RSVP #6

by Melissa J Morgan

  Then their intercom sounded. Natalie pressed a button in the console beside the fireplace.

  “Yes, Mr. Bartok?” she asked.

  “Is Miss Hannah,” he said.

  “Oh, send her on up!” Natalie cried. She smiled at the others. “You’ll love Hannah.” She nodded at Alyssa. “She’s artistic, like you.”

  “Oh.” Alyssa looked less than thrilled. Natalie remembered that Alyssa’s parents had sent her to camp to help her become more social. Not that Alyssa didn’t know how to make friends. She was just quiet. But maybe Alyssa hadn’t counted on meeting anybody new this weekend.

  Soon there was a rap on the front door. Natalie called to her mother, “It’s Hannah! I’ll get it!” She trotted out of the living room, leaving the others behind.

  Natalie bounded to the front door and threw it open. Hannah stood on the other side, very cute in a ruffled denim skirt with patchwork on it and a matching light-blue blouse. She wore blue and silver beads in her cornrows, and blue and silver dangly earrings.

  Hannah looked really excited. “Did you get my phone message?” she asked as she came into the apartment. “About the award?”

  Natalie blinked. “I haven’t had a chance to check our voicemail yet. What’s up?”

  “We each got a call about your portrait of me,” Hannah explained. “They judged the art show this afternoon and your sketch got a special jury award! And Helena Attebury, the editor of the school paper, is going to be at the opening tonight and she wants to interview us both!”

  Natalie was thrilled. Then she blanched. She had already set up going to Grace’s special movie.

  “Oh. Oh . . . that’s um . . .” She looked anxiously at Grace as she joined Natalie and Hannah in the entryway. She was trying to follow what Hannah was talking about.

  Hannah added, “I figured you had something else planned with these guys, but I knew you wouldn’t want to skip the art show opening once you knew about the award.”

  “Your stuff’s in an art show?” Grace asked, looking almost as impressed as when Natalie had admitted that she had met Johnny Depp. “That’s awesome!”

  “It’s just a little show at school,” Natalie said, feeling even more anxious. It was just going to be some speeches, cookies, and punch, while the parents wandered around and looked at their kids’ artwork. The pieces themselves would remain on display for the rest of the semester.

  Except for the awards. And the newspaper interview. They were tonight only.

  “At your school? We can see your school?” Grace was practically bouncing on her toes with eagerness.

  “Unless we’re not allowed,” Jenna added, joining the trio in the foyer. Walking up to Hannah, she stuck out her hand. “Hi. I’m Jenna. One of Natalie’s bunkmates.”

  “It’s nice to meet you,” Hannah said, shaking hands, but her voice was a little flat. It sounded the way it did when she was being polite around people she didn’t especially care to be around.

  Jenna turned back to the living room. “Alyssa,” she called. “Put down the movie section! Change of plans!”

  Then Alyssa walked in. Warmed by the roaring fire, she had taken off the black sweater she had been wearing. She was down to one of her cool black T-shirts. It had only a few paint splatters. Hannah’s gaze ticked down to it, then back up to Alyssa’s face.

  Hannah said, “You must be Alyssa.”

  “And you’re Hannah,” Alyssa replied, also a little cool. “Hi.”

  “So, we’re going to an art opening at Natalie’s school,” Jenna said.

  Natalie hesitated. “Except Grace wanted to see that movie . . .” She trailed off. She didn’t know what to do.

  “If we go to a movie, all we’ll do is sit in the dark,” Jenna argued. “We could yak and hang out at the art show.”

  “I was thinking that same thing about the movies, actually,” Grace confessed. “That we wouldn’t really get much chance to talk in a movie.” She raised her brows as she smiled hopefully at Natalie. “Can we get into the art show? Can you bring guests?”

  Natalie felt totally put on the spot. She had assumed her friends wouldn’t enjoy wandering around a bunch of sketches, paintings, and sculptures made by other kids. That was why she had planned to skip the show.

  Just then, Natalie’s mother came out of her office and walked into the foyer. She said, “Good evening, Hannah. Don’t you look beautiful!”

  Hannah inclined her head. “Thank you, Ms. Goode.”

