Crush Alert

by Annie Bryant

  One corner of Scott’s mouth quirked up. “And that’s his best quality, huh?”

  Avery nodded. “Uh-huh.”

  “You are so weird,” he said with a laugh.

  “It’s not like I like him!” Avery protested. “I don’t think I like anybody that way.” As soon as she spoke, a memory of snow and a hawk spiraling up in the air reminded her of her last moments with her friend Jason in Colorado. Maybe I like Jason, but I don’t know….

  Avery took a deep breath and continued. “I just want to hang out and have fun. Why does everyone have to go to this dance with somebody? What’s up with that?”

  Scott tossed her the super ball. “All right, I’m going to give you some serious wisdom from one who has been there, done that.”

  “You have wisdom?” Avery dribbled the tiny ball on her bedside table.

  “Of course! Listen up. I didn’t have my first crush till I was fifteen. It’s totally normal, woo-hoo, no big deal. You don’t need to like anyone, and you don’t need a date just ’cause all your friends have them.”

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” she muttered. “But what about Maeve?”

  Scott shrugged. “Good kid, but I don’t understand a single thing that girl does. She lives in movieland. Hopefully she appreciates you giving up Dillon for her.”

  Avery nodded. “That was nice of me, huh?” A smile crept across her face. Scott punched her shoulder affectionately and grabbed the super ball, tossing it higher and higher toward the ceiling.

  “That’s not all that’s going on.” Avery’s smile faded. She’d promised Charlotte not to tell anyone, but…Scott deserved to know.

  “Yo, you weren’t kidding about drama,” Scott made a face.

  “Only this time it’s about Mom.”

  Scott froze, and the ball came down right on top of his head, bouncing off into the mess of clothing and comic books all over Avery’s floor. “What about her?”

  “She’s going out with Charlotte’s Dad,” Avery said, feeling weird that she was even saying something like that out loud.

  “You mean Charlotte Ramsey—Charlotte who also might not have a date to this dance?”

  Avery sighed. “That’s the one, all right.”

  Rubbing the top of his head thoughtfully, Scott stared down at the Patriots blanket. Long ago Avery had announced that even though her mom made her have such a girly four-poster bed, she could at least let her have a really cool football blanket on top of her lacy bedspread. “Okay. Now I wasn’t prepared for that one. Uh…how do you know this?”

  Avery stood up and the words tumbled from her mouth. “Charlotte listened to a phone message Mom left for her dad. They’re meeting Friday at Le Bistro Français!”

  Avery watched Scott’s eyes widen. “You’re kidding me!”

  “Why would I joke about something like this?” Avery said, throwing up her hands.

  “But that’s the fancy restaurant where it costs about five dollars for a glass of water.”

  Avery shot him a look, her eyebrows raised quizzically. “And how do you know that?”

  “I took a girl there once. We had to leave after I saw the prices on the menu. Way embarrassing, let me tell you. The girl broke up with me after that. Said I was cheap.”

  Avery rooted through the piles on the floor, looking for the neon green ball. “Mom also bought a brand-new dress today and was trying it on when I got home. It’s all slinky and black, like something out of one those celebrity fashion magazines Maeve is always reading.”

  “Huh,” Scott grunted.

  Avery found the ball and threw it at her brother’s head. “So what do we do, Mr. Fountain of Wisdom?”

  Scott caught the ball easily and shrugged. “I’m gonna pretend like I don’t know. I mean, Dad goes on dates with Andie all the time. Why can’t Mom go out with whoever she wants? We can’t run her life.”

  Avery fell backward on the bed with a groan. She stared up at the crack in the ceiling again. “But shouldn’t she at least tell us?”

  Mrs. Madden’s musical voice called up the stairs: “A-ver-y! The girls are here!”

  “Got to go…” Avery gave her big brother a quick hug. “My friends are dragging me to the mall. If I don’t make it back alive, take care of Walter and Frogster for me?”

  Scott glanced over at the cages holding his sister’s pet snake and frog. “Sure thing, Bean Head. Have fun!”

  Secrets at the Mall

  Charlotte ran her hand along a satiny lavender gown. The fabric had little white hearts embroidered along the waist and neckline. It was beautiful, and she loved anything having to do with the color purple, but what was the point? She fought back the lump in her throat, the one that just wouldn’t go away.

