But they didn’t.
In the next class, when Goldie got up to use the bathroom, the teacher practically fainted. “We do not get out of our seats without permission,” he said.
Goldie didn’t have the right uniform for gym class. And in programming class, she suggested they create software that could turn frowns into smiles in pictures. The entire class laughed, but Goldie hadn’t been joking.
By last period, Goldie was tired and frustrated and embarrassed. Her first day at HiBo Prep had been a dud.
That night, Goldie helped her dad make dinner. He used the blowtorch to cook the chicken. She worked the table saw to slice the bread. Nacho, who wore safety goggles like Goldie and her dad, took care of the crumbs.
Her mom walked in as they were setting the table. Her hair and clothes were a mess. “Whew! Higgs Bozon is not a school for slackers!” She looked exhausted. “How was your day?” she asked Goldie.
Goldie shrugged. “Fine.”
Her dad stared at her, and his eyebrows knitted together. He obviously didn’t believe things were fine. Not now, and not when he’d asked her earlier.
“How was your day, Junie?” He kissed his wife’s cheek.
“Tiring.” Goldie’s mom fell into a kitchen chair.
Goldie’s dad scooped potatoes onto a plate with a small garden shovel and set it down in front of Goldie’s mom.
“Goldie, tell us about your day,” her mom said.
“Well…” Goldie thought about everything that went wrong. “I think I like the Blox School better.”
Her dad put a comforting hand on her arm. “We didn’t do a good job preparing you for a school like Higgs Bozon Prep.”
“That’s for sure,” Goldie said.
“But you’re smart and creative,” her dad said.
“And hardworking,” her mom added.
“We will help you any way we can,” her dad said. “So what can we do?”
Goldie smiled. “Can we go pencil shopping?”
Goldie was a quick learner. The next day, she took the shortcut to school with Li. She hid her skateboard without needing to be tackled. She asked permission to go to the bathroom. In Mr. Greg’s class, she didn’t get into a fight with the one-armed Teachatron, and she had the right pencil. Of course, she’d made a minor improvement to the pencil. It glowed in the dark and could be used as a personal fan with the push of a button.
“How’s it going, G?” Li asked as they passed in the hallway.
“Better,” Goldie replied.
And it was going better, until programming class. The teacher put all the students into teams of two. Goldie worried she might be partnered with Zeek, but she was set up with Ruby Rails. Goldie hadn’t officially met Ruby yet, but she had heard about the stylish computer genius from Li.
“Hi! I guess we’re partners,” Goldie said, moving her chair next to Ruby. “I’m Goldie Blox.”
“Nice to meet you.” Ruby held up her minicomputer and snapped a picture. “So I can add you to my network.”
“Okay.” Goldie moved closer to the classroom computer. “What are we supposed to be doing?”
“No worries, Goldie. I already finished the assignment.” Ruby tapped the keyboard and the computer screen filled with strings of code.
“Um…great,” Goldie said. But she didn’t mean it. She wanted to work with Ruby.
“I’ll explain it to you,” Ruby said. “But I want you to answer my question first. Are you wearing the same thing you wore yesterday?”
“No,” Goldie answered.
“Yes, you are. You wore overalls and a T-shirt yesterday,” Ruby said.
“They aren’t the same overalls and T-shirt. I have seven of each. One for each day of the week.”
“That makes sense, I suppose.” Ruby shrugged. “But I see fashion as a way to express yourself.”
“Well…I guess I’m saying the same thing I said yesterday,” Goldie said.
Ruby grinned. “You’re funny.”
The teacher gave them a warning look.
“Maybe we should get to work?” Goldie pointed at the computer.
Ruby slid over a sheet of paper with the assignment on it.
Create a program that scrambles a word that the user enters.
“I’ll explain what I did. Writing code is my life,” Ruby said. “Well, writing code and fashion are my life.” She went over the basics with Goldie, and it made perfect sense. Ruby was a talented teacher.
Goldie tested the program. She typed in the word BUTTERFLY. Ruby’s code spit out FUTLYBRET.
Their project was done, but there was still forty minutes left of class.
“What do we do now?” Goldie asked.
