by Laura Dower
“Forget it, Aim,” Madison said, cutting her off.
Madison noticed Drew over at the crash site, snapping digital photos for the school Web site. She cringed at the thought that there would be a picture of Ivy and Hart on the Web for everyone to see, like they were a “couple” or something.
Madison had made Ivy pay temporarily, but as always, the enemy got the last laugh.
She reached into her pocket for the Ivy letter. It was wrinkled and a little wet from traveling all over the ice today.
“Poison Ivy Daly will never, ever, ever see this,” Madison told herself. “Not after what she’s done here. No way.”
After an hour more of ice tag, Madison’s toes were beginning to feel like little ice cubes. She sat on a bench, watching everyone else have a good time on the ice. Hart and Ivy skated together, talking and laughing. He didn’t call out, “Hey, Finnster!” again during the whole time Madison was sitting on the bench. Ivy insisted on helping Hart skate, and he didn’t seem to mind. Madison guessed the boys weren’t patient enough with him since he was only a beginner. Or maybe Hart liked Ivy?
Aimee and Susie were practicing spins and turns together. Since Susie had been a competitive skater, she knew so many neat tricks. Aimee seemed thrilled to learn all the new moves. They waved to Madison from the center of the ice, looping their bodies around, making jump spins, and rotating like tops.
Madison was impressed, but she didn’t venture out onto the ice to join them. She was content to sit on the bench and freeze. By now, Madison’s green gloves had gotten so wet that she could barely feel her fingertips. And her rainbow hat was getting very scratchy around her hairline.
“Hey, everyone!” Chet yelled, skating over by the benches. “I want to invite all you guys over to my house Sunday afternoon!”
“COOL!” Egg yelled.
Lance, Suresh, Dan, and Joanie said they couldn’t go.
Madison could see Ivy and Hart and Rose, still skating way out on the lake. They didn’t make it back in time to hear Chet’s announcement. She wondered if they could go. She hoped not.
“So it’s like this,” Chet continued. “My sister’s been way sick for like a week and she’s better now, so we’re having this hot chocolate party or whatever you want to call it.”
“Hot chocolate party?” Susie said. “Delish. Is it okay if I come? I mean, I know I just met you guys.”
“Sure,” Aimee said.
Madison grinned. “You and Fiona will really like each other,” she said.
“I think her brother is pretty cute,” Susie said.
Aimee laughed out loud, but Madison looked over and noticed that Chet was smiling a little at Susie, too.
“Do you like any of these boys?” Susie asked.
Aimee laughed even louder. “I don’t think so.”
“Not really,” Madison said, looking around for Hart. “No one here.”
“So everyone come over Sunday around one,” Chet repeated. “I’ll send you guys an e-mail with my address and all that.”
Everyone began to disperse. Kids were running around in all directions, looking for mittens, skates, and where their rides had parked. Just as Aimee’s brother Roger pulled in, someone threw a snowball and it landed on Roger’s windshield.
Madison saw Aimee’s dog, Blossom, in the front seat. Blossom poked her big basset hound snout out through the cracked-open window.
“Wowwwwwffff!” Blossom barked.
Madison raced over to the minivan and petted Blossom’s head. “Hey, Roger,” she said. “Aimee’s taking off her skates. She’ll be here in a sec.”
“Snowball fight, eh?” Roger said, chuckling. “Someone’s going to get beaned. You better get in the car.”
Madison climbed in just in time to see a snowball narrowly miss Aimee’s head. She stood up, indignant, and made her own snowball, whirling it toward Drew and Egg.
Within moments, a snowball war had broken out. Chet hurled snow at Aimee, who hurled snow at Lance, who hurled snow at Susie, who tried to hide behind one of the benches.
Drew got socked on the shoulder and yelled at some kid because he feared his new camera would get wet.
At the same time, Ivy, Hart, and Rose were coming off the ice. Madison couldn’t believe the way Hart was following Ivy around like a puppy dog. They weren’t paying much attention to the snowball fight that had gotten under way, at least not at first. Ivy was talking and tossing her red hair like she always did.
