Free Meanicures by Catherine Clark

into school.
    “That went well,” Taylor commented. “Especially considering we totally caught them in a lie.”
    “She’s probably going to mock my shoes later, on the Peeps,” I said. “I mean, they’ve been nice to us before.
Then
remember what happened afterward.”
    “You guys feel free to be pessimistic. But I, for one, am claiming this as a brand-new Monday,” Olivia declared, speaking very clearly. “I wore my Monday underwear and everything. I have to do the morning announcement today. Mr. Brooks gave me a week off to get my pronunciation back, and my time’s up. Could one of you come upstairs with me for formal support while I do the broadcast?”
    “I think you mean moral support,” I said.
    “Whatever.
Support,”
she urged. “You can make sure Cassidy doesn’t pull anything.”
    “Okay, sure,” I said.
    We quickly stopped by my homeroom, and Ms. Thibault gave me a hall pass so I could go upstairs with Olivia. She’s really cool about things like that—she gets that it’s not life or death whether you are in homeroom for attendance and early morning study hall. At the same time, I knew she’d check with Mr. Brooks later on, to make sure I actually did show up at the taping studio like I said I would.
    In the studio, Cassidy gave us a sweet smile, like she hadn’t totally thrown me under the bus when it was
my
turn to do the morning announcement. She was completely nice to Olivia, helping her get ready, andeven warning her when the camera was about to start rolling so she didn’t sit there looking into a mirror and trilling about the rain in Maine.
    Lucky Olivia.
    “Good Monday morning, Panthers! This is Olivia Salinas, with this morning’s update,” she began. “First, a serious story. As many of you know, at approximately eight o’clock on Friday night, the eighth-grade dance was interrupted—hey, anyone else out there notice all the eights? Go ahead, play the lottery. Eights to win!” She smiled. “Okay, back to serious. The dance was tragically cut short, because I think it only started at seven thirty, not that I’d know because nobody invited me.…
    “Anyway,” Olivia continued, “someone set off a stink bomb. PU. Not as in Payneston University, but as in PU, that really smelled horrible. Or so I heard on the bus. On the plus side, the school found out the sprinkler system works just great.”
    I thought Mr. Brooks was about to have a panic attack. He looked at Olivia, and then at Cassidy, and then back again, and then over at
me
, like I’d had anything to do with it.
    “I didn’t write any of that,” said Cassidy. “What she’s saying?”
    “She’s kind of a free spirit sometimes,” I said quietly.
    “Anyone having any information about the stink bomb is instructed to contact Principal Monroe,” Oliviacontinued. “You know, funny thing. I went to a bonfire on Friday night myself. Anyway …” She finished the news report and listed off the school events for the day.
    “You may have missed the first meeting, but it’s not too late to join the Endangered Animals Club,” she said. “In fact we’re selling T-shirts for just ten dollars each, and they’re really cool, each designed by me—”
    Since when was it her designs?
    “As you may already know, I’m in charge—”
    Wait a second
, I thought. Wasn’t I co-chair?
    “So, come to our next meeting, whenever it is, or buy a T-shirt. And on a personal note, anyone who doesn’t sign up or get a shirt is just plain ignorant, misinformed, and stupid. Have a great day, Panthers!”
    As Cameron shut off the camera, I glanced at Cassidy to gauge her reaction. “It wasn’t what I gave her,” she said, sounding defensive. “After, uh, last week, Mr. Brooks reviews all the text himself.”
    Olivia stood up and looked over at me from the news desk. “How’d I do?”
    “Um …” I shrugged. “Slur much?” I said without thinking. I coughed, hoping to cover up the fact I’d just insulted