Just Kidding

by Annie Bryant

  “Charlotte,” Betsy went on. Avery squirmed in her seat. Why was Betsy so wordy? Even though what she was saying was pretty nice, it was getting annoying. She wanted Betsy to get to the point already. Avery opened her mouth, only to have Katani kick her under the table.

  “…Charlotte, you kept on asking people what gave them spirit, which was the most important question we all should’ve been asking this week–and most of us didn’t.” Charlotte felt warm inside. It felt great to know that someone appreciated her. Too bad Betsy isn’t the editor of the Sentinel, she thought.

  “And Katani,” Betsy continued, “who gave the best speech anybody gave this week. Well, except for her sister Kelley.” They all laughed. Betsy looked earnestly at Katani. “All last night, I was thinking about how you captured everyone’s attention and came up with a plan for fixing the gossip situation, which had gotten way out of hand.”

  Katani sat up taller. It felt kind of cool to have inspired one of the smartest kids in school, even if she was kind of a know-it-all.

  “Thanks for all the nice comments, Betsy, but could you get to the point now?” Avery pleaded. She was ready to do cartwheels around the room.

  “Okay.” Betsy cleared her throat. “I really don’t know how many people in our class could actually organize something as big as a dance, especially in such a hurry. So it’s good that I’m here to do it.” The BSG sighed. Betsy was still Betsy.

  Katani agreed with Avery. It was time to get down to business. “So what’s the deal on the dance?” she asked in her most businesslike tone. “The clock’s ticking here, Betsy.”

  Betsy nodded. “Right.” She opened her notebook. “Well, we all learned this week that spirit is not about winning and losing. It’s about what gets you excited and involved. And I think we should keep our theme really simple, so we can use the little time we have left to make it work. How do you feel about “Got Spirit”? as the dance theme?”

  “I love that,” Katani said at once, and the others nodded enthusiastically.

  “It’s a classic!” “That is way cool.” “It’s just what we needed all along!” Everyone was talking at once.

  “But, Betsy,” Katani hesitated, glancing at the notes in the A+ student’s notebook, “how are we going to get this together in time?”

  “That’s the beauty of it,” Betsy answered. “It takes spirit to make spirit, right? If each person in school just brings one thing to the dance—a poster, a knickknack, a piece of music, whatever they want as a decoration—we’ll have everyone contributing to the theme, not just a dance committee, and kids will feel excited about being there. And we won’t have to worry about organizing the decorations ourselves at the last minute. Don’t you think it’s a great idea?”

  “Betsy, I’ve got to hand it to you. This is genius,” Katani announced. “I can’t see how anyone wouldn’t love this idea, and we won’t have that much to do except tell people about it, because they’re going to be the ones bringing in the stuff we need to make the gym look great!”

  “That’s what I thought,” Betsy agreed, looking pleased.

  By then the cafeteria was getting more and more crowded, filling up with students who had come for the free breakfast buffet. It was getting so noisy the girls could hardly hear themselves think. Charlotte’s distracted glance around the room settled on Kevin and Chase at an all-boy table nearby.

  “You know,” she said to no one in particular, “I don’t think we can pull this off unless we get everyone’s cooperation, and there hasn’t been a lot of that this week. Don’t you think we’d better ask the boys what they think?”

  The girls looked over at the boys’ table. Chase apparently had recovered from Ms. R’s remarks the day before, because he was being as obnoxious and loud as usual. The girls let out a collective sigh. “Well,” Betsy paused. “I’m not exactly friends with any of them. Could one of you girls do it?”

  The BSG looked at each other. Then everyone turned and looked at Maeve.

  “What?” Maeve asked. “Why are you looking at moi?”

  “Everyone likes you, Maeve,” Katani pointed out. “You’re good friends with Riley and Dillon, and you can make anyone listen to you. C’mon, girl, harness your spirit!” Her voice rose as she pumped her fist.

  Maeve giggled. Katani could be so funny sometimes. But she looked around at her grinning friends. Maybe she was the woman for the job. So, she picked up her empty glass and a spoon, hopped on the bench, and stood up on the table. “Attention! Attenzione! Everybody!” She tapped with the spoon on the empty glass, like she’d seen people do in the movies. It had the same magical effect now. The boys quieted down and looked up at her.

