Election Madness Read online

  Nikki & Deja Election Madness

  Karen English

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Table of Contents

  ...

  ...

  Dedication

  Copyright

  Contents

  1. You're Not the Boss of Me

  2. Ms. Shelby's Good News

  3. Let the Games Begin

  4. The Lay of the Land

  5. Nominations

  6. Runoff Election

  7. The New and Improved Deja

  8. Campaign Speeches and Campaign Promises

  9. Last-Ditch Efforts

  10. When All Is Said and Done

  Illustrated by Laura Freeman

  Clarion Books

  Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

  Boston • New York

  2011

  To all the Nikkis and Dejas everywhere

  —K. E.

  For Roberta

  —L. F.

  Clarion Books

  215 Park Avenue South

  New York, New York 10003

  Text copyright © 2011 by Karen English

  Illustrations copyright © 2011 by Laura Freeman

  The text of this book is set in 13.5 Warnock Pro.

  The illustrations were executed digitally.

  All rights reserved.

  For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book,

  write to Permissions, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company,

  215 Park Avenue South, New York, New York 10003.

  Clarion Books is an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

  Publishing Company.

  www.hmhbooks.com

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  English, Karen.

  Nikki and Deja : election madness / by Karen English ; illustrated by Laura Freeman.

  p. cm.

  Summary: When Carver Elementary holds school-wide elections for the first time,

  third-grader Deja puts all her efforts into running for school president, ignoring her

  best friend Nikki's problems.

  ISBN 978-0-547-43558-9

  [1. Politics, Practical—Fiction. 2. Elections—Fiction. 3. Schools—Fiction.

  4. Best friends—Fiction. 5. Friendship—Fiction. 6. African Americans—Fiction.]

  I. Freeman-Hines, Laura, ill.

  II. Title. III. Title: Election madness.

  PZ7.E7232Nim 2011

  [Fic]—dc22

  2011008151

  Manufactured in the United States of America

  DOC 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  4500297718

  Contents

  1. You're Not the Boss of Me [>]

  2. Ms. Shelby's Good News [>]

  3. Let the Games Begin [>]

  4. The Lay of the Land [>]

  5. Nominations [>]

  6. Runoff Election [>]

  7. The New and Improved Deja [>]

  8. Campaign Speeches and Campaign Promises [>]

  9. Last-Ditch Efforts [>]

  10. When All Is Said and Done [>]

  1. You're Not the Boss of Me

  Nikki isn't playing right. She's holding her paddle wrong and she isn't keeping her eye on the ball. Plus she's hitting too hard and the Ping-Pong ball isn't even bouncing on the table. Deja has to keep chasing it and she's getting tired.

  "You're hitting the ball too hard."

  "Am not."

  "Yeah, you are." Deja lobs an easy one to her. Nikki completely misses it.

  "You have to keep your eye on the ball, Nikki."

  Nikki doesn't say anything. She just digs around in the bushes behind her. She throws the ball hard back to Deja so she can serve again. It sails softly over the table and lands right in Deja's hand. Nikki looks disappointed.

  Deja hits the next ball lightly, right at Nikki, as if she were five years old and Deja was teaching her how to play Ping-Pong by going very, very easy. Nikki watches it bounce, then doesn't even trouble herself, it seems to Deja, to reach for it. She deliberately lets the ball bounce twice before she swings at it and misses.

  Deja is exasperated. "You can't let the ball bounce twice, Nikki. It can only bounce once. And you're not even trying!"

  "Be quiet!" Nikki shouts. "You're not the boss of me!"

  Deja puts her paddle down. "What's wrong with you?"

  "Nothing! I'm just getting tired of you bossing me around."

  "I'm not even bossing you around! I'm just trying to tell you how to play."

  Nikki's face is scrunched so that her eyebrows jut up on the ends like a Halloween mask. Her mouth turns down as if she is about to cry. Then she does cry. She slams the paddle on the ground and stomps off to the porch steps. She flings herself down and puts her face in her hands.

