by Annie Bryant
CHAPTER
3
“T” is for Test…and for Trouble
Before the final bell on Monday, the kids in Ms. Rodriguez’s homeroom were frantically stuffing books and notebooks into their backpacks while they yammered away with their friends. It was the usual scramble with the buzz of eager excitement for afternoon freedom. Today, Betsy Fitzgerald’s voice rose above everyone’s. “Do you think tonight’s social studies assignment will be more challenging than Friday’s?” she asked no one in particular. “I get so disappointed when I finish my homework in less than fifteen minutes. It just feels like it doesn’t really count.”
Nobody knew what to say. It was a well-known fact among the students in Ms. Rodriguez’s homeroom that no one enjoyed their homework quite like Betsy. Except one person.
“If I may,” Danny Pellegrino began. Danny was the boy version of Betsy. The BSG sometimes suspected that the two could be a match made in heaven. “Lately I’ve been researching the French Impressionist paintings in my spare time. Monet’s ‘Water Lilies’ has changed the way I look at the world.” Danny glanced sidelong at Isabel. “I’d recommend it to anyone who truly loves art,” he announced.
Isabel paid no attention, but Betsy Fitzgerald nodded vigorously. “That sounds very ambitious, Danny. I have read a lot of books about Van Gogh,” she said giving Danny a smile as though they were both part of The Secret Society of Extra Homework-Lovers.
“Quiet down, class!” Ms. Rodriguez called. “Just one more thing. Please listen up for a just a minute! I have one final announcement today…an important one.”
Katani had zoned out after the word “quiet.” She was busy stuffing books in her backpack and planning what exactly she would say to her parents. They had come back from their anniversary weekend the night before. The problem was they were so excited about what they’d seen and done in Vermont that she hadn’t even gotten a chance to bring up the subject of going to New York for Michelle’s fashion show. I have to tell them right when I get home, she thought. If they don’t hear about it soon, they might not let me go. They’ll think everything is too rushed.
“Katani,” Ms. Rodriguez’s voice broke through her thoughts. “I wonder if you could repeat what I just said?”
Katani looked at her blankly. She’d been so busy thinking about getting permission from her parents that she hadn’t even realized Ms. Rodriguez was saying anything important. She thought anxiously for a minute, but whatever the teacher said had gone in one ear and out the other.
Taking a deep breath, Katani courageously looked her teacher in eye. “I’m sorry, Ms. Rodriguez, I guess I wasn’t paying attention.”
Ms. Rodriguez was fair but now she meant business. “We’re all eager to get out of here, Katani, but you really need to stay focused. The information I just gave the class is incredibly important. But luckily, it’s important enough that I am going to have one of you repeat it. Can I have a volunteer, please?” She held up the paper in her hand.
Katani sighed. She took school very seriously and didn’t want Ms. Rodriguez to think that she simply didn’t care. This was her chance to redeem herself. Katani raised her hand. “I’ll do it.”
Ms. Rodriguez nodded. “Thank you very much, Katani.”
Katani got up and stood tall as she walked through the aisle to the front of the room. On her way, Maeve squeezed her hand and whispered, “Poor you!” Katani didn’t really mind having to read in front of the class, but it was the kind of thing Maeve would hate. Though Maeve was a budding actress and just loved being in the stage’s spotlight, the thought of getting singled out in class terrified her to the core. Her learning issues made it difficult for her to read, write, and process certain types of information in the same way as her friends. Maeve’s talents in other areas, however—especially dancing and singing—made her the object of admiration for many of her peers…girls and boys alike!
Katani got to the board, took the paper from Ms. Rodriguez, and began to read. “This notice is regarding the two-day school break that has been planned for later this month. Both the teacher training days and the two-day break have been postponed several weeks. Due to an error on the part of the school board, we neglected to schedule the aptitude tests that are taking place nationwide on that Thursday and Friday.”
Katani suddenly felt sick to her stomach. The two-day break was the key to all her plans for the fashion show. Her parents would probably let her go to New York on a school break, but what would they say about her missing a nationwide aptitude test? She knew all too well what they’d say: “N-O!”
