After that day with Leana in the library, a bunch of things kept flowing through my mind.

What does Simone think of me...?

Is she really a true friend to Leana...?

Why does she want Mrs. V's approval so badly...?

I'm a real people person, so I can tell when Simone tries to "butter up" Mrs. V. I don't mean by bringing sweets for her or anything like that. She just tries to hold what she calls "convincing arguments". Since she's always late to class, she mainly tries convincing her not to mark her tardy. But, I know that Mrs. V's got way more willpower than Simone lets on. And I can see right through it.

Leana had left for school early to shoot some hoops in the gym, and Gabe and I decided to meet her there.

He and I managed to convince Mami to sign our Leadership Applications, but... believe me... it wasn't easy.

~ A Few Hours Ago ~

Leana, Jamie, Gabe, Al and I came home from school, and Leana, Gabe and I had our Leadership Applications ready to show to Mami and Tia Jianna.

"Hey, we're home!" Leana yelled.

"Hey, guys," Mami and Tia Jianna said together, coming out of the kitchen.

"Typical M-o-n-t-e-z women," I signed to Leana, who agreed.

"What?" Mami asked.

"There's never a time when we get home that you DON'T come out of the kitchen," Leana said, winking at Mami and Tia Jianna.

"Well, excuse us if we expect to have dinner finished by the time our children get home," Tia Jianna said.

After we had all settled in, Gabe came up to me.

"You ready...?" he asked, referring to us convincing Mami to let us join Leadership.

"Yeah," I said, holding up my Application.

We went downstairs, Applications in hand, and saw Mami sitting on the couch in the living room, reading. We looked at each other and nodded, walking over to her.

"Hey, Mom," Gabe said.

"Oh, hi, guys," Mami said taking off her reading glasses. "What's up?"

"Well... there was an announcement in Homeroom today..." I started.

"About... joining a Leadership class." Gabe finished.

"Mrs. V-i-l-l-e-g-a-s was handing out Applications," I signed.

We held up our Applications.

"And she said it's a really fun class..."

"Anyone can join..."

"And the only way to fail..."

"Is if you don't participate."

"And you know your own children are real team players."

"All it takes for this Application..."

"Is recommendations from all our teachers, not including Mrs. V..."

"And a few of your signatures," Gabe finished, and we both held our Applications out to her. Mami paused for a second to think, then raised her head.

"What exactly will you guys be doing in Leadership?" she asked.

"Well, it involves making posters for events at school, like dances, sports games - home and away - class elections..." Gabe listed.

"So, it'll involve you guys coming home late on some occasions..." Mami assumed.

"Yeah," I signed.

"But, a bunch of our friends are joining, and so is L-e-a-n-a, so you don't have to worry about us being alone," Gabe said quickly. Mami thought for a little while.

"Alright, I'll sign them," she said finally. Gabe and I had the biggest smiles on our faces, but Mami put her hand up.

"On one condition," she said. Gabe and I looked at each other.

"Name it," Gabe said.

"You guys have to get me your Leadership teacher's phone number," she ordered.

"Why...?" I signed.

"So, I'll know if you guys may be coming home a little late, or have an overnight event, or something; I just wanna be sure you're all okay," she said.

"Deal," Gabe said happily. Mami nodded and stood up.

"Okay, then, I'll have these for you in the morning," she said, holding up our Applications.

~ End ~

So, we told Mami that we were gonna get our teachers' recommendations throughout the day today. Gabe, Leana and I. We were all so excited to be in Leadership. There was going to be a meeting in A212 today after school for all of the people that signed up.

We entered the gym, Applications in hand, and sat in the bleachers, watching Leana shoot hoops.

"I wonder if everyone managed to convince their folks," I signed. Gabe nodded.

"We'll just see in Homeroom today,"Gabe said. Leana went for a basket, but missed and did a double-take at the bleachers. We waved at her.

"I didn't even hear you guys come in,"she said. Gabe chuckled and we got up from the bleachers, walking up to her.

"So...?" she asked, and we held up our Applications.

"All clear," Gabe verified. Leana smiled.

