by Hope McLean
Even better, Ryan had a thick, black protective case for his tablet, the kind that kept it from shattering if you dropped it. Eli went to the local tech store and examined a case just like Ryan’s. If he could get the plastic open, there would be just enough room to slide in the GPS.
And now it was Friday, and Eli had just one chance to put Operation Emerald into action. Eli had noticed that the only time Ryan’s tablet wasn’t locked up was during gym class, when Ryan stuffed all of his belongings into an open cubbyhole in the locker room.
Eli stopped outside the locker room door and leaned against the wall. Inside, he could hear the boys talking and laughing loudly as they changed for gym. He nervously glanced up and down the hall. When the noise subsided, he slowly opened the door and peeked in.
Thankfully, the locker room was empty. He swiftly made his way to the cubbyholes. Though Eli had seen Ryan bring the tablet into the locker room with him throughout the week, he had never followed him in. Now he had to dig through the cubbyholes until he found it.
He struck gold in the sixth cubby he checked. He reached in his pocket for his tools and found that his palms were sweating. Planning the whole thing had been kind of exciting, but now that it was real, the pressure was pretty intense.
It’s like Mission: Impossible or something, he thought, and then he forced himself to take a deep breath and calm down. He knew just what to do.
He used a small tool to pop open the case. Then he activated the GPS and slid it inside. But when he tried to close the case again, it wouldn’t fit.
Eli started to sweat again. His measurements had been precise. It had to be stuck on something. Carefully, he tried to adjust the GPS using the slim tip of a screwdriver.
Then he heard a noise outside the door, from the gym entrance.
“Just one minute, Coach!”
Heart pounding, Eli pushed aside his panic and ran for the equipment bin and crouched down behind it, gripping the tablet tightly in his sweaty hands. Just a few feet away, he heard someone shuffling around in the cubbies. What if he got caught? It would look like he was trying to steal the tablet. His mother would freak out. Not to mention how embarrassing it would be to be thought of as a thief. And right now, he was the Jewels’ last hope at stopping the Rivals. A lot was riding on this! Then he heard the sound of footsteps running away.
“Got it!” And then the gym door closed.
Eli realized he’d been holding his breath the whole time. He slowly got up and began to work on the tablet again, his hands shaking.
Focus! he told himself.
He fiddled with the case for another minute, and then he heard a satisfying snap. He’d done it!
Eli quickly replaced the tablet in Ryan’s cubby, making sure he left everything just as he found it. It was done. Sure, there was a chance that Ryan might find the GPS, but what could he do? With any luck, he wouldn’t find it, and the Jewels would have the upper hand.
“Which of the following animals is a mollusk: an earthworm, a squid, or a turtle?”
Jasmine and Willow both hit the buzzer at the same time, but Willow’s went off a split second earlier. The quiz bowl moderator nodded at her.
“Squid!” Willow replied confidently.
“Correct,” said the moderator. “The Jewels are ahead by twenty points, so we do not need a bonus round. The Martha Washington Jewels win the match.”
Erin and Lili grinned at each other. Willow tried to high-five Jasmine, but Jasmine’s arms were firmly folded in front of her. Willow frowned and led the girls across the stage to shake hands with their opponents.
“Great job!” Ms. Keatley said as they left the stage. “You girls are on top of your game lately.”
“Thanks!” replied Erin. Jasmine didn’t even look at Ms. Keatley. She walked out into the hallway, and Willow followed her.
Ms. Keatley looked concerned. “Is everything okay?” she asked.
“We’ll check it out,” Erin said. She nodded to Lili, and the two girls went out into the hallway.
Jasmine and Willow were standing next to a water fountain, arguing.
“That was a science question,” Jasmine was saying. “Those are supposed to be mine.”
“We can’t think like that!” Willow protested. “Our goal is to beat the other team. If any one of us knows the answer, we need to buzz in, no matter what the subject matter is.”
Erin and Lili watched the argument from a distance.
“Did they always fight like this?” Lili asked. She’d just transferred to Martha Washington at the start of sixth grade, so Lili had only known the girls for a few months. But Willow, Jasmine, and Erin had been together since kindergarten.
