Banana Splits

by Coco Simon

  I immediately had an idea. I knew I wanted to work ice cream into my blog somehow, the way that Allie recommended ice cream flavors to go with the book reviews in her school paper. I still needed to ask Mrs. S. if I could link my blog to the Molly’s website. Maybe I could go down to the shop the next day and photograph some ice cream to go with my photo shoot of the Wildflowers. I could take photos of some summery ice cream sundaes and get Allie to pose with them.

  Great! I typed back. Are u at the shop tomorrow?

  Yes.

  I need u to model for me. Wear ur Molly’s T-shirt. I’m in!

  Good night! CU tomorrow!

  I flopped onto my bed, tired. I wanted to go to sleep, but I was really anxious to look through the photos I’d taken and choose some for the blog. I also wanted to come up with a sundae idea for the shoot at Molly’s the next day.

  Aspiring to be the queen of social media for real was turning out to be exhausting!

  CHAPTER FIVE

  GOING LIVE!

  “Ali-li! You look adorbs,” I said when I walked into Molly’s the next afternoon.

  Instead of her usual messy ponytail, Allie’s brown hair was in a long side braid, and she wore a blue headband that perfectly matched her Molly’s T-shirt.

  Her cheeks turned pink underneath her freckles. “Well, since you’re taking pictures today, I thought . . .”

  “You look great!” I said.

  “So, how do you want to do it?” Allie asked. “What kind of ice cream do you want in the shot?”

  “I came up with an idea for a Wildflowers sundae,” I said. “You wouldn’t have to sell it in the shop, but I thought it would be fun for the shoot. If you let me make it, I’ll pay for it.”

  Allie’s mom was behind the counter, making an ice cream for a customer. She nodded to me. “If it’s publicity for Molly’s, then it’s on the house,” she said.

  “Thanks, Mrs. S.!” I said. “I’ve been meaning to ask you if it’s okay if I link to the Molly’s website from my blog.”

  “Of course,” she replied with a smile. “Anything to get traffic to the site. And you can put your blog on the Molly’s website too.”

  “Wow, I didn’t even think of that! That would be great, since Molly’s already has so many visitors. Thanks!” I said. Then I put on an apron and washed my hands. “Just give me a minute, Allie, and after I make the sundae, I’ll take some shots of you holding it up.”

  Allie nodded and went back to filling the napkin dispensers. I got to work making a sundae. One scoop of Lavender Blackberry ice cream, because lavender is a flower. (Wildflowers. Get it?) I squirted some whipped cream on top. Then I began to carefully cut into some strawberries to make them look like flowers. I’d seen a video of it, and it wasn’t that hard. I just made rows of tiny cuts all around the strawberry to look like petals. Then I placed five strawberry flowers on top of the whipped cream and added purple and pink sprinkles.

  “That’s very pretty, Tamiko,” Mrs. S. said. “They’re definitely too time consuming to do every day, but I could see doing them for Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day.”

  “Those are great ideas,” I said. “We could make the strawberry flowers in advance, so making the sundaes would go more quickly.”

  “Let me see,” Allie said, coming behind the counter. She smiled. “Very pretty! That’s definitely a Wildflower sundae! Sierra’s going to love it.”

  “Why don’t you pick it up,” I said, “and just hold it up, right here, with your back to all of the flavors in the freezer?”

  Allie obeyed. “How’s this?” she asked.

  “Perfect!” I said, and I started to take pictures. “Just raise your head a little bit and smile. Now look at the sundae. Perfect!”

  “I should get a photo of you making one of the strawberry flowers,” Allie suggested. “You know, so your readers can see how you did it.”

  I nodded. “I should have thought of that. Thanks, Allie!”

  I gave her my phone, and she got close-ups of my hands as I cut a strawberry to make it look like a flower.

  “This is perfect,” I said, scrolling through the pictures. “Thanks so much, Allie! Thanks, Mrs. S.!”

  “Now, don’t let that sundae go to waste,” Allie’s mom said. “Eat up, you two!”

