Science Fair Read Online Free PDF

friend at the mal ?” said The Ferret.
    “Today,” said Haley. “I can’t wait to start learning al about”—she looked at her piece of paper—“co-resonant phase-shifted induction sequencers.”
    “Me, neither,” said Jason. “And al igatorithms.”
    “Algorithms,” said Haley.
    “Whatever,” said Jason.
    “Uh-oh,” said The Ferret, looking down the hal . “It’s The Armpit.”
    Striding toward the ME kids was Assistant Principal Paul Parmit, Hubble’s disciplinarian. The Armpit—as everyone, including teachers, cal ed him, although of course not to his face—was a remarkably sweaty, prematurely bald man in his mid-thirties who always looked as though at least one of his eyebal s was about to explode. He spent the time before classes patrol ing the hal s, tel ing clots of students to break it up. Nobody knew why The Armpit felt that it was so important for clots to break up, but he did.
    “Hide the papers,” hissed Haley. The MEs scrambled to put their papers away. Harmonee, finding nowhere to put hers, shoved it up the back of The Ferret’s shirt.
    “Break it up!” said The Armpit, bearing down.
    Haley’s paper slipped back out of The Ferret’s shirt and fel to the slick hal way floor directly in front of The Armpit. “Let’s break it UUUUUUNNHOOF!” he said, stepping on the piece of paper in such a way that his foot slid violently forward and the rest of him flew backward, causing him to land hard on his butt, sweat spraying outward from his body in a smal perspiration typhoon. The paper flew forward and into the air, directly into the face of Toby, who had just entered the school and was hoping to slip past the ME kids while The Armpit was breaking them up. Reflexively, he reached out and grabbed the paper.
    “Give me that!” said The Armpit, scrambling to his feet, his face a deep, glistening red. He snatched the paper from Toby with one hand and grabbed Toby’s shirt with the other.
    “Do you think that was funny?” The Armpit yel ed.
    “Yeah, Hardbonger,” said Jason. “Do you think that was funny?”
    “But I didn’t—” Toby began.
    “Quiet!” said The Armpit. “You’re going to come with…”
    “Excuse me,” said Haley, sweetly, putting her hand on The Armpit’s arm. “But there’s been a mistake.”
    “There has?” said The Armpit, softening, as al males did when targeted at close range by Haley’s blue-eyed gaze.
    “Yes,” said Haley. “This paper belongs to Harmonee. She dropped it. Didn’t you, Harmonee.”
    “I did,” said Harmonee, batting her eyelashes at The Armpit. “And I am so sorry, Mr. Armp…Mr. Parmit.” She, too, put her hand on The Armpit’s arm, trying hard not to show how seriously grossed out she was by its dampness.
    The Armpit looked at the piece of paper. “Ah!” he said, nodding. “I see.” With an odd smile, he handed the paper to Harmonee. Then he turned to Toby and said, “Okay, break it up.”
    “But,” said Toby, “I’m not—”
    “Are you trying to get into trouble?” said The Armpit.
    “No, sir,” said Toby.
    “Yeah, Hardbonger,” said Jason. “Break it up.”
    Toby sighed, turned, and headed down the hal , ignoring the laughter of the ME kids behind him. His thoughts were on the brief glimpse he’d gotten of Harmonee’s paper.

    T OBY FOUND MICAH AND TAMARA at their regular morning spot, located down the halway about fifteen yards—or, in Hubble Middle status distance, 287 milion miles—from the ME kids.
    “What’d you do to tick off The Armpit?” asked Micah, as Toby walked up.
    “Wel , first I was walking past when he slipped on a piece of paper,” said Toby. “And then I didn’t break it up.”
    “Break what up?” said Micah.
    “I have no idea,” said Toby. “But get this. I think the piece of paper was an outline for Harmonee Prescott’s science fair project.”
    “Real y?” said Tamara. “What was it?”
    “I don’t real y know,” said Toby. “I only saw it for a second. But