“I’m going to check in with my Sew Good network. It combines my two loves—”
“Coding and fashion,” Goldie and Ruby said at the same time.
Ruby smiled. “I guess I just said that, huh?” Then she turned her attention to her sleek minicomputer.
“Do you mind if I play with this?” Goldie asked.
“Have a blast,” Ruby replied without looking up.
Goldie entered more words.
SANDWICH came back WHACINDS.
TOOTHPASTE came back OPATTOHETS.
MY NAME IS GOLDIE came back with ERROR CODE 101.
Then Goldie had an idea. What if she tweaked the code so it could handle sentences? She looked at Ruby, who was focused only on her minicomputer.
Goldie changed the second, fourth, and seventh line of Ruby’s code. That didn’t work. She played with line nine.
MY NAME IS GOLDIE came back with GNIEMOLMASEDYI.
“Yes!” she exclaimed.
The code worked fabulously, but Goldie knew it would be even more fun if it was less random. She hacked into Ruby’s code again and linked it to an online dictionary. It took several tries, but with five minutes left in class, Goldie had done it.
MY NAME IS GOLDIE came back with I MEAN SMILEY DOG.
The teacher walked over to Ruby and Goldie’s station. “Let’s see your program,” she said. “Knowing Ruby, I’m sure it’s perfect.”
“Yes, ma’am,” said Ruby. She slipped her minicomputer into her custom handbag and reached for the keyboard.
“I got this,” Goldie said.
Ruby sat back, allowing Goldie to demonstrate.
BUTTERFLY came back as FRY TUB LET.
“Fry. Tub. Let. Those are actually three words. Not exactly following the rules of the assignment.” The teacher tapped her red pen against her grade book.
“That’s not right,” Ruby said. “I don’t understand.”
“It gets better.” Goldie put her fingers on the keyboard. “Let’s try another. This is my favorite class.”
THIS IS MY FAVORITE CLASS came back with SO I SAVE SLIM ITCHY FARTS.
“What does that say?” the teacher snarled.
Goldie quickly erased it. “How about this? Higgs Bozon Prep is great.” She typed.
“Bizarre nights poop eggs?” bellowed the teacher.
The entire class burst out laughing. Except Ruby. She shoved Goldie aside and took over at the computer. Ten seconds later the program was operating as she originally designed it.
Ruby showed it to the teacher.
FLOWER became WREFOL.
SMILE became LIEMS.
“Much, much better,” the teacher said. Ruby breathed a sigh of relief. “Unfortunately, this came too late. Ruby and Goldie, you are getting a B on this assignment.”
“Yes!” cheered Goldie. She held up her hand to give Ruby a high five. Ruby left her hanging.
“Why are you smiling?” Ruby asked. “That is not a good thing. I’ve never gotten a B. Ever.”
“Oh, sorry.” Goldie pulled her hand back down. The bell rang.
“My life is ruined.” Ruby stood up and chased the teacher. “I can’t have a B. Let me do extra credit. Anything. Please.”
Goldie sighed. Once again, she had messed up at HiBo Prep. She would have done anything
to take back her code changes.
Goldie spotted Li waving to her from across the cafeteria. She was happy to see a friendly face. She carried her lunch tray over. Next to Li was a girl in a gray hoodie and pink glasses. She was the same girl who had given Goldie a click-o-matic pencil on her first day.
“Hey, G. Do you know Val?” Li asked as Goldie sat down.
“Sort of. We’re both in Mr. Greg’s class.” Goldie gave Val her biggest smile. “I’m Goldie Blox, by the way.”
Val took a bite of her sandwich.
Li opened a ketchup packet and tried to squeeze some on his burger but ended up shooting it into his hair.
Goldie laughed. “I never imagined you as a redhead.”
“Ha-ha.” Li tried to wipe it up with a napkin but made a bigger mess. “I’ll be back.” He left the two girls alone at the table.
Goldie munched on her pepperoni pizza. It was good but not very original. “At my old school, we used to have seaweed-and-pickle pizza every Thursday. And on the first Monday of the month, we had potato-chip-and-chicken-wing pizza. It was yummy. You just had to be careful of the bones.” Goldie took another bite. “But this is tasty, too.”
