Free The Popularity Spell by Toni Gallagher

going.”
    “Okay, but hurry!” I shove the last piece of PB&J into my mouth and run down the hall to get my backpack and jacket. I go and sit in our car and open my notebook to the stuff I should have read for Focus! class over the weekend.
    Dad finally comes out of the house and drives me to school. When I get to our classroom, I look at Samantha and I know we’re thinking the same things:
What’s going to happen to make us popular? What is Madison going to do to embarrass herself? How will it happen? When?
    It’s super hard to concentrate in any of our classes because I can’t stop looking over at Madison. One time she catches me. She doesn’t stick her tongue out because she’s eating her lightly salted kale chips like a perfect princess, but she shoots me a look that everybody knows—the look that says “What do you want, weirdo?” I turn my eyes away, and a second later I hear a cough!
    Sam and I look at each other. Maybe a lightly salted kale chip is getting caught in Madison’s throat and she has to cough it out! Even better, maybe Kevin will have to do the Heimlich and grab her around the stomach and squeeze hard to force it out of her! We tried to learn the Heimlich maneuver at my old school. It was totally embarrassing to practice on each other, and it would be way worse if someone had to use it on you in class for real. Everyone would see the piece of food come flying out of your mouth, and what if it landed on someone and…?
    But Madison’s not coughing anymore.
    At lunch, Sam and I watch carefully as Madison exits the cafeteria line and walks toward her table. She stumbles a tiny bit.
    “Did she trip? Was that a little trip?” I wonder out loud to Sam.
    “If you have to ask, it’s definitely not embarrassing enough to count.” Sam is frowning. She’s disappointed and so am I. If nothing happens to Madison today, we may have to decide that pizza day was a coincidence. But Uncle Arnie said it was real, and I want to believe him. Our popularity hangs in the balance!
    Late in the day, Kevin says it’s time for the Focus! kids to head to our classroom. Scabby Larry jumps out of his chair, like there are hundred-dollar bills waiting for us there. Sam and I, we take our time. We’re in no rush.
    I expect Madison to make a comment about me and Scabby Larry going to Focus! together, but she’s actually standing up too. I guess she needs to go to the bathroom. It would be great if she got stuck in the toilet and they had to call the janitor, and the whole school gathered around and it ended up on the TV news. Now
that
would be embarrassing!
    When we get to Focus!, there’s the usual noise and activity because kids from all different grades are arriving and settling in. Roberta tells us to take our seats and quiet down because we have a special presentation today.
    “I know it’s difficult to believe that you can achieve your dreams when you’re a kid here in middle school,” says Roberta. “But this is where it begins. If you start accomplishing goals now, you’ll get used to doing it. Then you’ll do it your entire life and be as successful as you want to be! So I would like to introduce you to a middle school student who is exceptionally focused on realizing her dreams. Most of you probably know her. Please welcome Madison Paddington.”
    The classroom door opens and Madison struts in like a celebrity on the red carpet. Everyone in class looks at each other like the Martian king has landed or Pandaroo has jetted in on his trail of rainbows. Why in the world would Madison be here? Maybe she hit Roberta’s car with her bike or killed Roberta’s cat or something and owes her a favor. Otherwise Maddy Paddy would never set foot in the Focus! room.
    Madison stands up straight and proud next to Roberta’s desk as Roberta says, “Madison is here today to share some of the great ways she manages to achieve her goals.”
    Samantha leans over to me and whispers, “My goal is to be mean and nasty