Rotem took a bite of his hamburger, then grabbed a notebook from his backpack. The cover had a lock on it and he wore the key on a chain around his neck.
“This is where I keep my best ideas,” he told me. “I don’t want anyone to know what I’m working on.” His dark, curly hair was cut close to his head. “I’m planning to be the youngest to win a Nobel Prize. I just can’t decide if it’ll be in physics or chemistry.”
I waited for him to laugh, or smile, to show he was kidding. He wasn’t.
“Why not both?” I suggested.
“I’ve thought about that as well,” he replied seriously.
Then he opened his notebook and shoved the key and chain back inside his shirt. Turning a little away from Marley and me so we couldn’t see the pages, he flipped to the middle of the book.
“He keeps song lyrics in there, too,” Marley told me. “I don’t get to see anything until they are exactly perfect, just the way he wants them.” She smiled and whispered, “I’ve never seen one.”
Rotem heard her. “If it’s not perfect, it’s not happening,” he said.
I was worried he’d set himself up for disappointment. Then again, if anyone was going to get things to perfection, it was probably him. As far as I could tell, Rotem was superhuman.
“Mar told me about the dog in the park,” Rotem said. “I devised a way to catch her for you.”
“That sounds awesome,” I said leaning toward him, not just to see the page, but because I knew it freaked him out. Rotem was funny like that. He didn’t like anyone to breathe in his space.
Just as I expected, he pulled back away from me, subtly giving me the message to back off. Then, when I was safely in my own air zone, he turned the notebook toward me, careful to pin down the other pages with his thumbs.
Clearing his throat, Rotem said, “This is an obstacle course.”
I glanced at Marley. She was nodding softly, hanging on his every word. I wasn’t sure if that meant she was following closely or just pretending to while actually bouncing her head to a melody rattling in her brain.
“Okay, I’m with you,” I said. “So how do we catch my dog?” I’d started to think of Cinnamon Bun as mine.
“First, we have to lure Cinnamon Bun to us,” Marley said. She pointed to Rotem’s notebook. “We are going to create a Cinnamon Swirl perimeter.” I could tell she was using Rotem’s vocabulary and it made me giggle.
“A perimeter?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Yes,” Rotem explained. “We drizzle Cinnamon Bun drink around the edges of the park. Then we set treats at very precise intervals.” He raised one finger and moved it in a spiral pattern to demonstrate. When he flipped a notebook page, I could see that he had a mathematical chart drawn out. Clearing his throat, Rotem went on. “I used measurements estimated on the size of the dog’s legs and how fast we predict she can run. Though not exact, the numbers should be close.”
“Nice,” I said, looking at the way the treats were set out. If Cinnamon Bun ate one treat, she’d be in smelling distance of the next one. Each treat had a fun task for Cinnamon Bun to do before she reached it, like going under a little tunnel or over a stack of books. The obstacle course spiraled inward to the center of the park.
“In the middle,” Marley continued, “is the trap.”
Apparently, Rotem could also draw. (Was there anything he couldn’t do?) He’d sketched a detailed box with a gate attached, all covered with leafy camouflage. That was where Cinnamon Bun would get caught.
“Dogs like scratching their backs on leaves,” Rotem assured me.
I smiled because I knew that already. We’d probably seen the same Internet videos.
Rotem seemed very certain of himself when he explained, “We’re going to build a robot rover that’s covered with leaves, so when she scratches herself on the leaves, the robot will move forward slowly, leading her into the cage, where a mechanical arm will hold out a spoon of peanut butter and lure her into the trap.”
I bet Marley had told him about the peanut butter trick.
“I’m going to put bumpers on the robot, so it’ll softly close the door for us,” Rotem said.
“The cage door locks automatically,” Marley said with a huge smile. She seemed especially proud when she explained about the bed that would be inside the cage. “It’ll be super comfy, and I found a blanket with little cinnamon buns printed on it. We can totally use that!”
