"There are breakables here." I pointed at a lamp on the table.
The hockey game had divided itself into two teams, each with a cheering squad. They'd even moved the chairs out of the way. I slipped through them into the kitchen, thinking that if I brought the pizza out it might distract everyone.
Josh was standing by the counter with a funny look on his face. "What's the matter?" I asked.
"The pizza," he said. "I don't think the American cheese ... um ... worked." "Thanks for your help," I said sarcastically, taking a look at the pizza. He was right - it was a disaster.
"What's going on in here?" Joanna appeared at the door to the kitchen. "Josh? What's wrong?" Jeannie and Shira crowded in beside her.
"Nothing," Josh said, turning his back on me and joining them. "Let's go in the other room." I closed my eyes and counted to ten. I shouldn't have been so abrupt with Josh. I was starting to think I shouldn't have had a party.
At that moment the doorbell rang. Maybe the pizza man had forgotten to leave a large pepperoni. I was sure that would do the trick.
I passed Janine, who was holding up a cookie and explaining something to Pete Black, on my way to the front door. Pete had a dazed look on his face. I'll bet he had no idea what Janine was talking about.
"Claudia, where's the new Blade record?" Stacey called as I opened the door.
"In a minute," I answered, then turned to see who had arrived late, hoping they weren't expecting food.
Instead, I found Peaches, Russ, and Lynn.
Chapter 12.
"Peaches!" Her name came out as a squeak. Meanwhile, Russ's and Peaches's mouths were hanging open, and they kept blinking their eyes as if they thought what they saw might eventually disappear.
I turned, looking for Janine. She still held the cookie in the air. Then she swallowed, handed the cookie to Pete, and walked toward us. From the corner of my eye, I saw Stacey grab Mary Anne and Kristy. The three of them spread out and walked among the kids, talking in low voices.
Peaches began to speak, and the room suddenly fell quiet. "Tell me I don't see what I think I see," she said.
I heard rustling behind me, but no one said anything.
"Peaches, it probably looks worse than it is," Russ said.
Lynn grinned and reached out to me.
"Girls, I'd like an explanation," Peaches said in a voice that reminded me of Mom.
"It's only a few people," Janine said.
"Mom and Dad didn't say we couldn't have friends over," I added.
"This is what you call a special sister activity, Claudia?" Peaches was hurt that we - that I - had lied to her.
"Maybe we should come inside and discuss this after everyone has gone home," Russ said in a calm voice.
'After everyone has gone?" I repeated.
"I think it's time for your guests to leave," said Russ.
Peaches, clutching Lynn tightly, stalked into the living room.
"Who needs a ride home?" Russ called into the dining room.
"I'll call Charlie," I heard Kristy say to Abby.
Pete, Austin, and Rick were already at the door. They lived close, so they'd be picked up soon.
"Thanks, Claudia," Pete said, and the other boys echoed what he'd said.
Joanna, Shira, and Jeannie were next.
"We'll see you at school on Monday," Jeannie said.
"Thanks for the pizza," Shira said to Janine.
'And everything," Joanna added.
"Glad you could come," Janine said vaguely.
Both of us kept looking at Peaches in the living room. Mal and Jessi were playing with Lynn while Peaches watched, not a trace of a smile on her face.
Emily and Erica left quietly once Erica's dad arrived. In fact, everything was too quiet, especially considering how loud it had been before my aunt and uncle showed up.
"Do you want us to stay and help you clean up?" Stacey asked. Mary Anne and Abby nodded, indicating that they'd stay too.
The dining room floor was covered with cookie crumbs. Logan joined us in the hallway, crunching with each step. There were paper plates and napkins everywhere. Someone had taken the empty soda cans and built a pyramid on the kitchen counter. Dining room chairs were in the living room, and the ottoman usually in the living room was missing. Even though I knew it would take Janine and me from now until our parents came home to clean up properly - I swallowed hard when I thought about Mom and Dad and what they were going to say - I shook my head.
A horn honked out front. Charlie had arrived in record time. Kristy, Abby, Anna, Shannon, and Greer ran to the car, quiet until they reached the end of the walk, then talking as soon as the car doors opened.