  “Charlotte, come look at this!” Katani urged. She was standing with Avery, Isabel, and Elena Maria by a rack of lime green and yellow dresses. “I can’t believe they ruined such a perfectly good design with such outrageous colors! Imagine this in muted violet, or indigo. It would be perfect.” Katani sighed at the world’s obviously lacking fashion sense.

  “Ooh,” Elena Maria said, pointing out the same lavender gown Charlotte had been standing next to. “Look how it brings out your complexion, Charlotte. You just have to try it on! What’s your size?”

  “I’m not sure, with dresses like these….” Charlotte flipped over the price tag. “And it’s awfully expensive.”

  “What’s the matter, Char?” Avery asked. When her friend didn’t respond, she lifted the gown off the rack and held it up, batting her eyelashes. “Don’t I look gooorgeous?” she imitated Maeve, which made Isabel and Katani crack up, but Charlotte’s lips barely twitched at the corners.

  “I…I don’t think I’m going to go,” Charlotte whispered.

  “What?!” Katani took the dress from Avery and draped it over a pile that was growing on one arm. “No way is one of my BSG going to back out of this dance! We’re all going, and we won’t let any boys stop us from having fun! It’s girl power all the way!”

  No one noticed Isabel’s downturned face. Elena Maria and Katani were having too much fun commenting on all the styles to notice. How am I going to explain about Kevin? She sighed.

  “Hey, Char,” Avery piped in. “Dillon asked me, and I said no! I don’t need to go with a boy, so neither do you!”

  Isabel looked uncomfortable. “Dillon asked you to the dance?”

  “Uh-huh.” Avery stood up as tall as she could, which wasn’t very tall. “I told him to ask Maeve, just like you said!”

  “Oh, no!” Suddenly Isabel had something to worry about in addition to Kevin and the homeless shelter. “That’s not what I said, Avery!”

  “It’s not?” Avery slumped a little.

  “Did Dillon ask her to the dance yet?” Katani questioned.

  Avery shrugged.

  Charlotte ran a hand through her hair. She was stilling wearing it down, curled at the ends like Katani had taught her. “Avery, if Maeve found out Dillon only asked her because you told him to…let’s just say, it would not be good.”

  “But I thought it would make her happy!” Avery protested. Sometimes she just did not understand her friends at all. Boys, at least, told you what they meant and stuck with it. And if they got mad at each other, they roughhoused for a while and that was that. It happened with her brothers all the time.

  “She wants Dillon to want to ask her,” Isabel explained patiently.

  “Am I understanding correctly?” an amused Elena Maria broke in. “Maeve’s crush asked her to the dance, but only because this crazy chica here told him to?”

  “Well, maybe he hasn’t asked yet.” Katani whipped her cell phone out of her purse. Do you have Dillon’s number?” she asked Avery, who concentrated hard at trying to remember the digits. She hardly ever called him, just texted him sometimes.

  Just then, a hip-hop beat announced a new message on Katani’s phone.

  flikchic: flikchic: guess what??!??!?!!!!!? Dillon asked me 2 the dance! Tell
every1 for me!!! Silver or gold jewelry w pink? I forget. Gtg, dance class.

  Katani’s thumbs flew as she typed a reply.

  Kgirl: Kgirl: congrats! silver, and not 2 much, your hair is the key feature. show it off. wish you could be here <3 BSG

  Katani passed the phone around so everyone could see.

  “What do we do?” Isabel asked.

  Everyone just stood there. A sales associate came by and asked, “May I help you?”

  Charlotte shook her head no, then whispered to the group, “I think we have to pretend we don’t know he asked Avery.”

  “You mean…lie?” Avery gasped.

  “Well, it’s not so much a lie as a white lie to save a friend’s pride,” Elena Maria explained. “Sometimes you need to bend the truth a little, to protect your friends from being really hurt.”

  Katani tilted her head thoughtfully. “Is this worth breaking the Tower rules?” She quoted from memory: “We will be loyal to our friends and won’t lie to them even if they make a mistake or do something totally embarrassing.’”

