by Laura Dower
The phone rang.
“Madison!” Mom called out. “Aimee wants to know if you’re coming or not!”
“I’m coming! I’m coming!”
Madison scrambled to pull on the capris and a T-shirt with flowers across the front. As she quickly slid on a pair of tan-colored sandals with toe loops, Phin started licking her feet. He always figured out how to get in the way when Madison was in a super rush.
Finally, she was ready to go. Madison held open her orange bag (currently empty) and tossed in all of the “essentials” that had been piled on her bed: tankini and bottoms; pink pool flip-flops; a tattered SpongeBob SquarePants beach towel (the only towel she could find); SPF 45+ sunscreen; Far Hills Rangers visored cap; LifeSavers (butterscotch and winter-green); digital camera (still on loan from Dad); an extra T-shirt that matched the capris; amazing cat-eyed sunglasses that she’d gotten while shopping with Mom the week before; and a Hello Kitty wallet, even though she wouldn’t need money, because, of course, Drew’s parents always supplied everything.
With an on-the-run kiss for both Mom and Phin, Madison flung the bag over her shoulder and raced to Aimee’s house. Her BFF was standing on the porch in her own summer ensemble: peach-colored bikini top; woven leather flip-flops; and rainbow striped miniskirt (which was actually more like a skort).
“I thought you’d never get here!” Aimee sighed when she saw Madison. She picked up her straw bag and slid it under her arm. “Are you ready? Fiona called me, like, five minutes ago.”
“I’m sorry,” Madison said. She felt a little winded after all of her hurrying. “I lost track of time this morning.”
The two of them rushed over to the Waterses’ house. Mr. Waters was on the porch with a pile of cardboard boxes he was taping together.
“Hey, Mr. Waters!” Aimee called out.
“What’s going on?” Madison asked as they got closer to the front door.
“Oh, this?” Mr. Waters groaned. He lifted up one box. “Too much stuff. We’re cleaning house.”
“Oh,” Madison said.
Aimee nudged Madison gently. “Let’s go inside, Maddie.”
The two strolled through the screen door and called for their friend. “Fiona!”
Fiona appeared in denim shorts, Keds, and a cutoff T-shirt with the words SOCCER ROCKS on the front. She had her braids pulled into elastic bands in back. It was her hairstyle when the weather was steamy.
“I thought you’d never get here!” Fiona said.
“That sounds familiar,” Madison sighed. “Aimee just said the same thing to me. It’s my fault.”
“Who cares?” Fiona said. “I just wanted to have a few minutes with you before we head over to the party. We have the hugest news. And I know, Maddie, that I promised I would tell you if anything changed…”
Changed?
“Like what?” Madison asked, nervous about what she was going to hear.
“Does this have to do with your move?” Aimee asked.
“What move?” Fiona asked, confused. “You mean to California?”
Madison and Aimee nodded at the same time.
“I think you’d better ask my mom for the details,” Fiona said.
Madison couldn’t understand how Fiona could be smiling at a time like that. They followed her into the kitchen.
Inside, there were more boxes piled up by the sink and counter. Mrs. Waters was wrapping dishes in bubble wrap.
“Maddie! Aimee!” Mrs. Waters cheered as soon as she saw Fiona’s friends. “So, today’s the big pool party at Drew’s, huh? Sounds like a lot of fun.”
“Any party at Drew’s place is a hoot,” Aimee replied.
“Mom, I told Maddie and Aim that we have news,” Fiona said.
“Oh, you did?” Mrs. Waters said.
“I think I already know what it is,” Madison said quietly.
“You do?” Mrs. Waters answered. “That’s surprising. I thought we Waterses were good at keeping secrets. But it makes sense…”
Fiona reached out and grabbed her mom’s hand.
“You tell them, Fiona,” Mrs. Waters said.
Madison bit her lip, waiting. Aimee looked a little worried now, too. All signs seemed to indicate that a big move was coming. First, thought Madison, it had been the dad meetings, and now it was boxes and packing tape…
“I’m going to be a big sister!” Fiona cried.
