Vote for Cupcakes! (2 page)

“Why?” Delaney asked. “I mean, isn't it obvious? They just need to listen to me.” She pulled the flier out of her backpack. “Thanks, Kylie.”

“For what?” her friend asked.

“For convincing me to run for president. I can't wait to get started campaigning!”

Kylie smiled but wondered if that really was the best idea—and if Delaney knew what she was getting herself into.

As soon as Delaney got home, she began working on her presidential posters. She wasn't quite the artist Lexi was, so she decided the best way to make a poster was to cut pictures out of magazines and glue them onto large poster boards. What was it her mom always said? A picture was worth a thousand words?

She rummaged through her family's recycling bin in the garage and found a bunch of magazines and newspapers. She ripped out any page that “spoke” to her: a photo of a delicious pepperoni pizza with gooey cheese dripping from a slice, a picture of a sparkly clean bathroom and a mop, and an ad for tater tots piping hot out of the oven.

She glued the pizza pic to a large red poster and wrote her first campaign promise above it: “Vote for Delaney if you want delicious school lunches!” She pasted the bathroom pic to a green board and wrote, “Delaney says no more messy girls' and boys' bathrooms!” Then she stuck the tater tots pic to a blue poster board and wrote in big, black bubble letters, “Delaney promises tater tots every Friday!” She stood back and admired her handiwork.

“What's all this?” her mom asked, finding her daughter sitting on the living room floor surrounded by piles of papers, scraps, and glue sticks.

“I'm running for Weber Day fifth-grade president,” Delaney said proudly.

“Wow.” Her mom's eyes grew wide. “That's great, honey. I had no idea you were interested in politics. Are you sure you have time? I mean with all your homework, the school play, your cupcake club…”

“I'll make time,” Delaney insisted.

Her mom looked concerned. “Well, if you're sure you can handle it all…”

“It's really important,” Delaney pleaded with her. “I want to make the school the best it can possibly be.”

“Now that's a great campaign slogan,” her mom said approvingly.

“It is, isn't it?” Delaney said proudly. She spied a giant letter
B
in a headline on the front page of the Sunday newspaper and snipped it out. Then she wrote on a piece of paper, “Vote for Delaney! Make Weber Day the best it can…” and triumphantly glued the letter
B
beneath it.

“Can we go to the copy store, Mom?” she asked. “So I can make a bunch of these to post around school?”

Her mom smiled. “I'm happy to help President Noonan in any way I can,” she said and saluted her.

“I'm not president yet,” Delaney reminded her. “But it would be great, wouldn't it?”

• • •

The next day at school, Delaney began plastering the hallways with the fliers and posters she had made. “Vote for Delaney for Prez!” she said cheerfully as she stuck one on Sophie's locker. It had a big picture of Delaney smiling and giving two thumbs-up. Around the words, she'd used gold star stickers.

“You're serious about this?” Sophie asked.

“Totally! And you have to help me…First Friend!”

She handed Sophie a stack of fliers. “Start handing these out and sticking them anywhere you see a blank wall.”

“Here!” Sophie said, shoving one in her classmate Olivia Dante's face. “Vote for Delaney!”

Olivia wrinkled her nose. “What's this?”

Delaney stepped forward and cheerfully explained. “I'm running for fifth-grade president,” she said, smiling. “Vote for Delaney!”

Olivia was short, with long, dark hair and dark eyes that always seemed lost in deep thought. Delaney noticed that she hardly ever smiled and was
very
serious in class, in gym, in chorus, in line in the cafeteria… Actually, she was serious all the time.

“Why should I?” Olivia asked, reading the flier. “I mean, what do you stand for?”

“Stand for?” Delaney replied. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, what are the important issues facing our school that you are going to address as president? Every candidate needs a platform.”

Olivia pulled a flier out of her own bag. “Like this.”

The sheet of paper read “Vote for Olivia for President” and had a long list of campaign promises: “I will ask for school to start five minutes later to allow for early-morning traffic. I will start a peer mediation program to help prevent bullying. I will meet with the administration weekly to discuss any and all student concerns.”

