Just Kidding (5 page)

“Whatever, peeps. I'm just saying…”

“We got it, Dillon.” Avery snickered, rolling her eyes. Avery was all for getting the most out of Spirit Week, but Dillon was being ridiculous. “You should have your own talk show or something,” she suggested. “Ya know, talk show hosts are all about opinions, and you've obviously got a lot of those.”

Dillon was smarting under everyone's snickers. “And
you
should be a dancer,” Dillon retorted, and unexpectedly,
he grabbed Avery and tried to throw her in the air, just like they'd all seen Michael do to Sarah. But Dillon wasn't as strong as Michael and Avery wasn't experienced at swing dancing, so she just tumbled down awkwardly into his waiting arms.

“Put me down!” Avery hissed at Dillon, her face turning red with embarrassment. “Put me down
now
, Dillon, I mean it!”

Dillon saw that Avery was really furious. Quickly, he lowered her to the floor. “Hey, Ave, come on, I was just kidding around. I didn't think you'd get all mad about it. It was just a joke, ya know, no big deal.”

“I didn't think you had to be reminded not to pick people up and throw them around!” Avery fumed. “What do you think this is, the WWE?”

She yanked herself free from Dillon's arm and stormed off toward the cafeteria.
The short curse strikes again
, she grimaced.
If I wasn't so small and easy to toss around, Dillon wouldn't have even thought of throwing me in the air like that
. Avery wished some teacher had caught Dillon tossing her through the air like a football; they would've thrown him out of Spirit Week, and it would have been just what he deserved!

“Hey, Avery, wait!” Katani called to her.

“Did you see what Dillon just did?” Charlotte fumed as she hurried to catch up to Avery.

“Who could miss it?” Katani asked. “I bet Avery's ready to die of embarrassment.”

Charlotte ran on to comfort Avery, while Katani caught up to Dillon, who was laughing uncomfortably at his own
mistake and trying to get everyone else to laugh it off, too. “Hey Dillon, you'd better grow up!” Katani advised him. “You totally embarassed Avery, and she's your
friend
. That was so not cool.”

“Geesh, Katani, it was only a joke!” Dillon tried to defend himself. “If Avery had a sense of humor, she'd see that it was funny!”

“If she
didn't
have a sense of humor, you'd be in Mrs. Fields's office right now!” Katani shot back. “So just be glad she's a better friend than you are.”

Maeve and Isabel were walking toward the cafeteria behind a crowd of other students. Maeve slowed down. Her idea for Spirit Week began to take on more color and dimension, and she just had to tell someone about it. Finally, she grabbed Isabel's arm to make her stop. “Isabel, I've just got to talk to you right now,” she begged. “I have simply the most brilliant idea I've ever had for the Spirit Week dance theme.”

“Oh yeah, I'm sure it's
brilliant
,” came a shrill voice behind her, and Maeve realized that it was Anna, who was regarding her with one of her much-too-sweet smiles. Sarcastically, she added, “I'm sure it's the best idea
ever
.”

Joline, who was just behind Anna, was snickering. Maeve looked at them both with sparks of anger in her eyes. But before she could say anything, Isabel snapped. She'd had just about enough of the Queens of Mean for one morning. Isabel stopped dead in her tracks and braced herself so that Anna crashed into her and Joline collided with Anna.

“Ouch!” Anna howled.

“Oh, Anna, I'm
so
sorry,” Isabel said sweetly. “But maybe you should pay a little more attention to where you're going.”

Maeve grabbed Isabel. She wasn't sure how it happened, but things seemed to be rapidly spiraling out of control! The truth was, since early that morning, the day had been anything but normal, and Maeve was just getting tired of surprises.

“Listen, Iz, let's get out of here. I've got too much to tell you to waste any more time on annoying people.”

The two girls started back down the hall, leaving Anna and Joline staring after them, but Maeve had already forgotten the incident. She had learned a long time ago that Anna and Joline were kind of like mosquitoes. Annoying, stinging, but certainly not life threatening. She immediately started chattering about how great her new idea was for the dance. Isabel just had to ask her, “Maeve, how can you let their comments just slide off your back like that? They make me so mad!”