This all seemed great, but also really complicated.
“Uh, isn’t this a bit much?” I asked them. I had too much to do for the Cupid Cards project to be spending so much time building a trap and robots. I needed to go by the store after school to get the candy for the cards, and to cut more hearts.
“I really don’t think we need all this.” I pointed to the obstacle course. “It’s too difficult.”
Rotem studied his diagram, then concluded, “This is the only way to catch that dog.”
“We’re going to build the robot at Rotem’s house on Friday night!” Marley cheered.
“I have everything we need,” Rotem put in. “My dad owns a hardware store.” He finished the last of his burger and chugged his milk. “Gotta run to the science lab!” he said, closing up his book and relocking the lock before grabbing his backpack and taking off.
I wasn’t so sure about Rotem’s masterful plan. It was way too complicated. Plus, I was desperate to find Cinnamon Bun before Saturday. Otherwise, she’d have two more nights out with coyotes.
I was about to tell Marley my doubts, when she said, “I joined Coding Club.”
“Oh, wow! I didn’t know you were interested in coding.”
She explained, “Rotem told me about how I can use computer programming for music and lights with the band, so I signed up!” We walked together to the trash, with Marley air-drumming while I held our trays.
She was so excited about coding that I considered going to a meeting, too. Maybe I could code something that would help train dogs? That would be cool … But first, I needed a dog!
Chapter Seven
HEAT’S ON
Friday, February 4
When I got to school the next morning, JJ was standing near my locker talking to a group of guys from his soccer team. I was pretty sure he was waiting for me, so I went into the bathroom and stayed there till after the bell rang and he was gone. There was no way I’d get tricked into telling him more stuff about how to do the Cupid Cards project.
Between classes, I rushed to the bathroom to make sure he couldn’t talk to me.
By the time lunch came around, people were asking if I felt okay. I didn’t want to tell them I was just avoiding JJ. Maybe Marley was right and I was acting immature, maybe even like a baby, but I was willing to accept that.
I stalled long enough before lunch that everyone was already in the cafeteria when I walked in.
My plan was to slink in unnoticed. But then, something in the far left corner, over by where the trays were stacked, caught my eye. Instead of a single line of students waiting for their trays, people were clumped up in a big group. I could see some students raising their hands and heard a few cries of, “I’ll do it!”
I scanned the room. Usually kids were at every table and the place was buzzing with conversation. Now the tables seemed pretty empty.
I searched for Marley. It was the easiest time I’d ever had finding her. She was with Rotem at a long table. They both had already eaten most of their food and were sitting together poring over something in his Nobel Prize notebook. Probably the plans to catch Cinnamon Bun.
I dashed to them and blurted out, “What’s going on?”
Rotem jumped back, nearly bumping heads with Marley as he shot up in surprise to see me there. “I—” He looked at Marley and groaned. “We—”
“Sorry,” I laughed, and dropped my backpack on the floor as I sat down next to Marley. “I meant, what’s going on in the corner?” I was going to have to go brave the crowd and get a tray soon, since I neede
d lunch.
Marley raised her eyebrows and squinted at me. “What do you mean?”
I pointed at the group in the back of the room. The crowd seemed to be thinning a little as people got trays and went through the lunch line.
“Uh …” Marley looked to Rotem. He stared back, looking worried.
“What?” I was near shouting. “What is it?”
Marley paused for a beat, then came out with a sentence that blew me away. “JJ and Olivia are at a table over there, signing up volunteers to deliver Cupid Cards on Valentine’s Day.”
“Are you kidding me?” Okay, I kind of yelled that too loud. People turned to look at me. I lowered my voice into a rough hiss. “Olivia’s not even on student council! This is all wrong!”
I’d cut hearts out at night by myself. I’d gotten candy. That was what JJ needed to be doing! It wasn’t time to get volunteers to deliver the Cupid Cards yet—he hadn’t even sold any cards yet. And first, you had to have actual paper hearts to sell! If there were going to be volunteers involved right now, they should be for cutting—only cutting. Still, JJ was going to end up claiming everyone who would want to volunteer before I even got a chance to find anyone!
