Pop Quiz

by Tom Ryan

  “Man,” I say. “That’s depressing.”

  “You’re telling me,” says Trevor. “Tell me, Aiden, what brings you back to this neck of the woods?”

  “It’s kind of a long story,” I say. “But I need your help.”

  He just nods as if he’s been expecting this. “I’m just about to make the rounds,” he says. “Why don’t you come along?”

  He grabs his mop from where he’s propped it against the wall. “Come on,” he says. “And grab those paper towels.”

  As I follow him around the school, he listens to my story and asks lots of questions about how everything will work.

  “Do you think it’s possible?” I ask him finally.

  “You really think you can make this work?” he asks.

  I nod, smiling. “You bet I do.”

  “Well, I don’t expect any other TV shows to land in here and offer me a role,” he says. “And to tell you the truth, I’m not sure I’m ready to give up my fifteen minutes of fame yet.”

  “So you think we can get the school back for a few days?” I ask.

  He nods thoughtfully. “I’ve got a few favors coming to me,” he says. “Why don’t you leave it with me?”

  Fifteen

  That evening we regroup at Seth’s house for a progress update.

  Satri shows us his video, which we all agree is amazing. It’s a quick compilation of short clips from old shows. The final screen says, Wouldn’t you like to know where all your Pop Quiz favorites ended up? Pop Quiz: The Reunion, coming soon. At the bottom is a link to the FundZone page.

  Between the two of them, Seth and Anais have found almost sixty cast members who’ve agreed to be on the show if it happens.

  “It was amazing,” says Seth. “Everyone I tracked down agreed to do it. Some of them even offered to do it for free!”

  “I got in touch with the crew too,” says Anais. “To see if people are available to work. A few people have moved on to other jobs, but most of them have nothing booked for the foreseeable future. Everyone agreed to keep it quiet until we’ve talked to Bill.”

  “How about the script, Seth?” I ask.

  It’s obvious Seth is dying to talk about his work. He practically leaps out of his chair.

  “It’s amazing,” he says. “It’s like I’ve been waiting for this my whole life. The story just came flowing out of me.”

  He starts pacing the room, walking us through the plot. By the time he’s done, we’re all hooked.

  “This is going to be the best episode of Pop Quiz yet!” says Satri.

  We leave Seth to finish work on his script, and the rest of us head to Satri’s house. We stay up late, putting the final touches on the website. After a lot of hard work, we have a good campaign in place. At the stroke of midnight Satri and I hover behind Anais’s chair as her finger hovers over the Post button on our FundZone account.

  “Are we sure this is a good idea?” she asks. “We’re kind of going rogue here.”

  “Kind of?” says Satri. “We’re totally going rogue. That’s what’s so awesome about it!”

  “Better to ask for forgiveness than permission, right?” I say.

  “All right,” says Anais. “Here goes.” She presses the button, and in a moment our campaign goes live.

  “Now we just have to wait and see what happens,” I say.

  Satri lets out a deep yawn. “We’ll check in on it in the morning,” he says. “Before we go to visit Bill.”

  I walk Anais home. The night is nice and warm, and there are crickets chirping in the distance as we stroll down the street.

  We walk along in silence for a while, and then Anais turns to smile at me. “This is kind of nice,” she says. “I like hanging out with you and Satri away from set.”

  “Yeah,” I say, trying not to show that my heart has started pounding. “I like that too.”

  “Can I ask you something kind of funny?” she asks.

  “Shoot,” I say.

  “Do you ever feel sometimes as if you have a hard time telling Dane apart from Aiden?”

  “Uh, yeah,” I say, wondering if she knows what I think about her.

  “Me too,” she says, and she sounds relieved. “Sometimes I’m, like, totally confused about what kind of student I am, or, you know…” She looks down at her feet, her face pink. I freeze, unsure how to respond. “…like, who it is that I have a crush on.”

  “Yeah,” I say, wishing I could bring myself to say something totally cool and romantic, but I’m totally drawing a blank.

  She turns and looks across the street. “Here we are,” she says. “My house.”

  “Oh, okay,” I say.

  Before I have a chance to realize what’s happening, she leans in and gives me a quick kiss on the lips, then pulls back quickly. She laughs at the look at my face before she turns and skips across the street.

  “See you in the morning!” she calls over her shoulder.

  I walk home, completely distracted. The last thought I have before going to sleep is of how much I want our plan to work. If we can get Pop Quiz back on the air, even for just a couple of hours, that means Dane and Penny will have time to finish falling for each other.

  And that means Anais and Aiden’s chances are just as good.

  Sixteen

  I’m dreaming that someone is ringing a bell in my bedroom, and I can’t find it. I stir awake, shaking off the dream, and realize that it’s Satri, blowing up my phone with texts.

  Are you awake??!!

  Wake up!

  AIDEN AIDEN AIDEN Wake UP UP UP!

  I text him back with one finger, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes with the back of my other hand. What is it?

  He calls me a second later, speaking so fast that I have to tell him to stop and start over.