“Wow.” Delaney gulped. “This is really impressive. I just wanted pizza for lunch every day and no more toilet paper stuck to the ceiling of the bathroom.”

“Give me one good reason why
anyone
should vote for you over me,” Olivia said.

“Because…well, because…” Delaney stammered. She couldn't think of a single reason—other than the tater tots—and she knew that was not as important as anything Olivia was proposing.

“Yeah, thought so,” Olivia said. “That's gonna be a big problem in the debate.”

“Debate?” Delaney was starting to feel a little queasy. No one had told her campaigning for class president was such hard work! “What debate?”

“The presidential debate Friday during assembly,” Olivia said. “The candidates go head-to-head on all the issues and present their platforms to the student body.”

“Did we know that?” Sophie whispered to her friend.

“We didn't…but it's not a problem,” Delaney shot back. “I'll be ready.”

Olivia shrugged. “I hope so—but this took me two weeks, and you've got just two days. Good luck with that!” She continued down the hall, handing out more fliers and campaign buttons that read “Liv Leads the Way 2 a Better Weber Day!”

“Not fair,” Delaney said, sighing. “Nobody told me about this debate thing—or that I needed to make buttons.”

“The debate will be a breeze for you,” Sophie assured her. “You're a natural performer—you always get the lead in the school plays. If anyone can win over an audience, it's you.”

“Acting is one thing,” Delaney said. “But Olivia is smart. She really knows what she's talking about. I don't have a clue.”

Sophie steered her toward the library. “Then figure it out. Do your research on successful presidential campaigns, and ask kids here in school what they think and want.”

“That's kind of what Kylie said too,” Delaney recalled. “About asking people's opinions.”

“You want to be a great leader who represents the people—not a dictator,” Sophie reminded her. “Remember where that got Caesar.”

“With a huge Las Vegas hotel named after him?” Delaney joked.

“Dead!” Sophie exclaimed.

“Fine, I get the point. Talk to kids, get their opinions, and make lots of promises that sound better than Olivia's.”

“Well, sorta,” Sophie tried to warn her. “Just be careful not to make promises you can't keep.”

But Delaney was already down the hall and out of earshot. She had a long, long list to write and a campaign strategy to plan.

• • •

When Delaney got to the library, Mr. G was at a table, surrounded by a mountain of books.

“Delaney,” he said, smiling when he saw her enter. “I'm up to my eyeballs in ancient Rome, finalizing our script for the class play. Adapting Shakespeare isn't an easy task, but I need to make it clear and concise so everyone—even the younger kids in the school—understand. Care to join me?”

“Um, actually I need to be working on my political campaign,” she said, trying to sound very official.

“So you're taking my advice and running for fifth-grade president!” he exclaimed. “Good for you. And history is an excellent place to start planning that campaign.” He pushed out a chair and motioned for her to take a seat. “You're lucky to be playing a great Roman general and statesman—it'll come in handy.”

Delaney looked confused. “Caesar? I thought he was a bad guy? A bully?”

“He was a very popular leader and helped turn the Roman Republic into the powerful Roman Empire,” Mr. G insisted. “He wasn't
all
bad. I find him fascinating.”

“He's a great role to play—don't get me wrong,” Delaney said. “But I'm not sure how that helps me run my campaign here at school.”

Mr. G tapped his pen on the table. “Well, Caesar was a brilliant military leader, and his greatest talent was inspiring his troops.”

“I don't have any troops.” Delaney sighed.

“Ah, but you do! Your classmates. And they are looking to you for inspiration. What can you do to fire them up and get them on your side?”

“Fire them up? I dunno how,” she said, shrugging.

“Well, what would Caesar do?” Mr. G asked.

“Um, he would ask his advisers for advice,” Delaney recalled. “He had a really big posse: Brutus, Cassius, Marc Antony…”

Her teacher chuckled. “Yes, he most certainly did.”

