Sticker Girl Rules the School--Stickers Included!

by Janet Tashjian

  For the first time since I’ve had my magic stickers, I want them all to go back to the sheet and never come alive again, even if that includes Walter and Craig. Why did I think having another sheet of magical stickers would be as fantastic as the first time?

  “Okay,” Ms. Graham says. “Off to the zoo!” She signals the bus driver, who closes the bifold doors. Parents wave from the parking lot as kids yell goodbye.

  After we get through the worst parts of the morning traffic, Mom motions toward the back of the bus. “Why don’t you go hang out with Bev?” she says. “Everything’s under control here.”

  Mom nudges me in the gentle way she’s been doing my whole life. I don’t want to disappoint her, so I slowly make my way down the aisle.

  I take the empty seat across from Bev. Eileen is lightly snoring against the window, probably exhausted from all that soccer. Or maybe they were up late last night, watching YouTube videos like Bev and I used to do.

  The last thing I want is to start off on the wrong foot with Bev, but my words blurt out before I can stop them. “Eileen doesn’t have a permission slip,” I say. “She didn’t sign up.”

  Bev looks at me strangely before she answers. I don’t blame her; I sound like a tattletale.

  “Lisa’s aunt is in the hospital, so she’s not here,” Bev explains. “Since there was an extra space, Eileen asked if she could come. My mom called the school this morning and added her to the list.”

  Lots of thoughts bounce around my head: couldn’t Bev have called me first to tell me? How is the president of our class the last one to know about new kids signing up for our trip? I don’t want to be a wet blanket on Bev’s new friendship, but where do I fit in?

  “I’m not sure you should be getting so involved with Eileen,” I say. “You know what happens to the stickers sooner or later—they all end up going back.”

  Bev shrugs in her easygoing way. “At least we’ll have fun while she’s here. My offensive game has really improved—you should play with us!”

  I want to say that I WOULD play if they’d ever ask me, but I bite my tongue instead.

  A couple of rows in front of us, Tommy’s rolled up his permission slip like a telescope and is talking like a pirate. “Avast, mateys! A few more miles.”

  “Tommy! Sit down,” Ms. Graham says.

  Tommy obliges. “Sorry, but I just can’t wait to get a look at those pandas.” He starts to chant “Pan-da, Pan-da!”

  The rest of the class joins in, even my brother James, who struggles to get out of Mom’s lap and grab a fat June bug flying through the bus.

  Mike tries to grab it too, but the June bug dive-bombs Samantha, then Tommy. I watch as the bug eventually lands on Eileen’s shoulder. Bev and I share a smile at Eileen. Still asleep, she doesn’t realize she’s now a landing strip.

  Eileen reaches up and carelessly swats her shoulder. Then she opens her eyes, jumps out of her seat, and screams.

  “Get that thing away from me!”

  It’s a silly, babyish thing to do—it’s only a June bug, after all—but Eileen is suddenly the center of attention. And all the interest from my classmates makes her scream and flail even louder. I try not to let her see me roll my eyes as Tommy and Mike shoo the bug away.

  I’ve played with stickers my whole life and consider myself an expert on them, but before my stickers came alive I had no idea they could be so DRAMATIC. After Eileen finally calms down, I return to my seat alongside Mom. Sheesh.

  When we arrive at the zoo, I hurry off the bus to get everyone’s lunches, as well as James’s stroller. The bus driver starts to lift up the door to the cargo unit, but the first things I see inside are Zombie Boy’s shoes.

  I jump in front of the bus driver and thank him, then guide him away from the cargo hold. As soon as he leaves, I open the door the rest of the way and grab Zombie Boy. “What are you doing here?”

  He looks at me and lets out a giant belch. That’s when I notice all the empty paper lunch bags.

  “You ate all our food! None of us brought money for lunch!”

  Zombie Boy holds out a soggy crust of bread that looks like it used to be part of a tuna-fish sandwich. He smiles shyly and grunts. He did some accessorizing in our garage—he’s now wearing Mom’s old rollerblades and gardening gloves.

