happy medium?" he asked. "Maybe
we should both look for that."
"It's a deal," said Christie.
She poured them each a soda, and they settled down at the
table to work on math. Jon was almost caught up now. Christie was proud of his
progress, but she also dreaded for the tutoring sessions to end. Especially now
that things were going so well between them.
When the lesson was finished, Jon closed his book and
started to get up from the table, but for some reason he sat back down.
Christie was puzzled by the serious look on his face, and then surprised when
he put his hand on top of hers. It made her feel tingly all over.
"You've helped me a lot," he began. "Now I
think I know how to help you."
"How?"
"By helping you get out of the elections."
"I don't know. Everyone is depending on me," she
said with a sigh. "I can't just back out."
"What if someone besides you or Melissa won?"
he asked.
She looked at him, not understanding. "But there's no
one else running. No one from Copper Beach Elementary is."
"I've been thinking," he said. "What if there
was a mystery candidate? Someone no one knew? That would get a lot of
attention, wouldn't it?"
She looked at him blankly. "A mystery candidate?"
"Think about how excited everyone would get if all of a
sudden there were posters for a candidate without a name. We could even make a
tape like you did and ask Mr. Matson not to tell who made it."
"But who would the candidate be? Don't tell me that you're thinking of running now?"
He chuckled and raised his hands in protest. "Not me. I
haven't figured out who it could be yet, but we've got until next Tuesday to
come up with someone. And I promise you that it won't be a cop-out candidate,
either. We'll find someone who'll do a good job."
"Do you mean to say that you want to campaign for
someone and you don't even know who it is?" she asked incredulously.
"Sure. Why not? Are you game?"
Christie laughed. Coming up with a mystery candidate really
sounded like fun. It just might work. And if it did . . .
"It's still early. If you could stay a little longer,
we could plan our campaign," she said.
"Let's do it," he said, opening his notebook with
a flourish. "Maybe our candidate, whoever it is, will go on to be the next
president of the United States." They laughed together.
As Jon bent his head down over the notebook, Christie looked
at him. He was a lot different from the first night he had come over to study.
His eyes were twinkling and he was excited about what they were doing. He
looked so handsome with the lock of soft brown hair down on his forehead. She
was happier being with him than she would ever be running for some dumb old
school office. If this was what it meant to look for the happy medium, she was
all for it.
CHAPTER 12
Christie and Jon were waiting at the school doors when Mr.
Bartosik, the head custodian, opened them early the next morning before any
other students had arrived. After they dropped her bag of oranges off at her
locker, they rushed through the empty halls to carry out their plan.
Mrs. Winchell had given them long rolls of newsprint that
were left over from an art project at Mark Twain Elementary, and they had
painted brightly colored banners for their mystery candidate on them, rolled
them back up, and carried them to school. Now they were unrolling them again
and taping them up in the hallway where everyone would see them.
Christie took a deep breath and crossed her fingers as she
put up the last poster. "We can't back out now," she said.
"Good luck, mystery candidate, whoever you are!" Jon
added with a laugh.
A little while later Christie hurried to The Fabulous Five's
favorite spot by the fence to wait for her friends, and she had been standing
there, fidgeting nervously, for nearly fifteen minutes before they arrived.
"Hi," called Melanie as she and Beth walked up,
pulling a wagon full of oranges. "I bribed my little brother by promising
him a double-scoop ice cream cone after school if he
we should both look for that."
"It's a deal," said Christie.
She poured them each a soda, and they settled down at the
table to work on math. Jon was almost caught up now. Christie was proud of his
progress, but she also dreaded for the tutoring sessions to end. Especially now
that things were going so well between them.
When the lesson was finished, Jon closed his book and
started to get up from the table, but for some reason he sat back down.
Christie was puzzled by the serious look on his face, and then surprised when
he put his hand on top of hers. It made her feel tingly all over.
"You've helped me a lot," he began. "Now I
think I know how to help you."
"How?"
"By helping you get out of the elections."
"I don't know. Everyone is depending on me," she
said with a sigh. "I can't just back out."
"What if someone besides you or Melissa won?"
he asked.
She looked at him, not understanding. "But there's no
one else running. No one from Copper Beach Elementary is."
"I've been thinking," he said. "What if there
was a mystery candidate? Someone no one knew? That would get a lot of
attention, wouldn't it?"
She looked at him blankly. "A mystery candidate?"
"Think about how excited everyone would get if all of a
sudden there were posters for a candidate without a name. We could even make a
tape like you did and ask Mr. Matson not to tell who made it."
"But who would the candidate be? Don't tell me that you're thinking of running now?"
He chuckled and raised his hands in protest. "Not me. I
haven't figured out who it could be yet, but we've got until next Tuesday to
come up with someone. And I promise you that it won't be a cop-out candidate,
either. We'll find someone who'll do a good job."
"Do you mean to say that you want to campaign for
someone and you don't even know who it is?" she asked incredulously.
"Sure. Why not? Are you game?"
Christie laughed. Coming up with a mystery candidate really
sounded like fun. It just might work. And if it did . . .
"It's still early. If you could stay a little longer,
we could plan our campaign," she said.
"Let's do it," he said, opening his notebook with
a flourish. "Maybe our candidate, whoever it is, will go on to be the next
president of the United States." They laughed together.
As Jon bent his head down over the notebook, Christie looked
at him. He was a lot different from the first night he had come over to study.
His eyes were twinkling and he was excited about what they were doing. He
looked so handsome with the lock of soft brown hair down on his forehead. She
was happier being with him than she would ever be running for some dumb old
school office. If this was what it meant to look for the happy medium, she was
all for it.
CHAPTER 12
Christie and Jon were waiting at the school doors when Mr.
Bartosik, the head custodian, opened them early the next morning before any
other students had arrived. After they dropped her bag of oranges off at her
locker, they rushed through the empty halls to carry out their plan.
Mrs. Winchell had given them long rolls of newsprint that
were left over from an art project at Mark Twain Elementary, and they had
painted brightly colored banners for their mystery candidate on them, rolled
them back up, and carried them to school. Now they were unrolling them again
and taping them up in the hallway where everyone would see them.
Christie took a deep breath and crossed her fingers as she
put up the last poster. "We can't back out now," she said.
"Good luck, mystery candidate, whoever you are!" Jon
added with a laugh.
A little while later Christie hurried to The Fabulous Five's
favorite spot by the fence to wait for her friends, and she had been standing
there, fidgeting nervously, for nearly fifteen minutes before they arrived.
"Hi," called Melanie as she and Beth walked up,
pulling a wagon full of oranges. "I bribed my little brother by promising
him a double-scoop ice cream cone after school if he
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