by Coco Simon
We all laughed, because I was about three inches taller than Tamiko.
One of the things I loved most about Tamiko was that there was never any drama, never any beating around the bush. She was so direct that little upsets didn’t have time to fester and become big problems.
“Anyway, someday you’ll meet MacKenzie, if we’re even still friends with her, and then you might like her. That’s all! Now, what are we going to do this weekend?” Tamiko grinned.
“Something fun,” I said.
Soon we were planning what to do on Saturday—movies, mall, maybe lie out by the beach. By the time I got home that evening, I felt much better—reconnected to my friends, and with something to look forward to for the weekend.
On the bus the next morning, I headed straight to the back. But halfway down the aisle, Colin from my English class looked up from the newspaper he was reading. “Hey! Allie. Here.” He patted the seat next to him as he scooted toward the window.
I had an urge to look over my shoulder to make sure it was me he was really talking to (as if there might be another Allie standing behind me), but I decided the better part of being cool was just acting cool, so I smiled and joined him.
“Hi,” he said. “I’m Colin. From English class.”
I nodded. “I know. You do a mean light switch.”
He smiled. “Thanks. I was new last year too. Came in at the middle of the year. It stinks at first, but then it gets suddenly much better. I couldn’t watch the girls torture you again this morning.”
I grinned. “So you saw that?”
“I didn’t even need to see. But don’t worry, no one really pays attention to them. There are nice kids in the grade too. I’ll introduce you.”
“Cool,” I said, and we chatted the whole rest of the way to school. Colin was the assistant editor of the school paper, hoping to run it next year, and he told me all about it on the ride. Like me, he loved to read and write, and English was his favorite subject. He confirmed my feelings about Ms. Healy (she was awesome, and everyone was desperate to be in her class), and Mrs. K. (a little kooky but smart and very nice and interesting).
As the bus pulled in and we shuffled off, Colin said, “See you in English!” and I knew I’d just made my first friend at Vista Green—a kindred spirit.
At lunch I sat with Colin, and he introduced me to two nice girls, as promised. Amanda and Eloise were both in my grade, and we connected well, even if they weren’t immediate replacements for Sierra and Tamiko. It’s hard for new friends to compete with friends you’ve had since you were a toddler.
I didn’t want to overstay my welcome, so I ate pretty quickly and then excused myself. I was curious to see if Mrs. K. had gotten any results in from her survey, so I headed down to check in.
In the library Ms. Healy and Mrs. K. were chatting at Mrs. K.’s desk, and they both looked happy to see me.
I guess I must have looked a little anxious, because Ms. Healy jumped in immediately.
“We were just discussing some of the literacy initiatives for the year,” said Ms. Healy. I knew that “literacy initiatives” meant “reading events and projects.”
I looked at Mrs. K. “Any feedback on your surveys?” I privately hoped that there would be such an overwhelming vote for a book fair that she would have to cave. And then I could help her organize and run the whole thing! And we could call it Book Fest!
Mrs. K. hemmed and hawed and shuffled papers around on her desk as I waited for an answer.
“I’m a big fan of the all-school read,” said Ms. Healy. “It would be wonderful to build some programming around the book’s topic and have some guest speakers come in. My friend Ellen teaches over at Saint Joseph’s High School and said her school read a nonfiction crime book. The school had the mayor and the chief of police read it, and then they came in and met with the students. Each teacher had to prepare two classes around the book, so Ellen, being a science teacher, did a class on forensics and evidence and crime scene contamination. She even had a teacher friend barge in and out during the class, and then she quizzed kids on their eyewitness descriptions of the woman, to see how observant they were.”
“Cool!” I said. “Just like on TV!”
“Hmm, yes, very interesting,” agreed Mrs. K., nodding her head enthusiastically.
“There are a million things you could do. I get excited just thinking about it!” I gushed.
Ms. Healy smiled at me. “Maybe we need to form a committee, with student advisors . . . .”
My heart leapt! This was just what I’d been hoping! Maybe I’d get to help run a book fair after all.
