I sat back down with the rubber band and thought about the poster while my teammates worked. It was one of those things grown-ups might say to kids, and I wondered how to make it true. I couldn’t change how Mom felt about Scott, I couldn’t get Grandma Grace to change her mind about furs, and I couldn’t get Mom to move us back to New Jersey no matter how hard I tried.
But over the last week, I’d been thinking a lot. I’d been wanting the change to come from other people, but maybe the change needed to come from me. I could trust Scott when he told me how much he loved me and that he’d never forget about me, no matter how far apart we might live from each other. I could get to know my grandmother better even if she owned a fur store, something I was against. I could forgive my mom for not being honest with me and believe her when she said she did it because she wanted to give us a family with two parents.
And I could make friends in Bennetsville, or at least learn to be a better friend to someone who had trusted me.
It had been a week since Fur-Free Friday. A whole week of no friends, of tiptoeing around family members … and of feeling sorry for myself.
Maybe I was still like Annalise, taking the easy way out instead of facing my own problems. I looked over at Lydia while we did the group cheer.
It was time for things to change.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
W hen I got home from the meeting Saturday afternoon, the first thing I noticed was the vase in the middle of the table. My beautifully decoupaged vase filled with fresh flowers!
“Did your secret admirer send you more flowers?” I asked, laughing.
Mom dropped her keys on the counter. “Actually, the flowers are from one of my critique partners.”
I hesitated. “Jeb?”
“Another critique partner who’s been meeting with us,” Mom said. “Her name’s Caroline.”
“Oh.” Her answer immediately made me feel better. But just because it was Caroline this time didn’t mean that Jeb wasn’t waiting with flowers around the corner.
Mom patted the seat next to her. “I’ve been thinking about that secret admirer. Strange how he only sent one gift, and then I never heard from him again.”
“Maybe he gave up.”
“It really is a gorgeous vase. Someone went to a lot of trouble to decorate the bottle, someone who’s very artistic. And you know what else I noticed? Those roses looked just like the ones in Mrs. Wright’s backyard. Isn’t that funny?” She winked at me.
“Not really.” I sank into a chair. “When did you figure it out?”
Mom smiled. “You could say I had a hunch right away.”
“But you didn’t say anything—”
“I thought I’d wait to see what happened. Why’d you do it? I know it wasn’t just to brighten my day, which it definitely did.”
I sighed. “It was part of Sunny’s Super-Stupendous Plan to Get Mom and Dad Back Together. Which totally failed.”
Mom’s eyebrows crinkled. “Sunny’s Super … what?”
“Stupendous Plan. I thought the only thing missing between you and Scott was romance. So I came up with a bunch of ideas to get you to fall madly in love again—”
“That’s what it was all about? The photos of Scott all over the house? The playlists? The photo album?”
“And the makeover.”
Mom laughed. “I had no idea … Guess that shows how much I’m living in my own little world.”
“I sent the makeover photo to Scott, but he didn’t really say anything about it. Then he sent that photo of Mark to me by accident, when I asked for pictures for the album … and once I figured out there was nothing I could do to get you and Scott back together, I changed my plan. That’s when I came up with Sunny’s Super-Stupendous Plan to Get Back Home. Only it wasn’t so stupendous.”
“Oh, honey …” Mom put an arm around my shoulder and gave me a little hug. “I’m so sorry. I should have been honest with you from the start.”
We didn’t say anything for a minute, just sat there staring at my vase filled with colorful flowers. Finally, I reached forward and touched a sunflower. “It’s pretty,” I said.
“Yes,” Mom said. “Sunflowers are pretty … and strong. You know why I named you Sunflower?”
I shrugged, even though Mom had told me before.
“It’s because they show resilience. They always follow the sun and always stand proud and tall. Just like you, Sunny. I know things have been hard for you lately, and I’ve—we’ve—made a lot of mistakes. But you’ll get through all this and you’ll be just fine.”
I nodded, wanting with all my heart to believe her.
“So, how was practice this afternoon?” Mom asked.
