Mixed Messages

by Tina Wells

  Lost in her thoughts, Zee didn’t hear much of what the others said after that. Is Adam actually right? she wondered. Zee had liked the idea that she’d be an only child when Adam was away at college. She’d have the house—and her parents—to herself. Now she’d have to share with two babies.

  Zee was going to be outnumbered! She had to tell Chloe the news.

  E-ZEE: U r not going 2 believe this!

  SOCCERNOW: What?

  E-ZEE: My mom is going 2 have twins.

  SOCCERNOW: Awesome!!!

  E-ZEE: Do u think so?

  SOCCERNOW: R u kidding??!! I don’t have any bros or sisters. U will have 3. U r soooooo lucky!

  E-ZEE: I didn’t think of it that way.

  I guess u r right!

  After Zee logged off, she opened up her diary.

  * * *

  Hi, Diary,

  Chloe made me feel tons better. I will never ever tell Adam this, but I’m going to miss him when he’s at college. The babies will keep me from being too lonely. Now I’m really excited about it them.

  I still have a problem, though. Landon. It used to be that my problem was that I liked him, but he didn’t like me back. Now I’m worried he might actually like me and we’ll never have anything to say!

  Which leads to Problem, Part Two. Jasper. What if I like him? How can you tell a friend from a crush?

  Zee

  * * *

  Chapter 4

  More News

  I think they should have made you wear your uniform from last year,” Zee said to Ally as she tugged the collar of her school-issued white shirt. The girls were walking to instrumental music class the next morning. First period was when The Beans rehearsed.

  “That uniform’s too small for me now,” Ally told her. “Besides, those things are awful. Why would you want me to suffer?”

  “I guess misery loves company.”

  Ally put her hand on Zee’s shoulder. “I didn’t mean you look awful.” She pointed to the necklace Zee was wearing. Zee had rolled magazine paper into beads and strung them together. “You always make the uniform look cool with your jewelry and tights and Converse.”

  “Thanks!” Zee smiled. Then she added, “I’ll make you a necklace, too.”

  “Awesome!”

  “Hey, guys!” Chloe’s southern accent rang out behind Zee and Ally. They waited for their friend to catch up. “Do you have any idea what Mr. P’s big announcement is?” Chloe asked as she got closer to her friends.

  “Ohmylanta!” Zee said. “I completely forgot.”

  “Maybe he’s getting married,” Ally suggested as the group rounded the corner toward the music classroom.

  Zee shook her head. “I don’t think he even has a girlfriend.”

  “What do you think it is, Chloe?” Ally asked.

  “Heck if I know,” Chloe said.

  “Maybe The Beans are getting a new band member,” Ally suggested.

  “That might be fun,” Chloe said.

  “I don’t know,” Zee said. “It might get a little too crowded.”

  “I say, the more, the merrier,” Chloe replied, bounding through the classroom door in front of her friends.

  As Zee walked into the room, she noticed Mr. P by the whiteboard. Instead of leaning against his desk the way he usually did, he stood up straight. He was more dressed up than usual. His white dress shirt and black pants were wrinkle-free, he had trimmed the little patch of beard that grew between his lip and chin, and his new haircut topped off the look.

  “What’s with him?” Ally whispered as she and Zee took their seats next to Chloe.

  Zee shrugged. “I’m not sure.”

  “At first, I thought we had a substitute,” Chloe said. “I didn’t recognize him at all.”

  “Looking sharp, Mr. P,” Conrad shouted as he made his way to a chair next to the piano. “Did you get dressed up for any special reason?”

  Mr. P’s face reddened. “Uh . . . no,” he stammered. “Just my students.”

  “Hey! You mean we’re not special?” Conrad protested.

  Mr. P nervously ran his fingers through his hair. “Of course. I just mean, today’s not different from any other day.” He paused. “Sort of.”

  Ally turned to Zee and Chloe. “Sort of?” she whispered. “What do you think that means?”

  “Why would he need to get so dressed up just for an announcement?” Zee asked.

  “My dad says he can always tell who is going on a job interview at his office,” Chloe said. “They dress nicer than usual.”

