Deep Freeze

by Diane Muldrow

  Out in the hall, Amanda turned to Shawn. “Why didn’t you tell her about Angie?”

  Shawn shrugged. “There’s no proof it was Angie. All that would happen is Principal Wagner would talk to Angie and tell her not to do it again—if she did do it. If I tell on Angie, she’ll just hate me even more.”

  “But Shawn—” Molly began.

  “Anyway, I don’t care,” Shawn interrupted, her voice growing louder. “The janitor will fix my locker. We can forget about it. See you guys at lunch, okay?” Shawn gave the twins a little wave and hurried off to homeroom.

  The twins exchanged a glance.

  “Whoa. Why’s she mad at us?” Amanda asked quietly.

  “She’s not,” Molly replied. “She’s upset and she’s trying to pretend it never happened.”

  “Well, that’s not gonna be easy,” Amanda said darkly. “Everyone is going to be talking about this.”

  “What I want to know is how Principal Wagner knew our names,” Molly said thoughtfully.

  “I think she knows everything,” Amanda replied. “Did you see the way she looked at Shawn when Shawn said she didn’t know who did the graffiti? It was like she could tell Shawn wasn’t being totally honest. I still think Shawn should have told her about Angie.”

  “Well, it’s Shawn’s choice,” Molly replied. “I just hope Angie gets tired of picking on her soon.”

  “Me, too,” said Amanda. “But I don’t think she will.”

  Mooretimes2: hey chef grrrlzzz! s’up?

  BrooklynNatasha: not much. Just chillin, listening 2 some CDs.

  Qtpie490: kewl. I’m e-mailing grandma ruthie.

  Mooretimes2: are anybody’s parents back yet?

  Happyface: nope.

  Qtpie490: ditto.

  BrooklynNatasha: same here.

  Mooretimes2: guess the ski trip meeting is still going on. It’s a long one! Hey, this is Amanda. After school, the bus lists were posted outside the main office! I signed us all up for Bus #1.

  Happyface: sweet! Thx.

  BrooklynNatasha: even me?

  Mooretimes2: of course! U are so coming on this trip.

  BrooklynNatasha: I hope so!!! Oh hang on—I think my parents r home. Eeeeek! I’m totally nervous. What if they say no again?

  Mooretimes2: they won’t! we’ll keep our fingers crossed.

  Happyface: me 2.

  Qtpie490: me 3!

  BrooklynNatasha: u guys are seriously the best. See u tomorrow @ school.

  Natasha quickly logged off the Internet and went downstairs. Her parents were in the kitchen, making tea and talking quietly. “Hey, Mom and Dad,” Natasha began.

  “Um, how was the meeting?”

  “It was very...informative,” Mrs. Ross said, adding some sugar to her peppermint tea. “Your father and I haven’t reached a decision yet.”

  “That’s okay,” Natasha said. “I didn’t want to bug you guys about it. It just seemed like a long meeting.” Mr. Ross nodded. “It was. But that’s because the teachers were giving us so much information.”

  “I must say, Principal Wagner and Mr. Degregorio have done an excellent job planning the trip,” Mrs. Ross said thoughtfully. Then she turned to Natasha. “Daddy and I will discuss everything tonight, sweetheart,” she said. “We’ll give you an answer tomorrow.”

  “Okay,” Natasha said. She kissed her mother on the cheek, then gave her father a hug. “Good night.”

  “Good night, Natasha,” replied her parents.

  As Natasha got ready for bed, she thought, Wow! It sounds like the meeting went really well! Mom definitely seems open to the idea. Maybe Dad can convince her. Maybe he’s convincing her right now! Oh, I hope I get to go. I hope, I hope, I hope...

  The next morning, Natasha woke before her alarm clock rang. It took her a minute to realize why she felt so anxious—and then she remembered. Today, her parents would tell her if she could go on the ski trip.

  Natasha hurried downstairs to see if her parents were up. Her father was making coffee. “Good morning, princess,” he said, his eyes twinkling.

  “Morning, Dad,” replied Natasha. “Where’s Mom?”

  “She’s still upstairs,” Mr. Ross said. “We were up pretty late last night. We did a lot of talking...” He grinned at Natasha as he took a sip of his coffee.

  “And?” Natasha asked, biting her lip nervously.

  “You can go!” Mrs. Ross said as she walked into the kitchen. She looked older than usual—her eyes were tired and she wasn’t wearing any makeup—but a smile spread across her face.

