Beware! Read online

  Luckily, Jenny loved it! I was safe from being stomped for another day.

  * * *

  The next day, Mr. Monroe collected our written summaries. Then he asked everyone to give an oral report to the class. Jenny was the first person to raise her hand.

  “Claudia and I are making up a planet where living rocks exist,” Jenny said.

  “That sounds interesting,” Mr. Monroe said. “Who’s next?”

  Adam and Tommy’s project was called The Best Bounce. They were going to test how high different balls bounced on different surfaces. “We’ll use all different sizes of balls,” Adam explained.

  Mr. Monroe said, “Just be careful to not break anything.”

  Peter and Sylvia planned to study how people, animals, and plants reacted to music and noise.

  “What about you, Anna?” Mr. Monroe asked.

  “Carly and I want to find out how plants act in different conditions,” Anna said.

  “That’s just like our project,” Monica exclaimed.

  “We said it first so we have dibs,” Anna argued.

  “No one has dibs,” Mr. Monroe said. “I don’t want two teams doing the same project. Each team will have to come up with a new idea by tomorrow.”

  Anna and Carly stopped Becca and Monica in the hall before lunch.

  Jenny came up behind me again. I didn’t jump this time. Not even when she whispered in my ear, “What’s going on?”

  “I’m not sure,” I whispered back.

  “We need to talk, Monica,” Anna said.

  “Talk about what?” Monica asked.

  Anna smiled.

  Alert! Anna only smiles when she wants something. Watch out!

  “Do you have another project idea?” Anna asked.

  “Maybe,” Monica said, “but I’m not telling what it is.” I could tell she didn’t trust Anna.

  “I don’t care what it is,” Anna said.

  “Good,” Becca said. “Because it’s none of your business.” She didn’t trust Anna either.

  “Since you have a new idea, I want to keep the plant project,” Anna said.

  “Mr. Monroe told BOTH teams to think up something new,” Monica said.

  “Yeah, because he doesn’t want two teams doing the same project,” Anna said. “So if Carly and I do the plant project, we won’t be doing the same thing. You’ll be doing the new project you came up with. It’s totally fair. Mr. Monroe just doesn’t want you to do the plant project because ours will be better and you’ll feel bad.”

  “You’ve got something else, Monica,” Carly said. “It’s mean and unfair not to let us do the plant project.”

  Monica frowned. “We’re not MEAN,” she said.

  “Or unfair,” Becca added.

  Anna shrugged. “Everyone will think you are when I tell them you won’t let us have a project you’re not using. And I’ll tell them you cheated, too. I’ll tell them you stole the idea from me.”

  “We didn’t cheat,” Becca said.

  “And you don’t even know what our idea is,” Monica said.

  “No one will believe you,” Anna told her. “Trust me.”

  “Fine, Anna,” Becca said. “You can do the plant project.”

  “Our new idea is a lot better anyway,” Monica added.

  “Whatever,” Anna said. She walked into the cafeteria. Carly followed her.

  “Come on, Becca,” Monica said. “We’ve got a new project to talk about.”

  I could tell Becca and Monica were embarrassed. Anna had blackmailed them to get the plant project.

  “They should have told Anna to get lost,” Jenny said.

  I knew it wasn’t that easy. Jenny didn’t care if everyone thought she was mean. Becca and Monica did.

  And Anna wasn’t bluffing. She was the most popular girl in the seventh grade. If she spread a rumor, everyone would believe it. Even if it wasn’t true.

  CHAPTER 7

  THE BEST REVENGE

  Jenny came to my house Monday afternoon. We were going to start our Weird World project.

  Every project has three steps.

  Decide what to do.

  Decide who does it.

  Do it.

  Jenny had already decided what to do.

  “I want to make a model of the planet,” Jenny said. “I’ve got it all figured out.”

  “Okay,” I said.

  “We need a chart, too,” Jenny added.

  “Definitely,” I agreed. “Mr. Monroe loves charts.”

  So far our meeting was going a lot better than I expected. It didn’t last.

  “He’ll like dioramas even better,” Jenny said.

  “I LOVE making dioramas!” I exclaimed.

  Jenny had already decided who should do what, too. “I’ll be the one who makes the model and the chart and the dioramas,” Jenny said. “You can write the report.”

  I paused. Jenny had picked our project idea. Now she was taking over the whole thing. Numbers 1, 2, and 3! I knew it wasn’t wise to argue with her, but we were a team.