I looked away from the sunflowers, glad that she’d changed the subject. “Good. Um … I was wondering, do you think we could stop by Earthly Goods sometime?”
“Did you and Lydia make up?”
I shook my head. “Not yet.”
A grin spread across my mom’s face and she picked up her keys. “Well, no time like the present. I’ve always wanted to buy some of that tofu ice cream they have! What are we waiting for?”
CHAPTER THIRTY
Lydia’s eyebrows went up when we walked into Earthly Goods. I waved at her and she waved back. I took that as a good sign.
After we picked out our Tofutti from the cooler, Mom said she wanted to look at the natural soaps and lotions, so I headed back to the front of the store. “Hi,” I said as I walked up to the counter.
“Hi,” Lydia said.
“I had a craving for Tofutti.”
“You came to the right place then. Did you see the new flavors?”
I waited until she finished listing flavors, and then I knew I couldn’t wait any longer. “Look, Lydia, I’m sorry. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the truth about my grandmother, and I’m sorry if you think I was using you by joining the protest. I hate that my grandmother sells fur coats, but I didn’t know what to do about it. Still, even though I was upset about the coats, I was more upset about my parents. My mom and dad—well, his name’s Scott and they’re not married—actually, I’m adopted, but only by Mom. But anyway, I wanted them to get back together. I tried all kinds of things and nothing worked and I found out there was nothing keeping them together, and that’s when I knew I had to get back home, so Scott couldn’t forget me.” I stopped to catch my breath.
Lydia didn’t say anything for a while. Finally she nodded. “The protest was your ticket home.”
“Yeah.” I dropped my head.
Lydia put her hand on my shoulder. “I’m sorry about your parents.”
I looked back up at her. “Me, too. And I’m sorry about the ratatouille. I should never have followed Jessie and those girls just because you brought some stinky food, and I should have given you a chance earlier—”
“It’s okay, Sunny. I forgive you.”
Mom picked that exact moment to walk up with the groceries. She chatted to Lydia about recipes like she hadn’t even noticed we were having an important conversation.
“Nice seeing you, Mrs. Beringer,” Lydia said after Mom had paid. She looked over at me. “Hope you enjoy your Tofutti!”
“Thanks,” I said, then paused. “See you Monday?”
“Sure,” Lydia said. “You can sit with us if you want, but I’m warning you—I’m bringing ratatouille.”
“That’s all right,” I said quickly.
A big grin stretched across Lydia’s face. “Just kidding! I’m not that crazy about eggplant, either.”
I burst out laughing and Lydia joined me. Mom looked at both of us like we’d lost our minds. “What’s so funny about eggplant?”
I was laughing too hard to answer.
“It looks a little gross!” Lydia finally said, which sent us off into another fit of giggles.
“I take it you’ve made up?” Mom asked on the way home. “You’re friends again?”
“Yeah.” I settled back in my seat. A lot of things hadn’t worke
d out the way I’d planned. But even though I never expected to be friends with Lydia, it turned out to be exactly what I needed.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Sorry I Haven’t Written!
Hi Maddy! I’m really sorry I haven’t written in a while. Yes, I got the picture of you and Emma dressed up as witches, and yes, I guess I was a little mad at you. I moved away and you got a new best friend—snap—just like that. And it made me really sad, especially since it’s hard making new friends over here.
Things got a little crazy for a while, but now it’s getting better. I’ve actually made a new friend, too. I will tell you the whole story someday if you have time. Hint: It has something to do with my grandma’s fur store. All I can say is moving to a new place has not been easy!
I’m working on a Happy Holidays card for you and I’ll send it soon.
Sunflower
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Re: Sorry I Haven’t Written!
Sunflower!!!!! I like that you signed your old name. You are still my best friend, and always will be. Mom says we can set up a time to FaceTime. Then you can tell me the whole story. I can’t wait to talk to you!!!
XOXOXO,
Madeline
When I got home from school on Monday afternoon, I knew it was time to talk to my grandmother. I’d been learning to be tough and resilient, like my name, by asking my parents serious questions and learning to accept the answers. It also meant doing things I was uncomfortable with, like apologizing to Lydia and trying to explain things to my grandmother.