“Hmmm, I guess I could ask my most trusted advisers,” Delaney said. Suddenly, she knew exactly what to do—and how to do it.

“Thanks, Mr. G,” she said, grabbing her bag and rushing off. “I got this.”

“I have no doubt you do!” he called after her.

Delaney insisted that the cupcake club meet after school at her house to start working on the Winter Fest cupcakes. They rotated volunteering their kitchens to bake orders, and it was supposed to be Sadie's turn—but Delaney convinced everyone that her mom needed her to help look after her twin baby brother and sister.

“Thanks,” she said as they came through the door with bags of ingredients to start baking. “Tristan and Charlotte are big trouble for two little babies.”

She ushered them into the kitchen and told them to each take a seat on a stool. “I have something serious to discuss,” she said.

Kylie rolled her eyes. “Delaney, is this about running for class prez?”

“Shhh!” Delaney hushed her. She tried to remember some of what Mr. G had taught them about ancient Roman politics and recalled a speech he'd read them—something about friends, Romans, and countrymen…

“Friends, bakers, cupcakers…” she began. “Lend me your ears!”

She filled them all in on the lack of paint and proper togas, Olivia's campaign, and Mr. G's suggestions.

“Lemme get this straight,” Jenna said with a sigh. “We go to Blakely and you go to Weber Day, but you want us to help you inspire two hundred kids at your school…
how
?”

“That's what I'm asking
you
!” Delaney said. “It doesn't matter if we go to different schools. You guys are my most trusted advisers. Help me inspire them.”

“Inspire them to do what?” Lexi asked.

“Pick me,” Delaney answered. “Make me their leader.”

“It sounds like you need a pep rally, like before a game,” Sadie piped up. “You know, cheerleaders and a bonfire and someone yelling ‘Go, Delaney, go!' in a megaphone?”

Delaney wrinkled her nose. “It sounds a little too sporty for a presidential debate. But I like the part about chanting my name. That's very pop star.”

Kylie wasn't thrilled that Delaney had ambushed the meeting, but she could tell her friend really needed help. “You should do something that will make them remember you,” she spoke up. “A logo or a campaign slogan, like the ‘Hillary for America' bumper sticker my mom has on her car.”

“Hmmm,” Delaney considered. “‘Delaney for America.' It has a nice ring to it.”

“You need something more original—more you,” Jenna added. “Like ‘Vote for Zany Delaney!'”

Sadie cracked up. “Well, that's definitely
you
, Laney,” she said. “Your Instagram post this morning with the fruit on your head was pretty out there!”

“I was feeling like a smoothie,” she explained.

“It fits—but I'm not sure how the message ‘Zany Delaney' will inspire kids to vote for you,” Lexi said. She took out her sketchbook and made a few doodles. “What do you think?” she asked, holding up a page. On it, she had drawn a giant cupcake and written the words “A Sweet Thought: Vote for Delaney!”

“It's a good idea, but I think we can add some Roman military strategy to it,” Delaney said, thinking out loud. “I remember from my history homework that Caesar had his soldiers decorate their weapons so they would carry them proudly into battle.”

“Weapons? I was talking about cupcakes,” Lexi reminded her.

“I know! But what if we hand out cupcakes and lots of different toppings?” Delaney suggested. “Have the kids all decorate their own so they are proud of them—and happy to vote for me.”

“DIY cupcakes,” Sadie chimed in. “That's a great idea, Laney. When would we hand them out?”

“At the debate on Friday,” Delaney said. “Yes! This is so much better than Olivia's ideas! I am
so
going to beat her!”

“Is that why you're running for president?” Kylie asked her. “So you can beat her? I thought you wanted to make positive changes at your school.”

“That too,” Delaney said. “But it would be awesome to watch Olivia lose when she was so sure she was going to win.” She smiled at the thought. “Talk to me about flavors and decorations for
my
campaign cupcakes.”

“The flavor has to be a crowd-pleaser,” Jenna insisted. “Let's do our famous Black Bottom Cupcakes with cheesecake baked inside. No one can say no to those.”

