonade.
Katani stood up—a clipboard in her hand. “Okay, team BSG. Find a comfortable place and listen up.” Isabel, Maeve, Charlotte, and Avery scrambled to find their favorite Tower spots. Charlotte settled on the window seat. Maeve flung herself across the rug and plumped a pillow under her head. Avery scooted back into the Lime Swivel, while Isabel snuggled down next to Marty, who had fallen asleep on his favorite pillow. Four pairs of intent eyes turned to Katani who looked very much like the executive in charge.
“Okay, BSG, I did a Web search and found out some really interesting things about math and why some kids do really badly. I think the best way to tell you is to ask questions. Maeve, pay attention ’cause I think you might be surprised.” Maeve stopped twirling the fringe on t
he pillow and focused on what Katani would ask. She hoped it wouldn’t be one of those math questions where the answer was obvious to everyone but her. She hated that. It made her feel so stupid.
“Is your math teacher friendly and supportive?”
The girls hooted at that one. “The Crow, friendly and supportive. I don’t think so. He can’t even get my name straight,” Maeve huffed.
“I guess the answer is no?” Katani looked at Maeve.
“Oh, yeah,” Maeve waved her head back and forth. “I like this kind of test. Ask another question.”
Katani smiled. This was going just as she hoped. She had found out that a lot of math problems occur because certain people who are nervous about math need a very supportive atmosphere to learn math.
“Does your teacher embarrass you in class in front of your classmates?”
Maeve jumped up. “The Crow is so mean. He makes me go to the board to do problems that he knows I can’t do.” She started pacing around the room like a cat on a fence.
“But, Maeve. Mr. Sherman asks everyone to go to the board. I don’t think he wants to embarrass you. He just wants everyone to see the different ways a problem can get messed up,” said Avery.
Maeve couldn’t believe her ears. “Are you defending him?”
Avery blinked. “Well. I mean, he is kind of weird and everything, but he isn’t that bad of a teacher, really.”
“What do you think, Isabel?”
Isabel hesitated. “Well, I think he is okay, but definitely kind of geeky, which makes it kind of hard to pay attention sometimes. I keep thinking that maybe he will really turn into a crow and start flying around the room.” Isabel spoke so earnestly that her friends started to laugh. Maeve began flapping her arms like a bird while Avery let out a “caw.”
Katani tapped her clipboard for order.
“Katani, what’s the point of these questions?” Charlotte asked. A grateful Katani nodded to her friend. “I’m glad you asked that question. The problem isn’t with you, Maeve, or Mr. Sherman. It has to do with the fact that some people like you need a quiet, supportive place to do math ’cause you have math anxiety. Avery and Isabel are okay in the class ’cause they don’t get really nervous about math and you do.”