“Isaac, could you please pay at least a little attention?” Jenna asked.
Isaac looked up from his phone. “Believe me, I’m paying as little attention as I can,” he said.
Reese and I tried hard not to laugh, but it was impossible. Isaac just didn’t care.
“Do you have to encourage him, Quinn?” Jenna said, frowning at me. She turned to Isaac. “Why are you even here if you don’t want to take any of this seriously?”
“I have no choice,” said Isaac. He turned to Miss Fernandez, who was sitting in the corner of the classroom, reading a book. “Right?”
“Correct,” replied Miss Fernandez, looking up. “The president of the student council must attend all planning meetings.”
“Bet you didn’t know that when you ran for president,” Jenna said.
“I’m constantly amazed by what I didn’t know,” Isaac replied. “I’m starting to wish you’d won the election.”
Jenna shot him a dirty look. Isaac was president and she was vice-president. The person who came in second was automatically appointed vice-president.
Jenna had really wanted to be president. She had built a committee to help her, created a formal platform of promises and put up all sorts of fancy signs throughout the school.
Isaac had put up a few signs too. We’d even helped make them. But his said things like Vote for Isaac — You Could Do Worse and Isaac — The Only A’s I Get Are in My Name. He’d run for school president as a joke. He’d never thought he could actually win. But I had. Things like that just happened to Isaac. It didn’t hurt that he was on all the school sports teams and was liked by everybody. Even when he got into trouble—which was often—it was for harmless or goofy reasons. It even seemed like Mrs. Reynolds, our principal, felt bad when she had to punish him.
Isaac was one of my best friends, but Jenna was too. I didn’t like them fighting. I didn’t like anybody fighting. It made me feel anxious.
“Isaac, can we get back to business?” I asked.
“For you, Quinny, I will attempt to focus.” He put his phone in his pocket.
I’d known Isaac forever—literally. We lived next door to each other and were born a month apart. He was always over at my house or I was at his.
“We only have a few weeks left to plan the spring dance,” Jenna said.
“You need a venue and some music,” Isaac said. “I’m assuming the gym is where this is happening. How hard can the rest be?”
“Actually, we have to arrange refreshments, chaperones, agree on a theme, decorate, create a playlist—”
“And get the songs on that playlist approved,” Miss Fernandez chimed in.
“Get the playlist approved, book a DJ and—”
“I could be the DJ!” Isaac exclaimed.
Reese and I laughed again.
“And why is that funny?” Isaac asked. “I love music.”
“How about if I take this one?” Reese said to me. “Isaac, your musical taste is all rap, heavy metal and classic rock.”
“And your point?”
“A dance generally involves dancing,” Reese explained. “That would be pretty hard to do with the kind of songs you like.”
“Hmmm. Uh, Miss Fernandez? Follow-up question,” said Isaac. “Do I actually have to go to this dance?”
“Yes, Isaac,” Miss Fernandez said with a sigh. “As the student council president, you are definitely expected to attend.”
Isaac thought for a moment. “Well then, I will still volunteer to be the DJ. Someone else can figure out the playlist, and I’ll just be my usual charming and funny self.”
Jenna tapped her clipboard. “Okay, fine. But can we get back to this list? We only have six weeks to get all of this organized.”
“Six weeks is almost six weeks more than we need,” said Isaac. “You worry too much.”
“Well, next week is spring break,” Jenna said. “And some of us won’t be around. Aren’t you going to Mexico, Quinn?”
“We were planning to,” I replied, “but our trip has been, um, postponed.” My father was a doctor, and the hospital staff had recently been told they had to postpone any upcoming vacation plans.
“Well, I’m going south,” Isaac said.
“You are?” I asked. I was surprised I hadn’t heard anything about that.
“Well, the south part of town. I got friends who live there.” Isaac, always the joker.
“You’re going someplace, right, Jenna?” Reese asked.
Jenna nodded. “We’re going to visit my aunt and uncle in California for a few days. My cousin is getting married, and it’s a big family reunion. We leave tomorrow morning.”
“Wait. You’re skipping a day of school?” Isaac asked. “I think that is inappropriate.” He was doing a perfect imitation of our principal. “School is very important, young lady!”
Everybody, including Miss Fernandez, laughed.
Just then Mrs. Reynolds appeared at the classroom doorway. Everybody instantly stopped laughing. I was pretty sure we were all afraid she’d overheard.
“Good afternoon, Mrs. Reynolds,” Isaac sang out. “Always a pleasure to see you.”
Mrs. Reynolds narrowed her eyes, and Isaac dropped his to his desk. Isaac’s mother was the police chief in our town, but she was nowhere near as scary as Mrs. Reynolds.
“Miss Fernandez, may I speak to you for a moment?” she asked.
Miss Fernandez stood up, and they both went into the hall.
“What do you think that’s about?” Reese asked.
“Miss Fernandez is in trouble,” Isaac said. “I know that look!”
“I highly doubt that, Isaac,” I replied. Geez, the guy would say anything for a laugh.
But when Miss Fernandez came back into the room, she did look like she had gotten into trouble.
“That seemed serious,” Isaac commented.
“It was. It is.”
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“Mrs. Reynolds is calling an assembly so everyone can hear the details. But I can tell you that it involves spring break.”
“It better not be canceled!” Isaac exclaimed.
Miss Fernandez looked a bit uncomfortable when she replied. “No, it’s not canceled,” she said.
What the heck was going on?