  “Really? Really?!” Natasha squealed. “Oh, thank you! Oh, this is fantastic! I can’t wait to tell the Chef Girls!”

  “There are two conditions, though,” Mrs. Ross said. “You’ve got to be completely prepared for your bat mitzvah before the trip. And Daddy and I are going to be chaperones. We both feel more comfortable with you going away if we’re nearby.”

  “Okay,” Natasha said quickly. “That’s fine. Oh, I can’t wait! Thanks so much, Mom and Dad!”

  Natasha couldn’t stop smiling as she got ready for school. She decided to wear her favorite outfit—a purple corduroy skirt with a white sweater—and pulled her hair back with hand-painted barrettes Shawn had made for her birthday. Fifteen minutes later, she met Elizabeth on the front walk of the house.

  “Guess what?” Natasha shrieked. “I can go on the trip!”

  Elizabeth jumped up and down and gave Natasha a hug. “Ohmigosh! That’s so awesome!” she squealed. “How’d you convince your parents?”

  “Actually, it was the informational meeting last night that convinced them,” Natasha explained. “And they decided they would chaperone, too.”

  Elizabeth frowned and put her hand on Natasha’s arm. “Yuck,” she said. “That’s too bad.”

  “Wh-what do you mean?” Natasha asked. Then her eyes grew wide. “You’re so right. It’s totally lame for my parents to come on the trip, isn’t it?”

  Elizabeth shrugged and tried to make Natasha feel better. “Look at the bright side—at least you get to go!” she said cheerfully. “It’ll be okay.”

  “No—it’s going to be totally embarrassing!” Natasha moaned. “My parents aren’t exactly cool. What if they try to spend, like, the entire trip with me? What if they’re really strict with everybody?”

  “Don’t worry so much, Natasha,” replied Elizabeth. “You’re coming on the trip! Yay!”

  Natasha returned Elizabeth’s smile, but she felt a lot less excited than she had a few minutes ago.

  After school, Natasha and Molly went to a meeting for the school newspaper, the Post. They found two seats together near the window and chatted while they waited for Liza Pederson, the editor, to start the meeting.

  “Hey, Molly, what’s up? Hi, Natasha.” Justin McElroy dropped his backpack on the seat in front of Molly and sat down.

  “Not much, Justin. What’s up with you?”

  Justin shrugged. “Same old, same old. School, Post, all that stuff. Are you going out for softball again?”

  Molly nodded. “Definitely. I had a blast last year!”

  “And you were one of the best players on the team,” Justin said, his brown eyes lighting up. “We should do a profile on you for the Post. Molly Moore, softball star!”

  Molly could tell that Natasha was trying not to laugh. Justin sounded so goofy—it was a little annoying. Annoying, but also flattering.

  When Molly had first found out that Justin liked her as more than a friend, she’d been shocked—and worried. Amanda had been crushing on Justin for more than a year! Molly was afraid that Amanda would never forgive her, even though Molly hadn’t meant for Justin to start liking her. It had been difficult for Amanda to deal with the fact that her crush liked her sister, but, over time, Amanda had realized that she and Justin didn’t have that much in common. She was finally over him. But Molly’s feelings were mixed. She wasn’t sure if she liked Justin or not—and wasn’t sure how to act around him.

&n
bsp; Fortunately, Natasha jumped into the conversation. “Justin, do you ski?” she asked.

  “Oh, yeah,” Justin said excitedly. “My whole family goes skiing every winter.”

  “I’ve never been,” Natasha admitted.

  “You’ll love it! I mean, everyone in my family is a ski nut, but you can still have a great time on the bunny slopes,” Justin said.

  “Bunny slopes?”

  “Yeah, those are little hills for beginners. Nice and easy. My parents are such ski fanatics that as soon as they found out about the trip, they volunteered to chaperone.”

  “Really?” Natasha exclaimed. “My parents are chaperoning, too! But I don’t think they’re that crazy about skiing.”

  Justin smiled his slow, easy grin. “Bet they will be after the trip!”

  Just then, Liza called the meeting to order. As she began discussing feature articles for the next issue of the Post, Natasha couldn’t help smiling. Justin’s cool...if his parents are chaperoning, it can’t be totally lame for my mom and dad to come on the trip!

