Leading Ladies #2 by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel

quickly.
    â€œGreat, Paulie. I’ll text you later, and we can go into more detail,” she called as she headed back toward her table.
    Ivy and I watched, speechless, as Shelby took her place beside Daphne. They all leaned their heads together to whisper, presumably about Miko’s unauthorized departure and their new Publicity Blitz—our magazine.
    â€œHello?” Ivy asked me. “Do I have laryngitis, too?”
    â€œApparently we both do,” I said. “Either that, or our voices have morphed into some frequency Shelby’s ears can’t pick up. That was so obnoxious.”
    â€œWhat was she even talking about?” Ivy asked.
    â€œI have no idea,” I said. But apparently Tally did. She scribbled furiously, then shoved her pad toward me and Ivy.
    Â 
    Norah Alford posted on her Facebook page that the eighth-grade's Decade Day costumes are so awesome they are totally winning School Spirit Award this year. The winning grade gets an entire homework-free day, every subject! Shelby's all nuts about it now.
    Â 
    â€œIs that all?” I asked with a sigh. “There are so many bigger and more important things to be nuts about.”
    â€œHere comes Benny again,” Ivy said.
    What on earth was he doing?
Benny was heading for my table, and he looked guilty or even a little nauseated, like he’d just eaten a whole cake by himself or something.
    â€œUm, hey,” Benny said. “Here’s your, um . . . thing back. Thanks.”
    He handed me a folded-up piece of paper, then careened off behind one of the stacks.
    â€œIs this the prank?” Ivy asked. “What is it?”
    The PQuit table had fallen silent. Of course, they had noticed, too. The last thing I needed was for the PQuits to start gossiping about my Status with Benny. I didn’t even know what my Status with Benny was! I didn’t need anyone else giving me grief about it.
    â€œIt’s just my social studies outline,” I said loudly. “I must have left it on the . . .”
    â€œFloor,” Ivy suggested.
    â€œYeah, on the floor,” I said.
    I made a big deal out of putting it in my bag without looking at it. But the suspense was killing me. I hadn’t lost any social studies notes. Was it a note? Benny had never given me a note. Why would he now? And why wouldn’t the PQuits just stop watching me so I could look at the stupid thing?
    Tally reached for her pad to make another comment and knocked over her travel mug. The top flew off, and tea splashed over the table and continued to glug out of the mug.
    All three of us jumped up, grabbing our stuff off the table before the tea could reach it.
    â€œWhat a spaz,” I heard Daphne say with a snicker.
    â€œI’ve got a bunch of tissues in my bag,” Ivy said. “Hang on.”
    â€œTry to hurry. We’re going to get detention if the librarian notices,” I said. “You know how she is about drinks in the library.”
    Ivy produced a fistful of tissues and mopped up the mess while Tally watched, looking tearful.
    â€œI’m sorry,” she mouthed.
    â€œIt’s no big deal,” Ivy said. “No need to cry over spilled tea.”
    Tally scrawled something on her notebook and held it up.
    Â 
    I ruin everything — I am cursed!
    Â 
    â€œYou’re not cursed, Tal,” I said.
    â€œJust a little clumsy,” Ivy added. She put an arm around Tally and gave her a friendly squeeze.
    Nobody was looking at me at the moment. I grabbed Benny’s note from my bag and opened it under the table. It was just two short lines.
    Â 
    I need to ask you something important. Can you find me at lunch?
    Â 
    I got a sudden flood of butterflies in my stomach. I was pretty sure this was not a Friend Question. I suddenly remembered Benny asking if I was going to Homecoming. He knew I hated school dances, but . . .
wow
.
    Benny Novak was going to ask me to go to