Dodging Cupcakes

By Laura Pashley

Mindy's life takes an unexpected turn when she moves to her dad's quaint hometown in Illinois. Starting at a new school without any friends is challenging enough, but the real surprise is that the school is housed in an abandoned motel. 

On her first day, Mindy encounters an overly enthusiastic principal celebrating Pirate

• Language: English
• Publisher: STEMpire Press
• Release date: May 1, 2024
• ISBN: 9798218276362

Book preview

Dodging Cupcakes

Laura Pashley

Stempire Press

Copyright © 2024 Laura Pashley

All rights reserved

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

ISBN-13: 9798218276362

ISBN-10: 1477123456

Cover design by: Laura Pashley

Library of Congress Control Number: 202397069

Printed in the United States of America

To Audrey,  Jack,  Zoe,  and my loving husband, Tom for all your patience and support.

If you haven't failed yet,  you haven't tried anything.

Reshma Saujani,  Founder of Girls Who Code

Contents

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Epigraph

1. A STICKY BUS RIDE

2. THE SWITCH-A-ROO

3. SPRINKLES AND FROSTING

4. LOCKER #265

5. ONLY WEIRDOS TALK TO TREES

6. MIKE OR MINDY?

7. FLYING MEATBALL

8. A SWEET DEAL

9. A NEW FRIEND

10. PARTNERS

11. A CHAIN REACTION

12. NEW VS. OLD

13. X MARKS THE SPOT

14. ONE NERF BALL. FOUR DONKEYS.

15. A CUPCAKE BALL

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

1. A STICKY BUS RIDE

M

indy adjusted the LED tucked in the plastic rose tied to her wrist, her brow furrowing. If only she could unpack the rest of her building materials and supplies. She imagined the light flickering to the beat of an excellent playlist on her phone. That would have made a big impression at her new school.

She wiggled closer to the window to avoid the long rip in the school bus’s bench seat, where yellow foam padding poked through the fake green leather. The bus driver stomped on the gas pedal, and her grandma’s farmhouse vanished from sight.

Unfamiliar voices and laughter swirled around her as if she didn't exist. Mindy tightly gripped her hands in her lap, her white knuckles contrasting with the cheery pink flower on her bracelet. I can do this, she reassured herself.

The bracelet’s small red light blinked—once, twice—before it went out. Mindy raised the round petals and focused on the problem. Dang it. I did a lousy job connecting the wires to the battery.

She pulled out the 9-in-1 tool her dad had given her, complete with pliers, screwdrivers, a wire cutter, and even a bottle opener for her root beer. Unfolding the small pliers, she peeled back the tape and repositioned the wire. The LED sprang back to life.

Hey, Jordan, check this out, a voice said behind her. Maybe she can fix this rusty old bus next time it breaks down.

Mindy discreetly slipped the tool back into her pocket, feeling her cheeks heat up. She glanced at a boy with dirty blond hair tied back in a ponytail, his mouth wide, laughing at his own dumb joke. A wad of purple gum stuck between his teeth.

That's Derek. Just ignore him, Jordon said from across the aisle. He was smaller than Mindy, with olive skin, and wore a T-shirt that read Be Happy on the front. Leaning closer, he asked, So, you're from Chicago?

Yeah. How did you know? Mindy replied.

He shrugged. Some lady at the grocery store told my mom.

Mindy's curiosity about her new school gnawed at her like a dull saw slicing through a block of wood, the kind her grandma handed her when they worked together in the barn. Were the kids nice? Did the teachers assign heaps of homework?

Finally, she blurted out, So what's Korn Wotel school like?

You know, they teach the usual stuff. Most of the teachers are nice, except for Mr. Shiner. He’s been a real grouch lately. Jordan's eyes widened, adding, But today, we have sign-ups for our Fall Carnival. Everyone has to say what kind of game they will make.

Last year, I brought this awesome game called Flip the Frog, Derek said. Did I mention that I sewed around 70 to 80 bean bags for it myself?

Yeah, about a thousand times. Remember how Mrs. Caster freaked out when all those frogs got loose? Jordon chuckled, then turned to Mindy and explained, Derek brought them as prizes. Flip the Frog—what a stupid game. Mindy imagined a school carnival filled with homemade games like that. It sounded more like a School Snooze-ival. She smirked, thinking about the Wizard of Oz-themed dance, the Greek Night Basketball game, and Shrek the Musical at her old school, St. Mary's Academy. 

Jordan asked, Did your old school have anything like this?

We didn’t have anything this… rustic. Mindy blurted out the words that were spinning through her head before she had a chance to stop herself. She bit her cheek as she watched Derek's smile disappear.

Ouch, Jordon said.

Are you saying my game isn’t good enough for you, city girl? Derek asked, his cheeks reddening.

No, what I meant was... Mindy felt all eyes bearing down on her. Even Jordon, with his Be Happy T-shirt, wore a scowl on his face. She racked her brain for something nice to say or even something her dad had mentioned about the school and the small country town of Oglesby. A place so different from Chicago and her private school, St. Mary's Academy. But her mind went blank. Sorry, she mumbled before twisting around in her seat. Her Grandma had always pointed out when her mouth moved faster than her brain. She never thought much about it until it was too late.

