Odd Girl In by Jo Whittemore

cartoon hearts would start bubbling up around her.
    â€œThat nice, huh?” I wondered how many other girls were in love with Trevor. “Guess I’ll have to check him out.”
    Instantly the little cartoon hearts around Chloe frosted over, along with her eyes. “I’d rather you didn’t,” she said in a steely voice. “I know you’re not super familiar with the girluniverse, but stealing another girl’s crush is the worst thing you could ever do.”
    â€œWhoa, wait!” I held up my hands in submission. “I didn’t mean anything like that.”
    â€œOh.” Chloe must have realized how chainsaw-wielding psycho she sounded because she laughed with an apologetic shrug. “Sorry! I know you’re not one of those girls. And, I mean, it’s not like you could take him from me anyway.”
    â€œRight,” I said, racking my brain for a change of subject. “So, Ms. Success told you about me and my brothers?”
    Chloe relaxed a little more. “Yes, in The Shout Out . She sends it every Wednesday and Friday, although for you and your brothers, there was a special issue last night.”
    â€œWow. My dad always figured we’d be in the news someday,” I said. “He’ll be glad to know the words ‘crime spree’ weren’t involved.”
    Chloe grinned and tugged my arm. “Come on. You can help with one of the banners for Saturday’s game.”
    â€œI’m not really artistic,” I said.
    â€œThat’s okay. The banners are just an excuse to go crazy with glitter glue and get out of homeroom.”She reached into a cardboard supply box and pulled out two shimmering tubes. “Pick your poison.”
    But I wondered if teaming up with her for Champs meant I already had.

    â€œYou look like you went through my kind of day,” Nick said when I entered the living room that afternoon. His eyes were red, and he rubbed them tiredly.
    â€œActually, you look worse.” I sprawled on the floor next to his couch. “What happened?”
    Nick sipped from a mug between his hands and winced. “I couldn’t sleep last night and then I forced myself to stay awake all day in class so I could listen and take notes.”
    â€œAwww, Nick!” I punched him playfully in the leg. “I’m so proud.”
    My brother smirked and took another drink. “I didn’t say I succeeded.”
    â€œOh.” I frowned. “What went wrong?”
    â€œWell, it turns out my first period teacher has some sort of funny accent—”
    â€œWhere from?”
    â€œTexas, I think. And then in second period, I couldn’t see the notes on the board, so I started copying off the girl next to me. She thought I was watching her, we got to talking, and …” He sighed. “Now I have a date for Friday’s game but no clue how mitosis works.” He lifted the mug to his lips, jammed his eyes shut, and drank again.
    â€œWhat is that?” I reached up and tilted the cup toward me. When I peered inside I saw a pool of brown sludge.
    â€œI made coffee,” said Nick.
    â€œAre you sure?” I asked, watching the goop slosh from side to side. “It looks like you just … poured hot water over coffee grounds.”
    â€œI did,” he said. “I made coffee before I realized I didn’t know how.” He looked from his mug to me. “We’re going to be shipped off to St. Ignatius. I’m too stupid for Champs.”
    I thumped him hard on the arm. “No, you’re not! Don’t say that. Besides, if anyone’s going to make us fail, it’s me and my unsocial skills.”
    Nick sucked in his breath. “Right. You had to do the club thing. How’d that go?”
    â€œI went to the hockey boosters meeting and robotics club,” I said.
    â€œRobotics?” asked Nick. “That’s kind of cool.”
    â€œYou’d think