“Ruben Cordero gets gasps of surprise from Danielle Hatt (right) and Sonjia Adams as he performs a card trick on the street in front of Langley’s Dog House Tavern.Matt Johnson / staff photoWhen Langley street magician Ruben Cordero walks up to somebody who is doing their shopping, taking a walk, or on his or her way to somewhere, he usually expects that person to say no when he offers to perform a magic trick on the spot.You have to be prepared to be rejected, Cordero said. A sophomore at South Whidbey High School, Cordero is just out to make a name for himself when he does his card tricks and small examples of prestidigitation. He said he hopes that name recognition will translate into a full auditorium May 18 when he performs his first staged magic show — Psychic Encounter — at the South Whidbey High School Auditorium. Though the illusions he performs there — which will include traveling instantaneously between the stage and a location miles away and reading the minds of audience members — will be just as impressive as those made famous by professional magicians such as David Copperfield, Cordero said the most difficult tricks he does are those in his street magic act. Armed with a few rubber bands, a dollar bill, and a pack of playing cards, Cordero never plans his routines. He just pulls a trick out of the air when someone agrees to stop and watch.I don’t know up ’til the moment, he said.On a recent day in downtown Langley, Cordero amazed classmates Danielle Hatt and Sonjia Adams with a card trick in which the name of the playing card Hatt pulled at random from the deck appeared written in pencil on his forearm. Hatt, who sits behind Cordero in Spanish class, said she had no idea he was such an exquisite magician.I sure didn’t, she said. Cordero said his show next Friday will be the first step toward becoming a professional magician. In true professional style, he will get help from a crew of eight assistants, who will help him make the family-oriented and comedy-filled show into a true spectacle.I’m going to be the best, he said.Cordero will perform two shows on May 18, one at 5:30 p.m. and one at 8:15. Tickets will be on sale at the auditorium on the night of the show. The price is $5. Cordero will donate $1 of every ticket sale to cancer research. “