My accounting teacher, Mr. Jovanni, is clustered around a group of students who are all talking about the app when I walk into the class. He’s going on about algorithms and how exciting this one is because it gives a different weight to each kudos and demerit. Some kudos are worth more than others, and it even has a way to tell if someone is trying to trick the system, like by getting all of their friends to give them kudos at once.
I drop down in my chair and sit quietly, wondering when class will start. But fifteen minutes later, my teacher is still happily chatting about the stupid app.
This cute girl in class named Abby is apparently number four on the scoreboard and everyone is talking to her about it. I don’t know her at all even though we have class together. She’s quiet and keeps to herself.
“No one cares,” I snap. “Are we going to learn anything or just sit around praising this chick for being a goody two-shoes?”
All eyes turn to me.
Abby flips her long brown hair over her shoulder and stares me down. “It’s easy to talk crap when you’re in last place. Guess you have nothing else to lose, huh?”
Five
ABBY
I can’t believe I just said that. I am not the kind of person to go off on someone, even if they deserve it. And boy does Mark Caputo deserve it. He’s a spoiled rotten jerk who thinks his silky gorgeous hair and fancy car makes him better than the rest of us. I’m glad he’s in last place on the Un-bully app. Clearly this app has a pretty good algorithm. People need to learn that being hot and rich doesn’t make them better than everyone else.
Mark’s eyes widen. I hold my death glare, not breaking eye contact to look around the room, but I’m pretty sure everyone is watching us. Mark must not have thought I had it in me to challenge him, but now that I have, I feel powerful.
“So why don’t you just mind your own business and let the rest of us who don’t own luxury cars have fun trying to win one?” I say. My heart is pounding.
Mark takes a breath, but I guess he decides I’m not worth it. He just snickers to himself and then lets it go. Our teacher clears his throat and begins his lesson for the day. I don’t hear a word he says. I take notes from the smartboard, but they don’t make sense. I’m too hyped up with adrenaline from what I just did.
I can’t believe I spent fifth to ninth grade having a crush on that guy. I’ve always had a few crushes at once, so it’s not like I was obsessed with him or anything, but still. I’m embarrassed. He’s just a selfish hot jerk. I am so done with him.
I glance around the classroom. The lights are off since we’re all watching a lesson on the smartboard, so no one can see me. I dim the brightness on my phone screen, then pull up Mark’s profile. I give him a thumbs down. It’s the first demerit I’ve given all day.
It feels amazing.
* * *
Jules drops her phone on the coffee table and then falls backward onto the couch, putting her hands over her face. “This is way too much drama for one day!” she says, chuckling. “I’m going crazy checking this app.”
“Yeah, there’s no reason to even check it right now,” her boyfriend Jake says. He also puts his phone on the coffee table. “The scores are changing too fast.”
The three of us are hanging out at Jules’ house after school, and while I kind of want to get away from all talk of the app, it’s also impossible. This is just too exciting and crazy all at once. Over the course of the day, my score went from #4 to #32 and then back up to #7. It’s super nerve-wracking.
Jules blows her bangs out of her eyes then reaches for the TV remote. “Okay, let’s just drop all talk of this app for now. But, we are all agreed that Abby is going to win this car, right?”
Jake grins at me as he throws his arm around Jules. “Totally. Right now some freshman is in first place but you can easily knock her down,” he says. “Freshmen aren’t even old enough to drive.”
I roll my eyes. “I can’t win this car if we talk trash about other innocent students.”
Jake laughs. “No one will know.” His eyes get wide and he looks at his phone. “Wait, do you think the app is listening?”
“Holy crap, I hope not!” Jules says. “But… just to be safe…” She takes all three of our phones and moves them to the other room. When she returns, she nods once, hands on her hips. “Solved that problem.”
I laugh. “I’m pretty sure something like that would be illegal?”
“You never know,” Jake says. Jules sits back down on the couch and puts her feet in his lap. “Oh, one thing I forgot to tell you, Abby. I was researching this app online and people from other schools said that the algorithm works best in secret… like, if you do one small good thing for someone and no one else sees it, you get more points when they give you a kudos. If all thirty kids in your class give you a kudos at once, it counts less. So it’s better to be a good person privately than to be all show-off-y about it.”
“Good to know,” I say.
Jules finds a good show on the TV menu. “Showtime!” she singsongs.
One good thing about my best friend’s new boyfriend is that they never make me feel like a third wheel, even though that’s exactly what I am. I like hanging out with them, and these after school meetups to watch Hulu are the most fun
