Give and Take

by Laura Dower

  “So beautiful,” Madison murmured as she looked out the kitchen sliding doors. “And Phin made a new doggy friend.” Madison told Mom all about Peaches and Toby.

  “A new girlfriend? But Phinnie, what will Blossom think?” Mom asked the dog, chuckling to herself.

  Blossom was a basset hound who belonged to Madison’s best friend, Aimee Gillespie. Aimee lived up the street, too. Everyone in the Gillespie family joked that Phin and Blossom were “dating.”

  “Is that for work?” Madison asked, pointing to the piece of paper in Mom’s hand.

  “Sort of. The Far Hills Gazette just faxed this over,” Mom said, handing it over to Madison. “They’re going to run it in tomorrow’s newspaper.”

  Madison looked down at the page—part of a newspaper layout. In the center of a column titled “TV Top Picks” she saw the very short article Mom had been looking at. Someone had circled it in black ink.

  Budge Films Fishes for Success on PBS

  Ever wonder how fish sleep, what they do when the surface of their lake freezes over, or what they eat during the long, cold winter? Freshwater, a new documentary developed by the team at Budge Films, has the answers. This two-part documentary was shot entirely on location in the USA.

  “A number of people have made documentaries about ocean wildlife,” says Francine Finn, vice president of research and development for Budge Films and senior producer of Freshwater, “while very little has been done on fish and animals that live in rivers, streams, and lakes. These creatures are fascinating. Freshwater is one of our most exciting features to date.”

  With narrative by Sir Wallace Boyle, Freshwater is a fun, educational film that the whole family will enjoy.

  Premieres Thursday at 8:00 P.M. Check your local listings.

  “Wow, Mom!” Madison said. “This is great! They even quoted you.”

  “I know,” Mom said warmly. “It’s great publicity for the documentary.”

  Madison nodded. She’d seen Freshwater three times already. “I know lots of people will watch it,” she said.

  “I hope so,” Mom sighed, blowing on the hot coffee in her mug.

  Madison glanced back down at the paper. It was dated the next day. Below the article, Madison saw the horoscopes and the crossword puzzle.

  “Want to hear your horoscope for tomorrow?” Madison asked.

  “Sure,” Mom said. “Then we can see if it comes true. Look under Leo.”

  They read it together.

  LEO

  Monday is a sociable day. Your name will be on everyone’s lips, so be sure to project confidence when you walk into a room! If you’re not feeling confident—just fake it. No one will know the difference.

  “Hmmm, sounds pretty good,” Mom said, taking her mug to the sink. “What’s yours?”

  Madison looked for Pisces. She read the horoscope silently.

  PISCES

  Love is in the air! But winds that blow in your direction are not from familiar corners. Keep your eyes wide open. Romance will sneak up on you when you least expect it.

  “Oh, brother,” Madison giggled as she put down the paper.

  Mom looked up. “What does it say?”

  “It says I’ll have a romance,” Madison sighed. “I wish.”

  “Sounds good to me!” Mom said. “Maybe it’s that boy you met walking Phinnie.”

  “Mo-o-o-om!” Madison moaned.

  The truth was that Madison only liked one guy, another seventh grader at Far Hills Junior High named Hart Jones. Unfortunately, Hart had no clue that Madison was crushing on him. When they were growing up, Madison thought that Hart was just a dork. He always chased her and teased her and called her “The Finnster,” the dumbest nickname in the history of nicknames. But then he’d moved away for a while. And something had changed when he moved back.

  Madison hauled herself up from the chair she was sitting in. “I’m going upstairs to check my e-mail.”

  “Okay, but dinner’s in an hour,” Mom said, holding up a can of kidney beans. “We’re having vegetarian chili.”

  “Fine,” Madison said. Mom wasn’t a very good cook, but chili was one recipe she’d mastered.

  Phin’s little nails clicked up the stairs behind Madison. He hurried into her bedroom and snuggled in the usual spot by Madison’s feet. The computer hummed and beeped as the home page for TweenBlurt.com appeared. Madison checked to see if Aimee or her other best friend, Fiona Waters, were online.

