Take Two Read Online Free PDF Page B

week—when I accidentally pitched myself over my desk in Science class in front of both Jazmine and Hector. Grrr . . .
    â€œWell, Emma,” a man’s voice boomed. “As long as you do not continue to have punctuality problems and are ready to do some complex mathematics problems, come on in.”
    I quickly spotted an empty seat in the front row. I loved the front row. I felt my stress melting away. I was a mathlete surrounded by my peers. Oh, yeah. I closed my eyes, wanting to savor.
    â€œWhat are you doing, making a wish?” Hector’s hissing voice barged into my moment. I opened my eyes.
    â€œEmma’s wishing she were her twin sister,” Jazmine said. “’Cause then she’d have an excuse for all the mistakes she’s going to make today.”
    I turned to my right and glared at Jazmine, then at Hector sitting behind her. My big mistake when I started middle school last week was thinking that Jazmine and I would become friends and partners. Jazmine had won last year’s state science fair the same day I won the state spelling bee. So I’d thought she’d appreciate having someone else to talk to at an advanced academic level.
    I’d thought wrong. Jazmine was the one who busted Payton and me during our twin switch. Live on schoolwide TV. She had humiliated us—and enjoyed every second of it.
    Jazmine James was my evil nemesis. Hector was her henchman.
    Well, I reminded myself. This was math. I had been preparing myself for this my whole life and I would take them both down. Mathematically, I meant, not physically.
    â€œSome of you already know me as Mr. Babbitt, your math teacher,” the teacher said, interrupting my vengeful thoughts. “But here in mathletes, you are a team. That makes me your coach. In here, you can call me Coach Babbitt.”
    Fine. All I had to do was focus on Coach Babbitt, formulas, shortcuts, and strategies. No distractions.
    â€œHey, Emma,” someone said from behind me. I froze.
    Distraction! Distraction!
    Coach Babbitt was busy passing out our fresh new mathlete books, so I turned around.
    â€œOx?” I asked. Was Ox here?
    â€œAre you okay?” he asked me. Ox reached out and touched my head.
    â€œNo lumps,” he said. “You look a little dazed, though. I don’t think you hit your head enough for a concussion.”
    Of course I’m dazed! I thought wildly. Ox is here and he is touching me!
    â€œI’ve seen a few concussions during football,” Ox went on. “They can mess you up.”
    â€œFootball,” I said. “Aren’t you supposed to be at practice?”
    What was Ox doing here?
    â€œMiss Mills,” Coach Babbitt said.
    I whipped back around and took a workbook. I pretended to look through it studiously, to show the coach I was serious. Actually, I’d already preordered the workbook and done all the problems over summer vacation.
    Coach Babbitt moved on to other people.
    My mind was swirling. I hadn’t seen Ox since yesterday after school when he’d said, “Emma—I” and the bell drowned him out and then the whole ox festival fiasco and I was grounded from my phone so he couldn’t call me even if he’d wanted to, which he probably didn’t because he was apparently saying, “Emma, I . . . am not into you, so, bye.”
    â€œEmma, I . . .”—Ox leaned forward and whispered—“told you yesterday that there’s no practice today and I hoped I’d see you at mathletes. Remember?”
    â€œRight, sure.” I nodded, trying to stay cool. That was what he’d said? I was trying to wrap my brain around the fact that Ox might still possibly like me and was in mathletes, when some boy in the back started chanting, “Go, Gecko mathletes! Go, Gecko mathletes!”
    Everyone started chanting and cheering. I couldn’t hear what Ox was saying with all the noise. Did Ox join mathletes to be around