Chapter 10

Chapter 10 IF YOUR RIVAL REACHES ACROSS THE AISLE…GIVE HER A COOKIE. It was a beautiful morning outside in the real world. Jodi, Harper, and Theo were together, sitting beneath a tree. Jodi was sketching Minecraft rabbits on graph paper. She wouldn't let some creepy, kooky Minecraft mob ruin her love of bunnies. Or llamas. Or axolotls! She'd never known how cute amphibians could be. She'd looked them up online and confirmed that they were just as adorable in real life as they were in pixels.

Jodi glanced at Harper. She was drawing, too, and Theo was looking over her shoulder. They were putting their heads together on a new plan to deal with the spider. Morgan was nearby, rushing to finish his homework. He'd spent all night making cookies. They were unappetizing, but at least he hadn't set the kitchen on fire. To Jodi, that was progress. "Hi, everybody," said a voice, and Jodi looked up to see Shelly Silver standing over them. "Can I join you for a minute?"

Jodi was surprised. She'd never talked with Shelly —and despite Po, she'd certainly never spied on her. So what was Shelly doing here? "Uh…sure, you can join us," said Morgan. He obviously felt awkward. Jodi even saw him look around to make sure Po wasn't nearby. But there was still twenty minutes before the first bell, and Po usually didn't get to school this early. Harper set aside her notebook. "Have a seat, Shelly," she said. "What's on your mind?" Shelly smiled. She had a nice smile, Jodi thought. Friendly. "Thanks," Shelly said, and she folded her legs to sit on the grass. "I know you're all friends with Po, so I won't try to convince you to vote for me. But I'm trying to speak with every student before the election." She took out a pocket-sized spiral notepad and a glitter pen with a big pink pompom on the end. "That way, if I am elected, I'll have an idea what everyone cares about." "What we care about?" echoed Theo. "Yeah," said Shelly. "You know. What's your number-one issue? What would you like to see change around here?"

Theo thought about it. "I'd like the computer lab back," he said. "Ditto," said Morgan. "Our computer equipment should be in the school, where we can keep an eye on it." Jodi knew they were worried that keeping their VR headsets in the library meant that someone else would use them. "I care about recycling," said Harper. "And other sustainable practices." "Oh, me too, actually!" said Shelly. "Woodsword is pretty good about all that, but it could be better. I have a lot of ideas." That got a big smile from Harper. "What do you think about the upcoming block party?" she asked. Jodi understood immediately why Shelly was asking. The block party was an annual event—an after-school party for all the students and their families. But some students had decided the party was a big waste of money. They argued that the money could be spent on important improvements around the school. "I think it's a waste," said Harper, and Theo nodded in agreement.

"No, I love the block party!" said Morgan. "I've been looking forward to it all year." Jodi noticed Shelly writing their responses in her notebook. She was really paying attention to what they cared about. And she had a sudden, sinking feeling…that Po might not win the election. "Oh!" said Shelly. Her eyes had landed on Morgan's containers full of cookies. "Are you selling cookies?" "Yeah," said Morgan. He squirmed a little. "Uh, they're for Po's campaign, though. Sorry." Shelly shrugged. "That's okay." She'd been so nice, though, that Morgan let her have her choice of cookie anyway. She chose one and bit into it immediately. Jodi watched as Shelly's expression went from excitement…to confusion…to mild disgust. She chewed for several seconds, then winced as she swallowed. "That is…an interesting cookie," she said.

"I'm sorry!" said Morgan, knowing the cookies were terrible. "I think I mixed up the baking powder and the baking soda. But why is baking soda a powder? It's so confusing!" They all laughed, Shelly the loudest of all. She didn't eat the rest of the cookie, but she politely wrapped it in a napkin and placed it in her purse, as if she might get back to it later.