QUEEN HEIDI

Clang! Clang-clang-a-lang!

That’s the dinner bell. Yup, they still use an old-fashioned dinner bell here at Broomsfield Academy, and it makes my stomach growl every time.

Before I head to the cafeteria, I first do a quick beauty check. I zip to the bathroom and help myself to Melanie’s super-red blush.

Don’t worry.

She’s totally cool with me borrowing her makeup.

She actually encourages it, because according to Melanie, I’m seriously ordinary.

As if!

Maybe I’m not as EXTRA as Melanie, but I know that I’m a seriously special person.

I dab red blush across the tops of my cheeks with my finger, like Melanie taught me.

She is, in fact, a genuine beauty queen, and her beauty tricks are amazing—even if I don’t like to admit it to her face.

And I never would’ve thought fire-engine-red blush would look good on anyone, except maybe a clown, but it DOES.

It makes you look like you’ve been out in the sun—sun-kissed, you could say.

I magically twist my hair into a bun. I’ve gotten really good at this.

My hair practically does itself!

To top everything off, I smear on some pink lip gloss, or as I like to call it, bubble-gum slime.

I dash to the Barn, where the cafeteria is, and slip in the side door.

There’s Nick, my sort-of crush.

He’s reading something on the bulletin board and doesn’t see me—yet.

Melanie’s flirting tips flick through my mind.

No hair flip since I have my hair up in a bun, and big eyes are definitely not my thing. I tried big eyes on Hunter, and he mistook me for the big, bad wolf, as in: My, what BIG EYES you have!

It was mortifying.

So, I go with a compliment instead.

“Hey, Four Square king,” I say casually.

Nick looks at me and flashes his braces, which happen to be on every single tooth.

His smile is so dreamy.

He has his dark hair swept back from his adorable widow’s peak. His hairstyle looks effortless and sooo good. His brown eyes sparkle.

One word: adorable.

“Excuse me?” Nick says dramatically. “What do you mean, Four Square queen? You totally knocked me off the Four Square throne yesterday!”

Actually this is true. I did get Nick out, which was a first for me. I’m definitely getting better at Four Square.

I put my hands up and give a smirk, like, Yeah, I know I rock.

“It feels good to be royalty,” I tell him.

Nick laughs and shoulder-bumps me as we walk toward the cafeteria.

The arrow on my inner crush-o-meter just went off the charts.

“Well, don’t get too comfortable, Heidi, because I’m coming for your crown!” he teases.

We both laugh, and I have to say, it’s pretty hard not to rush this crush.

“So will your family be here this weekend?” I ask.

Nick holds the cafeteria door open for me. “My parents and my best friend, Max, are coming. I’m really excited!”

I playfully swat Nick’s arm with the back of my hand.

“That’s great! My family and my best friend are coming too. Her name is Lucy, and she is my absolute favorite person in the whole world.”

Nick smiles. “Hey, I have an idea. Maybe we can all hang out together! Me and Max and you and Lucy.”

Whoa, did Nick just say we should all hang out together?

I’m IN!

“That would be a blast,” I say. I try not to sound too eager as my heart thumps loudly with sheer happiness.

Eeeeee!

Nick waves to some friends at his table, which unfortunately is not my table. One of these days we’ll be assigned to the same table.

Fingers crossed!

“Catch you later, Queen Heidi!” he shouts as he waves goodbye.

I pretend to adjust my crown. “Later, King Nicholas!”

And I’m pretty sure there’s a halo of hearts circling around my head right now, and my feet are floating off the ground.

But I still have to eat, so I head for the main food station. It’s Make-Your-Own-Grain-or-Noodle-Bowl night. Yum!

I load up a bowl with rice noodles, grilled chicken, shredded carrots, and sliced mini cucumbers. Then I drizzle peanut sauce and put roasted peanuts on top. I grab a water and zoom to my table.

As soon as I sit down, my two besties at Broomsfield Academy, Sunny and Annabelle, give me an intense look.

“We saw you talking to Niiiiiick,” they say, singing his name.

I blush, laugh, and cringe—all at the same time.

“You will never believe what just happened! Nick said his best friend, Max, is coming for Friends and Family Weekend, and he asked if Lucy and I want to hang out with them!”

Sunny and Annabelle look at each other excitedly.

“Wow, Heidi, you’re acting so calm about it,” Annabelle remarks, and then smiles. “Well, calm for you.”

I laugh out loud, because on the inside I feel like there are a thousand butterflies in my stomach, but I roll with it.

“It’s the new-and-improved Heidi, that’s all,” I joke.

Sunny gives me a friendly kick under the table. “Well, he must really like you!”

Annabelle puts her arm around me and Sunny. “Of course he likes her. Everyone likes Heidi!”

Well, not EVERYONE! I think. But then I realize that Annabelle is onto something. I’ve never had as many friends as I do at Broomsfield Academy.

“That makes me feel—dare I say—popular?” I venture.

Sunny and Annabelle share a glance.

“Heidi, you’re, like, one of the most popular girls in our class,” Sunny says.

I am?

A sudden surge of terror washes over me. Being popular sounds like a lot of responsibility. I mean, what if someone gets mad at me?

“If you say so,” I respond. “Because as far as I’m concerned, I’m just silly old me—now and forever!”