I was furious. “I’ll be right back,” I told Marley and Rotem.
My clunky boots thumped with every step across the white tile lunchroom floor. I could hear each step pounding in my head.
When I reached the back of the crowd, I shoved my way through to get to the table.
There was a big handwritten sign above the table that said MAKE THIS VALENTINE’S DAY BETTER THAN LAST YEAR! SIGN UP TO DELIVER CUPID CARDS HERE. And under that, in small letters, it said SKIP CLASS TO HELP!
That didn’t even make sense. Skipping class? Only the student council members could do that. JJ couldn’t promise the same deal to everyone.
I pointed at the sign. “What is this?”
“Sign-ups,” JJ told me, sounding smug. “Want to help out?”
“You can’t just promise everyone that they can skip classes,” I sneered. “Only people on student council can, with special permission.” I was itching to rip down the stupid sign above his head. “And it’s just fourth period, right after lunch, which is the last chance for sales. Fourth period is when the cards are delivered.” His banner seemed to say that students could pick any class to skip.
“I met with Principal Hollis yesterday after school,” JJ said. He was acting like there was nothing weird about that, while Olivia signed up two seventh graders for third period. “Hollis got what I told him. To sell more cards and make more money for the school, we’d need help. He agreed that as long as students stayed on top of their homework, and were actually working on the cards, anyone who wanted could skip a class or two. Like maybe third period we might want some kids to help sort cards into delivery boxes. Or second period, someone can go around to classes, selling more cards. As you know, there are a lot of things that could be done on Valentine’s Day.” He picked up a clipboard. “Everyone just has to sign up so we can prove no one’s ditching for no good reason. A bunch of guys from the soccer team have already signed on.”
Every word that JJ said made my blood boil a little bit more.
“Second period! Third period! What are you talking about?” I was like a volcano, ready to burst. “This is science fair all over again!” I exclaimed, leaning against the table and meeting his eyes. Kids around us had stopped to listen. I knew I was making a scene but didn’t care. JJ was stealing my project! “For that, you went to the teacher to break up our science group, and now you’re going to the principal behind my back!” I shouted.
“I—” JJ started, then stopped abruptly. He was looking over my shoulder.
I turned.
Mrs. Choi was standing there, hands on her hips. “Hi,” she said, flat expression. No smile. “Is there a problem?”
I spun around. “JJ went to the principal.” I waved my hands wildly. “He set up this table and is asking for volunteers! He said they could skip class. Any class they want. And I’ll bet that he hasn’t even cut any hearts yet!” My list of complaints was miles long, but she stopped me.
“Suki, let’s take a walk,” she said calmly. “We’re going outside. Do you want a coat?”
I shook my head. The sun was out and my blood was on fire.
“Let’s go then,” she said, leading the way.
I could feel JJ’s dopey smile following me as he went back to signing up volunteers.
Mrs. Choi and I left the lunchroom and went outside. It was chillier than I expected. I wrapped my arms around my waist while my teacher zipped up her puffy jacket.
“JJ came to me yesterday and told me that you’ve been too busy to co-chair with him.”
“That’s not true!” I protested. I mean, I’d been working at the shelter—I was even promoted from dog poop cleaner to dog food scooper, but I was working on the Cupid Cards, too. I wasn’t just doing one thing. I was, as Mom would say, multitasking. Plus, he was the one who suggested working separately! But I couldn’t say that. As far as Mrs. Choi knew, we were working together. I didn’t think she’d be happy with our change of plans.
My teacher sat on a bench and motioned for me to sit beside her. “JJ had some things that he said needed to get done right away, so I told him to proceed.” I opened my mouth to protest, but she went on. “He had my permission to go to the principal’s office.”
