The rest of the week was difficult for Alex. Lindsey still refused to speak to her, making every day at lunch awkward. Luckily, she had the social studies research to keep her busy, as well as the plans for the Variety Show.
On Thursday Alex met with the other members of the Variety Show committee after school. Besides Chloe there was Kendall, the eighth-grade class secretary, and Jerome, Chloe’s vice president in the sixth grade.
Chloe opened up a notebook with a marbled cover.
“Okay, we have nineteen acts so far, and people are still signing up,” she reported. “We’ve got twelve singers, six dance acts, and one guy balancing a chair on his nose.”
“Wow, that’s a lot of musical acts,” Alex remarked. “Is that what it’s always like?”
“Not usually,” Kendall said. “Last year Roman Hitchcock did a comedy routine, but he’s in high school now. And two years ago some kid did magic.”
“That would be a nice break from all the singing,” Alex said. “Do we know anybody who does magic?”
“No, but there’s this kid in my math class who’s pretty funny,” said Jerome. “Maybe he could tell some jokes or something.”
“Okay, let’s forget the acts for a second. How are we doing on the program?” Kendall asked. “Last year Julie O’Connor did the art for the cover, but she’s in high school now too.”
“So all the talented kids graduated?” Chloe asked. “Great.”
“I’m pretty artistic,” Alex said. “I could try to come up with something.”
“The cover just has to go with the theme,” Kendall said. “Wild West. And it has to say, ‘Ashland Middle School Variety Show’ and the date.”
Alex wrote quickly as Kendall was speaking. “Got it!” she said.
In social studies class the next day, Alex finished her workbook pages early and used the time to sketch out the idea she had for the program cover—a cowboy hat surrounded by a lasso. Drawing the hat was easy, but getting the lasso just right was more difficult than she’d thought it would be. She was erasing some lines on her latest sketch when the bell rang.
“Alex, Max, may I please see you both?” Mrs. Bridges asked.
Alex figured she wanted to check in on their report, or to see how Max was doing with Alex’s help. But she wasn’t expecting what happened next.
The teacher opened a folder and pulled out two papers—the homework assignment they had turned in on Wednesday. Alex immediately recognized her own handwriting on one paper, and the other one was Max’s.
“So when I was grading Wednesday’s homework, I noticed something,” Mrs. Bridges began. “Your answers are exactly the same—word for word.”
Alex got a sinking feeling. How could that have happened?
“Alex, I asked you to help Max, not do his homework for him,” Mrs. Bridges said.
Then Alex remembered—how Max had acted strange when she got back to the library on Tuesday, and how her papers were sticking out of her folder. He must have copied off her paper while she was trying to apologize to Lindsey! Mrs. Bridges had given the class the assignment on Monday and Alex had finished it on Monday night. It was in her folder, waiting to be handed in.
She glared at Max and opened her mouth to tell Mrs. Bridges what happened, but stopped when she saw the mortified look on his face. She closed her mouth. She had to tell the truth—or did she?
“Maybe you thought you were helping, but I’m going to have to talk with the principal about consequences,” Mrs. Bridges said. “This kind of cheating is taken very seriously, especially now that you’re in seventh grade.”
Alex held her tongue. Back at her old school in Boston, she remembered when a kid in her class had been caught cheating. He’d been given a warning and told if he did it again, he would be suspended. Alex knew that there was no danger of her ever being accused of cheating again, so the worst that would happen would probably be a warning. Which definitely stung, but she couldn’t bear to tell on Max. He just looked so sad and sorry.
“That’s all, Alex,” Mrs. Bridges said. “Max, I still have some things to say to you.”
Alex nodded and walked out the door, but her curiosity got the better of her. She hung back, listening.
“Max, you’re going to be on academic probation soon if you don’t keep your grades up,” she said. “You’re a smart kid. You don’t need to cheat. You can come to me for help at any time, okay?”
“Okay,” Max mumbled. Alex heard him start to leave. She took a few steps down the hall so he wouldn’t know she had been listening. She stepped in front of him as he walked past.
“Max, I know what happened,” she said. “You copied my homework at the library on Tuesday!”
“I did not!” he insisted, but he was looking down at his sneakers, not at Alex’s face.
“Max, I saw that my folder was messed up,” she said, starting to feel more angry at him than sorry for him. “How else did you end up with the same answers as I did?”
“Right, like you’re so smart that the only way it happened is if I copied from you,” Max said. “How do I know that you didn’t copy from me?”
“Because I didn’t!” Alex replied.
“Whatever,” Max said, and he pushed past her.
Alex stared after him, feeling hurt. She didn’t have time to dwell on it, though, because she was going to be late to her next class.
What am I doing wrong? she wondered as she hurried through the halls. It didn’t seem right. She had ruined her friendship with Lindsey by standing up for Max. She hadn’t ratted him out to Mrs. Bridges. And for what? So he could be a jerk to her?
She jammed her books into her locker just as the bell rang.
She would be so happy once this terrible week was over!