18 Almost Showtime!

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN Almost Showtime! Scientific testing (noun). The process of investigating hypotheses. It is one of the most important jobs of a scientist. Kind of like the most important job of a professional skateboarder is to practice tricks and stunts. ANOTHER DAY HAD PASSED without a single opportunity to test the ink. At least nobody had tried to mess with my project again. Which was good since STEM Night was tomorrow. I couldn't believe it! Yesterday, I had made sure to be the last person out of the science lab before Ms. Daly locked it up. I wasn't taking any chances. In class, Mrs. Eberlin had reminded us to finish up our poster boards. When everyone started chatting about STEM Night during free time, I studied Elijah for signs of dishonesty. His arms hung loosely at his sides. His jaw was relaxed. But his eyes focused on his notebook. Not once did he look at me directly. Did this mean that Elijah was feeling guilty about something? Like, maybe, messing up my project?

It didn't seem possible. But in science you can't close your mind to possibilities. You don't know unless you test something. I just had to test the ink in those poems. I headed over to the pencil sharpener in the back of the class. As I did, Rory gave me a strange look. Like he knew I was up to something. I ended up grinding my pencil way too much. I groaned. The bell blared. Everyone gabbed away as they cleared off their desks to go to recess. "Finally," said Memito, who was my desk partner. Kids lined up at the door and then took off. I was about to zip out the door, too, when Mrs. Eberlin said, "I can't believe STEM Night is coming right up." "Tomorrow," I said. Mrs. Eberlin peered up at the calendar on the wall. She wrinkled her freckled nose. "Please tell me how that happened." "I don't know," Birdie said, walking over to join me. "I guess when you're working on science, time flies."

"Or as Ms. Daly would say," I added, "time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana." We all laughed. Because it was one of Ms. Daly's favorite jokes. "Speaking of flying," Mrs. Eberlin said, "I've got to get going on the magnet station I'm in charge of for STEM Night." She brushed past the social studies center and the reading corner. Then she disappeared into the walk-in supply closet at the very back of the room. "Wish me luck!" she called out. "I might be in here a while!" I flicked a glance at Birdie. We could stay in the classroom and take off enough ink from each poem to do some testing. Birdie looked at me, reading my mind. "Now?" she asked under her breath. "Yes," I whispered back. Birdie slunk over to the bulletin board. My fingers quickly tugged along the edge of a poem until I found the thumbtack. I pulled one out when Birdie waved her hands frantically. "She's coming back." My fingers flew off the board just as Mrs. Eberlin popped back over. She looked at us funny. "What are you girls still doing in here? Shouldn't you already be outside?"

I shrugged. "Forgot my coat." The lie felt sharp and hot on my tongue. "That's not like you, Kate." I shrugged sheepishly. No. It wasn't. First of all, I don't usually forget things. And second of all, I don't lie. "My mind is on my project," I said, and that part was true. "Well, go outside and have some fun," said Mrs. Eberlin. "It's never this nice this time of year." But I wasn't so sure I could have fun. After all, she came back so quickly that I wasn't able to get a single poem off the board. I had more sleuthing to do.