Twice As Nice

by Lin Oliver

  “You don’t think I look too much like Captain Hook?” she asked.

  “Not unless you have a crocodile chasing after you.”

  “I think Sara would appreciate it if you wouldn’t crack jokes at a time like this,” Sammie complained. As far as she was concerned, I couldn’t do anything right.

  Pardon me for breathing.

  Just then, someone knocked at the door. Sammie lunged at me and grabbed the phone, turning off the screen in one swift motion.

  “Charlie,” Lily called through the door. “Come on. We’re all ready.”

  “It’s just Lily,” I told them. “Can I show the pictures to her? She’s such a creative clothes designer, and she’s making a ton of hats for Bethany’s party. I’ll bet she’d have some great suggestions for you.”

  “Don’t you dare,” Sammie said. “This is something we talked about in Truth Tellers. And what we say in Truth Tellers stays in Truth Tellers. That’s our motto.”

  “Okay, okay. I get it. I was just trying to help.”

  There was another knock at the door and this time, I heard Lauren talking.

  “You’re holding everything up, Charlie. Come on.”

  “And never breathe a word of this to her,” Sammie said. “She can’t be trusted. You and I both know that, but you just won’t admit it.”

  There it was again. Sammie was never going to let this go. She obviously could not forgive and forget. One day, we’ll probably be forty years old and she’ll still be telling me about how bad a friend Lauren Wadsworth was to me.

  I put my hand on the doorknob and turned it.

  “Careful not to let her see in when you’re going out,” Sammie warned.

  I slid out of the door sideways and closed it behind me. Lily had already gone back into the kitchen, but Lauren and Bethany were standing on their tiptoes trying to see inside. “Well? What was it? Was there a guy in there? I bet it was that Devon kid. He’s kind of hot for a weirdo,” Lauren said.

  “What are they hiding?” Bethany asked. “Are they in trouble? Did they steal something? Was it jewelry?”

  “Sorry, I can’t tell you,” I answered as we walked back to the kitchen. “I’m pledged to secrecy. But it’s none of those things, and it’s not that interesting, anyhow.”

  “You’re really not going to tell us?” Lauren was amazed.

  “Uh, that’s what secrecy means, brainiac,” Lily said, laughing. “Now come on, Lauren, refocus. We’ve got creative work to do here.”

  Lily held up each of our purchases and described how she was planning to use it. For instance, she was going to make pink velvet bows and put them all over the hard hat to show that girls could be construction workers, too. Then she held up this old rhinestone pin that was shaped like a cookie. She put it on the front of the Girl Scout beanie.

  “I love that one,” Bethany said, taking out her phone and snapping a picture of it. “I’m going to post it on Instagram.”

  “Don’t show it to everyone before the party,” Lily protested. “It’ll ruin the surprise.”

  “I’ll just do this one,” Bethany said.

  By then, GoGo had returned from the beach and joined us.

  “What’s Instagram?” she asked. I was surprised she hadn’t heard about it, because even though she’s a grandma, she’s pretty up on current things.

  “It’s a photo-sharing site,” I explained. “People take pictures and post them so everyone can see and comment on them.”

  “Oh my,” GoGo said. “Isn’t anything private anymore? Does the world have to see everything we’re all doing every minute?”

  “It’s really fun,” Bethany said. “I post all the time.”

  “Do you and Sammie do this Insta . . . whatever you call it?” GoGo asked me.

  “We can’t yet. You have to have a smartphone to have Instagram. And besides, Mom and Dad would probably never let us get it.”

  Bethany smirked at me and then showed GoGo the picture she had posted of the Girl Scout hat with the cookie. There were already three comments. A girl name Jenna had said, “One year, I ate all the Thin Mints before I even sold a box.” Someone named Lizzy had written, “Dork City.” And Bethany’s boyfriend had posted, “See you later, cookie.”

  “See how much fun it is?” Bethany said. “You get instant feedback.”

