Page 35 - American Girl (September - October 2018)

I squeezed through the sea of sticky kids and our own company making adventure games

tapped her on the shoulder. “Hey,” I said. for girls when we’re older.
“Gwen!” she exclaimed, turning around. “Did “Your shirt isn’t the problem, Addie,” Ms.
you get in trouble, too?” She was wearing a white Chavez explained wearily. “Your shorts are.”
shirt with red writing that said CODE-BLOODED “But I wore these all the time last spring and
over frayed cutoff shorts. nobody complained!” Addie protested.
“Wow, cool shirt,” I told her. “Maybe so. But that was before the board of
“Thank you,” Addie said. “See, Ms. Chavez? education instituted a dress code. Here . . . see for

Gwen knows my shirt’s about computers, not yourselves.” She thrust a handout at us and turned
crime!” her attention back to the throng of girls.
Addie’s the only twelve-year-old girl I know who According to the handout, “no exposed shoulders”
wears shirts with computer puns. We met last year and “no clothes with visible rips” weren’t the only
in coding club, and I liked her right away. She was new rules. The school board had come up with a
Illustrations: Alessia Trunfio saved me from having to hang out with my brother it were tank tops, halter tops, spaghetti straps,
long list of clothes we weren’t allowed to wear. On
the only other girl who signed up, and she not only

bicycle shorts, leggings, yoga pants, flip-flops,
and his friend Sebastian at meetings, but she was
just as into gaming as I am. We’ve got plans to start hats, hoods, bandanas, sunglasses, shorts

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