  Allie and I each grabbed a spoon and settled down at one of the tables to eat the sundae.

  “Mmm, good,” Allie said after her first bite. “I’m thinking it might be even nicer with some kind of syrup. Strawberry syrup, maybe? Or some other kind of berry?”

  “Definitely,” I agreed, and then I felt a moment of panic. “Should we redo the shoot?”

  “I think it’s fine for the shoot,” Allie said. “The Wildflowers will love it. The publicity is good timing, with their gig at the block party coming up.”

  That remined me of what had happened with Ewan. And since Allie and I were besties after all, I decided to tell her about it.

  “So, I think Ewan was going to ask me to go with him to the block party,” I blurted out, and then I explained the whole thing to her.

  Allie’s eyes got wide, and she nodded. “It definitely sounds like he was going to ask you. What would you have said?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. I am seriously not interested in dating, or whatever. But I like Ewan. He’s nice. So I guess it would depend on what it meant for us to go to the block party together, right?”

  “You mean like if you’re just going as friends, or as something more?” she asked.

  I nodded. “What would you think if Colin asked you to go to the party with him?”

  “I’d think he was asking me because we’re friends,” she answered. “And because we work together on the school paper.”

  “Right. But what if he showed up with Tessa? Would you think they were just going as friends?” I asked.

  Allie bit her lip. “I guess I would probably think something different.” She took another bite of ice cream.

  “I didn’t mean to—all I’m saying is it’s complicated,” I said. “If Ewan and I showed up together, people would probably think we were going out, even if we went as just friends. It’s so complicated!”

  Allie nodded. “But Ewan didn’t ask you. And Colin didn’t ask me. So I guess it’s not complicated after all, right?”

  I laughed. “Right,” I said. “In fact, I know how we can keep things uncomplicated. Will you go to the block party with me?”

  Allie smiled. “It’s a date!”

  I reached for another spoonful of sundae, and my spoon came up empty as I realized we’d hit the bottom of the bowl. This was one of the most in-depth conversations I’d had with Allie since she’d switched schools. I guess that was the power of ice cream!

  I stood up. “I’m going to go home and try to finish setting up the blog. That is, if my mom lets me.”

  “Good luck!” Allie said. “Let me know when it’s up, so I can read it.”

  “Will do!” I said, and then I headed home.

  That night was a repeat of the night before. Mom confiscated my phone until I could prove to her that I had studied for my social studies test and worked on my sketch of the Chrysler Building. I spent an hour literally sketching nothing but tiny windows. As beautiful as that building was, I was starting to regret choosing it!

  Then I uploaded all of the day’s photos to my iPad and focused on my blog. I had my logo—my blog title, Tamiko’s Take —and then a few lines that described what to expect from my blog.

  “Fashion and DIY ideas from my Technicolor mind. With some ice cream for dessert.”

  Then I titled my first post: “Summer Is Coming, and the Wildflowers Are Blooming!”

  I wrote a blurb underneath that. “The Wildflowers are exploding onto the Bayville music scene. They’ll be playing gigs all over town this summer. Let’s meet the band and check out what they’re wearing!”

  I posted a pic of Reagan first, because she was the leader of the band, even though she was behind the drums. I
explained how I’d made the dress and the cherry sunglasses. I did the same with the rest of the band members.

  Then I posted the photo of Allie holding the Wildflowers sundae and wrote, “In honor of the Wildflowers, I made this sundae at Molly’s Ice Cream shop in Bayville—Lavender Blackberry ice cream, whipped cream, and strawberries, topped with Molly’s trademark sprinkle of happy. Nom, nom!”

  I added the photo of me cutting the strawberries. “Making the strawberries isn’t hard. You just need to cut rows of petals,” I wrote.

  I ended with a photo of the Wildflowers band all together.

  “Come see the Wildflowers tear up the Wilson Street block party next weekend! And comment below and let me know how you liked my first blog post. Thanks!”

  After that I added a link to Molly’s Ice Cream. Then I proofread everything to make sure I hadn’t made any mistakes.

