Promises, Promises

by Annie Bryant

“Ave, I don’t think kids really care about stuff like that,” Maeve said.

  “Well, I do,” Avery answered emphatically.

  “Me, too,” added Katani as she and Avery high-fived each other.

  There was a pause and it was suddenly very quiet. Not even a snort from Marty could be heard.

  Isabel broke the silence. “Maybe YOU should run for class president, Avery.”

  “You’ve always dreamed of being president,” Charlotte reminded her.

  “President of the United States,” Avery said.

  “I thought you wanted to be a judge,” interjected Maeve.

  “Well, the president of the United States thing is not going to happen, Avery,” Katani reminded her. “You have to be born in the United States to be president of the United States.”

  “Big deal! So I’m adopted. I’m a citizen, just like you guys. So what if I spent the first four months of my life in Korea? I’m as American as…”

  “Apple pie…?” Isabel suggested.

  “Stop! You’re making me hungry,” Avery moaned.

  “Still…rules are rules,” Katani said.

  “Well, like Ms. R pointed out at the beginning of the school year, rules are made to be challenged and changed! Arnold Schwarzenegger, the governor of California, is already looking at changing that particular rule,” Avery said huffily.

  “I’ll be back…as president of the United States,” Maeve said in her best Arnold accent. “And I’ll terminate anyone who gets in my way.”

  Maeve was definitely the performer of the group. Movies were her life. After all, she lived over the Movie House, and she could watch movies any time of day or night. Charlotte was convinced that someday she’d be on E! True Hollywood Story saying, “I knew Maeve Kaplan-Taylor when…” And perhaps, Charlotte fantasized, she’d also be on A&E’s Biography telling the world about her junior high school days with Avery Madden, president of the United States. If anyone could convince someone to change a rule, it would be Avery. She never gave up when she had a point to make.

  “While Arnold’s working on that minor detail…you might as well start getting some experience, Avery. Abigail Adams Junior High seems like the perfect place to start,” Charlotte told her.

  “Well…it did cross my mind…but…I can’t.”

  “What do you mean you can’t?” Katani pushed herself up, swung her legs in front of her in a cross-legged position, and leaned toward Avery. “Avery, all the things you said…about a leader being a team player and a good decision maker and being inspirational. That’s YOU! You were describing yourself!”

  “It could be any one of us,” Avery said, looking around the group.

  The girls looked into each other’s eyes.

  “Not me,” said Maeve, who had learning problems. “I don’t think people with reading problems make good leaders.”

  “That is completely not true, Maeve,” Katani said quickly, rising to her friend’s defense. “Remember your blanket project? You practically got everyone in the school involved in that one.”

  “Oh, yeah. I forgot about that,” Maeve responded happily.

  Charlotte wasn’t sure if she had leadership potential either, though one day she hoped to be editor of their school newspaper, The Sentinel. Maybe when she grew up, she could write speeches for the president someday. Now, that would be fun—telling the president of the United States what to say, she thought.

  “Katani’s right,” Isabel said enthusiastically. “You’re a perfect candidate for class president, Avery. You have tons of energy and you aren’t afraid to speak your mind. I like that in a president.”

  “I didn’t say I don’t WANT to run. I just can’t. I promised my coach that I’d help with the soccer fund-raiser that starts in a few weeks,” Avery answered, secretly pleased that her friends were so enthusiastic.

  “Avery, you have a passion to lead,” Katani cried, more excited by the minute about the idea of Avery’s candidacy. “Our class needs you! We need you!”

  “But a leader is also someone who keeps the promises they make,” Avery said. “I promised Coach Graber I would lead our team’s fundraising efforts. I could never let my soccer team down. It just wouldn’t be right.”

  “Couldn’t you do both?” Isabel asked hopefully.

  Avery hung her head. “My mom just had a big talk with me about like not getting ‘overextended’ and stuff.”

  “But that just leaves us with Betsy and Dillon,” Katani said. “The seventh-grade class deserves someone who will represent our interests better than those two.”

