Maddie's Big Test by Louise Leblanc Page A

up.
    â€œYou are so out of it, Clementine. These days, you can buy anything. To get ahead, you need to know how to bargain for what you want. And I don’t need anybody to show me how to bargain.”
    Wow, I was impressed. You could tell Nicholas knew what he was talking about. I asked him if he knew a way I could bargain with my father.
    â€œJust do what you have to — make promises, tell lies…”
    â€œI was going to hide my report card from them,” I said.
    Clementine was shocked, but Patrick was curious. Nicholas went on explaining how to bargain.
    It was really interesting!

2 Maddie Starts Bargaining
    It was the last period. Ms. Spiegel’s lips were moving, but I didn’t hear what she was saying. I was reviewing Nicholas’s notes. Finally the bell rang! I hurriedly gathered my things up.
    â€œMaddie! You’re forgetting your math assignment,” Clementine reminded me. “It’s due tomorrow.”
    She is such a pain! Who does she think she is — my mother? All of a sudden, I wondered if Mom would be at home when I got there. My uncertainty grew as the bus got closer to our house.

    I think Alexander and Julian were wondering the same thing. They didn’t run to the door when we got off the bus, but just followed me slowly in silence.
    I opened the door. No sign of life. A heavy weight seemed to fall onto my shoulders. I was the oldest, so now I had to be responsible for my brothers. Grrr! I took them into the kitchen to get a snack.
    â€œHi, kids!”
    Mom was there! Alexander and Julian threw themselves into her arms, as if she had just come back from a trip to the moon. I held back. I was mad. How could she have given me such a scare?
    She finally noticed I was angry and realized she had done something wrong.
    â€œI’m sorry,” she said. “I should have explained this morning how things would work, so you wouldn’t worry.”
    She had arranged her schedule so that she would be home before we got back from school. Otherwise, Gran would be there, because she was going to look after Angelbaby.
    â€œI even had time to bake a pie!” my mother exclaimed joyfully.
    â€œI don’t want any,” I said. “I have to study.”

    And I turned my back and walked out. If she thinks she can butter me up by baking a pie …! Exactly! My mother was trying to buy me off! Incredible! Nicholas was right. You can buy anything. You just need to know how to bargain.
    I stretched out on my bed to think things over.
    If I stayed mad, my mom would be nice to me. And Gran can never say no. As for my dad, I knew how to bargain with him. First I would have to show him that I was responsible….
    At dinner, I brought a book down and pretended to study as I ate.
    â€œThat’s not the right way to study,” Julian started up again.
    I felt like strangling the little genius. I figured his comment would set off an avalanche of reactions.
    But no. Nobody said anything. The meal went on calmly, as if we had all gone through a frightening experience. I snuck a peek at my watch. Only five minutes until Road to Stardom came on.
    I slipped out of the kitchen and went downstairs, hoping my father wouldn’t…. Grrr, I could already hear him clumping down the stairs like a dinosaur.
    â€œWhat did I tell you, Maddie?”
    â€œThat I need to work harder,” I said innocently. “And I’ve already started, Dad! I’m going to get better marks. For sure!”
    â€œWe’ll see when the next report card comes. In the meantime, you can forget about this program. Understand?”
    â€œThat’s unfair!” I cried dramatically. “If my marks improve, I will have been punished unnecessarily for weeks!”
    My father stood there with his mouth hanging open, looking confused. Then he recovered. But he had to get the last word in.
    â€œThe first bad mark, then, and no more show.”
    He went back upstairs.