Freakiest Trip Ever!, page 8
Somehow Jodi and I have to get past this. I send a positive thought message back.
Okay, how about we meet and talk about this for real—you know, with our voices?
Jodi shakes her head defiantly.
I guess being positive isn’t her idea of a path to peace. She sends me another blistering thought message.
What’s there to talk about, Heidi?! she shouts in my head. This whole thing is NOT all my fault, and I’m gonna make sure YOU get punished too!
I drop my spoon into my oatmeal. Why should I be punished? I wonder. All I’ve done is defend myself against Jodi.
And she’s making me nervous.
Sunny, who’s sitting next to me, notices I’m upset—again.
“Is everything okay, Heidi?” she asks.
I groan because I’ve had it. “It’s Jodi,” I whisper back. “She’s mad because I told on her. She said she’s going to make sure I get punished too!”
Sunny’s eyes widen.
“Wow, that sounds like a threat!” Sunny says with surprise.
I push my breakfast tray away from me.
“Yup, that’s how Jodi operates,” I say. “Guess we’ll be best friends NEVER.”
Sunny looks at me thoughtfully.
“Well, I wouldn’t take it too seriously,” she says. “Jodi is really upset about getting in trouble. She won’t stay mad forever. Besides, she’ll soon realize it won’t pay not to be your friend.”
Sunny’s words are comforting.
“Well, I hope you’re right,” I say with a sigh. “Middle school is hard enough without having someone in your class who hates you and who can read your thoughts.”
One word: harsh.
* * *
After breakfast we go to Mrs. Kettledrum’s mandatory review class, thanks to you-know-who. I’m not in the mood for this on any level.
Merg.
It’s hard to stay mad when Momo greets me with yips of joy as I walk into the classroom. Her tail whips back and forth as I bend down and give her a quick love session.
As soon as I stand up, I catch Jodi scowling at me.
Give me a break! I think.
Jodi is probably jealous that I’m friends with Momo too.
I quickly take my seat next to Sunny and Annabelle.
Mrs. Kettledrum walks briskly into the classroom. She stands before us and links her fingers together, like a belt buckle.
“I know that most of you would rather not be in class on a Saturday,” she begins. “But some magical mishaps have been brought to my attention, and I believe we need to revisit our magical rules and policies.”
Mrs. Kettledrum holds up a finger.
“Number one, there will be absolutely no magic performed in public or anywhere outside the confines of the School of Magic. Understood?”
She waits for us to respond.
We nod and murmur, “Ye-e-e-es.” A few of us, including me, glance at Jodi. But Jodi keeps her eyes on Mrs. Kettledrum.
Mrs. K clears her throat to make sure we stay focused on her, not Jodi.
“These rules are for your safety and for the safety of our school community. If this rule is broken, there will be consequences. Is everyone clear?”
More nods and murmurs.
“Good,” Mrs. K says firmly.
“Let’s review the importance of getting magical spells right, so when the day comes, you’ll be ready to practice magic safely and effectively outside the classroom.”
Mrs. Kettledrum goes on to warn us about the usual stuff, like the importance of using the right words in a spell.
She also warns us of the dangers of using homonyms in spells—words that sound the same but have different meanings.
Then she tells stories about spells that went amuck. They’re supposed to be horror stories, but some of them are pretty hilarious, like the one where a girl did a spell to perform a hat trick in a soccer game, but instead she produced a dancing top hat on the field.
Or the time this one boy did a spell to become a powerful ruler and turned himself into a measuring stick.
Mrs. K goes on to explain why that kind of spell is wrong and forbidden on so many levels.
Then, without naming any names, she shares the story of my forgetting spell that went topsy-turvy.
My face grows warm with embarrassment.
I botched this forgetting spell on Melanie because I wanted Melanie to forget that she had discovered that Isabelle is secretly a princess.
(Something no one knows to this day except me and Isabelle.)
I made Melanie forget Isabelle’s secret, but I accidentally also made Melanie forget who I was altogether.
Oopsies.
