the meeting minutes, glared at Hannah’s back as she left the room. “What I wouldn’t give to see her lose junior queen. Can you imagine the stroke she’d have?”
I could imagine. She had cried for days when she lost the fourth grade spelling bee—to me. It was amazing we ever managed to be friends before the big fall out, considering how we had always competed for the same awards and titles.
“Hannah won’t lose,” I said. “She’s got too many people fooled by her innocent act.”
We left the classroom where the junior class council usually met and started down the hall.
“So what kind of business are you doing for your economics project?” Molly asked.
“Zac says I can’t tell anyone until next week,” I said.
Molly made a noise of indignation. “You can’t even tell me, your bestest friend in the entire universe?”
I rolled my eyes. “Fine. It’s a matchmaking service.”
“Awesome! I’m totally stealing that idea.”
“You can’t,” I said through clenched teeth. “Then Zac will know I told you and he’ll kill me.”
Molly patted my shoulder. “Don’t get your panties in a twist. Nathan and I have already decided on our business. We’re running a bakery.”
I stumbled a bit at her words. “What do you know about baking?”
“Zero,” Molly said. “But it was the only thing we could agree on. He likes to bake, I like to eat. It’s a win-win. Plus, in my mind, we’re really undercover CIA operatives and the bakery is a front so people don’t suspect anything.”
Elliott materialized through the crowd a few feet ahead of us. Ugh, so not in the mood to deal with him after dealing with Hannah for the last hour. I pulled Molly into the girls’ bathroom before she could see him.
Molly shot me an irritated look as she smoothed out the wrinkles in her shirt. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing,” I said. “I have to go to the bathroom.”
“Uh-huh.” Molly crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against a sink. “And the fact that Elliott was headed in our direction had nothing to do with it?”
If Molly ever did become a secret agent, her targets would never get away from her extra keen awareness of her surroundings.
“Of course not. I didn’t even see him.”
Molly gave me a look that said she totally didn’t believe me.
I turned away and started fixing my hair in the mirror. Not that my hair needed fixing, but at least it gave me something else to focus on.
“Hey,” I said, “do you think your mom would pay me to cut your grass again?”
“No, I don’t,” Molly said matter-of-factly. “You cut the grass too short last time. It’s taken a month for it to grow back to a normal height.”
“I told you that lawnmower needs to be replaced.”
Molly dug around in her backpack and came up with a tube of watermelon-flavored lip gloss. “It’s not the lawnmower, it’s the person doing the lawnmowering.”
I sighed. “I need to find a few odd jobs to earn some extra money or else I won’t be going to Costa Rica this summer.”
“My sister might consider hiring you to baby-sit sometime,” Molly said. “If you promise not to drop the baby or lose him.”
I wrinkled my nose at the thought of dirty diapers. Wiping baby butts wasn’t my idea of a good time, no matter how cute Molly’s nephew was.
“I’m worried that even after everything I’ve done, I won’t earn enough,” I said, frowning at my reflection. “This program is the chance of a lifetime. I’ve waited years to be old enough to go. If I don’t go this summer, will I ever have the opportunity?”
“You’ll get there,” Molly said. “I have two hundred dollars saved up that I could loan you.”
I smiled. “Thanks, but I can’t take your money. I know you’re saving it for a new computer.”
Molly shrugged. “There will be plenty of new computers in my future. The offer stands if you need it. I’m going to go catch up with Elliott. You coming?”
I shook my head, trying to hide my irritation. Did she have to think about Elliott every five seconds? “No, I’ll talk to you later, when you’ve detached yourself from his hip.”
“Hey, I can still be a modern, career-driven woman and have a satisfying love life at the same time,” Molly told me as she left the room.
Once the door had closed behind her, a toilet flushed and one of the stalls opened. Hannah Cohen walked out, carrying her backpack over one shoulder. She silently stepped up to the