by Annie Bryant
Mrs. Fields looked down at the ground, then looked up at Katani. “I’m sorry, sweetheart,” she began. “I know it would have been wonderful for you to fly down to New York to help Michelle, but this is a national test, and I simply have no control over the rules. And even if I did, I can’t give special treatment to family members. Katani, I love you, but there’s really nothing I can do.”
Katani felt as though her heart had been ripped right out of her chest. She blinked back the devastation that was about to pour out of her eyes in endless streams of tears. She tried to look strong and protested fiercely, “But, Grandma Ruby!”
Mrs. Fields brushed Katani’s cheek kindly. “There, there, honey. I know this is disappointing. How about if I give you a ride home, we’ll make some brownies and have a nice talk. Or would you rather go back and meet your friends?”
Katani shook her head. “I think…I think I just want to walk home by myself.” Katani’s house was close to the school and she often chose to walk if it was a nice day or she just needed time alone with her thoughts.
Mrs. Fields nodded compassionately. “I’ll see you in a few minutes then.”
Katani nodded sullenly. This was a major blow. Not going to New York was a disappointment that neither brownies nor even the BSG could fix.
CHAPTER
4
“Fashion, Fashion, That’s My Passion!”
Katani’s A for effort was truly earned that night at the dinner table. On her walk home, she decided to take a little inspiration from Maeve’s enthusiasm. She was not going to give up so easily. Katani braced herself to stay cool and collected while she explained her dilemma to her parents. Her plan was to first tell them about the fashion show, then after they’d given their consent, she would mention the aptitude test. She wondered if she was being sneaky, but Katani figured that if her parents gave their permission right away, convincing them to let her skip the test might be easier.
When her dad came home with an unexpected treat—takeout from their favorite Chinese restaurant, The Golden Temple—things started to look promising. Her family was a lot more chipper than usual at the table. There was something so relaxed about eating off of paper plates and not worrying about taking food out of the oven. Everyone was soon spooning out big portions of sweet-and-sour pork, hot wonton soup, and other mouth-watering delights.
Katani’s oldest sister, Candice, was home from college for a few days. At 18, Candice was smart, graceful, and athletic. To Katani, Candice seemed almost perfect. Katani secretly wished she could be more like her. “Hey, Candice, easy on the beef and broccoli!” teased Patrice, Katani’s second-to-oldest sister, as Candice heaped the majority of the takeout carton onto her plate. “Leave some for the rest of us!”
“It’s brain food,” Candice said, winking. “I need to keep my mind well nourished for my economics test next week.”
Katani gulped when she heard the word “test.”
Patrice, meanwhile, managed to get her hands on the egg foo yong first and helped herself to the lion’s share. “Hey!” It was Katani’s turn to protest.
“Listen, shorty,” Patrice said loftily when she saw Katani’s expression. “Not a word…unless you want me to fight you for the chicken lo mein.”
Katani giggled in spite of herself. Patrice had a point. Chicken lo mein smothered in hot mustard sauce was Katani’s absolute, all-time favorite. Even Kelley didn’t try to make off with that—the whole family knew better!
While they were digging into the delicious takeout food, Katani tried to begin telling her parents about Michelle’s call. “Okay, Mom and Dad, you know that fashion is my one true passion—” But before she even finished her sentence, Kelley broke in.
“Fashion, fashion, that’s my passion!” sang Kelley. It was pretty funny. Everyone laughed and clapped, and Kelley beamed proudly. She sang it again. And again. The trouble was, Kelley wouldn’t stop singing.
After several rounds, Katani began to feel increasingly frazzled. Her parents were so focused on Kelley that they had forgotten that she wanted to talk to them. Would Kelley ever stop?
When Kelley launched into another of her favorite songs, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, Katani shouted at the top of her lungs: “I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY!”
“Katani,” her mom admonished.
Kelley’s lip trembled as she stared at Katani. “You,” she pointed at her sister, “are interrupting.”