  “I think my sister’s right this time,” Isabel pointed out. “It’s not really a lie. We just aren’t telling her something that might upset her. Maybe Dillon really does like her, but just didn’t have the nerve to ask her.”

  “Fat chance,” Avery exclaimed, and Katani gave her a stern look.

  “Sorry,” she said. “I really messed up, huh?”

  “Don’t worry about it.” Charlotte gave her a hug. “You really meant well, and that’s what counts.”

  “Thanks, Char,” a grateful Avery said with a smile. She had done a nice thing for Maeve.

  Katani picked a plain black dress off a nearby rack. “Let’s all go try something on. We’ve been here for almost an hour and we still haven’t narrowed down the choices!”

  In the dressing room, Charlotte discovered a sweet lilac dress abandoned on a hanger. Sophie had sent pictures of dresses in all shades of purple attached to her e-mail. She knew Charlotte’s feelings about the color, and she’d chosen well. If only Sophie could see this dress! Hanging alone and forgotten, the dress seemed like it had been left just for Charlotte. It had thin straps, a high waist, and the satiny fabric fell in rippled folds like cool water against the back of her hand. Could it be my size? Charlotte wondered.

  She slipped it on and spun around in front of the mirror. It fit perfectly, and it actually shimmered as she twirled around!

  She stepped out of the dressing room, and Katani applauded. “We have a winner! It’s perfect, Charlotte. I wouldn’t change anything.”

  Katani didn’t have to try anything on. She’d sewn her own dress, a sunshine yellow dress with a halter neckline. She’d started it around Christmas with some fabric her parents let her pick out as a gift, and then hurried to finish it in time when she found out about the dance. Now, it was hanging in her closet, ready to go.

  Charlotte smiled. “I love it too, Katani. I think I may just have to go to this dance.” Katani was right! A girl had to make her own good time.

  Next, Avery came out, picking at the black sash on a simple white dress.

  “It’s too girly,” Avery complained. “Everyone will laugh.”

  “You look beautiful!” Isabel exclaimed. The black sash drew attention to her tiny waist while the cap sleeves showed off her toned arms.

  “Muy bonita,” Elena Maria agreed as she clasped her hands together.

  Avery stared at her reflection in the mirror, grumbling about ridiculous frilly dresses that didn’t have any pockets, but she had to admit to herself that she actually felt pretty. The dress wasn’t too fancy or too plain. She spun around in a circle. The dress felt really comfortable, too. “Hey, guys—look! I could probably play soccer in this,” she shouted, and kicked her sweater into the air.

  Elena Maria urged Avery back into the dressing room warning her, “You are going to ruin that dress if you are not careful.”

  “Sorry.” Avery laughed, then looked over at Isabel. She hadn’t tried on a single thing! “Come on, Izzy. I tried on, like, six dresses. Your turn!”

  “Yeah,” her sister added. “What is the matter with you, chica?”

  But Isabel just shook her head. “I can’t…” she started.

  “This isn’t about your allowance, is it?” Elena Maria demanded. “I said you could pay me back later. No problema.”

  “No…” Isabel hesitated. “See, it’s Kevin…”

  “Not boys again!” Katani threw her hands in the air. “We need to make a new Tower rule, I think…‘boys do not control the show!’”

  “Katani…,” Charlotte began.

  “I’m just kidding,” Katani said, and put a hand on Isabel’s shoulder. “Tell me, what’s wrong?”

  “Well…I guess I made a promise to Kevin…about a month ago…that I’d go to Jeri’s Place with him and teach kids a Valentine craft.”

  “That’s awesome!” Avery bounced up and down in her dress. “You’ve got to go!”

  “But one of us messed the date up…and it’s the same night as the dance,” Isabel said, and burst into tears.

  “Oh, no…” Charlotte put her arms around Isabel. Avery looked horrified, and Katani paced in front of the mirror.

  “Well, you could split your time! Or, call the shelter and reschedule. There have got to be other volunteers who want to go to the dance….”

  Elena Maria stood quietly, biting her lip.

  “No!” Isabel sobbed. “I thought of everything already, and it won’t work. This is a special event and the kids are really looking forward to it, and if I don’t go, Kevin won’t be able to get anyone else….”