"Mary Anne and I can stay to help," Stacey said again.
"You kids better go home," Russ said.
Josh appeared from the rear of the house, a serious expression on his face. I remembered yelling at him in the kitchen before Peaches arrived. Our eyes met, but I couldn't tell what he was thinking.
"I'll stay and help," Josh offered in a quiet voice.
"Thanks," I said. Then I caught Russ's eye and he shook his head, so I added, "But you'd better go too." "Talk to you tomorrow," Stacey whispered, giving me a quick hug, then followed Mary Anne, Logan, Mal, and Jessi down the sidewalk. Mrs. Pike would give them a ride home.
Josh was the last one out the door. He stopped, then turned around and wiggled his fingers at me. I tried to smile.
Janine was sitting in the living room, across from Peaches and Lynn. Russ sat down beside Peaches. I felt all of them looking at me as I walked into the room and sank to the floor near Janine's chair.
"I couldn't believe my eyes. You two, my nieces, and a houseful of out-of-control kids ..." Peaches began.
"They weren't out of control," Janine said, but a piercing glare from Peaches shut her up.
Lynn held her arms out to me and I scooted forward to take her, but Peaches pulled her back.
"Your parents may not have said that you couldn't invite friends over while they were gone," Peaches said, turning to me, "but I'm sure they never dreamed, Claudia, that you'd invite over the entire student body of Stoneybrook Middle School." "It was just the kids in the BSC, some of my seventh-grade friends, and ..." I began to say, but one look from Peaches shut me right up. This was a side of my aunt I'd never seen.
"What was Mallory saying about a broken vase?" Peaches asked.
"She knocked a vase from a table," Janine said.
"It's a new vase. I'll buy Mom a replacement," I added.
"It's the only thing that was permanently damaged," Janine added.
Looking around, it was hard to believe that.
"And Janine - allowing Claudia to have a party when your parents are out of town, taking part in the activities, even. I cannot believe you acted in such an irresponsible manner." Peaches shook her head and pulled Lynn closer.
"Are you going to tell Mom and Dad?" Janine asked without looking up.
Peaches sighed loudly. "I wish I didn't have to." "But you are?" I asked.
"We are." Peaches looked at Russ and they nodded.
I swallowed hard. Mom and Dad were going to be more disappointed than Peaches and Russ, if that were possible.
"We didn't expect to be here longer than a minute. I wanted to see what a special sister evening consisted of. Little did I know," Peaches said, rising. "My advice to you girls is to clean up the house, spotlessly, and hope that your parents take your efforts into consideration when they're deciding how to handle things." "Okay," Janine said softly.
"You're both to stay right here until your mother and father come home tomorrow," Peaches went on.
'Are we grounded?" I asked.
Peaches hesitated. "Yes." "We have to get Lynn to bed," Russ said.
"Could I give her a kiss good-bye?" I asked.
Peaches nodded.
"I'm very sorry," I heard Janine say to our aunt and uncle as I cuddled Lynn for a few moments.
"We'll talk to you tomorrow,"
Russ said as they pulled the front door closed.
Janine and I sat in total silence for a few moments.
"I'll start cleaning in the living room," I said as soon as I heard the car pull away.
"Fine," Janine said, her voice as cold as Peaches's had been. "I'll be in the kitchen. The first order of business is to rid the premises of that disgusting pizza." I walked around, looking for pieces of furniture that belonged in the living room. I was pushing the ottoman in from the den when Janine called to me.
"Where is the pizza?" "The last thing I heard, Josh had tried it. He looked as if he might throw up," I said.
"Surely those children didn't eat it all!" The clatter of pots and pans drowned out anything else Janine might have said.
Children? We weren't children. We were teenagers, not that much younger than Janine.
Janine was up to her elbows in dishwater when I marched into the kitchen. "We aren't children, you know," I began.
"You aren't? That's what you acted like here tonight - immature children. I should have known that I couldn't trust a group of children to behave. Your friends have no sense of D-E-C-O-R-U-M." "Don't spell at me! Does your sense of decorum include trying so hard to make my friends like you that you can't act like the 'official chaperone' you said you were going to be?" "Not one guest showed an ounce of responsibility. Would they act the way they acted here in their own homes?" Janine demanded.
