Portia's Exclusive and Confidential Rules on True Friendship by Anna Hays Page A

school.
    When the bell rings, Amy brushes by me. She whispers to me like she’s telling me a really big secret,“Check your book bag.” On my way out the door, I reach into the outer pocket of my bag and discover another handwritten note. This one was scribbled quickly on a torn piece of graph paper.
    Well, I guess we’ll be rescheduling our boutique visit for tomorrow. BTW, from one close friend to another: malaria, yellow fever, the plague? I told you, P. Stay away from new girl. Stay far away! Do you even know what you’re getting into?
    9:03 A.M., S TUDY H ALL ,
P ALMVILLE M IDDLE S CHOOL
    S afely inside study hall with twenty-three minutes of “study” time ahead of me, I jot down a few more notes about the early and yet significant developmentsof this mystifying case, starring Miss Longfellow, before preparing for the imminent math quiz.
    RECENT FACTS SURROUNDING MISTY’S CASE:
1. Misty continues to think about her animal friends 24/7.
2. Misty is an amateur at passing notes.
    2:35 P.M., M ATH C LASS ,
P ALMVILLE M IDDLE S CHOOL
    IMPORTANT NEWS : No math quiz today!
    When the bell rings at the end of Miss Killjoy’s class, Webster scratches his head, completely stumped by his miscalculation. I come up to him to say hi, but he’s too busy inputting number combinations into his supersonic calculator to notice that I exist. It’s as if we’ve never held hands!
    FACT: Boys are seriously unpredictable.
    3:35 P.M.,
M R . S CUZZY’S C LASSROOM (D ETENTION ),
P ALMVILLE M IDDLE S CHOOL
    M r. Scuzzy circles around me and Misty, who sit like cowgirls in an old Western, tied to a tree with a flaming fire just below our feet. I can feel small beads of sweat form around my forehead. It is unseasonably hot! Maybe the fires just outside town have something to do with that fact. I decide to clasp my hands together and place them on top of the desk, pulling out all the “I am really a good girl who never gets into trouble” stops. Mr. S. falls for my performance, because he spends only three minutes on a mini-lecture about respecting others and the value of paying attention in class. He finally steps up to the front of the room and leans against his desk, folding his arms across his chest. He looks first at Misty and then at me. He proclaims, “I’m going to give you ladies a challenge.”
    I hold my tongue, knowing that it’s after school,which means the in-classroom rule about speaking up without raising your hand is even more strictly enforced. I keep my mouth shut, but my hand shoots up. Mr. Scuzzy motions for me to speak. I begin, “I’m all about challenges, Mr. S.”
    Misty leaps up. “Me too!” She looks at me for approval, but I ignore her, for fear of another after-school lecture from Mr. Scuzzy.
    Mr. Scuzzy explains the challenge. “I’d like you both to write a short essay about second chances. It’s your second chance to make up for today, and you may even earn bonus points, if you wow me.”
    When Mr. S. gives us the final okay to leave, I am ultra polite. I collect my belongings and slowly make my way out the door. As soon as the door is closed behind me, I race outside to freedom. Misty jogs up beside me. “Isn’t Mr. Scuzzy so handsome? And we might even get extra points! That is just totally awesome of him!”
    â€œMisty, Mr. S. just gave us extra work to do on top of all our other homework. And there’s still the random pop quiz coming any day now in Miss Killjoy’s class.”
    â€œThat is so correct! What was I thinking? You are so wise, P. Avatar. Can we go find Sweet Sunshine now?”
    FACT: I am annoyed with Misty’s overeager personality right now!
    QUESTIONS : Maybe Amy’s warnings were right. Maybe new girl is trouble with a capital T. Or could it be that Misty tries too hard? Is she just new at this whole friendship thing and so doesn’t know how to act like a