Caught in the Web Read Free Page A

a scary hallway?” Aimee asked. “My brothers said we always do—and that it’s the best part of the whole dance.”
    “El Vestibulo! Sí! Of course!” Señora Diaz said. Vestibulo was the Spanish word for “hallway.” In addition to decorating the main part of the gymnasium with streamers and signs, designated areas of the gym would be set aside with aisles of space just wide enough for kids to pass through in the dark. Curtains were drawn all around that space to form a labyrinth. No one could tell which direction was which once inside the curtains. Plus students volunteered to “stand and scare” as unwitting visitors passed through.
    “You scream as kids go by,” Señora said. “Un grito! Right, Walter?”
    Egg shrank down into his chair.
    All Drew could do was snort. He always laughed when Egg got embarrassed. He laughed whenever Egg did anything.
    Madison was busy deciding what task team she wanted to help with most. She knew she didn’t want to scream in the scary hallway. She didn’t want to deal with food, either. That was too messy.
    Decorating seemed like the best option. She got along well with crepe paper, balloons, and masking tape. Madison had an eye for color, especially the deep orange of construction paper pumpkins.
    Thwack!
    The door slammed open and the entire room got as silent as a tomb. Everyone turned.
    Ivy walked in fifteen minutes late. She said, “Sorry,” but she didn’t look very sorry. She flipped her hair twice. “This is the Dance Committee, yeah?”
    “Take a seat, dear,” Señora Diaz said, motioning down toward the front.
    “Ex-cuse me,” Ivy said, stepping over someone’s bag. She made a big scene, stepping on four kids just to get to the one empty chair down near Señora’s desk. It was the chair next to Hart.
    Madison glared at the space between their seats. She imagined a force field or fence between them. One touch, and pzzzzzzt!
    “Look who’s here—” Aimee whispered, gently nudging Madison. “Figures.”
    By the time she got settled, Ivy’s late entry had caused so much commotion that the meeting was temporarily off track. Egg and Drew were cracking each other up. One kid in the back row even had an iPad out.
    “Atención!” Señora Diaz yelled. “Jacob, put that away now or I’ll confiscate it. Look, I think we need to make a dance committee rule that any latecomers to meetings will be excused—permanently—unless I get some valid note or explanation. Is that clear?”
    Madison wished Señora would “permanently excuse” Ivy right then and there.
    “Ahem.” Ivy cleared her throat and spoke up in a soft voice that sounded nothing like the obnoxious Ivy Madison knew. “I’m really, really, really sorry about being late, Señora.”
    “Oh?” Señora Diaz crossed her arms. “And your note?”
    “I don’t have a note exactly, but I was at the nurse … and next time of course I’ll get one. I am sooooo sorry.”
    “What a liar!” Madison thought. She knew for a fact that Ivy had been nowhere near the nurse that day. She wasn’t sick! She’d probably been in the girls’ bathroom, putting on lip gloss. Ivy sounded so sticky sweet, but Madison knew about the poison that bubbled underneath.
    As Señora got the meeting focused again, Fiona raised her hand to be excused for soccer. Señora sighed and reluctantly let her leave.
    “Before you go, what task team do you want to be on?” Señora asked as Fiona gathered her things.
    Fiona said, “Food,” without missing a beat.
    Señora asked who else wanted to be a food volunteer. Almost every boy in the room raised his hand. Madison thought at first that was because they all wanted to be around Fiona. But it wasn’t. These boys were just plain hungry.
    After Fiona left, Señora began signing up names for the dance and music task team list. Aimee’s hand shot into the air right away to be the dance task team leader. After all, she was the best dancer in seventh grade. It made the most