“Once in a while,” Erin replied. “They’ve always been best friends, you know? I used to feel left out sometimes until you came along.”
Lili’s face melted. “Oh, that’s so sweet!”
“Anyway, I think it’s the stress of this whole Rivals thing that’s setting them off this time,” Erin explained. “Honestly, this drama is getting to me. It’s worse than a reality show!”
Lili giggled. “That would be a great show. The Real Contestants of Quiz Bowl.”
Erin laughed. “Right. An inside look at the super-glamorous world of quiz bowl.” Then her eyes lit up. “Wait a second! You have video on your cell, right?”
Lili held up her pink, sparkly phone. “Yup! Why?”
“Start filming,” Erin told her.
Lili pressed a button and followed Erin as she headed down the hall toward Jasmine and Willow.
“But what if you didn’t know the answer?” Willow was saying.
“But I did!” Jasmine said loudly. “It’s like you want to be the whole team by yourself!”
Erin started circling the girls, talking. “On this week’s episode of The Real Contestants of Quiz Bowl, sparks fly as Jasmine and Willow duke it out by the water fountain,” she narrated.
Jasmine and Willow ignored her and kept on fighting.
“And what about when you didn’t give me credit for the theory I had when we were talking to Principal Frederickson? The one about the Rivals stealing the diamond before quiz bowl and doing something else to trigger the alarm while they were onstage. You made it sound like it was everyone’s idea, not mine!” Jasmine said angrily.
“Whoa!” Willow held her hands up in surprise. “Seriously? Do you honestly think I’d deliberately not give you credit for an idea you had? A lot was going on when we found out the diamond had been stolen. And your theory was wrong, so I don’t know why you’re so eager to get recognition for it.”
Jasmine stomped her feet in anger. “See what I mean? You can be so … so … frustrating! Whether it’s quiz bowl, or basketball, or stopping the Rivals, you act like you’re the one who is in charge.”
Erin, desperate to get the girls to stop fighting, continued with her “reality show” narration. “Things get hot onstage when the questions are flying, but they’re even hotter in the hallway!”
Lili joined in. “And once again, the contestants’ outfits are totally fashion forward,” she said. “Both Jasmine and Willow are rocking their red team T-shirts. Jasmine is accenting hers with black leggings and ballet flats, while Willow is going for a sporty look with skinny jeans and white sneakers. Fabulous!”
Jasmine and Willow finally noticed what was going on around them. They stopped and looked at Erin and Lili.
“You two are crazy,” Willow said.
“Yeah, crazy about tacos,” Erin said. “Come on. The moms are taking us for lunch at Veggie Juan’s, and then we’re going to Lili’s.”
“I don’t know,” Jasmine said. She still looked upset.
“Come on, Jazz. Eli and I set up a bunch of stuff last night,” Lili said. “I can’t wait to show you.”
Jasmine reluctantly agreed, but she wouldn’t even look at Willow.
During a lunch of vegetable tacos piled with beans, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, and cheese, Jasmine and Wil
low barely spoke — but at least they had stopped fighting. After lunch, Mrs. Higashida brought them all back to Lili’s house. The girls paused in the foyer to remove their shoes and were surprised to see a bunch of shoes already neatly lined up against the wall.
“What’s going on?” Lili asked.
“It’s Obaasan,” replied her mother. “Your grandmother is doing her dance exercise class here.”
Lili peeked into the living room and smiled, then led the Jewels upstairs.
“There you are,” Eli said, standing in the doorway of his room. “Come on in.”
Spare and clean, Eli’s room was the opposite of Lili’s. His white walls had no posters on them, and his bed was neatly made with a black bedspread. One wall of his room was taken up with a long computer desk and tons of gadgets and wires neatly stored in stacked and labeled metal bins. The only thing that looked out of place was a big, colorful poster on an easel with a photo of Derrica Girard in the middle.
“What’s all this?” Jasmine asked.
“First, let me show you the GPS,” he said, sliding into his computer chair. He started typing. “See? I just need to send a signal to the GPS, and then it tells me where it is.”
