Read All the Answers for Free Online

page on her legal pad and started writing:
    Do any boys like
    â€œHold on!” Sophie leaned in, reading over her shoulder. “If you say ‘like,’ it might start listing boys who just sort of like me like a friend instead of boys who
like
me like me.”
    â€œSo what should I ask?”
    â€œHow about …” Sophie looked up into the leaves just as one started fluttering down. She caught it, then turned back to Ava. “Let’s try this… . What boys, if any, have romantic-type crushes on Sophie Chafik?”
    Ava wrote that.
    The voice gave a slightly disgusted sigh, then rattled off nine names. Ava tried to write them down, but the voice went too fast.
    â€œWhat’s it saying? What’s it saying?” Sophie was bouncing.
    â€œHold on!” Ava held up her hand, then finished writing. “I didn’t catch them all. I’ve got Robbie Henderson—you knew that, right?”
    Sophie nodded. “Who else?”
    â€œCraig Thomas, Jake Phillips, Howard Filion—”
    â€œEww!” Sophie recoiled. “He picks his nose in social studies.”
    Ava laughed. “Apparently, he’s thinking of you the whole time.”
    Sophie fell over backward and kicked her legs in the air dramatically a few times, then popped back up. “Who else?”
    â€œShaun Gerstein …” Ava looked down at the page. “And Jason somebody? His name was too long, and I’d never heard of it.”
    Sophie’s mouth fell open. “Jason
Marzigliano
? Ohmygosh, tell me it’s Jason Marzigliano.”
    â€œSoph, you’re drooling. I’m not sure.”
    â€œAsk the pencil to repeat it.” Sophie gestured toward the notebook. “If it’s Jason Marzigliano, I am going to flip. Literally.”
    So Ava wrote:
    Could you please repeat the full name of the boy named Jason who has a crush on Sophie Chafik?
    The voice sighed again, then enunciated every word. “Jason. Randolph. Mar-zig-li-a-no.”
    â€œWell?” Sophie was leaning so close Ava could smell the candy bracelet on her breath.
    â€œIt’s him,” Ava said, then couldn’t help adding with a giggle, “and his middle name is Randolph. Jason
Randolph
Marzigliano. Who is he?”
    But by then Sophie had flipped. Literally. She’d taken off running across the green and done a round-off back handspring. Then she plopped back down next to Ava. “Jason Marzigliano is that new kid who moved here from California. With the sort of shaggy brown hair? He does gymnastics, and he is unbelievably cute and I just cannot believe this!” She bit two more beads off her candy bracelet.
    Ava laughed. She had to admit this pencil was kind of fun. “Let me try.”
    â€œAre you going to ask which boys like you?”
    â€œNo!” Ava tapped the pencil on her palm. She didn’t want to know about boys, but she couldn’t think of anything that seemedpencil worthy. “Maybe I’ll ask it … what’s for lunch in the school cafeteria next week.”
    â€œAva, that’s the boringest question ever! Go on the website if you want to know when meatloaf day is. Ask it … ask it what Katina D. is doing right this very second!”
    â€œOh, that’s good!” Ava started writing. “It’ll probably say she’s in the recording studio.”
    â€œOr shopping for red cowboy boots! Or kissing her bass player in the rain!” Sophie squealed.
    Ava finished the question and held up her hand for Sophie to be quiet.
    â€œRight now,” the pencil-voice said, “Katina D. is taking a nap.”
    Ava told Sophie, who let out a frustrated sigh. “Well, that’s not going to make any headlines. Ask it what she did last night.”
    Ava asked and listened. “Oh! This is better. She went to dinner at some fancy French restaurant with Michael Jupiter. He’s a singer, too, isn’t he?”
    â€œA