Free Two Cool for School by Belle Payton Page A

up, and then set the pot gently back on the burner. He didn’t even seem to notice.

    In homeroom Mr. Kenerson told Alex to report to the office.
    Alex gulped. Was she in trouble? She never got called to the office.
    Mr. Kenerson’s face was impossible to read. What was the word she’d learned the other day? Inscrutable. That was it. His face was inscrutable.
    She picked up her books and left, feeling everyone’s curious eyes on her. As she hurried down the empty hall, her heart thudded. What had she done? Was something wrong? Had something happened to her family?
    The first person she saw when she walked into the outer office was Ava. She was sitting by herself, wearing a blue football jersey in accidental defiance of Spirit Week—Tuesday was the day to wear orange. Ava looked perplexed but not scared. There was another vocab word that described her face. In her nervousness, Alex’s mind hit a metaphorical search button. Stoic. Ava was sitting and looking stoic. Or was it “stoical”? Stoical—bearing hardship or misfortune without complaint.
    Ava looked up, still looking stoical.
    â€œWhat’s going on?” hissed Alex, sitting down next to her. “Are we in trouble?”
    â€œOf course we’re not in trouble. We haven’t done anything wrong,” said Ava. She spoke as though she had something in her mouth. Alex saw a bulge in her cheek. “And I don’t think it’s bad news or anything, because Mrs. Gusman smiled at me when I walked in and offered me candy and showed me a picture of her new baby grandson. These candies are delicious, by the way.”
    Alex saw her shift the candy to the other side of her mouth.
    â€œShe wouldn’t be that casual and friendly ifsomeone in our family was sick or hurt. I don’t know what it could be, though,” Ava said.
    â€œSackett girls?” called Mrs. Gusman. “Ms. Farmen is ready for you.”
    Alex followed Ava into the principal’s office. It was light and cheerful, with framed student artwork on the walls and lots of pictures of Ms. Farmen’s kids, who looked like they were pretty much grown up.
    â€œHi, girls,” said Ms. Farmen. “Sit. Please.” She opened a folder and frowned down at it. “First of all, Mrs. Gusman, our scheduling guru, just informed me that there was some confusion with your names both being ‘A. Sackett.’ It seems you were placed in each other’s English classes. Ava, you were supposed to be in English 101. Alex, you were supposed to be in 101A—that’s the accelerated class—based on your test scores. I’m so sorry about this. But we can easily make the switch without disrupting the rest of your schedule. Ava, you will no longer be in Ms. Palmer’s class—now you have Mr. Rader, still during sixth period. Alex, you’ll have Ms. Palmer, also still during sixth period.”
    Alex darted a glance at Ava. Relief was written all over her sister’s face. No wonder Avahad been having so much trouble with English! She’d been put into the advanced class. And no wonder she, Alex, had found English so easy. Then a thought struck her. If she switched out, she wouldn’t have English with Corey anymore. Was that a good thing or a bad thing?
    â€œAll right, Alex. You may go,” said Ms. Farmen. “I have another matter to discuss with Ava. Please ask Mrs. Gusman to write you a note, as I think the second bell has rung.”
    Alex thanked her, shot a look at Ava that said “Tell me everything later,” and hurried off to her first class.
    â€œAva, why don’t you go wait outside in Mrs. Gusman’s office?” said Ms. Farmen. “I’ll call you when I’m ready for you.”
    Ava swallowed, nodded, and left.
    And almost ran smack into her parents, who were walking into Mrs. Gusman’s office.
    Ms. Palmer, Ava’s now-former English teacher, was right behind them.