"You did. Were you responsible? Peaches doesn't think so," I said hotly.
'And I guess you were!" Janine pulled the plug in the sink and there was a huge sucking noise as the dishwater flowed into the drain.
I turned and left the kitchen, crunching my way through the dining room.
"What are you going to tell Mom and Dad about the vase?" Janine was right behind me.
"That it's broken," I said, tired of arguing with her.
"Broken because you invited so many of your friends." "You only wish you had friends to invite to a party," I said.
Janine's mouth snapped shut and she backed away from me, then turned and stalked out of the room.
I knew that was a mean thing to say. I wished I could take it back. "Janine!" I called. She acted as if she hadn't heard me. I called again. Then the vacuum cleaner roared to life, drowning out my voice.
I sighed, grabbed a trash bag, and started stuffing it full of paper plates and napkins.
So much for this party solving all my problems.
Chapter 13.
Finally, some good news from the Korman battleground. At the Monday BSC meeting Mary Anne filled us in on how her sitting job had gone.
"Bill is still grounded," Mrs. Korman said as soon as Mary Anne arrived on Sunday.
Mary Anne was holding Skylar as Mr. and Mrs. Korman prepared to leave for an afternoon movie. "It's such a nice day. Is it okay if Bill plays outside?" she asked.
"Certainly," Mr. Korman answered. "Just keep an eye on him and Melody." Mary Anne nodded, remembering everything that Kristy and Abby had told her.
"We'll be home by dinnertime," said Mrs. Korman. And then they were gone.
Still carrying Skylar, Mary Anne went upstairs to say hi to Melody and Bill. She knocked on Melody's door first.
"Hi, Melody. It's Mary Anne. Everything okay in there?" Melody opened her door a crack and peeked through. "Is Bill out there?" she whispered.
"He's in his room," Mary Anne said, realizing things were worse than she'd expected. "Why?" The door opened a little wider. "Bill is an old meanie," Melody said, her eyes filling with tears. 'At lunch he said that I was dumb and stupid and wouldn't ever learn multiplication. We haven't even had multiplication in school yet. Could you help me learn?" "We can work on that later. It's warm outside today and I thought we'd take Skylar for a walk. Does that sound like fun?" Mary Anne asked.
Melody nodded slowly. "What about Bill? Is he going too? He's grounded." "Your mom and dad said he could play outside if he wanted to," Mary Anne said.
"If he's going ..." Melody hesitated.
"Let's give it a try. Maybe a walk is just what we all need." Melody still looked uncertain.
"Bill might not even want to go. Let me talk to him. You find a jacket and meet us downstairs. In fact, could you find a jacket for Skylar too?" "Sure," Melody replied. "May I push the stroller?" Mary Anne smiled and nodded. She shifted Skylar to a more comfortable position and moved down the hall to Bill's room.
"Hey, Bill! It's Mary Anne," she called as she rapped on his door.
The door flew open. "I knew you were here. I heard Mom and Dad telling you I was still grounded," Bill said, scowling.
"But you can go for a walk with us if you want. Your parents said that would be okay." Bill looked over his shoulder. Mary Anne could see tiny action figures spread all over the floor. "I'm sort of in the middle of something." "The plan is for all of us to go," Mary Anne said firmly.
Bill started to close the door, but Mary Anne grabbed it. "You can walk on one side of me and Melody can walk on the other. You don't have to talk to each other at all. You can talk to me instead. Have you ever heard anyone say that if you can't say something nice, you shouldn't say anything at all? We can use that as a rule for conversation between you and Melody today." "Then I won't have anything at all to say to her," Bill said.
"Okay, sounds like a plan," Mary Anne replied. "Find a jacket and meet us outside." Mary Anne scribbled a note saying they were going for a walk around the block, in case Mr. and Mrs. Korman returned early. Then she stuck a key in her jeans pocket, and zipped up her jacket. Melody joined her, carrying Skylar's jacket, and handed Skylar a set of plastic keys. A play steering wheel was attached to the stroller, and Skylar pretended to put the keys into the ignition. Then she dropped them into the stroller seat and grabbed the steering wheel, making motor noises.
