Pickle by Kim Baker

Author:Kim Baker
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press

28

The Invisible Barrier

Sienna brought the plastic wrap, and following Oliver’s very detailed instructions, wrapped the sinks in the front two bathrooms before school the next morning. She stopped short in front of the boys’ room door. “Oliver, could you take a peek and make sure it’s empty?” Oliver nodded and headed into the bathroom. I wanted to point out the major prank foul that nobody checked the girls’ locker room for me before I went inside, but Sienna already looked like she might change her mind. And Oliver had already plowed in before she was even done asking. Oliver came out and gave a subtle thumbs-up on his way back to my locker. Sienna ducked in. She was back out in under two minutes. She tried to throw the box away, but Frank grabbed it back out of the can.

“Stellar work, team. Let’s go for the bonus round. Faculty restrooms,” Frank said and handed the roll of plastic wrap back to Sienna.

“Whoa, nice!” Bean said, and high-fived Frank.

“No way. You’re just trying to get me busted,” Sienna said.

“On the contrary, the League of Pickle Makers is all about a challenge,” Frank said.

“What if I don’t do it?”

“Then you won’t be a pickle maker,” Bean said. “Simple. As. That.”

“Fine,” Sienna said. She grabbed the tube and stomped down the hall. She pretended to tie her shoe while Mr. Reynolds walked past and then she ducked into the men’s room first. After about a minute, she opened the door and tiptoed into the women’s room. She came back out fast, without the plastic wrap. I thought she had chickened out, or bumped into a teacher in there and gotten busted. But she ran back to us and nodded. “Done.”

We could see the student and faculty restrooms from my locker, so we all stood around lurking like we were just hanging out.

“I bet you five bucks nobody falls for it,” Sienna said.

“You are on, doorknob,” Bean said.

Two girls went into the girls’ room. We waited. Two minutes later they came out calm and dry. I thought they must have figured it out and taken the plastic off and Bean owed Sienna a fiver. It turns out they just didn’t wash their hands after they peed. After that, a whole bunch of kids got splashed in a row. Girls and boys. It made the front of their pants wet in the worst possible spot. Kids came out with red faces holding their books down low in front of them. Nobody used the faculty restrooms, and I tried to remember if I’d ever seen anyone going in there.

I pretended to look for something in my locker for twenty minutes, and the others pretended to wait patiently while I searched. Maggie Rubio went into the girls’ room and came out with dry pants, so she was definitely in the no-wash club. She waved and I tried to wave back in a casual way like I’d just noticed her and definitely not like I’d been gawking at her coming out of the bathroom and was now grossed out.

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