Madison and Aimee did a double take.
“What?” they said at the exact same time.
“Mom and Dad are having another baby!” Fiona said again.
Madison’s stomach did a loop de loop. She couldn’t believe her ears. Mrs. Waters was pregnant?
“I’m just grateful that it’s one baby and not another set of twins,” Mrs. Waters joked.
Everyone laughed.
“A baby! Duh! Of course!” Aimee said, trying to play smart even though she hadn’t ever considered this.
“So, let me get this straight…You’re not moving?” Madison asked Mrs. Waters.
Fiona’s mom shook her head gently. “No, of course we’re not moving. Whatever gave you that idea?”
Madison climbed up onto one of the stools in the Waterses’ kitchen and put her face in her hands. “I guess I just assumed…when Mr. Waters was interviewing with all those people in California and…all the boxes…”
“No, no,” Mrs. Waters said. “I can see how you jumped to conclusions. We’re remodeling the kitchen and Fiona’s dad has been looking for an alternative position.”
“Sounds like my mom,” Madison said. “She was thinking of changing jobs, too.”
“There must be something going around,” Mrs. Waters said.
“I would have told you if I knew for sure we were moving, Maddie! I said that to you, like, a hundred times,” Fiona said.
“Yeah,” Madison admitted, blushing a little. “I guess I worried for nothing.”
“So, do you know what this means?” Aimee asked the group.
Madison and Fiona smiled as Aimee told them.
“We’ll be together for eighth grade, just like we always planned!”
“Hooray!”
Aimee and Madison huddled around Fiona inside the kitchen. It was an ideal time for a BFF clinch—or at least a quick hug. They had to get moving if they were going to make it to Drew’s party in time for the action.
Of course, it wasn’t all about the pool or the BBQ for Madison. She was mostly eager to see Hart and to hear his big news.
Mr. Waters drove the girls and Chet down the long driveway in front of Drew’s house. As always, Mrs. Maxwell stood at the steps ready to greet the guests. She had on a pair of sunglasses that were much too big for her face, but that made her look like a movie star.
“Hello, hello!” Mrs. Maxwell called out to all of Drew’s friends and their parents as they approached. “Hurry inside. The show is about to begin!”
“The show?” Aimee repeated. “Is she kidding?”
“I think she just means the party,” Fiona said.
“Who cares?” Chet cried. “Let’s go. I wanna find Egg and the guys.”
Madison adjusted the waistband on her lemon capris and followed behind the others into Drew’s yard. She kept her eyes peeled for Hart.
When they got to the backyard, Madison gasped. Mrs. Maxwell hadn’t been joking. It really did look like a show. It reminded Madison of the final scene in the movie Grease, where all the kids go to a huge outdoor carnival with rides and concession stands—only, this was taking place in someone’s backyard.
Crazy.
“Is this for real?” Aimee asked. “Drew’s parents usually go way over the top, but this is like a Hollywood movie set or something.”
“Check that out!” Fiona said. “Jugglers!”
“And that clown over there is making balloon animals. Oh, let’s go…I want to get one…” Aimee said, tugging on the back of Madison’s T-shirt.
In addition to the juggler and balloon man, the yard contained a dunking tank
and a cotton candy machine. Madison recalled the start-of-school party, when Mrs. Maxwell had put out tiki torches everywhere. This time around, she had bunches of balloons and blow-up palm trees. Aimee was right on the mark: this was overkill—plus.
“Hey, you guys!” Drew said, appearing in his bathing trunks. He had on a tank top and three leis.
“Your mom has lost it,” Aimee joked. “This is incredible!”
“I know, I know,” Drew said, bowing his head in mock embarrassment. “I said, ‘Hey, Ma, what if we just barbecued some dogs and had cans of soda and went swimming?’ She thought I was kidding. That’s when she hired all the clowns. And I don’t know about you guys, but clowns freak me out.”
Madison laughed. “Juggling clowns with squirting flowers on their lapels aren’t so bad,” she teased.
