The Sugar Mountain Snow Ball by Elizabeth Atkinson

idea. And then I confessed I was saving my money mostly to buy tickets to go to the Snow Ball, because I didn’t want to tell her about the skiing part.”
    â€œSo what did she say?”
    â€œAt first, she looked at me all funny, like I’d just announced I wanted to fly to the moon or something, and then she said, ‘Well, I can get you free tickets to that .’ I almost fainted, Eleanor!”
    Eleanor looked at me a little funny, too.
    â€œShe actually said they’re free? ”
    â€œAll the Sugar Mountain employees get to go if they want, along with a date, but Mim said she didn’t know any employees who ever went, and said that she wouldn’t go even if they paid her, because she had no interest in partying with her customers. And she definitely knew Pop wouldn’t want to go even if they were serving pot roast and waffle fries, which is his favorite dinner.”
    Eleanor squeezed her left eye shut, the way she did when she was thinking extra hard about something.
    â€œSo what did she say about you wanting to go?”
    But right at that exact moment my mind went blank, because out of 172 Paris Middle School kids, the one and only JB Knox was walking directly toward me.
    â€œHey, it’s the gym girls,” he said, and stopped in front of our table.
    I couldn’t believe it. He was talking to me! Again!
    I felt my mouth drop wide open as JB took a swig of blue Gatorade and shook his head to get his curly hair out of his face, which was about the cutest thing in the world.
    â€œHi, JB,” I managed to squeak. “How’s ski club?”
    â€œAwesome,” he said, and knocked the table twice with his knuckles. “Turns out some of the Outers are really cool. I’ve been hanging with a bunch of them at the mountain.”
    JB was friends with Outers?
    I had so many questions, especially since I had only two months left to ask him out to the Snow Ball. But before I could say another word, annoying Anton butted in.
    â€œNo seventh graders allowed on this side,” he announced. “Sixth-grade section only.”
    What was he thinking?
    I glared at Anton with more anger than I’d ever felt in my entire life, but Eleanor just stared down at her food and poked it with a fork.
    â€œBig man!” said JB as he laughed and walked back into the crowd. “Later, kids.”
    â€œ Anton! ” I yelled. “What is wrong with you? Do you know who that is?”
    â€œYep. The biggest doofus in the school,” he replied, which made the Squad boys giggle.
    â€œNo, that would be you, ” I growled.
    â€œForget it, Ruby,” said Eleanor. I know she hates it when anyone argues. “You didn’t finish your story?”
    â€œYeah, Ruby, finish your boring story!” Anton snapped.
    Boys like Anton were a complete mystery to me. Why would they think that acting obnoxious was the way to impress girls? Why couldn’t they all be just like JB?
    â€œIgnore him,” mumbled Eleanor. “So tell me, what did your stepmother say?”
    â€œ Arrgghh ,” I groaned. “I can’t remember. Where was I?”
    â€œThe free tickets?” she whispered.
    â€œOh yeah. Well, even though Mim has zero interest in the Snow Ball, she said she could see why a fancy dance like that would appeal to someone my age.”
    â€œReally?” she asked. “Wow, your stepmom is so nice.”
    To be honest, Mim added a lot more words and descriptions that weren’t exactly “nice” and shocked me a little, since she’s usually the sweetest person in the room. But Mim said it’s maddening to think about rich people spending more money on their designer gowns than she makes in a six-day week baking Monster Chunk cookies ten hours a day from her own secret recipe.
    â€œSo now that you know you can go, and you don’t have to purchase the tickets, what do you plan to do with your