Awkward

The next morning in homeroom, the art club talks about how the science club seems panicked. Peppi, who has the remote in her bag, is nervous that Maribella hasn’t arrived at school yet. When one of the science club boys comes into the room, claiming that the art club took the remote, Miss Tobins tells him to “cease these groundless accusations” (164). She asks Mr. Ramirez to keep an eye out for the remote in case it was misplaced.

In science class and lunch, Peppi can’t stop thinking about the remote in her backpack. The launch has been canceled until the science club finds their remote. The science club accuses the art club again at lunch of stealing their remote.

Later, during art club, Peppi asks Mr. Ramirez where Maribella is, and he says he thinks she’s sick. Jenny and Akilah rush in: Someone has hacked the school paper website to write: “Art club sabotaged the launch of the solar plane. They’re liars and cheats!!!” (168). The art club is furious. They get paint to “hack [the science club’s] posters to say something else too” (168). After school, Peppi bikes to Maribella’s house. A neighbor sees her knocking and explains: There was a big fight yesterday with “a lot of yelling and screaming” (170), and then Maribella and her mother left with packed bags.