Anna, Banana, and the Friendship Split

by Anica Mrose Rissi

  For Anna Luiza

  (and Arugula, of course)

  Chapter One

  Make a Wish

  Sadie says the best thing about birthdays is getting presents, but my favorite part is the birthday wish. I’ve read all the fairy tales—I know you have to be careful what you wish for—so this year, I planned my wish out weeks in advance. I was ready.

  Everyone sang as Dad brought out the cake and placed it on the picnic blanket spread across our living room floor. It was chocolate cake with pink vanilla frosting: Sadie’s and my favorite. Nine yellow candles flickered on top.

  I opened my mouth to suck in a huge breath, when Mom startled me. “Banana!” she said. “Get your nose out of there! Cake is not for dogs.”

  Banana backed away from the birthday cake, making guilty eyes. She wagged her whole backside to tell Mom sorry and turned to sniff my best friend, Sadie, instead.

  Sadie giggled and pulled Banana onto her lap. “Come on, Anna,” she said to me. “Make a wish!”

  I closed my eyes for just a second and pictured what I wanted: a trip to Water World. I could almost feel myself racing down a tall, twisty waterslide, zipping around the curves with Sadie right behind me, and splash-landing together in the giant wave pool below. The commercials made it look like the funnest place on Earth, and I’d been wanting to go since forever. Chuck had said our parents would never take us there, but I knew if I used my birthday wish on it, it would have to come true. Birthday wishes have extra magic. That’s how I got Banana.

  I leaned toward the candles, ready to blow. But before I could let out my breath, Sadie whispered, “Wish for a pony.”

  I froze. Where would we keep a pony?

  “Any day now, monkey face,” Chuck said, sticking his finger in the frosting.

  Ugh. For a second I considered using my wish to ask for a less-annoying older brother, but even birthday-wish magic probably couldn’t fix Chuck.

  Sadie nudged me. She snorted and flared her nostrils like the horses we’d seen at the park, and gave a little whinny of encouragement. She sounded just like a real stallion.

  I grinned at her and Banana and turned back to my cake. Blowing out the candles with one big breath, I thought, I wish for a pony.

  I can never say no to Sadie. She’s my best friend.

  Chapter Two

  No Horsing Around

  It’s dumb to feel sad while eating pink cake, so I tried not to think about wasting my wish. Still, I knew I’d blown it. I would love to have a pony, but that last-second wish would never come true. And even if a pony somehow magically appeared in our living room, there was no way Mom and Dad would let me keep it. Not even if I trained it to sweep the floors with its tail and mow the lawn with its teeth and bring us all breakfast in bed. Not even if I said please.

  For a minute I imagined keeping a secret pony in my room, but that didn’t work so well for Chuck and the class hamster, and it’s much, much harder to hide a horse. Even the smallest pony would barely fit in my closet, and all my dresses would get wrinkled and start smelling like hay. And even if I managed to hide a whole horse, how would I hide the manure?

  Maybe I shouldn’t have listened to Sadie, but she’s usually full of good ideas. It was her idea to make my birthday party a picnic, with a checkered blanket and a thermos of strawberry lemonade and little tea sandwiches all packed in a basket. When I woke up to rain, I thought the party would be ruined, but Sadie saved the day. She said it would be even more fun to have the picnic inside, and surprised me with a handful of plastic ants. It was a perfect party, except for my wish. Just this once, I should have ignored Sadie and stuck with my plan.

  I let Banana lick the last of the frosting off my fingers while Sadie made a line of ants march toward the leftovers and Dad and Chuck cleared the empty plates. Normally clearing the dishes is my job too, but Dad said the birthday princess gets a day off from chores.

  “Then I guess I’m the birthday princess every day,” Sadie said, tossing her curls out of her face.

  It was true. At her dad’s house, Sadie doesn’t have to do anything and she still gets an allowance. She’s supposed to make her bed every morning at her mom’s, but usually she forgets and the housekeeper does it for her. Her mom doesn’t even notice. Sadie’s so lucky that way. Her parents let her do whatever she wants.

  “Well, when you’re at our house, you’re welcome to help pitch in,” my mom said.