  Charlotte glanced at Maeve, who looked like she was about to say something, but changed her mind. The BSG knew that you never wanted to question Katani when she was on a roll. It was better to talk to her when she was all calmed down. She was much more willing to listen over a cup of hot chocolate at Montoya’s Bakery.

  The subject switched to Avery’s soccer tournament and the game tomorrow. Soon the group quieted, and one by one, the Beacon Street Girls fell asleep.

  Who Else?

  Long after their conversation had died down and the steady breathing of her four friends filled the Tower, Katani’s head was still whirling. No way could she vote for either Dillon or Betsy. Avery was right! Popularity was so overrated. Katani liked what Avery had to say about budgets and decisions. Those were important things that even kids should know about. Yup, she thought to herself, Avery would be a great class president!

  As Katani lay awake thinking of things—issues the class president could take on—Avery, her face smushed down in the pillow, started snoring like a three-hundred-pound gorilla. Katani wondered how such a big noise could come out of such a small body.

  Finally, Avery turned over, mumbled in her sleep, and kicked her legs until she freed them from her sleeping bag. The snoring stopped. Thank goodness, Katani thought. Maybe she’d be able to get some sleep now. But for the next hour, Katani thought of nothing but the upcoming election. Somehow she just had to convince Avery to run.

  Charlotte’s Journal

  I just love Tower sleepovers! Last night Mr. Marté’s snoring was the big entertainment…now they know what I have to put up with every night! Dad’s homemade pizza dough was a hit, too. Everyone brought toppings and we each made our own individual pizzas. Maeve and I smothered ours in four types of cheeses. Isabel brought a huge bag of pepperoni to share. Katani brought lots of veggies—mushrooms, onions, green peppers, and black olives—she and I were the only ones who liked the olives. She didn’t just toss them on her pizza. She arranged them in the most beautiful design. Leave it to the Kgirl to have a pizza that looks like it could be in a magazine.

  Avery brought spinach for her pizza. Sounded pretty gross to me, but I had a taste and it wasn’t bad at all. Maeve refused to try it. She said, “Spinach on pizza is a food crime.”

  In the morning, I woke up before the others and decided to climb on my window seat to write. (Serious writers have to practice all the time!)

  When I looked across the room, I could see the full moon setting in the west, perfectly framed in Maeve’s window. It was the color of a huge Florida orange, and it seemed to just hang in the western sky over the lights of the cars on the Massachusetts Turnpike. I wished Isabel was awake for it. She loves the color orange so much. She would’ve flipped over this.

  I like that my window faces east—I guess because I’ve always loved sunrises. They aren’t the same as sunsets at all. No matter where I’ve lived—Africa, Australia, Europe—sunrises have always meant new possibilities…new adventures. (Ever see a lion walking toward you at dawn?)

  This morning when I glanced around the Tower to each window—mine, Katani’s, Maeve’s, and Avery’s—it was painfully obvious that SOMETHING WAS MISSING. I don’t know why it never occurred to me, or to any of us, before.

  Isabel doesn’t have her own place in the Tower: no window of her own, no window seat, no name in lights. It doesn’t feel right…and it’s not fair. She is one of the BSG now.r />
  I don’t know how to fix this. I don’t even know how to bring it up without upsetting the others. Katani might have some real problems with this. She already has to share her room with her sister Kelley; I know she won’t be excited about losing some of her space in the Tower.

  How can we add space for Isabel without taking away space from the rest of us? Solution desperately needed.

  CHAPTER 2

  On Second Thought…

  MOM…I’m home!” Avery hollered as she raced through the front door. She dropped her duffle bag inside the door and trotted into the kitchen, where she found her mom going over a list for another upcoming charity event. Avery thought her mother might have given up on stuff like that after the whole guinea-pig-in-the-salad-bowl disaster a month or so ago. But her mother had said it was her calling to raise money for charities. It was what she was good at, so she might as well keep at it. She had a point, thought Avery. But what if Coach G knew about the guinea pig disaster? Maybe he’d change his mind about wanting her to take charge of the soccer fund-raiser, Avery thought hopefully.