Maeve shrugged. “You know, I think a few months ago I'd have cared a lot. But now it just seems like a waste of time. Anna and Joline aren't getting any nicer, so it's better to just stay out of their way when they get nasty.”

“That's true,” Isabel admitted. “I'll try to think of that next time they say something mean…which will probably be in about five minutes.”

Maeve laughed. “You got that right. Okay, enough about them. Just wait until you hear my idea. This is going to be too fab for words.”

M
aeve rummaged through the pockets of her school bag. “Oh, no!” she groaned. “I did it again! I mean this has just got to stop.”

“What?” Isabel asked, bewildered.

“Forgot my lunch money again! It must be in my locker,” Maeve said, blowing a curl out of her eyes. “It'll just take a second. Don't wait for me. I'll see you at the table.” And she darted away toward her locker.

Isabel headed on to the cafeteria, but just as she reached the door, she spotted Kevin Connors. She wasn't quite sure how to greet him after the embarrassing break-up scene she witnessed that morning, but it hadn't been her fault she was there. She shouldn't feel awkward about it. It had nothing to do with her. Besides, Kevin had been so nice before all of the drama began.

So when Kevin got into the lunch line behind her, Isabel gave him a friendly smile.

He smiled back. “I can tell you're a real artist,” he said.

Isabel looked at him questioningly. “You can? How?”

“Because, Isabel,” Kevin said, “you have a big purple paint splotch on your shirt.” He pointed to her sleeve. And as she looked down and discovered the enormous splotch, he started laughing.

When Isabel looked at Kevin, she saw that his eyes were smiling. He was laughing
with
her, not
at
her, and Isabel began to laugh too.

They laughed all the way down the lunch line, even though it wasn't really that funny. It was just one of those laugh fests that was contagious—once it got started it couldn't stop. Isabel and Maeve called those
laugh-a-thons
. It was on their list of totally favorite things.

The problem with this laugh-a-thon was that everyone in the cafeteria saw them. And so the buzz began. The buzz was definitely not one of Isabel's favorite things. The buzz could ruin your life. And now the buzz was spreading all over the cafeteria as if it were an infectious disease, and it was all about Kevin Connors and Isabel.

“Did you see that?” “Isabel Martinez and Kevin Connors!” “Well, I heard that he and Amanda are dunzo!” “And did you hear that they broke up in the art room—and Isabel was
right there
?” “No!” “I swear, it's true!” “Maybe she was the reason….”

Leading the whisperer brigade, of course, were Anna and Joline. They were soon joined by Kiki Underwood, who was actually meaner, if that was even possible. The BSG called Kiki the “Empress of Mean” because she was so outright mean to anyone who was not in her exclusive group. The three chief gossipers were sitting at their usual
lunch table, pretending to talk to each other but whispering loud enough for anyone who passed by to hear.

Amanda Cruz, who was waiting in line with some of her friends from the basketball team, saw the conversation between Kevin and Isabel and heard the buzz spreading around the cafeteria too. All morning she'd wondered whether Kevin was going out with someone else at the same time as he was dating her, and now it seemed that her suspicions were confirmed.

Amanda held her head high and pretended not to notice that anything unusual was happening. Her friends talked loudly and tried to ask lots of questions to distract her attention from what was going on. She carefully turned her back so she wouldn't see Kevin and pretended she was interested in the talk about Spirit Week, but she couldn't help sneaking glances around the cafeteria.

Isabel picked up a salad and some fruit juice and headed to the BSG table. Isabel wasn't exactly sure what was going on, but she could feel people looking at her when she walked by. So what! Two kids have a laugh-a-thon in the lunch line.
What's the big deal
? she wondered.
It happens every day
.

When she sat down, Maeve's comment took her slightly off guard. “Izzy, what's going on with you and Kevin?”

“What do you mean?” Isabel asked, trying to understand what Maeve was getting at. Had everyone heard about the whole break-up incident? Isabel slowly uncovered her salad and slit open the packet of dressing, waiting for Maeve to continue.