  Chapter 5

  The next two weeks were busy for all of the Chef Girls as they prepared for the trip. Between school and activities, Dish, and shopping for ski gear, it almost seemed like the trip sneaked up on them. Natasha was extra-busy as she prepared for her bat mitzvah. In a way, though, she was relieved to study hard. Being completely ready for her bat mitzvah made her feel a little less nervous.

  The night before the trip, Natasha sat on her parents’ bed, watching her mom and dad pack their suitcases. Mom is, like, crazy-organized, Natasha thought with a smile as she watched her mother pack outfits for each day of the trip, carefully checking off a list.

  Mrs. Ross frowned, deep in thought. “David, do you think there will be any nice dinners on the trip?” she asked. “I’m just not sure how dressy I need to be.”

  “It’s gonna be really casual, Mom,” Natasha said quickly. “It’s a cabin out in the woods and a bunch of seventh- graders. You should probably bring a lot of jeans and pants and warm sweaters. Like, wooly sweaters, not the pretty ones you have with the beads.”

  “This is what I’m bringing,” Mr. Ross said proudly, emptying a shopping bag onto the bed. Out fell five brand-new flannel button-down shirts.

  “Oh, David,” laughed Mrs. Ross. “You’ll look just like a lumberjack!”

  “I like them, Dad,” Natasha spoke up as she pulled one on. “They’re so cozy!”

  After Mrs. Ross filled her large suitcase, she pulled out a medium-sized one and began packing more sweaters and fleecy nightgowns.

  “Um, Mom?” Natasha asked. “Do you think...do you think that might be too much stuff? It’s only a few days.”

  “Sweetheart, I just want to make sure I have the right outfits,” she replied. “By the way, how is your packing going? Would you like some help?”

  “That’s okay, I’m already done,” replied Natasha, thinking of the ski pants, parka, three pairs of jeans, two sweatshirts, and two sweaters she had packed in a small duffel bag.

  Just then, the phone rang.

  “I’ll get it!” Natasha scrambled over the bed and grabbed the cordless phone on her parents’ nightstand.

  “Natasha! Shoes off the bed!” Mrs. Ross exclaimed.

  Making a face, Natasha swung her feet over the side of the bed. “Hello?”

  “Hello, is Natasha there?” asked a boy’s voice.

  “This is Natasha.”

  “Oh, hey, Natasha! It’s Connor.”

  “Hi.” Natasha walked into the hallway. “What’s up?”

  “Oh, nothin’. Um, are you all packed for the trip?”

  “Yes. How about you?”

  “Um. I’m mostly packed. You know...” Connor cleared his throat. “I’m, uh, really excited.”

  “So am I!”

  “Yeah. Anyway, I was, uh, wondering what time we have to be at school tomorrow.”

  “Oh, six a.m.,” Natasha replied. Connor groaned, and she laughed. “I know. It’s so early.”

  “Seriously! I mean, why do we have to leave at the crack of dawn? It’s not like the slopes are going anywhere!”

  Natasha laughed again.

  “Anyway, uh, see you tomorrow?” Connor said.

  “Okay. Bye, Connor.”

  “Who was that, Natasha?” Mrs. Ross asked from the bedroom.

  “Oh, just this guy from school, Connor,” Natasha answered, still smiling.

  Her father caught her eye and smiled back. “Oh, really? Who is this Connor? Have I met him before?”

  “Oh, Dad,” Natasha said, rolling her eyes. “He just wanted to know what time we have to be at school tomorrow.”

  “Oh, really?” asked Mr. Ross, continuing to tease her. “Well, why didn’t he call one of his buddies to find out?”

  Natasha opened her mouth, then closed it. That’s a good question, she thought. Why didn’t he call Omar or Justin? Unless...no...

  She looked up to see both of her parents watching her. “Um, I dunno,” Natasha answered, shrugging. “I’m going to get ready for bed now. Night!”

  As Natasha washed her face, she smiled at herself in the mirror. Maybe Connor was calling just to talk to me!

  The next morning dawned pink and cold, the bright red sun blazing on the horizon. At the Moores’ house, Amanda sat straight up in bed as soon as the alarm rang. “Ski trip day!” she shrieked. “Wake up, Molls! Wake up!” Amanda happily tossed her pillow across the room, where it landed on Molly’s head.

  “Argh! Wh-what?” Molly, startled by the pillow, sat up in bed. She blinked sleepily, then saw Amanda’s grinning face hovering over her. “Ugh...Manda, you’re such a pain in the morning,” Molly mumbled, pulling the puffy comforter over her head.