  “I just played back our messages,” Natalie’s mom told Natalie. Her eyes were shining. “Did Hannah tell you about the special jury award? That’s so exciting!”

  “I think it would be cool to go,” Grace interjected. “I’d love to see Natalie’s school.”

  “Oh, her school is in a beautiful old building,” her mother said. “Very Art Deco.”

  Alyssa perked up at the words “Art Deco,” and Natalie knew then and there that all her friends would rather go to her art show than a movie. She wanted to make sure they had a good time, but it was . . . different from what she’d planned. She really didn’t know if they would think it was all that cool once they got there.

  “Our school is beautiful,” Hannah said, and again, she sounded almost rude.

  “I’m sure it is,” Alyssa replied.

  They sure aren’t hitting it off, Natalie thought unhappily.

  “Nat, you have tons of cool DVDs,” Alyssa said. “I’m sure we’ll find at least three movies we want to watch when we get back!”

  Alyssa was right about that. Natalie’s DVD collection was amazing. She was grateful to her friend for pointing out that they could go to the art show and see movies. It looked like another winning combination.

  “Okay,” Natalie said. “The art show it is.”

  “Cool!” Grace and Jenna chorused, beaming at her.

  “If you’re sure,” Alyssa said, showing her support for Natalie.

  “I’m sure,” Natalie said decisively.

  Yes, sure—sure that the sleepover wasn’t going the way she had planned it. Well, her mom had suggested she leave room for surprises. But she just didn’t want there to be any mistakes.

  chapter FIVE

  “We’re free!” Brynn cried as they finished waving at Brynn’s mom and shut the front door. “Get ready to rumble!”

  “I’m ready!” Alex said as she and Brynn burst into giggles and raced into Alex’s room. Alex felt as if the sleepover had officially begun, and she was beyond excited.

  As they both dropped onto Alex’s bed, Brynn gazed around again with her green eyes at the dozens of trophies, certificates, and ribbons lining Alex‘s shelves.

  “I cannot get over how many awards you have,” Brynn announced. “All you need to complete your collection is Olympic gold.”

  Alex fondly shook her head as she pushed off her house slippers with her toes and planted her stockinged feet on her turquoise-and-lime green bedspread. “Not even. And I’m not sure the Olympics are in my future.”

  Brynn sat up and unlaced her tennis shoes. She slid a gaze at her friend and said, “Because of your diabetes?”

  Alex wiggled her toes. “I don’t know. Maybe. I was this big star in elementary school, but there are a lot of talented players at my middle school. I was kind of on probation on my new team. And at my game last weekend, I totally messed up.”

  Brynn rested her hand on one elbow as she lay back down beside Alex. Her dark red hair contrasted with the bedspread. “Well, I’ll be there to cheer you on tomorrow morning. It’s hard to imagine anyone being better than you at any sport!”

  Brynn’s compliment made Alex feel warm all over. “That’s nice of you to say, but it’s totally not true. There’s so much competition.”

  Brynn exhaled. “There’s so much competition being an actress! Everyone’s going after the same parts. Being surrounded by dozens of girls you think are prettier than you, and more talented . . . and then being told, ‘Sorry, you’re just not what we’re looking for.’”
She grimaced. “It’s like being on the team but never getting picked to play.”

  “Believe me, that stinks the worst,” Alex told her. She was so surprised by her own words that she clapped her hand over her mouth.

  Brynn laughed. “It does, doesn’t it? But I’m willing to go through it for my art.”

  Alex waved a hand at the rows of glittery trophies. “And then you’ll have Oscars and Emmy awards lining the shelves of your fancy Hollywood mansion.”

  Brynn’s eyes took on a faraway look. “That would be nice,” she said softly, “but those are the extras. I just want to become the best actress I can be.”

  Alex thought about that for a minute. “It’s hard to separate winning from playing,” she said. “I guess I figure that if I play well, we’ll win.”

  “Only if the others play well, too, if you’re on a team,” Brynn pointed out. “I know there are MVPs and all, but if you’re part of a team, well, you’re part of a team.”

  “Like our bunk,” Alex ventured.

