Chapter 1 Pranks and Problems Monday April 1 7:25 a.m. April 1 was the most hazardous day of the school year at Harwington Middle School and by far Mei’s least favorite date on the calendar She’d have willingly accepted a cough and stuffed-up nose to stay home in bed Yet here she was walking in the school’s front door Mei Mei check this out Amir called from the other side of the lobby Aiya Mei muttered under her breath She walked faster pretending she hadn’t heard him Amir had some dumb prank or
joke ready every day The pranks got bigger and more obnoxious on April Fools Day Mei wanted to skip whatever hilarious gag he had waiting for her If she could just make it to Miss Palermo’s math classroom the teacher’s presence might save her Amir took a running leap landing loudly as his sneakers slapped the tile floor right in front of her He spread his arms wide veering left as she tried to dodge him on that side But that was a fake Mei spun right shooting past Amir and down the hall It was the same move she used to beat defenders on the lacrosse field Worked every time You’re missing out Amir called after her So immature Mei grumbled as she continued on her way to homeroom There must be a rule against pranks in the Student Code of Conduct If there wasn’t there should be She made a mental note to check Amir turned and scouted the lobby for someone more appre ciative of his talents His eyes landed on Trinidad’s bouncy curls Trinidad herself wasn’t visible over the head of whoever she was talking to but her hair had a good couple inches on the rest of her If that weren’t enough of a giveaway there was also her cute best friend Claudia standing nearby He made his way toward them dodging people heading to class and other pranksters on the way Happy April Fools Day he shouted when he reached the girls giving them a toothy grin Math Test Mischief
Claudia frowned You don’t wish people a happy April Fools Day Amir That’s not a thing Not like someone’s birthday or New Year’s Day or even Valentine’s Day Trinidad saw her best friend’s lips press into a thin line and was sure she knew the words Claudia would say if they weren’t too rude Go away Poor Amir He really seemed to like Claudia and Claudia just didn’t like him back He was cute enough with warm brown skin and large happy eyes If he’d quit the jokes he’d be all right But he didn’t Ever It made the situation awkward Claudia didn’t give Amir any openings so he talked to Trinidad as an excuse to hang around Claudia But today Trinidad really wanted to talk to Niles He’d organized a group to go to the movies last Friday night and had asked Trinidad to sit next to him The outing had ended up being a disaster Still she could smooth things over but not if Niles thought Trinidad was interested in Amir What a mess Happy April Fools Day Amir Trinidad said kindly She turned back to the conversation she’d been having with Niles But Amir didn’t take the hint I’ve got this great trick to show you he said Oblivious Trinidad thought but she smiled unable to be rude even if Amir’s jokes drove her best friend nuts and risked Pranks and Problems