  Amanda promptly pulled it off. “Up, up, up,” she sang. “Come on, Molls! It’s already after five! We have to leave in thirty minutes! I’m gonna brush my teeth and you better be getting dressed by the time I get out of the bathroom!”

  There was a soft knock, and Mom came in the door, dressed in sweatpants and a fleecy sweatshirt. “Morning, girls,” she said with a smile. “There are pancakes and hot chocolate downstairs. I want you to eat a good breakfast before we leave, okay?”

  “Mmm, pancakes,” Molly said, stretching.

  “I knew that would get you up!” Amanda giggled as she skipped into the bathroom. “Molly, aren’t you excited? It’s finally here—the class ski trip!”

  “I am excited—or I will be, in an hour or two,” said Molly with a yawn. “Once I wake up a little!”

  Thirty minutes later, when the twins arrived at Windsor Middle School, Molly was wide awake—and just as excited as Amanda. Three coach buses were lined up in front of the school, and dozens of students and parents were milling about, checking in with the bus monitors, dropping off luggage, and saying good-bye. The twins had said good-bye to Dad at home since Matthew was still asleep, and Mom didn’t want to leave him by himself.

  “Molly! Amanda! Over here!”

  The twins saw Peichi standing with her parents near Bus #1, waving wildly. “I couldn’t wait to come over to the school so we got here really early! The buses weren’t even here yet! Fortunately, Mr. D. was and he let us wait inside the school. I felt so silly, but I’m just so psyched!”

  The twins laughed along with Mr. and Mrs. Cheng. “Don’t burn off all that energy too soon, Peichi,” cautioned Mrs. Cheng.

  “Hey, Chef Girls!” Shawn called out as she hurried over to Peichi and the twins, her father following behind her, carrying her suitcase.

  As the girls and their parents greeted one another, Shawn glanced around. “Where’s Natasha?” she asked. “Is she here yet?”

  Peichi nodded at the check-in tables. “The Rosses got here right after we did. They’re the bus monitors for our bus, and they’re checking in kids over there. See? I think Natasha is helping.”

  “So, Peichi,” said Mr. Jordan. “You seem to know the drill. What do we do now?”

  “First
, you check in with your bus monitor,” Peichi said. “Then you drop off your luggage. There are different spots for each bus. But we’re on the same bus together! Yay! It’s gonna rock! Come on, I’m already checked in, but I’ll come with you guys.”

  “And we’ll go say hi to the Rosses,” Mom said.

  Everyone followed Peichi to the check-in table for Bus #1. As soon as Natasha saw her friends, she broke away from her parents and hurried over to them.

  “Hey! Can you believe my parents are our bus monitors? Totally lame!” Natasha whispered to the Chef Girls. “They already asked me if I wanted to sit with them, but I said, ‘No way, I’m sitting with my friends!’ I’m really glad that they aren’t going to be our bunk chaperones. We got Mrs. Lopez instead.”

  “She’s our homeroom teacher!” exclaimed Amanda and Molly.

  Amanda giggled. “I hope we don’t see her in her pajamas or—”

  “Or with cold cream all over her face!” shrieked Molly.

  Mrs. Ross greeted the girls warmly as Mr. Ross checked their names off the list. But when Shawn got to the front of the line, he frowned. “James, Jerrod, Kingston...Shawn, you’re not on this list.”

  “That’s not possible. I wrote everybody’s name down,” Amanda replied.

  Mr. Ross shook his head and showed the girls the list.

  “Then which bus am I on?” Shawn asked, puzzled.

  “You’re on our bus,” Amanda said firmly. “Come on, let’s go talk to Mrs. Lopez.” She took Shawn by the arm and hurried off to find Mrs. Lopez, who was standing near the luggage, looking frazzled.

  “Graham! Richard! Knock it off!” Mrs. Lopez yelled at two boys who were making a tower of suitcases. Then she turned to Amanda and Shawn. “Yes, girls, what is it?”

  “Mrs. Lopez, there’s a mix-up with the buses,” Amanda explained quickly. “Shawn is supposed to be on Bus #1. But her name isn’t on the list.”

  Mrs. Lopez frowned, then pulled the sign-up sheets out of a folder. Amanda grabbed the sheet for Bus #1. “Look!” she cried. “Here’s where I wrote Shawn’s name. But someone crossed it off!”