But she continued. “We might not be able to organize something for this year, but we could get ready for next year.”
Inwardly I groaned. A whole year? Outwardly I continued to nod and said I’d love to help.
Mrs. K. was biting her lip thoughtfully as she gathered the stack of surveys and shook and tapped them into a neat pile. “The surveys are saying book fair.” She rolled her eyes.
My heart leapt again, but I played it cool. “I’d help with that! I mean, if you did it. I love book fairs.”
“Maybe we could do a book fair off-site on a weekend?” suggested Ms. Healy. “Or join forces with another school, or even the town library. Make it a fund-raiser?”
Mrs. K. hammered away on her keyboard, finished with the conversation for now and ignoring us. Ms. Healy winked at me. “You’re on our steering committee now, anyway. We’ll figure something out. We’ve got a budget for something.”
The chimes sounded, and Ms. Healy and I walked to her classroom together.
When I got home at dinnertime, I had a whole series of snaps from Tamiko with suggestions for the ice cream shop, and a few from Sierra, asking what she should wear to the grand opening of the store this Sunday. I also had friend requests from Colin, Amanda, and Eloise, all of which I accepted. Things were looking up!
Just before bed I got one last snap from Tamiko. It said, Can I bring MacKenzie to the opening on Sunday?
My heart sank. This again? As I was mulling over my reply, Tamiko pinged me once more.
Kidding! it said, and I laughed out loud.
CHAPTER SIX
SETTING
This weekend was my and Tanner’s first weekend to spend with our dad, and it all went pretty well. He burned the hamburgers on Friday night because he wasn’t used to cooking them on a stove instead of a grill, but it didn’t matter because we cut them in half and scooped out and ate the middles dunked in ketchup. Then we ran upstairs to try the rooftop pool.
Let me tell you, when you are used to being at ground level, or maybe on a second or third floor, and suddenly you get the chance to be seven stories up, it is pretty eye-opening. The whole town was spread out before me, and it felt like I was looking at a map from the end pages of a book, like The Boxcar Children, which was my favorite book when I was little. Tanner and I even mapped out where our old house was. Even better, the pool was awesome! It was outdoors, open to the night sky, and encircled by brand-new cushy white lounge chairs. There were bright yellow foam floats that anyone could use, and Tanner and I had a pirate war with ours (me stooping to his level, I admit) while my dad read the newspaper on a lounge chair.
But the best part was that while Tanner and I were resting between pirate bouts, Amanda from my class showed up with her younger sister. It turned out that her mom lived in this building too. We spent the rest of our time playing Marco Polo, all four of us in the pool, until it was dark and my fingertips were like raisins.
As we got off the elevator at my dad’s floor, I invited Amanda and her sister, Maddy, to the ice cream shop opening on Sunday. Then I winced as I realized that I was having a double standard, since I hadn’t wanted Tamiko to invite MacKenzie. So when I got back to my new room, I raced to my phone and snapped Sierra and Tamiko to say that they should bring MacKenzie if she wanted to come, and anyone else. The more the merrier, anyway!
Being at Dad’s was fun, b
ut it was kind of like we were away on a vacation without Mom, which was weird. Plus I wasn’t used to being in an apartment. I could hear doors opening and closing and someone upstairs walking around. It was comforting to know that I was surrounded by people. Then I heard my door swing open.
“Allie?” It was Tanner.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“I can’t sleep,” he said softly. “My room is scary.”
“Scary?” I asked. “You mean just because it’s new and everything is unfamiliar?”
“Yeah,” he said. “I keep hearing footsteps.”
“Come here,” I said, scooting over and making room for him. He climbed in next to me and put his head on my shoulder. He hadn’t done that in a long time.
“I want to go home,” he said.
“To Mom’s house?” I asked.
“No, home,” Tanner said emphatically. “Our old house.”
I sighed. I knew what he meant.
The light flicked on in the hall, and Dad peeked in. He looked worried for a second, but then smiled.