“Wow. We really could have used a tracker on the Rivals back in New York City,” Jasmine said, looking at the gadgets neatly laid out on Eli’s desk.
“The Rivals didn’t compete in the match this morning,” Willow explained. “I was worried that they were out stealing Derrica’s emerald.”
“I don’t think so,” Eli said. “Ryan’s been home all morning. And Derrica’s been at a beauty salon.”
“How did you know that? We don’t have a GPS on her,” Erin pointed out.
Lili walked to the poster and smiled proudly. “We don’t need one. She’s constantly updating her Chatter status. And she posts tons of stuff about herself on her blog. It’s like she doesn’t care about privacy at all.”
“I guess not, if she’s on a reality TV show,” Jasmine mused.
“So, anyway, I worked on this all last night,” Lili said. She pointed to a box on the chart. “Over here is a rough weekly schedule that Eli and I came up with after going back and tracking her posts for the last month. And this box is all her favorite shops, and that one shows her favorite restaurants.”
The girls stepped up to the board to get a closer look.
“Awesome,” Erin said admiringly. “You would make a great stalker.”
“That’s not all,” Lili said. She walked to Eli’s desk and picked up a green folder. She took out a photo of Derrica wearing a red dress and handed it to Willow.
“What’s this?” Willow asked.
“She posted the dress she’s wearing to the charity ball next week,” Lili explained. “And see around her neck? She’s not going to wear the emerald because it clashes with the red. Instead, a famous jewelry guy is going to lend her a ruby and diamond necklace.”
“Wow!” Jasmine said. “That’s going to be gorgeous.”
Willow looked thoughtful. “So she won’t have the emerald with her on Saturday, which means the Rivals won’t be trying to steal it.”
“Not exactly,” Eli said, spinning around in his chair to face them. “She’s going to be staying at the hotel that night, so the necklace might be in her room.”
Erin nodded. “I remember that quote we found. ‘It’s my lucky charm. I take it with me everywhere.’”
“And if it’s in the room …” Lili began.
“… it will be even easier for the Rivals to steal,” Willow finished. “A lot easier than stealing it off someone’s neck in the middle of a big party.”
“We’ve got to find a way to get to that charity ball!” Erin exclaimed.
“Maybe not,” Jasmine said. “Lili and Eli found out a lot about Derrica’s schedule. If we can get to her before the ball, we won’t have to worry about it.”
“Well, we don’t know every move she makes,” Lili admitted. “But we have a pretty good idea. That’s how we figured out she would be at the beauty parlor this morning. But after that, it’s just a guess.”
“Well, we could try,” Jasmine said. “Maybe figure out the most likely places she’ll be, and try to go there.”
“It’s worth a try,” Willow said, and Jasmine caught her eyes.
“Thanks,” Jasmine said.
“Hold on!” Eli cried suddenly. “Ryan’s been moving.”
“Where to?” Erin asked, looking over his shoulder.
“He’s in River Park,” Eli said. “Let’s see where he goes. He’s still on the move. Looks like he’s headed toward Tinker Street.”
Lili ran back to the easel. “Elan’s Couture is on that street! It’s one of Derrica’s favorite clothing shops.”
“Do you think she’s there, and Ryan knows it?” Jasmine wondered.
“Can you check that thing from your phone?” Willow asked Eli.
Eli nodded. “Yeah. Why?”
“Because if Ryan’s on the move, we need to be, too,” she said. “Maybe he’s also tracking Derrica, and she’s at the shop right now!”
“But how are we going to get to River Park?” Jasmine wondered.
Lili grinned and hurried to the doorway.
“Mom!”
“Mom said she’d drive us. Eli, are you coming?” Lili asked.
“I’m not sure I’d know what to do at a fancy women’s clothing store with you guys. I’ll stay here and keep you posted by text of Ryan’s movements, so keep your phone handy,” Eli said.
Mrs. Higashida agreed to give the girls a ride, although she seemed confused. “The shops on Tinker Street are very expensive,” she remarked. “Way out of the budget of your allowances, I’m sure.”
