The Tori Trilogy by Alicia Danielle Voss-Guillén Page B

up a plastic spoon and tastes her cherry Jell-O. “What was going on with her this morning, anyway? I couldn’t believe it when I came in and actually saw her laughing and talking with people. Has she started acting friendlier?”
    Shannon and I exchange a look.
    â€œNot exactly,” I say. Then I lower my voice as I tell my cousin all about Anastasia’s latest rudeness.
    â€œWow,” says Gina once I’ve finished. “What is the matter with her? And what made her decide to be nice to all the other girls but rude to you?”
    â€œThat’s what I want to know,” I reply.
    â€œI really don’t get it,” agrees Shannon. “She was even pretty nice to me this morning. Until Tori came in, I thought maybe Anastasia had just been nervous and that’s why she acted kind of rude yesterday. Now I’m not so sure.”
    â€œWhat are you guys talking about?”
    We all glance up to see Emily, her own tray full of Sloppy Joe disgustingness balanced on her arms.
    â€œOver here,” says Shannon, patting the empty seat beside her.
    Emily walks around the table and sits. Then we all fill her in on our conversation.
    â€œGee,” she says finally. “I’m glad Anastasia is not in my class.”
    Gina shakes her head. “I can’t believe we were so excited about the new girl.”
    â€œI know!” I agree. “You even told Abuelita and Abuelito that you couldn’t think of a reason she wouldn’t be nice.”
    â€œI can’t believe I said that.” My cousin peels the top half of the bun off her Sloppy Joe and frowns down at it. She picks up a napkin to wipe her mouth and sighs. “I’m sorry, but I just can’t eat this. I’m going to keep the Jell-O and throw the rest out. I can’t even look at it without losing my appetite.” Gina’s not dramatic, so you know it’s got to be bad.
    â€œSounds like a good idea to me,” Emily says. She hasn’t touched her Sloppy Joe, either. “I mean, what is this?” She pokes the meat mixture very carefully with the end of her spoon, as if it’s some bomb that’s going to explode. A slimy, greenish glob sticks to the spoon, and we all sort of gag.
    â€œIs it mold?” cries Shannon.
    â€œThat does it,” says Gina. She grabs her tray and stands, and so does Emily. Together they head to the garbage cans lined up by the lunchroom entrance. Neither of them notices Anastasia Adams walking from the opposite direction with her own tray of Sloppy Joe until it’s too late.
    Emily trips over her untied shoelace and goes flying into Gina, who’s only a step ahead of her. That sends Gina flying, too, and then, at the worst possible moment, they both crash into Anastasia, all three of them landing on the lunchroom floor in a sticky mess of Sloppy Joe meat and soggy buns and dirty napkins.
    At once, the entire room goes quiet. And I mean quiet. The lunch ladies stop working, the kids stop eating and talking and joking. Mouths open wide, and we all stare. Just for a moment.
    But what comes after the silence is much worse. Anastasia pulls herself away from the mess, stands up, and looks down at her purple sweater and designer jeans. They are covered with lumps of Sloppy Joe meat, splashes of Sloppy Joe sauce, and a few of those slimy green things Emily found in her lunch.
    Anastasia opens her mouth in a scream. “ You!” She stabs her finger through the air at Gina. “Look what you’ve done! Look at my beautiful clothes!” She takes a step closer to my cousin, still shaking that finger in her face. “How dare you?”
    Emily picks herself up from the floor and offers a hand to my cousin. “It wasn’t Gina’s fault,” she explains to Anastasia. “I tripped on my shoelace and fell, and that knocked Gina over, and we both bumped into you.”
    â€œWay to protect your little friend,” Anastasia