“And we can hand out sprinkles, chocolate chips, gummy bears…you name it,” Lexi said. “Everyone can make their own cupcake masterpiece.”

Kylie held up her hands in a time-out gesture. “Guys, before we get too excited, remember we have the Blakely Winter Fest to cater. Baking for Delaney's debate would mean we have to make a thousand cupcakes in just two days.”

“Well, this is more important than some dumb winter party,” Delaney insisted. “Can't you just tell your principal we're busy—and we'll do it next time?”

“A promise is a promise,” Kylie insisted. “I gave Principal Fontina our word, and that means something.”

“It means you don't have time to help your BFF!” Delaney fired back. “That stinks, Kylie.”

Kylie took a deep breath and tried to stay calm. She was furious at how selfish Delaney was behaving! What was wrong with her? Delaney knew better! She knew how important it was to keep Principal Fontina happy. Without her permission, PLC would have no teachers' lounge kitchen to meet in at Blakely. Still, Delaney was her BFF, and this obviously meant a lot to her…

“I didn't say I wouldn't help you,” Kylie said softly. “I just said we're going to have to figure out how to get both orders done on time. I have a huge English paper due Friday morning too.”

“And I have a basketball game tomorrow afternoon,” Sadie added.

“See?” Kylie pointed out. “We've all got tons to do.”

“Well, we can divide and conquer,” Delaney said, pushing Kylie aside. “Lexi, Sadie, and you can do the Winter Fest cupcakes, and Jenna and I can work on my campaign cupcakes—and I'll text my friend Sophie and get her to come pitch in too.” She began barking orders and preheating the oven. “Let's go! My mom can take us to the supermarket to buy the ingredients, and we can start baking as soon as we get back. If Caesar could conquer Gaul, we can conquer a thousand cupcakes!”

“Caesar?” Sadie asked. “As in the salad?”

Lexi chuckled. “She means Julius Caesar, the Roman dictator.”

Delaney tossed an apron at her. “Time's a-wastin' and we need to start tastin'. Jenna, you're with me on shopping duty.”

“Well, she
sounds
like a dictator,” Jenna added. “Do this, do that…”

Kylie had never seen her friend behave this way. It was as if the power of being president was already going to Delaney's head, and she hadn't even won the election yet!

“Laney, I think you should hit Pause for a sec,” Kylie said, trying to slow her friend down. “We need to make a grocery list, figure out what we need and how much…”

“No time for lists!” Delaney ignored her and ran off to help her mom bundle up the twins for the ride to the market.

“We were planning on starting the Winter Fest order anyway. We've gotten all those ingredients already,” Lexi pointed out.

“I'll go with
la chica loca
to the market,” Jenna said. “Someone needs to make sure she gets the right kind of chocolate chips.”

Kylie still didn't like the sound of this. “Laney,” she called after her. “Who's going to pay for all these ingredients for your campaign cupcakes?”

Delaney froze in her tracks. “What do you mean? Don't we have money in our PLC savings account?”

Kylie frowned. “Yes. The key word being ‘PLC.' Delaney, these cupcakes aren't for an order. They're for you.”

“And they'll be pricey,” Jenna pointed out. “All those toppings, really good chocolate…”

“Well, I'm a member of PLC, so PLC should pay for them,” Delaney said, waving her hand dismissively.

Kylie's mouth fell open. Delaney was not only bulldozing over her, but also asking the cupcake club to give up some of their hard-earned profits to bankroll her campaign!

Before she could say another word, Sadie spoke up. “Laney, that's not really fair, is it? I mean, we need every penny to grow the business.”

“Well, I'll pay it back…when I win,” Delaney assured them. “I'll get everyone at Weber Day to hire PLC for parties, birthdays, school dances, you name it. We'll have more business then we can handle.”

“We already do,” Kylie muttered under her breath. “Thanks to you.”

She watched as Delaney skipped out of the kitchen, dragging Jenna behind her.

“
Adiós
,” Jenna called over her shoulder to the girls. “Wish me
buena suerte
, good luck!”