asked.
“Maddie got hit with a Frisbee,” Egg said. “But it was an accident.”
“Are you hurt?” Ms. Ripple asked Madison.
“No.” Madison shrugged, not wanting to get Egg or anyone else in trouble. “It’s okay.”
“It was the boys!” Lindsay said.
“Totally! The boys!” Aimee said.
The rest of the girls cheered. “YEAH! THE BOYS!”
Madison sighed.
The Far Hills Junior High war of the sexes had officially begun.
As usual, Madison felt like she was in the middle of everything.
Chapter 8
A T LUNCH TIME, MADISON, Aimee, and Fiona sat down at a picnic table to eat with Egg, Drew, and Chet—just the way they did at their usual orange table in the cafeteria.
Normally Madison would be thrilled to sit near her friends and her crush, but today she felt the exact opposite. She looked up, down, everywhere to avoid making eye contact with the boys, especially Hart.
“Hey, let’s see where the Frisbee smashed you, Maddie. Do you have a bruise yet?” Chet asked her. “Come on, pull up your sleeve.”
“Stop being such a pest,” Fiona said to her twin brother.
“How is your arm, Finnster?” Hart asked.
Even though Hart sounded 100 percent earnest, Madison ignored him and the other boys, too. This infuriated Egg. He tried everything he could do to grab Madison’s attention, including opening his mouth when he’d chewed up some of his cheese sandwich. He went, “Ahhhhh,” in her face. Dan stuffed two brownies into his mouth at once and looked over at Madison, too. “Uuuuuuuuh,” he grunted, as though he were speaking in some secret boy code.
Fiona stood up with her hands on her hips. “Are you guys being supergross today or is it me?”
“It’s you, Fiona!” Chet said.
Drew started laughing until he snorted milk out of his nose. He gave Chet a high five. Egg couldn’t stop laughing, either. He shoved the rest of his cheese sandwich into his mouth all at once.
“Ewwwwwww!” Aimee yelled. “You’re all DISGUSTING!”
She jumped backward away from the picnic table, which sent her plastic bag of carrots flying everywhere. One soaring carrot pinged Madison on the head. She’d become a target for flying objects of all kinds today.
Some kids were sure that a food fight would break out, but it didn’t. Aimee leaned over to pick up the carrot missiles one by one.
“What are you doing?” Egg yelled. “Leave them there. Aim. The birds will eat them or something.”
“What are you talking about, Egg?” Fiona asked. Even she seemed a little annoyed now. She’d never, ever raised her voice to her crush before now. “We can’t litter—this is a park. What’s your problem?”
“What’s your problem?” Egg cracked. “Little Ms. Goody.”
Chet nodded in agreement, as did Drew and Dan.
Fiona looked ready to cry. But then Ranger Lester approached their picnic table with hands raised.
Clap, clap.
“Attention, everyone! The teachers have decided that you will all head to the next activity together, not in groups of boys or girls. Jimmy, your teachers, and I will be joint leaders.”
Clap, clap.
Madison raised her hand. “But—” she started to say.
“Yes?” Ranger Lester said, still clapping like a trained seal.
Madison shook her head and didn’t say anything more. She figured it was better to ignore the boys rather than let herself feel pestered. Of course, the whole time the ranger stood there at the table, the boys had behaved perfectly. No cheese sandwich or brownie surprises.
“Well, then,” Ranger Lester said, looking around the now quiet table. “Let’s shake a leg, then, shall we?” And with that, he shook his leg.
It was the last straw.
From out of nowhere, Aimee let out a laugh. She was trying so hard not to react to the annoying boys, the snappish exchanges, and most of all to the very strange ranger. But she couldn’t hold back anymore.
Lindsay stuffed an orange slice into her mouth so she wouldn’t laugh. All the other boys and girls at the
“Maddie got hit with a Frisbee,” Egg said. “But it was an accident.”
“Are you hurt?” Ms. Ripple asked Madison.
“No.” Madison shrugged, not wanting to get Egg or anyone else in trouble. “It’s okay.”
“It was the boys!” Lindsay said.
“Totally! The boys!” Aimee said.
The rest of the girls cheered. “YEAH! THE BOYS!”
Madison sighed.
The Far Hills Junior High war of the sexes had officially begun.
As usual, Madison felt like she was in the middle of everything.
Chapter 8
A T LUNCH TIME, MADISON, Aimee, and Fiona sat down at a picnic table to eat with Egg, Drew, and Chet—just the way they did at their usual orange table in the cafeteria.
Normally Madison would be thrilled to sit near her friends and her crush, but today she felt the exact opposite. She looked up, down, everywhere to avoid making eye contact with the boys, especially Hart.
“Hey, let’s see where the Frisbee smashed you, Maddie. Do you have a bruise yet?” Chet asked her. “Come on, pull up your sleeve.”
“Stop being such a pest,” Fiona said to her twin brother.
“How is your arm, Finnster?” Hart asked.
Even though Hart sounded 100 percent earnest, Madison ignored him and the other boys, too. This infuriated Egg. He tried everything he could do to grab Madison’s attention, including opening his mouth when he’d chewed up some of his cheese sandwich. He went, “Ahhhhh,” in her face. Dan stuffed two brownies into his mouth at once and looked over at Madison, too. “Uuuuuuuuh,” he grunted, as though he were speaking in some secret boy code.
Fiona stood up with her hands on her hips. “Are you guys being supergross today or is it me?”
“It’s you, Fiona!” Chet said.
Drew started laughing until he snorted milk out of his nose. He gave Chet a high five. Egg couldn’t stop laughing, either. He shoved the rest of his cheese sandwich into his mouth all at once.
“Ewwwwwww!” Aimee yelled. “You’re all DISGUSTING!”
She jumped backward away from the picnic table, which sent her plastic bag of carrots flying everywhere. One soaring carrot pinged Madison on the head. She’d become a target for flying objects of all kinds today.
Some kids were sure that a food fight would break out, but it didn’t. Aimee leaned over to pick up the carrot missiles one by one.
“What are you doing?” Egg yelled. “Leave them there. Aim. The birds will eat them or something.”
“What are you talking about, Egg?” Fiona asked. Even she seemed a little annoyed now. She’d never, ever raised her voice to her crush before now. “We can’t litter—this is a park. What’s your problem?”
“What’s your problem?” Egg cracked. “Little Ms. Goody.”
Chet nodded in agreement, as did Drew and Dan.
Fiona looked ready to cry. But then Ranger Lester approached their picnic table with hands raised.
Clap, clap.
“Attention, everyone! The teachers have decided that you will all head to the next activity together, not in groups of boys or girls. Jimmy, your teachers, and I will be joint leaders.”
Clap, clap.
Madison raised her hand. “But—” she started to say.
“Yes?” Ranger Lester said, still clapping like a trained seal.
Madison shook her head and didn’t say anything more. She figured it was better to ignore the boys rather than let herself feel pestered. Of course, the whole time the ranger stood there at the table, the boys had behaved perfectly. No cheese sandwich or brownie surprises.
“Well, then,” Ranger Lester said, looking around the now quiet table. “Let’s shake a leg, then, shall we?” And with that, he shook his leg.
It was the last straw.
From out of nowhere, Aimee let out a laugh. She was trying so hard not to react to the annoying boys, the snappish exchanges, and most of all to the very strange ranger. But she couldn’t hold back anymore.
Lindsay stuffed an orange slice into her mouth so she wouldn’t laugh. All the other boys and girls at the
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