  Before the zombie can answer me, Scott runs toward us, then stops when he sees Zombie Boy.

  “Why did you hire a DJ for the field trip?” Scott asks. “That wasn’t in the budget.”

  I tell Scott that Zombie Boy came on his own, free of charge.

  “We’ve got bigger problems than that,” Scott says. “The panda exhibit is closed!”

  Oh No!!!

  Ms. Graham warned us that even with the prepaid tickets, the lines at the gate might be long. But as I follow Scott from the parking lot to the main gate, all I see are angry visitors.

  “What do you mean, we can’t see the pandas?” one woman shouts.

  “This is a rip-off!” a man next to her yells. “False advertising!”

  A woman in khaki shorts, shirt, and a pith helmet addresses the crowd with a megaphone.

  Before she says a word, Mike sneaks beside me.

  “Maybe we should’ve gone with one of the other field-trip options,” he says. “This looks like trouble.”

  The zookeeper explains that a pipe burst inside the panda enclosure yesterday and the exhibit is closed while a crew works on repairs.

  “Just because some water leaked, we can’t see the pandas?” Tommy asks. “Totally unfair!”

  “I’m sorry,” the zookeeper says. “But there are still so many fine exhibits here.” She suddenly puts her walkie-talkie to her ear and listens. “I’ve got to run. Believe it or not, there’s a boy in a zombie costume rollerblading through the reptile room.”

  Disappointment spreads through the class. Even the parent chaperones seem upset.

  This is not good.

  “You have to say something, Martina,” Samantha says.

  “ME? Why can’t YOU say something?” I ask.

  Samantha looks at me like I’ve just sprouted wings. “You’re the president—it’s your job.”

  Running for class president might be the worst idea I’ve ever had in my life. Oh, that’s right—it WASN’T my idea.

  When I turn to look at Mom, I can tell she agrees with Samantha. But it’s Tommy who makes me realize I really have to say something. He’s adding fuel to the fire, riling everyone up.

  “You guys should’ve voted for me,” he says. “I’d NEVER let you down like this. We could be throwing spaghetti at each other instead of being turned away from baby pandas.”

  My courage comes from an unlikely source: Bev. She looks at me with an expression that tells me I can take on Tommy today. I could be imagining it, but Eileen seems to be encouraging me too.

  “We’re not being thrown out of the zoo,” I tell my classmates. “The pandas are just ONE exhibit. There are over a thousand animals here!”

  “As treasurer I can verify that’s a big number,” Scott adds.

  “Who wants to see the monkeys?” I shout.

  Mike’s got my back as well. He starts chanting, “I DO!” Samantha, Bev, and Eileen join in too.

  Ms. Graham finishes the head count, then suggests we have a snack and a bathroom break first.

  We go through the turnstiles at the gate and make a beeline for the rest area. But a new wave of dread washes over me. Zombie Boy ate our lunches!

  “We need to keep everyone focused on the positive,” Bev says.

  Bev just said “we”—does that mean we’re still friends? Technically, Eileen is a much more authentic Sticker Girl than I am. Is that why Bev likes her more? Wait a minute—what am I talking about? I’M Sticker Girl. I know how to solve this lunch problem!

  I leave the group, duck behind the gift shop, and pull out my magic sticker sheet. Please let the pizza multiply!

  “Did somebody order a

  I shout!

&nb
sp; Samantha crosses her arms in front of her and asks what happened to our lunches. I tell her there was a leak in the cargo compartment and they were ruined.Luckily the pizza smells so good, no one thinks twice about their bag lunches.

  Even though the sticker shows only one large pizza, when Bev, Mike, Samantha, and I hand out slices there’s enough for everyone. The fact that the pizza doesn’t run out is the first piece of good news today.

  Ms. Graham takes a napkin from a dispenser on one of the picnic tables and uses it to blot the cheese on her slice. “I didn’t realize lunch was coming out of the budget today,” Ms. Graham says.

  “Neither did I,” adds Scott. “We’re definitely going to have to talk about this later.”

