Free Double Dog Dare by Lisa Graff Page B

open.
    “Why, hello there, you two!” It was Miss Sparks, white teeth flashing. “I thought I heard some students out here. Come inside, won’t you? You both look incredible, by the way.”
    Incredible? Kansas was pretty sure that what they looked like was two circus freaks.
    Kansas was heading to his desk with his head down, pretending to ignore the whispers of his fellow club members, when Miss Sparks clapped her hands together. Suddenly, every head in the class was turned his way.
    “Good morning, Media Club!” she said. “Before we get started on today’s announcements, I want you all to take a good look at Kansas and Francine.”
    Kansas’s insides turned to Jell-O. What was going on? Had Miss Sparks finally had it with the dares? Was she going to make an
example
of them? Next to him, Francine looked equally perplexed.
    From the back of the room, Luis snapped a picture.
    “Everyone,” Miss Sparks went on. She put one hand on Kansas’s shoulder and the other on Francine’s. “This”—Kansas closed his eyes and waited for the humiliation to go away—“
this
is what true school spirit looks like.”
    “Huh?” Kansas’s eyes popped open.
    “What?” Francine said.
    “Today,” Miss Sparks continued, “is School Spirit Day. We were all told to wear our school colors, green and white. And I see a few of you who tried”—she nodded at Alicia, in the far corner, wearing a green dress, and Natalie, witha flowery green and white headband—“but no one put as much effort into their school spirit today as Kansas and Francine here, and I think that’s really commendable, don’t you?”
    Commendable? Kansas looked down at his white tutu, and then up at Francine’s grass-green hair. Well, how about that? Maybe they
were
commendable.
    Miss Sparks squeezed his shoulder. “As you all know, Mrs. Weinmore will be visiting every classroom this morning to see which class has the most school spirit, and the winning class gets an ice cream party this afternoon. And I’d be willing to bet that with Kansas and Francine on our side, we just may be the ones to win it.”
    There was a cheer from somewhere in the back of the room, and then a squeal of
“Ice cream!”
And before Kansas knew what had happened, there was applause and a chant of “Kansas and Francine! Kansas and Francine!” And slowly, bit by bit, Kansas began to feel less like a dork in a tutu, and more like a champion of the fourth grade.
    “Francine and Kansas,” Miss Sparks went on, her teeth flashing full force, “I really have to hand it to you two. Notonly did you wear the school colors, but you did it in a way that demonstrates your commitment to teamwork, which is what school spirit at Auden Elementary is really all about. It truly is an extraordinary effort on both your parts. I think this just goes to show that with the two of you working together, amazing things can happen.”
    Kansas glanced sideways at Francine. He could tell, from the look of burning hatred in her eyes, that for once in her life, she was thinking the exact same thing that he was.
    There was no way that the two of them would ever,
ever,
work together.

13.
    A towering stack of CDs
    When Francine’s mother opened the curtains on Sunday morning to let the light stream across Francine’s bed, Francine was less than super thrilled about it.
    “Mmmm-fwuhp-aggh!”
she cried, thrusting the crook of her elbow across her eyes to block the sun.
    “Good morning to you too, darling,” her mother said. And Francine could tell, without even looking at her, that her mother had a smile on her face.
    “I thought it was Sunday,” Francine said from underneath her arm.
    “It is Sunday, sleepyhead.” Her mother sat on the edge of Francine’s bed and gently removed Francine’s arm fromher face. “We’re going to morning yoga today. Won’t that be fun?”
    Francine frowned. “Can’t we go to morning yoga after lunch?” she said, and she rolled over onto her side, planted