by Annie Bryant
“Maeve!” Isabel implored. “How can you say that? It’s not true!” She walked partway down the hall to her own locker, which was by the eighth graders’ lockers, and began to twirl the dial on the lock.
Maeve followed her friend. “Hey, Iz, I was just kidding. Anyway, maybe people are gossiping about you because someone like—oh, I don’t know—let’s say the Queens of Mean started a rotten rumor about you that everyone stupidly believes.”
Isabel shuddered. “They did…they definitely did! And it’s so mean! Did you see Joline’s away message last night?”
“No, but I have a pretty good guess what it might’ve said.” Maeve shook her head. “Don’t worry, Izzy. By lunch-time something else will pop up, and everyone will forget all about you.”
“I hope so. But it would have to be a pretty major rumor to take the heat off me. Joline’s calling me and Kevin ‘Kisabel.’”
“Maybe Anna McMasters will decide to elope with the Yurtmeister,” Maeve joked. But inside she was worried. It sounded like Anna and Joline were up to no good.
Isabel laughed at Maeve’s attempt at humor. It was pretty funny. No one in the seventh grade could understand what Henry Yurt saw in stuck-up Anna to make him so devoted to her, but he continued to be, even though Anna treated him like an annoying puppy. The BSG treated Marty way better than that! But Maeve’s silly idea made Isabel laugh enough so that for a minute, she forgot the staring eyes of the other kids and their obvious whispers. Maeve could make anyone feel better.
They were late to homeroom by about a minute, which from Maeve’s point of view made them early. Isabel thought at first that no one was going to notice her entrance, and she started breathing easier. The boys were huddled around Kevin’s desk in the back and the Queens of Mean were sitting together on the radiator.
But then she heard it…that unusual hushed quiet and then the buzz. Was that a gobble she heard? Not again! Isabel thought with a sinking heart. When is this ever going to end?
“Everyone take your seats.” Ms. R called the class to order. As Isabel started toward her seat, she caught a glimpse of Kevin looking unhappy and confused. The minute her eyes met his, he deliberately looked away.
Isabel felt as though he had slapped her. It didn’t help when Chase snickered loudly.
Isabel slid into her seat. Charlotte was already there, sitting in front of her. She leaned back and said quietly, “Iz, is it me or is something happening here? Everyone is acting so weird!”
“Oh, I’d definitely say something’s happening,” Isabel whispered back. She didn’t want to go into detail because everyone was staring. But she wasn’t going to pretend that something wasn’t happening either.
“It’s stupid gossip!” Isabel went on in a furious whisper. “It’s so mean, and I am so sick—”
“Isabel, will you please pay attention!” Ms. R called. “I’m not going to ask you again.”
Her face flushing a deep scarlet, Isabel sat back in her seat and said nothing further. Ms. R never had to speak to her before about talking in class. This was turning into a disaster of a day.
Anna and Joline were elbowing each other and laughing behind their hands. Chase was gobbling loudly, but he kept covering it up with coughs so Ms. R wouldn’t yell at him. Just hearing Chase was enough to make Isabel feel sick to her stomach. She began to think that she should ask to go to the nurse’s office. It would be so nice to escape to the quiet office and lie down until she felt a little better.
Ms. R opened her attendance book. “All right, everyone, here’s the schedule. When I finish taking attendance, you can all head to your committee meetings. Remember, those are sports, dance, and community service.” She began to read off the class list.
Avery and Maeve were clearly pumped. They were both smiling in their seats, eager to put their plans in action. Avery, as usual, was bouncing in her seat with nervous energy.
Katani, Charlotte, and Isabel felt a lot less enthusiastic. Spirit Week was not turning out to be the thrilling time they had anticipated after all.
After she had answered to her name, Isabel realized reluctantly that she couldn’t go to the nurse’s office and pretend to be sicker than she was. She had promised to help Maeve on the dance committee, and Maeve would need every vote to win the position she wanted so desperately. I can’t let her down, Isabel told herself. With everybody else in school against me, I need my real friends more than ever.
She sighed. The very last thing she wanted to do today was face a room full of kids who were probably dying to gossip about her.
