Chapter 5

Chapter 5 WE ALL SOREAM FOR ICE CREAM, BUT MAYBE WE SHOULD USE OUR INSIDE VOICES. The giant spider was a creepy foe, to be sure. And Po had not loved being a target for the axolotls. But in the bright lights and open spaces of the real world, it was easy to let that stuff go. Besides, Po had a real-world hostile mob to worry about, and her name was Shelly Silver. And it was time to fight ice cream with ice cream. "I can't believe you brought a whole ice cream truck to school!" said Theo after the lunch bell rang the next day. He was clearly impressed. One down, thought Po. About four hundred more students to go. "It's my cousin's truck," explained Po. "She's in high school, and she sells ice cream on the weekends. And she owed me a favor."

"That's a pretty big favor," said Theo. "What did you do, save her cat or something?" "I fainted," said Po. "Or I pretended to." He smiled at the memory. "We were at a family wedding, and she was desperate to leave early. So I pretended to have a little fainting spell. She rushed to my 'rescue' and drove me home, which got her out of there—and made her look like a hero at the same time." He put his hand to his head and groaned as he slumped in his wheelchair. After a pausing a moment for dramatic effect, he added, "See. I told you guys I'm a good actor." "But what kind of politician are you?" asked Harper, giving him a quick eye roll before getting down to business. "Giving out ice cream to the whole student body is a good way to get everyone's attention. But what are your policies, your ideas?" Theo added, "You should use this opportunity to actually inform everybody about your platform." "Platform?" echoed Po. "You know," said Harper. "What kind of changes will you make if you're elected? What promises are you

making? Why are you a better candidate than Shelly Silver?" "Um…," said Po. "Well, my ice cream is soft serve, which is way better than those little cups." Harper frowned. "You need to give some thought to this, Po." "She has a point," said Theo, nodding in agreement with Harper. "If you don't have a plan for being president…if you don't have a reason why people should vote for you…then all of this is just a popularity contest." "I love popularity contests!" said Po. He saw Theo and Harper exchange a worried look. "Don't worry," he said. "I'll think about what you just said. Consider that my first campaign promise." He pressed the button for the automatic door that led out of the school. "But right now, I need to make sure my cousin does her part." Po's cousin, Hope, was in position and ready to go. She had parked her ice cream truck right

across the street, outside Stonesword Library. Po wheeled up to the truck and greeted his cousin with a high five. "Hey, Hope," he said. "Thanks for doing this." "Anything for you, little cousin," said Hope. "Especially since you'll owe me big-time." "I figured we'd be even," said Po. Hope chuckled. "That's cute," she said. "But this is a lot of ice cream, we've got two family weddings coming up, and I've had enough Chen family country line dances for this lifetime."

Po couldn't argue with that. His grandparents really liked to get down. It could be weird. "Hey, Po!" said a voice. It was Morgan, wearing a bright orange vest over his T-shirt. Despite the sunny outfit, he looked deeply tired. "Everything's all approved," said Morgan. "It took me most of the night, but I finished the paperwork to get you on the ballot and the paperwork that allows you to give out ice cream." He stifled a yawn. "The only catch is that we need a crossing guard to make sure students can safely cross the street between the school and the library."

"And you volunteered?" asked Po, understanding now why Morgan was wearing the vest. "Thanks, Morgan. You're the best! When I'm president, I'm totally making you my second-in-command." "You know that's not how it works, right?" Morgan said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "There's a whole separate election for vice president. And for class secretary, and treasurer…" "So many rules," said Po. "You can tell me all about it later. Right now, I've got an announcement to make." Po pulled a brand-new megaphone from his backpack, and he held it to his lips. "Free ice cream for all Woodsword students!" he bellowed. "Come and get it. And vote for me, Po!" Morgan winced at the noise, then hurried to stand at the crosswalk. The school lawn was full of students who had taken their lunches outside. They all perked up at Po's announcement. Most of them stood and stepped forward, drawn by the promise of free dessert. "Here they come, Hope," said Po. And then, into the megaphone again: "Vote for Po! Vote for Po!"