  But as Madison scanned the list of unfamiliar screen names, she remembered Aimee was at her dad’s bookstore and cyber cafe, helping out. Fiona was with her aunt Brenda, who was in town visiting from California. Neither BFF would be online now.

  Madison checked her e-mailbox instead.

  FROM

  SUBJECT

  Bigwheels

  Top Secret and Urgent

  1800roses4U

  Time for Valentine’s Day!

  JeffFinn

  Dinner tomorrow

  Orange Crush

 

  She opened the e-mails in order, starting with the message from Bigwheels, her computer keypal. Madison and Bigwheels met inside TweenBlurt.com and had been writing ever since. Since Bigwheels lived far away, in Washington State, they didn’t see each other. Instead, they chatted online and sent e-mails as often as possible.

  From: Bigwheels

  To: MadFinn

  Subject: Top Secret and Urgent

  Date: Sun 2 Feb 4:43 PM

  I’ve totally fallen-in love! (BTW: I am screaming this because I am soooo excited.)

  There’s this way cute guy in math club I’ve been crushing on. His name is Reggie and he has hazel eyes and black hair and he is SO CUTE!! :) NE-way, I never even thought he knew that I was alive, but today he came up to me and asked me to the Valentine’s dance, and I am so excited that I am freaking out! What will I wear? How should I act? Should I talk to him MORE now? Or less? Some of my friends say to play it cool, some say be extra friendly, and I have no idea what 2 do!!

  You always ask me for advice. Now I need ur help.

  Yours till the math clubs,

  Bigwheels

  Madison reread the e-mail twice. Wow! Bigwheels never talked about boys like this. How perfect! Madison was dying to tell someone about Toby, the cute guy, too. She’d tell Bigwheels, of course!

  She hit REPLY.

  From: MadFinn

  To: Bigwheels

  Subject: Re: Top Secret and Urgent

  Date: Sun 2 Feb 5:26 PM

  THAT is awesome newz. How could NE guy resist wonderful U? ;o)

  Well, I think that you should just be normal and friendly with Mr. Wonderful. He already likes u, so why play it cool, right? HTH

  I’m so jealous that you’re going to your school Valentine’s dance. I don’t even know if we’re having one! Oh, well. My horoscope said love is coming my way. Maybe if ur in love I will be soon 2? I hope so.

  Even my dog Phin’s in love. He has a crush on another girl dog we just met up the block this afternoon. They were cute. But the dog’s owner was even CUTER. When we started talking he even thought I was in HIGH SCHOOL! Can u believe that? LOL

  Good luck w/ur guy. Write sooner than soon and tell me EVERYTHING that happens.

  Yours till the puppy loves,

  Maddie

  After Madison hit SEND, she clicked on the next e-mail, advertising a sale on dozens of rose bouquets for Valentine’s Day.

  “Who do I buy these for?” she joked to herself. “Hart? Ha! Ha! Ha!”

  DELETE.

  She scrolled to the next e-mail. Dad had written, asking if Madison wanted to go out for Mexican food the next night with his girlfriend, Stephanie Wolfe. She’d made reservations for the three of them at Tamales, a new restaurant downtown.

  Madison’s stom
ach gave a low growl. It was almost dinnertime. She sent Dad a quick reply saying that she couldn’t wait to go to dinner. Madison loved tacos.

  Now only one e-mail remained. As Madison clicked on it, she did a double take. Orange Crush? Whose screen name was this!

  From: Orange Crush

  To: MadFinn

  Subject:

  Date: Sun 2 Feb 5:13 PM

  I’ve got a crush on u.

  Your Secret Admirer.

  Madison stared at the screen, reading and rereading the message even though it was so short. Her heart thumped. Her mind raced. She scrolled up and down, looking for hidden clues.

  Orange Crush? Was it like the soda? Or did whoever sent this know orange was Madison’s favorite color?

  She shifted in her chair, kicking Phinnie in the side by mistake.

  “Rowwrooooo!” the dog howled, jumping up to his paws.

  Leaning over, Madison picked up Phin and cooed an apology in his ear. “Who sent this, Phinnie?” she asked.

  Madison reached for the phone so she could call someone—anyone. She had a secret admirer? This was the kind of news a friend needed to share in person. But then she remembered that her friends were busier than busy.