  “I think what we’re doing right here in real life is much more fun,” GoGo said. “Lily, show us what else you’ve created.”

  Lily went on demonstrating her ideas. When GoGo saw the bright-orange straw hat I had picked out, she clapped her hands with pleasure.

  “Love the color,” she exclaimed. “I have an old scarf with pink flamingos that would look stunning as a band on that hat. Wait right here and I’ll get it.”

  I didn’t say a word, just watched as GoGo went to her room and came back empty-handed.

  “That’s a mystery,” she said. “I could have sworn I saw it in my closet this morning.”

  “Maybe it got up and walked into Sammie’s room,” Lauren said, making her voice sound all mysterious and creepy like a zombie. “There seem to be a lot of secrets going on in there.”

  Everybody laughed. I laughed, too, a little too loud, the way you do when you’re trying to cover something up—like the fact that the flamingo scarf really was in our room.

  “I can’t wait to see everyone wearing these hats Saturday night,” Bethany said. “And then when we all take them off and throw them in my honor—it’s going to be awesome. It’s too bad you guys won’t be there to see it.”

  “We could be if you’d invite us,” Lauren hinted.

  “I don’t mean to insult you, but this is a high-school party. You guys wouldn’t fit in. You don’t even know my friends.”

  “But if our application for Junior Waves gets approved, we’ll be at the football game Friday night, and we could sit together with you guys and meet everyone,” Lauren argued.

  “We wouldn’t have to stay for the whole party,” Lily chimed in. “We could leave right after the hat throwing.”

  “I could bring my brother, Ryan, and he’s in the eighth grade,” I added. It wasn’t the strongest argument, but it was the best I had at the moment.

  Bethany hesitated.

  “I’ll be sure to make enough kebabs for everyone,” GoGo said, emphasizing the word everyone. She’s so great. One of the things she always says is, “Why exclude when you can include?” And there she was, taking our side in this.

  “Let’s wait and see what your principal says about the club,” Bethany answered. “But I’m not making any promises.”

  When it was time to leave, I walked out to the parking lot with Lauren.

  “This was such a fun day,” I said to her.

  “Tomorrow will be even better,” she said, “if we get the okay to go ahead with Junior Waves. And wait until you hear what I have planned for us. It’s epic.”

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “Initiation,” she whispered. “Tests of loyalty. Mysterious ceremonies. Weird dangerous stuff.”

  “Like what?”

  “First tell me what was going on in your room with Sammie and those girls,” she bargained.

  “I can’t.”

  “Oh, come on,” she begged. “I dare you. I double dare you.”

  “I really can’t say, Lauren.”

  “Well, then I can’t say what my epic plan is. Maybe you’ll find out, maybe you won’t.”

  “Lauren, that’s not fair!”

  “I know,” she said, and I heard her laughing all the way to the car.

  “We got it!” Lauren screamed. “Look, read this!”

  It was the next day, and I was sitting at the lunch table with the SF2s.

  “Read what it says, Lauren,” Brooke said. “Don’t skip one word.”

 
Everyone was focused on Lauren, who was standing at the head of the table. She cleared her throat.

  “From the Office of Principal Peter S. Pfeiffer,” she began dramatically. “I have granted permission for the formation of a new school club called the Junior Waves. The charter members are Lauren Wadsworth, Brooke Addison, Jillian Kendall—”

  “That’s me,” Jillian squealed.

  “I think we all know that, Jilly,” Ben Feldman said.

  “—Lily March, and Charlie Diamond. Pretty amazing, huh, guys?”

  “Is that all it says?” Jared asked. “There’s a ton more written on that paper. I can see it from here.”

  “Honestly, Jared, what I just read is the only important part. It goes on with all this stuff about how we have to maintain our grade point average and participate in school-sponsored community service. Junk like that.”

  “Thank goodness we have Charlie for all that,” Jillian said.

  I know what Sammie would have said about her comment, that they were just using me to get the club approved. But I put that out of my mind and instead tried to feel proud that I was doing my share to help us all become Junior Waves.