  “Like our bunk,” Brynn agreed. She said, “Speaking of which, did you get the rest of the stuff for Chelsea’s present?”

  Alex nodded. “It’s going to be so cool.”

  “Great. We can work on it tonight.” Brynn scooted off the bed. “So, what’s on the evening’s agenda?

  Alex got up, too. She said uneasily, “You do remember I have to go to bed pretty early?” She made a face, “Really early, to be honest.”

  “That’s okay,” Brynn assured her. “I don’t care. It’s so fun to be here with you!”

  I hope that’s true, Alex thought anxiously.

  She kept hoping it was true. First, Brynn unpacked. Next she and Alex began to discuss what Alex should wear to the reunion, because Alex still wasn’t sure about her choice.

  Moving to her closet, she showed Brynn her first-choice reunion outfit—her navy polo top, khaki pants, and red accessories. She said, “I’m not sure these really go together. They’re from when we were going with my Color War theme.”

  “Oh, I’m going with the purple, myself,” Brynn said. “Aren’t you?”

  “I don’t have anything purple,” Alex said in a tight voice. “I look horrible in purple.”

  “You sound like you’re not into our decorating scheme,” Brynn ventured.

  “I’m not,” Alex confessed. “I think it would have been cool if both 3A and 3C did Color War. It would remind everyone that we’re rivals.”

  Brynn nodded eagerly. “I hadn’t thought of that. That’s true. That would have been totally cool. Wow, I’m really sorry we changed it now.”

  “I didn’t even have a chance to bring it up,” Alex said. She frowned. “Once Natalie said it was dumb and purple was better, Julie gave her approval and that was that.”

  “That stinks,” Brynn said hotly.

  Alex was grateful for her support. She had felt completely ignored by the entire bunk, plus Julie. Alex was the long-term alumna who had been going to Camp Lakeview forever, not Natalie. Alex was the camper who was always helping the counselors, and doing extra things for the camp . . . and now it was like Natalie was the star of it all. It hurt. A lot.

  “Well, there’s not much we can do about it now,” Alex said, sighing.

  “But they should have at least listened to you,” Brynn argued, putting her hands on her hips. “Natalie just snapped her fingers and everything was the way she wanted it.”

  “Is that how you really see it?” Alex asked her.

  Brynn was totally indignant. “Now that I’ve had a chance to think about it, yeah. I’m even sorry I’m wearing purple.”

  Alex pursed her lips tightly together. Now she felt even angrier about the situation.

  “Well, there’s nothing we can do about it now,” she said. “Let’s not wreck our overnight.”

  “Okay. Hey, what do you want to do after dinner?” Brynn asked her, helpfully changing the subject. “We can finish Chelsea’s surprise and then maybe watch a movie! Do you like to tell ghost stories? I went to a sleepover where we told each other the scariest stories until, like, three in the morning!”

  “Um, don’t forget, I have to go to bed early,” Alex reminded her again. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach. “I won’t have time to do very much after dinner, to be honest.”

  “Oh.” Brynn looked a little shocked. But she quickly covered her dismay with a quick smile. “No problem. I’m a little tired after the drive over here.” She grinned at her friend. “We should both rest up so we can enjoy the party and the all-bunk sleepover!”

  Alex smiled and nodded, but she wondered again if Brynn was sorry she’d come to Alex’s house. She didn’t seem sorry, but Brynn was a great actress.

  I wish I was half as good a soccer player, Alex thought wistfully. And I hope I can sleep tonight. I need to rest. But I’m totally amped.

  Natalie, Grace, Jenna, Alyssa, Hannah, and Natalie’s mom all piled into Hannah’s limo to go to the art show. Jenna and Grace were thrilled to be in a real limousine, especially when Hannah invited them to help themselves to the sodas and vast array of snacks. Alyssa didn’t drink anything. She sat quietly next to the tinted window, and she seemed mad or something. She didn’t even look over when Grace and Jenna started playing video games and turned on the TV.

  Natalie was sad that Alyssa and Hannah, her two best friends, didn’t seem to like each other. Hannah kept talking about people Alyssa didn’t know—like the other kids they hung out with at school. Alyssa just sat there in silence, as if she was counting the minutes until she could get out of the limo.