“Please continue, Katani. You haven’t read the best part,” Ms. Rodriguez said.
“Oh, yes…” Feeling stricken, Katani choked out the rest. “Following the aptitude tests there will be a field trip to kick off our course on ancient Egypt. We will be visiting the Egyptian wing of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston on that Friday afternoon.”
“How exciting is that, class?” Ms. Rodriguez asked when Katani finished. “A surprise field trip…and you still get your mini-vacation. The only difference is it will be a tad later than we originally planned. Thank you, Katani.”
Katani handed the sheet to her teacher and went back to her seat in a trance.
To the rest of the class this last piece of the announcement was good news. All ears perked up at the mention of a field trip. “No school for the whole rest of the day? Hallelujah!” Dillon Johnson cheered. He and Nick Montoya high-fived.
“This is sweet!” Riley agreed. “Ms. Rodriguez, are we going to learn about Egyptian music too? I want to know if King Tut ever won Egyptian Idol back in the B.C.!” Riley, the music lover, cracked up at his own joke, though no one else seemed to get it.
“Please! Everyone knows that Egyptians weren’t known for music!” said Anna McMasters loftily. The BSG looked at each other, confused. Since when was Anna the resident expert on the history of ancient Egypt?
Anna twirled her long blond hair and batted her blue eyes so everyone could see the dusting of glittery violet shadow on her lids. “I want to learn the great Egyptian makeup secrets! In every picture, Cleopatra looks like a rock star! I think that lesson would be very beneficial to some people in this class,” she said. Charlotte thought she saw Anna glance in her direction. Charlotte just rolled her eyes. Who cared about the Queens of Mean and their makeup tips? In fact, Charlotte wondered how Anna and Joline could even see with all the gobs of mascara they wore. Besides, they looked a little like raccoons with all their black eyeliner.
Anna went on. “Egyptian queens used lots of cosmetics to enhance their looks thousands of years ago! I guess they knew the importance of always looking beautiful.”
Betsy raised her hand but could hardly wait for Ms. Rodriguez to call her name. With Betsy, a hand in the air was like a free pass to speak. “You know, Anna’s right! The Egyptians can teach us tons of interesting things,” she said thoughtfully. “I’ve done lots of reading about Ancient Egypt and I love the museum. I even wrote an essay in fifth grade about the pyramids.” She smiled, pleased with herself. “It won first prize in an all-state essay contest. Ms. R, could I make an Egyptian fact sheet for the trip?”
Before anyone in the room had a chance to comment, Ms. Rodriguez said, “If you would like to, Betsy, go right ahead. Try to include the goofiest Egyptian trivia you can find!” Ms. Rodriguez understood Betsy’s drive to succeed and tried to keep it from spinning out of control.
Henry Yurt, the seventh-grade class president and resident class clown, chimed in. “Hey, what do you know? If the test in the morning is too hard, we can cry on a mummy in the afternoon!”
A groan spread throughout the class. Henry bowed to the applause from his fan club in the back row. The Yurtmeister did have his creative moments. This, however, was not one of them!
Isabel turned to Charlotte and whispered nervously, “Do we have to look at the mummies? Mummies really freak me out! I’ve seen waaaay too many horror movies about mummies who come back
to life to hunt for more victims. When they find people they…oh, it’s too horrible!”
“What do they do?” Charlotte asked.
“They…they…” Isabel’s voice trailed off and she grinned shyly. “Come to think of it, I’m not sure exactly. I always close my eyes at that part!”
Maeve looked thoughtful. “Hmm…I bet we have some old mummy movies at the theater.” Her father ran the Movie House in Brookline. “Maybe I could get my dad to show some for us. We could have a Mummy Movie Marathon before we go to the museum!”
Isabel trembled. “Um, you can count me out!”
“Don’t worry, Isabel,” said Danny Pellegrino. “Mummies can’t come back to life. It’s scientifically impossible! If you want I can sit next to you during the movie and explain everything.”
Isabel flushed. Lately, Danny had been turning up everywhere she went. He was actually kinda cute, with shaggy brown hair and brown eyes. Clearly he was very intelligent, even if he did act like a know-it-all. Though the BSG thought Danny and Betsy would be a perfect couple, Danny was acting very interested in Isabel. She couldn’t seem to get away from him these days. It was getting very annoying. Luckily, she and the rest of the BSG could always meet in the privacy of the Tower.
