Spirit Week Showdown (2 page)

I
could have given Nugget a bunch more reasons why Naomi and I are best friends. It's not because Dairy Queen writes
Congratulations, Naomi Jackson
right above their Blizzard specials every time she wins a beauty pageant, or because she does car commercials on TV with her dad.

She's the only person at school who knows that I use my braids as a calendar. Some kids might think that's silly, but Naomi doesn't. She even pinkie promised that she wouldn't tell anyone just to make sure no one laughs at me. She's awesome at keeping promises. So am I.

I remember the day she asked me, “You want to be best friends?” I swallowed my answer and choked right there in the hall. Once I stopped coughing, I said “Yes.”

That was only twenty-two days ago, but I think we were born to be best friends.

“Hey Nugget, Mya, wait up!”

It's Fish, waving his arms in the air to get our attention.

“Don't say anything to him about my meeting with Solo,” says Nugget.

Fish's backpack bounces up and down as he runs. He fist-bumps Nugget and then me.

“Hiya, Mya Papaya! Happy Aardvark Day! Did you know aardvarks are fast diggers?”

I love it when he calls me Mya Papaya. It's not a giddy-up-cowgirl name like Cowgirl Claire or Annie Oakley, but it's good enough for me. I give him a big smile.

“Hi, Fish! Nope, I had no idea.” I ask my brother, “Did you?”

Nugget shrugs, shakes his head, and rolls his eyes like we're bothering him. “I read that somewhere. They eat ants and termites just like anteaters. No big deal.”

Fish has one of those weird holiday calendars.
If something is celebrated anywhere on the planet, Nugget and Fish celebrate it, too.

Fish turns around so he can walk backward and face Nugget as he talks. “Did you read about aardvarks in that
Safari Journal
newsletter or was it in the
Animal Education
magazine? Geez, Nugget, you're a walking computer. You must have two brains. One for input, one for output!”

Nugget doesn't smile. “I'm not weird. I've got one brain just like everybody else.”

I glance at my brother. I can tell he's still angry with those boys on the bikes, but he shouldn't take it out on his best friend.

Fish's real name is Homer Leatherwood. His dad named him that because he loves baseball. He has eyes bluer than the sky, but they are belly-whopper, bullfrog huge. His curly blond hair sits high like the bubbles in my bathtub. He's Nugget's best friend, but Fish is one of my favorite people, too, because he's always nice to me.

“I can't believe all of the stuff we'll get with those VIP tickets! I can see myself getting free funnel cakes and buffalo burgers,” says Fish.

“Last year I wasn't tall enough for all the good rides,” I say. “But I am now!”

“Don't forget front-row seats and backstage
passes for all the shows,” says Nugget.

I pretend I'm roping a calf. “Including the rodeo!”

Fish rubs his hands together. “Nugget, we're going to be fifth-grade VIPs!”

I hold up a finger. “Naomi and I are going to be the fourth-grade winners!”

We stop at the corner and wait for the crossing guard's signal. My brother stares across the street. “There he is! Hey, Solo, over here!”

Inside the park fence, a boy swishes a shot. He has brown skin and shiny black hair, and he wears expensive basketball shoes. He waves. I wave back, even though I've never met him.

“He's good,” I say.

My brother laughs. “He's not just good. Solo's boo-yang good. Fish, you know Solo?”

Fish spits in the grass. “You mean the kid who thinks he's cooler than ice?”

“He's not just cool. He's boo-yang cool,” says Nugget, looking across the street.

Fish rolls his eyes and then looks at me. “He's not boo-yang cool.”

The smile slides off of Nugget's face. “That's your opinion.”

TWEEEEET!
The crossing guard stops all traffic. Nugget gives me a friendly shove and a smile.
“I'm crossing here. Catch up with you later.”

Fish and I watch Nugget run inside the park and high-five Solo. I keep my lips zipped because Nugget asked me not to tell Fish about his secret Spirit Week meeting. I worry about how Fish is going to feel when he finds out what Nugget is doing.

“You're his best friend, Fish,” I say.

Fish is still watching Nugget and Solo. “Yeah, I'm still his best friend.”

To me, Nugget can't win Spirit Week without Fish. Best friends make awesome Spirit Week partners, and I'll prove it when Naomi and I win those fourth-grade VIP tickets.

Fish opens the school door and lets me walk in first. “See you at lunch, Mya,” he says.

“Happy Aardvark Day,” I yell as he rushes down the hall.

Everywhere I look there are posters and signs about Spirit Week. My favorite is the one with two cowboys sitting on horses. One says “Howdy, Partner.” The other cowboy says, “I'm not just a partner. I'm your Spirit Week partner! Yee-haw!”

I spot Naomi near the water fountain, surrounded by boys and girls congratulating her on winning the pageant, and she thanks them with a smile.