  “Okay, I’ll write the report,” I agreed. “But I also want to work on the dioramas.”

  Jenny didn’t get mad. But she didn’t give in, either. “No,” she said, shaking her head.

  “Why not?” I asked. “I make good ones.”

  “Maybe, but your style is different,” Jenny said. “The dioramas should look like a matched set.”

  That made sense, but I wasn’t happy. “I really want to work on the dioramas,” I told her. “That’s the fun part.”

  “You can print the index cards and labels,” Jenny suggested. “So they’ll match.”

  “Okay, but that won’t be much fun,” I complained.

  Jenny frowned.

  My heart thumped. Uh-oh!

  Then something STRANGE happened.

  “You’re right,” Jenny admitted. “Printing is boring. Do you want to help make rock candy?”

  I was stunned.

  Jenny wasn’t mad.

  She understood my point.

  She wanted to make me feel better!

  “Sure!” I said. “Why are we making rock candy?”

  “Rock candy is just a bunch of sugar crystals,” Jenny said. “It shows how inorganic stuff can grow.”

  “Wow!” I said. I was impressed. “So there really could be rock creatures on another planet.”

  “Could be,” Jenny said.

  Just then, Nick ran in. He stood in front of Jenny and stared.

  Important Point: Nick only cares about getting what he wants.

  Jenny stared back.

  Important Point: She doesn’t let anyone get the best of her.

  The Bully and The Brat

  Jenny threatens to stomp.

>   No one has ever been stomped.

  That we know of.

  Nick doesn’t threaten.

  He punches and kicks.

  I have scars to prove it.

  I watched Nick and Jenny stare each other down. It was like waiting for a firecracker to go off.

  The contest could only end one way. With a BANG!

  “Get lost,” Jenny said.

  “I like candy,” Nick said.

  Nick blinked. Then he spun around and ran away.

  Another good thing about being with Jenny: Nick runs away from her.

  “He’ll be back,” I said.

  “Not today,” Jenny said. She grinned.

  “Don’t count on it,” I said.

  The doorbell rang, and I opened the door. Becca and Monica rushed in.

  “We’ve got a BIG problem,” Monica said.

  “How big?” Jenny asked.

  Becca and Monica stopped dead when they saw Jenny Pinski in my living room.

  “We didn’t know you were busy,” Becca said.

  “We’re done,” Jenny said.

  “What’s the problem, Monica?” I asked.

  Monica didn’t answer. She looked really nervous. She kept looking at Jenny and then at me.

  Nick marched back in wearing a pot on his head. He banged a lid with a big spoon.

  I grabbed the spoon to stop the noise.

  “I need that!” Nick yelled. He glared at me.

  “What for?” I asked.

  “A duel. With her!” Nick screamed. He pointed at Jenny.

  “No way, kid,” Jenny said. “You’re too TOUGH for me.”

  “Good,” Nick said. He sat in my dad’s chair. He took the pot off his head. He kept the spoon and lid in his lap.

  Monica and Becca exchanged a look. Then they sat down.

  “So what’s the matter?” I asked again.

  “We don’t have a new project idea,” Becca said.

  “You told Anna and Carly that you did,” I said.

  Monica sighed. “I just let Anna think I did,” she admitted.

  “Why?” I asked. “You have to think up a project and write a new summary. Anna and Carly don’t have to do anything. Their plant project summary is done.”

  “You shouldn’t let Anna push you around,” Jenny said.

  “Anna said she’d tell everyone we were mean and selfish and that we cheated on the project,” Becca said.

  “So what?” Jenny asked. She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter what other kids think.”

  “Yes, it does,” Nick said. “Caroline O’Brien calls me a pea-brain, and I’m not.”

  “Pretend you don’t care,” Jenny said. “She’ll stop.”

  “She will?” Nick asked.

  “I’m pretty sure,” Jenny said. “But if she doesn’t, all you have to do is THREATEN —”

  “To walk away!” I shouted.

  I didn’t want Jenny to tell Nick to threaten to stomp other kids.

  Threatening had worked for her. Nobody teased Jenny. But she didn’t have any friends.

  “Well, I have to go,” Jenny said. “My dad’s taking me bowling. I just love smashing pins.” She slammed her fist against her hand.

  “See you tomorrow, Jenny,” Becca said. She smiled at Jenny.