Don’t cry, Kelley, please don’t cry, Katani pleaded with her silently . You know I love you…you know I love you…
“Katani, what is the matter?” her mother asked quietly as she patted Kelley’s arm.
“I know. I’m sorry, Mom. Kelley, I’ve just been…” Katani reached over and gave Kelley’s hand a reassuring squeeze. Kelley still looked upset but squeezed Katani’s hand in return. Katani breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn’t meant to explode like that, and hurting Kelley’s feelings was the last thing she would ever want to do.
“I’m sorry,” Katani repeated to her family. “But I have something really important that I need to talk to you guys about. I’ve been trying to bring it up all day.”
Kelley blurted suddenly, “It’s a secret. Katani’s going to New York.”
“Kelley!” Katani gave her an exasperated look. There was no chance of keeping a secret with Kelley around.
“What?” Her parents gasped in tandem.
“Oh boy…” Katani took a deep breath and finally explained all about Michelle’s phone call and the opportunity to go to New York. “So what do you think?” she asked hopefully when she had finished.
Her dad clapped loudly and boomed, “Well, that’s fantastic news, Katani! I don’t see why not!”
“Hold on one second, Llewellyn,” her mom cautioned. “Katani, isn’t that the weekend of the aptitude tests? I just read about it in the PTA notice that came today.”
“Is this true, Katani?” Her father frowned.
“Um…well…sorta…” Katani stammered. “But wait! I have something!” Katani reached into the back pocket of her jeans and produced a neatly folded piece of paper. Katani cleared her throat and began to read out loud, “Why I NEED to go to the show and skip the test…”
“You can’t skip a standardized test to go have fun,” protested Patrice.
Her mother put up her hand for Patrice to be quiet. Everyone in the Summers house had the right to speak, particularly when they had something important to say.
Katani continued. “Reasons I must take this once-in-a-lifetime trip:
—Early start to my career as a fashion designer…
—Learn all about the secret world of fashion…
—Meet important people and make connections…
—Get to bring a friend with me so they can learn things too…
—Really lucky to have this opportunity…and
—In ten years I’ll never remember a silly aptitude test, but I will ALWAYS remember this trip.”
When Katani had finished she looked up from her list, her eyes large.
There was total silence in the room. Her parents glanced at each other.
“Guess it’s my night to clear the table,” Candice said quickly. “Help me, Patrice?”
Normally, Patrice would have been halfway up the stairs by now. Not tonight. “Sure thing!” Patrice said gratefully.
When the girls had left the dining room, their arms full of paper plates, Katani’s father cleared his throat. “Katani, believe me, I realize that this is a great opportunity for you.”
“It is, Daddy!” Katani cried. “Oh, it really is!”
“However—” her mother took over, “There’s the matter of this aptitude test.”
Katani’s heart sank. “Can’t I just skip it?” she begged. “What if I was sick that day? I’d have to stay home from school anyway, right?”
“No, Katani, you can’t do that,” her mother said. “I’m sure that every single seventh grader in America would rather do anything other than take
a standardized test.”
“But this is major for me!” Katani argued. “Come on, Mom! I have to do this. I mean, what if…what if Michelle gets a different job. What if she decides to be a dentist or something? I might never get another chance like this—ever!”
“I don’t like dentists, not one bit.” Kelley shook her head.
“Katani, you are being a tad dramatic here,” her mother said as she tried to suppress a smile. Katani could feel her temper rising.
Her father spoke up quietly. “Katani, I know you want to start thinking about a career in fashion, but for the time being you’re only a middle school student. That’s your job right now.”
Katani felt completely defeated. How could they not understand how much this meant to her? “I can’t believe this!” she cried. “I wish I wasn’t a student. I wish I could just go to New York RIGHT NOW!”
Kelley, who had been listening quietly, perked up. “If Katani is going to New York—I am going with her,” Kelley pronounced. “I am going to pack my bag.”
“No, no, sweetie,” her mother said.
“Katani’s leaving me!” Kelley wailed and suddenly she burst into tears and threw up her hands. “No, no, Katani, please don’t leave me!”