When I reach her, she touches my braids. “Your
hair's so cute today. Where's Nugget?”

I point toward the school door. “He'll be here in a few minutes.”

Last year, I had two friends, Skye and Starr Falling. We were just regular girls. But now, we're popular because of Naomi, and I'm
mega
popular since she's my best friend. Soon Nugget shows up, sweaty and out of breath. “Greetings and salutations.”

Naomi plays with her hair and smiles at my brother. “Hi, Golden Nugget.”

I frown. “Why'd you call him that?”

Naomi shrugs. “He told me his first name is Golden.”

I glare at my brother. “Chicken is more like it.”

He grins. “Just call me Nugget. See you at lunch, Mya.”

Naomi watches him jog down the hall. “Are you sure he doesn't have a girlfriend?”

I roll my eyes. “Maybe Godzilla, but I think she broke up with him.”

She laughs. “You're so funny, Mya. We better get to class.”

One of the best things about being in fourth grade is our classroom. It has an extra room near Mrs. Davis's desk. She calls it our adjoining room. We call it awesome! This extra room has a rainbow-shaped
door with “The Cubby Cave” written above it. We just call it the Cave, because no fourth grader in their right mind would use the word “cubby.” Inside the Cave, each of us has a long wooden cabinet with our name on it. They look like lockers only way better because they have tons of space and they're all different colors instead of the ugly gray ones they have in middle school.

Inside each cabinet, there's a square at the top for books, a hook for our coat and backpack, and a drawer at the bottom for supplies and lunchboxes. It's boo-yang cool, and a fun place to hang out before the bell rings. By the time Naomi and I get to our cabinets, the place is packed with our classmates.

Suddenly the Cave goes from rock-concert loud to dead-people quiet. Students freeze. Even the air conditioner cuts off. I'm scared to look, but I have to know what's happening. A tall girl, taller than most teachers, stands next to me. I slowly back away from my cabinet.

It's Mean Connie Tate.

There are fifteen rumors about Mean Connie, and all of them are true. Rumors like breaking her brother's fingers, stealing boots off a homeless lady, and trashing the Bluebonnet Bakery because she ordered chocolate doughnuts and they
accidentally gave her lemon filled.

She glares at Naomi. “Get your grimy hands off my door.”

“I hope I didn't get any of your bully germs on me,” says Naomi.

It only takes two seconds for the Cave to empty. I'd leave, too, if Naomi wasn't my best friend, because it's going to get ugly in here. I think there's going to be blood. Lots of blood.

Mean Connie steps closer to Naomi. “Stay away from me, Jackson.”

Naomi shrugs but doesn't seem scared at all. “You stay away from me, too!”

Mean Connie gets her books and stomps out of the Cave. Naomi and I wait for her to get far enough away before we talk.

“Are you okay? She really scares me,” I say.

Naomi rolls her eyes. “We used to go to the same private school in second grade. Mean Connie tried to bully me, but I told on her and she got kicked out.”

Naomi holds her cell phone up high. “Before we walk into class, let's take a picture for my portfolio in case I ever need one of me and my best friend in the Cave on a Thursday.”

I put my face to hers and we smile so big that it takes up the whole picture screen.
Click.

M
rs. Davis makes us sit boy, girl, boy, girl, because she thinks that will stop us from talking. She's right. Even the twins have a boy between them. Michael Silsbee sits in front of me. He's got big ears and hears everything, but he talks about as much as my stuffed animals, which means not at all. Kenyan Tayler sits behind me, and I wouldn't talk to him if he was the last boy on earth because he's always pulling my braids. I
ka-clunk
over to Naomi's desk with her.

“I love your vest, Mya,” she says.

I look down at it. “Annie Oakley wore one just
like it. Cowgirl Claire has one, too.”

Naomi frowns. “Who are they? What grade are they in? I don't think I've met them.”

I giggle. “They're famous cowgirls.”

Mom bought my vest at Billy Bob's dollar store, even though I tell everyone she got it in the gift shop at the Cowgirl Hall of Fame. There's only one teeny-weeny difference between the two. I bet all the labels inside the vests at the gift shop say
Made with Genuine Cowhide
. Billy Bob's label just says
size small
.

I point toward the door. “Here come the twins.”

I've been friends with Starr and Skye Falling since first grade. I'm not sure where they came from. They just showed up in class one day like aliens, and for the longest time, that's what I thought they were. The longer I knew them, the more I believed it. I'd never call them that to their faces, but there is so much proof.

Why else would Mr. and Mrs. Falling name their twins Starr and Skye unless they fell down to Earth from another planet?

They are always together and never disagree.

They eat the same foods, dance the same way, and wear matching outfits.