But then Chet sent a snowball flying in their direction. It narrowly missed all three of them.
“Whoa!” Hart yelped. He ducked down so he wouldn’t get beaned.
Ivy, on the other hand, didn’t duck fast enough.
Sploooch!
A superslick snowball landed right on the side of her head. Her beautiful red hair turned into a wet mess.
“Oh-em-gee!” Aimee cried from behind the bench. Susie clapped.
Ivy stood there for a moment without moving.
“Are you okay?” Hart said, trying to help her get the ice off her face and shoulder.
“What are you smiling at?” Ivy cried. “Someone intentionally threw that snowball, and you know who you are!”
Hart giggled. “Well, it is just a snowball, Ivy.”
Rose giggled at that, too.
“What are you laughing at?” Ivy snapped at Rose. “This hurts. You’re supposed to be on my side.”
“It’s just a little red,” Rose said. “You’ll be okay.”
Sploooch!
Another snowball whizzed past and landed on the ice.
“STOP THAT!” Ivy screeched.
By now Aimee noticed Roger’s minivan. She said good-bye to Susie and dashed over to the car.
“Hey, Blossom!” Aimee cried, getting into the front seat. Roger backed up and headed out of the Lake Wannalotta parking lot.
“Maddie, did you see that snowball fight?” Aimee asked. “Ivy almost got hit twice!”
“You’ll notice I got into the car when the snow started to fly,” Madison said.
“Yeah, well, I think that is the funniest thing I have ever seen. Chet was aiming for Hart, and he hit Ivy! Serves her right! She looked soooo mad!”
Aimee and Madison howled with laughter. Blossom joined in.
Madison was readier than ready to leave behind this long day of skating. Not only had she crashed, bottom down, on the ice, but after everything that happened, she had never shown Ivy the sealed letter. She wasn’t able to find five minutes alone to share the letter with Ivy. Should she hide the letter in the attic again and try to forget she’d ever found it?
But she couldn’t forget.
As they drove onward, Madison got more excited about getting home to her warm clothes, good eats, and most of all—to her own doggie.
She wanted to give Phinnie a giant pug hug before taking him out for his post-blizzard walk. She’d figure out what to do with the letter…
Later.
Chapter 10
“MOM!” MADISON CRIED AS she walked into the house. “Mom? I’m home from skating.” She removed her hat and gloves and headed over to the kitchen for a warm drink.
“Oh, Maddie!” Mom wailed. She came running out from the kitchen, carrying the portable phone. “Oh, Maddie!”
“What?” Madison cried. In a split second all the worst-possible things that could ever happen raced through her mind.
“Oh, Maddie!” Mom kept saying the same thing over and over.
“Is it Dad? Is it Gramma?” Madison asked. “What’s wrong?”
“Phinnie!” Mom cried again. “I took him out for a long walk, and when we came back, I must have left the door open a crack because the next thing I knew, he was gone. He’s gone!”
Madison fell backward onto the couch. “Gone? That’s not possible!”
“I drove around the neighborhood. I was just calling that nice lady Eileen over at the Far Hills Clinic in case someone reports finding a missing pug. Oh, I don’t know what else to do.”
“Phin is lost?” Madison said, still not believing what was happening.
“Not lost, exactly. Oh, I think he ran away. I’m so sorry, honey bear,” Mom said. She threw her arms around Madison’s shoulders.
Madison broke free and tugged on her rainbow hat again. She grabbed Phin’s leash, which was hanging on a hook in the hall. “I have to find him.”
“He’s never, ever done this before,” Mom said. “He has to be somewhere nearby.”
Madison raced for the front door. “I’ll go look for him. Mom, you stay here in case he comes home.”
“I don’t want you looking by yourself,” Mom said. She looked heartbroken.
“I’ll just make a loop around Blueberry Street. I know where he likes to sniff and play. Maybe he headed over to Aimee’s to see Blossom?”
“I checked. But you should check again. I’ll call over there and let Aimee know you’re coming. Maybe she can help you search.”
But Madison didn’t want any help. She had to find Phinnie on her own.