“You guys okay?” he asked.
“It’s weird in my room,” said Tanner.
“What’s weird?” asked Dad. “The lights? Is your bed not comfortable?”
“It’s just weird,” said Tanner.
Dad sat down on the bed. “Well, this is new for all of us. We all have new rooms and new beds and new houses. It’s a lot to get used to.”
“Times two!” said Tanner. “New at Mom’s house and new at your house.”
“I know,” said Dad softly. “I know, buddy. It’s really weird for me to be in the apartment by myself when you guys aren’t here. I miss you so much. But we’re going to get through this together.”
We were all quiet for a while.
“I have an idea,” Dad said. “Who wants a midnight snack?”
“I do!” yelled Tanner, sitting up.
We followed Dad out to the kitchen. He opened a cabinet and looked a little guilty. “I, uh, got a few snacks for the new place.”
He took out some chips and dips, then a bag of marshmallows.
“Dad!” I said, laughing. “That’s quite a stockpile!”
Dad put everything on a plate and carried it out to the living room. We put on one of our favorite movies and all settled in.
“We can have a slumber party!” Dad said.
Tanner fell asleep pretty quickly lying on Dad. Then Dad fell asleep too. I thought for a minute about going into my room, but I put my head on Dad’s shoulder and just snuggled in.
Saturday morning Dad took us to the batting cages and miniature golf, which was kind of a family tradition. It was weird to be there without Mom, and I think we were all feeling it. Dad kept saying, “This is our new normal,” like it was some kind of spell he wanted to come true. We were all a little sad afterward, so when Dad suggested we stop by to see Mom at the ice cream store, we were all in favor.
At Molly’s, Mom was all aflutter: accepting a delivery, painting part of the counter that had gotten dinged up by the dishwasher installation, talking on her cell phone to the health inspector about where to post her certificate, and baking some Saint Louis butter cake to try in a new ice cream flavor. She waved happily when she saw us and gratefully doled out a few tasks. I think we were all relieved to experience the “old normal” for an hour and a half before my dad said it was time for lunch for him and Tanner.
Tamiko and Sierra wanted us all to go to the mall in the afternoon. I had felt funny about ditching Dad on his first weekend alone with us, but Mom had assured me it would be okay. She said it wasn’t my job to entertain my parents; I just needed to go on living my life, and things would start to feel normal. (There was that word again! Ms. Healy would be asking me for an alternative word choice by now.) So I agreed to the plan.
Mrs. Sato was picking me up at Dad’s at twelve thirty, and I was ready and downstairs by twelve twenty-five. Sure enough, at twelve twenty-nine their white SUV cruised up, and Tamiko rolled down the window and gave me the peace sign. It was always so funny to see her short mom driving around in such a big car. She practically had to take a running start down the driveway to get into it.
I hopped in and submitted to Mrs. Sato’s grilling me about my new school all the way to the mall. She was envious that I got to go to Vista Green and said she was always looking for a house to move to so Tamiko and Kai could rezone to that school district.
“Imagine if I got to come to your school!” said Tamiko.
“Nooooo!” wailed Sierra. “Who would help me with all my assignments if you were both gone?”
“Hmm,” I said, turning to Tamiko. “Maybe you should move to my school, and maybe then Little Miss Forgetful would start to take care of herself a tiny bit better!” I teased.
Sierra folded her arms across her chest and fake-pouted. “I just have a lot on my plate!” she said.
“That’s because you always take extra helpings!” joked Tamiko.
Sierra made a scoffing noise. “I can’t help it if I like to be involved.”
“I think you need to start sitting on your hands in meetings so that you don’t volunteer for anything else,” I said. I felt a little mean saying it, but secretly I wished she hadn’t volunteered to run Book Fest.
“I’ll sit on them for you!” shouted Tamiko, scooching over toward Sierra, who shrieked.
