Odd Girl In (8 page)

Ms. Success blinked at him then clapped her hands.
“Okaaay! Let's get this party started. Wait right here for me to announce you.”

“Can't we just … walk into the classroom?” I asked.

Ms. Success gave an amused scoff. “No, Alexis! You're a Champ now. And Champs deserve to be noticed. Now, let's all put on our best faces and wow the crowd, okay?”

Ms. Success threw open the door, and the entire class broke into applause.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” she announced, “welcome our newest Champs, the Energetic Evins!”

Chapter 6

I
frowned at my brothers. “Did she just call us
energetic?”

I was never energetic. Not even after five Red Bulls and a bowl of sugar. Parker maybe had a “whoo!” in him, and Nick was probably good for a chest bump, but we'd certainly never been considered lively.

Ms. Success turned to us from the doorway with a huge grin and gave an over-the-top hand wave to gesture us inside.

I pulled my brothers close for a quick conference. “So, are we going for energetic?”

“I think we have to,” Nick said. “Otherwise, we'll look like idiots after all that applause.” He turned away from me. “Jump onto my back and start whooping.”

“Yeah, because
that
doesn't make us look like idiots,” said Parker.

“It's either this or private school!” I climbed onto Nick's back while Parker anxiously shifted from foot to foot.

“Then what am
I
supposed to do?” he asked.

“A cartwheel!” I shouted as Nick ran into the room with me on his back.

For a moment, it was pure chaos as I whooped and punched my fist into the air. Thankfully, the class loved it and got even louder, whistling and cheering. When Nick spun around so we could watch Parker, I saw why.

My muscle-deprived wimp of a brother had his legs kicked up into the air and was
walking on his hands
.

Parker made it halfway across the room before he lost his balance and dropped back onto his feet. When he stood, his face was bright red and his hair was fluffier than ever, but he looked pleased.

I elbowed him. “I didn't know you could walk on your hands!”

“I can't. That was a cartwheel,” he said.

Ms. Success closed the classroom door and motioned for everyone to quiet down. When the applause stopped, she turned to my brothers and me.

“Wow. I have not seen a room
this
excited since my karaoke performance of Lady Gaga.” She cleared her
throat. “Downloads of that are on my website, by the way.”

She then positioned my brothers and me side by side and introduced us to the class.

“All righty. Here we have Nick, Parker, and Alexis.” She touched each of our heads in turn. “Learn their names and teach them yours.” She pointed to us. “I expect you to know your classmates by the end of the lesson.”

“Today?” I asked, glancing at the eighteen faces watching us.

Ms. Success addressed the rest of the class. “Champs, why would I want them to know your names so quickly?”

She let her eyes wander the room and fired a finger gun at a girl with her hand raised.

“Why, Jules?”

“Because a person's name is the most important thing you can learn about them,” recited Jules.

“Exactly. People love to hear—” Ms. Success stopped when Parker waved a hand to catch her attention.

“Oh, come
on
,” Nick said with a groan.

Ms. Success nodded to Parker. “Something you'd like to add, Mr. Evins?”

“I don't think a person's name is the most
important
thing you can learn,” said Parker. “I mean, what if they have leprosy? Wouldn't you want to know
that
first?”

Several kids in the class laughed, but Ms. Success quieted them by lifting a finger.

“Fine,” she gave him a tight smile. “When it comes to meeting
most
people, nothing is as important as remembering their name.”

At her command, the kids in the class introduced themselves, and I did my best to listen closely. Chloe was easy and I could remember Trevor, sitting in the back, but all the other faces were a blur. Everyone wore matching Champs shirts so I couldn't even connect the kids to unique wardrobes. Unless …

I reached behind me, feeling the rubberized letters of my name on my Champs shirt.

“I want to sit in the back of the room!” I blurted out as the last boy introduced himself. “I've got a … a fear of sitting in the front.”

“Oh, Alexis.” Emily, who'd been blessedly quiet, stepped forward and squeezed my arm. “You shouldn't be afraid. I'll be right here with you.”

“Awww.” I smiled at her, then turned again to Ms. Success. “Please!”

“It's true,” spoke up Parker. “She's got … triskaidekaphobia.”

“Yeah, she starts hyperventilating,” Nick added.

I nodded, shocked that my brothers hadn't tried to call me out.

“Just a second.” Ms. Success grunted and stepped away to get her seating chart.

I sidled closer to Parker. “What is triska …
what
do I have?” I whispered.

“The fear of the number thirteen,” he answered with a grin.

Ms. Success returned, pen and chart in hand, shaking her head. “You kids today are so soft. When
I
was your age, the only things I feared were war and my Aunt Betty's parrot.”

“Her parrot?” asked Nick. “Because it was mean?”

“No, because it was dead.” Ms. Success scribbled on the chart. “I played with that thing for hours before anyone told me.”

“Oh,” said Nick, looking as disgusted as Parker and me.

Ms. Success shook her head. “I should have guessed after I tossed him in the air and he wouldn't fly. But when he hit the dirt, I just figured he was really full of birdseed.”

“Okay, that
is
disturbing,” I spoke up before she could continue. “But I'm glad you, uh, survived.”

Ms. Success grinned and waved me away. “Go on, you. Take a seat next to Trevor.”

I hurried to the back before she could change her mind,
and dropped my stuff on the desk beside Trevor's. I let out a sigh of relief. From where I was sitting, I could see the names on everyone's shirts.

“Hey.” Trevor leaned toward me. “Trevor the Clever.”

I just blinked at him. “Alex the Confused.”

Trevor laughed and pulled away. “I meant my nickname. It's a mnemonic device. You know, something to help you remember. I've got one for everyone in the class.”