  I expected Sadie to say, “No thanks,” but instead she got up off the floor and started gathering the wrapping paper and ribbons I’d taken off my presents. I felt lame being the only one not helping, so I straightened my party hat, kissed Banana’s snout, and got up too.

  “Here,” Sadie said. “You need more birthday bling.” She reached over and tied a gold ribbon around my wrist to match the one she’d already put on Banana’s collar. Then she stuck a silver bow to her forehead. “How do I look?” she asked, crossing her eyes, lifting her chin, and posing like a fashion model.

  “Fancy,” I said. We cracked up and I felt a hundred times better. Sadie’s so silly. She always knows how to make me laugh.

  I picked up some crumpled tissue paper that Banana was nosing and saw a small, wrapped present underneath. “What’s this?” I asked, holding it out for Mom to see.

  “Oh!” Mom said. “I forgot that one. It’s from Nana and Grumps. Go ahead, open it.”

  I untied the ribbon and peeled the tape off the shiny paper, being very careful not to rip it. Inside was a dark velvet box like the one that holds Mom’s favorite earrings.

  My heart went tense and buzzy with excitement, like a wind-up toy about to be released.

  I opened the box. Sadie gasped.

  Chapter Three

  Surprise, Surprise

  “It’s a pony!” Sadie squealed, reaching for the box. But I held on to it and stared at the necklace inside. It was a pony pendant on a thin gold chain. The pony had one hoof lifted, ready to trot. Its bright blue jewel of an eye sparkled and danced in the light. I had never seen anything so beautiful.

  My smile was so big I could almost feel it in my toes. My birthday wish had come true!

  “Try it on, Anna,” Dad said. I held up my hair while he fastened the chain around my neck. I stood up a little straighter. I felt instantly older.

  “Lovely,” Mom said, nodding her approval. “Very elegant.” I ran to the mirror and looked. It was perfect. Even Banana looked impressed.

  “That’s so pretty! Let me try it,” Sadie said, coming up behind me.

  “In a minute,” I said.

  Sadie did not look pleased.

  Chuck sniffed loudly. “Pee-yew,” he said, fanning the air in front of his nose. “Something smells like horse poop. Anna, is that you?”

  I stuck out my tongue at him and grabbed Sadie’s hand. “Come on, let’s go play in my room.”

  We raced up the stairs with Banana at our heels. “Don’t start any big projects,” my mom called after us. “Sadie’s mother will be here any minute now.”

  “Unless she forgot me again,” Sadie muttered as we tumbled into my bedroom.

  “I’m sure she didn’t,” I said, but of course we both remembered the time that happened. My mom says Sadie’s mom is a little distracted these days because of the divorce. Sadie doesn’t say much about it.

  I plopped down on the rug and tossed Banana’s favorite chew toy, a yellow plastic bunny, across the room. Banana scampered after it. “Chuck is so annoying,” I said.

  Sadie shrugged. “I think he’s funny.”

  “ What?” I shrieked. “He’s not funny, he’s gross. And rude. You don’t know how lucky you are to be an only child.”
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  Banana dropped the toy in Sadie’s lap. She threw it into the hall, and Banana ran off again. “Well, when we grow up, I’m going to marry him,” Sadie announced.

  I stared at her. She couldn’t be serious. “Ew. No you’re not.”

  “Yes I am,” she said. “And then you and I will be sisters. And we’ll live next door to each other in two big mansions with one gigantic pool across both our backyards. And I’ll have a huge stable full of beautiful horses, so we can go riding every day.”

  “Okay,” I said. “But we could do that even if you don’t marry Chuck. If you marry him, you’ll have to kiss him. That’s like kissing dirty socks.” I wrinkled my nose at the thought.

  Sadie ignored me and took the rabbit back from Banana. “My mansion will have a special room for Banana that’s filled with dog toys, and a servant whose only job is to toss them for her. And another servant who gives her belly rubs all day and night.” She held the rabbit just out of Banana’s reach so Banana had to jump for it. I wanted to snatch the toy out of Sadie’s hand so she’d quit teasing Banana, but I couldn’t move. Sadie was being weird, and I didn’t like her pulling Banana into it. The whole thing was making me nervous. Banana jumped and jumped, and let out a desperate yip.

