The Secret Crush (2 page)

“S
how your school spirit! Wear green on Friends' Day!” Two girls in cheerleading jerseys ran around the seventh-grade table, shaking their pom-poms.

“Hey! How come they don't have to wear uniforms?” Chloe asked. Zee's tweed Converse high-tops in blue plaid were the only difference between her outfit and Chloe's—a school-issued blue cotton vest and skirt and a white blouse.

“Official cheerleading business. They don't have to wear the school uniform on those days,” Zee explained.

“Lucky them,” Chloe said.

Jasper smoothed the front of his perfectly pressed navy-blue blazer. “Maybe you should become a cheerleader,” he suggested.

“Naaaaah—I'd rather play soccer than cheer for it,” Chloe told him.

Kathi's sister, Susan, was one of the cheerleaders. She was a taller, bouncier version of Kathi. Susan and the other cheerleader, Britney Zimmer, passed out fliers that read,
Think Green. Be a Friend of the Earth
across the top.

“What's Friends' Day?” Chloe asked the older girls.

“It's the first school spirit day of the year,” Britney explained. “You don't have to wear your school uniform—as long as you wear something green—”

“Yuck!” Kathi interrupted. “I look horrible in green.”

“It's just one day,” Susan said cheerfully, “and it's a great way for all of Brookdale Academy to support the environment.”

“You can be a friend to your friends, too,” Britney said.

“How?” Marcus asked.

“You can make a card for a friend,” Britney explained.

“Or a crush,” Susan cut in.

“On recycled paper, of course,” Britney added.

Jasper looked up from the cheese sandwich he was eating. “A crush?” he asked.

Susan leaned toward the group. “It's your chance to let someone know you're thinking about him—or her.” She gave Jasper a nudge. He blushed and looked back down at
his lunch. “Then come to the football game against Sprigg School,” Susan continued, “and cheer the Brookdale Bears on to victory! Woo-hoo!” She and Britney bounced off to another table.

“I'm in!” Chloe shouted. “I'd wear a gorilla costume to get out of this thing,” she added, tugging at her school-issued vest.

“I find the uniforms quite comfortable,” Jasper said as he buttoned his blazer. His striped tie hung perfectly straight.

Chloe shook her head. “Maybe we'll cast you as a businessman for the musical.”

Jasper and Zee both laughed. But when Landon joined in, Jasper mumbled, “I guess some people prefer the baggy look.”

Zee looked over at Chloe, who raised her eyebrow.

Landon picked up his fork and poked at the free-range chicken blob on his plate. “That was a really good idea to make it a rock-and-roll musical,” he said to Zee.

Landon liked her idea! “Thanks,” she said.
Good. Stop right there,
Zee told herself.
Be cool. Don't say any more.
“I just thought it would be cool beans if it were more than just a regular musical. I mean, we're a rock band, and Mr. P is in a rock band, so it makes sense. It's really obvious—if you think about it. Which I guess everyone did since they agreed to make it a rock musical.”
Please. Stop. Now.
“Instead of a regular one.”

Arrrrrgh!
Zee screamed in her head. Why did she talk so much? She leaned toward Chloe and whispered, “Would you please take off one of your socks and shove it in my mouth?”

“I'm not wearing socks today,” Chloe told her.

“Ohmylanta!”

“I like any kind of musical,” Marcus said. “
Phantom of the Opera
.
The Lion King
.
Hairspray
.”

Landon's eyes grew wide. “Are you messing with me?”

“What? There's nothing like a showstopping song,” Marcus said.

Landon shook his head slowly. “I had no idea,” he said.

As Zee laughed at Marcus and Landon, she peeled a long strip off her mozzarella string cheese and dropped it into her mouth.

Chloe squinted her green eyes and stared at Zee's face. “There's something on your chin,” she said.

“What?” Zee asked, wiping her face. “Did I get it?”

“Nope,” Chloe said.

Jasper looked up. “It's right—” he said, pointing to a spot on his own face, “there.”