  Tommy eyes the line of people at the concession stand. “How did you get that pizza so fast, Martina?”

  “Because while everyone else was complaining, Martina was getting things done,” Bev says. “That’s why we voted for her.”

  Bev’s eyes twinkle as she hands me a slice. “Once a campaign manager, always a campaign manager,” she whispers.

  Just as I’m about to say thank you, Bev takes a seat next to Eileen.

  Eileen beams. “I can’t believe I’m going to have pizza for the first time! I’ve been waiting for this forever!”

  The kids sitting at her table make a fuss about how Eileen has never had pizza before. I just saved the day, and here’s Eileen making herself the center of attention. Again.

  Everyone crowds around to watch Eileen take her first bite of pizza. She picks up the slice and sinks her teeth in. A gigantic smile spreads across her face.

  “This is incredible!” Eileen says. “If Bev wasn’t already my best friend, I’d want pizza to be!”

  Did I hear that right?

  Does Bev feel the same way?

  I’m crushed. Running for student council isn’t the worst idea I’ve ever had.

  Being Sticker Girl is.

  Buzzzzzz!

  The zookeeper who shows our class around is super nice; I’m not sure if it’s to make up for the closed baby panda exhibit or if she’s like this every day. On the way to the monkeys, she points out the zoo’s newest members—a golden poison dart frog and a giant anteater. Tommy makes a joke about the giant anteater not looking gigantic at all, and Eileen laughs as if it’s the funniest thing anyone’s ever said.

  I suddenly realize how annoying Eileen’s laugh is—and how annoying everything else about her is too. I’m ashamed to admit it, but I actually dislike one of my own stickers.

  As we enter the monkey exhibit, I get an idea to make Eileen the center of attention again—but not in a good way this time. If Eileen hates big, loud bugs buzzing around her, the smiling honeybee with the trumpet might be just the thing to make everyone else realize how desperate for attention Eileen really is.

  I’ve never been a kid who pulled pranks before, but didn’t Eileen just call Bev her BFF? And during the campaign, didn’t Bev say we should always use the tools we have at our disposal? In that case … I fall behind the rest of the group and take the sheet of stickers from my bag.

  This is going to be fun.

  The

  swirls above my head, obviously happy to be released. He hovers and swoops above the group, but when he gets near Eileen she doesn’t even notice.

  Maybe this plan isn’t going to work after all.

  But then the honeybee blows his horn.

  “What was that?” the zookeeper asks. “Sounds like Darlene the Elephant might be ready for lunch!”

  But it’s not Darlene the Elephant. Suddenly a low hum begins in the distance. The humming gets louder and louder until a few kids cover their ears from the noise.

  Scott sees them first. “BEES!” He points to a swarm of honeybees heading straight for us.

  NOOOOOO! How was I supposed to know the honeybee sticker would use his trumpet to call thousands of his closest friends?

  Eileen’s not the only one who starts screaming; pretty much everyone else does too. The zookeeper waves her arms to try to disperse the swarm, then reaches for her walkie-talkie to call for help.

  There are so many bees swarming around us, you can barely see the sky.

  WHAT HAVE I DONE?

  Mom protects James’s head underneath her jacket, but he’s still crying. So are several kids in my class (Tommy included). I duck down and rummage through my bag to find Craig.

  “How do I stop this?” I scream.

  “I have no idea!” he answers. “But keep those bees away from my frosting!”

  It was wrong to try to scare Eileen—I know that. But how do I fix this?

  Our conversation is interrupted by Caitlyn, who’s screaming even louder than the rest of us. “I’m allergic to bees!”

  Ms. Graham pulls Caitlyn aside and helps her find the EpiPen in her bag. Thankfully Caitlyn is more prepared for this emergency than I am.

  But none of us are prepared for the monkeys, who are now in a frenzy over the swarming insects.

  “Look out!” The zookeeper points to three monkeys jumping up and down on the roof of the exhibit. One of them leaps off the building and lands in the middle of our group. It might actually be cool—if we weren’t being attacked by a zillion bees.