Val pulled her hood forward. Goldie could barely see her face.
“Hey, I never really thanked you for lending me a click-o-matic pencil. Well…I guess you didn’t lend it to me, since I never gave it back. I owe you, Val.” Goldie reached into her pockets and then her hair, looking for a way to repay Val. “Oh. Here.” She held out half of a yo-yo. “I’m not sure where the other half is. I’ve checked my hair. It’s not in here.”
Val nibbled on her chips and didn’t take the yo-yo. So Goldie slipped it into Val’s open bag.
“We didn’t have to use a certain kind of pencil at my old school,” Goldie continued. “We could use any pencil or pen, or even spray paint. I think you would have liked it. I mean…what’s not to like? We invented all kinds of cool stuff, like spray-paint erasers.” Goldie finished her pizza and slurped her chocolate milk.
Val sunk lower in her chair.
“You’re really easy to talk to, Val,” Goldie said. “Thanks for being so nice. It’s been hard for me to make friends here. I don’t always fit in with other kids.”
Val broke her granola bar in half and gave Goldie the bigger piece.
“Thanks,” Goldie said.
Li finally returned. His hair and shirt were wet. “It’s hard to take a shower in a sink,” he said.
“If I had a dozen straws, some tape, a funnel, and plastic wrap, I could’ve made you a shower,” Goldie offered. Actually, she was carrying most of that stuff in her backpack—or in her hair.
Val’s eyes grew wide in disbelief.
Goldie grinned. “I’m an inventor. A primo engineer. What do you like to do?”
When Val didn’t answer, Li did for her. “Val and I are starting a band. She can play any instrument.”
“Any instrument?” Goldie raised an eyebrow. Then she reached deep into her backpack and pulled out a gizmo that looked like a saxophone with a keypad welded to it and a plunger on the end.
“What is that?” Li asked.
“I haven’t named it yet,” Goldie said. “We can call it Awesome Instrument for now. It can imitate the sound of animals from birds to elephants.”
She flipped an ON switch. The keypad lit up. Goldie lightly pressed the 9 button and put her mouth on the end.
Meow. It sounded like a tiny kitten had joined them at their lunch table.
Val smiled.
“Wanna try it?” Goldie asked.
Val nodded. Goldie tapped a few keys, adjusted the plunger, and then handed it over.
“You’re going to love this. I set it to jungle safari,” Goldie said. “But watch out. If you’re not careful, all the animal sounds will come out at once.”
Li fidgeted. “Maybe this isn’t a good—” But before he could finish his sentence, Val brought the instrument up to her mouth and blew.
The entire cafeteria filled with an awful noise. It didn’t sound like an animal—well, maybe a pack of wolves drowning in syrup. Somehow the instrument was tied to the intercom. Val was playing for the whole school!
Val dropped the instrument, but it kept making awful noises.
“Val, make it stop!” someone yelled.
“Cut it out, Val!”
“Val Voltz is breaking my eardrums.”
Goldie jumped up from her seat and grabbed the Awesome Instrument. She couldn’t turn it off. So she threw it to the floor and stomped on it. Finally, it was silent.
“Whoopsie. Still some bugs to work out.” Goldie laughed nervously.
Val’s face was bright red under her hood.
“Thanks, new girl,” a boy at the next table said to Goldie. “Val, that was the worst sound I’ve ever heard.”
“It wasn’t my…I didn’t…” Val’s voice broke as the whole cafeteria stared at her. She grabbed the edge of her hood and pulled it over her face.
“Val, I’m sorry,” Goldie said. She wanted to say more, but Val got up and ran out. Li chased after her.
Goldie dropped her head. That was it. She didn’t belong at HiBo. She’d do anything to reopen the Blox School.
Anything.
That evening, Goldie sat at her computer. She needed to reopen the Blox School. And she needed a team to help.
“I know at least three people who would like to see me gone from Higgs Bozon Prep.” Goldie pressed SEND on her email to Val, Ruby, and Zeek.
SUBJECT: GET GOLDIE BLOX OUT OF HIGGS BOZON
Meet me in the BloxShop in an hour. We are going to reopen the Blox School. Can you make it?
