As I look down at the big room of seats that are usually filled with representatives from all fifty states, it amazes me to think that my mom is one of them. Her job is an important one. I know how hard it was to get elected president of the seventh grade; it really must have taken a lot of hard work to get where she is.
And it inspires me. That sounds corny, but it’s true. Mom is doing her part to make our nation a better place. And it makes me really excited to do my part at my school.
Mom asks if anyone has questions, then patiently answers them. When she’s finished, Mrs. Lee presents my mom with a special plaque.
“This was an amazing tour, and we can’t thank you enough,” she says.
When the tour ends, I zip through the crowd straight to Mom.
“That was awesome!” I give Mom a tight squeeze, even though I know she doesn’t like me to do that when she’s dressed in her work clothes. But today, she squeezes me right back.
“Mom, you’ve surprised me a lot lately. All in good ways,” I say.
Not only did she agree to this tour, but she let me get a dog, and she was there for me through the whole campaign and all of the drama with Meghan, even though she’s really busy with her own work.
I flash her a grateful smile. “Seriously, Mom, thanks.”
Mom wraps an arm around my shoulder. “Mom first. Congresswoman second,” she whispers into my ear, then plants a big kiss right on the top of my head.
Chapter Twenty-Six
WHY IS THIS SOCCER GAME DIFFERENT FROM ALL OTHER SOCCER GAMES? OR AT LEAST THE LAST ONE AGAINST BROOKSIDE?
A ball hurtles toward me and I kick it back in the direction it came from. A chorus of cheers goes up in the stands, but I don’t take my eyes off the field. I’m too focused on the game to care about cheering. Or anything else, for that matter.
Right now, the only thing on my mind is beating Revere, and we’re on our way to doing it. The score is 3–0 with less than two minutes to go in the second half. And if I have anything to do with it, Revere won’t score a single goal in this game.
A sea of purple jerseys is making its way toward me as Revere’s star player is dribbling the ball down the field. When it’s finally kicked my way, I’m ready for it. I shield the kick with my body, and thwart (a vocab word, and a pretty cool way to say stop) their last chance to score.
The happy sounds of the Liberty fans who’ve come to watch fill the stands. Then the final buzzer sounds. The next thing I know, the girls on my team rush toward me. We’re dancing on the field and jumping with our arms around each other.
Coach Newton blows her whistle. She’s barreling toward us with a look on her face that says: no excessive celebration. At least not in front of the other team.
We disband and form a lineup to congratulate Revere. But as I fall into place behind Zoey and Callie and Emily, my mind wanders. It felt totally different to play in this game than it did the last. When our team played Brookside, it was so hard to focus on soccer. All I could think about was the election and Meghan and how we weren’t friends anymore.
I glance up in the stands and see her sitting there. Next to Caleb. And the J’s. Mom and Dad are there, too. And of course Ben. He’s hard to miss because he’s waving his arms like a crazy person.
“Way to go, Adams!” he shouts.
I give him a thumbs-up, then smile to myself.
It feels really good to know that all of the people I care about most are here to cheer me on. And even better that the election is behind me. And of course that I won! It’s also nice to know I can get out on the field and have fun doing one of my favorite things. Which is playing soccer. For a while, I wasn’t sure I’d ever enjoy it again.
But today I did a good job and had fun, too. That sounds soooo dramatic.
But it’s not.
During the campaign, a lot of things got mixed up in my head. And I wasn’t sure they’d ever get straightened out. I didn’t think Meghan would ever be my best friend again. Or that my soccer team would forgive me for losing the game against Brookside. Or that Mom would get un-mad at me for promising something she hadn’t agreed to.
Running a campaign was a lot harder than I thought it would be.
I guess the moral of the story is: do the best you can but know that there’s a pretty good chance things might not go the way you expect them to. And sometimes that’s a good thing, because in the end, things have a way of working themselves out.
Even when you’re sure they won’t.
I’m sure there’s a French expression for all that. But I have no clue what it is.
Acknowledgments
It takes a team to publish a book, and I’m one lucky author to be part of such an incredible group of people who brought this one together. First and foremost, huge thanks to my incredible editor, Allison Cohen. Your smarts and vision truly made The Campaign shine. To the rest of the team at Running Press Kids—most especially Michael Clark, Julie Matysik, Frances Soo Ping Chow, Valerie Howlett, Hannah Jones, and Mike McConnell—my most sincere gratitude for all of the hard work that you all put in to bring this book to life. Huge thanks to my agent, Susan Cohen, at PearlCo Literary Agency for all of your continued support, dedication, and smarts. To the real Amanda and Meghan—thanks so much for the inspiration! I hope you enjoy your fictional selves. And last but not least, my deepest thanks to all of the readers, librarians, booksellers, and media specialists out there. I hope you all love reading The Campaign as much as I enjoyed writing it.
L.B.F.
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Praise for
THE CAMPAIGN
“With the perfect bend of humor, drama, and the secret inner workings of middle-school politics, The Campaign has my vote!”
—Brooks Benjamin, author of My Seventh-Grade Life in Tights
“Readers will root for ambitious Amanda Adams as she mounts her campaign for seventh-grade class president—and manages the unexpected drama of running against her own best friend. Full of insider election details… The Campaign is a fun, timely, and inspiring must-read for politically engaged young readers.”
—Rebecca Behrens, author of When Audrey Met Alice and Alone in the Woods
“Middle-school friendship drama meets modern-day politics in this timely, hilarious, and heartfelt story!”
—Jen Malone, author of The Sleepover
“The Campaign by Laurie Friedman is a joy to read! A feel-good, quick-paced story of resilience.… You will root hard for Amanda Adams, daughter of a congresswoman, as she faces countless personal and political challenges running for president of her seventh-grade class!”
—Elizabeth Atkinson, award-winning author of I, Emma Freke; The Island of Beyond; and Fly Back, Agnes
The Campaign Page 14
