Catch Us If You Can (9780545539487)

by Mclean, Hope

  It was Willow. “Jazz. Turn on News Twelve right now.”

  Puzzled, Jasmine raced to the living room and switched on the TV, turning to the local news channel. A tall man wearing a blue pinstripe suit was talking into the camera. Underneath him on the screen it said, “Arthur Atkinson, Director of Atkinson Preparatory School.”

  “So as you can see, I have allowed the police to search every inch of the school, and no ruby was found,” he was saying. “Right now, police are searching the homes of our sixth-grade academic team members, and I assure you that they won’t find anything there, either. We have absolutely nothing to hide!”

  “Mr. Atkinson, what led to these accusations?” the reporter asked.

  “From what I have learned, these false accusations were made by a competing sixth-grade academic team, the Martha Washington Jewels,” he said, and Jasmine gasped. Mr. Atkinson continued. “They’re obviously trying to discredit our team so we’ll be disqualified from future competitions. Outrageous!”

  “Did you hear that?” Willow asked. “He says he called the police himself after Principal Frederickson talked to him.”

  “The shadow of thievery will not stain our school’s reputation!” Atkinson was yelling into the camera, and Jasmine turned off the TV. It was too hard to watch.

  “I can’t believe he called us out … on TV,” she groaned. “This is so embarrassing!”

  “And don’t forget,” Willow said. “The competition today is being hosted by Atkinson Prep.”

  Jasmine groaned again. “Can this day get any worse?” She dumped her granola into the garbage. She had lost her appetite.

  “Jasmine? Are you there?” Willow asked on the phone.

  Jasmine felt like crying. This was even worse than her nightmare!

  “I’m here,” she said in a sad voice. “Willow, what are we going to do?”

  “Let’s meet at school an hour before we’re supposed to leave for the quiz bowl so we can all talk about this,” Willow suggested. “I’ll let Erin and Lili know.”

  When Jasmine walked into Ms. Keatley’s classroom later that morning, Willow was there waiting for her. They looked at each other and shook their heads sadly.

  “I feel like it’s all my fault,” Willow said. “I’m the one who wanted to tell Principal Frederickson.”

  Just then, Erin burst into the room, and she looked angry.

  “Your fault?” she asked. “No way! What kind of an adult goes on the news to bad-mouth sixth-grade kids? What a creep!”

  She collapsed into a chair, holding her phone.

  “I’ve been getting texts all morning,” Erin complained. “Frankie, one of my friends from the Colonial quiz bowl team, said he thought we were supposed to be the good guys! Now everyone thinks we’re jerks.”

  Willow frowned. “I haven’t checked my Chatter page yet.” She pulled out her phone. Her frown deepened as she read the messages.

  “Here’s a post from our ‘friend’” — Willow said the word sarcastically — “Isabel. It says, ‘Who’s the cheater now?’”

  Lili moped in, her shoulders hunched over. There wasn’t a dash of glitter to be seen anywhere on her outfit.

  “Hey,” she said in a quiet voice. “Worst day ever, or what?”

  The rest of the Jewels exchanged worried glances. Lili could find the silver lining in anything, even when the cafeteria served meat loaf. Without even realizing it, they’d all been counting on her to cheer them up somehow.

  “Yes.” Erin nodded. “The. Worst. Day. Ever,” she said, slowly emphasizing each word.

  “My mom is furious,” Willow said. “She’s going to call Principal Frederickson first thing Monday morning.”

  Jasmine thought of her mother walking in right after she’d gotten off the phone with Willow that morning. Through her tears, Jasmine had barely been able to explain to her what had happened.

  “My mom said maybe I shouldn’t be on the quiz bowl team anymore,” Jasmine admitted. “She said all this drama isn’t healthy.”

  Lili nodded. “My mom was even talking about sending me to Atkinson with Eli!” She avoided looking at her friends’ faces. “She said that maybe you guys aren’t good influences. I told her the truth, and she seemed to believe me. But if anything else happens, I’m Atkinson bound.”

  Willow worried that her quiz bowl championship dreams were dying. But even worse was the thought of losing her friends.

