3. Let the Games Begin

 

"Who do you think is going to win the election?" Deja says as they skip down the school's front steps and turn toward their street. Deja asks this just to see if Nikki will say that it will be her, Deja.

"I don't know," Nikki says. "Maybe Gregory Johnson in fifth grade. He's real popular."

Deja is silent.

"Oh, no, wait," Nikki says. "Maybe Antonia. I betcha everyone's gonna vote for Antonia, because her mother brought cupcakes when our class's perfect attendance was in the newsletter."

Now Deja is annoyed. Why hasn't Nikki mentioned Deja?

"You know what?"

"What, Nikki?"

"It's probably not going to be Antonia. Everyone thinks she's stuck up. No, Antonia is not going to get it."

"Who are you going to nominate?" Deja asks, growing impatient.

"I don't know," Nikki says, frowning with concentration as if she's really giving it some thought. "Who are you going to nominate?"

"I'd have to nominate you, Nikki, since you're my best friend." Deja thinks this should be a big enough hint.

"But I don't want to run for student body president."

"But I'd still nominate you, since you're my best friend and all."

"But I just don't want to be student body president."

"I know you don't want to be student body president," Deja says, her voice a little raised. "But because you're my best friend, I'd nominate you."

"Please don't nominate me, Deja."

The conversation is not going in the direction that Deja wants. She decides to ask again. There is silence until finally Nikki says, "I guess I'm going to nominate you—unless you don't want to be student body president, either."

"No, I want to be president. I think I'd really be better than anyone else."

Nikki doesn't say anything, and Deja doesn't like that Nikki doesn't say anything. Finally Nikki says, "Okay, I'm nominating you, Deja."

"Thanks," Deja says simply. "And you can be my campaign manager, Nikki."

Deja has her mind on that extra candy Nikki is holding for her in her dresser drawer. After she gets home, as soon as she drops her backpack off and gets permission from Auntie Dee, she hurries over and knocks on Nikki's back door. Nikki opens it. She's eating a carrot stick.

"Guess what, Deja," Nikki says. "You get to eat dinner here tonight because your auntie has a meeting she has to go to."

That's even better, because now Deja can go over her campaign strategy with Nikki.

"Your auntie didn't tell you?" Nikki asks when Deja looks surprised.

"She was on the phone."

"Your auntie is always on the phone."

"No, she isn't," Deja says. "And when she is, it's because she does a lot of work at home. Lots of people work at home." Deja feels as if she has to defend Auntie Dee for some reason. "I want some of my candy," she adds.

When they go inside, Nikki's mom is sitting at the kitchen table folding clothes. Deja says hello politely, like Auntie always reminds her to do with grownups.

"Hi, Deja," Nikki's mom says. She sounds tired and sad. Deja has heard that same tone in Auntie's voice when she's tired. But then she remembers what Nikki said about her parents not speaking and the thought makes her uneasy. She follows Nikki up the stairs to her room.

"See?" Nikki says, collapsing on her bed and putting her chin in her hands. "See how my mom is acting? It doesn't look good."

"Maybe she's just tired."

"But she's never tired. She gets to stay home all day. Why would my mom be tired?"

"Nikki, just because parents aren't speaking doesn't mean they're going to get a divorce." Deja feels wise saying this to Nikki. She must have heard it somewhere. "Where's my candy?" she asks.

Nikki shrugs and points to her top dresser drawer. In the corner of the drawer is the white Candy Palace bag. Deja digs out a cherry sour whip. As she pops it in her mouth she wonders why she has to have the aunt that insists on healthy eating. What's wrong with a little candy every day? "Want some?" she asks, holding the bag out to Nikki.

Nikki barely looks up, but she still reaches out for the bag. Deja watches carefully as she rummages around and takes out three chocolate spiders, which Deja had wound up buying herself. Deja doesn't want her to take that many. But since Nikki looks so down, she doesn't say anything. They chew on their candy for a while. Finally, Deja says, "Who do you think will nominate me for student body president?"

"None of the boys, that's for sure."

"None of them?"

"Would you vote for one of the boys?"

Deja runs a few of the boys' names through her head. There is absolutely no boy that she can think of that she would nominate. Well, maybe Erik Castillo, since he's nice to everybody, follows directions, can sit still, and finishes his work in a timely manner.

As if Nikki is reading her mind, she says, "I'd nominate Erik, if I wasn't already going to nominate you."

"Which girls will nominate me?"

"Definitely not Antonia," Nikki says before reaching into Deja's white bag for another chocolate spider. Deja wonders why Nikki didn't just buy her own. They hear the front door close then and know that Nikki's dad is home. Nikki and Deja look at each other as if to say "Uh-oh..."

Deja can't tell that anything is different. Nikki's dad sits at the head of the table and Nikki's mom sits at the other end. Everyone is eating quietly and Deja is remembering to chew with her mouth closed. She looks down at her plate. Green beans (she doesn't really like green beans), baked fish (she'd rather it be fried), and wild rice. She doesn't like the hard black grains in the rice. The last time Deja ate at Nikki's, they had macaroni and cheese and fried chicken.

"What kind of fish is this?" Nikki's dad asks.

"Why?" Nikki's mom asks, and Nikki and Deja exchange wide-eyed looks. Nikki's mom doesn't sound happy and helpful. She sounds as if she is two moments away from being angry.

"Just wondering," Nikki's father says, and her mother doesn't even look up.

The rest of the meal is silent, and Deja can feel Nikki's unhappiness. But without meaning to, Deja's thoughts turn to who might nominate

 

her. It's way easier to think about the election than about Nikki's woes. Carefully, she begins to count on her fingers under the table. Rosario, ChiChi.... Wait. What if they nominate each other? Melinda. And Yolanda, since Deja gave her her banana pudding at lunch the week before. Deja doesn't like the taste of banana, but Yolanda didn't know that.

It's just at that moment that Deja realizes Nikki's mom is talking to her.

"Would you like more fish, Deja?"

She looks down at her plate. Fish is the only food she's eaten. There is still the mound of green beans waiting for her, and the wild rice with the black things. "No, thank you," she says. It's going to be hard enough getting through what is left.

After dinner, as soon as they flop down on Nikki's bed, Nikki bursts out, "See, see—what did I tell you? They're still not speaking."

"Gosh, Nikki, it'll blow over. You'll feel better if you put your mind on other things, like my campaign. Take out your pad. We need to list all the stuff we have to do."

Nikki takes her pad out of the special pouch she wears around her neck, then sits with her pen poised, waiting for Deja to speak.

"We need to make campaign posters. We need to find out who everyone is nominating. We need to work on my speech..." Deja stops to think. Nikki rolls her eyes.

"We're going to have to poll everybody before school starts to see who they're nominating. So we have to get there early tomorrow."

"Poll people?" Nikki's voice sounds wary.

"Yeah, like when Auntie Dee and the block club wanted to find out if our neighbors wanted a stop sign at the corner of Fulton and Marin. They asked everyone on the block if they were in favor of it. Then they got a whole bunch of people to write letters to the city council and stuff. We'll just ask people who they're going to nominate. Then we count the ones who are planning to nominate me. Simple."

"You've got my nomination, so that's one," Nikki says.

"Two," Deja says. "I'm going to nominate myself." She nods her head once, quickly, and it makes her feel sure and confident.