I laughed too. “Oh! That
is
clever, uh, Trevor. But I knew about you even before I got here. A couple of kids from my school have a crush on you.”

As soon as I'd said the words, I knew I'd broken the Holy Code of Girl. “I mean, uh, not crush. They just think you're cute.” I bit my tongue. “Or maybe not even
cute
. Just not ugly.”

I turned away and craned my neck to see if the seat next to Emily was still free.

“Wow. Some girls think I'm not ugly,” said Trevor. “I guess I'll take that as a compliment. What school do you go to?”

I jumped on the opportunity to change the subject. “Weber, the one near the paintball course.”

His face lit up. “I love paintball! Does anyone ever—”

“Trevor! Alexis!” barked Ms. Success. “Don't make me strain my singing voice.”

Trevor and I stopped talking, and I put my backpack under my desk. He glanced around and whispered. “So if you go to Weber, it must be Emily and Chloe who like me, huh?”

And we were back on
that
. I smiled and put a finger to my lips. Then I leaned forward and listened as Ms. Success talked about teamwork.

“Nobody can tackle every challenge alone,” she said. “Try moving furniture by yourself. Or building a house. Try choosing a new exotic pet to cheer up your aunt.” She shook her head. “For the record, monkeys are a
bad
idea.”

I exchanged a mystified look with Trevor, and the rest of the class buzzed with confusion until Ms. Success clapped her hands.

“The point is … all of those tasks are made easier when you have help.” She glanced across the room and frowned. “Unless you're partnered with someone eating their own hair and looking out the window.”

Everyone followed Ms. Success's gaze to a blonde girl in the far corner who seemed to be mentally miles away.

Ms. Success cupped her hands over her mouth and called to her. “Come back to us, Shelly. Your parents are paying good money for that star T-shirt.”

When Shelly realized we were all watching, she let her
hair fall from her mouth and straightened up to face the front of the class.

“Now,” said Ms. Success. “Teamwork …”

The lesson continued for half an hour until it was time to break. As we followed the rest of the class outside, Trevor pointed out the tricks he used to remember their names. Meanwhile, my brothers did what they did best and mingled with the other students. Parker made the guys laugh and Nick made the girls blush. Even Chloe.

For my sake, I really hoped she'd fall for Nick and forget all about Trevor. That way, there'd be no drama between her and Emily. Unfortunately, Chloe sauntered over to Trevor and me as soon as she spotted us.

“Hey, guys! I'm not interrupting anything, am I?” She smiled at both of us but her eyes quickly flitted to me.

“Nope,” I said. “Just discussing teamwork and how great it is.”

“Excellent!” Chloe scooted onto the bench between Trevor and me. “What are you doing for your teamwork assignment?”

Before I could answer, she groaned and shifted back to her feet.

“Emily the Strange is coming. I'll talk to you guys later.” She leaned toward me and mumbled, “If you join an
interesting
group, let me know.”

I nodded and Chloe waved to Trevor before sprinting away. Emily glanced after her, shrugged, and held a white paper bag out to Trevor and me.

“Want some? I made them myself.”

She opened the bag and revealed a bunch of wrapped candies smelling strongly of chocolate.

“Yum!” I grabbed a couple and so did Trevor.

“Thanks, Emily!” he said.

I popped one into my mouth, chewed, and then stopped. It wasn't just chocolate. It was chocolate-covered
cheese
. I tried not to breathe through my nose as I swallowed.

“What do you think?” asked Emily, bouncing on her toes. “I call them ‘cheesocolates.'”

Ordinarily I might have said something sarcastic, but she looked so hopeful.

“Mmmm.” I rubbed my stomach. “Unique.”

Trevor swallowed hard and gave her a thumbs-up. “Where'd you find the recipe?”

She blushed. “Actually, I got the idea from you.”

I groaned, remembering Project Trevor.

“From me?” he asked.

“I've seen you eat Cheetos dipped in pudding,” explained Emily. “I figured you must like the contrast of salty and sweet so I thought I'd make it more portable.” She thrust the bag at us. “Here. Take some more!”

Trevor and I didn't budge.

“Maybe you should save those,” I said. “You know, for a special occasion.”

Emily waved the thought away. “Go ahead. I'm making more for Chloe's slumber party.”

“Really?” I raised my eyebrows and Emily frowned. “I mean, does the world really … deserve them?”

“I have an idea,” said Trevor. “My mom's a chef and I help her in the kitchen sometimes. Why don't we
all
make some desserts?”

Emily's face brightened and she turned to me with a pleading look. “Yes! It could be your teamwork assignment!”

Even though I imagined at least a dozen ways this could end badly, I sighed and nodded. “All right.”

“Great!” Emily hugged me, then advanced on Trevor, who was too busy pawing through her candy to notice.

Before she could hug-attack him, I yanked her away by the back of her shirt and shook my head. Trevor glanced up just as Emily was smoothing her top down. “So, um, we'll meet at my place tomorrow evening?” she asked.

“Sounds like a plan!” he said.

We followed the crowd back inside for the rest of our lesson. When it was finally winding down, Ms. Success called my brothers and me to the front, and I silently recited my mnemonics so I wouldn't forget them.

Shy Shelly, B.O. Bobby, Tan Dan
…

“All right, Evinses.” Ms. Success rubbed her hands together. “You've met your classmates. I want you to point them out and tell me one thing about each of them.”

My thoughts came to a grinding halt and I turned to Ms. Success. “I thought we just had to learn
names
.”

Ms. Success wagged a finger. “I said I expected you to
know
your classmates, Alexis. Why don't you go first?”