  “We’ve got to stick together,” Willow said, “and get through today, no matter how tough it’s going to be.”

  Lili shuddered. “I can’t imagine standing in the Atkinson theater with everyone staring at us, judging.”

  “I know my team,” Ms. Keatley said as she walked into the classroom. She was carrying a large bakery box. “And they are a good, honest team, and I’m proud to be their advisor. I’ll tell that to anyone, any newscaster, anywhere.” She placed the box down on her desk.

  The girls raced to Ms. Keatley, nearly knocking her over as they embraced her.

  “Whoa!” she said as she steadied herself. “Now, who wants a doughnut? They always cheer me up when I’m feeling down.”

  The girls opened the box. For the first time that day, Lili’s face brightened. “Oh, pink with sprinkles — my favorite!” she said as she reached for one.

  They all grabbed a doughnut, even Willow, who picked a chocolate-filled one.

  “I want you to know that I spoke with Principal Frederickson this morning,” Ms. Keatley said as the girls snacked. “She’s very upset that Arthur Atkinson contacted the news media. It was her hope that things could be handled quietly. However, now that the search showed that the ruby is not at Atkinson or hidden at any of the Rivals’ homes, she wants you to forget about the matter and concentrate on the quiz bowl instead. Although,” she looked sympathetically at the girls, “we both understand if you would like to forfeit today’s match. It’s up to you.”

  Willow immediately shook her head. “If we don’t show up, it will look like Arthur Atkinson was right about us. We weren’t trying to blame the Rivals just so we could win competitions. We had good reason to think they might have stolen the ruby. And I’m still not convinced that they didn’t!”

  “You’ve got to let that go,” Ms. Keatley gently reminded her. “But I admire your attitude. What do the rest of you think?”

  “I have nothing to be ashamed about,” Erin said defiantly. “I say we go. And when I see that Mr. Atkinson, boy, am I gonna give him a piece of my mind!”

  Ms. Keatley shook her head. “You’ll do nothing of the sort. Today is all about taking the high road, so you’ll have to keep your temper in check. Promise?” Erin sighed, but nodded yes. “Lili? Jasmine?”

  Lili and Jasmine glanced at each other.

  “Everyone is going to be looking at us and talking about us!” Jasmine said fearfully. “It’s going to be awful. But if Willow and Erin can do it, so can I.”

  Lili smiled. “What the heck, I’m in, too!”

  * * *

  On the drive to Atkinson Prep, their confidence began to leave them. Usually before a meet, they would test one another with flash cards. Today they were all too nervous to concentrate, even Willow. As Ms. Keatley drove her old Volvo station wagon through Atkinson’s six-acre campus, the Jewels only became more intimidated.

  The school’s six buildings were spread out among an impressive parklike setting full of gardens and playing fields. The main building, made of red sandstone, resembled a medieval castle, complete with turrets. It stood three stories high, dominating the landscape.

  Erin gulped. “I wonder if they have a dungeon in the basement.”

  Ms. Keatley parked the car, and they all walked through the main entrance. Other quiz bowl teams were milling around the hallways, talking loudly. As soon as the Jewels entered, everyone grew quiet.

  “I feel awkward,” Lili whispered to Erin.

  Erin pretended she didn’t care as they walked toward the theater. “Hey, what’s up?” she said
with forced confidence to the other students. “Nice weather we’re having, isn’t it? Good day for a quiz bowl.” The other kids stared, their mouths open, until the girls passed.

  Jasmine turned bright red. “Erin!” she cried, but she was trying not to laugh.

  One of the other team advisors waved to Ms. Keatley and motioned for her to come over. She turned to the girls.

  “The competition starts in about fifteen minutes,” she said. “I’ll meet you inside. Just try to relax, okay?”

  “We’ll be totally chill,” Erin promised.

  Then another group of kids walked past, and they started whispering as soon as they saw the Jewels. That was too much for Jasmine.

  “Come on,” she said, grabbing Willow’s arm. “Let’s hang out somewhere else until this thing starts. I can’t bear to go into that theater just yet!”

  They turned a corner and found themselves in a quiet, empty hallway. Jasmine immediately relaxed.

  “Everyone was looking at us! It’s so awful!” she wailed.

