“Thank you, Heidi,” he says. “You and your broom may return to your seat.”

  I walk back to my desk with my living broomstick, along with a new sense of responsibility, not to mention some awe. Wow, this is my very own broom, and I get to take care of it, love it, and train it from now on.

  As I take my seat, I’m careful not to catch Jodi’s eye. Thankfully, she’s keeping quiet right now. Once I’m seated, Mr. Craftwood continues.

  “It’s time to get acquainted with your brooms,” he says. “Say hello and make your broom feel welcome and comfortable in your presence. Be sure to tell your broom its name, too.”

  We engage with our brooms immediately. The sounds of greetings and happy chatter fill the room.

  Think of it! Sixteen magical brooms have just entered the world. This is truly amazing.

  “Hello, High Jinks,” I whisper. “I’m Heidi, and I know we’re going to get along famously.” High Jinks swishes her bristles from side to side, like a dog wagging its tail.

  Mr. Craftwood claps his hands to get our attention.

  “Okay, I’m happy to hear you’ve all gotten acquainted with your brooms. We’re going to learn how to train them. We must begin to train them right away so they form good habits.”

  A murmur of excitement echoes around the room.

  This is so cool!

  “Training a broom is a lot like training a dog,” he tells us. “That’s because magical brooms are naturally curious, and like a dog, they need to be taught how to behave.

  “The good news is that your broom wants to please you. This makes it easy to teach the broom to do things through positive reinforcement. As you advance, you can also control your broom with magic, but that will come later. For today we’re going to teach your broom how to come when it’s called.”

  Mr. Craftwood steps in front of his desk, holding his own broom, Magnus. “Everybody, please stand beside your desk with your broom. I’m going to create more space in the classroom so you’ll have room to train.”

  We all hop to our feet with our brooms.

  With a wave of his hand, Mr. Craftwood makes our desks and chairs disappear. We gasp at his quick, one-handed magic.

  Wow, I can’t wait to do that someday!

  With the furniture gone, there’s tons of space in the classroom to train our brooms.

  “Okay, here we go!” Mr. Craftwood begins. “Everybody, let go of your broom and back six steps away from it. Be sure to face your broom the whole time so it doesn’t get scared. And remember this, you’re in control of your broom. It’s depending on you.”

  We slowly let go of our brooms. They hover in the air and don’t go anywhere. Then we back away from them, counting six steps as we go. Wow, this is incredibly cool!

  “Good job,” Mr. Craftwood says. “You’re going to call your broom by its name and give it one command: ‘Come!’ When your broom comes to you, I want you to reward it with praise. This lets your broom know it did a good job. Brooms love to be praised. Allow me to demonstrate.”

  Mr. Craftwood takes six steps away from his broom.

  “Magnus, come!” he says in a firm but cheerful voice.

  The broom goes straight to our teacher. Then he praises it. “Well done, Magnus!”

  Mr. Craftwood releases his grip on his broom.

  “Now, this is very important,” he goes on. “You must always use the same command with your broom. ‘Come!’ You can’t switch it up and say, ‘Here, Magnus!’ or, ‘Here, Broomy Broomy!’ Always be consistent. This is how you build trust. It’s always important to use a cheerful voice when you call your broom too.

  “Before we practice calling them, it’s helpful to know that some brooms may learn more quickly than others. This is normal. Just be patient. Never rush your broom.

  “Your broom will eventually get the hang of it. For more magically advanced witches and wizards, you will most likely have no trouble having it obey you. Brooms are very sensitive to one’s magical powers.

  “When your broom does learn to come when it’s called, you may gradually increase the distance between you and your broom. Okay, I’ll be here to help. You may begin calling your brooms.”

  I can’t wait to try this!

  “High Jinks, come!” I call as firmly and cheerfully as I can.

  Whoosh! Without any hesitation High Jinks whizzes into my waiting hands.

  Whoa! I didn’t think it would be that easy. I look around the classroom. It’s not as easy for some of my classmates. Most are struggling to get their brooms to come, except for Jodi. No surprise there.

  Just ignore her, I tell myself.

