CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Six Weeks, Four Days

I’ve printed out the latest Independent Reader scores,” Miss Quetzel announced as she posted the print-out on the bulletin board. “Looks like quite a few of you have earned enough for popsicles in the room at lunch this Friday. So, now’s a good time to take a few minutes so that you can spend your money.”

I felt a tap on my shoulder while Miss Quetzel was calling students to collect their rewards.

“Are you going to use your bucks on popsicles?” Madison asked me.

I nodded. “Are you?”

“Of course!” Madison grinned at me. “We’ll have so much fun!”

I glanced over at Andy. “How about you?” I asked him. “Do you want to stay in the room on Friday with us and have popsicles?”

Andy shrugged. I turned around and started talking to Madison, and a few minutes later, Andy got up to spend his money on a homework pass. Maybe he hadn’t earned enough points for the popsicles. Or was it that he didn’t want to stay in the room since I was talking to Madison? Whatever the reason, he didn’t say anything more about it. He just stuck the homework pass in his folder and turned back around in his seat instead of joining our conversation.

“Now,” Miss Quetzel said once she’d finished with the Reading Bucks, “it’s time for social studies. Today we’re going to begin group projects on the Civil War. I’ve decided to let you choose your own group members—no more than four to a group.”

An excited buzz filled the room. Miss Quetzel had never let us choose our own groups before. I’d work with Andy, of course, but before I could turn to him Madison leaned forward and said, “Come on, Pansy! Join our group. This is going to be awesome!”

I glanced at Andy. He shrugged and stared down at his desk.

“Um, what about Andy?” I asked Madison.

She looked over at Emma and Hannah, who were making their way toward us.

“No offense, Andy,” she said, “but our group is girls only.”

“No problem,” Andy said. But from the look on his face, I could tell it hurt his feelings. He picked up his notebook and walked across the room where some boys were looking for team members. I knew he’d find someone else to work with, but I didn’t like the way he’d walked away without even smiling at me.

Madison, however, gave me a wide smile as I pulled my chair up to her desk. I felt my lips curving up at the corners, even though I hadn’t meant to smile back. I wanted to work with Andy, but working with Madison would be fun, too.

“We’re going to do the best job in the class,” Madison said once we’d gathered around her desk. She folded her arms in front of her. “I think we should dress up when we give our oral reports.”

“I call Mrs. Lincoln!” Hannah said.

“I think Madison should be Mary Todd Lincoln,” Emma said. “She has this beautiful pageant gown that looks just like something Mrs. Lincoln would wear.”

“That’s true,” Madison said. “Besides, I read a biography about Lincoln last year, so I know all about her.”

Hannah crossed her arms in front of her chest and pouted.

“I’ll be Clara Barton,” Emma said. “She was a famous nurse during the Civil War.”

“I’ll be Abraham Lincoln,” I said. “I have a big black hat at home just like his.”

“You’ll need a beard, too,” Hannah said.

“I can make one,” I said. “Unless you want to be Abraham Lincoln?”

Hannah shook her head. “I’m sure there’s some other famous ladies. I’m not dressing up as a boy.”

Emma giggled. “Pansy doesn’t mind.”

“I didn’t say that exactly,” I said. “But someone has to be Abraham Lincoln. Since we’re studying the war and all.”

“Thanks, Pansy,” Madison said. “I knew you were going to be a great team member!” And she reached over and squeezed my hand.

Hannah made a face.

“Girls,” Miss Quetzel said, walking over to us, “You’re supposed to divide up the research material and get started. After you finish all the research, then you can worry about the presentation part.”

“Okay, Miss Quetzel,” Madison said. For the next thirty minutes, we argued about who was going to do what and how we were going to do it. Or mostly the other girls argued, and I sat there and watched.

“It doesn’t matter to me which part I do,” I said when Miss Quetzel gave us the five-minute warning. “Just tell me and I’ll start on it tonight.”

“I’ve got an idea,” Emma suggested. “Why don’t we put all the assignments in a bag and everyone can pull one out?”

“Sounds like a plan.” Madison tore off pieces of notebook paper. Each of us had an assignment in our hand just as Miss Quetzel called time. I’d ended up with Abraham Lincoln, and I really didn’t mind. Hannah took one look at hers and made a grumpy face before returning to her seat.

“See you at lunch,” Madison said as I pulled my chair back to the front row.