She looked so tragic that everyone had to keep from laughing out loud—even Katani.
Her mom reached over to stroke Kelley’s hair and turned to Katani. “I’m sorry, honey, but our answer is no. You have to take the test, and that’s final.”
Katani’s whole life was crashing into pieces around her, and her parents didn’t understand a thing. “Fine!” she replied. Katani shoved her chair back into the table and bent down to give Kelley a hug. Kelley jumped up and threw herself into her sister’s arms.
“C’mon, let’s blow this popsicle stand!” said Kelley. She grabbed her sister’s hand and led her out of the room. At least Kelley is loyal, Katani thought as she raised her head and marched out of the room with Kelley in tow.
Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining
It had been a strained evening at the Kaplan-Taylor household. Maeve’s brainy little brother Sam, who adored all things military and never got less than an A on anything, had chattered away all night about a diorama he was making on the Battle of Gettysburg.
“That sounds awesome Sam,” Maeve’s mother said as she worriedly corrected Maeve’s math homework. “Maeve, at least half of these answers are wrong. Are you sure you were really trying?” Maeve gave her mom a pained look. “Sorry, sweetie. I am just wondering if maybe it would be a wise idea to extend your tutoring hours again, you know, just in case…”
Maeve tried to please her mother by taking on as much tutoring as possible to improve her math—her most detested subject. But she didn’t want to give up the after-school activities that she truly loved, like singing and hip hop. More tutoring was pretty much the worst thing she could possibly imagine.
“You know, Mom, it really doesn’t make sense,” she explained, “to spend all of my time on things I am terrible at. I mean—I will never grow up to teach math or anything. And I could teach dancing or be in the movies or on Broadway. Can’t you just see it now, Mom—Maeve Kaplan-Taylor in An Evening with Maeve,” she said as she swished her hand across her face and imagined her name in lights. Maeve could see it even if her mother couldn’t. After all, it was her destiny.
“I get it, sweetheart,” her mom said dryly. “But you still have to pay your bills and file your taxes.”
Maeve threw back her hair. “I’ll have people for that.”
“Maeve,” her mother said firmly, “focus, please.”
Maeve’s father usually agreed with Maeve that more tutoring was unnecessary. It made the issue a little less stressful. But her parents had recently separated, and now Mr. Taylor wasn’t around to offer his opinion during any of these conversations. Maeve tried to keep her head up and not complain about anything because she knew her mother was having a tough time too. She was adjusting to a new full-time job and a new life without Mr. Taylor. Maeve wished they could all be a family again…she wished her dad was here right now.
“Huh?” Maeve asked suddenly, as if waking up from a daydream. Her mother was calling her name impatiently.
“Maeve! Where is the note that Ms. Rodriguez gave you to give to me? She’s on the phone right now asking about it.”
“Note?” Maeve tried to concentrate.
Ms. Kaplan rolled her eyes and said into the phone, “Ms. Rodriguez, can I call you back in a few minutes? Wonderful. Thank you.”
She hung up and marched over to Maeve. “Well?”
“Oh…,” Maeve said. “Yes, she did. I’m sorry—I completely forgot. I shoved it into my backpack and not my notebook, so I didn’t see it when I took out my homework.”
“Really, Maeve!” Her mother sounded exasperated. “How am I supposed to help you if I don’t even get the notes your teacher sends home? You’re in seventh grade now, Maeve.”
Maeve got up slowly and went to her backpack to retrieve the note. She really had intended to give it to her mother, but it had completely slipped her mind. Maeve hoped that when she grew up she could have her own assistant to help her keep track of all the important details. In the meantime, she figured that she’d devise a better system than the one she had now or else she would not make it through high school.
Maeve picked through the mounds of paper in her backpack until she found the envelope from Ms. R. It was pretty grimy looking, so she wiped off some of the crumbs before she handed it over. It was now completely wrinkled, but at least she hadn’t lost it. For a minute Maeve felt a little bit proud of herself. A couple of months ago, that note might have been long gone. Maybe she was getting better at remembering after all.
