As I dialed in the combination to my locker, Noah slid up beside me. “How cool was that?”
“Pretty cool, I guess. It kind of looked like a flash mob.”
Noah laughed. “Yeah. I think I got on camera a couple of times!” He brushed imaginary debris from one of his shoulders. “I’m going to be a star.”
I pulled a folder out of my locker and waved it in front of him. “Then you won’t have to worry about your algebra assignment. I’m sure your folks will be so proud.”
Noah’s eyes went wide. “Uh… see you in class.” I laughed as my best friend darted through the busy hallway, trying to get to his locker.
When I walked into class, Amy and Sam were already there. I guess they hadn’t been caught up in the reality TV traffic jam.
I slid into my seat and spun to face my friends. “Did you see the big…” My voice trailed off when I saw Amy. Her lips were pressed into a thin line and she was fidgeting her hands more than usual.
“Amy’s parents signed the release form and made her promise to give the show a try,” Sam explained.
Amy took in a deep breath, then sighed it out. “They didn’t exactly make me promise,” she said. “You remember that ‘get out of my comfort zone’ thing I mentioned?”
“Yeah?” I tilted my head.
“This TV thing falls into that category.”
Sam rolled her eyes.
“It’ll be fine, Amy,” I said, trying to sound reassuring. “From what I saw, a lot of students are trying to get on camera. Maybe you can just blend into the background.”
“You think so?” Amy asked, perking up a little.
Sam’s eyes widened. “You could make a game of it. See a camera, keep your head down.”
Amy shrugged and a small smile pulled at her lips. “I kind of do that anyway.”
Sam and I laughed, and Amy joined in.
Just then, Noah rushed into the classroom and slid into his seat. The bell rang a moment after he hit the chair. Amy must have been really upset, otherwise, her near-perfect internal clock would have let us know he was about to be tardy.
Noah waved a folder triumphantly. “That’s right.” His brow wrinkled when he saw our smiles. “What did I miss?”
None of us had the chance to answer before Mr. Jenkins rose from his desk and moved to the smartboard. “All right, sports fans. If you’ll pull out yesterday’s assignments—”
“Pardon the interruption, faculty and students,” came Mr. Davenport’s voice over the intercom system.
Mr. Jenkins sighed and returned to his desk.
“After this morning’s… introduction to the camera crew,” our principal continued, “I think it’s best we lay down some ground rules.”
“Maybe it’d be better if you let me explain,” said another voice in the background.
“Oh, uh… okay,” said Mr. Davenport.
There was some shuffling. “Hello, Swift Academy students,” said the second voice, much louder this time. “My name is Joey Stewart, and I’m the producer for this little program we’ll be shooting at your school.”
All the kids in Mr. Jenkins’s class glanced around the room, grinning. It seemed that everyone except Amy, Sam, and I was thrilled with the idea of being on television.
“Now, we really enjoyed the warm welcome this morning, and we got a lot of great footage,” Mr. Stewart continued. “But from now on, it’s extremely important that none of you look directly at any of the cameras. We can’t use that kind of footage for the show.”
Noah crossed his arms. “ ’Nuff said. There’s no way they’re gonna cut my footage.”
The students closest to us snickered. Sam just rolled her eyes.
“I know it’s going to be difficult,” Mr. Stewart said, “but please try to ignore the crew while we’re here. Thank you.”
“All right, then,” said Mr. Davenport. “You heard the man. Please continue your studies as usual.”
When it was clear that the announcements were over, Mr. Jenkins stood once more, approaching the smartboard. “Okay, future reality stars. Let’s get to those assignments, shall we?”
The classroom chatter faded and we went back to algebra as usual. I had almost completely forgotten about the camera crew when class ended. As we all filed out of the room, Mr. Stewart and Ms. Lane were waiting in the hallway. Luckily, none of the camera operators were around, so I didn’t have to worry about where not to look.
Ms. Lane pointed first to Noah and then to me before walking away. Mr. Stewart marched toward us. “Ah! Noah and Tom, right?”
“That’s us!” Noah said enthusiastically.
“Yes, sir,” I replied.
The man shook our hands. “No sirs, and Mr. Stewart is my dad. Call me Joey.”
“Okay, Joey,” Noah said.
Joey crossed his arms and studied us. “Holly tells me that you two have an augmented reality app that has the whole school buzzing.”
I pointed at my best friend. “Actually, it’s Noah’s app.”
“Right,” Joey replied, “but you’re the one who’s going to help our camera see everything, right?”
With everything going on, I had completely forgotten about agreeing to build the special lens filter. “Uh, yeah. But I haven’t built it yet.”
Joey moved between us and put a hand on each of our shoulders. “No worries. Plenty of time for that.” He guided us down the hallway. “While I’ve got you boys, let me show you your school’s new editing suite.”
“Uh, we’re going to be late for class,” I said.
Joey grinned and reached into his back pocket. “No worries on that, either.” He pulled out a small pink pad. “Your principal gave me a bunch of signed hall passes.”
“Cool,” Noah said.
I could see the wheels turning in my friend’s mind. If the academy had a black market, that pad would be worth a fortune.
We followed Joey up to the second floor to the workroom next to the computer lab. Normally, the room stored several components and spare computer