Mindy caught sight of the school ahead as the bus turned a corner. Surrounded by vast cornfields, it looked like it did on her dad's yearbook cover—the old Korn Motel and Diner it had once been.

When Korn School burned down 40 years ago, the town moved all the kids and teachers to the abandoned motel. Short-term turned into the town can't afford to build a new school, so the school has remained there ever since. Next to the building stood a sign almost three stories high. They had turned the M in Motel around, giving it the new name Korn Wotel. The word school was painted in bold red underneath.

Her dad assured her that they were making the right decision to move back. St. Mary’s had never given her a chance to be herself.

So far, she wasn't sure if her new school would be any better.

Kids pushed past her to exit the bus when Mindy heard a burst of deep laughter. Then, something thumped on top of her head. She reached up and felt a soft lump in her curly hair. She pulled off a long, gooey purple strand. Gum? Mindy shrieked. Eww. Gross. Whirling around in her seat, she faced Derek.

Oops. Jordan here made me laugh, and the gum just popped out of my mouth and landed in your hair…and, um…I’m sorry. Really, Derek said. Mindy noticed his face turn pink and heard his muffled snickering before he scooted off the bus. He must have done it on purpose.

Bits of purple gum stuck to Mindy's thumb and finger. Trying to pick it off only spread it further onto her other fingers. As the kids left the bus, she quickly rubbed her hand on the back of the seat. The gum caught on the vinyl ridges and rolled off, leaving her fingers sticky but gum-free. She needed a mirror to get the rest out of her hair.

Mindy jumped in her seat when the bus driver suddenly appeared above her. He scowled and waved his hand toward a sign at the front of the bus. Mindy tried to read the small print beneath the words Bus Rules, but it was too difficult to make out.

Let's review Rule # 1—Anyone caught with gum on my bus gets kicked off for a week, the driver said,

But the gum isn’t mine. It’s his— Mindy pointed toward the parking lot. Derek’s! He dropped—

So, you’re playing with someone else’s gum? the bus driver scrunched his face disapprovingly.

No, I was just trying to get the gunk off my hand. Mindy pointed to the gum in her hair. She wasn’t ready to give up.

All right, I’ll give you a pass this time, but only because you’re new, the bus driver shook his head and checked his watch. Come on. You don’t want to be late.

Mindy grabbed her backpack and swiftly walked off the bus.

All right, kids, it's time for class! The words boomed from the middle of the parking lot. 

Mindy spotted a round woman with a mop of orange hair and what looked like an eye patch flipped up on her forehead. She sat in a rolling office chair holding a megaphone. Was she a teacher? She spun and faced Mindy. Girl on the bus! Don't forget your lunch! she blared for all to hear.

Mindy stared at her empty hands, then ducked her head and retrieved a small brown paper bag the bus driver was holding out. When she turned around, she found herself alone in the parking lot. The strange lady in the rolling office chair was gone.

The school had a large diner and an office in the front where motel guests used to check-in. A two-story building was in the back, connected by an outdoor staircase. Like an old motel, all the rooms face out into the parking lot.

Mindy didn't know where to go for her first class.

As she walked past the first door, close to the staircase, she noticed chunky orange, yellow, and red paper leaves decorated the windows like a classroom art project.

With all the unusually warm weather, the stiff paper cut-outs were the first signs of fall she had seen. This was the first year she would miss the trees turning colors on Michigan Ave. Just then, the door burst open, and a little girl, much younger than Mindy, bolted out of the room and around the corner of the building. Mindy decided to follow her, hoping she was heading to the girls' bathroom so she could get rid of the gum in her hair or maybe the school office of this crazy place.

2. THE SWITCH-A-ROO

M

indy hurried to the front of the building, facing the street. She watched the little girl duck into the diner. Halfway down, a neon sign flashed in the window: Open. Open. Open. This had to be the office.

A yellow flier was taped to the glass door.

THE KORN WOTEL SCHOOL'S

FALL CARNIVAL

FUN, FOOD, GAMES

13 Day Countdown

Ugh, she thought and dismissed it.

She opened the door and stepped into what had once been Korn Motel's lobby. The window shades were drawn. When her eye adjusted to the dim light, she saw books strung across the ceiling, row after row, like shirts hung out to dry on a clothesline. More books were stacked on the floor, neatly placed against each other. It looked like enough books to fill a library. Or was this the library? Mindy cautiously inched forward.

Aye, Matey, a raspy voice called out from behind the towers of books teetering on what had once been the motel's reception desk. How can me self be help'n ye today?

Sounds like a nutcase, Mindy mumbled. Her hand covered her mouth when she heard herself say the words out loud.

Speak up.

Mindy peeked around the books to find the woman in the rolling office chair. A tricorn pirate hat pushed her curly orange hair around her plump face. Behind her, a black walking cane leaned against the wall. The woman glanced up from the book titled Pirates of the High Seas in her hands.

Hi. Um, can I talk to the principal? Mindy asked.

Oh, dear. You're a new one, aren't ya? The woman whipped off her tricorn hat and set it on the desk. I'm Mrs. Caster, the principal and, at the moment, part-time librarian. Don't mind me, I'm promoting pirate-themed books today, and we have some fantastic ones. She held up the book she'd been reading. What's your name, dearie?

Mindy Bright, she said. "We moved into