The Poster With Too Much Glitter

Mariza’s turquoise tail swished under her red-and-black skirt as she hurried across Monster College’s front hall.

A huge poster blocked the snack machines: TAIL-TALENT SHOW. Someone had glued so much glitter on it that the letters looked fuzzy.

“Sign-ups today,” Mariza read. A QR code sat at the bottom like a tiny square eye.

Behind her, lockers banged.

Marceline—Marcy—leaned on her locker, smiling at Bubblegum. Everyone called Bubblegum “Bubble Bubble,” because she talked fast and popped gum bubbles on purpose.

Bubble Bubble flicked her sparkly phone charm. “If you enter, Marcy, you can win. Easy.”

Marcy laughed. “I don’t even have a tail.”

Mariza’s cheeks went hot. She lifted her own phone and scanned the code, pretending the screen was the most interesting thing in the world.

Marcy turned. “Hey, Mariza! You’re the tail expert. Are you entering?”

Mariza blurted, “Only if the prize is a lifetime supply of seaweed chips,” and her thumb hovered over SUBMIT

Stuck on Page Two

Mariza’s thumb finally hit SUBMIT.

Her phone buzzed.

She squeaked, “Seaweed chips, don’t fail me now,” and her turquoise tail flicked.

Her elbow bumped her backpack. The phone hopped, spun, and plopped into a wide puddle in the rainy courtyard.

“Nope!” Mariza lunged.

A pink hand got there first.

Bubble Bubble—the gum-like girl with bubble-curly pink hair—pinched the phone out of the water like it was gross laundry.

Marcy, the pale vampire-like girl in a black hoodie, stepped under the awning. “What happened?”

Bubble Bubble squinted at the dripping screen. “Ooo. Confirmation page. Mariza entered.”

Mariza’s cheeks burned. “Give it back. It’s… wet.”

Bubble Bubble tilted the phone toward her own face and hit record. “Say hi, Marcy. Your tail girl is going onstage.”

Marcy frowned. “Stop filming.”

Bubble Bubble smiled hard. “I will stop when Mariza promises to do her little tail act and tell Marcy the secret she is hiding.”

A door banged open.

Professor Cobbler, the campus shoemaker, stomped out with a toolbox. “Who flooded my walkway again?”

Mariza held out her hands.

Bubble Bubble tucked the phone behind her back and said, “Oops,” while the red recording dot kept blinking