  “You think Mr. P has a job interview?” Ally asked.

  “I don’t think he’d leave us,” Zee said, then looked around. “Speaking of which . . . where’s Jasper?”

  “He said he had to go to the technology lab to ask Ms. Short a question about programming Bluetopia,” Chloe explained. “He should be back soon.”

  “Why are you looking for Jasper?” Ally asked.

  “I just don’t want him to be marked tardy,” Zee said. “Why else?”

  “Uh . . . no reason,” Ally said. “Just wondering why it mattered.”

  “He should be here for Mr. P’s announcement.”

  Zee breathed a sigh of relief as the first-period bell rang and Jasper came through the door and slid into his seat.

  “Great!” Mr. P said. “Let’s get started.”

  “Aren’t you going to take attendance?” Jen asked.

  “If you’re not here, raise your hand!” Conrad joked. Mr. P and the rest of the class laughed.

  “I kept track as everyone came in. The Beans are all here. Which is good, because I have something important to tell you.” He rubbed his hands together. “The school is so happy with The Beans that it wants to see if we can re-create that success in some of the other music classes in the upper grades. I now have additional teaching responsibilities.”

  Zee panicked. “You’re leaving us?” she blurted out.

  “Never,” Mr. P assured her, then looked at the others. “But I will need help with The Beans in order for things to keep running smoothly.”

  “What kind of help?” Chloe asked.

  “Brookdale Academy has hired an assistant teacher for this class,” Mr. P began, then glanced at the door. “Please come in,” he called.

  A thin woman with wavy brown hair and a gray scarf tied around her long neck walked into the room.

  Kathi gasped. Zee nearly did, too. The new teacher looked more like a movie star. She wore an elegant gray suit, but instead of buttons, the front of the jacket scooped down and tied off to the side with two thin strings. As she moved across the room, her pants accented her graceful movements.

  The room hummed with excited murmurs.

  “I’m pleased to introduce Ms. Vardolis,” Mr. P said, settling everyone down. “Not only is she an accomplished classical pianist, but she has also toured the world with the Los Angeles Ballet.”

  “Wow!” Zee said to her friends. “A musician and a dancer.” She knew that no one could replace Mr. P, but it would be great to have someone who could help The Beans with their choreography as well as the music.

  “This is going to be so awesome,” Chloe said.

  From the smiles and buzz of whispers, everyone seemed thrilled about the idea. Except Kathi. She slouched in her seat with her arms crossed.

  “What’s with her?” Ally asked.

  “I think she’s upset she didn’t get an award,” Zee explained.

  “It would be cool if everyone introduced themselves and if each of you told Ms. Vardolis what instrument you play,” suggested Mr. P. “Let’s start with you, Jasper.”

  Jasper cleared his throat. “Hello, I’m Jasper Chapman, and I play bass.”

  “It’s very nice to meet you, Jasper,” Ms. Vardolis said in a soft voice.

  Next came Missy. Then Conrad and Marcus.

  When it was Landon’s turn he said, “Landon Beck,” then hit his drums with a ba-dum-bum. Conrad and Marcus high-fived him.

&nb
sp; “I’m Ally Stern,” Ally said when it was her turn. “And I’m not actually a Brookdale student, but I am an honorary Bean. I play the flute.”

  Ms. Vardolis looked confused. “You’re not a student?”

  “No. I used to be, but now I live in France. I’m just visiting.”

  “Ah, bonjour, Ally,” Ms. Vardolis said. Then she said something in French that sounded completely amazing. Since Zee had just started taking French this year, she had no idea what it was.

  “Oui,” Ally responded, nodding.

  Zee was next. “Hi, I’m Mackenzie Blue, and I play the guitar, and your French is ten times better than mine.”

  “Well, I went to school there for four years, so I’ve had a lot of practice,” Ms. Vardolis said.

  “Wow!” Chloe said. “Do you know any other languages?”

  “I’ll tell you if you tell me your name,” Ms. Vardolis said with a smile.

  “Oh, sorry. I’m Chloe, and I play the cello.”

  “I also speak Spanish, Italian, Russian, and a little German.”

