Just Kidding Read Free Page A

“There’s an empty seat in the fourth row,next to Julie.” She turned to the class. “Kevin will be joining our homeroom,” Ms. R announced with a welcoming smile.
    â€œBut Ms. Rodriguez,” Betsy Fitzgerald spoke as she raised her hand, “I thought that all homeroom assignments were final.” Betsy was one of the best students in the school, but she was kind of a know-it-all. Avery sighed. She got so annoyed with Betsy always having the right answer.
    â€œBetsy!” Maeve clapped her hands and shook her head. She couldn’t help it; Betsy was really a nice girl and meant well…but sometimes she was just so clueless. Kevin was going to be in their classroom (too fabulous for words) and she wanted Betsy to chill out with the questions already. Thankfully, Ms. R came to the rescue.
    â€œBetsy, no questions. Sometimes exceptions are made. Welcome to the class, Kevin. We’re happy to have you.” Ms. Rodriguez smiled and gestured Kevin to his seat.
    Although the noise level went down, the activity level didn’t: Anna and Joline, the Queens of Mean, began writing furiously in their notebooks. In a minute they were slyly exchanging folded-up slips of paper, and it didn’t take a psychic to figure out what they were writing about! Katani shook her head. She was actually beginning to feel sorry for Kevin. He must feel weird to have all the girls whispering about him.
    To Maeve, things were looking way up. She watched out of the corner of her eye, trying not to seem too interested, as Kevin strolled coolly down her row. When she turned her attention back to Ms. R, she could feel the backof her neck burning and hoped it wasn’t turning bright red. She couldn’t help it. Kevin Connors was completely adorable!
    Chase Finley, one of Kevin’s buddies, was sitting in the seat across from Maeve and gave Kevin a high five as he walked by. “Hey, dude, what’s up? Ready to kick it up? It’s up to us, bro. We’re the only ones who have what it takes to win the Spirit Trophy,” he whispered, but loud enough for everyone close to hear.
    Maeve heard everything, and she couldn’t help peeking over her shoulder to see Kevin’s reaction. She was glad to see that he looked embarrassed. Chase could be a bit obnoxious on occasion.
    Chase didn’t seem to notice at all that Kevin looked uncomfortable. He glanced at the other boys in his area and pointed to Kevin. “This dude is the man.” The others didn’t seem to take offense and even seemed to agree, Maeve noted, because they all gave Kevin a high five or a “What’s up, buddy?” as he went by.
    Maeve took one last peek over her shoulder. As she did she felt her cheeks turn bright pink. She hoped the rest of the BSG didn’t notice her reaction. Her friends, even Isabel, the latest BSG member, who had moved to Boston from Detroit, sometimes thought that Maeve’s crushes went a little overboard. She had to kind of agree with them. Her seventh-grade crush list kept growing: first Nick Montoya, then Dillon Johnson, then Riley Lee, and now Kevin Connors. She just couldn’t help herself.
    Maeve had explained to the BSG exactly why she liked Kevin a few weeks before. “Look, I know Kevin is one ofthe popular athlete guys, but just because Anna and Joline like him doesn’t mean he’s a bad guy. He’s dating Amanda Cruz. I think it was smart for him to pick a girl he can talk to about what matters most to him. And besides, it’s just a crush. It’s not like I’d steal him from Amanda or anything! I just think he’s cute.”
    â€œAnd being good buddies with Chase Finley?” Katani had challenged her. “What does that say about him?”
    Maeve had been stuck. “Well—maybe that he has a lot of patience?”
    They had all laughed at that, even Maeve. The truth was, none of the BSG was crazy about Chase; he was kind of the