How to Outfox Your Friends When You Don't Have a Clue Read Free Page B

hand in your project, and it can be any of the forms listed here. And…drumroll please!” He started to drum his fingers on the desk beneath him. “You will present your projects, and they will be displayed in the foyer at the end of the month!”
    Well, if the media thing didn’t get a bunch of moans out of us, that sure did. Immediately, hands shot in the air. I sat back, watching in amusement as the chaos unfolded.
    A few months ago, the thought of everyone seeing my project would have made me lose my lunch. Go figure that performing in front of an audience all summer with sharks swarming you gets rid of that fear pretty darn quick. School projects were nothing compared to waddling around in a scuba suit with strangers gawking at you.
    Mr. Nicholson shushed us. “To answer your question, yes , all projects will be displayed, and yes , you will have to say a few words about it for credit. This part is mandatory, but it’s only a short chat. It’s not a presidential address.” He gave us a sneaky smile. “I’m not that mean. And, for the first time ever, I’m introducing a ‘Get out of Jail Free’ card for the presentations.”
    Everyone exchanged confused looks. “What does that mean?” someone asked from the back. “Do we get to not do the project?”
    â€œNice try!” He laughed. “But there will be three faculty from three classes there to listen to all of your presentations. The student who receives the highest marks from all of us will get to have their lowest test score dropped for your final grades at the end of the semester.”
    Ashley’s eyes lit up. “For real? You won’t count a bad grade? On any test?”
    Mr. Nicholson nodded. “Any of our biweekly tests, that’s right. I know some of you could use the boost, so this is a chance to make up for it. Each project will be submitted with a written piece about why you chose that medium and what you’re expressing through it. What I’ll need from you by Wednesday is a two-paragraph proposal on your choice of media and your list of influences, okay?” he said. “I’ve also included a suggested time line so you can use it to check off every step. Because I’m nice like that. Any questions?” He stood up again and leaned back casually in the way that always makes him look like a jeans model.
    Zack’s hand shot in the air. “Can we talk about anything anything?”
    I rolled my eyes. I swear, I wish I could use one of those little unicorn erasers of Mr. Nicholson’s to erase some of my past, because my crush on Zack should never have happened. He’s a total jerk. Funny how a guy whose name you had scrawled all over your binder can turn out to be a waste of ink. It was clear from the way his handout was already half-crumpled on his desk that he hadn’t bothered to read it yet. He was leaning back on his chair so only two legs were on the ground, with his trademark bright-orange hoodie zipped tight to his chin.
    Loser.
    â€œFour legs on the ground, Zack.” Mr. Nicholson walked over and reached for his paper, smoothing it out as he spoke. “Anything within reason, yes. I’d like you to use this as a way to explore newspapers or film or even the Internet, as a way to teach us about what influences you. Which is precisely what is says right here.” He tapped the page. Zack’s ears turned pink. “The possibilities are endless!”
    Settling back in my chair, I began to conjure up what the perfect project might look like. What were five things that influenced me? And what kind of media should I use?
    I turned in my chair, eyeing Bella. She was hunched over, already scribbling wildly in her notebook. A few chairs over, Ashley was tapping her desk while inspecting her cuticles. When she noticed me looking, she stuck out her tongue in a goofy face.
    I held back my laugh. Bella and Ashley were both so