  “They’ll be looking at us when we’re onstage,” Erin pointed out.

  Jasmine groaned. “Don’t remind me!”

  The girls were quiet for a minute. They were all pretty nervous — even Erin, who tried to hide it. She distracted herself by looking at the photo display on the wall behind them: “A History of Atkinson Preparatory School.”

  “So this place was founded in 1816 by James Atkinson,” she read aloud. “I guess he’s Arthur Atkinson’s great-great-great grandfather or something.”

  “Actually, he’d more likely be his great-great-great-great-great grandfather,” Willow said. “If you do the math.”

  “Actually, I don’t do the math,” Erin said with a grin. “I leave that up to you.”

  Lili was looking at the photos, too. “Jazz, here’s something to cheer you up. It’s a pretty blue stone.”

  Curious, Jasmine walked to Lily’s side. “It’s a sapphire,” she said, reading the card under the photo. “The Atkinson sapphire. The Atkinson family donated it to the school, but it was stolen in 1949. It says here that the sapphire is why Atkinson’s school color is blue.”

  “Kind of like the Martha Washington ruby,” Willow pointed out.

  It seemed quiet all of a sudden, and they noticed that the sound of chatting in the other hallway had stopped.

  “It must be starting,” Willow said, and they hurried into the theater to find Ms. Keatley. At first, they watched the other teams compete while waiting for their turn. Jasmine saw Maddie, her friend from the Owls, sitting a few rows behind her. But when Jasmine turned to wave, Maddie acted like she didn’t see her.

  Jasmine sank into her seat, wishing it would suck her in and magically transport her home. No luck. The Jewels were called to the stage, and the whispering in the theater rose to a dull roar.

  Lili reached into the messenger bag slung over her shoulder and pulled out what looked to be socks.

  “I almost forgot!” she exclaimed. “I gave the team uniform another try. These are leg warmers. Each pair has our birthstones on them.” She handed a set to Jasmine. “These have yellow topaz.”

  Erin was handed a pair fastened with turquoise, Willow received a set dotted with faux emeralds, and Lili’s had fake pearls.

  “Put them on!” Lili ordered. With the entire room watching, the girls slid on their leg warmers. One of Erin’s got stuck in her shoe and she almost tumbled over.

  Willow giggled. “Thanks, Lili.”

  “You’re welcome!” she said. “Now let’s go get ’em!”

  They filed up the stage stairs, passing the Rivals. Isabel snorted derisively. “Nice leg warmers,” she whispered, just loud enough for the Jewels to hear. Erin felt her cheeks turning bright red. Veronica caught her eye and gave her a small smile and a nod. Ryan and Aaron looked directly ahead and didn’t make eye contact.

  As the Jewels walked to their position, they spotted Ms. Keatley at the rear of the stage, having a heated discussion with Arthur Atkinson!

  “I hope your team will play with honor and integrity today,” he said pompously. “I could have petitioned to disqualify them.”

  Ms. Keatley was normally pretty calm, but in that moment, her eyes flashed. “On what grounds? They did nothing wrong. And I can assure you, my team always plays with honor and integrity!”

  “Well, just know that I’ll be watching them,” he said before stalking off.

  Willow felt Erin trembling with rage next to her.

  “Relax.” Willow tried to calm her friend, but she felt her own heart racing. “It’s time to get started.”

  They quickly took their places behind four lecterns across the stage from the Rivals. Both teams faced the audience and the moderator stood at the edge of the stage, facing the teams. Willow cast a sideways glance at the Rivals, who looked supremely confident. Isabel met her stare, then rolled her eyes and looked away.

  Furious, Willow focused her attention on the moderator as he introduced the teams. Then he started the match by reading the first question.

  “Between which two planets does the orbit of Ceres occur?” he asked.

  Astronomy! It was a subject Jasmine wasn’t as familiar with, even though she had been brushing up on her sciences. Before she could search her memory, a buzzer sounded.

  “Atkinson,” the moderator said.

  “Jupiter and Mars,” Veronica answered.

  “That is correct,” the moderator replied.