  So I do, and I get back to training. This time I take twelve steps away from my broom and try again.

  “High Jinks, come!” I call.

  Swooooosh! My broom is with me faster than you can say “sweep”!

  Wow, this is so easy—and fun!

  Things feel normal for about three minutes more until Jodi just can’t help herself. She charges right back into my thoughts.

  Watch this, Heidi! she says gleefully.

  Uh-oh. This can’t be good, I think.

  And it isn’t.

  Suddenly Jodi’s broom takes off by itself. It darts around the room—when Mr. Craftwood turns his back—and does a couple of loop the loops in the air. Some of our classmates see it and squeal.

  Top that, Heidi Heckelbeck! Jodi says snootily.

  This is getting totally out of hand.

  Come on, Jodi. Quit it! You’re going to get us both in trouble! I tell her.

  Jodi makes a pouty face at me. Has Heidi had enough? she scoffs. Come on, Heidi. Did you actually think you’d be the best witch in your class forever?

  Oh, and by the way, did I mention I’m also going to take advanced magic lessons with Mrs. Kettledrum? So much for you being the special one…. Well, I guess it was fun for you while it lasted.

  I’m so mad right now, I could scream.

  I hate to admit it, but I have always dreaded the idea of someone in my class being a better witch or wizard than me, but I never dreamed it would actually happen.

  I stop my train of thought because I know Jodi is probably listening.

  Yup, she is! I can tell by the look on her face. Jodi has me right where she wants me.

  Let’s not sugarcoat it, Heidi. I can’t help it if I’m a better witch than you…. You MUST have heard I was legendary at my old school….

  Okay, that does it.

  I lose all self-control, and I don’t even think twice about putting a spell on High Jinks.

  MAKE MY MAGIC BROOM GO

  VROOM, VROOM

  AND CHASE JODI’S BROOMSTICK

  AROUND THE ROOM!

  As soon as the words leave my lips, my broom takes off like a missile and goes after Jodi’s broom. Her broom panics and takes off.

  They chase each other around and around the room. The whole class is pointing and laughing. Two brooms playing tag does look pretty funny.

  Mr. Craftwood is definitely not amused.

  He points his fingers at our soaring brooms. “Terminate!” he shouts. The brooms freeze in place.

  The whole classroom freezes too.

  “At ease!” Mr. Craftwood commands. The brooms relax. “Return to your owners.” High Jinks comes back to me, and Nika goes back to Jodi.

  Mr. Craftwood walks back to his desk. He does not look happy.

  “I want everyone to put their brooms into sleep mode. Please chant the following spell:

  MAGIC BROOMS THAT SOAR AND SWEEP,

  NOW IT’S TIME TO GO TO SLEEP.

  “Once your broom is asleep, please place it in the broom closet. Then class will be dismissed, except for Heidi and Jodi. I’d like you two to please come see me.”

  I put my broom into sleep mode, and then I send a thought message to Jodi.

  See what you did, Jodi?

  We’re in BIG trouble—and it’s all because of YOU.

  Jodi rolls her eyes. You’re the one who lost control, Heidi, not me!

  That’s a laugh! I shoot back.

  Then I turn away from Jodi.

  I don’t even want to look at her.

  How can I shut her out of my thoughts? I have to figure this out.

  Don’t hurt yourself trying to shut me out, Heidi, Jodi mocks.

  I ignore Jodi’s jeers and focus on putting up walls in my thoughts. I’m way too proud of my gift and my magic to let this new girl make me feel bad about myself. Then I notice that my thoughts are quiet.

  I did it!

  Somehow I closed off my mind.

  YES! I say victoriously. I can’t wait to tell Mrs. Kettledrum what I just did!

  I look at Jodi and mouth, HA! Jodi just shrugs, like she doesn’t care.

  The weird thing is, I feel bad about being mean to her. But why? I wonder. She thinks nothing of being mean to me!

  I guess I feel bad because I’m not a mean person in general, so it feels kind of strange and uncomfortable.

  But I had to defend myself.

  This whole Jodi thing has become not only unsettling but scary. This is infinitely worse than when Melanie and I used to be enemies.