  Deja checks to see if her brand-new paddle is harmed in any way, then marches over to Nikki.

  Auntie Dee and her friend Phoebe had spent

  the morning setting up the Ping-Pong table, first on the grass because there was more shade, then in front of the garage, where there was cement. Auntie Dee had thought the grassy spot under the tree was better because it would be cooler, but then she changed her mind and thought the table would be sturdier if it was on a hard surface. Finally, it was set up. It was Auntie's way of giving Deja more to do outside—away from too much TV.

  "What's the matter with you?" Deja asks again, when she's settled next to Nikki on the steps. Nikki's nose is running. She reaches up and wipes it with the heel of her hand, then runs her hand over her pant leg to clean off the snot. She sniffs loudly.

  "Nothing," Nikki answers quietly. "I just don't like being bossed."

  "But nobody's gonna cry over that, Nikki. Tell me the truth."

  Nikki looks like she's trying to make up her mind whether to tell Deja what's really going on.

  She drops her face into her arms, resting on bent knees. Deja hears her mumble something, but she can't make out what it is.

  "What? I can't understand what you're saying."

  Nikki mumbles something again. Deja strains hard to make out the words, but she simply can't.

  "Put your head up, Nikki, so I can hear you."

  Nikki raises her head and from her quivering mouth come the words "I think my mom and dad are getting a divorce."

  "What?" Deja wonders if she heard her correctly. She couldn't possibly have said what she thinks she said. "They're getting a divorce? Deja blurts out.

  "I said I think they're getting a divorce. They had a big argument on Tuesday and they haven't spoken to each other since." She looks over at Deja, her face smeared with tears, and takes in a shuddery breath. "They keep talking to each other through me! And I don't like it!"

  Deja doesn't know what to say. She doesn't even know what expression to put on her face. "Just because they're not speaking doesn't mean they're getting divorced. People stop speaking to each other all the time." The words sound truer to Deja as she goes along. "Auntie Dee and her friend Phoebe stopped speaking for a long time once."

  Nikki wipes her eyes, and when her hands come away, she looks hopeful. "When was that?" she asks.

  The trouble is, Deja doesn't remember when it was. And maybe she exaggerated about it being a long time ... but she likes the look on Nikki's face.

  "What was it about?" Nikki presses.

  Deja is trying to think of something to say when Auntie Dee sticks her head out the door and calls, "Who wants to go to the mall?"

  "We do," Nikki and Deja say together, and Nikki jumps up to run next door to her own house to get permission.

  Auntie Dee has picked up her friend Phoebe, even though she just lives across the street and down some. Now they are headed for the mall.

>   In the back seat of the car, Nikki whispers to Deja, "How much money do you have?"

  "How much do you have?" Deja replies, wondering if Nikki is getting ready to ask her for some of her money.

  "Two dollars."

  "Oh, I have five."

  Nikki looks out the window as if she's thinking about this. Then she whispers, "Do you think your auntie will let us go to the Candy Palace?"

  "I'll ask." Deja knows she has to handle this just right. Auntie is a vegetarian and only eats organic stuff. She makes Deja eat all kinds of healthy meals and snacks. Getting permission to go to the Candy Palace is going to be tricky. Nikki looks over at Deja expectantly, but Deja just stares out the window. It's better to wait.

  "Don't wander off," Auntie Dee says as they go through the heavy doors at the mall entrance. That means they have to follow Auntie and Phoebe into Lily's Shoes and watch while Phoebe tries on one pair after another.

  Finally, they get to leave that store and move on to the next. Phoebe's still looking for shoes. Auntie's giving her advice and looking for a new bag while she's at it. Deja can already tell this is not going to be fun. The one good thing is that they're moving in the direction of the Candy Palace. She can see the words Candy Palace lit up in tiny rainbow-colored lights. Who could resist wandering in there?

  Auntie Dee and Phoebe are walking at a brisk pace. If Deja doesn't make her move, they're bound to pass right by the shop and all its heavenly confections. "Auntie Dee..." She puts just the right amount of whine in her voice.

