Chapter 21 - Winning and Losing

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The next few days were difficult. Roxanne was worried about presenting at the Science Fair. They had handed in their reports and posters and now the day had come to be judged. Roxanne felt her report had been alright. But now she was going to have to tell strangers, adult strangers, about it. "It will be okay, they want you to succeed," Mandy said.

Roxanne nodded, she felt sick to her stomach as she stood in front of her display. Mandy had come over from her own display as she had already been judged.

Mandy patted her on the back, "Try thinking of something else."

"Like what?" Roxanne said.

"Maybe we can do something fun during spring break." Mandy said with a shrug.

Both girls were staying at the school. Roxanne because Hogwarts' Easter Break was a different week and she needed to study.

"Maybe," Roxanne said, thinking she'd have very little time for fun if she had any hope of passing her classes.

"Roxanne, you're next," Mr. Crew said coming towards them followed by the judges.

Roxanne's breath caught in her throat.

"Pretend you're talking to me," Mandy said before heading back towards her own display.

But Mandy was a kid, the three judges now standing in front of her poster were adults, a woman and two men. The woman had short black braids like Mum's, maybe she could pretend she was talking to her family. One of the men was older, with gray hair that could be Granddad Weasley. The last man didn't look anything like a member of her family.

"Go ahead and start whenever you're ready," Mum said.

Roxanne couldn't start until she figured out who the last man was, then it hit her, it was Teddy in disguise.

Roxanne smiled, "Well, I decided to do my Science Fair project on paper airplanes. Because I always wondered how planes stayed up."

The interview went smoothly from there she even got Granddad Weasley to try out one of her demo planes.

"Thank you Roxanne, that was a very well thought out project, you have the makings of a scientist," Mum told her.

"Thanks, Mum," Roxanne said, and then she covered her mouth. The woman in front of her no longer looked anything like her Mum. But she smiled and was pretending she hadn't heard Roxanne.

"Did you just call the judge Mum?" Sevastian said loudly.

Roxanne felt more than the usual heat of embarrassment. She felt like she was going to burn up from the inside out and to make it worse it wasn't happening fast enough.

"You did! What a freak," Sevastian said.

His voice broke into her embarrassment long enough to get her moving. She ran past Sevastian and other students who were pointing and laughing at her.

Sevastian's voice calling, "she called one of the judges Mum," was the last thing she heard as she ran from the hall.

And she didn't stop running until she reached her room. She felt too miserable to flop down on her bed so she crawled under it and cried on the floor in the dark. When Scarlet came in she stayed still and Scarlet soon left never knowing Roxanne was in the room. It wasn't until after dinner and the sky had grown dark that Mandy came to find her.

"Roxanne? Are you in here?" Mandy called.

Roxanne found she wanted Mandy to find her so she kicked her foot against the bed frame.

Mandy lifted the bed curtain and then lied down next to the bed so their faces where on the same level. "It's all over school, Scarlet's Dad is going to Brazil and Scarlet has to stay here for spring break. She threw a tantrum in the dining hall. I'm afraid everyone has forgotten about you." Mandy finished sadly.

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