“Thanks, Danny,” she said in a low voice. “But I don’t think I’ll be seeing any mummy movies before this field trip.” She didn’t want to be mean, but it sure would help if he’d give her some space and rattle off his facts to someone else.
Katani missed this entire exchange. She was busy wondering if her hopes of the glorious fashion show were quickly slipping away. A few minutes ago, all she was worried about was finding the right way to ask her parents’ permission. And though she hated having to choose just one of her friends to go with her, she trusted that somehow, eventually, the BSG would work things out.
But now! Katani wasn’t worried about taking the aptitude test. Actually, she secretly enjoyed taking standardized tests. She also knew what any aptitude test worth its salt would show: KATANI SUMMERS—businesswoman extraordinaire, fashion designer, money-making math whiz—was sure to start her own rockin’ empire someday! But the timing of these tests was horrible. Could it possibly mean she couldn’t go to New York after all?
The final bell rang, and the students rushed out the door. In a minute the room was almost empty. Except for Katani. She sat at her desk and stared out the window.
Ms. Rodriguez was about to lock up when she noticed the one forlorn student remaining. “Katani? Are you okay?”
Katani could hardly speak. “I can’t…I have to…I mean…yeah. I’m fine.”
Ms. Rodriguez looked suspicious. “Are you sure? I don’t want to jump to any conclusions here, but you weren’t acting like yourself today. If there’s something you want to talk about…you know you can always come to me,” she offered.
Katani shrugged. She opened her mouth to tell Ms. Rodriguez all about her dilemma when suddenly a frazzled Maeve Kaplan-Taylor burst through the door. “Katani!” Maeve panted. “We’ve been looking everywhere for you! Are you ready to go?”
Katani nodded. “Um, yeah, one sec,” she said, swinging her bag over her shoulder.
“Oh, Maeve!” Ms. Rodriguez called, “I’m glad you’re here. I have something for you. Would you please take this to your mother?” She handed Maeve a sealed envelope.
Maeve’s face flamed. Whenever she got a note from a teacher it always meant trouble. “Thanks,” she mumbled, and quickly stuffed it into her backpack. She wished that for once one of those sealed envelopes would be something good!
“Oh, you found the straggler!” Charlotte appeared at the door. “Come on, Katani,” she said. “We’re going to Montoya’s.” The bakery had the most delicious pastries and delicacies around. Charlotte collected a less-than-chipper Maeve and a glum Katani and ushered them down the hall.
“I don’t feel like it,” Katani said woefully. This was serious. The BSG would never turn down a trip to Montoya’s!
“Hey!” Charlotte said, firmly taking her by the arm. “I know you’re upset about those tests! But we need to strategize. Isn’t that what friends are for?”
Ten minutes later they were sitting at Montoya’s, breathing in the luscious smell of fresh baked goodies. Charlotte was a little disappointed that Nick Montoya wasn’t there, but she didn’t say anything. After all, this was not about Nick…it was about Katani.
The girls huddled at one of the tables near the window, while Charlotte ordered them all their favorite drink—iced hot chocolate.
“Okay spill it,” Maeve prompted. “What did your parents say when you told them? Because if they’ve already said yes—”
“That’s just it…they haven’t…I mean, I haven’t…I mean…oh no!” Katani lamented. “I’ve hardly even talked to them since they came back from their anniversary trip! They’ve been so excited that they haven’t stopped talking about Vermont. I thought if I didn’t interrupt them, it would help when I asked them later…”
“Good thinking, Katani,” Avery said, sipping her iced hot chocolate. “Get ‘em on your side before you ask for something, and that way they’re sure to say yes. The trick is that eventually you do have to ask…”
“Well, I was going to ask them this morning,” Katani continued, “but Kelley lost Mr. Bear and got upset, so then we were all running around to find it, and—well—I never got the chance.”