  “What’s up?” Avery asked, as she rocketed past her mom and went straight to the refrigerator.

  “I’m just putting together my calendar for next week,” Mrs. Madden said, looking up from the paperwork spread on the table in front of her. “Did you have fun at Charlotte’s?”

  “It was awesome! I made a spinach pizza for dinner, but Maeve thought it was too gross for words!” The mention of food set Avery’s stomach rumbling again. Mr. Ramsey had made pancakes for the girls this morning, but that felt like hours ago. Avery grabbed a bean burrito from the freezer, shoved it in the microwave, and pushed start. Then she grabbed the phone, punched in Coach Graber’s number, and opened the refrigerator again looking for something to go with the burrito.

  “Avery, dear, please close the fridge. I swear when you’re home that refrigerator door is open more than it’s closed,” Mrs. Madden said in an amused tone.

  Avery took one last look at everything inside and shut the door just as Coach Graber’s answering machine clicked on. As the message played, she wondered if it would be possible to talk her mother into buying one of those refrigerators with the see-through doors so snackaholics like herself could scan the contents quickly.

  Coach Graber’s answering machine beeped. Avery swallowed hard and started her message. “Coach G, this is Avery. I was…uh…just calling to ask about the fund-raiser. I mean, I’m still planning on doing it and everything, but…well…uh…something’s come up at school, and I need to know if this fund-raiser’s going to take like a lot of time and stuff. Guess we can talk about it later.”

  Mrs. Madden put down the calendar, took off her reading glasses, and looked directly at Avery. “What was all that about?”

  Avery felt as if a police spotlight had been shined on her. “Well, Ms. Rodriguez announced that class elections are coming up…and we were all talking at Charlotte’s last night that…well…I’ve always wanted to be president of something and…my friends…all thought that maybe a good place to start would be…”

  “Avery Koh Madden. You have basketball AND soccer AND you promised to be in charge of the soccer club fund-raiser. And don’t forget about your schoolwork! Do you think you have time to run for class president?”

  “I know, but…”

  “Avery, you have so much going on right now, you have to be careful that you don’t get overextended. I think you would have to give something up, sweetheart.”

  “I know, but the girls—they think I’m perfect for the position and…I’ve always wanted…”

  “I agree that you would be wonderful, but unless you give up one of your other commitments, you can’t run for class president. That’s way too much. You will be too exhausted.”

  “I won’t. I have a ton of energy.”

  “Avery,” her mother admonished as she stood and put her arm around Avery’s shoulders. “I know you. This is too much. I am going to have to say NO on this one.”

  Avery’s mind flashed from basketball to soccer to the soccer club fund-raiser. She thought of saying that she would gladly give up some of her schoolwork, but she knew that wouldn’t win any points with her mom.

  The microwave dinged and she grabbed the warm burrito, wrapped it in a napkin, and headed upstairs.

  “Avery…please don’t leave your bag in the foyer,” her mom called from the kitchen.

  Avery snarfed down a chunk of her burrito as she turned on her computer. Great, a message from Maeve. Then she remembered her bag. She rocketed back downstairs, grabbed her duffle, shot back upstairs, and tossed it in the direction of her bed. Before she had a chance to respond to Maeve, there was another message from Isabel.

  Run! Run! As Fast As You Can!

  Katani signed off the computer and started to put her room in order. She always set aside time on Sunday after church to clean her room and plan the upcoming week. Katani’s bedroom looked like something out of Pottery Barn Teen.

  Katani shared her room with her sister Kelley. Even though she loved Kelley dearly, Katani thought sharing a room with her mildly autistic sister was a major annoyance. If Katani left anything lying around, Kelley might walk off with it—especially Katani’s nail polish. So it was very important for Katani to keep her side of the room straightened up so Kelley wasn’t tempted.