  “Thanks, guys,” she said, sounding totally confident. “We’ve been talking here about putting on the dance, and we think it’s not too late to do it with style, if everybody agrees to cooperate.”

  “Oh, boy.” Chase rolled his eyes. “Here it comes…Birdland again, from the redheaded birdbrain.”

  Maeve flushed, but she was glad to see that none of the other boys laughed, and Kevin elbowed Chase hard in the ribs. Chase glared at Kevin, but he quieted down after that. “Go ahead, Maeve. Don’t listen to this loudmouth,” Kevin called out to Maeve.

  “No,” Maeve went on, as if Chase hadn’t rudely interrupted, “it’s way too late to do something as sophisticated as Birdland or Under the Sea.”

  You go girl, Katani silently cheered her friend.

  “But listen,” Maeve went on. “Spirit Week is about spirit, and spirit is about what moves each of us.” She went on to explain the idea of having everyone contribute to the decorations in the gym by bringing his or her own personal spirit object. In a few minutes, she was surprised to see that most of the boys were starting to look genuinely excited.

  “I don’t see why we still can’t do the shark thing,” Chase began, but to everyone’s surprise, Kevin spoke up now, loud and clear.

  “Sharks are lame, dude! They’re for the birds! And I for one am sick of hearing about sharks! I think this idea is too cool, and I even know exactly what I’m going to bring in for the dance. What about you?”

  “Oh, so you got spirit, do you, Kev?” Chase jeered, obviously feeling upset because his buddy was going along with the girls. “Well, I think spirit is just another word for girl drama…and I’m sick of it!”

  “Dude, you’re the one causing all the drama,” Kevin fumed. “If it wasn’t for you, none of this stuff would’ve happened!” That brought the biggest laugh of the day, to Chase’s embarrassment. The Chase Finley drama was so over.

  “So we’re agreed, everybody—the theme is Got Spirit?” asked Maeve as she looked around the cafeteria.

  “Yeah!” roared the boys. “Great idea, Maeve!”

  “Thanks, but this wasn’t my idea.” Maeve looked over and beckoned Betsy onto the table. With a big “Ta-da!” she presented the embarrassed girl to her classmates. Everyone gave Betsy a well-deserved round of applause, which made Betsy turn the color of a big garden tomato.

  CHAPTER

  21

  Birds of a Feather

  Katani looked at her watch for the third time. “Where is that girl? We did say seven o’clock, right? Not seven-thirty?”

  Isabel pulled her coat closer around her. “Avery’s not usually late. I’m sure there’s a good reason.” But she was worried. It was time to get going to the Spirit Dance.

  “Yeah,” Maeve agreed. She had twisted her red curls and pinned them artfully on top of her head, and she wore sparkly dangling green earrings that rested above her coat collar. “Maybe she couldn’t decide which team jersey to wear.” Avery refused to dress up most of the time, but she did have her own sporty style.

  “Somehow I don’t think that’s it,” said Charlotte in a strange voice. She was looking toward the street, and the rest of the BSG swung around to follow her gaze.

  There was Avery. Only it wasn’t Avery! This girl was wearing jeans, like Avery would, and sneakers—that was right, t
oo. But the sparkly yellow jersey peeking out from under her coat was definitely different, and…was that a matching yellow headband holding back her soft, smooth—yikes!—blown-dry hair?

  “Avery?” Isabel asked.

  “We seem to have a missing person here,” said Maeve in a tough-cop voice. “You there in the fabulous outfit–what do you know about Avery Koh Madden’s whereabouts?” Avery couldn’t help but crack up.

  “Okay, okay! Chill. My mom kidnapped me after school today. She made me go to the hairdresser and bought me a new outfit. Please don’t make a big deal out of it.”

  “Don’t make a big deal out of what?” Katani asked. “Oh…you mean, like the fact that you look fantastic? That’s what we’re not supposed to make a big deal out of? Okay, no problem!”

  “You really do look amazing,” Charlotte assured her friend.

  “You trying to look amazing for anyone in particular?” Maeve asked mischievously.

  “Maeve…” Avery warned.

  “Hey, just kidding!” Maeve said with an exaggerated expression of innocence on her face.