  It was nine thirty by the time I was ready to go live. I took a deep breath and clicked on Upload My Blog.

  I hope somebody reads this, I thought, and then I remembered my promise to Allie. I sent the blog link in a text to her, Sierra, and MacKenzie all at the same time. Finally I went to the Molly’s Ice Cream page. There was a question in the Q and A section: “Where do you get your ideas for your great sundaes?”

  It was a perfect opportunity for me to link to Tamiko’s Take! Writing as “Molly,” I replied, “Everyone who works at Molly’s helps come up with new flavor combinations and sundaes. For a new sundae idea based on a local band, go to Tamiko’s Take!” Then I added a link to the blog.

  I also added a link to the blog inside the navigation bar on the Molly’s web page. I tested it, and the link took me right to Tamiko’s Take. I had to admit, my blog looked amazing!

  I put away my tablet and sketched five more rows of windows on the Chrysler Building, for good measure. Right after I got ready for bed, Kai knocked on my door. “Did your blog go live?” he asked.

  I nodded. “Yeah, but how did you know?”

  “I got a text from Madison, who said her little sister told her that you had a blog,” he said. “Word must be getting around.”

  “Wait. Madison’s sister is Alexis, right? She goes to MLK,” I said. “So that makes sense.”

  Kai took control of my tablet. “See this little icon up here? Scroll over it, and then click on Insights,” he said. “That keeps track of your visitors in real time.”

  “Seriously? That’s cool,” I said, and I clicked on it.

  “Wow!” I said. “Two hundred and five hits? It’s only been, like, an hour.”

  “Then your instincts were right,” Kai said. “You’ve got what it takes to get a following on social media. That is valuable currency in the digital age.”

  I hugged him. “I’m not sure exactly what that means, but thanks for your help.”

  “No problem,” Kai said. “When you’re ready to monetize your blog, I’ll help you out—for a cut.”

  “Of course. I should have figured you’d have ulterior motives,” I said, and I ushered him out the door.

  I climbed into bed and clicked on Insights again. I had 209 views! I grinned.

  Tamiko’s Take was turning out to be a hit!

  CHAPTER SIX

  I’M A CELEBRITY

  I woke up before my phone alarm on Friday morning and checked my blog. I’d had 402 views! I had doubled my views since the night before. And there were comments, too. I was itching to read them, but I forced myself to shower and get dressed first. Now that I was getting famous for a fashion blog, I couldn’t go out wearing boring black again.

  I chose this cute little white lacy dress that fell just above my knees and a pair of sneakers I had painted with this crazy flower design. I added a beaded necklace I’d made at a jewelry-making class at the craft store. I knew that the plain white dress could take some bold accessories, and I loved the final look when I checked myself out in the mirror.

  Walking downstairs, I scrolled through my phone, eager to see the blog comments. Most were kind of generic.

  “Cute fashions!”

  “Great looks!”

  “Can’t wait to see the Wildflowers next week!”

  And some were really specific.

  “What kind of glue did you use when you decorated the sunglasses?”

  “Do you have instructions for cutting sleeves off from a shirt?”

  “Can you make me a dress?”

  My head was spinning. This was way more than I’d ever expected.

  “Tamiko! Grandpa says good morning!”

  I looked up from my phone. I was surprised. Grandpa usually called at night. “Oh, sorry. Good morning, Grandpa!”

  “Good morning,” he said. “Why is your face buried in your phone so early, Tamiko?”

  “My blog went live last night,” I replied. “And I got lots of views and comments! I’m just trying to go through them all.”

  “That is my Tamiko. Everything you do will be a success,” he said, and I grinned. I sure couldn’t argue with him!

  I fixed myself a bowl of cereal and sat down to try to answer the comments. I was about halfway through when I realized that I needed to check the Molly’s website too. Reluctantly I switched to the Molly’s account and checked for questions.

  “What time do you close tonight?”

  I rolled my eyes. Seriously? The hours were right on the front page! But I was nice about it.

  “We’re open till nine p.m. on Fridays. Hope to see you later!”