  Katani made the best use of every space—like her desk. She loved all the shelves and cubbies above her desk. Her desk accessories were brushed stainless steel. The magazine holders and pencil holders were made from wire mesh. The muted silver complemented the blue plastic stacking boxes which held everything from nail polish to paper clips. She had six in all, each a wonderful shade of blue. She used cardstock in her signature sunflower yellow to label the boxes. It was the perfect accent. Yellow always made her smile. Sometimes Katani thought she should live in Miami, Florida. Lots of yellow there, and great fashion, too!

  Katani finished organizing her desk and plopped on her bed. Loud noises always freaked Kelley out, so Katani put on her earphones, plugged them into her CD player, and cranked up the volume.

  She grabbed a mini yellow pad and started writing. Before she knew it, she’d come up with a terrific list of why Avery should run for president of the seventh-grade class.

  Why Avery Should Run for Class President:

  Good decision-maker

  Makes quick decisions

  Makes fair decisions

  Leadership experience—organized soccer players to help younger players

  Says what she thinks…ouch! (but honesty is good)

  Very practical

  Not easily swayed. Sticks to what she thinks is best…even if it’s not popular

  Katani flipped to the next sheet of paper to start a second list, “How to Convince Avery to Run For Class President,” when Kelley wandered into the room with her favorite stuffed animal, Mr. Bear.

  “Whatcha doing, Katani?” Kelley asked.

  “I’m trying to figure out how to convince Avery to run for seventh-grade class president.”

  “Why?”

  “Because class president is important and the two people who are running wouldn’t be as good as Avery.”

  “What’s number one on the list? Number one! Number one!” Kelley asked.

  “Good decision maker,” Katani said.

  “What’s number two on the list? Number two! Number two!” Kelley asked as she danced around the room to her own tune.

  Katani dutifully read through the list as Kelley called out the numbers. “That’s all,” Katani said when she reached number seven.

  “YOU should be president, Katani,” Kelley said loudly. “President Katani…President Katani.”

  “Kel, that’s really sweet but Avery is the one who has always wanted to be president. It’s just that she thinks she’s too busy. I’m trying to convince her that busy or not, she should run.”

  Kelley shook her head and crossed her arms in front of her. “President
Katani. President of the Abigail Adams Junior High School. Best darn school in the world.”

  Kelley sounded just like their Grandma Ruby, the principal of Abigail Adams Junior High. Katani wanted to laugh out loud, but she didn’t dare. Kelley would get mad and then it would be a big scene.

  But Kelley’s words made Katani blink. Where did Kelley ever get that idea?

  “I don’t think so,” Katani said, but even as she said it, Katani felt something bubbling inside her.

  Kelley pointed to the pad. “You WANT to run for president,” Kelley repeated before she left the room, loudly singing, “Run! Run! As fast as you can! Can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Man! Vote for President Katani!”

  Katani looked at the list in front of her—good decision-maker, leadership experience, says what she feels—just replace soccer team captain with Talent Show stage manager and the list could be about her. Katani realized Kelley was right. She’d been stirred up ever since they had started talking about the elections last night. Was it more than just wanting to have a good candidate? Or was it because she really wanted the job?

  How did Kelley do it? Katani wondered. There were days when Katani thought her sister didn’t have a clue as to what was going on, and other days when Katani thought Kelley was part mind reader. Sometimes, she seemed to know what Katani wanted before Katani even realized it was what she wanted.

  With a tingling realization, Katani suddenly knew that she wanted to be president of the seventh-grade class.

  Wow! What a shocker!

  Katani jumped up and started pacing around her room. This was Avery’s lifelong dream. How could she just swoop in and take over? But if Avery couldn’t run, shouldn’t someone take up the cause? “It’s not like I’d be doing it for myself,” Katani reasoned out loud. She’d be doing it for the whole class—Avery, too. But Katani wasn’t sure if Avery or the other BSG would see it that way.

  Katani was still toying with the idea when she arrived at the soccer fields in Corey Hill Park later that afternoon. The tune that Kelley had been singing all morning was stuck in her head, “Run! Run! As fast as you can! Can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Man!”