  “And this,” Avery shot back, “is a no joke zone.”

  “Whoa! Sorry.” Maeve held up her hands.

  Katani grinned. “See? That no joke zone thing really does work!”

  “Hello, girls.” The BSG turned and saw Mrs. Weiss, the owner of Irving’s Toy & Card Shop, who was closing up the shop for the evening.

  “Hi, Mrs. Weiss!” they all returned the greeting. Ethel Weiss always had kind words and great advice for the kids who frequented her store.

  “You all look very lovely this evening. Where are you off to?”

  “We’re going to our Spirit Week school dance,” Maeve answered.

  “Oh, is it that time of year again?” Mrs. Weiss smiled at the BSG as she glanced at their outfits. “We dressed a little differently in my day, but I was just as excited as you girls are for a chance to dance with some handsome young men.”

  “Handsome young men?” Avery made a gagging noise.

  Mrs. Weiss chuckled. “Well, have a wonderful time tonight. Come by for some Swedish fish tomorrow and tell me all about it!”

  “We will!” the BSG promised and waved to Mrs. Weiss as they started toward the school.

  The BSG were all eager to see the gym transformed, but when they walked in, they were stunned. The decorations weren’t exactly beautiful, but they were powerful. Everyone had brought in his or her favorite spirit symbol, and the gym radiated excitement. Posters were hung everywhere, and stuffed animals and little statuettes decorated long tables of refreshments. Buttons and pins were stuck on cork boards, which had been mounted on the walls. The bright, bold colors lifted everyone’s spirits, and if things were hung a little haphazardly and hastily, no one seemed to care. Betsy had been right. Seeing everyone’s contribution was truly uplifting!

  Riley sat behind a long table stacked with audio equipment; he was acting as DJ for the dance. “Okay, BSG, I’ve got things to do. Catch you all later,” Avery quipped, and then disappeared into the crowd. Two minutes later the girls saw her walk up to Dillon, punch him lightly in the arm, and start a conversation.

  “Ha-ha, look at that!” Maeve giggled. “Dillon didn’t even recognize Avery at first!”

  “Thanks for sticking up for the girls, dude,” Avery said to Dillon. “It was a cool thing to do.”

  Dillon shrugged, but he kept looking at her yellow headband and jersey and different hair, as though wondering where his old sports buddy Avery went. “Hey, no problem. Some of the guys acted like real jerks, including me….”

  “Hey, you guys just can’t help yourselves,” Avery said, and they both laughed. Then she added, “Want to dance? I mean, as long as you promise not to throw me up in the air like a human football.”

  Dillon looked happy that the awkwardness was over between them. “Yeah, good idea,” he agreed.

  At Maeve’s request, Riley was mixing it up at his DJ post with some top hits as well as some old stuff from the Birdland era. Five minutes later, Avery and Dillon were flying across the floor to one of the fast, jazzy songs. Dillon did a quick feet-first turn, and caught Avery’s hands as she did the same thing, even faster. “Hey, you’re really good! I didn’t know you could dance like that! I thought you hated to dance!”

  Avery gave him a condescending look. “Oh, please…like coordination and grace are only important on the athletic field? That stuff sticks with you on the dance floor too, you know. Plus, it’s fun exercise.”

  “I guess,” Dillon said, watching Avery execute another quick turn and then a moonwalk-type backward shuffle. “And where’d you learn that? I don’t think they have a move like that in soccer or basketball!”

  “Nope,” Avery said with a grin. “But I also happen to have the services of a great private dance tutor…the one, the only, Maeve Kaplan-Taylor!”

  The rest of the BSG hadn’t started dancing yet. They were hanging out at the snack table when suddenly Katani felt a tug on her sleeve. It was Kelley, looking super-excited and happy. “Katani, come on! I need you—now! Now, now, now, now, NOW!”

  She grabbed Katani’s off-the-shoulder sweater and dragged her toward the dance floor, where a tall, handsome boy was waiting. Katani knew, looking up at him, that she’d never met him before. “Katani, this is Miguel,” Kelley said proudly to her sister. “Miguel is my friend in activities. He wanted to meet you…very, very much. He said he wanted to formally meet you. Formally, formally.”