  “Can’t Kevin handle a bunch of five-year-olds by himself?” Avery asked.

  “Avery!” Katani put her hands on her hips. “That’s not the point.”

  “Yeah,” said Charlotte. “Isabel made a promise…”

  “I wish I hadn’t,” she whispered.

  “Hey, don’t talk that way!” Elena Maria picked up her purse and took her sister’s hand. “Come, mi hermana. First, let’s get some dinner. Then go home. Mama will know what to do.” Purse swinging from her arm, Isabel’s older sister led them out of the dressing room.

  CHAPTER 14

  Be My Valentine

  By the time Charlotte got home, it was already eight o’clock. She climbed the stairs and poked her head into her dad’s office. She found him typing away on his laptop while Marty lay curled up at his feet, gently snoring.

  “Hey, Dad,” she greeted him affectionately. “It looks like the little guy is feeling a bit better.”

  “Yeah, he crawled out from under your bed when he smelled my chicken nugget dinner cooking.” Her dad laughed. “Did you find a dress?” He looked at Charlotte with such a concerned look on his face that Charlotte wanted to fling herself into his arms and tell him her whole sad tale.

  Instead, she opened up her shopping bag and pulled out the shimmering light purple dress.

  “Wow! Smashing!” He smiled and reached out to touch the smooth fabric. “You will definitely steal the show tomorrow night.” He gave her a big thumbs-up.

  “Oh, Dad, you always think I’m the best,” Charlotte teased, but glowed a little inside. “I’m going up to the Tower, but wanted to let you know that I’m home.” Charlotte reached down to pat Marty on the head before heading up to her writing desk.

  “Wait,” her dad called as she turned to go. “You had several phone calls this evening. Nick Montoya’s trying to reach you. Maybe you should give him a call?” Her dad raised one eyebrow, but Charlotte just shook her head and backed out of the room. That awkward lonely feeling came rushing back, just when she thought she had conquered it. I wonder why he’s calling now, she thought as she dashed up to the Tower, with Marty following close behind.

  At her desk, she opened the chocolate drawer first, then remembered that she and Avery had finished off the caramel bar. All she had were a few Hershey’s Kisses with almonds left over from a sleepover. As
she booted up her computer, Charlotte opened one up and popped the slightly crunchy chocolate into her mouth.

  One new message. Maybe Sophie wrote again! Charlotte sighed with relief as she opened up the e-mail. She could use some of her French friend’s wit and wisdom right now!

  Her heart leaped—the e-mail wasn’t from Sophie.

  From: Nick

  To: Charlotte

  Subject: Apology

  Charlotte,

  Hope you get this!!! I owe you big-time for the other morning. See, when I asked you to meet me at the bakery, I forgot that I’d already promised Chelsea to meet and work on our Sentinel project and I ran out in a hurry when she called from school, wondering where I was. It’s a bogus excuse, I know…I should have called or IMed or something, but I was so late for Chelsea and I figured I would see you in school, anyway. And then I didn’t.

  I’m really bad at apologies, but I’m, like, really sorry…and I understand if you don’t want to talk to me.

  Your friend,

  Nick

  P.S. Your hair looked nice today.

  By the end of the e-mail, Charlotte had a huge smile on her face. What a dork I’ve been for ignoring him! she realized. He had no idea I got all dressed up just to ask him to the dance. Usually it wouldn’t be a huge deal if one of them didn’t show at the bakery. And then she hadn’t really given him a chance to explain, because she had been sure he liked Chelsea. This dance thing was just making everyone crazy!

  Then another thought crept out in between all the others. He noticed my hair! Charlotte grinned down at Marty. “Nick Montoya liked my hair! What do you think of that, Mr. Marté?” she picked up the little dog, and Marty reached out his tongue and licked the tip of her nose. Charlotte giggled. “I’ll take that as a ‘very beautiful, darling,’” she said, wiping the slurp off her nose.

  Then the phone rang. Charlotte listened to the faint tone downstairs, then the click of her dad’s shoes walking up toward the Tower.

  A lump began to expand in her throat. Charlotte felt like she was on the edge of something amazing and strange and fantastic all at the same time. If it’s Nick, what am I going to say?