Bill finally arrived and stood a few feet away from the girls.
"Ready?" Mary Anne asked. He nodded.
Mary Anne checked to make sure the lock on the doorknob was turned, then pulled the door tightly shut. "Let's walk around the block," she suggested.
Melody grabbed the stroller handle and took off. Mary Anne stayed behind with Bill. People were out in their yards, raking leaves. Pickup ballgames were going on. Bill walked a little slower each time they passed one.
"Hey, Bill! We could use a third baseman," David Michael yelled when they walked by the Thomas/Brewer house.
Bill looked up at Mary Anne and she shook her head.
"Can't right now," he yelled back, then stuck his hands in his pockets. Mary Anne watched the muscles in his jaw tighten as he stared at Melody walking ahead of them. But he didn't say anything.
When they turned the corner to head back to the Kormans', Skylar started fussing.
"I think it's time for her juice," said Melody, "then her nap." "We'll be home in a minute," Mary Anne said. "Thanks, Bill, for not arguing about staying to play with David Michael," she said in a low voice.
"I wanted to," Bill said with a shadow of a smile.
Melody pulled the stroller close to the back door and started to unfasten the straps around Skylar.
Mary Anne stuck her hand into her coat pocket. "Hold on," she said. "Where's the key? I put it right here in my pocket." She tried the back door, but it wouldn't open. Then she pulled her pocket inside out. "Oh, no! There's a huge hole in it! The key must have fallen out." Melody scrambled to her feet, leaving Skylar sitting in the middle of the patio, her cries growing louder by the minute. "Bill, go see if the front door is locked too." Bill ran around the side of the house while Melody tried the garage door. She entered through the side but came out again, shaking her head. "The door to the house is locked," she said.
Mary Anne picked up Skylar and settled in a patio chair, rocking her until she quieted.
When Bill returned, he was shaking his head too. "Locked up tight," he announced. "I knew it would be." He looked at Melody.
"What are we going to do?" Melody asked.
"I've managed to qu
iet Skylar, so I hate to move. What about checking the windows?" Mary Anne suggested.
Bill and Melody talked quietly, then Bill headed to the front of the house, while Melody took off around the other side.
Skylar felt heavy, and when Mary Anne looked down, she realized that she had fallen asleep.
After awhile, Bill and Melody returned together, their heads close. Mary Anne put her finger against her lips as they approached, then pointed to Skylar.
"Maybe we should get the ladder and see if any of the windows upstairs are open," Bill whispered.
"That's a good idea, but maybe you should try to find the key first. It must have dropped out someplace along the way. You could walk together along the route we took," Mary Anne said.
"I'll look on one side of the sidewalk and you can look on the other," Bill said to Melody.
"We'll find it, Mary Anne," Melody said as they left together. "Don't worry." Mary Anne smiled. She wasn't a bit worried.
As soon as Bill and Melody were far enough away, Mary Anne held Skylar in one arm, then eased her free hand into her jeans pocket, and dug out the key. She tossed it gently into Skylar's stroller, then settled back to wait for the kids to return.
After a few minutes, Bill and Melody reappeared. As they walked around the side of the house, they examined the ground carefully. When they reached Mary Anne, they sat in lawn chairs nearby. "We didn't find it," Bill said.
"But we have another plan," Melody added, looking at her brother.
"We know that it's not the best idea, but we don't think Mom and Dad will mind that much." Bill leaned forward. "We'll break the glass in the back door, reach inside, and unlock it. That way you can put Skylar to bed." 'And we can go to the bathroom," said Melody, wriggling in the chair.
Mary Anne pretended to consider the plan. She chewed on her lip for awhile, then nodded. "I guess that's what we'll have to do. Why don't the two of you take Skylar's stroller to the garage and put it away, then try to find something we can use to break the glass in the window." "I saw this on TV once," said Bill. "The guy took his shoe and wrapped it in a towel." "What about a hammer?" suggested Melody. "We don't have to be quiet or anything." "The main thing is that we don't want anyone to end up hurt by the broken glass," Mary Anne put in.
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