  What horrible timing, Madison thought.

  She’d just have to wait to tell Aimee and Fiona about it tomorrow.

  Chapter 2

  “DO YOU THINK IT WAS HIM?” Madison asked, pointing to a supercute ninth grader wearing a leather jacket.

  Aimee and Fiona cracked up. The three friends were standing in front of Aimee’s locker. Madison filled them in on the mysterious e-mail from Orange Crush early Monday morning. At lunchtime it was still a great mystery.

  “The truth is—it could be that guy,” Fiona said.

  “Well, the person has to be someone who knows you well enough to get your e-mail address,” Aimee said. “And they must know you like orange.”

  Madison glanced down at her orange backpack. “Well, that doesn’t really narrow it down much. Anyone can see what my favorite color is.”

  “I bet it’s someone you’re already friends with,” Fiona suggested.

  “Yeah … like Egg!” Aimee said, giving a quick little twirl. Aimee took ballet, and she usually did dance moves when she got excited, which was pretty often.

  “Egg? No WAY!” Madison laughed. Walter “Egg” Diaz had been one of Madison’s best friends since they were younger. He was more like a brother.

  “Aimee, you don’t really think the secret e-mail is from Walter, do you?” Fiona said quickly. “I mean—Walter doesn’t like Madison, right? That was just a joke. You’re joking, right?”

  “Chill out, Fiona,” Aimee said. “Of course I’m joking.”

  “Egg doesn’t have a crush on me, Fiona,” Madison said. She smirked. She knew that Egg was crushing on Fiona and vice versa. Fiona liked Egg so much that she called him by his real name.

  Fiona bowed her head a little. “Oh,” she said meekly.

  Madison and Aimee exchanged looks and smiled.

  “Besides,” Aimee said with a laugh. “A secret admirer e-mail isn’t really Egg’s style. He’s not really—the romantic type.”

  “Hmm,” Fiona fiddled with one of her braids. “Maybe it was Chet.”

  “Chet?” Madison shrieked. Chet was Fiona’s twin brother. “Oh, please!”

  “Fiona!” Aimee yelled. “Chet is the only guy in this school who is less romantic than Egg!”

  “I know, I know,” Fiona laughed.

  Aimee shook her head. “Come on, we have to get serious. Now, think. Who are the prime suspects?”

  The girls stared at one another.

  “Hart Jones?” Aimee suggested.

  Madison felt her heart stop. Literally stop. When it started pumping again, it was chugging at twice its normal rate. “H-H-Hart?” she stammered.

  “It could be him,” Fiona said. “He has your e-mail address—right, Maddie?”

  Madison let out a nervous giggle. “Yeah, along with practically everyone else in the seventh grade. Why would it be him? It could be Drew or Dan or Suresh, too.”

  “Yeah, but didn’t Hart like you in second grade, or something?” Aimee asked.

  Madison snorted. “I think he’s probably gotten over that by now.” She tried to sound like she didn’t care, but secretly she was wondering if Aimee could be right. Was Hart Orange Crush?

  Brrrrring!

  When the bell rang, the three friends started toward the cafeteria.

  “Hey—Maddie! Aimee! Wait up!”

  Madison turned and saw Egg jogging toward them, followed by his friends Drew Maxwell, Dan Ginsburg, Chet Waters, and Hart Jones.

  Hart!

  Madison wanted to hide.

  “Hey, Finnster,” Hart said, raking his brown hair out of his eyes.

  “Hi,” Madison said. It came out like a whisper. She looked away, unsure about what to do or say.

  “You going to the cafeteria?” Egg asked. He was staring right at Fiona.

  “Yeah, we’re being lured there by the smell,” Fiona said sarcastically.

  Egg laughed.

  “Mmmmm—mystery lasagna.” Chet made a retching noise.

  “Suspiciously, lasagna is what they served us last Friday,” Dan pointed out. “Coincidence? Or ancient leftovers?”

  Madison chuckled. She’d gotten to know Dan better this year because they both volunteered at the Far Hills Animal Clinic. Dan’s mom worked there as a nurse, and Dan was an animal lover, just like Madison.