Thankfully, nobody knows except for Mrs. K and me.
I’m glad my teacher doesn’t mention any more of my magical mistakes.
I’ve had some doozies.
“Even a seemingly harmless spell for, say, bottomless french fries could turn into a problem of epic proportions,” Mrs. Kettledrum warns us.
Everyone laughs.
After lecturing us, Mrs. Kettledrum quizzes us on magical rules.
Guess what happens?
Every time Mrs. K asks a question, Jodi raises her hand.
Zing! Zing! Zing!
It’s like her hand is spring-loaded.
Nobody else gets a chance to answer a single question because Jodi’s hand always goes up first.
One word: annoying.
It gets so out of hand that Mrs. Kettledrum has to shut Jodi down.
“You’re a very bright girl, Jodi, but please give your classmates a chance to respond too,” Mrs. K tells her after the fifth time.
Jodi smiles sweetly and lowers her hand. “Yes, Mrs. Kettledrum,” she says politely.
Then Jodi turns around and gives me a triumphant grin, along with another thought message.
Mrs. Kettledrum may be a little mad about what happened yesterday, but watch me get back on her good side. Soon I’LL be her favorite student. You’ll see!
I wrinkle my nose at Jodi. Why does she say things like this? Probably because she knows it’ll get to me.
And it does.
Well, I’m just going to ignore Jodi.
So there.
This backfires, of course.
I know you’re trying to ignore me, Heidi, Jodi taunts. I also know I’m getting to you. It’s so fun to bug you! She laughs to herself.
I cover my ears because I can’t stand listening to Jodi.
Nice try, Heidi! Covering your ears won’t work. I’m in your head, remember? You can’t shut me out!
I uncover my ears and stick out my tongue.
Then I try to block Jodi’s thoughts, but for some reason it doesn’t work this time!
Jodi cackles in my head, like some hideous storybook witch. Looks like my magic is stronger than yours!
Okay, it’s time for an emergency spell, I think.
I can’t stand Jodi’s yapping anymore!
Right now Jodi is so caught up in herself, she’s not even paying attention to what I’m thinking. I cast a spell on the spot.
JODI THOMPSON, FEEL MY
MAGICAL POWERS!
NOT A WORD OUT OF YOU
FOR THE NEXT THREE HOURS!
Zoop!
The spell takes hold.
But then I panic about the wording.
I said, “Not a word,” but what I meant to say was something more like, No more thought messages.
I bite my bottom lip.
Uh-oh. I hope I didn’t mess up my spell.
Wouldn’t that be classic?
Right when we’re being reminded to be careful with our magical words?
I look at Mrs. Kettledrum to see if she noticed anything.
Nope. She asks the class another question.
“In your own words, how would you prevent a magical mishap?”
Jodi’s hand goes back up. Mrs. Kettledrum calls on her since Jodi has kept her hand down for the last few questions.
The only problem is, when Jodi opens her mouth to speak, nothing comes out.
Not one word.
Jodi clutches her throat with her hands. Then she frantically points her finger at me.
Oh boy, I’m in BIG trouble!
It doesn’t take Mrs. Kettledrum long to figure out what’s going on.
“Heidi and Jodi, please meet me in the hall,” she says crossly. “Everyone else, please read chapter nine of your textbook, Magical Mishaps, quietly at your desks.”
Jodi and I get up and head for the door. The whole class watches with great interest.
Two words: girl drama.
Mrs. Kettledrum follows us into the hall and shuts the door behind her.
“Okay, girls, what’s going on now?” she asks us.
Jodi points an accusing finger at me, which makes me go right on the defensive.
“This is not all my fault!” I say angrily. “Jodi keeps bothering me with her never-ending stream of mean thought messages.
“And I tried to block them, but it didn’t work, so I cast a temporary no-speaking spell to make her be quiet.
“But I didn’t mean to make her lose her voice—just her mean thoughts.”
Mrs. Kettledrum raises her hands in exasperation.