  Katani could see where this was going. “Thanks, Kelley. Can you get some punch for me?”

  Kelley stared at her sister. “Punch, punch, a bunch of punch.” She laughed and said, “No!” But at least she had stopped her song.

  Miguel lowered his eyes and shoved his hands in his pockets, but Katani pretended not to notice and stuck out her hand. Anyone who had been nice to Kelley was somebody she wanted to meet. “Hi. It’s nice to meet you.” Relieved, Miguel smiled and offered his hand.

  “I’m going back to listen to the music,” Kelley told Katani. “Formally, formally…”

  She ran off, unconcerned about Katani and Miguel. Miguel managed to shake Katani’s hand back. “Kelley’s a great girl,” he said. “And she’s always talking about you.”

  Katani looked up at him, trying to figure out how to ask the question that sprang into her mind: Was Miguel in Kelley’s class?

  Miguel saw her confusion and explained, “Oh, I’m on the eighth-grade community service team. We help out in Kelley’s class sometimes. That’s how she knows me.”

  Ah, Katani thought. And all this time she’d thought the guy that Kelley kept talking about was one of her classmates! “She talks about you a lot too,” Katani said out loud. “I just didn’t realize…I thought you were…you know, actually in her class.” But then they both laughed, so it was all right. Miguel was very cute. Katani suddenly had an urge to smooth her hair, which she resisted.

  “I saw your speech yesterday,” Miguel went on, seeming more relaxed. “And I thought it was really great. I told Kelley I wanted to say hello to you to let you know that. But I didn’t mean for her to drag you away from your friends…”

  “That’s okay,” Katani answered, glancing back over her shoulder at the BSG. Maeve grinned and waved at her. Katani smiled. Maeve had obviously recovered from her Birdland disappointment.

  “Well, as long as we’re here…would you like to dance?” Miguel asked.

  “Sure,” Katani answered as her heart skipped a beat. The two of them moved off onto the crowded floor.

  “C’mon, let’s dance,” Maeve begged Isabel and Charlotte.

  “To this? I don’t think I know how to dance to this.” Charlotte listened to the old-school disco beat.

  “It’s a line dance, like from Saturday Night Fever,” Maeve answered. “It’s fine. Come on!” She pulled them onto the floor, and in a minute they were all dancing to “Stayin’ Alive” as though they’d done it all their lives.

  Isab
el was beginning to feel pretty good about her dance moves, when she felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning, she saw Kevin standing at her side. “Hey, I know you’re dancing,” he said a little awkwardly, “but I was wondering…Could we talk when you have a minute?”

  Isabel glanced at Maeve, who was dancing with her eyes closed, in a world of her own. Charlotte was bopping along beside her and seemed happy enough. “Well, okay,” she said. “How about now?”

  “Great!” Kevin seemed relieved. “Come on, let’s go near the bleachers.” He led her to an area of the gym that was very quiet and almost empty.

  Isabel had been waiting for the chance to speak to Kevin for a long time. She spoke quickly before she could lose her nerve. “You know, Kevin, I never said anything about you and Amanda. I wasn’t the one spreading rumors. I would never do anything like that.”

  “I know that now,” Kevin told her. “It’s weird how fast someone can start a rumor and it can just grow….” He shook his head from side to side, his brown hair falling onto his forehead. “This gossip thing is really sick. People get a hold of something, then a few people repeat it, and it doesn’t even sound the same as it was the first time. It’s even worse on the Internet because you don’t see people face-to-face. It’s like that old game Telephone. You say to someone, ‘I like red cherries’ and at the other end it comes out, ‘I saw Kevin with a girl named Sherry.’”

  “That’s exactly right!” Isabel agreed, smiling in relief.

  “I think that’s why Chase thought he could joke about it,” Kevin went on. “Because it wasn’t face-to-face when he was online…but it was still wrong. The more he said, the more lame it got.”

  “To me it felt downright mean,” Isabel said.

  “I’m really sorry,” Kevin told her. “It’s been hard…well, since we talked in the art room, before all that drama with Amanda.”

  “Is it really just drama?” Isabel looked up at him directly. She thought she’d better ask the question straight out and be sure of what was going on.