All three replied immediately with YES!
Goldie got busy setting up for her meeting. She put out chairs and bowls of hot-sauce popcorn and chocolate-covered olives. Then she wrote down her plan on the whiteboard. She flipped it over so it could be unveiled at the right moment.
The BloxShop’s doorbell gonged exactly one hour after she sent the message.
Goldie opened the door. “Hi, guys. Come on in.”
“What is this place?” Zeek said, stepping inside. His Butler Phone hovered behind him.
“It’s where I experiment and invent,” Goldie said proudly.
“Looks like a junkyard.” Ruby grimaced.
“Thanks.” Goldie smiled. “Have a seat.”
As Zeek, Ruby, and Val sank into their chairs, the door opened again. It was Li.
“Hey,” he said to Goldie. “I came over to see if you wanted to hang out.” He poked his head through the door. “Are you having a party without me?”
“It’s not a party,” Zeek said.
“Goldie wants us to help her reopen her school,” Ruby said.
“Her Goldie-proof school,” Val added.
Li frowned. “What’s wrong with Higgs Bozon?”
“Nothing,” Goldie said. “I just miss my old school.”
“Can we get started?” Zeek whined.
“Absolutely.” Goldie turned over the whiteboard and proudly showed off her plan.
1. Form a team.
2. Rebuild the Blox School.
3. Leave Higgs Bozon.
“I guess I can cross off step one.” Goldie grabbed a marker. “Wait. Before we rebuild the Blox School, we need a team name. Hmmm…What about Goldie and the Gearheads?”
“I’m not a Gearhead!” Zeek snapped.
“And that’s not much of a plan,” Val added.
“What happened to your old school?” Ruby asked.
“After I sent the second floor into outer space, the mayor closed it,” Goldie explained.
“My dad is the mayor. I’ll get him to reopen it,” Zeek said. He spoke to his Butler Phone. “Call my dad and tell him—”
“Hang on,” Li said. “The school is going to need some renovations before it can reopen.”
“Exactly,” Goldie said. “Step two.”
Li grabbed the marker from Goldie. “We need to add a climbin
g wall. That’ll make the Blox School epic!”
“I love it,” Goldie said. “You know what else it needs?”
“A roof?” Val asked.
“An anti-gravity room. We can simulate life on the moon or on Mars.” Goldie added her idea to the whiteboard.
“Why stop there?” Ruby snatched the marker. “You need a primo computer lab and a clean room.”
“What’s a clean room?” Goldie asked.
“Is that like a shower stall?” Li asked.
“No,” Ruby answered. “A clean room has no dust or dirt. It has high-tech air filters. It’s the perfect place to work on circuits. And…I just prefer a clean room to, you know, a normal room.” She wiped some sawdust off the back of her chair.
“Sounds good,” Goldie said. “Anything else?”
“Maybe a place for playing music,” Val suggested. Ruby added it to the list.
“What about you, Zeek?” Goldie asked.
“You’re making this too complicated. All you need is four walls, a roof, and a door.” Zeek drew a square on the whiteboard. “Done.”
“Okay,” Ruby said. “Now we need blueprints, permits, materials, and workers.”
“Don’t worry.” Goldie tapped her head. “Everything we need is up here.”
“Are you pointing to your brain or your hair?” Ruby asked.
Goldie pulled a tape measure from her blond curls. “Both! We start on Saturday. At eight a.m. sharp.”
“Morning, Gearheads.” Goldie and Nacho hopped off the deluxe skateboard they were sharing. Val, Ruby, and Zeek sat on the front step of the Blox School.
“Not a Gearhead,” Zeek said.
“Did you bring blueprints?” Val asked.
“Nope.”
“Did you bring a building permit?” Val started pacing.
“Nope.”
“Materials?” Val looked like she might pass out. Is no one prepared? she thought.
“That’s a super place to start. We need materials to rebuild the school,” Goldie said.
“Let’s break into teams,” Ruby suggested. “We’ll get more done that way.” She tapped away on her minicomputer. Ruby’s purple hard hat matched her vest perfectly.
GoldieBlox Chapter Book #1 Page 2
