Double or Nothing Read Free Page A

her.
    â€œYup. Be right there,” said Alex. Her breathing was shallow, and she felt drops of perspiration on her upper lip. She was never late for class. Never. How late do I have to be to get a detention? she wondered.
    Jack gave her a puzzled look and headed inside.
    Thirty seconds later the bell rang. By now Alex was almost in panic mode. She leaned against the locker, breathing hard. A sixth grader sprinted past her at top speed, obviously late for class. She watched him skid to slow down andthen disappear out of sight around the corner. Now she was the only one in the hall.
    She counted to five, then walked into the classroom.
    Ms. Palmer was passing out papers.
    â€œS-s-sorry I’m late!” Alex said in a high, quivering voice, as she slipped into her empty desk next to Megan Schiller.
    â€œHello, Alex,” said Ms. Palmer, putting a paper on Alex’s desk. “Nice of you to join us.” She smiled and moved on. Alex sighed.
    She picked up her paper and peeked at it. It was an essay about the poet Robert Herrick. She’d gotten a ninety-seven and a smiley face.
    When she had finished passing out the papers, Ms. Palmer told the class to take out their books. They were reading Antigone .
    â€œUm, excuse me, Ms. Palmer?” Alex waved her hand urgently to get Ms. Palmer’s attention.
    She turned. “Yes, Alex?”
    â€œMy book. I forgot my book. I didn’t bring it to class.” Although her heart was pounding, Alex tried to put a defiant, who cares look on her face.
    â€œOh. Well, never mind. You can look on with Megan today.”
    Alex glanced at Megan Schiller. Megan flashed her a friendly smile, revealing a mouthful of purple braces.
    Alex tried again. “No, but see, I might even have lost it. My book. I might not bring it tomorrow, either. That’s really bad, isn’t it?”
    Ms. Palmer looked at Alex, puzzled. “I’m sure it will turn up, Alex. In the meantime, I have a spare copy you can borrow. You can put your annotations on sticky notes until you find your book.”
    Alex closed her eyes and blew out a breath. This was not working. What did it take to get a detention around here? Should she threaten to rob a bank or something? “Well, but see, I also might, um, might have to be late for class tomorrow, and I don’t think I’ll have a note with me.”
    Her glance flickered over to Jack, who was sitting several seats away. He had an amused grin on his face. Ms. Palmer was staring at Alex over the tops of her glasses with a look of utter incomprehension. It was as though Alex had suddenly switched to speaking in Urdu.
    â€œAlex,” she said. “You can look on with Megan. Can we get on with class, please?”
    Alex slumped in her chair. “Yes, sorry,” she mumbled.
    So much for that idea.

    She managed to get several more signatures in the hallway between classes, but by the time the last bell had rung, she had just ninety-six—still four short.
    Alex stood near the main entrance of the school, just outside the office. Kids were rushing by on their way to catch buses or get changed for sports tryouts, which all began today. She looked glumly down at the ninety-six signatures and felt a lump rise in her throat. Was this where it would end? Would it just be Logan and Ella in the campaign?
    Right then Logan Medina emerged from the office and saluted Alex, an impish grin on his handsome face. “Just handed in my signatures,” he said to her. “Had them done last week.”
    In spite of her misery, Alex was struck by his low, resonant voice. It was like melted honey. No wonder girls mooned over the guy.
    â€œGreat,” snapped Alex. “Good for you.”
    â€œSee ya around,” he said, and gave her a thumbs-up, then joined the throngs of kids heading outside.
    â€œMust not cry,” Alex said to herself through gritted teeth. “Presidents don’t cry.” But she could feel