  The crowd in the theater clapped. Jasmine’s shoulders slumped. Ryan flashed a triumphant look in the Jewels’ direction. Then he and the Rivals quickly answered their bonus question. The points were already piling up.

  “How did most people in France earn a living at the time of the French Revolution?” the moderator asked.

  Easy, Erin thought. She had her hands gripped tightly together. She unclenched them and went to hit the buzzer, but her sweaty palm slid right off.

  “The answer is farming or agriculture,” Isabel replied confidently, shooting a “Take that!” look in Erin’s direction. Erin’s palms got even sweatier, and she wasn’t alone. All the Jewels were quickly losing what little confidence they had going in, especially when the Rivals got the following bonus question right.

  Then the moderator read the next toss-up question.

  “Find the lowest common multiple of six, eight, and sixteen.”

  The girls turned to Willow. She always did awesome at math questions.

  Willow began the calculations in her head. But then she caught Ryan Atkinson grinning at her. Was he laughing? She grew flustered and it took her longer to come up with the answer, giving Ryan the chance to buzz in first.

  “The answer is forty-eight,” he said self-assuredly.

  “That is correct,” the moderator affirmed.

  All the girls were having trouble with the toss-up questions. Lili should have been able to ace the next one.

  “Name the sixteenth-century Greek artist trained by monks who painted The Burial of the Count of Orgaz, among other masterpieces, in Spain.”

  But Lili wasn’t paying attention. She was wondering if she’d really have to go to school at Atkinson. Besides the fashion-disaster uniforms, with her luck, she’d end up with a locker next to Isabel’s. When Erin noticed her friend lost in thought, she gave her a nudge in the side. But it was too late. Aaron Santiago had buzzed in.

  “El Greco,” he answered.

  “Correct.” The moderator continued asking questions, but the Jewels couldn’t get it together. With the exception of a couple of correct answers here and there, the Rivals decimated them.

  After the match, the Rivals crossed the stage to shake hands with the Jewels.

  “I’m sorry you didn’t live up to your hype,” Ryan said while shaking Willow’s hand. “I was looking forward to the competition.”

  Willow felt some of her spirit returning.

  “We’re only down one match, Ryan,” she said coolly. “We’ll meet you guys again, and I
don’t think you’ll be as lucky.”

  Ryan gave her a little salute before walking off.

  Willow turned to her friends. “What is up with that guy?” she asked, angrily pounding her fist into her palm. “I’d like to see him get humiliated on the news and try to compete!”

  “I don’t think anything bothers him,” Erin mused. “Maybe he’s a robot. That would explain all those right answers.”

  Ms. Keatley walked up to them and ushered the girls backstage. “Come on. We can talk about this in private.”

  Jasmine collapsed into a folding chair. “That was a disaster!” she wailed, putting her head in her hands.

  “The circumstances were unusual,” Ms. Keatley said. “You girls will recover. I know it.”

  Willow was still angry. “I need to cool down,” she told Ms. Keatley. “Can I go find some water?”

  “I’ll go with you,” Lili said.

  “There’s a water fountain over by the dressing rooms,” Ms. Keatley said, pointing. “Behind that red curtain.”

  Willow and Lili walked behind the curtain, which blocked the light filtering out from the stage, making it dark and hard to see. They heard voices and started to follow them, hoping they would lead to the dressing rooms. Suddenly, Willow recognized Isabel’s French accent, and she sounded mad! Willow turned to Lili with a finger on her lips. Lili nodded. The two crept quietly toward the sound of Isabel’s voice.

  “It is not my fault!” Isabel said indignantly. “How was I to know?”

  “You were supposed to check,” Aaron said. “This plan was supposed to be foolproof.”

  “It is Jewel-proof,” Isabel sneered. “Those girls couldn’t find their way out of a paper bag.”

  “Forget about them,” Ryan snapped. “We’ve got other things to worry about. I didn’t want to hide it there in the first place. Now the exhibit is going on tour. We’ve got to get it back, and fast. I told you Minerva would have been a better choice. Even putting it on the neck of Columbia for all of DC to see would have been smarter.”

  Lili and Willow looked at each other, their eyes wide. Could the Rivals be talking about where they had hidden the ruby necklace?