Drew laughed back, even though he was probably not amused in the least. “Egg, Dan, and Hart are already here. They’re over there playing Ping-Pong, I think. Or maybe they went swimming…”
Madison glanced around but didn’t see the guys anywhere.
“No way!” Aimee blurted out.
Drew looked concerned. “What? What’s the matter?”
“Drew, you are the biggest dorkus on the planet,” Aimee said.
“Aim!” Madison scolded. “Why would you say something like that? Drew is our friend, and he invited us to come here and—”
“Maddie, look who’s here,” Aimee said, interrupting.
Madison turned to look. Ivy Daly stood a few yards away. And she was with the drones.
“Dre-e-e-e-e-e-e-ew,” Madison groaned. “You invited Ivy?”
Drew shrugged his shoulders. “My mother invited every member of our class. I didn’t have a say. Sorry. She said it wasn’t nice to leave people out.”
“That’s what they tell you in nursery school,” Fiona said. “‘Make sure you invite everyone from the class.’ But the rules change a lot by the time junior high rolls around, don’t you think?”
Drew looked despondent. “I knew you girls would give me a hard time about having Poison Ivy here. Just blow her off. Who cares?”
Madison was ready to explode.
Who cares? Was he kidding? How could you blow off something that slimy?
Just then, Lindsay and Madhur came over together.
“This party is the atomic bomb,” Madhur said. “Did any of you guys try one of Drew’s dad’s fruit smoothies yet? There’s a clown over there who makes them to order. Amazing.”
“Maddie, you look pretty today,” Lindsay said, giving Madison a warm smile. “Dressing special for anyone in particular?”
Aimee chuckled. “Like we don’t know who!”
“For Dan, of course,” Fiona teased.
“Dan?” Madison asked, confused.
“Hey,” Lindsay said, giving Fiona a little pinch. “Dan’s mine.”
“But you do mean Pork-O, don’t you?” Aimee cracked.
Fiona made a face. “Stop being mean,” she warned Aimee. “He doesn’t deserve that nickname anymore.”
“When he stops stealing brownies off lunch trays, I’ll ditch the name,” Aimee said. “But until then—”
“Let’s just go find the other guys,” Madison suggested. “And do everything in our power to avoid the enemy, okay?”
The cluster of BFFs marched across the lawn toward their other guy friends. Madison figured that Ivy probably saw her, but as long as Madison didn’t make eye contact, things would be just dandy.
“Is Ben coming?” Aimee wondered aloud.
Madhur giggled. “I can’t believe you have such a crush. I mean, did you hear that speech yesterday? He’s the biggest brainiac ever.”
“Look who’s talking, Madhur!” Aimee said. “You’re the one who likes Chet. I mean, that takes the cake.”
“What cake?” Madhur said.
“Stop talking about cake,” Lindsay cut in. “It’s making me hungry.”
Madison couldn’t believe her friends were bickering—and about these boys. Then again, she’d been bitten by the boy bug recently, too.
“Yo! Over here!” Egg saw the girls coming and waved.
Fiona raced over first. Then, as expected, Madhur went straight up to Chet. Lindsay found Dan, too. Hart smiled at Madison.
Aimee looked momentarily lost, with no specific boy destination, but the lost look lasted only a few seconds. Madison figured that Ben probably wasn’t coming, and most girls would have wilted hearing that kind of news, but Aimee didn’t appear to let it get her down. Then again, she was never one to let boys get her down.
Like right now.
Aimee smoothed out her shirt and struck a confident dancer’s pose.
“Know what this party needs?” Aimee declared. “Good music. Hey, Drew!” She called out for their friend and left the couples behind.
Madison admired the way Aimee didn’t need anyone else to tell her how to act or what to believe or how to feel—even when she was the odd girl out. She was always opinionated and straightforward and so…well, so Aimee. That made her all the more lovable.
Hold on.
Madison stopped in midthought and blinked. What was she thinking? Where was her head? Talk about a sentimentality overdose.
Bleccch.
Of all people not to get overmushy about, Aimee led the list. If Aimee had known what Madison had just been thinking, she would probably have made little sick faces and stuck out her tongue like a grass snake…
Okay, back to reality.