“You know me, Mom,” Lili replied. “I’ll study the latest fashions and make my own versions.” It was the truth. While they were tracking down Ryan, Lili couldn’t help but be excited to check out the designs at Elan’s Couture.
“Lili’s are always better, anyway,” Erin said proudly. Even though Erin got dressed most days by throwing on the nearest T-shirt and jeans, she admired Lili’s unique sense of style.
Mrs. Higashida stopped at the gate of the parking lot on Tinker Street and grabbed a ticket. “Even parking is expensive here,” she complained as she parked the car.
“Mom, you’re the best!” Lili said. “I’ll pay you back with a custom design after I get some inspiration today, I promise.”
Mrs. Higashida smiled at her daughter. “Don’t worry about it, sweetie. While you girls are window-shopping I am going to stop by that new gourmet olive oil and vinegar store. Everyone at work has been raving about it, so this gives me the perfect opportunity to check it out.”
As they walked out onto Tinker Street, Mrs. Higashida reminded the girls to stay on the street and stick together. She turned right while the girls headed left, toward Elan’s Couture.
Tinker Street was located in the historic section of River Park. The girls walked down the cobblestone sidewalk, admiring the pretty old brick buildings. Jasmine shivered as they passed a clothing boutique, and it wasn’t from the crisp breeze that was blowing.
“That business suit looks like something Principal Frederickson would wear,” Jasmine said nervously as she pointed at a shop window. “What if we bump into her here? And she finds out we’re still trying to stop the Rivals?”
Lili grabbed Jasmine’s hand and gave it a little squeeze. “Relax,” she said. “The odds of that are, like, a billion to one.”
“Not really,” Willow said. “Mathematically speaking, depending on where Principal Frederickson shops, the odds could be much higher, especially considering this is a Saturday and the busiest shopping day of the week.”
Lili groaned. “Not helpful!”
Willow shrugged. “Maybe not, but it’s realistic.”
“So what if she is shopping on Tinker Street?” Erin asked. “We don’t have to tell her what we’re doing here, and there is no reason why we wouldn’t be shopping here, to
o.”
Jasmine pointed to a pair of gold and diamond hoop earrings in the next shop’s window. “There’s one reason. Those earrings cost three thousand dollars!”
“Hey, maybe we won the lottery.” Lili laughed. “That would explain it.”
“Puh-leeze!” Erin said dramatically. “Even if we won the lottery my mother still wouldn’t let me spend that kind of money. Unless I did a bazillion chores around the house to earn it. And, Willow, that is mathematically correct, trust me!”
Willow smiled. “I understand that math. My mom would be the same way!”
Lili’s phone gave a beep. “It looks like Ryan is in Elan’s Couture. Eli just texted me.”
“We better hurry,” Willow said as she quickened her pace. The other girls hurried after her.
After walking about a block, they arrived at the boutique. Willow stopped short in front of the door. “Um, guys?” she asked. “I don’t think we thought this out. Do we all just go barreling in? We don’t want to let on to Ryan that we’re tracking his movements.”
“If he sees us, I really don’t think his first thought will be that we planted a GPS on him,” Jasmine said curtly.
Willow’s eyes flashed. “Maybe not, but don’t you think it would be better to hang back and see what he’s doing? If he knows we’re watching him, he won’t do something to give his plan away.”
“I’ll go in first and check out the layout,” Lili suggested. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep it on the down low.”
Lili stepped slowly through the door. A little bell chimed, signifying her presence to the salesclerks. A woman with a sleek blond bob, wearing a black dress and high heels, smiled at her.
“Good afternoon,” she said to Lili. “Let me know if I can assist you with anything.”
Lili nodded as her eyes traveled around the store. The walls were painted a deep pink. The black ceiling had recessed lighting with a black and silver chandelier hanging from the middle. A zebra-print couch and black-and-white polka-dotted chairs were scattered around the room. Small tables held clothing and accessories on them, as did the shelves lining the walls. More clothes hung from bars on some of the shelves. It was a combination of elegant, funky, and fun — and had the feel of shopping in a hip friend’s house rather than at a store.