we going to do if you don’t have the right notes?”
“Why can’t you take some notes, Ivy?” Fiona said.
“I don’t think I was talking to you,” Ivy said. She stood up and went over to her group of friends.
“Maybe Egg should go out with Ivy,” Fiona said under her breath. “They’re both creeps.”
Madison smiled and went to get a better look behind the screen.
“Let’s take a look at bees inside the nature center,” Jimmy’s microphone voice boomed.
Doug wheeled away the chrysalis cabinet and then stood in front of one giant box. He lifted its lid. A dozen bees danced around the top.
From inside the box, Doug pulled out a slat that had an open screen on it. When he held it up for everyone to see, more bees danced around his arms and head. The slat was where some of the bees were busy making honey in a section of honeycomb.
Doug lifted up the slat that held the queen bee. Now the worker bees were moving around a little bit more than usual. They’d covered his arm and mask.
“I’m glad that guy’s in there and not me,” a voice next to Madison said.
She looked over to see Hart standing there.
“Yeah,” Madison muttered. Her chest thumped. She’d been so annoyed with him before now. But standing there, one on top of the other in a big huddle of seventh graders, she had renewed feelings of “like.”
She liked the shirt he was wearing, she liked the way his hair was parted, and she liked the way his voice sounded.
“Sorry about the lunch table thing,” Hart whispered.
Madison shrugged. “Whatever,” she said, her chest still pounding a little. She didn’t want to like him. After all, she was a girl and this was girls versus boys.
But one look at his brown hair and …
“Seeya!” Madison spun around and headed back over to the bench where Fiona was sitting. She had to leave the scene before her crush feelings took over entirely.
“Aren’t bees bad! ” some kid yelled to Doug. He could hear questions through the glass, but it was Jimmy’s loudspeaker voice that replied.
“Definitely not, ” Jimmy said. “Bees are necessary for all life. They pollinate flowers and other plants that are necessary for our survival. I’d say that’s good—not bad.”
“Well said,” Ranger Lester’s voice boomed. “I’d say bees are terribly misunderstood creatures.”
When Madison found Fiona again, she looked pale.
“What’s wrong?” Madison asked. “Are you still upset about Egg?”
Fiona shook her head. “Not really. I just feel a little weird.” She started itching her arm and lifted up her sleeve to reveal a blotch of brown bumps.
“What happened there?” Madison asked.
Fiona looked like she had a dozen pimples, chicken pox, and a bad rash all at the same time. She removed her new glasses and handed them to Madison, who shoved them into a pocket in her bag.
“I don’t feel so good,” she told Madison again.
Fiona leaned backward onto the bench and collapsed.
“Fiona!” Madison cried.
Everyone turned to look.
Chapter 9
“W HAT’S THE MATTER?” AIMEE asked, rushing over when she heard Madison scream.
“I can’t—can’t—breathe—” Fiona said. She lifted her head and rubbed her ears. “I feel sick. I feel—”
“Don’t move,” Madison told Fiona. She yelled at Aimee, “Go get a teacher!”
Madison tried to remember what she’d been taught at the animal clinic about responding to emergencies. She’d also taken a sixth-grade CPR course last year. Madison tried to remember all at once everything she’d ever learned.
Think fast. Stay calm. Get help.
“Ow-eee,” Fiona said, stretching out her arm. It was swollen like a log. Her neck looked like it was starting to swell a teeny bit, too. Madison remembered reading in a book somewhere that when the neck swelled, it could close up someone’s throat and stop breathing.
But she didn’t want to panic.
“I—really can’t—breathe—” Fiona could barely talk anymore.
Madison stroked
“Why can’t you take some notes, Ivy?” Fiona said.
“I don’t think I was talking to you,” Ivy said. She stood up and went over to her group of friends.
“Maybe Egg should go out with Ivy,” Fiona said under her breath. “They’re both creeps.”
Madison smiled and went to get a better look behind the screen.
“Let’s take a look at bees inside the nature center,” Jimmy’s microphone voice boomed.
Doug wheeled away the chrysalis cabinet and then stood in front of one giant box. He lifted its lid. A dozen bees danced around the top.
From inside the box, Doug pulled out a slat that had an open screen on it. When he held it up for everyone to see, more bees danced around his arms and head. The slat was where some of the bees were busy making honey in a section of honeycomb.
Doug lifted up the slat that held the queen bee. Now the worker bees were moving around a little bit more than usual. They’d covered his arm and mask.
“I’m glad that guy’s in there and not me,” a voice next to Madison said.
She looked over to see Hart standing there.
“Yeah,” Madison muttered. Her chest thumped. She’d been so annoyed with him before now. But standing there, one on top of the other in a big huddle of seventh graders, she had renewed feelings of “like.”
She liked the shirt he was wearing, she liked the way his hair was parted, and she liked the way his voice sounded.
“Sorry about the lunch table thing,” Hart whispered.
Madison shrugged. “Whatever,” she said, her chest still pounding a little. She didn’t want to like him. After all, she was a girl and this was girls versus boys.
But one look at his brown hair and …
“Seeya!” Madison spun around and headed back over to the bench where Fiona was sitting. She had to leave the scene before her crush feelings took over entirely.
“Aren’t bees bad! ” some kid yelled to Doug. He could hear questions through the glass, but it was Jimmy’s loudspeaker voice that replied.
“Definitely not, ” Jimmy said. “Bees are necessary for all life. They pollinate flowers and other plants that are necessary for our survival. I’d say that’s good—not bad.”
“Well said,” Ranger Lester’s voice boomed. “I’d say bees are terribly misunderstood creatures.”
When Madison found Fiona again, she looked pale.
“What’s wrong?” Madison asked. “Are you still upset about Egg?”
Fiona shook her head. “Not really. I just feel a little weird.” She started itching her arm and lifted up her sleeve to reveal a blotch of brown bumps.
“What happened there?” Madison asked.
Fiona looked like she had a dozen pimples, chicken pox, and a bad rash all at the same time. She removed her new glasses and handed them to Madison, who shoved them into a pocket in her bag.
“I don’t feel so good,” she told Madison again.
Fiona leaned backward onto the bench and collapsed.
“Fiona!” Madison cried.
Everyone turned to look.
Chapter 9
“W HAT’S THE MATTER?” AIMEE asked, rushing over when she heard Madison scream.
“I can’t—can’t—breathe—” Fiona said. She lifted her head and rubbed her ears. “I feel sick. I feel—”
“Don’t move,” Madison told Fiona. She yelled at Aimee, “Go get a teacher!”
Madison tried to remember what she’d been taught at the animal clinic about responding to emergencies. She’d also taken a sixth-grade CPR course last year. Madison tried to remember all at once everything she’d ever learned.
Think fast. Stay calm. Get help.
“Ow-eee,” Fiona said, stretching out her arm. It was swollen like a log. Her neck looked like it was starting to swell a teeny bit, too. Madison remembered reading in a book somewhere that when the neck swelled, it could close up someone’s throat and stop breathing.
But she didn’t want to panic.
“I—really can’t—breathe—” Fiona could barely talk anymore.
Madison stroked
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