Mal nodded, then said to the room, “Thanks for the hard work today, everyone.”
“Yeah, this was really fun,” Nylan said.
“Despite all these silly Band-Aids,” said James, showing his right hand, which now sported three bandages with smiling pink cats on them.
“Those are limited edition!” Parker said.
“Not the aesthetic I’m going for,” said Kodi, “but thanks for having them, Parker.”
“Yeah, I literally can’t believe we didn’t think of that.” Nylan laughed.
“But everything else went really smoothly,” said Stella, coming to stand next to Mal and crossing her arms over her chest. “We only had to redo—what? Five?”
“Seven,” said Kodi, her voice firm but her expression friendly. “And I still maintain that at least three of those were just so you had something to fuss over.”
Mal tensed, but Stella laughed—a strange sound Mal was not used to hearing anymore. “Okay, yeah, at least one was.”
“You’re a menace,” said Parker, but she laughed too.
“But hey!” Emerson interjected when the look on Stella’s face started to sour. “We did it! That’s the first run done.”
“We did it,” Mal echoed, looking at the neat stacks on the desk.
Somehow they had pulled it off.
Now they just needed to see if they couldsendit off.
THE SALES PLAN
Number of issues: 100
Sale price: $2.00
On sale date: September 30
Units sold:
Issues are pre-packaged in bundles of ten.
Each staffer will start with ten issues.
MINUS STELLA
Covertly sell through stock.DON’T GET CAUGHT !!!!!!!!!
Remaining stock will be stored in Mal Flowers’s locker for restock as needed.
CHAPTERSIXTEENSELL, SELL, SELL!
TheMixxedMediastaff waited at the wall outside of Holmes High School, looking distinctly like they were up to something.
It was a bright day but with a breeze that cut through Mal’s thrifted sweater as they walked up the sidewalk, Maddie in step beside them. It felt like a fall morning should: cool and correct and littered with reddish-brown leaves, which crunched satisfyingly beneath Mal’s boots. The school had finally decorated for the season, leaning two giant bunches of cornstalks up against either side of the historic stone gate at the top of the driveway, a trio of giant orange pumpkins at the base of each one. One had already been smashed open; Mal had to dodge around its bright orange guts.
“Here they are!” Parker said as Mal drew close.
“Sweet,” Emerson said, “we can get to work. I’ve been waiting.”
“Hi, Mal,” said Stella, her voice bored until she saw Maddie behind them. “Oh, Maddie! Are you joining the zine?”
