hovering just outside the doorway, gesturing like a crazy person. I glanced over at Wire Rims. He shrugged. Scott was mouthing words and motioning for me to come out into the hallway. I couldn’t tell what he was saying, but his eyes were about to pop out of his head, which looked positively volcanic. I figured I better get out there before his head exploded or something.
“Excuse me,” I said, clearing my throat. “Ms. Carter-Dunne? Can I go to my locker and get a book I need?”
“No problem,” she said, glancing up at me.
I hurried out into the hall. A hand grabbed my elbow and dragged me into the empty classroom next door.
“Where’s Alex?”
“At home.” His T-shirt said WILL POWER and had a picture of William Shakespeare’s head.
“What do you mean ‘at home’? There’s a Drama Club meeting today. Right now. They just posted all the parts for Romeo and Juliet. ”
“She’s still at home.”
“Is she sick? Oh, man. This is so not good. You’re not gonna believe this. C’mere. I have to show you something.”
“Are you insane?”
“C’mon. Five minutes. You gotta come with me. You’re not gonna believe it,” he said again.
“I’m in detention!” I told him. “Ms. Carter-Dunne thinks I just went to my locker. I’m already in enough trouble. Do you want me to get another detention for ditching detention?” I glanced toward the door.
“What’d you do?”
“Nothing. I mean — I gotta get back.”
“Wait. Look. Here’s the thing. The thing is —”
“Hurry up! What’s the thing?”
“I think Mr. Cannon went loco or something. I don’t know what’s eating him. I got the part of Romeo and all, but not a lot of guys even tried out. But the thing is . . . the thing is that . . . Alex didn’t get the lead! Okay, so her audition didn’t go so great, but she’s obviously the best, and he knows it.”
Alex didn’t get the part! I tried to take in what Scott was telling me. For all my sister’s moaning and groaning, it never occurred to me that there would come a time when she actually wouldn’t get the role she wanted in a play. “You mean . . . she’s n-not Juliet?” I stuttered.
“This is what I’m saying! Crazy, huh?”
“Who got it?”
“Jayden. Jayden Pffeffer.”
“Fluffernutter?” I asked incredulously. “Fluffernutter got the lead?” I tried to picture Jayden Pffeffer as Juliet. “This is going to kill Alex.”
So much for Alex’s first kiss. It had just become the kiss of death.
3:22
When I got back to the classroom, I said, “Sorry, um, I couldn’t find my book. Guess I left it at home.”
“Well, tell you what. Why don’t you two help me out with a project, hmm?” She took us over to the magnetic poetry board in the shape of a refrigerator door, hanging on the back wall.
“You want us to make up similes and metaphors, like in class?” I asked.
“Not today. The magnets have gotten so much use lately that they’re all mixed up.” She looked at her watch. “Why don’t you two spend the last half hour sorting them out for me?” She handed us boxes for Shakespeare magnets, Seventies magnets, and Text Message magnets. “Try your best to get them into the right trays. And if you’re not sure, just make a separate pile.”
We started taking magnets off the board. “I guess all the ‘thees’ and ‘thous’ go into the Shakespeare tray, huh?” I said, getting started.
Wire Rims didn’t say anything. He was peering at a couple of magnets that said lily-livered and canker-blossom.
“Here, I’ll take all the Shakespeare, and you find all the ‘Groovy’ and ‘Far out’ ones from the Seventies. Okay?”
“Sure.” Wire Rims pulled Dream On, Can you dig it?, and Phoney Baloney off the board.
“So,” Wire Rims asked. “Who was that guy?”
“What guy? Oh, him? Nobody. His name’s Scott Towel. I mean, Scott Howell. He’s just some guy who my sister kinda, sorta, um, knows.”
“He’s in eighth?”
“Yeah.”
I
“Excuse me,” I said, clearing my throat. “Ms. Carter-Dunne? Can I go to my locker and get a book I need?”
“No problem,” she said, glancing up at me.
I hurried out into the hall. A hand grabbed my elbow and dragged me into the empty classroom next door.
“Where’s Alex?”
“At home.” His T-shirt said WILL POWER and had a picture of William Shakespeare’s head.
“What do you mean ‘at home’? There’s a Drama Club meeting today. Right now. They just posted all the parts for Romeo and Juliet. ”
“She’s still at home.”
“Is she sick? Oh, man. This is so not good. You’re not gonna believe this. C’mere. I have to show you something.”
“Are you insane?”
“C’mon. Five minutes. You gotta come with me. You’re not gonna believe it,” he said again.
“I’m in detention!” I told him. “Ms. Carter-Dunne thinks I just went to my locker. I’m already in enough trouble. Do you want me to get another detention for ditching detention?” I glanced toward the door.
“What’d you do?”
“Nothing. I mean — I gotta get back.”
“Wait. Look. Here’s the thing. The thing is —”
“Hurry up! What’s the thing?”
“I think Mr. Cannon went loco or something. I don’t know what’s eating him. I got the part of Romeo and all, but not a lot of guys even tried out. But the thing is . . . the thing is that . . . Alex didn’t get the lead! Okay, so her audition didn’t go so great, but she’s obviously the best, and he knows it.”
Alex didn’t get the part! I tried to take in what Scott was telling me. For all my sister’s moaning and groaning, it never occurred to me that there would come a time when she actually wouldn’t get the role she wanted in a play. “You mean . . . she’s n-not Juliet?” I stuttered.
“This is what I’m saying! Crazy, huh?”
“Who got it?”
“Jayden. Jayden Pffeffer.”
“Fluffernutter?” I asked incredulously. “Fluffernutter got the lead?” I tried to picture Jayden Pffeffer as Juliet. “This is going to kill Alex.”
So much for Alex’s first kiss. It had just become the kiss of death.
3:22
When I got back to the classroom, I said, “Sorry, um, I couldn’t find my book. Guess I left it at home.”
“Well, tell you what. Why don’t you two help me out with a project, hmm?” She took us over to the magnetic poetry board in the shape of a refrigerator door, hanging on the back wall.
“You want us to make up similes and metaphors, like in class?” I asked.
“Not today. The magnets have gotten so much use lately that they’re all mixed up.” She looked at her watch. “Why don’t you two spend the last half hour sorting them out for me?” She handed us boxes for Shakespeare magnets, Seventies magnets, and Text Message magnets. “Try your best to get them into the right trays. And if you’re not sure, just make a separate pile.”
We started taking magnets off the board. “I guess all the ‘thees’ and ‘thous’ go into the Shakespeare tray, huh?” I said, getting started.
Wire Rims didn’t say anything. He was peering at a couple of magnets that said lily-livered and canker-blossom.
“Here, I’ll take all the Shakespeare, and you find all the ‘Groovy’ and ‘Far out’ ones from the Seventies. Okay?”
“Sure.” Wire Rims pulled Dream On, Can you dig it?, and Phoney Baloney off the board.
“So,” Wire Rims asked. “Who was that guy?”
“What guy? Oh, him? Nobody. His name’s Scott Towel. I mean, Scott Howell. He’s just some guy who my sister kinda, sorta, um, knows.”
“He’s in eighth?”
“Yeah.”
I
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