"What about T-i-a J-i-a-n-n-a?" I signed. She nodded.

"She gave me the 'okay'.''

"No... conditions, or anything like that...?" Gabe asked.

"Nope," Leana said shaking her head. "Why...? What did T-i-a M-a-r-i-a tell you guys...?"

"She signed both of our Applications, but..." I signed.

"She wants to get Mrs. V's phone number, just in case of an emergency," Gabe finished. Leana nodded.

"Well, that's understandable."

I noticed their heads go up slightly, so I assumed that was the bell. We exited the gym, and went to first period. I was so excited for my first official Leadership meeting.

~ After School, 3:30pm ~

As expected, there were a lot more students that signed up than I had anticipated. And luckily, all of our friends had signed up and gotten all the signatures. So it was me, Gabe, Leana, Reese, Lissie, Toby, Wilke, Millie and Kacey.

I had told Al to leave us to it because we were planning on walking home, so Gabe had asked him to pick Jamie up on his way home.

Mrs. Villegas looked around the room, looking very pleased with the results. Nearly the whole room was full. And her classroom was pretty huge. Enough to fit at least 30-50 students.

"Okay, everyone, so... I'm happy to see so many of you here. This was a real turnout," she said, looking around the room. "So, this meeting is just about what's gonna be going on in Leadership. But, just so you know, this isn't a club, it's a class, so there will be some teaching involved. I'll be teaching you guys about independence, advocacy, and overall... how to be a good leader. This class will help you with your future in more ways than one. And remember, here... participation is key. You have to be on your feet doing something, or else your first grading report won't be a pretty one. Any questions?" she asked. Before any of us could raise our hand, the door opened and...

Simone walked in.

"I brought my Application," she said walking in.

"Good," Mrs. Villegas said, nodding. "Just set it right there, and take a seat." Simone set her Application on the desk in front of her. "Oh, and you just missed the whole basis of this class, so you'll have to get the information from one of your classmates," she said as Simone sat down. "And by the way, as of tomorrow, all of you are classmates. You're all gonna be working together, so I don't wanna see or hear any bullshit, okay?" I flinched slightly at that word. I don't really take curse words lightly.

"Language, Ms. V," Kacey teased.

"Sorry," Mrs. Villegas said. "Oh, and as of tomorrow, you guys can just consider me... a friend, okay? But that doesn't mean I'm gonna let you do whatever the hell you want. I still have my grounds as a teacher, so... Now, are there any questions?"

~ After the meeting, 4:30pm ~

The meeting ended, and everyone exited the room. Gabe and I stayed behind and we told Leana to wait outside the room for us. Simone stayed behind, too, for some reason.

"Any reason you two are sticking around...?" Mrs. V asked.

"Well, we actually need a favor from you," Gabe said. She smiled.

"Shoot."

"Our Mom wants to get your cell phone number... for... if we have any event that's away from home, or an overnight kind of thing,"Gabe explained. "Just to make sure we're safe."Mrs. V gave it some thought and nodded.

"I love how your mother's taking the necessary precautions, so... okay, I can give her my number," she agreed, going over to her desk. "So, did you guys find the Applications okay?" she asked.

"Well, you were right about it being a lot of work, but... we pulled it off. Got all the signatures and recommendations," Gabe verified.

"Awesome. So... Gabriella, are you managing around all of your classes?" she asked as Gabe interpreted. I nodded.

"Yeah, I have L-e-a-n-a and G-a-b-e and all my other friends to help me around, so, it's been a huge accomplishment for me," I signed and Gabe interpreted again. Mrs. Villegas nodded, looking very pleased.

"That's fantastic," she praised and handed Gabe her cell phone number, written on a Post-It. "Tell your mother she can call if she's curious about anything regarding the class," she advised. Gabe and I nodded.

"No problem, and trust me, the first call you get from her will be nothing but questions," Gabe joked as I smiled and she laughed.

"Well, I'll see you both tomorrow morning in class, and be prepared to start your first day in Leadership, because that's where the real work begins," she winked at us.

"We'll be ready," Gabe promised.

I am so excited for tomorrow...