  Then I rushed to school, hoping to have a chance to answer some blog comments before class started. Instead I ended up answering comments IRL. Everybody was coming up to me and asking about the blog!

  Well, not everybody, but a lot of people. First my friends Kyra, Victoria, and Ruby surrounded me as I approached my locker.

  “Tamiko, your blog is awesome!” Kyra said.

  Victoria tossed her hair. “If you ever need more models, just let me know.”

  “How did you guys find out about it?” I asked.

  “I saw the link on the Molly’s Ice Cream page,” Kyra responded.

  “And I’m friends with Reagan from the Wildflowers,” Ruby responded. “She posted it last night on the Wildflowers web page.”

  That explains a lot, I thought. Sierra must have forwarded the link to the band, and if each one of them had posted it somewhere on social media, all of their followers would have seen it. Using the Wildflowers for my first shoot had been a stroke of marketing genius! I couldn’t wait to brag to Kai about it.

  “Well, thanks,” I said.

  “So, what is your next post going to be about?” Kyra asked.

  I hadn’t thought that far ahead. But of course, to have a successful blog I’d have to get people to come back. And that meant lots of new content.

  “I’m still working on it,” I said. “But I promise, it will be even better than the last one.”

  The girls walked off, and I ran into Sierra on the way to class.

  “Thanks for choosing a good picture of me,” she said. “It looks really great, Tamiko. I’m so glad you used the band for your first post. We’re getting a lot of attention from it.”

  “No problem,” I replied. “It works both ways. I got a lot of views because you guys posted the blog link! Now I just have to figure out a way to keep readers coming back for more.”

  Sierra grinned. “Just do you. I don’t think you’ll ever run out of ideas, Tamiko.”

  At that moment Jenna Horowitz came walking down the hallway toward us. Jenna was one of the most popular girls in school, and she was a genuine fashion plate. The stuff I made could sometimes look DIY and weird, which was fine, because that was my style. But Jenna always looked like she belonged on a magazine cover. That day she was wearing a black-and-white-striped top with a short yellow skirt that I was pretty sure I had actually just seen on the cover of a magazine. She had long wavy brown hair that never looked messy and always looked perfect.

  Jenna, for maybe the first ti
me ever, nodded at me.

  “I like your blog, Tamiko,” she said, and then she kept walking.

  I fake-fainted into Sierra’s arms. “Did that really just happen?”

  “Looks like you’re a celebrity,” Sierra said.

  Then my bubble burst in art class.

  “Everyone, please hand in your final sketches,” Mr. Rivera announced.

  “Wait. What?” I asked without raising my hand. “You said they were due on Monday.”

  “No, I very clearly said Friday, and today is Friday,” Mr. Rivera said to me, and a few people laughed. “I was very clear that the due date for this project was today.”

  My Chrysler Building was still missing several rows of windows and a few finishing touches. I swore I hadn’t heard Mr. Rivera give us a Friday deadline, but I usually tuned out his voice, so I could understand if that was what had happened.

  I raised my hand this time and asked, “Can I turn it in on Monday?”

  “Yes, but I will be deducting five points off your grade for lateness,” he said. He looked around the room. “That goes for anybody who hands in their sketch late.”

  Points? How do you use points to judge a work of art? I wondered. Sometimes I thought that Mr. Rivera had no soul.

  Ewan turned his head and gave me a sympathetic look, and I almost smiled at him before I remembered the block party conversation.

  Thank goodness I had a social studies exam that day, because it took my mind off my art class fail and my (second) awkward Ewan exchange. I knew that I’d have to start focusing on finishing up school over the next few days, but at the same time I was blog obsessed.

  On Saturday I finished my Chrysler Building sketch, and I thought it looked great. If I were giving it points, I would give it a thousand. After that I got to work brainstorming blog ideas. I tore apart my closet and looked through all of the DIY projects I was working on at home. In my idea notebook I started making lists of ideas.

  The next day, at Molly’s, I passed my ideas by Allie and Sierra while we worked our shift.