Zee furiously rubbed her chin.

“Hey! Where'd it go?” Marcus asked. “I was going to eat it.”

“Ewwww!” Chloe said, but she was giggling.

Jasper laughed, too. “That's revolting,” he said.

Phew! Zee let out a long breath, relieved that Marcus had taken the attention away from her.

“Ugh!” Kathi sighed dramatically. “You must be totally humiliated, Zee.” Kathi sounded sympathetic, but Zee knew it was an act.

“Not really,” Zee lied.

“I would be,” Kathi said. “Luckily, nothing like that has ever happened to me.” Kathi was too perfect to stumble, sputter, or—worst of all—leave food on her face.

“Would you like a crisp?” Jasper said, holding his bag
of potato chips up to Zee.

“Thanks,” Zee said, smiling at him. Her mother never packed potato chips in her lunch, so she took a few. As she bit into one, she instantly felt better. He'd found the perfect way to change the subject.

Landon drummed out a beat on the tabletop with his metal fork and spoon. “I hope we do something cool for the musical.”

“Like what?” Zee asked.

“Maybe a musical about a bunch of students putting on a musical,” Chloe suggested.

“Yawn,” Jen said, closing her eyes and pretending to sleep.

“Jen's right,” Kathi said. “
Everyone
does that.”

“We could play ourselves,” Marcus said.

Kathi rested her eyes on Jasper, who had started reading a book. “No offense, but
some people
might not be very interesting.”

If Jasper got the insult, he didn't let on. “What about
Romeo and Juliet
set to music?” he suggested, raising his head. “We could update the story and make the characters our age.”

“
Romeo and Juliet?
” Kathi asked. “I like it!”

“Really?” Zee said. It was impossible to guess when Kathi would be nice or nasty.

“Yeah,” Kathi said, as if she were behaving normally.

“Me too,” Jen agreed.

Chloe gave Jasper a firm pat on the back, and Marcus held up his hand high for Jasper to slap.

“I can definitely see myself playing Juliet,” Kathi said.

Ohmylanta!
Zee groaned to herself.

 

As much fun as the band was going to be, there was one important person missing—Ally. When Zee got home, she turned on her computer.

 

Saturday morning Zee was helping Chloe and Jasper with their garden project. She stuck a shovel deep into a pile of dirt, then loaded the soil into the red wheelbarrow nearby and pushed it to where Chloe was kneeling in the garden bed.

“Where should I dump this?” Zee asked.

Chloe looked up. “Not here,” she said, wiping her hands on the front of her denim overalls. “I'm all done.”

Zee wiggled her toes in the navy-blue Converse sneakers
she'd pulled out of the back of her closet. She'd carefully chosen her garden-themed outfit—a pair of long blue shorts that she'd decorated with butterfly patches and belted with a green scarf, topped with a tank top and a pair of big blue sunglasses. She felt bad that she had been purposely avoiding getting as dirty as Chloe.

“You can dump the dirt over there,” Chloe continued. She stood up and pointed to a plot where Jasper hoed the soil. “I'll help you guys.”

Ms. Merriweather, the seventh-grade science teacher, tossed a big pile of dirt on to Jasper's plot. “Chloe and Jasper, you should be proud of yourselves,” she said from underneath her giant, floppy straw hat. “Your science project is really shaping up.”

“I feel as though we haven't done nearly enough,” Jasper said.

“There will always be work to do,” Ms. Merriweather said, “but you've accomplished a lot in a very short time. It's students like you that make Brookdale Academy a true LEED school.” LEED stood for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and meant that Brookdale Academy was a green school.

“I knew composting the cafeteria scraps and planting vegetable gardens was a good idea,” Chloe put in. “But I never realized it would be so much fun. Right, Zee?”

“Um…sure,” Zee said. “I…uh…get to be with you guys. And I'm definitely getting stronger.” She flexed her arms, pretending to show off muscles.

Chloe laughed. “It's probably a teeny bit more exciting when it's your own idea.”