Just Kidding Read Free Page B

guy version of Anna and Joline. He had their habit of taking little digs at other kids to try to make himself look good. So, none of them could really figure out why Chase was Kevin’s best friend.
    Ms. R went on with the morning routine, taking attendance and then starting off their first-period English class. Suddenly, Chase announced loudly, “Me and my man Kev are going to shake things up here at Abigail Adams. We own Spirit Week!”
    Kevin looked even more embarrassed than he had when he first walked in. Katani whispered to Charlotte, “Why does Chase think it’s okay to be so obnoxious? I just don’t get it.”
    Charlotte shook her head and exchanged glances with Isabel, who rolled her eyes at Avery, who was bouncing up and down in her seat. Avery had way too much energy to sit still for long, and now she gave an extra bounce and shrugged her shoulders at Maeve.
    Chase may be full of energy, but school spirit? No way , Maeve thought, twirling a curl around her finger. Then, as Ms. R began to ask questions about their latest assignment, Maeve tried to focus on her work. The only problem was that all she could think of was the upcoming dance. She just had to be on the dance committee. It was her destiny!

CHAPTER
3
“Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover….”
    T hird period was study hall, but Isabel had a permission slip to go to the art room instead. She was almost finished with her most ambitious project yet, and she was really excited about it! Her mother would be so proud–Mrs. Martinez hung her artwork all around the house. She said Isabel’s cartoons were “inspirational.”
    The art room was empty, just as she’d hoped. Isabel stood still for a minute, observing the huge papier-mâché bird she had worked on for the past two weeks. Her caramel-colored eyes sparkled with pleasure. The bird was fashioned in jewel tones of green, scarlet, and yellow with a wingspan of almost three feet. Its head lifted proudly so the beak was its highest point. Isabel couldn’t wait to put the finishing touches on it. She smiled to herself. If someone had asked her why she liked bird art, she wouldn’t be able to put it into words. All she knew was that somethinginside her told her to go for it. So she followed her heart and created beautiful birds.
    As she slipped into the paint-spattered smock, Isabel remembered her art teacher Mrs. Benigni’s enthusiasm for the larger-than-life papier-mâché bird. “Oh, Isabel, this is really something special,” she’d declared. “You know, I get art teacher specialty magazines, and one of them encourages us to send in our students’ work when it deserves special recognition. When you’re finished with this, if you’ll give me permission, I’ll photograph it and submit it. I want everyone to see the budding artist that you are!”
    A photograph of her work printed in a magazine? That would be incredible . Her family would be blown away, except her sister, of course, who might be a little jealous of the attention.
    She was circling the sculpture now, trying to decide whether to start with the wings, which were slightly lopsided, or the head, which needed to be tilted higher, when she noticed another sculpture off in the corner. It was obviously meant to be a fish slithering through the water and was made of some shiny, iridescent material. Isabel walked closer to get a better look. She rubbed her eyes. It was bottle caps , of all things!
    What a totally crazy cool idea , Isabel thought. Whoever did this is really talented . She wanted to reach out and touch it but drew her hand back. Touching someone’s artwork without permission wasn’t respectful. It must have been one of the teachers who made the fish; it was just too creative and skillful to have been done by a student. But before she could find the artist’s name on it, the door tothe art room burst open and Maeve ran in,