hear and they ate it up!”
“So you’re not on the no-fly list anymore?” Maddie asks.
Evelyn shakes her head emphatically. “I told them I was asking so many questions when we first got here because I was nervous. But now I’m a total CMS fan. They are
so
going to take me.”
Maddie and I laugh. “In that case, do you promise to let us try on your night-vision mask?” Maddie teases.
“No way!” Evelyn replies, laughing, too. “Apply for the League and get your own!”
At dinner the kitchen jobs are announced. Maddie gets cleanup, and she doesn’t look happy about it. “Why do I have to pick up after all these rich kids?” she complains bitterly over her dinner of soycken wings and rehydrated string beans.
“Everyone will have to do it, eventually,” I remind her as I shovel tofu chili into my mouth. “My assignment is kitchen staff. That’s not any better.”
“Of course it’s better,” Maddie says hotly. “It’s much better! You’ll be preparing food or putting it out on the buffet tables. I’ll be picking up garbage.”
“All these jobs rotate,” I say, but Maddie doesn’t want to hear it.
Evelyn brings over a bowl of pasta with tomato sauce and takes a seat.
“You know it’s because of who I am,” Maddie goes on, so wrapped up in her argument that she doesn’t even stop to acknowledge Evelyn’s presence. “If my parents were doctors, I bet I wouldn’t have pulled cleanup duty. If my parents were rich and famous like —”
Alarm bells clang in my head. Evelyn is sitting down right next to us! And who knows what other girls could be quietly tuned in to our conversation?
“Your parents
are
my parents, silly,” I say loudly. “Any way they treat me is the same way they are going to treat you … because we’re a family!”
Maddie blinks. And then bites her lips as she realizes what she almost did. “Yes, I know,” she mumbles. “I was just goofing around.”
“You’re such a weirdo sometimes,” I say lightly. She really has to be more careful!
Maddie rises from her chair, gazes around the cafeteria, and then just leaves without another word.
Normally I would follow her out to make sure she’s okay, but right now I just don’t want to. Before coming to CMS, I never really realized how dramatic and negative Maddie is … about everything! Even Evelyn, with her crazy theories, at least tries to have fun and get along. Heck, even Rosie is fun during class!
“Hey, guess what?” Evelyn says brightly, breaking me out of my frustrated thoughts. “I’m in! I’m a Leaguer!”
She raises her hand high and I slap it in congratulations.
“I wanted to tell Maddie, too — what’s bothering her?” Evelyn asks.
“Oh, it’s nothing,” I say dismissively. “She’s just way too touchy sometimes.”
“Is it because she’s got kitchen duty? Everyone will have it eventually,” Evelyn says. Then she grins. “Except League members, of course.”
I roll my eyes but smile. “Of course. You guys are going to be
much
too busy being the upstanding junior citizens of the New Society.”
Even if I wanted to go after Maddie, I can’t leave right now. After dinner, at six thirty, the kitchen staff is going to show us where we need to be for the next two weeks.
“Hey, now that you’re in the League, can we keep the lights on all night?” I ask playfully.
“No way,” Evelyn says, suddenly serious. “I have to play by the rules or my cover will be blown.”
On schedule, Mrs. Brewster appears and steps to the front of the room. “Those students assigned to kitchen staff for the next two weeks, please report to me for orientation. Those assigned to the cleanup crew, go see Devi.”
Turning, I see Devi standing near the buffet table. Maddie is already off to a bad start, missing her training session.
As I start to get up, Evelyn puts her hand on my arm and leans closer. “Tell me
everything
you see in the kitchen,” she whispers.
“Will do,” I promise with a
“So you’re not on the no-fly list anymore?” Maddie asks.
Evelyn shakes her head emphatically. “I told them I was asking so many questions when we first got here because I was nervous. But now I’m a total CMS fan. They are
so
going to take me.”
Maddie and I laugh. “In that case, do you promise to let us try on your night-vision mask?” Maddie teases.
“No way!” Evelyn replies, laughing, too. “Apply for the League and get your own!”
At dinner the kitchen jobs are announced. Maddie gets cleanup, and she doesn’t look happy about it. “Why do I have to pick up after all these rich kids?” she complains bitterly over her dinner of soycken wings and rehydrated string beans.
“Everyone will have to do it, eventually,” I remind her as I shovel tofu chili into my mouth. “My assignment is kitchen staff. That’s not any better.”
“Of course it’s better,” Maddie says hotly. “It’s much better! You’ll be preparing food or putting it out on the buffet tables. I’ll be picking up garbage.”
“All these jobs rotate,” I say, but Maddie doesn’t want to hear it.
Evelyn brings over a bowl of pasta with tomato sauce and takes a seat.
“You know it’s because of who I am,” Maddie goes on, so wrapped up in her argument that she doesn’t even stop to acknowledge Evelyn’s presence. “If my parents were doctors, I bet I wouldn’t have pulled cleanup duty. If my parents were rich and famous like —”
Alarm bells clang in my head. Evelyn is sitting down right next to us! And who knows what other girls could be quietly tuned in to our conversation?
“Your parents
are
my parents, silly,” I say loudly. “Any way they treat me is the same way they are going to treat you … because we’re a family!”
Maddie blinks. And then bites her lips as she realizes what she almost did. “Yes, I know,” she mumbles. “I was just goofing around.”
“You’re such a weirdo sometimes,” I say lightly. She really has to be more careful!
Maddie rises from her chair, gazes around the cafeteria, and then just leaves without another word.
Normally I would follow her out to make sure she’s okay, but right now I just don’t want to. Before coming to CMS, I never really realized how dramatic and negative Maddie is … about everything! Even Evelyn, with her crazy theories, at least tries to have fun and get along. Heck, even Rosie is fun during class!
“Hey, guess what?” Evelyn says brightly, breaking me out of my frustrated thoughts. “I’m in! I’m a Leaguer!”
She raises her hand high and I slap it in congratulations.
“I wanted to tell Maddie, too — what’s bothering her?” Evelyn asks.
“Oh, it’s nothing,” I say dismissively. “She’s just way too touchy sometimes.”
“Is it because she’s got kitchen duty? Everyone will have it eventually,” Evelyn says. Then she grins. “Except League members, of course.”
I roll my eyes but smile. “Of course. You guys are going to be
much
too busy being the upstanding junior citizens of the New Society.”
Even if I wanted to go after Maddie, I can’t leave right now. After dinner, at six thirty, the kitchen staff is going to show us where we need to be for the next two weeks.
“Hey, now that you’re in the League, can we keep the lights on all night?” I ask playfully.
“No way,” Evelyn says, suddenly serious. “I have to play by the rules or my cover will be blown.”
On schedule, Mrs. Brewster appears and steps to the front of the room. “Those students assigned to kitchen staff for the next two weeks, please report to me for orientation. Those assigned to the cleanup crew, go see Devi.”
Turning, I see Devi standing near the buffet table. Maddie is already off to a bad start, missing her training session.
As I start to get up, Evelyn puts her hand on my arm and leans closer. “Tell me
everything
you see in the kitchen,” she whispers.
“Will do,” I promise with a
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