“Heidi, this is EXACTLY what I’ve been talking about for the past hour! When will you learn to slow down and use the proper words in a spell?
“Furthermore, how could you be so bold as to cast a spell after all that’s gone on? I just don’t understand it!”
I hate upsetting my favorite teacher, but I need her to hear my side. “Believe me,” I plead, “I know how bad this looks, but I was being bullied and had to act fast.”
Mrs. Kettledrum looks disapprovingly at Jodi. She’s not happy with either one of us.
One word: fair.
Mrs. K looks back at me. “How long will this spell last, Heidi?”
My eyes dart away from my teacher.
“Um, like, three hours,” I confess.
Mrs. Kettledrum considers this for a long, painful moment.
“Well, that’s too long to wait, and too long a time jump to fast forward.”
Then our teacher opens the door to the classroom and pops her head inside. “Sunny, will you please join us?”
Sunny points to herself, like, Who me?
But she gets up obediently and walks over.
Mrs. Kettledrum seems to have a plan.
“Okay, girls, let’s go,” she directs. We follow our teacher outside and into the School of Magic’s courtyard.
Jodi is still holding her throat, and Sunny’s eyebrows are still furrowed in confusion.
“Heidi seems to have put a spell on Jodi’s voice box,” Mrs. Kettledrum begins to explain. “The only way to break the spell is with healing magic like yours.”
Mrs. Kettledrum looks toward the sun. “With your gift and pendant—along with a well-thought-out spell—I think we can fix this.”
Sunny touches the sun pendant around her neck. “I’ve never reversed one of Heidi’s spells before, Mrs. Kettledrum,” she says. “What if I can’t do it?”
I reach out and grab Sunny’s hand.
“Of course you can do it,” I reassure my friend. “Remember when you healed my sprained ankle during orientation?”
Sunny nods, and I squeeze her hand.
“And that was before you took any magic classes!” I remind her. “You’ve got this!”
Mrs. Kettledrum expresses confidence in Sunny too.
“I’ll guide you every step of the way,” Mrs. K tells her. “I want you to begin by placing one hand on Jodi’s neck. Is this okay with you, Jodi?”
Jodi nods.
“Okay, try to relax, Jodi,” Mrs. Kettledrum encourages.
Jodi takes a couple of slow, deep breaths, and lets her hands fall to her sides. Sunny places one hand on Jodi’s neck.
“Very good,” Mrs. K says. “Sunny, with your free hand, I want you to turn your pendant toward the sun and repeat after me.” Sunny tips her pendant toward the sun.
Mrs. Kettledrum chants a spell, and Sunny echoes each line.
RADIANT SUN, BLAZING SO BRIGHT,
CAST YOUR BEAMS OF HEALING LIGHT.
FREE THIS VOICE,
WITH RAYS UNBLOCK.
RETURN JODI THOMPSON’S
POWER TO TALK!
Whoosh!
The sun flashes off Sunny’s pendant and onto Jodi’s neck.
We watch in wonder at the radiant, glowing light.
Finally Mrs. Kettledrum says something. “Are you able to speak, Jodi?”
Jodi clears her throat, which seems like a good sign, and opens her mouth.
“Here goes!” she says.
When Jodi realizes she can talk again, she jumps up and down.
“It worked! It worked!”
Mrs. Kettledrum thanks Sunny and sends her back into the classroom. Jodi and I start to follow Sunny, but not for long.
“Hold up, you two!” Mrs. K demands. “I’m not done with either one of you!”
We stop in our tracks and turn around.
Mrs. Kettledrum looks over her glasses in that way that I dread.
“Okay, girls, we’re going to handle this rivalry once and for all,” she declares. “Jodi, you owe Heidi another deep, heartfelt apology. Not to mention that you’ve completely disobeyed me.
“Imagine if Heidi had come to your school in Canada and completely ambushed you and wouldn’t stop saying mean things in your thoughts?”
Jodi’s face turns bright red, and she wipes a tear from her face with the back of her hand.
She looks genuinely remorseful this time, and she gives me a real apology.