Then she saw her mother’s expression. She was looking at the crinkly, sticky envelope. “Maeve, what am I going to do with you?”
“Hey, Mom, it’s not like it’s the Declaration of Independence or anything. It’s just a note and you can still read it,” Sam piped up, not even lifting his head from his book on General Stonewall Jackson.
Maeve slipped him her last piece of gum from her pocket. Sometimes Sam could be so sweet, she thought.
Her mother gingerly opened the envelope and read over the note in her hand. “This says you won’t be taking the nationwide aptitude test with everyone else in your class. They are doing an untimed test on the following Monday for kids who have learning issues or who need extra time.” She smiled up at Maeve. “This is great, sweetheart. You will have time to think and do your best. I’d better go call your teacher back.”
But Maeve’s heart sank as that old feeling came flooding back. The learning-challenged kids. The “different” ones. How long would she have to be reminded of this? Worst of all, she wished her mother wouldn’t bring up her learning issues in front of Sam, who got perfect grades and never turned anything in late. School was always so easy for him, and he was so much younger. It just wasn’t fair.
I hate this, she thought. Why can’t I just be one of the ordinary, regular kids? They get to take the test on Thursday and Friday, and now I’m stuck by myself taking the test on—
And then suddenly Maeve had a beyond brilliant idea. She felt fantastic, ecstatic, like a million dollars. This was it! This could be the answer to Katani’s problem!
She waited until her mother was off the phone and then said excitedly, “Mom! I just realized! If a whole bunch of us are taking the test on Monday, instead of Friday, maybe Katani could too!” She quickly told her mother all about Katani’s invitation to the Teen Beat magazine fashion show and her crushing disappointment that she couldn’t go because of the aptitude tests.
Her mother looked thoughtfully at her when she’d finished speaking. “You know, Maeve,” she said, “Katani’s awfully lucky to have a smart girl like you to help her out.”
Maeve looked up at her, surprised, and pushed back her beautiful red hair. “She’s my friend, Mom,” she said.
“I know.” Her mom
brushed a kiss over her forehead. “I’m awfully proud of you.”
“Maeve?” Sam asked a little shyly. “If you are on Broadway, I am going to be proud-EST of you, because you’re my sister!”
“Well, thanks, Sam,” said Maeve. She had no idea, of course, that while she basked in her mom’s unexpected and sweet praise and Sam’s admiration, Katani was buried facedown on her pillow, crying the unhappiest tears of her life.
CHAPTER
5
S.O.S. Maeve!
Please, Mrs. Fields,” Maeve begged the school principal the next morning. She had rushed through breakfast, dashed out of her house before Sam, and gotten to school earlier than she ever had in her life. She was so consumed with the idea of helping Katani that she couldn’t think of anything else. In funky pink sandals, her feet felt like they had wings.
Mrs. Fields listened patiently to Maeve’s explanation. “Since other kids were already scheduled to take the aptitude tests on Monday, why can’t Katani?” Maeve argued. “See, they wouldn’t be making any special exceptions for her, and all the proctors and testing rooms have already been arranged. This weekend means so much to Katani. I know it would just kill her to miss it. Besides, if there are twenty or thirty kids already being tested, what’s the harm in just one more? I mean, why should Katani be punished just because she doesn’t have dyslexia?” Maeve concluded, smiling sweetly.
Mrs. Fields couldn’t help but laugh. “All right, Maeve.” She smiled. “Perhaps this is Katani’s loophole. I hadn’t thought about the special arrangements we make for other students.” She was silent for a moment. For the first time Maeve could remember, she didn’t flinch at the phrase “other students.”
“Hmm…” Mrs. Fields tapped her foot. “Two other parents have also requested a change in testing days because of serious scheduling conflicts. We might be able to test all those students at the same time as the students taking the untimed test.” She nodded. “Tell you what. I’ll talk to the test proctors this morning. They do have the final say, but if the answer is yes, I think we might be able to work it out.”