The girls nodded sympathetically. Katani’s parents were very busy. Her father owned an electrical business, her mother was a high-powered lawyer, and her sister Kelley’s autism required a lot of attention from everyone in the Summers family. Finding the right time to approach them could be a real Houdini trick!
“They’ll never let me go now!” Katani added, “But hey, at least this way no one gets left out, right?” Her voice broke. She sounded as though she was going to cry for real.
The girls were worried. Katani was always so…well, confident. No matter how sticky the situation, they could always count on the Kgirl to be as cool as a cucumber. This was the unhappiest the BSG had ever seen her. Katani’s hot chocolate was still completely filled to the brim; she hadn’t even taken a sip! “This might just be the worst day of my life,” she moaned.
“Katani, you are beginning to sound like me,” said Maeve looking at her friend with concern.
“Nobody could ever be as dramatic as you, Maeve,” Avery declared with certainty.
“Katani,” Charlotte said as she reached over and gave her friend a pat on the arm, “something could happen between now and the show. There might still be a way you can go.”
Katani thumped her hands on the table and in a loud, clear voice pronounced, “I DOUBT IT.”
“There has to be a way around this,” Isabel insisted. “We’re just not seeing it yet.”
Katani shook her head. “How do I get around taking a nationwide test?”
Suddenly Maeve’s blue eyes sparkled. “Why are you asking us?” she asked. “Why don’t you ask Mrs. Fields? She’s the principal…and she’s your grandmother! She has to know more about this testing business than we do.”
The other three turned to look at Maeve. Katani’s chin flew up. “Maeve, that’s brilliant! I can’t believe I didn’t think of that.”
“You’re very welcome, Katani,” she said regally. No one had ever called her “brilliant” before.
Suddenly Katani’s joy turned to worry. “I don’t know, Maeve. Grandma Ruby doesn’t believe in giving me any special favors. She’s very strict about it. Just because she’s my grandma, she’s not going to do something for me that she wouldn’t do for anyone else.”
“You never know. Maybe they could make an exception,” Maeve insisted. “You could at least ask her. Can’t hurt, right?” Maeve was on a roll.
Katani raised an eyebrow, but there was now hope shining from her eyes. She reached over and hugged Maeve. For all her dramatic antics and giddiness, Maeve could have such great ideas. And she was so enthusiastic she
swept everyone else along with her. “You know what, Maeve? You’re absolutely right—it’s worth a try,” Katani said as she got to her feet. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”
“I love that quote,” Charlotte interjected. “I just can’t remember who said it.”
“Me neither.” Katani shrugged her shoulders. “But whoever said it was smart.”
“Hey, Kgirl, where are you going?” asked Avery.
“Sorry, girls, no time to chat. I gotta catch my grandma before she leaves school for the day!” Katani had gotten her second wind. She took a swig of iced hot chocolate, threw on her bag, and in a second she was out the door.
The BSG watched Katani charge down the street back toward school. Avery saluted her and said proudly, “You gotta give her an A for effort!”
Another Hope to Go
Mrs. Fields was halfway through the door when Katani came hurdling around the corner. Kelley had been picked up earlier by their mom for her Monday afternoon riding lesson. “Grandma Ruby! Grandma Ruby! Wait up!” Katani sputtered, jogging breathlessly over to Mrs. Fields.
“My goodness, Katani!” Mrs. Fields smiled. “Where’s the clothing sale?” She knew her granddaughter’s love of fashion.
Katani sighed. “Grandma Ruby, I have something really important to talk to you about.” She walked her grandma out to the car and, as she did, unfolded the story of her fashion catastrophe.
“Oh, baby,” Mrs. Fields exclaimed when Katani finished. “I didn’t realize that was the same weekend!” She looked sympathetically at Katani. She’d seen her ecstatic granddaughter dancing around the house for the past two days after the phone call from Michelle. Now the slightest glimmer of hope that was left in Katani’s big brown eyes all rested in Mrs. Fields.
“But it is the same weekend. Oh please, Grandma Ruby!” Katani pleaded. “This is really important to me! Isn’t there some way I could reschedule the test? You know I’m a good student. I’d take it whenever you say. But I can’t miss this fashion show, Grandma Ruby, I just CAN’T! I would never get over it in a million years!”