What was I supposed to say to that? My own teacher had turned against me. Though I guess she hadn’t done it on purpose.
I took a breath and let the cool air fill my lungs. This was not what I wanted. This was not what I’d planned!
“JJ gave me a printed copy of a to-do list,” Mrs. Choi said. “I assume you saw it?”
“No,” I said, but assumed it was a list sort of like he’d told me about at the park. My list.
“Suki.” Her voice was low and soft. “As long as the project gets done, I don’t really care who does which part. You and JJ are working together on this, so I want you to work it out with him.” She stood.
“But, I—”
She gave me a look that shut me down. I couldn’t tell her that JJ and I were competing with each other. Not when JJ already seemed to be so far ahead of me.
Without saying a word, I followed her back into the school. And then, I went to the same place I’d been hiding all morning—the girl’s bathroom—where I stayed until I stopped my angry shaking.
I hated Joshua Juaquin.
This was all his fault.
But there was no way this was going to end like science fair, with him getting the ribbon and all the attention. I was going to show him who was really in charge!
Chapter Eight
RISKY BUSINESS
Still Friday, February 4, the day that would never end
I’ve never been so grateful for the last bell and the weekend.
“Hey, Suki,” Marley called out as I rushed down the long hall toward the front door to the school. “Don’t forget, we’re coming over after dinner to build the dog trap.” “We” meant her and Rotem.
I tipped my head a little, but didn’t stop to talk about it. I had to get out of there. Every fiber in my body was still wound up with what had happened. I was a twisted Slinky inside and the thoughts in my head were really loud. I walked toward home, talking to myself in my mind:
There’s still a whole week before Valentine’s Day. Ten days! I can get it done!
Then another thought countered that, saying:
We really should be much further along.
I fought that thought with:
Nuh-uh! There’s plenty of time left to organize everything. Especially if I get supplies this weekend and maybe have a few people over to cut more heart cards. Shouldn’t JJ have been focused on selling cards rather than arranging for people to deliver them? That’s what should come first.
Yeah. That last thought quieted the opposing force in my head. I knew the right way to do the cards. JJ was way of
f, and Mrs. Choi, well, she’d gotten swept into his deception. He didn’t care about the cards. He just wanted to beat me out as the leader.
Maybe instead of cutting hearts by myself later, I’d ask Marley and Rotem to help. They were coming over anyway. That was a start. They’d be my first official volunteers.
I was so caught up in going back and forth with my thoughts and plans that I didn’t realize I was passing the park until I was through it. I didn’t have to be at the shelter for half an hour, and I’d planned to spend that time in the park searching for Cinnamon Bun. I didn’t have a Cinnamon Swirl drink, but I had some of the meaty dog treats from the shelter in my backpack.
Spinning on a heel, I turned back toward the bench where Marley and I first saw Cinnamon Bun. I was nearly there when I saw the golden flash by the playground. All thoughts of JJ and the Cupid Cards left my head as I dropped my backpack on the grass and took off running.
By the time I got to the swings, the dog was gone and I started to doubt if I’d seen her at all.
“Hey,” a voice shouted from behind me, over by where I’d left my pack. “Get away from there, you mangy mutt!”
I raised my head to see Cinnamon Bun hovering over my backpack. She was digging at the outside pocket with her paws.
“Oh,” I said out loud. She had found the treats in my bag!
I was still wearing my boots, which weren’t made for running, but I took off again.
“Shoo! Shoo!” the older man who’d found the dog and my pack was yelling. “Get out of here!” He kicked my backpack.
“No!” I yelled. “Grab the dog!”
“Dogs should not be running loose in the park!” the man called out. “Who knows what diseases they might be carrying!”
I finally made it back across the park.
“Is this dog yours?” the man asked. I shook my head no as I leaned on my knees to catch my breath. My heart was racing and I was sweating. My hair was a disaster and my cheeks were flushed.
Cinnamon Bun Besties Page 5
