Lilly, I totally appreciate your enthusiasm about this, and all, but a literary magazine isn’t going to generate enough income to make up for what we’ve already lost. In fact, with printing costs and all, it’s just going to cause us to have to spend MORE money we don’t have.
A literary magazine? That sounds like so much fun! And then you’ll have a place to publish “No More Corn!”, Mia!
I can’t let “No More Corn!” be printed in a school literary magazine.
Oh, I suppose your story is too good to be in a mere student-published periodical.
That’s not it at all. I just don’t want the Guy Who Hates It When They Put Corn in the Chili to read it. I mean, come on. He KILLS himself at the end.
Oh! That WOULD be awkward! I mean, if he realized the story is about him. It might hurt his feelings.
Exactly.
Funny how this didn’t worry you when you were trying to get your story published in Sixteen, a national magazine with a million readers.
No self-respecting boy would be caught dead reading Sixteen magazine, and you know it, Lilly. But he’s totally likely to read a school-run literary magazine!
Whatever. Look, Ms. Martinez loves the idea of a school lit mag. I asked her just before class, and she said she thought it was great, since Albert Einstein High School has a newspaper, but not a literary magazine, and it will be a great opportunity for the student population’s many artists, poets, and storytellers to see their craft in print.
Um, yeah, but unless we’re going to CHARGE them to publish their stuff, I don’t see how that’s going to raise US any cash.
Don’t you see, Mia? We can charge people for copies of the magazine once we’ve printed it. I bet we’ll sell LOTS of copies!
Thank you, Tina. The lack of jadedness in your response is quite refreshing compared to SOME people’s negative attitudes.
I’m sorry. I’m really not trying to be negative. I’m just trying to be practical. We’d be better off selling candles.
Oooooh, you should see the cute Noah’s Ark candles they have! They’ve got all the animals, two by two…even tiny little unicorns! Are you SURE you don’t want to consider candle-selling, Mia?
AAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!
Oh, sorry. I guess not.
Wednesday, March 3, French
I heard about what’s going on.—Shameeka
WHO TOLD YOU????
Ling Su. She feels awful about it. She doesn’t know how she messed up like that.
Oh, the money thing. Well, it’s not really her fault. And listen, we’re kind of trying to keep it a secret. So could you not mention it to anyone?
I totally understand. I mean, when the seniors find out, they are NOT going to be happy. Especially Amber Cheeseman. She may look small, but I hear she’s strong as an ape.
Yeah, that’s what I mean. That’s why we’re trying to keep it on the down low.
Gotcha. My lips are sealed.
Thanks, Shameeka.
Hey, you guys. Is it true?—Perin
Is WHAT true?
About the student government being broke.
WHO TOLD YOU?
Um, I heard it from the receptionist this morning in the attendance office when I brought in my latte pass. But don’t worry, I won’t tell. She said not to.
Oh. Well. Yes. It’s true.
And you’re starting a literary magazine too make up for the lost revenue?
Who told you that?
Lilly. Can I just say that, even though I think starting a literary magazine is a neat idea and all, when we needed to make some money fast at my old school, we sold the cutest scented candles in the shapes of actual fruits, and we made a mint!
What a great idea! Don’t you think so, Mia?
NO!
Wednesday, March 3, G & T
So at lunch today Boris Pelkowski put his tray down next to mine and said, “So I hear we’re broke.”
And I seriously lost it.
“YOU GUYS,” I yelled at the entire lunch table. “YOU HAVE TO STOP TALKING ABOUT THIS. WE’RE TRYING TO KEEP IT A SECRET.”
Then I explained about how much I value my life, and how I would not care for it to be cut short by an enraged hapkido brown-belt valedictorian with monkeylike strength in her upper torso (even if, by killing and/or maiming me, she would actually be doing me a favor, since then I wouldn’t have to live with the humiliation of having my boyfriend forsake me because I am not a party girl).
“She would never kill you, Mia,” Boris pointed out helpfully. “Lars would shoot her first.”
Lars, who was showing Tina’s bodyguard, Wahim, all the games on his new Sidekick, looked up upon hearing his name.
“Who is planning to kill the princess?” Lars asked alertly.
“No one,” I said, from between gritted teeth. “Because we’re going to get the money before she ever finds out. RIGHT????”
I think I must have really impressed them with my seriousness, since they all went, “Okay.”