Free Shaken Up by Alex Morgan Page B

“Sounds delish!”
    â€œLet’s go!” Jessi grabbed my arm and led me into her kitchen, where on the table was a plate with the banana sushi rolls, a big bowl of popcorn, and a pitcher of lemonade. “Thanks, Mom!”
    â€œSo, those gladiators did you in, huh, Devin?” Jessi asked as we spread our books and notebooks out on the table.
    â€œIt was a total slaughter,” I said, and moaned. “I didn’t stand a chance.”
    â€œYou’ve got me now. You don’t have to face the gladiators alone. Now let me see your notes.” She looked at them and raised an eyebrow. “ No soccer is one of the things that led to the fall of the Roman empire?”
    â€œIt was just a joke!” I said defensively. Boy, did I regret writing that down!
    Jessi shook her head, her braids swinging as she chuckled. “Of course you did. After all, you do have a soccer ball for a brain. Now let’s go over the real reasons. First, the empire grew too large to be easily managed. Think of it like the soccer field. Imagine it about five times bigger than it is now. Our midfielders would become exhausted running back and forth. You’d have a much bigger area to try to connect with passes. And our goal would be five times as big, giving our defenders an even bigger area to guard. It would be completely unmanageable.”
    As Jessi talked, it all made sense. I liked how she related it back to soccer. I knew I’d easily remember it that way. We went over the other reasons for the Roman decline and started tackling some of the Romans’ contributions to the world that are still being used today. Like cement. Yep, the Romans invented that! Along with a lot of other things, which Jessi helped cram into my brain.
    I was totally impressed with Jessi. She was so focused and helpful. “Wow,” I said as we took a break to munch on some popcorn and banana sushi, “you should be a teacher. You’re good! But I have to say I’m kind of surprised. I remember how you used to be more interested in watching The Real Teenagers of Beverly Hills than doing your homework.”
    Jessi got a sheepish smile on her face. “Um, yeah. I totally still watch it! Now I have a study strategy. I DVRthe show each week. For every hour of studying, I reward myself with fifteen minutes of RTOBH .” Jessi looked up at the clock. “In fact, we’ve been studying for an hour now. Want to take a reality TV show break?”
    â€œI’d love to!” I said. I didn’t usually watch shows like that. They were fun to see with Jessi, though. Her commentary was hilarious.
    Jessi grabbed the bowl of popcorn, and we headed to her living room to lounge on her big, comfy couch and watch some of the silly show.
    â€œI’ll never forgive you for not inviting me to your birthday party, Taylor!” yelled a teenager named Addison with long, dark hair and makeup that looked like it had been painted on. (When I turned eighty, my mom still wouldn’t let me wear that much makeup!) She was arguing with a girl who looked a lot like her, thanks to the style of makeup and clothes, except that the other girl, Taylor, had long blond hair instead.
    Addison bent over and picked up a small, fluffy white dog that was yapping at her feet. “And neither will Fifi!” she added dramatically. And at that exact moment, the dog stuck its tongue out.
    Jessi and I rolled with laughter as Taylor glared at Addison and Fifi. “I don’t care about you or your little dog!” she shrieked. “You only want to come to my party because Nick will be there,” Taylor added smugly. “Nick likes me, not you. Get it through your head.”
    Even though I thought it was the most ridiculous argument I had ever heard, I had to admit I was curious about what would happen next.
    I wasn’t disappointed. Addison, still holding Fifi in one hand, used the other hand to push Taylor into the