“I’m sorry, Heidi,” she says, looking me in the eye. “I promise I’m not as mean as I seem.
“It’s just that I’ve always been the star witch at my school, and I was really afraid of losing that when I heard about you.
“Everyone kept saying, ‘Wait, till you meet Heidi Heckelbeck! She’s SO amazing!’ It made me feel like I had to prove myself to you.
“The only reason I was so mean was because I thought if I had the upper hand, I could be the star witch at this school. It got totally out of control, and I’m truly sorry. Will you ever be able to forgive me?”
I have to admit that this is a lot to process.
Melanie and Lucy told me the exact same thing, and now I can see they were right.
I’m pretty sure I would have felt the same way if I had been in Jodi’s shoes. But I don’t think I would’ve been so mean….
“I hear what you’re saying, Jodi,” I begin cautiously. “I feel for you being new and everything, but I really wasn’t expecting to be put down and attacked, especially by a T. rex.”
As soon as I say this, Jodi hangs her head.
“That said,” I continue, “I’m open to starting over, but if I’m going to trust you, you have to stop being so mean to me. And you must stop coming into my thoughts uninvited.”
Jodi nods humbly, and she quietly waits for me to finish talking.
“I’ll admit, I was jealous of you at first too,” I go on. “When I heard you were a star witch at your old school, it scared me.
“And when I found out we have the same magical gift, it scared me even more. To top it off, I was also mad at you because you were playing all these magical pranks and not getting in trouble. It seemed so unfair because I always get caught.”
A playful smile sweeps across Jodi’s face. “Like when I made the butterflies swarm you?”
I can’t help it. I laugh.
“Yeah,” I agree. “And when you made that T. rex come to life…. I mean, you’ve got more nerve than I do.”
Jodi frowns. “Well, to be fair, I did get caught for that one.”
Seeing Jodi’s remorse reminds me of the many times I’ve taken magic too far. I know how she’s feeling, so I offer a compliment. “Well, it was pretty impressive.”
This makes Jodi’s lip curl into a half smile, and I’m glad. No one wants to be kicked when they’re already down.
Mrs. Kettledrum is not amused.
“Okay, girls, I’m glad to see you’re getting along, but there’s no need to bond over that highly inappropriate incident,” she scolds.
“Besides, I don’t know why you two ever insisted on being enemies. As two of the most powerful students in your grade—possibly the entire school—just imagine what you could accomplish if you took your powers and worked together!”
Jodi and I look at each other, wide-eyed. Neither one of us ever considered pooling our talents and working together.
Mrs. Kettledrum suggests I could start by helping Jodi learn how to meditate.
“You’ve come a long way from the days of your reckless spells, Heidi, and though you still have a long way to go, I think you could help Jodi learn to temper her emotions and impulses.”
As I begin to mull this over, Mrs. Kettledrum turns her attention back to Jodi.
“Jodi, you must learn that magic is not a sport,” she cautions. “A good witch doesn’t compete at magic, but we do challenge each other to grow and bring out the best in each other—not the worst.”
This makes me realize that Jodi actually helped me over the last few days, even though it was under duress.
“Mrs. K is right,” I agree. “Jodi, you pushed me to learn how to turn my gift of mind reading on and off. I didn’t know that was even possible before I met you.”
Jodi smiles sheepishly because she knows I only learned it in self-defense.
“Well, I guess it is silly for us to be jealous of each other’s powers,” Jodi agrees.
“I can learn a ton from you, and vice versa.”
I feel a real smile form on my face, for what feels like the first time in three days.
If Jodi and I can be friends, then life at Broomsfield will get better again.
“Agreed,” I say with confidence. Then Jodi and I seal it with a handshake.
Mrs. Kettledrum looks at her watch.
“This is great progress, girls,” she says. “However, there is one more thing I’d like you to do. I want you each to write a one-page essay on kindness and moral courage.
“You know what kindness is. And ‘moral courage’ means being brave enough to do the right thing under all circumstances. This will be due first thing Monday morning.