  And now we have to go talk to Mr. Craftwood. Jodi has only been here a couple of days, and she’s ruining my life!

  Why do I feel like I’m the drama queen?!

  HERE COMES TROUBLE!

  After dinner I walk back to my room alone. I don’t feel like talking to anyone—not even my crush.

  I don’t want Nick to think I’m a mope-a-saurus, even though I am. At least Mr. Craftwood didn’t give Jodi and me detention for totally disrupting his class. He just gave us a good talking-to about being more mature with our advanced magic skills.

  Fingers crossed that he doesn’t mention the broom chase to Mrs. Kettledrum. The last thing I need is another detention. I’ve been doing so well at keeping out of trouble—that is, until Jodi arrived.

  I sigh heavily before opening the door to my room.

  Melanie is at her desk, decluttering her makeup bag.

  “Hey, Heidi!” she sings. “How’s it going? How did your broommaking class go today? We make ours next week. Did you name your broom?”

  Melanie’s singsong voice and good mood are both welcoming and annoying at the same time. It feels normal, which is nice, but it’s annoying because I’m a wiped-out mess of emotions.

  “Hey, Melanie,” I say, trying to rally. “I named my broom High Jinks, and having your very own magical broomstick is the coolest.”

  Melanie turns around in her chair. “I know! I can’t wait to have my own broom. I think I’m going to name mine Thomasina. I love that name. What were some of the other names?”

  I think for a moment.

  “You know, the typical names like Sabrina, Merlin, and Enchantra. One girl named her broom Miss Twiggy. Oh, and Hunter named his broom Bruh.”

  Melanie giggles, and it actually makes me laugh a teeny bit too.

  “What did Jodi name her broom?”

  That makes the smile march right off my face.

  “She named hers Nika,” I say coldly. If you want my REAL opinion, she should’ve named her broom Cruella, I think privately.

  Melanie sticks out her bottom lip as she considers the name Nika.

  “That’s kind of cute,” she says. “Sooooo I’ve been dying to ask you… What do you think of Jodi anyway?”

  Melanie wants to know what I think about Jodi? Wow, is that ever a loaded question. There’s only one way to answer it.

  “No comment,” I tell her.

  Melanie rolls her chair closer to me. She senses some juicy gossip, and she wants a front row seat.

  Ugh, I feel so vulnerable.

  I’m not sure I can keep my feelings about Jodi to myself any longer, but if I do tell Melanie, there’s a good chance it’ll get back to Jodi.

  But Jodi already knows how I feel about her, so who cares?

  I do, but not enough to hold back this dam of emotions.

  As much as I don’t want to think about Jodi, I could really use a girl-to-girl venting session right now.

  “What do you mean by ‘no comment’?” Melanie asks. “Did Jodi do something bad?”

  Melanie knows how to get right to the point. I grab my chair and pull it in front of her.

  “Well, let’s put it this way, we’ve had a few run-ins since she arrived,” I tell my broommate. “Jodi has been getting into my head, and I mean that literally.”

  I stop and look up at Melanie. “I couldn’t believe it at first, but Jodi has the same gift of mind reading that I do.”

  Melanie nods thoughtfully.

  “Yeah, she actually mentioned that to me. She also told me she was taking advanced private magic lessons at her old school in Canada—just like you do with Mrs. Kettledrum.”

  I sigh heavily.

  “Yup, and she’ll be taking them with Mrs. Kettledrum too,” I add.

  Melanie crosses one arm around herself and rests her opposite elbow on it, letting her chin rest on top of her hand.

  “Wow, sounds like you’ve got yourself some competition, Heidi!” she says.

  I groan at the thought of it.

  “You’re not kidding,” I say with heaviness. “Jodi is super competitive too, and I wouldn’t call it friendly competition. It’s like Jodi is totally out to get me!”

  The very thought of it makes my eyes well up with tears.

  Along with the tears, everything that’s happened between Jodi and me comes tumbling out. I tell Melanie everything, like how Jodi just barges into my thoughts unannounced. I also tell her how she brags about how great a witch she is and how she was legendary at her old school.