First she walked their usual short route down Blueberry Street and looping back. She checked all the bushes and areas where Phin loved to sniff most.
“Phinnie!” Madison cried. “Phinnie!”
One of their next-door neighbors, a real estate broker named Olga, was out shoveling her driveway. Madison waved and asked if she’d seen Phin, but she hadn’t. She offered to drive Madison around, but Madison wanted to walk.
Around the corner from them, Madison checked out what was happening at a small playground with a swing set and monkey bars. Sometimes Phinnie liked to run around and play near there, although they hadn’t been since the summer. Three little kids were building a snowman.
“Have you seen a dog?” Madison asked.
“I don’t like dogs,” one little girl said.
“Oh.” Madison didn’t know what to say to that. The little kids went back to building their snowman.
She turned onto Ridge Road, where Fiona and Chet lived. There were a bunch of old Victorian homes on this block with big yards and other dogs. She saw Charlie, a Dalmatian, playing in the snow. His owner was on the porch.
“Hello?” Madison called out. “Have you seen my little dog?”
“You’re the one with the pug, right?” the man asked. Madison nodded, and the man said, “Nope. Sorry.”
Charlie came over to Madison, wagging his tail. Her heart sank. Was Phin lost for good?
But she kept walking.
At the end of Ridge Road was a small pond. Sometimes Phin would get curious about frogs and the water. But the pond was a sheet of ice, and Madison couldn’t see him anywhere in the area.
“Phinnie?” she yelled out. She could feel her voice wavering. Madison was getting sad and frustrated. Phin had never run away before. Why did he pick today to run?
“Madison?” a voice cried from behind her.
It was Rose Thorn. Madison’s stomach flip-flopped. The last person she needed to see right now was one of Ivy’s drones.
“Hi, Rose,” Madison said. She realized that she’d been standing in Rose’s backyard.
“What are you doing?” Rose asked.
“I lost my dog,” Madison wailed. “My pug, Phinnie.”
“Bummer,” Rose said. “Where did you lose him?”
“If I knew that…” Madison started to say.
“Does he run away a lot?” Rose asked. “My cat runs away, but she always comes back.”
“Cats and dogs are different.”
“Well, where do you think he ran?” Rose asked.
“I don’t know. I thought the park. Then I checked the pond. And the streets where I usually walk him.” Madison sighed. “I don’t know. And he doesn’t like the cold. His little paws get all frozen, so he can’t walk right.”
“Do you want help looking for him?” Rose asked.
Madison looked at her with disbelief. “Huh?”
“Let me help you look. If we split up, we can do it faster,” Rose said.
Madison wondered why she would have turned down help from one of her biggest supporters, Mom, and now take help from one of her biggest enemies, Rose. But she did.
“Okay,” Madison said. “If you really want to help.”
Rose went into her house for her hat and gloves, and they continued around the neighborhood together.
Ten minutes later, the pair had looked on four other blocks with no luck.
“Maybe I should just check back at my house,” Madison said. Then she saw Mom’s car pulling up beside them on the street.
“I couldn’t just sit there at home,” Mom said. She turned to Rose and said, “I’m Madison’s mom. Are you a friend of Maddie’s?”
Rose shrugged. “We’re in school together. We can’t find your dog anywhere. And I have to get home now.”
“Thanks, Rose,” Madison said. “I mean it.”
“I hope you find Phin,” Rose said.
“Thanks,” Madison said, and waved good-bye.
“Why haven’t you ever mentioned Rose before?” Mom asked as Madison climbed into the front seat of the car. “She seems nice.”
“Not really,” Madison said abruptly. She covered her face with her hands. “Mom, I don’t know what I’ll do if Phinnie is gone. I’ll be sad forever.”
They stopped by Aimee’s house one more time. Phin wasn’t there.
“How long has he been missing now?” Mrs. Gillespie asked.
Madison frowned. “An hour. And it’s getting dark.”
“Well, I’ll get the boys out to help you look,” Mrs. Gillespie said. She called for Roger and Billy and asked them to drive around the other sides of the neighborhood while Madison and her mom checked door-to-door.