  After a short drive through the busy New York streets, the limo pulled to the curb. The driver opened the door. Then everyone dashed out of the cold air into Natalie’s school.

  After they checked their coats in the cloakroom, Natalie and Hannah led the way to the room where the art show was being held. There were rows of pegboards hung with pictures. Wooden pedestals held statues and ceramics some of the other students had created.

  “Natalie, your picture of Hannah is awesome!” Grace said as the four bunkmates paused in front of Natalie’s sketch.

  “It’s almost scary,” Jenna said, pretending to shiver and shake, “It looks so real!”

  “It really is beautiful, honey,” Natalie’s mom agreed.

  Alyssa whispered in her ear, “Seriously good work, Nat. And see? Everyone’s having a good time.”

  It was three-quarters true; Jenna, Grace, and Hannah were getting along great. Hannah was cracking up at Jenna’s imitation of a statue of a ballet dancer standing on one foot with her arms stretched over her head.

  Then Hannah turned her head in Natalie and Alyssa’s direction, and she stopped laughing. Alyssa didn’t see her, but Natalie did.

  Is Hannah jealous of these guys? Natalie wondered. They’re only here for two nights, and then I might not ever see some of them ever again, unless I go to camp. But she and I have all school year to hang out.

  But there was no time to wonder about it; they left soon after that to return home so they would have time to watch movies. Natalie’s mom took a cab from the school to her function, after phoning Mrs. Goldberg to let her know the girls were on their way back to the apartment.

  Hannah dropped them at the curb, saying good night to everybody . . . except Alyssa. Alyssa didn’t seem to notice.

  “Thanks again for the lift!” Grace said. “It was awesome.”

  Mr. Bartok was still on duty, and he had kept their pizzas warm in one of those padded red bags the pizza companies used. Natalie cradled the thick red bag in her arms, announcing, “Three large pizzas weigh a ton!”

  Laughing, they clambered into the elevator and went up to Natalie’s apartment.

  “Let’s see if we can IM Alex and Brynn and see what they’re up to,” Grace suggested. “They said they’d go online tonight to say hi.”

  “I brought my laptop,” Jenna announced.

  “I’ll help you get everything ready,” Alyssa told Natalie.


  “I’ll help Jenna,” Grace announced.

  Natalie and Alyssa went together into the kitchen. Natalie set the plates on the counter and got out some napkins. Alyssa opened the three pizza boxes and said, “There’s enough pizza here for the whole bunk!”

  “I guess I got carried away,” Natalie confessed. “I didn’t want anyone to go hungry.”

  “No worries. We’ll be stuffing ourselves silly,” Alyssa told her. She put double slices on each white plate.

  “We’ve got them!” Jenna cried. “Alex and Brynn are online!”

  Alyssa and Natalie each picked up two plates and carried them into the living room. Jenna had her laptop on her lap, and Grace was leaning sideways, staring at the screen.

  “Ooh! They’re in their pajamas, and they’ve . . . eaten dinner,” Grace said slowly. “That’s it?”

  “Maybe she got there late,” Alyssa said.

  “We haven’t even eaten dinner,” Jenna pointed out. “I’ll tell them they’re ahead of us!” She typed in her message.

  Natalie said, “What does everyone want to drink?”

  Everyone gave her their requests. As Alyssa moved to help her, Natalie shook her head and said, “Take a load off, Lyss. I can get them.”

  “Type, ‘We’re in Nat’s city!’” Grace said to Jenna as Jenna’s hands hovered over the laptop keyboard. “Tell them about the art show!”

  “Yeah, be sure to tell them how much fun you’re having,” Natalie teased.

  Aries8: We’re having 2 much fun! We went to an art show at Nat’s school in Hannah’s limo!

  In Alex’s room, Alex’s heart started beating a little too fast as she read Jenna’s IM over Brynn’s shoulder. Brynn was seated at Alex’s computer desk, in charge of typing their replies.

  Alex had no doubt they were doing all kinds of exciting things at Natalie’s sleepover. Maybe Natalie had invited some movie stars over. Or her dad was there. All far more thrilling than sitting around in Alex’s room talking about going to bed early!