Madison’s thoughts whizzed from Aimee to their little group to the clown juggler and back again, trying to find another reality landing strip somewhere in Drew’s backyard. What was it about this whole scene that felt like a movie set, besides everything?
Just then, a clown with an enormous red nose and oversize green shoes waddled over toward Madison and sprayed her with some Silly String.
Her friends laughed. Hart was the loudest. Madison watched them clutch their stomachs, laughing all the while.
“What’s so funny?” Madison asked innocently as she plucked string out of her hair.
Chet was practically rolling on the lawn. Then Drew came back over, with his mother by his side.
“Nice clowns,” Madison said.
“Aw, darling!” Mrs. Maxwell said as she pulled a strand of string off Madison’s shoulder. “I don’t think it’ll stain your shirt.”
“Sorry,” Drew said, stifling one of his usual snort-laughs. Through the entire seventh-grade year he had continuously snorted.
“It’s okay,” Madison said. “I’ll get you back.”
“What’s the next attraction, Drew?” Lindsay asked.
Drew threw his arms up in the air. “Karaoke!” he declared. “We set up a machine in the screening room.”
Madison and her friends exchanged smiles. They’d all been over a few times during the school year to watch videos and nosh on flavored popcorn. It was like watching a movie in your own private theater; it was certainly better than renting movies at the store and watching them on a thirty-two-inch TV set like the one in Madison’s living room.
Aimee raced toward the screening room with Madison, Madhur, Fiona, and Lindsay right behind her. But they weren’t the only girls headed that way. Ivy and her drones walked just ahead.
How perfect.
“Hey, Finnster, hold up!”
Hart was right on Madison’s heels. She turned to face him.
“Where’s the fire?” he joked.
Madison smiled. “I can’t believe Poison Ivy is here with her drones.”
Hart chuckled. “Yeah, crazy. Right?”
The other boys walked past, leaving Madison and Hart alone on a patch of grass. Everyone else was karaoke-bound.
“We should go,” Madison said, turning back around again. But Hart grabbed her elbow.
“Can we talk?” Hart asked.
Madison nodded. “Sure.”
He sounded so serious.
“I mean, really talk. I mean…well�
��I have to tell you something important.”
“What’s going on?” Madison asked. “Is this the thing you texted me about yesterday?”
“Yeah.”
“Is something the matter? Are you feeling okay?”
“Not really.”
Madison got a lump in her throat.
“What’s the matter?” she asked Hart.
By now, everyone had pretty much disappeared into the house. Madison saw that the only people left outside were her, Hart, and the clown with all the balloon animals. He was working on a giraffe with a very long, orange neck.
“Look,” Hart stammered. “I don’t know how to tell you this”
The lump in Madison’s throat multiplied tenfold. She did not like the sound of this. The conversation sounded like one of those soap opera scenes right before the girl gets ditched. All sorts of questions blazed through her mind. Here they were at the end of seventh grade. It made sense that it could be the end of something else, too. Was Hart planning to like Ivy instead? Was there some girl he lifeguarded with at the pool? Had he decided that he’d rather stay “just friends” with Madison instead of staying “in like” with her?
“I have some news…well, bad news…” Hart said. “I mean, I think it stinks so much.”
“Stinks?” Madison’s eyes got wide. “What is it?” she asked.
As Hart ran his fingers through his brown, tousled hair, Madison noticed a row of freckles near his ear that she’d never noticed before. She stared at him—hard—and listened close, wanting to reach out and touch those freckles. But she kept her hands to herself.
“Just tell me what it is,” Madison said softly.
She expected Hart to launch into some long-winded explanation, but he didn’t. He didn’t say a word. Instead, Hart leaned very close to Madison’s face, so close that she could practically see his pores.
A few moments passed.
“Um…Hart?”
“Madison?”
“Hart?” Madison said his name a second time.
What was he doing?
All at once, without warning, Hart leaned forward a little more, right into Madison. He pressed his face into her face, kind of hard, so that their teeth clicked together.