  “Indestructible, cardboard lasagna,” Aimee said.

  “The same batch that’s been around all year!” Drew added.

  Everyone cracked up.

  “What’s so funny?” asked a voice behind Madison.

  Madison turned around and came face-to-face with “Poison” Ivy Daly—her least favorite person in the seventh grade. Once upon a time (in third grade), Ivy and Madison had been good friends. But then Ivy transformed into Miss Obnoxious and started hanging out with her two drones, “Phony” Joanie Kenyon and Rose “Thorn” Snyder. When she was elected president of the seventh grade, tensions mounted even more.

  Ivy stood there holding a stack of hot-pink flyers. She was wearing a fuzzy pink cardigan sweater that matched.

  “I hope I’ll see you all at the Valentine’s Day dance next Friday,” Ivy said, passing a flyer to Hart first. “It’s going to be a lot of fun … and we’re raising money for a good cause.”

  Madison grabbed a flyer.

  Have fun and help fight heart disease at the

  HEART TO HEART DANCE!

  Who? Everyone! All Far Hills Junior High students, grades 7-9

  When? 8 P.M.–10 P.M. Friday, February 14

  Why? All proceeds to benefit the

  International Heart Society

  Where? Far Hills Junior High Gymnasium

  How much? $5 single ticket in advance

  $8 for two tickets in advance

  $6 at the door, single tickets only

  Buy your tickets early and save!

  “We’re also having a carnation sale next week,” Ivy said.

  “Carnations? For me?” Chet cracked.

  “No, we’re having a competition to see who can sell the most. All proceeds from that are going to the Heart Society, too,” Ivy said.

  Sell the most? Madison thought. She rolled her eyes. She means who will get the most. And Ivy will be sure that the winner is herself.

  Egg took a few more flyers from the pile.

  “Ta-ta!” Ivy chirped. “I hope I’ll see you all there!” She gave Hart a flirtatious look and flounced off.

  “Ta-ta!” Egg repeated mockingly when Ivy had walked away. He waved the pink pages in the air.

  The group giggled.

  “Here’s what I think,” Egg said, folding his flyers into a paper airplane. He held them up and the boys laughed.

  “What are you doing that for?” Aimee squealed,
prancing in place. “Don’t you think this dance looks like fun?”

  “Are we supposed to buy carnations for all the girls or something?” Drew asked, looking squarely at Madison.

  Chet cracked up. “Yeah, right.”

  “Do we get dates for the dance?” Fiona asked.

  Egg tossed his pink plane into the air. “I like doing this better,” he said, aiming a plane at Dan’s head.

  “It says here that it’s eight dollars for two tickets in advance,” Madison said, looking down at her flyer again.

  “I guess we all DO have to find dates!” Drew crowed. “I want to save the money!”

  Hart laughed. “Well, I already know who I want to go with,” he said.

  Everyone got quiet. Madison felt her cheeks get hot. Was Orange Crush about to reveal himself? Was his date pick … Madison? She held her breath.

  “I WANNA GO WITH EGG!” Hart screeched, reaching over to give Egg a fake embrace.

  The boys all laughed again. Madison sighed. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Fiona give Egg a sly smile. He smiled back, awkwardly looking down at his shoes.

  Madison wished Hart would smile at her, but he was still goofing around with the other guys.

  The group started walking toward the cafeteria again, everyone talking excitedly about the dance and the carnation sale. Madison moved down the lunch line slowly. All Madison could think about was Hart. Will he ask her to the dance?

  “I know you’re a chip off the old block, Maddie,” Dad joked later that night, “but maybe you’d better take it easy on the chips. You act like you haven’t eaten anything all day.”

  Dad, Madison, and Stephanie were sitting in Tamales, waiting for their food to arrive. The waiter had brought out salsa and a basket of tortilla chips, and Madison was having trouble resisting.

  “I kind of skipped lunch,” Madison said as she dipped another chip into the salsa. “It was lasagna day at school.”

  “Oh, yuck,” Stephanie said. “Whenever they served lasagna at my school, it used to make the whole hallway smell disgusting.”

  Madison laughed. “That happens at my school, too,” she said.