  “Holy smokes,” he says breathlessly. “Have you checked the FundZone page?”

  “No,” I say, jumping up and flipping open my laptop. He giggles on the other end of the line while he waits for me to load the page.

  My mouth drops open. “What the…?”

  “I know, right?” he says.

  Half an hour later I meet Satri and Anais outside the school. We tried calling Seth, but he didn’t answer his phone.

  “This is unbelievable,” I say.

  “Yeah,” says Anais. She doesn’t sound convinced.

  “What’s the matter with you?” asks Satri.

  “It’s just that we didn’t really think this through, did we? We should have talked to Bill first. What if it doesn’t work out?”

  “Well, it’s done now,” I say. “It’s time to talk to Bill and find out one way or another.”

  But when we enter the gym, Bill isn’t alone. He’s at his desk, and standing next to him is Barbara Kale. They’re staring intently at some paperwork and don’t notice us until we’re at the foot of the stage.

  “Oh, hey, guys,” says Bill, obviously surprised to see us.

  “Hi, Bill,” I say. Barbara Kale just looks at us, as if we’ve interrupted something important.

  “We can come back,” says Anais. I’m ready to go when Satri jumps up onto the stage.

  “Check it out, Bill,” he says. He drags Bill’s laptop around and opens a new browser window. “We started a FundZone page.”

  “FundZone?” Bill and Barbara ask at the same time.

  “You know,” says Satri, “the website where you ask people to give you money to complete projects, like if you’ve invented a self-licking ice-cream cone and you need funds. People pitch in online and help you out.”

  “Maybe we should wait until later, Satri,” I say, but Bill and Barbara are already leaning into the computer.

  “You used the Pop Quiz logo and name to get funds?” Barbara says. Her voice is chilly.

  “I knew this was a bad idea,” Anais whispers to me.

  But Bill seems imp
ressed. “Wow,” he says. “Almost ten thousand dollars. And you only put this up last night?”

  We nod.

  “Check this out,” says Satri. He leans in and starts the video. As they watch, Bill’s eyes widen, and his grin gets wider too as the video plays. I even detect a hint of a smile in the corner of Barbara’s mouth, although I can’t be sure. When it ends, they look at each other.

  “So you guys have contacted all these actors?” Bill asks.

  “And the crew, and I talked to Trevor about the school, and he said he could call in a favor,” I say. “If we want to shoot, we can probably get things organized by next week.”

  “It was Aiden’s idea,” says Anais.

  “I had a lot of help,” I say. “Seth March really got us organized.”

  “Seth March?” asks Barbara. “You mean he was directly involved?”

  “He’s writing the script,” I say.

  “Script?” says Bill. “You guys even have a script?”

  “It’s not totally done,” I say. “He’s working hard on it though.”

  Abruptly Barbara Kale walks away, pulling her cell phone out of her pocket to make a call. She steps off the stage and disappears into the hallway.

  “Do you think she’s going to have us arrested?” asks Satri.

  Bill laughs. “No, she’s constantly on her phone. Don’t worry about it. Listen, guys, I have to tell you that I’m really impressed by all of this. You’ve really showed a lot of heart and soul, and I appreciate it.” He smiles at us, but it’s a sad smile.

  “It looks like you’re about to say but…,” says Anais.

  “The problem is, ten thousand dollars isn’t nearly enough money to make something like this happen,” he says. “Even a hundred thousand. TV is really expensive, not to mention complicated. We’d need full cooperation from the producers and the TV network if we wanted to make it happen, and the thing is, they’ve already backed away.”

  I stare at the floor. I guess I never should have expected it would be this easy to pull things back together.

  “Guys,” says Bill. “The three of you are amazing. I have no doubt you’ll go off to make amazing art together. Unfortunately, it won’t be Pop Quiz.”

  “Don’t be so quick to write it off.” We turn to see Barbara Kale striding back through the gym toward us. She holds the phone up. “I just got off a call with my producing partners. We all think this is fantastic.”

  Seventeen

  The bell rings. Dane stands in front of Cherry Lane High School, watching as students run up the steps and into the building. Dane wonders if this year is going to be a lot different from last year. High school. New classes, new teachers, new classmates. Will anything be the same again?

  “I thought I smelled dirty feet. How the heck are you, my man?” Dane turns to see Prashant hurrying up the pathway toward the school and smiles. Maybe things won’t be so different after all.

  They bump fists, and as the second bell starts, they run up the steps and push through the front doors. Day one, and they’re already late for class.

  Dane tries to pay attention, but he’s distracted. It’s Penny again, but this time he’s not distracted because she’s sitting in front of him.

  He’s distracted because she’s not here at all.

  He keeps expecting to see her coming around the corner, or grabbing a seat in front of him in math class, or waving at him from across a crowded cafeteria.

  “Did you hear the rumor?” Prashant asks him as they head into their last class of the day, geography.

  “No, what?” asks Dane.

  “Apparently Cherry Lane is getting torn down,” says Prashant. “This is going to be its last year!”

  “No way. Really?”

