Seventh
Grade."
"We haven't won yet."
"The deadline for registering is tomorrow,"
responded Funny. "I'll bet no one else in the seventh grade runs. Wouldn't
that be great? Got to get to my next class. See you." She waved with her
fingers and hurried off.
During class, Jana kept an eye on Geena. She looked as
though she was concentrating on what Mr. Broderick was saying and taking notes,
except for one instance when she turned and smiled at Jana.
Jana was stunned. Why had Geena smiled at her? Did she want
to be friends all of a sudden? It didn't seem like that kind of smile.
After social studies, Jana hurried toward the yearbook
office. At that moment, it was more important for her to try to catch Garrett
Boldt than to follow Geena. Jana knew that Garrett stopped in The Wigwam office in the afternoon to deliver pictures he had taken or to get another
assignment, and she had to see him before school was out for the day. She was
in luck. When she entered the room filled with worktables and a large bulletin
board with notes and schedules pinned to it, she found him sorting through some
papers.
"Garrett, is your camera difficult to operate?"
she asked.
"No. Not really," he said, pulling several large
photos out of an envelope. "Why? Do you want to become a photographer? I'll
take pictures of you when you get elected Miss Seventh Grade if that's what's
worrying you. You won't have to do it yourself."
"Silly. That's not why I'm asking. I wondered if your
camera is simple enough for me to take pictures with and if I might borrow it.
I wouldn't even take it out of the school building."
"I'll take the pictures for you, if you want," he
offered.
"I kind of wanted to take these myself. I only need a
couple. But thanks a lot," Jana added quickly.
Garrett put his camera bag on the table and opened it.
"Uh-oh. That's a big lens. Is it hard to use?"
Jana asked.
"The zoom? No, it's not. It lets you take close-up
pictures from a distance. Do you want to use it?"
"That would be perfect," said Jana. "Would
you show me how it works?"
Jana felt like a real spy. She had asked if she could leave
her last class of the day early to go to the bathroom, and now she had the
camera with the zoom lens tucked under her jacket and was peeking around the
corner at Geena's locker. She looked at her watch. There were still three
minutes before the last bell of the day.
Jana raised the camera and peered through the viewfinder,
which was what Garrett had called the little window at the back that you looked
through to see what you were shooting. The long lens was heavy and wavered a
little as she tried to hold it still. Slowly she turned the ring on it. Geena's
locker door seemed to come magically closer until the louvers at the top filled
the viewfinder. Then she turned another ring and the image sharpened until she
could see runs in the paint on the door. Amazing! she thought.
RINGGGG!
Jana jumped at the sound of the bell ending the last class.
Soon kids started straggling into the hallway in ones and twos and then in
groups. Locker doors clanged as they opened and closed them, putting books in
and taking sweaters, coats, and books out. Jana covered the camera with her
jacket and watched for Geena.
Shortly, Jana saw her coming down the hall. She was loping
along and carelessly bumping kids on the way. Geena quickly dialed the
combination of the lock on her locker and flung the door open. There it was,
still standing in the same place on the upper shelf.
As Geena tossed books into the bottom of the locker, Jana
swung the zoom lens up and homed in on the object sitting on the shelf.
Perfect, she thought, and pushed the button. The whirring sound of the
automatic rewind on the camera startled Jana, and her heart jumped into her
throat. She looked around quickly to see if it had attracted anyone's attention.
It hadn't.
Next she turned the ring on the lens, just as Garrett had
shown her, and the picture in the viewfinder enlarged to show all of
Grade."
"We haven't won yet."
"The deadline for registering is tomorrow,"
responded Funny. "I'll bet no one else in the seventh grade runs. Wouldn't
that be great? Got to get to my next class. See you." She waved with her
fingers and hurried off.
During class, Jana kept an eye on Geena. She looked as
though she was concentrating on what Mr. Broderick was saying and taking notes,
except for one instance when she turned and smiled at Jana.
Jana was stunned. Why had Geena smiled at her? Did she want
to be friends all of a sudden? It didn't seem like that kind of smile.
After social studies, Jana hurried toward the yearbook
office. At that moment, it was more important for her to try to catch Garrett
Boldt than to follow Geena. Jana knew that Garrett stopped in The Wigwam office in the afternoon to deliver pictures he had taken or to get another
assignment, and she had to see him before school was out for the day. She was
in luck. When she entered the room filled with worktables and a large bulletin
board with notes and schedules pinned to it, she found him sorting through some
papers.
"Garrett, is your camera difficult to operate?"
she asked.
"No. Not really," he said, pulling several large
photos out of an envelope. "Why? Do you want to become a photographer? I'll
take pictures of you when you get elected Miss Seventh Grade if that's what's
worrying you. You won't have to do it yourself."
"Silly. That's not why I'm asking. I wondered if your
camera is simple enough for me to take pictures with and if I might borrow it.
I wouldn't even take it out of the school building."
"I'll take the pictures for you, if you want," he
offered.
"I kind of wanted to take these myself. I only need a
couple. But thanks a lot," Jana added quickly.
Garrett put his camera bag on the table and opened it.
"Uh-oh. That's a big lens. Is it hard to use?"
Jana asked.
"The zoom? No, it's not. It lets you take close-up
pictures from a distance. Do you want to use it?"
"That would be perfect," said Jana. "Would
you show me how it works?"
Jana felt like a real spy. She had asked if she could leave
her last class of the day early to go to the bathroom, and now she had the
camera with the zoom lens tucked under her jacket and was peeking around the
corner at Geena's locker. She looked at her watch. There were still three
minutes before the last bell of the day.
Jana raised the camera and peered through the viewfinder,
which was what Garrett had called the little window at the back that you looked
through to see what you were shooting. The long lens was heavy and wavered a
little as she tried to hold it still. Slowly she turned the ring on it. Geena's
locker door seemed to come magically closer until the louvers at the top filled
the viewfinder. Then she turned another ring and the image sharpened until she
could see runs in the paint on the door. Amazing! she thought.
RINGGGG!
Jana jumped at the sound of the bell ending the last class.
Soon kids started straggling into the hallway in ones and twos and then in
groups. Locker doors clanged as they opened and closed them, putting books in
and taking sweaters, coats, and books out. Jana covered the camera with her
jacket and watched for Geena.
Shortly, Jana saw her coming down the hall. She was loping
along and carelessly bumping kids on the way. Geena quickly dialed the
combination of the lock on her locker and flung the door open. There it was,
still standing in the same place on the upper shelf.
As Geena tossed books into the bottom of the locker, Jana
swung the zoom lens up and homed in on the object sitting on the shelf.
Perfect, she thought, and pushed the button. The whirring sound of the
automatic rewind on the camera startled Jana, and her heart jumped into her
throat. She looked around quickly to see if it had attracted anyone's attention.
It hadn't.
Next she turned the ring on the lens, just as Garrett had
shown her, and the picture in the viewfinder enlarged to show all of
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