***

Andy was smiling when he came back to his seat after social studies.

“Did you get a good group?” I asked him.

“The best,” Andy said. “I’m working with Luke, Bryce, and Daniel.”

“Daniel? Did you get him to say anything?”

“Sure,” Andy said. “He’s really nice.”

“That’s great,” I said, and I meant it. I was glad Andy had found a group to work with. Just because Daniel was standing between me and the reading trophy didn’t mean he wouldn’t make a good group partner for Andy.

“Hey, Andy,” Emma said as we walked up to the girls at their regular spot in the cafeteria. I sat down next to Madison, and Andy sat down across from me. “Do you think Anna can come to the autumn party next week?”

My mouth dropped open, but I closed it quickly, not wanting anyone to notice. Invite Anna to the class party? What a crazy idea!

“My mom’s the room mom this year,” Emma continued, “and she wants to invite her.”

I looked over at Andy. How did he feel about having Anna in the classroom, everyone gathering around her, whispering and staring? Or even worse, talking to her like she’s a baby? I mean, sure, a lot of kids had already seen Anna, out at the park or in the grocery store or at church. But to have her in our classroom where she used to be one of the top students?

It would be worse than awful.

Andy scooped up a spoonful of Spaghetti-O’s without looking at Emma. “Anna won’t be able to make it.”

“It’s because of the seizures,” I said quickly. “Anna’s been having really bad seizures. And Mrs. Liddell probably doesn’t want to bring her somewhere that’s noisy and crowded because it can set off the seizures—”

“It doesn’t have anything to do with that,” Andy cut in. “She doesn’t go to this school anymore, and she can’t come to the party, that’s all.”

“Oh,” Emma said, sounding disappointed. “That’s too bad.”

“Does it hurt to have seizures?” Madison asked. “What happens when she has one?”

“It’s like a fainting spell,” I told her. “She falls down and her eyes roll back in her head—”

“It’s no big deal,” Andy said, shooting me a dirty look. “She takes medicine for it. Can we talk about something else?”

“Sorry,” Madison said. “I was hoping we’d see Anna at the party.”

“Me too,” Emma said.

Andy shrugged and shoveled large spoonfuls of Spaghetti-O’s into his mouth, one after another.

Madison, Emma, and I glanced at each other. I could tell they were waiting for me to speak, but what was I supposed to say?

Madison came to the rescue. “What kind of presentation is your group doing for social studies, Andy?” she asked.

A smile spread slowly across his face. “It’s going to be really cool. We’re doing a game show, with prizes and everything! What are you guys doing?”

“Can’t tell you,” Madison said quickly, then looked at the rest of us and put her finger to her lips.

“Why not?”

“It’s a secret,” Hannah said.

“It’s going to be awesome!” Emma said.

I looked around at the other girls. “If we get the work done.”

Andy turned to me. “Pansy will eventually tell me.”

“No, she won’t.” Madison winked at me. “She’s good at keeping secrets, right?”

I nodded. “Sorry, Andy. You’ll have to wait and see.”

“Who came up with the idea for a game show?” Hannah asked. “I bet it was Daniel.”

“Actually, it was my idea,” Andy said.

“Andy has great ideas—” I started to say, but Hannah interrupted.

“So, why’d you pick Daniel for your group, anyway? He’s a pretty weird kid,” Hannah said. “I’ve never heard him say a word.”

“He only talks to people who know how to listen,” Andy said. “Besides, he doesn’t waste time arguing.”

Emma giggled, then clapped a hand over her mouth when Hannah glared at her.

“You know what? I think I’ll go sit with him right now.” Andy picked up his tray and headed to the end of the table to sit next to Daniel before I could stop him.

“What did you do that for?” I asked Hannah. “Why were you so rude to him?”

Hannah shrugged. “Who wants to sit with a boy at lunch anyway?”

Madison ran her fingers through her hair. “I kind of like sitting with him.”

“Me too,” I said quietly.

As I sat there half-listening to the conversations around me, I replayed in my mind what had happened a few minutes earlier. I pictured Andy’s face when I’d mentioned Anna’s seizures. Had I embarrassed him when I talked about Anna?

I glanced over at Andy where he sat with Daniel and some other boys. I knew the truth about why Andy had moved to a new lunchtime spot, but I wasn’t sure what to do about it.

Hannah wasn’t the only reason Andy had left the table.