  "What is it?" Something has caught Auntie's eye on the other side of the walkway. She's elbowing Phoebe and they're about to cross.

  "Can we go look in the Candy Palace?" Deja blurts. "Puhleeze..."

  Auntie Dee sighs. She twists her mouth, thinking. Deja holds her breath. She can feel Nikki holding her breath as well. "All right. You can buy one thing. I mean it—one thing. But you can't eat it until after you've had your dinner."

  This is not exactly what Deja had in mind. She can't help but frown a little. She's just about to protest when she catches Nikki's excited smile. She knows Nikki's already thinking of the sour sugar whips and the gummy balls and the whirly suckers. Deja's mouth begins to water. She'll promise anything for the chance to go into the Candy Palace. "Okay, okay," she says with growing anticipation.

  "Phoebe and I are just going to check that shoe store across the way. As soon as you get your one thing I want you to come directly there to meet us. Do you understand?"

  "Yes, Auntie Dee."

  Auntie Dee and Phoebe head to the shoe store, and Nikki and Deja turn in to the Candy Palace.

  There's so much to choose from, but they have their favorites. Deja's mouth waters again at the sight of the cherry sour whips crammed in their plastic case, the sugar granules glittering under the store lights. Nikki pauses in front of a case filled with hot cinnamon suckers. Deja sees her swallow. Slowly they walk along, scanning the walls that are covered floor to ceiling with displays. While the clerk waits on a slowly deciding older lady, they scrutinize the candy-filled cases. Deja doesn't want to make her decision too hurriedly. Perhaps there's something she might like better than sour whips and hot cinnamon lollipops.

  "May I help you?" the clerk finally asks. He's tall and skinny with pimples on his forehead. He looks tired even though it's still morning.

  Deja moves to the counter. "Nikki, come here." Nikki is still staring at things on the wall.

  "I'm not finished looking," she protests.

  "Come on, Nikki. You know what you always get." Deja turns back to the clerk. "I want five hot cinnamon suckers, five sour whips—cherry—and, um..." It's hard for Deja to decide what else she wants to spend her money on. She scans the case in front of her. Everything looks so good.

  "Auntie Dee said one thing, Deja," Nikki reminds her.

  "I know what she said."

  "Well, you're getting more than one thing," Nikki says, and Deja doesn't like the goody-good tone in her voice.

  "I'm only going to eat one thing today, one thing tomorrow, and one thing the next day," Deja explains.

  Nikki narrows her eyes. "Your auntie is going to be really mad, Deja, when she sees all that candy."

  "You can keep it for me at your house and then I'll just get one thing a day."

  "I don't know..."

  "Come on, Nikki."

  "But then she'll see me with a big bag of candy, and she might tell my mom, and then I'll get in trouble."

  "Gosh, Nikki, don't be such a baby." Deja pays for her selections and the clerk hands her a bag stuffed full.

  "Your turn," the clerk says to Nikki, yawning.

  "I want a hot cinnamon sucker," Nikki says, "and two cherry sour whips."

  "That's what I'm getting," Deja says. "Get something else, so we can share. Get the chocolate spiders."

  "I don't want the chocolate spiders. I want what I said."

  "But we can share them. I can give you a cherry sour whip and you can give me some chocolate spiders—like that."

  Nikki turns toward Deja then, and her lip quivers as she says loudly, "Be quiet, Deja. Quit bossing me around. You're not the boss of me!"

  2. Ms. Shelby's Good News

  At school the next morning, Ms. Shelby looks like she has a delicious secret. The way her lips are pressed together in a puckery little smile makes Deja imagine that she's sucking on a butter toffee. They are just about to go out for morning recess. Ms. Shelby stands with her back to the whiteboard and her hands folded in front of her.

  "I have some good news," she says. Everyone looks her way to see what she's going to say. "But you're going to have to wait to find out what it is. By the time you go home today, you'll know what my surprise is."

  The class exits slowly. Nikki and Deja spend recess guessing what the good news could be.