They both have blond hair, blond eyebrows,
freckles, little noses, and tiny lips.

If one gets in trouble and cries, the other one cries, too.

Two weeks later, I found out their parents opened the Bluebonnet Hunting Gear and Observatory, in between Dad's store and the Burger Bar, home of the Cobb burger. That burger is gross. It's a hamburger with eggs, coleslaw, onions, barbecue sauce, and beans right on the bun! Since she's been pregnant, Mom has had one every day with extra onions.

“Hi, Naomi, hi, Mya,” says Starr.

“Hey, Naomi, hey, Mya,” says Skye.

I lift my wrist. “Hi. Look what I made last night.”

They touch my bracelet and smile. Naomi's eyes light up. “OMG, Mya! That looks like it came out of a jewelry store. Will you make me a red one?”

“Sure.” I whisper to the twins. “Mean Connie tried to start a fight with Naomi in the Cave.”

We all glare at Connie. I keep waiting for her to get a dragon tattoo on her neck or a snake ring in her eyebrow and look like a real bully. I whisper to Naomi. “Before she got here, we didn't have any bullies. And she's a slick one, because you wouldn't even know she was a bully by looking at her. She doesn't even dress like a bully. She wears really cute clothes.”

“Those are the worst kind. She's got bully bacteria. I'm sure of it,” says Naomi.

I've never heard of bully bacteria, but it sounds like a real disease. The bell rings and we rush to our seats. Mrs. Davis closes the door, and the intercom squeaks to life. “Good morning, It's a beautiful day here at Young Elementary School! Yes, yes, yes it is! Now, let's all stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.”

Mr. Winky likes to say our school's initials since they spell Y.E.S.

After the pledge, he continues. “Spirit Week is almost here, so pick up a copy of the Spirit Week schedule from your teacher. This morning you will learn the Spirit Week rules. On a different note, let's congratulate our very own Naomi Jackson, winner of the Junior Miss Lone Star Pageant! We are all so proud of her! Today's cafeteria menu includes fabulous fish sticks, marvelous mashed potatoes, and a beautiful beet salad. This concludes the announcements.”

I can't help but smile at Naomi, sitting at her desk, wearing a pretty blue dress that only a princess should wear. Her skin reminds me of the caramel on my Halloween apples, but I think it's her amazing green eyes that made the pageant judges give her the first-place trophy.

Mrs. Davis hands each of us a paper. “Class, let's go over the rules for Spirit Week.”

• • • SPIRIT WEEK RULES • • •

Classroom teachers will award
daily points
for the following:

5 POINTS
to the Spirit Week partners who:

Have the best Spirit Week costumes and/or presentation; and,

2 POINTS
to Spirit Week “challenge” winners.

*Only one challenge per team, per day.

Acceptable Challenges: You may challenge another set of Spirit Week partners
in your class
to:

               
1.   A dance competition: Music will be provided by the competitors. (All dance challenges must take place during recess.)

               
2.   Three spelling words or one math question (to be determined by your teacher).

               
3.   Cafeteria entertainment: No longer than three minutes.

1 POINT
to all partners who participate in Spirit Week activities.

A trade of partners can happen only if all four partners agree. Daily winners will be chosen by the classroom teacher, and scores will be posted
in your classroom. The Spirit Week partners with the most points in each grade will receive VIP tickets for the Fall Festival.

The classroom is deep-sleep quiet as we read the rules. Mrs. Davis walks as she talks. “Any questions?”

Silence.

“Then let's open our English books and pick up where we left off yesterday on preparing clear and focused essays with formal introductions, supporting evidence, and conclusions.”

I glance over my left shoulder at Naomi. She's the best formal introduction I've made in a long time. She smiles at me and opens her English book.

The morning drags on, but soon it's time to line up for lunch. Naomi's always first, and she lets the twins and me join her. I feel a little strange about cutting in line, so I say thank you to everybody as I
ka-clunk
to the front.

In the cafeteria, Naomi whispers to us. “I'm so excited about Spirit Week. I've been thinking about it a lot over the last few days, and just realized a VIP ticket may help me with something special I'm working on. Let's meet at Mya's house after school, and I'll tell you all about it. Then we can make a plan.”

“I'll be there,” says Starr.

“I am so there,” says Skye.

My heart runs, flips, and jumps all over my insides. “You're coming to my house? After school? Today? You've never been to my house before!”

Naomi smiles. “Is that okay? I mean, that's what best friends do, right?”

I grin and nod. “Yep, that's what best friends do.”

“Will Nugget be there?” she asks.

I shrug. “If he is, I'll make him leave so we can talk.”

She giggles. “He doesn't bother me.”

Firecrackers! I've got so many things to do to make sure everything is double-Dutch perfect when she comes over. I'm going to make Naomi's visit one she'll never forget.