  “Anything else?” Lily asked.

  “Nothing much,” Lauren said. “There’s this whole paragraph that goes on and on about how we can’t be exclusive or discriminate against anyone, blah, blah, blah.”

  “Whoa, there,” Brooke said, holding up her hand. “Does that mean we have to let anyone who wants to join?”

  “What’s wrong with that?” Spencer said.

  “But I thought this was our club.”

  “It will be our club,” Lauren said. “We’ll be the founders and the officers and run it. We’ll be the Core Four, just like always. Jilly, Brooks, Lilykins, and me.”

  Wait a minute. Where was I in that list? I was missing, that’s where I was. I sat there at the table, feeling like someone had punched me in the stomach, but I was too intimidated to say anything.

  “Wait, what about Charlie?” Lily said. “She’s the whole reason we got permission to form the club in the first place.”

  “Oh, wow, did I leave Charlie out?” Lauren said. I couldn’t tell if she was faking it. “I’m sorry.”

  “That’s okay,” I said, although I wasn’t sure I really meant it.

  “Then it’s official,” Lauren went on, with a wave in my direction. She pretended to pound an imaginary gavel on the table. “I’m announcing that the first meeting of the Junior Waves is today after school at my house. Is everybody in?”

  “I can’t do it,” Lily said. “I’ve got to go home to work on the hats. I’ve finished fifteen, but I’m still only halfway done.”

  “But we need you, Lily.” Lauren seemed annoyed with her. “Who’s going to design our T-shirts? We’ve got to get them printed before Friday if we’re going to wear them to the game.”

  “Maybe we just won’t wear them to this week’s game,” I suggested. “We can always wait until the next game.”

  “That’s a terrible idea, Charlie,” Lauren snapped. “This is the most important week to wear them. We have to make a good impression on Bethany’s friends and the high-school kids. Unless you guys just don’t want to get invited to her party.”

  “Oh, we do,” Brooke and Jillian said in unison.

  “So then we need our T-shirts right away,” Lauren declared. “That’s all there is to it.”

  “Okay, maybe I can get my mom to help,” Lily said. “Actually, she’s the one who designed the T-shirts and bags for The Waves. She’s at home today doing a photo shoot for her new line of cover-ups. I’ll text her. We could meet at my house later to see what she’s done.”

  Lauren looked unhappy with this plan.

  “The first meeting should really be held at the president’s house,” she said.

  “So now Lauren’s the president?” Spencer said, shaking his head at the rest of us. “I don’t remember you guys having an election.”

  “Well, I just assumed that since it was all my idea in the first place, I’d be the president,” Lauren answered.

  “I don’t think that’s the way elections work.” Spencer looked annoyed. “This may come as a total shock, but you’re not the boss of everyone, Lauren.”

  The whole group got real quiet. It was highly unusual for anyone in the SF2s to question Lauren’s authority, and we were all waiting to see what she’d do. She didn’t like it one bit, I can tell you that.

  “Just because your father’s on city council, it doesn’t mean you know everything about elections and politics and how to run things, Spencer,” she snapped, putting her hands on her hips. “I haven’t noticed you forming a club, so what do you know about clubs, anyway?”

  “Spencer is on three sports teams,” I heard myself saying. “He’s also in the Heal the Bay Club and the Multicultural Club. I think he knows a thing or two about participation.”

  I surprised myself at my firm tone of voice and ability to stand up to Lauren in front of everyone. I certainly hadn’t planned to do it, but when she attacked Spencer, the words just fell out of my mouth. What was an even bigger surprise was that Lauren gave in.

  “Okay, fine,” she said. “I’m in too good a mood to argue. If it’s so important to everyone, we’ll meet at Lily’s house. Four o’clock. Don’t be late, we have a lot to do.”

