Double or Nothing Read Free

smart-kid table. And Iadmit, she’s really smart. She’s in my science class, plus we’re both in debate club and math club. I bet her posters are going to be super fancy. Her dad owns a copy company, which is so not fair.”
    â€œWhere does the campaign money come from?” asked Ava. “Where does Logan get the funding for candy bars and Ella for fancy posters?”
    â€œThat’s just it,” said Alex. “They say we shouldn’t spend more than twenty-five dollars for our campaign, but that’s what, like, five posters cost to make. I’m positive they’ve both already spent way more than that.” She sighed and looked down at her clipboard.
    â€œI don’t think you should be too worried,” said Ava. “They might have fancy campaign stuff, but you’re a great public speaker. And you’re super organized, and you have great ideas. Just play your game. That’s what Coach always says.”
    Alex nodded and smiled gratefully. “Thanks, Ave. I appreciate your support.” But the worried look reappeared on her face. She took a long sip of her milk. Then she started gathering up her lunch stuff. “Sorry to leave you here, but I better get going. I still need thirteen signatures before the end of the day.”
    As Alex stood up, Ava gave her an expectant look. “Aren’t you going to wish me luck?”
    Alex looked up from her clipboard, puzzled. “Do you have a test today?”
    Ava sighed. “No. Never mind. Go get your signatures.”
    â€œOh, wait, sorry,” said Alex, light finally dawning. “Right. Football. Good luck, Ave. Knock ’em dead.”

    As she left the cafeteria and headed toward English, Alex felt her desperation growing. Where was she going to find the last thirteen signatures? Clearly her two opponents had already gotten their hundred signatures easily. She looked around her at kids heading toward their next class. She thought about stopping people randomly, but she wasn’t even positive who was in seventh grade! It really wasn’t fair—she was new to the school. She’d already asked the kids in all her classes. Some had signed, but just as many had said they’d already signed for Logan or Ella.
    Then a sudden idea struck her. She stoppedshort, and a girl who’d been walking behind her bumped into her. The girl’s books tumbled to the floor.
    â€œOh! I’m so sorry!” said Alex, stooping down to help her retrieve them.
    â€œThat’s okay,” said the girl. She stood back up, and Alex handed her the last of her books. “Hey, are you in seventh grade by any chance?” asked Alex eagerly.
    The girl shook her head. “Sixth,” she said, and went on her way.
    But Alex remained undaunted. She was remembering what Emily had jokingly mentioned in homeroom this morning. Detention! Now there was an untapped source of new signatures! It was highly improbable that any kids in detention would be friends of Ella’s. All Ella’s friends were smart and motivated and would never be caught dead in detention. It was even unlikely that they’d be friends of Logan’s. He was a jock, and kids who were serious about sports generally kept themselves out of detention, as coaches were usually displeased if their players missed practice time. Detention would likely be full of what reporters on the news liked to call “undecided voters.” In seventh grade,that category would be kids who didn’t follow school government very closely, or who didn’t even know there was a campaign. The question was, how did one get a detention?

    Alex stood outside Ms. Palmer’s English classroom and waited for the second bell to ring.
    Jack Valdeavano, a friend of hers and Ava’s whom Ava played basketball with a lot (and whom Alex was pretty sure Ava had a crush on), paused as he was about to go inside. “Coming?” he asked