  Kathi grunted, but Zee couldn’t tell if the new teacher heard it or not. Ms. Vardolis just turned to Jen and looked at her expectantly.

  After Jen finished, it was finally Kathi’s turn.

  “Hello, Kathi,” Ms. Vardolis said.

  How does she know Kathi’s name? Zee wondered.

  “Hi, Roxy,” Kathi sulked.

  Roxy? Zee said to herself. Was that Ms. Vardolis’s first name?

  All of the students stared at the two of them.

  Ms. Vardolis broke the silence with a chuckle. “I bet you’re wondering how Kathi and I know each other.”

  A few students nodded.

  “Kathi and I are cousins,” Ms. Vardolis went on. “Our mothers are sisters. Since I’m older than Kathi and spent a great deal of my life touring the world, I didn’t get a chance to spend much time in Brookdale with her. I’m so thrilled to be able to do that now.”

  Kathi didn’t look quite so happy about it. She plastered a fake grin on her face and said, “Yes. How nice.”

  “At least she’s being polite,” Ally whispered, and Chloe nodded.

  Still, Zee thought. Why doesn’t Kathi like Ms. Vardolis? She seemed so great.

  “Ms. Vardolis came at just the right time,” Mr. P said, breaking into Zee’s thoughts. “I got news this weekend that The Beans have been chosen to be one of the featured bands at Brookdale Day.”

  “Our first real concert!” Zee shouted, throwing her arms over her head. She quickly pulled her hand to her lips. “Oops! Sorry.”

  “Isn’t that on Saturday?” Chloe asked.

  “Yes,” Mr. P said.

  “How are we going to be ready by Saturday?” Kathi asked.

  “We can do it!” Jen told her.

  “That’s the spirit! You’ve been practicing together for a while now,” Mr. P pointed out. “You just need to make it happen—just like a professional band would.”

  A professional band. Mr. P’s words echoed in Zee’s head as she started to smile. She was moving one step closer to her dream of becoming a professional rock star.

  At lunch that day, Zee was eager to share her latest Bluetopia ideas with Jasper. “I was thinking that everyone on Bluetopia could have a notebook,” she explained. “And the messages that people post to one another could be called doodles.”

  Jasper’s eyes lit up. “Brilliant!” he said. “I would have just called them something daft like posts.”

  “Also, I think we have to have a fashion application,” Zee went on.

  Ally turned to Zee. “I love that idea,” she agreed. “We could design our own clothes and trade them with our friends.”

  “I’m not sure my mates in London would really feel the need to trade clothes,” Jasper pointed out.

  “Well, I know your mates in Brookdale would,” Ally told him. “All that soccer stuff you’re planning is fine, but we need something interesting for us.”

  Chloe, who was sitting next to Jasper, swallowed her falafel sandwich. “I love soccer—and I love fashion, too.”

  “So that’s three votes for fashion,” Ally said.

  “I’ll see what I can do,” Jasper gave in.

  “Cool beans!” Zee cheered.

  “Awesome!” added Chloe.

  “What’s so awesome?” Landon asked, placing his tray in the empty space next to Zee.

  The smile on Jasper’s face disappeared as Landon slid into the seat. “Uh . . . um . . .” As hard as she tried, Zee could not remember what they had just been talking about. Seeing Landon and Jasper together made her head spin.

  Ally went in for the save. “Fashion.”

  “Not interesting,” Landon said, then looked at Jasper. “Right, bro?”

  Zee was happy to have Landon nearby, but she was also nervous. For some reason, Jasper and Landon didn’t always get along.

  “I don’t have a choice except to think it’s quite brilliant,” Jasper explained. “It’s three against one.”

  “That’s your problem,” Landon said before he took a bite of apple.

  “Yes, it would seem so.”

  They’re talking, Zee thought. Like they’re friends. She smiled, relieved that she could sit next to Landon and not worry about Jasper.

  Marcus and Conrad sat down next to Landon.

  “I hope we’ll be ready for the concert by Saturday,” Zee told the group.

  “I’m not worried,” Conrad said.

  “Really?” Chloe asked. “Why not?”

  “Well, I don’t know about you guys, but I plan to be awesome—as usual,” Conrad explained.