“I mean, the whole school is talking about it, like you are his new crush or something.” Maeve gestured dramatically around the room. Isabel, looking around, realized with a sinking heart that Maeve was right. Dozens of eyes watched her furtively. Heads gestured from her to Kevin, who had sat down at Chase's table. Finally, Isabel's eyes rested on the Queens of Mean, who were looking directly at her with their piercing eyes. The pair looked like movie horror queens, ready to pounce on their next victim.

Suddenly, Isabel didn't feel hungry anymore. “Look,” she murmured, “I was in the art room when Amanda stomped in looking for Kevin. Kevin and I had been talking about art stuff, and Amanda burst into the room, furious, and the two of them started fighting right in front of me. When I left the room, Anna and Joline were right there, and Anna made some comment about Kevin being one of my art projects. You know Anna, she'll spread any gossip she can, even if it isn't true.”

“Well, what actually happened then? I mean…since you heard everything,” Maeve probed.

Isabel looked uncomfortable. “I don't want to repeat it. It was supposed to be just between Amanda and Kevin.”

“I can't believe those two,” Katani fumed. “You and Kevin have every right to have a normal conversation. What did you guys talk about anyway?”

Isabel couldn't help flushing. “Well, the truth is…it was kind of nice to talk to him. He's really interested in art. You should see the fish he's making with bottle caps, it's…it's…” Isabel, searching for a word, threw her arms
wide. “It's…incredible and sparkly…and it's so easy to talk to him about it.”

“Kevin Connors is really into art
and he did something sparkly
? Now that's a surprise,” Katani reflected.

“Well, it's true,” Isabel confirmed. She was beginning to feel better and took some bites of her salad.

“So, what's the deal then?” Avery asked.

“Avery! Didn't you hear me? We're friends.
Just
friends. We had one little conversation about his project and my project.”

“Yeah, but what about the laugh-a-thon? You two practically fell over just now in the lunch line,” Avery sputtered in between bites of her sandwich.

“Can guys and girls be just friends?” Maeve wondered. “Doesn't romance always get in the way? I know for me it does….”

“Of course they can!” Avery declared. “There's lots of things dudes and girls can do together and just have a good time, like going to a Red Sox game or bowling or ice skating or something.”

“Like your friend Dillon picking you up in the hallway and embarrassing you in front of everybody?” Katani joked.

“That was wicked annoying,” Avery admitted. “But
usually
Dillon and I do stuff like play sports together and hang out and talk at school or at Montoya's, and we are definitely
not
romantic.” Avery stressed the last three words slowly and made a gagging noise to top it off.

“Well, I think you're right,” Katani conceded. “Even when boys act like total fools, the truth is, you should be
able to get along with them. And if you don't treat guys like real people, how can you ever decide whether you want to get closer to them and be their girlfriend? I think you have to start with whether you just like them or not as people. I think I'm against this swoony crush stuff. It just makes everyone crazy.”

“Well, I don't think it's possible,” Maeve announced. “Seems like that chemistry thing always gets in the way. A guy and a girl start
just talking
, and the next thing you know, they're going out, and it's bye-bye friendship. And if it doesn't happen, one of them gets a crush on the other and gets hurt if the other person doesn't like them back.”

Isabel sighed. “Well, today I just feel like I'm trapped in some tacky soap opera. All we need are some glam costumes and cheesy music. I really don't like having everybody watch every move I make; it's like being in a huge fishbowl!”

“It's not that bad,” Avery said. “So people are talking about you. You don't have to listen. Who cares what anyone else says, anyway?”

“Just try not to take it personally,” Maeve advised. “Think of all the movie stars people talk about all the time–I read in
Stars Unlimited
the other day that a lot of movie stars try to ignore most of the rumors that start about them. Anyway, this'll blow over soon. I've got something else I want to talk to you about. I just
have
to tell you all about this idea I had in music class for Spirit Week.”

“That reminds me!” Avery interrupted. “I've decided I want to head up the sports committee. I can't wait
for the coed basketball game—we're gonna show those guys that girls rule! It's about time girls and boys play together on a team. Don't you think picking the teams will be the best?”