  Prashant nods. “My dad told me that a bunch of old students are planning a big rally to protest it. We’ll have to go!”

  “Yeah,” says Dane. “That sounds like a plan.”

  As they enter the classroom, Dane remembers that he’s forgotten his pencil case in his locker.

  “I’ll be right back,” he tells Prashant. “Tell the teacher, okay?”

  He hurries down the empty hallway to his locker, then scrambles to open the lock. Once he gets the door open, he crouches to rummage through the pile of junk that’s already built up. He’s just found his pencil case when he becomes aware of someone behind him. He stands, pushes the door closed, locks it, then turns around.

  “I was wondering if I was going to see you today,” says Penny.

  “Cut!” yells Bill. He smiles as he walks past the camera to Anais and me. He puts a hand on our shoulders. “That was fantastic, guys.”

  It turns out that with enough money and enthusiasm, it really is possible to pull together a TV movie in record time. In just over a week, Bill and Seth completed a script, and we’re ready to shoot the TV special that will wrap up Pop Quiz for good. It’s sad to know that this really is the end of things, but it’s great to know that because of our efforts the show is going to get the send-off it deserves.

  This is the first day of shooting. This morning I was the first person at craft services. I munched on a breakfast burrito (and gummy worms) and stared in awe as one former cast member after another entered the gym. There have been lots of hugs and laughter all day, and the hair and makeup stations have been going full tilt.

  Everyone hustles around with extra purpose. We’ve all got a big job ahead of us. The school has agreed to let us shoot on premises for just five days, so the days will be long and everyone will be expected to do quick scene turnarounds. It also means we have to know our lines inside and out.

  “So I take it you guys have read the script,” says Satri at lunch. There’s a mischievous twinkle in his eye, and I do my best not to fidget. He knows as well as any of us that Anais and I are expected to kiss near the end of the movie.

  “It’s nothing we haven’t done already, Satri,” says Anais. With a wink at me, she turns and heads toward wardrobe to get fitted for her first scene.

  “What the heck, man?” Satri is wide-eyed. “When were you going to tell me?”

  “I like to maintain an aura of mystery,” I tell him. I glance across the room and see Seth and Bill enter the gym, chatting away. They spot us and wave, then head toward us.

  “If it isn’t the men who saved the day,” says Bill. He gives us both a hug and then turns to Seth. “Mr. March and I were just going over a few details of our big project.”

  “It sure is a great script,” I say. The genius of it is it gives a lot of the characters from throughout the years a chance to show up and have a quick scene or two. Basically, it’s the world’s biggest high school reunion.

  “It certainly is,” says Bill, “but that’s not the project I’m talking about. Seth and I have been burning the midnight oil over the last few days, and it turns out we work really well together.”

  “It didn’t take long before we started tossing around ideas for a new show,” says Seth. “Something smaller and more manageable.”

  “Not to mention affordable,” says Bill. “Anyway, long story short, we are lucky enough to know a few actors who have just the kind of talent and enthusiasm we’re hoping for in our new cast.”

  “Fortunately for us,” says Seth, “they have a proven track record already.”

  “Are you serious?” asks Satri. “You’re talking about us?”

  “Who else?” asks Bill. “I’m hoping you guys and Anais can meet up with us after this crazy movie is finished so we can workshop some ideas.”

  “Amazing,” I say.

  “Aiden!” I turn to see Dexi hurrying toward me. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” she says. “We’ve got a schedule change. You and Anais are up first thing after lunch. I need you to get over to wardrobe right now.”

  “Duty calls,” says Satri.

  I get hustled through wardrobe, then a quick stop
at hair and makeup. In less than twenty minutes I’m on the front steps, waiting for Bill to call the scene.

  All around me, people are scrambling into place. Lights are being put up and adjusted. The camera crew checks their frame and adjusts focus. It’s weird to think about how much work goes into shooting a scene. When the audience at home sees it, they won’t be thinking about the dozens of people just off-camera who are responsible for making it work.

  “You ready, my man?” Bill claps me on the shoulder as he prepares to sit back in the director’s chair. “You have your motivation all figured out?”

  I turn and look down the hallway at Anais, who is waiting to enter the shot. She smiles at me and gives me a thumbs-up, a true professional.

  “Yeah, Bill,” I say. “I think I’ve got all the motivation I need.”

  Acknowledgments

  Many thanks to the wonderful team at Orca, with a special shout-out to Sarah Harvey and Tanya Trafford. Thanks to my endlessly supportive family and friends. Thanks, as always, to Andrew, for sharing the dream and never losing faith that one day I’ll buy him a sailboat.

  TOM RYAN worked in the television world for several years. He is the author of several books for young readers, including the Orca Limelights titles Big Time and Totally Unrelated. He has been nominated for the White Pine Award, the Stellar Award and the Hackmatack Award, and two of his novels were Junior Library Guild selections. Born and raised in Inverness, on Cape Breton Island, Tom currently lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia, with his husband and their dog, Wheeler. For more information, visit www.tomryanauthor.com.