  “But Banana is my dog,” I said. “She’ll live with me.”

  “She’s Chuck’s dog too,” Sadie said. She squeezed the yellow bunny, making it squeak.

  My chest felt tight. I wasn’t sure why we were fighting about this, and I was even less sure how to stop it. “But I picked Banana out. And I named her. And I do all her walks and feeding and stuff, and she sleeps in my room.” I tried to pull Banana onto my lap, but she wriggled away and lunged for the toy in Sadie’s fist. “Chuck wanted to name her Weenie.”

  “Well, Banana can choose where to live,” Sadie said. “But I’m sure she’ll like my house better, since I’ll be richer and have more servants and stuff.”

  I swallowed at the giant lump in my throat. I didn’t feel like a birthday princess anymore. I didn’t even feel like a birthday peasant. I just felt terrible.

  Sadie dropped the dog toy and climbed to her feet. “My turn to wear the necklace now.”

  I looked up at my best friend. She scowled down at me. I didn’t know why Sadie was acting so mad, but I knew I would do anything to fix it.

  Chapter Four

  Pony Up

  Sadie stuck out her hand for the birthday necklace. Banana whimpered. I reached back to undo the clasp.

  I watched as Sadie put on my necklace and studied herself in the mirror. The pony pendant shimmered against Sadie’s red top. It looked magical. Sadie looked pleased.

  “That looks great,” I said, because it was true, and because I wanted Sadie to like me again.

  Sadie nodded. “It does,” she said. “I love it. You should give it to me.”

  “What?” I squeaked like Banana’s toy. Banana’s ears shot up in surprise.

  “You should give me the necklace,” Sadie repeated. “It’s half mine anyway, since I’m the one who said you should wish for it.”

  “But . . . but I can’t,” I said. My heart was beating fast, but my brain felt slow, like it couldn’t keep up with Sadie’s logic. I tried to explain. “It’s my birthday present. I just got it. Nana and Grumps haven’t even seen me wear it yet.”

  “Fine,” Sadie said, but it didn’t sound fine. “Then I get Banana.”

  “No!” I said. I thought my heart might gallop right out of my chest. There was no way I could choose between my dog and my best friend. They were the two most important things I had. “Sadie, stop. Please stop. It’s my birthday. Don’t be mean.”

  Sadie glared straight at me and crossed her arms. I’d never seen her look so angry. I stared down at the carpet and tried not to cry.

  “I thought you were my friend,” Sadie said. Her words felt like punches.

  “I am!” I said. “I’m your best friend. And you’re mine.”

  “Well, you’re not acting like it,” she shot back. “Best friends are supposed to share everything. I would let you wear any of my necklaces.”

  I knew she would. Sadie had about a million necklaces and they were all beautiful. “But it’s not the same,” I said, desperate to make her see. “Yours aren’t that special.” Sadie’s mouth dropped open in surprise and I knew I had said the exact wrong thing. “I mean—”

  “You’re so selfish, Anna,” Sadie said. Her cheeks were all splotchy like they sometimes get when she’s holding back tears. She turned away.

  “Anna!” my dad shouted up to us. “Sadie’s mom is here! Time to say good-bye!”

  But we didn’t say good-bye. Sadie tucked the necklace under her shirt, yanked off her birthday hat and dropped it on the floor, and marched past me without saying another word. I listened as she went downstairs and walked out the door.

  I had no idea how everything had gone so wrong.

  Banana nosed at my hand and gave it two quick licks, but I pulled away. Not even my dog could make me feel better now.

  I threw myself onto the bed and cried. I wished this birthday had never happened.

  Chapter Five

  Plan-tastic

  My Nana always says, “Everything looks brighter in the morning light.” Well, she was wrong. The morning after my birthday picnic was still stormy and dark. My tummy felt sick over the fight with Sadie. One stupid wish and I’d lost my one and only best friend forever.

  I couldn’t believe she’d stormed off like that, and taken my necklace, too. It wasn’t like her to get so mad, and I had no idea how to set things right. Part of me wasn’t even sure I wanted to. I thought she should be the one to apologize to me. But I knew she thought that I’d been mean too, and that made me feel extra terrible.

