Free Bad Taste in Boys by Carrie Harris

snarly hair, bad glasses, and the social aptitude of the average chimpanzee. If this virus was transmitted by bodily fluid, I had probably contracted it when Mike bit me.
    I snatched three vials, pulled a Ziploc bag out of my backpack, and sealed them carefully inside. I might not have been great with the romance thing, but no one was going to outscience me. Especially when there was a hot boy at stake.

took the vials straight to the chem lab. I had about an hour before I was supposed to volunteer at the pancake supper, and I was feeling the pressure. That was the worst thing about being friends with Kiki: she inflicted her do-goodery on people. No way would I have volunteered for this stupid thing if she hadn’t begged. A lot of the football team would be there since it was an official homecoming week event, though, so it was good for me to be there too.
    I turned the corner to the science wing, and Swannie came out of the lab with a cardboard box precariously balanced on one shoulder. It was so big she could have fit inside with room to spare. She’d just finished a project on muscular responses in mice and was probably packing it up to make way for something new. Icouldn’t wait to hear what we were doing next, but I didn’t have time to listen to a whole research plan.
    “Let me help you with that,” I offered.
    She snatched the box away before I could touch it.
    “I’ve got it,” she said. “You working on something fun?”
    “Um … that’s not exactly the word I’d use.” I sighed. “You don’t mind, do you?”
    “Of course not. My lab is your lab. I owe you for sectioning all those mice. I wouldn’t have been able to finish that project without you, you know.”
    I beamed. “It was my pleasure. Seriously.”
    She shifted the box. “I’ve got to go before my shoulder falls off. But you’ll have to tell me what you’re working on later. Maybe I can give you some advice. Not like you need any, but it makes me feel important.”
    “Thanks,” I said. “I’ll definitely take you up on it.”
    She left the door open for me. It was too bad; I got a little thrill every time I used my key. Swannie had made me one when I was helping her with the mice. Being a suck-up really did have its advantages.
    Technically, the room was supposed to be a storage area, but Swannie had converted it to her own personal lab. It was crammed with centrifuges and pipettes, and it was all Swannie’s. She’d paid for it using her government funding. If I hadn’t wanted to be a doctor so badly, I’d have wanted to be her when I grew up.
    Unfortunately, I wasn’t sure what to do now that I was here. Istared down at the vials. After a minute or so, I realized that the most important thing was to isolate the virus or bacteria. It didn’t really matter if Coach thought he was shooting the players up with a steroid, B12, or lighter fluid. The most pressing danger to my players was the virus. All I needed to do was prove it existed, and then I could go to the authorities.
    That meant it was time for some cell cultures.
    About an hour later, I finished setting up the incubators and took off my gloves. I was surprised to actually be done on time; I always got lost in my work way too easily. I used to set an alarm when I worked on mice for Swannie, because otherwise I’d sit down at the bench for a couple of minutes, and then I’d look up and it would be four in the morning already. I was lucky my parents understood my workaholic tendencies.
    The cultures needed to sit overnight. I’d check them in the morning. If they grew, I’d picture-mail the evidence over to the Ho and ask him for advice. He’d know what to do.
    Now … time for pancakes.
    Kiki and I were supposed to meet in the cafeteria. I opened the doors right on time, feeling pretty proud of myself. But then I started wondering if maybe I’d made a mistake. The cafeteria lights were off; the only illumination came from the red glow of the exit sign. The