  I had to go to my locker before fifth period, so I got up to leave before the lunch bell rang. Spencer got up, too, and walked with me across the lawn. It was a gorgeous day, and I couldn’t help but notice the way the sun was shining on Spencer’s blond hair. His hair is dark blond and curly, so the sunlight just caught the ends and for some reason, it reminded me of a plate of crispy curly fries.

  I kind of laughed to myself.

  “What’s so funny?” he asked.

  “I was just thinking that your hair looks like curly fries,” I confessed.

  “And . . . that’s a good thing or a bad thing?”

  “Oh good. Very good. I love curly fries.”

  I winced right after I said that. Had I just told Spencer Ballard that I loved him? I hope I hadn’t, even though I think I might actually love him. Certainly big-time like.

  “Thanks for sticking up for me back there,” he said. “Lauren can bite like a shark when she feels like it.”

  “She’s got a lot of natural leadership skills,” I said.

  He laughed out loud.

  “I like Lauren,” he said. “We’ve been friends forever. But let’s face it, she can definitely be mean when she wants to be.”

  I didn’t say anything. Lauren and I were at the beginning of rebuilding our friendship, and I didn’t want to be disloyal to her in any way.

  “So it seems you’re pretty familiar with my activities,” Spencer said. “You almost know more about what I do than me.”

  I was so embarrassed, I wanted to transform into a worm, drop into the grass, and slither away. It never occurred to me when I was speaking up that I was also revealing my interest in Spencer. He probably thought I was some kind of stalker.

  “I just . . . um . . . have this photographic memory for stuff like that,” I said. “Details plant themselves in my brain and stay there.”

  Shut up, Charlie. This isn’t helping. He doesn’t care about your memory. You sound like you’re a science experiment.

  Thank goodness we had reached my locker. I wanted to put my face inside it and slam the door.

  “Well, I have to go change for PE,” he said. “So I’ll see you around.”

  “Bye,” I answered, unable to look him in the face.

  He headed down the hall, and I focused intently on my locker combination, twirling that little knob around like it was a spinning top.

  “Oh by the way, Charlie,” he said, turning to me just before he rounded the corner. “I know all your activiti
es, too.”

  He shot me a full dimple smile, and then he walked away.

  “I think it’s that house over there,” I said to my dad as he drove a mile an hour down Sea Breeze Lane looking for Lily’s house. “Lily said it looks like a log cabin only without the logs.”

  “That makes zero sense,” Sammie piped up from the backseat. “A log cabin without logs is not a log cabin and therefore couldn’t possibly look like one.”

  “Fine, Sammie,” I said. “You win. I’m just repeating what Lily said.”

  I didn’t want to argue with her. We had just finished a tennis practice where we actually spoke to each other, and had even managed to give each other a few compliments like “nice shot” or “good serve.” It wasn’t exactly kisses and hugs, but it was slightly better than the icy stares she had been giving me.

  I had never been to Lily’s house before. She doesn’t usually invite people over after school, since both her parents work at home and we’d be in the way. Her dad is a record producer and her mom is a fashion designer. They spend a lot of time in the studio they built in the backyard.

  “I don’t see a house that looks like a log cabin, with or without logs,” my dad said. “All I see are ten-foot-high hedges.”

  “The house is probably behind one of them,” I said. “You can just drop me off, Dad. I’ll find it.”

  “No way, Jose.”

  He pulled the car to a stop in the middle of the road and started fiddling with his navigation system, trying to plug in Lily’s address.

  “Dad, I’m already late,” I groaned. “I don’t have time for this.”

  Although the newly formed Junior Waves club had agreed to meet at four o’clock precisely, my dad had insisted I come home after school to practice with Sammie for an hour. When I complained, he reminded me that I had agreed to put school and tennis first before Junior Waves. Then after tennis, we had to wait another ten minutes for Sammie to find her stupid Spanish book so that after he dropped me off, he could drop her off at Alicia’s house to study. I knew Sara would be there, too, because Sammie asked if she could borrow some more of my headbands and my gray-and-white striped beanie.