“Sports committee meets in this room!” Ms. R called out. “If you’re joining that committee, stay here for your meeting. Dance committee meets in the art room.”
Avery could hardly wait for the sports committee to assemble, and when it did she wasn’t too surprised about the members from her homeroom: Pete Wexler, Nick, Josh, and Billy Trentini, Danny Pellegrino—who once made Isabel’s life miserable because he liked her and wouldn’t leave her alone—Joey Peppertone, and Julie Faber.
There was one surprise, though: Chelsea Briggs.
“Hey, Chelsea, you’re joining the sports committee?” Avery asked. Maybe Chelsea was just snapping pictures for the Sentinel. She wasn’t on any sports teams at school.
But Chelsea nodded. “I’ll be a big help in the tug of war!” she announced with a grin. Avery couldn’t believe it. Ever since Chelsea went on the school trip to Lake Rescue, she’d been a completely different girl. Not that she had morphed into a super-skinny type, but she was more fit than ever, and she seemed to be involved in all kinds of activities instead of spending most of her time alone. She ran and played pickup basketball with her brother and even started an after-school dance club with a bunch of other girls.
But Avery also didn’t see one face she had expected to see. Where was Dillon? He’d been a huge jerk the day before, but he had apologized, and she thought he’d definitely want to be on the sports committee. Dillon was an awesome athlete, and Avery just assumed he’d help her out with her ideas.
He’ll be here in a minute, she told herself. He must have gotten held up or something. But Dillon never showed up, and finally everyone started to settle down and the meeting began.
Quickly Avery raised her hand to be recognized. “I want to be the head of the sports committee,” she announced. “I’ve got some great ideas about how to organize the games.”
“A girl?” Pete Wexler said with disdain. “A girl running the sports committee? Are you dreamin’, Madden, or what? Sports committees are men’s work.”
Avery jumped up. “Are you saying because I’m a girl I can’t do a good job running games and sports for Spirit Week? I can’t believe you, Wexler! Are you a caveman? That is so old school!”
“That’s not the real problem,” said Billy Trentini. He was looking embarrassed, and so was Josh. They were both looking at the ground, avoiding Avery’s eyes.
“So, what’s the real problem?” Avery challenged them. She was getting furious that no one seemed to want to hear her ideas; they were just shooting her down because she was a girl!
Danny Pellegrino was the one who finally said it. He cleared his throat and said, “Uh, Avery, the truth is, there’s just too much drama around you.”
“Drama?” Avery had no idea what he was talking about. She hoped it wasn’t that silly incident with Dillon in the hall yesterday; if it was, she’d make sure everyone knew she and Dillon were over it and that it was no big deal.
Danny exchanged a look with Pete before he went on. “Look, you’re friends with…uh…Isabel…and everyone at school is talking about what happened. We don’t want to be caught up in all that. Spirit Week should just be about school spirit, and not about…uh, you know, gossip and rumors.”
Avery’s mouth dropped open. “Since when have I been spreading rumors?”
“That’s not the point.” Danny was looking more uncomfortable now, which was pretty funny, Avery thought, because when he was chasin
g Isabel through the museum a few months before, he was anything but shy and embarrassed! “Anyway, I nominate Pete and Nick as committee leaders.” Nick looked very uncomfortable.
“I nominate Avery for committee leader,” Chelsea said quickly.
“Okay, then,” Billy said, looking relieved. “Let’s vote on it. That’s the only fair way to decide things.”
Avery looked around the room. Julie and Chelsea were the only other girls. She was pretty sure how things were going to turn out, but what could she say? “No, let’s not vote. I’ll just be the dictator.” That would definitely not be fair.
“Fine. Let’s vote,” Avery said, feeling defeated.
The vote went just the way Avery thought it would. Julie and Chelsea voted for Avery. The others voted for Pete and Nick. No surprise; the boys were elected.
Pete and Nick went to the front of the room to run the rest of the meeting. Avery said nothing; she just sat fuming in her seat. Spirit Week is definitely not the highlight of the year, she thought. If this is spirit, it’s for the birds!