  Ally rolled her eyes. “What about you, Marcus?” she asked.

  “Oh, I’m pretty awesome, too,” Marcus told her.

  Zee noticed Chloe’s cheeks redden slightly as she giggled at Marcus’s joke.

  “Luckily, Ms. Vardolis is here to help us,” Zee reminded the table.

  “Having Roxy as a teacher is the worst thing that has ever happened to me in my whole life!” Kathi declared as she walked up with Jen.

  “I’ve never seen you this upset,” Jen told her.

  “Why don’t you like her?” Zee asked Kathi.

  “Isn’t it obvious?” Kathi responded.

  Everyone except Kathi shook his or her head. Even Jen looked confused.

  Kathi gave an exasperated sigh. “Roxy is a show-off.”

  “Really?” Zee asked.

  Kathi nodded. “Well, at least her mother is. Aunt Nancy is always calling my mother to tell her all of the fabulous stuff Roxy has done.”

  “Maybe you’re just jealous,” Chloe said.

  Jen flinched at the remark.

  Kathi glared at Chloe. “Hardly,” she said. “It wouldn’t bother me if my mother didn’t care so much. Every time she gets off the phone with Aunt Nancy, she reminds me that I’m not half as accomplished as Roxy.”

  Jen nodded. “It’s pretty bad.”

  “Well,” Zee began, starting to feel sorry for Kathi, “Roxy is at least ten years older.”

  “But she’s been winning awards and getting the starring roles her whole life—or at least my whole life.”

  “Still, it’s not Roxy’s fault if your mother makes you feel bad,” Zee continued.

  Kathi crossed her arms. “Yes, it is!” she said. “If she weren’t so perfect, her mother wouldn’t have anything to brag about.”

  “Maybe this is your chance to show Roxy that you’re just as good as she is,” Jen suggested.

  Kathi looked at Jen. Her angry face softened. “You’re right!” Kathi said, beaming. “But how?”

  Before Jen could answer, Missy rushed over to the group and took the seat next to Ally. “Ugh!” she complained. “My dad accidentally gave me Zane’s lunch, so I had to go all the way over to the other school building to trade with him.” Zane was one of Missy’s younger twin brothers. “That’s a long walk when you’re hungry.”

  “Oh my gosh, Zee!” Ally exclaimed. “I ju
st realized you’re going to have something in common with Missy.”

  “What?” Missy asked, looking at Zee.

  Everyone turned toward Zee. But Zee couldn’t figure out what Ally was talking about.

  “Twins!” Ally said.

  “Ohmylanta!” Zee said. “I totally forgot. My mom is pregnant.”

  “Pregnant?” Kathi asked. “Isn’t she a little old?”

  Zee shrugged. “I guess not.”

  “She probably just wanted another chance to get it right,” Kathi added.

  “Get what right?” Chloe asked.

  Kathi looked Zee up and down. “You know, kids.”

  This time, Missy made the save. “Awesome, Zee.”

  “What is being the older sister to twins like?” Zee asked.

  “Well . . . ,” Missy began. “We call them Double Trouble.”

  “Trouble?” Zee repeated.

  “My dad came up with the nickname when they were babies,” Missy explained. “Zane would finally stop crying, then Steven would start.”

  “Oh,” Zee said, getting worried.

  “And then as soon as my parents finally got Steven to take a nap, Zane would wake up from his,” Missy said. “Then he’d cry.”

  “They’re not babies anymore,” Zee pointed out. “So it must be better. Right?” she asked hopefully.

  Missy shrugged. “A little. But my parents still joke that if they had known how hard twins would be, they would have gotten a twin set of parents. Sometimes I wish I had a clone when they want me to play with them.”

  Zee looked down at her lunch. “Hmm.”

  “And I still have to work twice as hard to get my parents to notice me,” Missy went on.

  Zee gulped—even though she hadn’t taken a bite of food since Missy had sat down.

  * * *

  Hi, Diary,

  You’ve got to help me figure out if I’m better off with or without twins in my life.

  Ways My Life Is Going to Change

  I’m going to be the middle child.

  I’ll have to share my parents even more.