  "Ms. Shelby is engaged," Nikki says as soon as they reach the handball court.

  "No," Deja says. "That can't be it. She doesn't even have a ring on her finger. I think we're going on a field trip. We've only been on one to Riley Farms. And that was spoiled when Howard threw up and stunk up the bus the whole way back."

  Nikki wrinkles her nose, remembering.

  "Maybe we're going to the aquarium," Deja continues. She takes a hot cinnamon sucker out of her pocket, looks around, and then unwraps it.

  Nikki's eyes widen. "Deja, you're going to get in trouble. We're not supposed to have candy at school."

  "I'm only taking a couple of licks." She takes two licks, then wraps it up again and puts it back in her pocket. Nikki looks relieved.

  By the middle of the day, Ms. Shelby's surprise is almost forgotten. The class walks in from lunch recess, hot and sweaty and ready to listen to the latest installment of The Whipping Boy. They're allowed to put their heads down on their desks and even close their eyes while Ms. Shelby reads. Deja especially likes The Whipping Boy because it began with the theme of getting whipped for bad behavior. She's growing a little disappointed with the direction the story is taking, though. She doesn't like that the naughty prince gets to escape his punishment and the poor whipping boy must take his place. It's not as much fun, she thinks, as seeing the prince get what he deserves.

  Deja is all ready to take her seat and put her head down when Ms. Shelby reminds them about her good news. Deja sits up and yawns. She looks over at Nikki. Nikki's leaning forward a little bit in her chair, smiling as if she already knows what Ms. Shelby is going to say.

  "What do you think my big surprise is?"

  Hands fly up. Ms. Shelby looks around. She points to Howard.

  "Pizza party?" he asks. Deja looks at him, annoyed. What have they done to earn a pizza party? Nothing.

  "No, not a pizza party. Alyssa?" Ms. Shelby asks, moving on.

  Everyone turns to Alyssa. She smiles. The class waits. She brings her chin down and stares at her desk, still smiling.

  "Remember," Ms. Shelby says, "only raise your hand when you have something to say." Finally, she looks
in Deja's direction. Deja waves her hand and rises a bit out of her seat, but then sits

  back down, just in case her enthusiasm might make Ms. Shelby decide to choose someone who knows how to raise their hand calmly. "Deja?" she says.

  "A field trip to the aquarium," Deja declares, certain she is right.

  Ms. Shelby smiles and shakes her head. That only starts a chorus of guesses from those who don't know how to raise their hands and wait to be recognized:

  "A field trip to the zoo!"

  "A field trip to Hamburger Hut!"

  "A field trip to Waterworks Water Park!"

  Ms. Shelby puts her finger to her lips and raises her other hand, looking around until everyone has done the same. When all is quiet she says, "We, I mean the whole school, will be having an election for student body president of Carver Elementary."

  All mouths remain closed. Some frown a bit with disappointment. Nobody looks like they know what to say. While everyone is taking this in, Deja is making a decision. That president is going to be me! She smiles to herself as if she has already won.

  "Of course, the election is only open to third-, fourth-, and fifth-graders. Mr. Brown wanted to keep it open only to the fourth and fifth grade, but I convinced him that we have some very capable third-graders at this school."

  Deja sits up extra straight then, feeling that Ms. Shelby is talking about her. She looks around. Yolanda is sneaking sunflower seeds out of her book bag. ChiChi is coloring her nails with marker again. Ayanna is rearranging the items in her pencil box. Carlos is busy making something with torn bits of paper just inside his desk. A few bits of torn paper have drifted down on the floor around his chair. These do not seem like very capable third-graders to Deja.

  Her eyes drift over to Antonia. Antonia is sitting ramrod straight, hands folded, with just a hint of a triumphant smile on her face. Deja frowns. Antonia looks as if she is just that capable person Ms. Shelby is talking about. Deja narrows her eyes. Then, as if Antonia can read her mind, she turns and looks directly at Deja and does a little eye roll.