CHAPTER
15
Uphill Dreams
Maeve had no problem with any boys in the art room. That was because not one boy had elected to join the dance committee. The meeting consisted of about fifteen girls, including Maeve and Betsy. Unfortunately, Maeve’s least favorite people of the moment, the Queens of Mean, showed up as well. Not a good sign, she sighed to herself.
Still, she finally had the audience she dreamed of to lay out her idea about a Birdland-themed dance. Maeve had walked to the meeting with Betsy and the two had made a pact to work together.
Maeve presented the idea to the girls in great detail: how they would transform the gym into a replica of the original Birdland (she showed them some photos she’d found on the Internet), and how the students could wear clothes resembling the old glamorous ’40s costumes. “And we can do swing dancing, just like they used to,” Maeve enthused, “and have the band dress up in zoot suits.”
Maeve had really prepared for this presentation. She’d brought her father’s movie posters, the CD he’d put together with old film clips, and even some hats and shoes she found in the Movie House costume bins. “Can you see how wonderful this is going to be?” she kept saying.
The room was silent when she finished her presentation. No one said anything for a whole minute, then Betsy jumped in. “Maeve and I thought we would team up to cochair this committee,” she said, “and I’ve already organized a chart of how we can divide the work, so no one person has to do too much.”
A few of the girls nodded at that, but the smiles and excitement Maeve had expected were nowhere to be seen. Did anyone like Birdland? She felt dejected. Suddenly, a tear began to well up in the corner of her eye. She quickly blinked it away.
“So, what do you think?” Maeve asked. Maybe everybody was just waiting to find the right words to express the fabulousness of the idea, she hoped.
Betsy didn’t meet her eyes. “So, do you all agree that Maeve and I will cochair this committee?”
Joline snickered. “Well, nobody else seems to have any ideas, do they?”
Maeve looked around. It seemed like nobody did. She and Betsy would chair the committee, all right, but only because no one else cared enough, not because people loved her idea. She felt disappointed, but also a little relieved. Birdland was going to win out as the dance theme, if only because there was no competition!
Maeve tried to stir up some enthusiasm from the rest of the group. “Who wants to get started working on the costumes?”
There was more silence. Betsy tried to help. “Well, how about decorations for the gym? Or getting the band? Who wants to work on what?”
The other girls looked at each other doubtfully. A few of them just shook their heads. The Queens of Mean just sat with fixed smiles, not looking at Maeve or Betsy or anyone else, and said nothing.
Maeve didn’t understand what was going on. In her stomach she could feel a tinge of panic starting to spread. This wasn’t supposed to happen! Everyone was supposed to love her idea, and Betsy was going to help her organize it so well that the dance would be the hit of Spirit Week—maybe even the hit of the year! What’s the deal? Why isn’t anyone else excited about this, when it’s obvious just how amazing it will be?
Before Maeve could open her mouth to ask a question, the door burst open.
“We’re here! Let the meeting begin!” proclaimed Chase Finley, with one of his typical obnoxious entrances. Behind him were Kevin, Dillon, and several others—the guys Maeve thought of as Kevin’s posse—because they always hung around him and followed his lead.
I am not going to let them take control, Maeve determined silently. She said, in her best Ms. R tone, “We forgive you, don’t we, girls, for your inexcusable tardiness, so if you will please just sit down we can finish up our plans for the dance.”
“Finish?” Chase whooped. “Before you get our ideas? No way!”
By now he had managed to annoy and offend not just Maeve but every other girl in the room.
I am not going to let him see I’m mad, Maeve told herself. Chase is just doing this to bug me. She announced, “We’ve already decided on the dance theme. It’s going to be Birdland, after that jazz music Ms. Ciara told us about. Everyone will wear forties and fifties clothes and do swing dancing, and the band will play old jazz music. It’s going to be great.”
The boys glanced at each other, then at the other, silent girls. Even Isabel was looking down at her desk, doodling, not meeting Maeve’s excited eyes. “Doesn’t look to me like anybody else is too excited about Birdland,” Chase observed as he flapped his arms like a big bird. “That must be because you haven’t heard our ideas yet. We saved the best for last!”
