Cast Your Ballot! by Rachel Wise

Author:Rachel Wise
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon Spotlight

Chapter 7

BEST FRIEND IS MORTIFIED, REFUSES TO BE COMFORTED

Opening night of a new scary movie is wild in our town. The show was sold out (thankfully Hailey had had her dad buy our tickets online in advance), and we were lucky to find four seats together. Of course, we were smushed up against the wall, but it was better than being scattered. I craned my head to search the theater and find Michael, finally locating the cute back of his head in the middle toward the front. He was with annoying Jeff Perry (rogue photographer!), his friend Frank Duane, and a couple of other guys I didn’t recognize from behind.

Hailey sat first, against the wall, then Jenna, Kristen, and me. Jenna and Kristen volunteered to go get snacks, and Hailey and I held down the fort, talking across the two empty seats.

“So was Anthony up for meeting Allie?” she asked.

I nodded. “Yeah, definitely. Whatever it takes, he said.”

Hailey nodded. “You think he’ll ask you to be his VP?” she joked.

“Nah. He’s so good, I don’t even think he needs one! But maybe we should try to think up a few suggestions for him anyway.” I thought about who could balance him out. “He could use a girl, someone with a good reputation, if not downright popular, someone sporty, maybe not as academic as him. Someone . . .”

Suddenly Hailey let out an ear-piercing scream.

“What?” I jumped out of my seat and stared at her. She was pointing at the wall where a centipede was wiggling toward the light fixture.

Now, everyone has their phobias, and I know they’re not rational. I hate snakes (normal), Allie hates mice (totally average), my mom hates roaches (common), but Hailey has phobias about clowns and centipedes. A little odd, don’t you think? Go figure.

“Hails, it’s all right.” I grabbed my notebook out of my bag and stood and tried to give it a whack, but I couldn’t reach it.

“Sam! It’s crawling toward me now!” shrieked Hailey, her knees pulled up in front of her as if it were coming at her from the floor. “Get it!”

I flailed spastically at the multilegged insect as it wiggled across the wall, and I could feel people turning to stare.

Heroic Battle: Girl vs. . . . Centipede?

“Sam! EEEK!” screeched Hailey as I tried to whack it and fell over like the spaz that I am. I stood up to see a dad in the row in front of us give it a good whack with a newspaper, and it fell, dead, onto the floor, where the dad picked it up with a napkin and smiled at us.

“Thanks,” muttered Hailey weakly.

Just then, Jenna and Kristen returned with the snacks and asked what was going on, and the lights started to dim. They hustled into their seats and handed out the candy and popcorn. I was just starting to relax when a boy’s voice from down to the left yelled, “Eek, Sam! A mouse! Get it!” in a perfect imitation of Hailey.

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