“Here we are, kiddos!” announced Mrs. Sato as she pulled up in front of the Commons, which was our town’s answer to a mall. It wasn’t like the old-fashioned malls where everything was on multiple floors under one huge roof. Instead it was styled as a small village, and you had to be outdoors on these cool covered boardwalk-style sidewalks to go from store to store. We all loved it. There was one area that was all food trucks—this mall’s version of a food court—and it had lots of seating under a huge shady tentlike canopy, and big outdoor air conditioners that blew mist over you to cool you off.
We hopped out of the car with promises to behave, and set a pickup time for four o’clock. Then we began the bargaining.
“Please, please—bookstore first!” I said.
“But you never even buy anything. All we do is go there for an hour and you visit the books you already own!” protested Sierra.
“That’s not true! I buy a new book every month; I just like reading library books and eBooks, so I mix it up and don’t spend all my money on one thing.”
Tamiko said, “All I know is, I have to get to the arts and crafts store for some new sequins and yarn, and then the hardware store for a glue gun.”
“I can only imagine what kind of project this is for. Are you customizing your toilet seat this week?” I teased.
“No, but that is a great idea! I need to search for ideas for that when I get home!” said Tamiko.
I groaned. “It was a joke!”
It felt great to be back with my besties doing one of our usual activities. We had a certain routine at the mall and certain things we liked to visit (the Wishing Fountain, the human-size chessboard, the Skee-Ball arcade, and the temporary-tattoo vending machine, to name a few), and of course, certain things we liked to eat, in certain orders. A lot of it was unspoken—we just settled into our usual pattern. The day was warm but not hot, and the sky was blue, and I was happier than I’d been since camp, practically skipping as we walked and joked.
We didn’t do much before we were all starving and had to go to the Arepa Lady’s truck. She made these delicious thick and chewy cornmeal pancakes filled with cheese that you could top with any kind of shredded meat (or not). We always started with her, and then went to the Belgian frites guy for french fries with sriracha mayo dipping sauce, and then the bubble tea guy for drinks. We’d finally completed gathering everything and were just turning to sit at a picnic table when there was a loud squeal from behind us. Everybody turned around.
“Niñas!” cried a voice.
“Niña!” Tamiko and Sierra called in excitement, hastily dropping all their things
onto the table and turning quickly toward someone.
I carefully put my assorted things down onto the table and lifted a few of their things that had toppled over, then turned curiously to see who had called to us. I couldn’t make out the person’s face because the three of them were in a group hug, jumping up and down. But I could see that she had long, straight, bright red hair and wore very stylish white jeans with a thick white T-shirt, and on her feet, a pair of black sneakers with a shiny logo, which I knew were Tamiko’s absolute favorite brand of sneaker. (Or at least they once were—her favorite seemed to change daily.) As they pulled apart from their little love fest, I looked at the girl’s face and did not know her. My heart sank.
A new friend.
“Niñas,” they called one another. The three of us always called ourselves “chicas.”
The three of them stood chatting rapidly, and I wasn’t sure what to do. I was standing there debating whether to say something and idly eating french fries from the paper cone they’d come in, when I looked around to see who else was there, and suddenly my stomach dropped. The “Mean Team” was at a table across the tent, their eyes bouncing back and forth between me and the threesome. Now I was really doomed.
Standing there alone, I looked like the loser they already thought me to be. I wanted to shout, “Those are my best friends over there!” but the girls would have just laughed at me, because, come on, it sure didn’t look like it.
But if I walked over to Tamiko, Sierra, and the other girl and they ignored me, left me standing on the outside, it would look even worse. My face grew red and my heart thudded as Maria leaned in to Blair and Palmer and whispered something that made them all giggle.
That was it! I had to act!
Quickly I marched across the open pavilion to the bubble tea truck to get an extra straw. I already had one, but I needed something to do with myself while I waited for my friends. I needed to look busy!
I passed as close as possible to Tamiko, Sierra, and “niña girl,” but none of them acknowledged me; they were all chatting away excitedly. I couldn’t help it. Tears welled in my eyes and I bypassed the bubble tea guy and headed straight for the bathroom at the far end of the food area.
