Merci Suárez Can't Dance

Merci Suárez Can't Dance — page 5 — got upgraded to a bigger room near the gym That's where she told us the lousy news We'd been drafted I think you two would make a fine management team at the school store she said as she unlocked the door to the tiny space A box of pencils labeled INVENTORY was stacked against one wall near the dust bunnies A metal cashbox and calculator sat on a cast off desk with uneven legs You can hone your business and math skills right here and get real world experience I tried to keep my glare of death to a minimum level First of all if my business skills were any sharper I'd have to register them as weapons thank you very much Who does she think helps Papi figure out job bids and write ad copy Sol Painting Inc. doesn't have five stars on Yelp for nothing As for Wilson he was already a math whiz I hear he computes circles around the other kids in the algebra class he takes with ninth-graders ninth-graders But the bigger thing is how unfair this all was Lena had morning announcements Hannah was assigned to be the supply aide in the cool makerspace that's new this year Me I was facing a dungeon where fun goes to die and with a boy as my only company no less Wilson seemed just as appalled Isn't there anything else he asked Maybe the Earth Club I wouldn't mind rinsing out recyclables I sneaked a glance at him secretly agreeing Even washing out juice boxes and plastic Snackables trays seemed better What was there to do at the Ram Depot except sell pens and pencils to kids who forgot theirs at home She pursed her lips I'm afraid not Dr. Newman is very interested in improving the school store this year and I need especially strong student helpers for the task She was buttering us up like biscuits The question was Why Then she handed over a brochure from the Poxel School in North Palm Beach The Pox as we call them around here is our archrival in everything from soccer to landscaping You want to drive a stake through our headmaster's heart Tell Dr. Newman that the Poxel School is better than Seaward Pines at anything The brochure showed photos of their recently finished building project Smack in the middle was a picture of their new school store looking like it belonged in the Gardens Mall Clothes 6

Merci Suárez Can't Dance — page 6 — electronics coffee bar beanbag chairs you name it There was even a web link for online orders I gave her a grim look You'd need miracle workers miss not us Wilson nodded backing me up She's right Miss McDaniels I could practically feel the air around us grow colder as she narrowed her eyes digging in Perhaps I can persuade you another way I have been authorized to offer you a significant perk if you will both agree to take the job she said Perk Wilson said Let me guess I said my soul already on life support Free pencils for life Wilson started to chuckle but her sharp look turned my joke into ash Being churlish as she says is at the top of her list of no no's especially for seventh graders Not that pencils aren't useful I mumbled Better than pencils She lowered her voice her eyes steady on ours What would you say to eating free dessert from the cafeteria every day Mrs. Malta's key lime pie in fact My mouth watered Graham cracker crust Tart filling and whipped cream That's my lunchroom Kryptonite and she knew it From the look on Wilson's face it was his too Maybe we could be business partners after all Free I always bring a bag lunch thanks to Mami No sugary treats are ever part of it She nodded slowly to let it sink in Every Single Day Wilson and I exchanged looks It's settled then Miss McDaniels said victorious Sometimes you have bad options but you still have to pick like do you eat the yucca or the quimbombó at Lolo and Abuela's house for dinner You just make the best of it So that's what I did I'm in I said If I was going to die of boredom with a kid I barely knew at least there would be pie And Wilson shrugging said he was in too 7

Merci Suárez Can't Dance — page 7 — CHAPTER 2 HEY WHERE Y'AT WILSON SAYS That's hello He doesn't know but I kind of like how he talks He puts no r's on the ends of words which makes him sound like Mr. Finley who's from Boston and teaches American history Cah Bah Fah instead of car bar far Wilson isn't from Massachusetts though He's from New Orleans which is hot and steamy just like here in South Florida He says it's not evah pronounced New Or-leenz Or-leenz If you say it that way he corrects you even if you're Miss McDaniels I've heard him do it with my own ears I'll be honest At first I wasn't crazy about working with a seventh-grade seventh-grade boy in close quarters especially because of their annoying jokes about farting and body parts In sixth grade most of the boys were relatively normal but not anymore Now the lunch menu can't list chicken breast sandwiches without them elbowing one another and convulsing Some of them punch other boys in the privates to be funny like that guy on YouTube Michael Clark went down like a tree and had to go to the nurse when Jason Aldrich got him after hiding under his desk And God forbid if one of the boys likes you He'll spend a whole class saying obnoxious things so that you'll look at him even if it's with murder in your eyes More than one girl has had to tell the teacher or scream I hate you to get them to stop It's so confusing I mean if you want someone to like you shouldn't you act nice But no They act so badly that the kids they have crushes on dream of beating them to death with a shovel Wilson it turns out is not like that at all and this job is not the worst thing that could happen to a person His top qualifications so far He doesn't make mean comments about my lazy eye and then complain that I can't take a joke He doesn't copy off my tests in earth science and take credit for 8

Merci Suárez Can't Dance — page 8 — smart answers He doesn't hog the basketball in PE so he can make the shot himself Plus he's basically a human calculator which is good when you're trying to revamp a total disaster of a business like we are He hangs his backpack on the hook behind the door and looks around for a place to sit We only have room for a table and two chairs in here and today it's even more cramped than usual I look up from the poster I'm making on the floor Careful You're going to stomp me I tell him His shoes are badly scuffed especially his right one the one that's wider on account of the brace he wears to keep his toes from dragging down The soles are caked with wet grass too a telltale sign that he didn't stay on the walkways like we're supposed to as per the gazillion signs about keeping our campus beautiful That's a level one offense in Miss McDaniels's book And I would know since I'm more or less a regular on walkway infractions Wipe those off if you know what's good for you I say I got hassled again just yesterday Miss McDaniels saw me run across the grass because I was late for English Wilson pays me no mind What's all this He fishes out his sandwich and offers me half Ham and cheese same as every day and his mom uses full fat máyo nay is so I'm in heaven At least it's better than Mami's healthy turkey breast with alfalfa sprouts for fun which she says are nutrient dense I looked it up and found out sprouts are full of vitamin K which helps your blood clot Useful in case I'm stabbed I guess I'm making room for new stock of course I tell him taking a swig from my water bottle We have to unload those dumb erasers before the new inventory gets here So we're having a winter clearance sale We've been waiting weeks for the bobbleheads we ordered Hunky Jake Rodrigo hero of the gene spliced universe bobbleheads It's a million-dollar million-dollar idea No one will be able to resist them We are huh he asks Did we have a meeting to decide that Let me think NO I push the hair off my face and roll my eyes He's such a stickler about things We didn't need a meeting We needed action So I took it I cap my marker and hold up the sign Fix your mistakes in style Two for one erasers Wile supplies last What do you think I ask 9

7

PAGE 7 OF 232

The only kids' eBook subscription service that offers thousands of high-quality books from well known publishers like HarperCollins, National Geographic and others.

JavaScript Required

Whoops! We're sorry but Epic doesn't work properly without JavaScript enabled. Check your web browser's settings to make sure it's enabled.