  The zookeeper tries to calm the monkey with her soothing voice, but he’s too wound up from all the buzzing. Other monkeys jump down to join him.

  The first monkey pulls off Tommy’s Lakers cap and tries it on, which actually makes Mike laugh.

  Then another monkey grabs the EpiPen away from Caitlyn and races up the nearest tree.

  And there’s nothing funny about that at all.

  Walter to the Rescue

  As the swarm of bees moves toward the reptile house, Ms. Graham hurries Caitlyn into the zookeeper’s office to keep her safe. The chaperones run through several options. Rush us all back to the bus? Retrieve Caitlyn’s medicine? Call it a day?

  Tommy’s the first one with a suggestion. “You should use a tranquilizer dart on those monkeys!” he tells the zookeeper. “I can shoot it if you want!”

  Two other zookeepers enter the exhibit and use calm voices to coax the monkey down from the palm tree, but he climbs even higher.

  I feel a tugging on my skirt and look down to see Walter.

  “Let me go up and get her medicine,” he whispers. “I’ll be back in a jiff.”

  Craig agrees. “Walter’s the only one here who can climb that high.”

  “Who said anything about climbing? I’m going to dance my way up that tree!”

  I shield Walter and Craig so none of my classmates will see them. “The last thing we need right now is a chipmunk in a tutu!”

  “Or is it the FIRST thing?” Before I can stop him, Walter leaps to the tree but is immediately stopped by the monkeys guarding the trunk. Luckily my classmates are all focused on the top of the tree and no one notices Walter sneaking up the back.

  Using his best moves, Walter weaves and dodges, but unfortunately his fancy footwork is no match for the primates.

  “What are we going to do?” Bev asks.

  She looks as worried as I am; I’m just glad she doesn’t know I’m the one to blame for this nightmare.

  Walter’s sweating and out of breath when he jumps back into my bag. “Those monkeys are monsters,” he says. “I don’t know how we’re going to get that medicine.”

  Bev and I watch the zookeepers place a ladder against the tree. It looks like they might finally make some progress—until the monkeys knock it down.

  Think, think, think!

  I run to Eileen and ask if she brought her soccer ball.

  “Of course—I bring it everywhere. You should know that if you call yourself Sticker Girl.” From the look on her face, I can tell Eileen knows I’M the one who released the honeybees. “I could’ve told you that bee was trouble.”

  I want to make Eileen promise she won’t share that particular piece of information with Bev, but right now there are more important things to
worry about.

  “Your aim with that ball is incredible,” I tell her. “Do you think you can knock the pen out of the monkey’s hand?”

  Eileen gauges how far it is to the top of the tree, then holds out the ball and kicks. The ball sails over us, heading straight for the monkey—who then jumps even farther up the palm tree.

  “It was a great try, Eileen.” Bev then turns to me. “A good idea too.”

  But I don’t deserve Bev’s compliment—I got us into this mess and it’s my job to get us out.

  Craig and Walter peek out from my bag. “There is something else you could try.” Craig nudges the sheet of magic stickers toward my hand.

  My eyes lock with Bev’s. The hot-air balloon!

  “You can sail to the top of the tree and save the day,” Bev says.

  “We can.” I look at the large group of people around us. How am I going to explain a giant hot-air balloon appearing out of thin air? I guess I’ll have to worry about that later.

  I peel off the last sticker on my sheet. Please be the answer to our problems!

  The

  magically comes to life!

  Sadly, the basket’s the size of a cereal bowl. How will my idea even work now?

  Quite the Show

  “So much for that,” Bev says. “And here come the bees!”

  I’ve been so focused on getting Caitlyn’s medicine, I barely noticed that the bees moved to another part of the zoo. But given how today is going, OF COURSE they’re back.

  Samantha almost knocks me over. “You said this was going to be the best field trip in the history of field trips, but it’s the WORST! What are we going to do?” She looks at the small hot-air balloon in my hand. “This is no time for toys, Martina!”

  “It’s not her fault there was a bee attack!” Bev says.

  “It’s not?” Eileen smirks. “Are you sure?”