  “At lunch,” Monica added. “I mean, if you want to sit with us, that is.”

  Jenny looked surprised. I knew that Monica had stopped sitting with her in second grade after Jenny flattened the chocolate cake.

  Most days, Jenny ended up sitting by herself at lunch. She didn’t seem to mind, but I know I’d feel lonely if I ate by myself every day. After all, lunch was the best part of the middle school day!

  I thought about it. It wouldn’t be so bad if Jenny sat with us at lunch.

  “Do you want to get back at Anna and Carly?” Jenny asked.

  “Maybe,” Monica said.

  “I know the best revenge,” Becca said. “Doing a project that gets an A.”

  “But we don’t have a fantastic idea,” Monica said.

  “Optical illusions,” Jenny suggested. “You can find all kinds of help online.”

  Becca and Monica looked at each other. They both seemed surprised.

  Becca said, “That’s a great idea.”

  “Duh,” Jenny said. Then she left.

  CHAPTER 8

  PAYBACK

  The next day, Becca and Monica gave their report first.

  “Our new science project is a feast for the eyes,” Monica said.

  “You’ll be totally amazed!” Becca exclaimed.

  “I’ll be totally freaked out if my eyes start eating feasts,” Tommy joked.

  Monica waited until the class stopped laughing. Then she continued, “First we’ll show some unbelievable optical illusions.”

  “Then we’ll solve the mystery,” Becca added.

  “What mystery?” Adam asked.

  Tommy softly hummed creepy movie music.

  Becca lowered her voice dramatically and asked, “Why do certain patterns fool the eye?”

  “Why do they?” Brad Turino asked.

  Peter started to raise his hand, but he stopped. He was the class brain, so I knew he knew the answer, but he didn’t want to RUIN Monica and Becca’s fun.

  Monica grinned. “Tune in next Monday to find out,” she said.

  “Excellent idea, girls!” Mr. Monroe said. “Your project is approved.”

  I gave my friends two thumbs-up.

  Becca gave me an OK sign.

  Jenny gave Monica a high five.

  “What do you have, Anna?” Mr. Monroe asked.

  Anna stood up. “Carly and I are going to study how plants react to different conditions.”

  Mr. Monroe frowned. “That’s the same project you had yesterday.”

  “Yes, but now we’re the ONLY team doing it,” Anna explained. “Monica and Becca already have a new project.”

  “I told both teams to come in with new projects,” the teacher said. “Monica and Becca did the extra work. I’m sorry, Anna, but it’s not fair to let you do the plant project.”

  NOTE #1: Anna thinks she’s always right. She also thinks everyone will give her what she wants. They mostly do.

  NOTE #2: Mr. Monroe is one of the people who doesn’t follow Anna’s rules.

  Anna argued, “Monica and Becca said it was okay.”

  “It’s not okay with me,” Mr. Monroe said.

  Anna narrowed her eyes. “But —” she started.

  Mr. Monroe stopped her. “Please have a new project and summary tomorrow,” he told her.

  After class, Becca, Monica, and I huddled in the hall.

  “That was so AWESOME!” Monica said. She sounded delighted. “I couldn’t believe
it. Did you see the look on Anna’s face?”

  “She was totally stunned,” I said. “Anna couldn’t believe that Mr. Monroe said no. It was amazing! I love it when Anna gets what she deserves.”

  “I’m so glad she didn’t get away with pushing us around,” Becca said.

  Jenny walked over. “I should have STOMPED Anna in the first grade when I wanted to,” she said, rolling her eyes.

  “What did Anna do to you?” Becca asked.

  Jenny hesitated. Then she shrugged and told us, “Somebody gave me some cookies, and then Anna embarrassed me.”

  “How?” I asked.

  “She said, ‘You eat too many cookies, Jenny! Maybe that’s why you’re too tall. You eat too much and grow too fast,’” Jenny told us. Her face got all scrunched up. It was the same face Nick made when he was mad.

  It was seven years later, and Jenny was still mad at Anna.

  “I hate being embarrassed,” Jenny said.

  Monica, Becca, and I nodded. We knew exactly how Jenny felt. Anna had embarrassed EVERYONE in school.

  After Jenny left, my friends and I headed to fourth period history.

  “Now we know why Jenny acts so tough,” I said.

  “And why she got mad at me in second grade,” Monica added.

  Monica nodded. “I was just trying to help. But Jenny was insulted,” she said.