  “And she’s so mean to me too,” I add between sobs. “She thinks I’m a second-rate witch and says she’s shocked by what I don’t know. It’s awful, Melanie. I’m scared nothing will ever be the same for me at Broomsfield again.” I wipe the corners of my eyes with my fingers. Melanie looks more serious than surprised.

  “Sounds like Jodi’s a bully,” Melanie observes.

  I scoff out loud. “Ya think?”

  Melanie rolls her eyes at my sarcasm. “Don’t you get it? I used to bully you in elementary school—remember?” she reminds me. “I tortured you for years! Then I found out you were pretty cool.”

  I crack a small smile at her compliment. I still find it hard to believe we’re friends now. Melanie was my absolute archenemy at Brewster Elementary.

  Melanie runs her fingers through her hair to get the wisps out of her eyes.

  “Honestly, Heidi, I wrote the book on bullying,” she goes on. “And I can help you with Jodi.”

  A speck of hope awakens inside me.

  “How?” I ask, because I am all ears.

  Melanie shrugs.

  “You have to deal with her envy. Envy is at the root of her behavior,” she says matter-of-factly. “I’m sure of it. After all, I was jealous of you all those years ago on your first day at Brewster. I should know.”

  Well, I definitely didn’t know that.

  “Why would Jodi be envious of me? I hardly know her!”

  Melanie smiles knowingly.

  “That may be true, but I’m sure Jodi knows all about you. Like she knows you’re an advanced witch with the same gift that she has.

  She probably feels like she has to prove herself to you—don’t you see?”

  “I just wish she’d stop putting me down,” I admit. “It’s starting to really get to me.”

  Melanie pulls some lip balm from her pocket and smears it across her lips.

  “She wants to intimidate you, so you’ll be afraid of her. That way she’ll feel like she has the upper hand.”

  I stare at Melanie, dumbfounded.

  “Wow, not to sound totally clueless, but none of this makes any sense to me.”

  Melanie laughs. “You’re not clueless, Heidi. Remember, I’m the expert,” she says confidently. “Let me explain it another way.

  “When you first came to Brewster Elementary in second grade, I was the most popular girl in the class. And you know what? I wasn’t about to let you take my spot.

  “But there you were—this cute, fun, outgoing, and smart new girl who walked in out of nowhere. It threatened my very existence!”

  My eyes grow wide. I never heard Melanie spell it out like this before. I find it hard to believe.

  Me—a threat? That would be like being afraid of a cute, fluffy bunny rabbit or something.

  “Well, I just thought you were mean,” I tell her.

  Melanie nods, like, Now you’re getting it!

  “I was being mean. I was a mean girl with a capital M. I wanted to make sure you knew you couldn’t mess with me or my title as the most popular girl.”

  Okay, this makes a little more sense to me—even though popularity was the last thing on my mind in second grade.

  “What made you change?” I ask.

  Melanie smiles.

  “Two things, I guess. It turns out it’s more fun to be friends with you than to be enemies. Plus, I’m more confident in who I am now.”

  I pull one foot onto my knee and smile at Melanie.

  “It’s definitely more fun being friends with you,” I say, and I mean it. Melanie’s friendship has been one of the best things about Broomsfield Academy.

  Then I go back to my problem. “Speaking of friends, I’m pretty sure Jodi also wants to steal all my friends. Haven’t you noticed she’s, like, the most popular girl in our class right now?”

  Melanie shrugs, like none of what I’m saying is a big deal.

  “Trust me, Heidi, if there’s one thing I’ve learned, popularity is fleeting, especially with a new girl. Don’t worry. Her newfound status will wear off, and she’ll just be another girl in our class.”

  I sigh because I find this very hard to believe. It feels like Jodi plans to be a thorn in my side for the rest of middle school, then high school, and even beyond. Melanie can tell she hasn’t convinced me.

  “The way I see it, you have a choice, Heidi. You can either win this girl over or you can sit around and feel your feels,” she says. “I’m sure underneath it all, Jodi just wants to be friends with you.”

  I laugh, like, Yeah, right. Because that’s about the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.

 

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