Maeve sighed.
There goes one vote for the dance committee
. The sports committee met at the same time as the dance committee, and no matter how fast Avery was, she couldn't be in two places at the same time.

Maeve opened her mouth again to start explaining to the BSG her big idea about the dance, but suddenly Charlotte broke into the conversation, telling them all about Jennifer's miserable attitude toward her Spirit Week article. “She hates me. And she hates my writing. You should have heard the nice things she was saying to everyone else on the staff except me! You heard her, Ave! She told me in front of everybody to stop writing about my travel experiences—that I'd done too much about them already. It would have been one thing to talk to me about that privately, but she embarrassed me in front of the whole group!”

“Look, Charlotte,” Katani advised, “I told you before that Jennifer's just plain jealous, and that's what all this is about. You've just got to let this one go, girl. Jennifer's like your boss, and you don't want to quit your job, so you'll just have to live with it.”

“But what could she be jealous of?” Charlotte protested. “It's not like my stuff is going to win the Pulitzer Prize or anything. I mean, it's not better than hers, anyway.”

“Now wait just a minute, Charlotte Ramsey,” protested Maeve. “Jennifer's stuff is
so
not better than yours
and she's a whole year older.” Maeve looked around the table at the BSG and held up her soda. “I say we toast Ms. Charlotte Ramsey as the best writer we know.”

A chorus of cheers met that statement, and finally Charlotte looked at her friends gratefully. “You guys are the best,” she said. “Seriously, what would I do without you?”

Maeve sighed again. She couldn't interrupt now, not when Charlotte was enjoying a moment of support.

While the BSG finished their lunches, Charlotte explained her current dilemma. “But maybe Jennifer's sort of right. Instead of writing comparisons or trying to use stuff outside of Abigail Adams…” She gave a smile to Avery, “I think I should just write about what spirit is
here
, at our school and in our town. That's what Spirit Week is about, right? I'll interview students about their views and write them up for the article. Maybe I can interview some adults too, like Mrs. Fields and Yuri and Mrs. Weiss and Ms. Pink.” She looked around at her best friends. “And I think I'll start with you and what
you
think spirit is.” She looked expectantly at the BSG.

There was silence at the table for a minute. No one knew what to say. Then Isabel volunteered, “What about art? I think art gives me spirit. It makes people feel good and shows that ordinary things can be really beautiful when you see them from a fresh perspective.”

Avery started doodling in her notebook, and when she ripped out the sheet and showed it to them, they all burst out laughing, even Isabel. Avery had drawn some sort of person leading a cheer, but it was terrible, like something a four year old would draw.

Avery pretended to be outraged that everyone was
laughing at her drawing. “What's wrong with it? I think it's good. I think it shows
my
spirit.”

At that goofy remark, Charlotte, who had taken out her notebook, dropped it and her pencil on the table and put her head in her hands. Her shoulders were shaking with laughter.

All the BSG were being so loud that other tables started to look over at them. “Hey, what's going on over there?” called Chase with his usual “I'm so cool” confidence. “You girls having a fight or something? Now that doesn't sound like it's in the spirit of Spirit Week.” Chase shook his finger at them condescendingly.

“BSG fight!” chanted a group of girls at another table.

“We are not fighting!” Charlotte called back.

Avery added, “We're just having a good time at lunch, Chase. Are you jealous?”

Katani and Isabel were still laughing, more softly this time, when Chelsea Briggs popped up behind them and snapped a photo. “Oh, no!” Katani gasped. “You caught me with my mouth open.”

“You were showing
your
spirit,” Maeve giggled.

“I was showing my
molars
,” Katani moaned. “And I bet that picture pops up twenty years from now when I'm a business executive and just ruins my reputation.”

That helped them all calm down. Charlotte noticed the cafeteria starting to empty out and looked at the wall clock. “Hey, we only have five minutes before class. We'd better get packed up quick!” The girls jumped up and cleared the table, wiping it off after they stacked their trays so it would be clean for the next students.

As they were finishing, Maeve remembered that she still hadn't had the chance to tell her friends her fabulous idea. “Hey, guys,” she started, but just then, Chase Finley came by, smirking at Isabel.