  I sat at the breakfast table, pushing the Gorilla Grams around in my cereal bowl and ignoring the disgusting sounds Chuck was making with his orange juice. It’s like boys are born with a gift for grossness. If grossness were an Olympic sport, Chuck would be a gold medalist for sure. They’d probably give him the gold, the silver, and the bronze. He’s that talented.

  My dad walked into the kitchen, straightening his tie. Even though Dad is a writer and he only has to commute to his desk right here in our house, he still gets dressed up for work every day like he used to do when he worked in a real office. Mom says if she worked from home she would never take off her bathrobe and bunny slippers, but apparently the tie helps Dad focus. And Mom doesn’t own any bunny slippers, so I guess maybe that’s some kind of joke.

  “Good morning, kiddos. Any big plans for the school day?” Dad asked as he poured himself some coffee. Chuck burped in response and broke into giggles. He was lucky Mom wasn’t in the room.

  I shook my head no and kept poking at the cereal. Then I looked up. A plan! Of course. That was exactly what I needed. Things always go better when there’s a plan. Like when Sadie’s dad took us to the county fair and we made a list first of all the rides we wanted to go on so we wouldn’t miss out on any of the best ones, and had the most fun ever. Or like the time Sadie and I got lost in the mall, but I didn’t panic because Mom had said if that ever happened I should meet her at the information booth. Or like how, if I’d only stuck to my birthday-wish plan, Sadie and I wouldn’t be fighting.

  If I had a plan, I could stop wondering what to do. I’d just follow the plan and get my best friend back. Then she’d be nice again.

  I took a bite of soggy cereal and thought while I chewed. At my feet, Banana tilted her head to one side like she was thinking hard too.

  The easiest plan would be to build a time machine and go back to before the fight ever happened, but I wasn’t sure I could do that without Sadie’s help. If I could find a real pony to give her to keep, that would probably make Sadie happy, but it wouldn’t really fix whatever had gotten her so mad in the first place. Besides, there wasn’t enough time to find a pony before I had to leave for school. I needed this plan to be simple. I tried to think of the simplest
plan possible. By the time I’d swallowed the last spoonful of Gorilla Grams, I knew how to fix things with Sadie.

  The plan was this: I had to tell Sadie I was sorry. Even though I wasn’t sure exactly what I’d done wrong, I could still apologize, since I definitely was sorry that Sadie was mad. And after I said sorry, I would give her the necklace. The necklace was mine, and it was special, but Sadie meant a bazillion times more to me than any necklace could. Besides, knowing Sadie, she’d probably let me borrow it.

  I’d set the plan in motion as soon as I got to school. Sadie would say sorry too, we’d both be forgiven, and everything would go back to normal. Since I was letting her keep the necklace, she’d forget about taking Banana. Maybe it would even stop raining in time for recess, and we could try out my new birthday jump rope from Chuck. I would let Sadie skip with it first, to show her what a good friend I can be. To show her I’m not selfish.

  Banana looked up hopefully and thumped her tail against the kitchen floor. I tossed her a stray Gorilla Gram and crossed my fingers for luck. The plan had to work.

  Chapter Six

  Hurry Up and Wait

  When I got to school, I went straight to my classroom, since it was too rainy for the playground. Sadie wasn’t there yet. Usually she gets to school first because her bus arrives early and Chuck and I walk, but today Mom drove us. I don’t mind walking to school in the rain, because I have purple boots and a polka-dot umbrella. But Chuck hates wearing a raincoat, and Mom hates hearing him whine.

  I said good morning to Ms. Burland, who was writing the word of the day on the board. Ms. Burland is the best teacher in the entire Lower School. She turns every lesson into a story and always assigns fun projects. She’s young and pretty and wears colorful shoes that she buys in places like Boston and New York City. Today her shoes were bright green, with square toes and silver buckles. The word she was writing on the whiteboard was “perky.” Perky: cheerful and lively. I said the word softly to myself and liked the popping feel of it in my mouth. It seemed like a good sign.