He slapped hands with a couple of the guys behind him. “And no offense, Maeve, but Birdland is lame! I mean, who else is even interested in birds? Have you noticed it’s winter outside? No birds around at all—so why should we build our whole dance around them?”
The boys began to laugh, even Kevin, though he looked uncomfortable. Maeve felt suddenly completely deflated. Is Chase right? Is my idea really lame? She looked around the room. The boys were laughing at Chase’s silly remarks, and the girls weren’t making it any easier. They were studiously avoiding her. There didn’t seem to be any enthusiasm at all for Birdland—even from the girls.
She decided to try one last time. “Birdland is a unique theme,” she explained, addressing her remarks to Chase but hoping everyone else would listen. “It’s glamorous and it’s educational, too—we all get to learn a lot more about different kinds of music and dancing while we’re having fun. And it’s different. Nothing like Birdland has ever been done here before.”
“Yeah, I wonder why!” Chase snorted. “Don’t you get it, Maeve? Look at all these excited faces! Nobody wants to do Birdland but you. I conclude, then, that Birdland is for the birds!” Chase laughed at his own joke. “So, chill out already.”
“Talk about lame, Chase,” Maeve retorted. “That joke isn’t even funny!”
“Hey, I’m not the one with the bad idea,” Chase said, holding up his hands. “Now give us an idea we can get behind, and we’ll be the best workers on this committee!”
“Yeah, I can really see that happening,” Maeve said, feeling crushed. Her beautiful theme, her great idea, and all her work were going up in flames around her. What were they going to do for a theme if Birdland was suddenly out?
Betsy had obviously been thinking about that possibility. “I think we need to remember,” she spoke up, “that this dance is honoring Spirit Week. So why not make our theme the Spirit of Abigail Adams?”
“That’s not bad,” Kevin began, but he was drowned out by Chase, who started a freewheeling cheer around the room, yelling, “Spirit, spirit, give me spirit! Hey, I’ve got it! Forget Spirit of Abigail Adams. We should do ‘Under the Sea’ as our theme!”
Chase looked so pleased with himself that Maeve secretly wished he w
ould fall flat on his face. But in a minute he was talking rapidly, all silliness abandoned, outlining how they could transform the gym into an ocean theme with painted murals and special lighting, and how the band could dress in shiny outfits that would resemble fish scales. Before Maeve or Betsy could say another word, the room was exploding with ideas and enthusiasm.
I might as well not even be here, Maeve thought as the meeting went on. I wanted to be head of the dance committee and I guess I still am, but even Betsy didn’t really like my idea.
To her surprise, Isabel, who had been looking uncomfortable while Maeve talked about Birdland, was now sitting up straight in her seat, her eyes snapping. Whoa, Isabel is angry, Maeve thought. It takes a lot to get Isabel mad, but boy, she’s mad now!
Isabel raised her hand, and as soon as Betsy pointed to her, she swung around in her seat to face Chase. “Chase, you’re being mean,” she began. “You get here late, after we discuss a very good idea for the dance, and without even listening to it, you decide you want to do something else! The least you can do is be quiet for a minute and let Maeve tell you about her idea.”
“Hey!” Chase exclaimed. “You should take your own advice! You’ve been gossiping all over school, and now you’re telling us to be quiet?”
He gave Kevin a high five.
Isabel felt like she was going to explode. “Excuse me,” she said loudly, and the room went silent. She was the one that everyone was gossiping about, when she hadn’t done anything to deserve it, and now she was being blamed for it?
Maeve saw the look in her eyes and quickly came over to her, followed by a couple of the other girls. “Don’t say anything more, Izzy,” she whispered under her breath.
“I am so…fed up with these guys!” Isabel answered. “None of this is my fault, and everyone’s acting like it is!”
“I know,” Maeve said soothingly. “We all know that, Iz. Chase is just being his ridiculous self, as usual. He loves picking on you because he knows it makes you mad. Don’t let him see it’s getting to you. C’mon, let’s get this stupid meeting over with.”