Chapter 1
"I can't believe it!" Michelle Tanner cried. She bounced in her seat on the school bus. "The Ginger Girls are going to be in San Francisco in three weeks!"
It was Monday morning. Michelle was sitting next to her best friend, Cassie Wilkins. Her other best friend, Mandy Metz, was in the seat right in front of them.
"I'd do anything to get tickets for a Ginger Girls concert," Cassie said.
Mandy leaned over the back of her seat. "Would you put anchovies on your peanut butter sandwich?" she asked.
Michelle giggled. Cassie hated anchovies more than anything.
"Gross! No way!" Cassie shook her head. "But I'd do anything else."
Michelle wanted to go to the concert, too. The Ginger Girls were the coolest singing group in the world. They wore awesome clothes, and had fun names like May, Lulu, Gigi, and Tawny.
"Do you think we could get tickets?" Mandy asked.
"It might be hard to get them," Michelle replied. "Everybody wants to go."
"You're right." Cassie sighed. "Besides, Ginger Girls tickets are probably more expensive than gold."
Mandy slumped down in her seat. Michelle and Cassie stared out the window.
"I know!" Mandy popped up again. "What about your uncle Jesse, Michelle? He's a musician. Maybe he knows the Ginger Girls."
Cassie's eyes lit up. "Maybe he can get us tickets!"
Michelle wasn't sure if Uncle Jesse knew the Ginger Girls. But it was worth a try. "I'll ask him tonight at dinner," she promised.
"All right!" Mandy cried. "Michelle's uncle is getting us tickets to the Ginger Girls!"
A group of kids turned and stared at Michelle.
"Maybe," Michelle told them.
The bus hissed to a stop. Al, the bus driver, opened the doors. Three kids stepped into the bus. One of them was Rachel Tilly.
"There's someone who can afford tickets," Cassie whispered.
Michelle nodded. Rachel had just moved to San Francisco with her family. Her father owned bakeries all over the country.
Rachel always wore expensive clothes and carried her books in a real leather backpack. She got straight-A report cards. And she was great at sports. But Michelle knew one thing Rachel wasn't good at -- being nice.
"Good morning, everybody," Rachel called out. She stopped in the middle of the aisle. "I have an announcement to make." Rachel flipped her super-long brown hair over her shoulder. "I want to say that -- "
"I can't start the bus until everyone is seated," Al called out.
"This will take only a second," Rachel told Al. She turned back to the kids. "Guess what? I'm running for fourth-grade class president."
But the class nominations weren't until tomorrow, Michelle thought. No one was running yet.
Rachel yanked a stack of flyers from her backpack. She started handing them out. "Here, Michelle." Rachel gave her a flyer. "Cassie, Mandy, you can look on."
Michelle and her friends stared at the bright yellow paper. In the middle was a picture of Rachel. Underneath were the words: Rachel Tilly -- For a Better Fourth Grade.
"Well?" Rachel asked Michelle. "What do you think?"
Michelle shook her head. "You can't run for class president until you have three nominations. That's the school rule."
"Three?" Rachel laughed. "I already have five kids who promised to vote for me."
Mandy leaned over her seat. "Sure. After Rachel gave them her father's cookies and doughnuts," she whispered to Michelle.
"I heard that, Mandy!" Rachel snapped. When she stopped handing out flyers, she smiled. "Any questions?"
Michelle had one. "If you're elected class president, what will you do for the fourth grade?" she asked Rachel.
"What will I do?" Rachel stared at Michelle. "Hmm. I never thought about that." Then Rachel smiled. "I'll have the whole fourth grade put on a special show at the end of the school year," she said. "It will have the coolest costumes, sets, and a talented star!"
"A star?" Mandy asked. "Who?"
"Me, of course." Rachel stuck her chin in the air. "I take ballet lessons, gymnastics, and acting."
Michelle couldn't believe her ears. "All you would do is put on a show?" she asked.
Rachel nodded. "I bet it would fill every seat in the auditorium."
"Great," Al called out. He pointed to the back of the bus. "Now, how about filling one of those seats so I can start moving the bus?"
The kids on the bus laughed as Rachel stomped to a seat. She sat down and folded her arms.
Michelle turned to Mandy and Cassie. "That's it?" she whispered. "That's all her campaign is about?"
Cassie crumpled Rachel's flyer. "What else do you expect from Rachel?"
"A lot more than that," Michelle said. She shifted the books on her lap. "A good class president can really make a difference."
"How?" Mandy asked.
"Like getting us onto the cool playground -- the one the fifth-graders use," Michelle said. "Or helping to organize neat field trips and a big class picnic. Or making the food in the cafeteria better. Or -- "
Mandy and Cassie glanced at each other. They started to giggle.
"What?" Michelle asked.
"We know who would make the perfect fourth-grade class president," Mandy said.
"Someone who's nice, smart, and not too shy," Cassie added.
Michelle looked around the bus. "Who?"
Mandy and Cassie pointed to Michelle. "You!"
Copyright © and ™ 1999 by Warner Bros.