They must have rung a dozen different doorbells, but no one remembered seeing a little pug.
Phinnie was lost.
“Thanks, boys,” Mom said to Roger and Billy when she sent them home a while later. She tried to console Madison with a hug, but Madison pulled away.
“We can put up posters around the neighborhood. And I’ll try calling Eileen again.”
As they pulled into the driveway, Madison began to cry. She couldn’t imagine spending a night without her beloved Phin. They got out of the car and headed for the porch.
“Rowrorooooo!”
“Mom?” Madison’s eyes widened. “Did you hear that?”
Mom clapped, and they both started running toward the front door. Phin was there, with his curlicue tail wagging as fast as his little bottom could shake.
“Phinnie!” Madison screeched. She threw her arms around him and buried her teary face in his coarse fur. “He came home!”
“Thank goodness,” Mom said.
Madison lifted Phin up and carried him inside while Mom hurried to call the Gillespies and everyone else who had helped them look for Phin around the neighborhood.
“Nice dog breath, Phin!” Madison said, pulling her head away from his nonstop kisses. They headed upstairs, where Madison could towel him off (he’d been out in the cold for so long!). Together they curled up on her comforter for a reunion snooze.
Phin just wheezed and wheezed, happy to be warm—and happier than happy to be home.
That night, Mom made soup and sandwiches for dinner. Madison wasn’t all that hungry from the day’s excitement, but she joined Mom at the table, anyway.
“While you and the runaway dog were napping, your father called,” Mom said with a smile.
“What did Dad want?” Madison asked.
“He’s trying to get a flight home Monday or Tuesday. The airport in Denver is still messed up. The storms are in Colorado and out west now. It’s a travel nightmare, Dad said.”
Madison missed Dad. He’d been gone for almost a week now.
“So he’s coming over when he gets back?” Madison asked.
“Yes, honey bear. He’ll be here. He promised.”
Madison yawned. “I’m so tired, Mom,” she said. “I think I’m going to go upstairs
and go to bed for real.”
“Well, it’s been some day, Maddie. I don’t blame you. And I’m sure Phinnie is tired, too.”
They kissed good night, and Madison headed back up to her room.
She went to crawl into bed but stopped herself on the way. Her laptop was sitting open on her desk but she hadn’t checked her e-mail since the power outage the night before.
In the half darkness of her bedroom, she logged on to TweenBlurt.com.
Phin curled up at her feet.
From: MadFinn
To: Bigwheels
Subject: Hello
Date: Thurs 18 Jan 7:23 PM
How are you???? I just checked the site to see if I could message you, but you aren’t online. Today was without a doubt the strangest EVER. I went skating, but that wasn’t everything. So much happened! Phin ran away, Ivy got hit with a snowball, and way more than that. I’ll tell you all about it the next time we chat. I’m too tired to repeat it all right now. I’m going to bed and it isn’t even eight o’clock at night!
Please write back sooner than soon. I miss you, Bigwheels!
Yours till the snow drifts,
MadFinn
p.s. I’m putting another picture of Phinnie on here. Mom took this during the blizzard. Yikes! Snow dog!
Attachment: PHINSTORM.jpg
Madison yawned again. Her eyes felt droopy. But she could see that she had some e-mail, and she was too curious not to look.
From: Wetwins
To: The Skates
Subject: Cocoa Party SUNDAY
Date: Thurs 18 Jan 7:01 PM
Hello everybody, the hot choc party is ON!!!!!!!!!!! This is where Chet and Fiona live: 23 Ridge Road (near intersection of Walker Avenue). Be there at one o’clock. We are making food and hot chocolate, and we’ll be doing something fun like playing videos or games. SO B there or B a loser!!!! LOL L8R 4 U!
Madison scanned the e-mail to see if she could figure out the list of people who had been invited. She remembered that Ivy hadn’t been standing around when Chet told everyone else about the party. Maybe that meant Ivy wouldn’t be asked? Maybe she wouldn’t show up?
Madison hoped as hard as she possibly could that Ivy was left off the list. She hoped so hard, she crossed her fingers, toes, and eyes.