Silently rehearsing what I’d say to Grandma Grace, I took the plate of tuna fish to the far corner of the yard to feed Ripple like I had every afternoon when I came home. But she didn’t come running and I didn’t hear a rustle of leaves and branches.
I stopped thinking about Grandma’s furs and cupped my hands over my mouth. “Ripple! Come here, kitty kitty!”
No response. I called again, louder this time. But I didn’t see her, and all I could hear was the wind blowing through the trees. My stomach churned. Something was wrong. Ripple always came when I called for her. I bent down on my knees and peered under the bushes.
If I didn’t know the cat’s brown and gold markings well, I would never have spotted her in the underbrush.
“Ripple?” My voice came out in a whisper. She didn’t move. I crept closer to her, my hand shaking as I parted the leaves. One of her eyes was swollen shut and dried blood matted her fur. She let out a weak mew, so soft I could barely hear it.
I got up and raced toward the house, my heart pounding louder than my tennis shoes hitting the grass.
“Mom! Mom!” I yelled as I burst in the back door, letting it slam behind me.
Grandma Grace rushed into the kitchen. “Sunny? What is it?”
I glanced out the window and noticed the jeep was gone. “Where’s Mom?”
“She left to run a few errands. What’s wrong? Maybe I can help.”
I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, leaning against a kitchen chair. “It’s—it’s my cat.”
My grandmother’s eyebrows shot up. “Your cat?”
I nodded. “I mean, she’s not actually my cat—Mom made us leave Stellaluna at home. But it’s a stray I’ve been taking care of, and she’s really hurt. We need to get her to the vet right now. I promise I’ll pay you back—”
“Let’s not worry about that now.” Grandma Grace headed out to the utility porch, where she found a box and an old blanket. “Okay, now where’s this cat of yours?”
I was out the door and across the yard in three leaps. I bent down on the grass, finding Ripple in the exact spot I’d left her. “Ripple,” I said softly, “I’m going to help you. Then you’ll feel good as new.”
My grandmother’s heels dug into the dirt as she came closer and kneeled down next to me. The cat blinked at me with her one good eye. She didn’t struggle as I slipped my arms beneath her and placed her in the box.
“I heard barking last night,” Grandma Grace said. “I woke up and looked out my window. There were a couple of big black dogs running across the yard. I went downstairs and banged on the back door to get them to leave.”
I looked down at Ripple lying so still in the box, her fur caked with blood. Her eyes were closed and her tail didn’t even flicker. I swallowed. “I bet they attacked her.”
“A couple of aggressive dogs can kill a cat when they gang up,” Grandma Grace said. “Let me just give your mom a call so she’ll be back when Autumn gets home, and then we’ll be on our way.”
I bit my lip as my grandmother picked up the phone. Hurry, hurry, hurry!
“How long have you known this cat?” Grandma Grace asked when we pulled out of the driveway a few minutes later.
“Since we moved here.” I stroked Ripple’s head. “She’s been hanging around the yard.”
“I guess your old grandmother’s a little dense when it comes to hints,” she said as we stopped at a light.
I shrugged. If Mom had been driving, she would have gone straight through the yellow. We took off again, slow and steady. I looked over at the speedometer. “Can’t you drive a little faster?”
“I’m going the speed limit, Sunny, even if your mom doesn’t believe in it.”
I slumped back in my seat with a sigh.
“Anyway, as I was saying, I should have paid more attention, and not just about the cat. You hated that I sold fur coats from the moment you found out.”
“Um, yeah.” I gripped the box tightly, watching my knuckles turn white. I’d been planning how I was going to bring up the subject for a week, and now my grandmother was making it easier on me. But I couldn’t concentrate on anything except the cat on my lap, the cat who might die if we didn’t get her to the vet soon.
Grandma Grace had both hands up on the steering wheel, her eyes fixed on the road ahead. “Still, I was totally unprepared. Seeing you up on the screen was a shock, and when you lashed out at me—”
“I’m sorry! I didn’t know what else to do. I didn’t want to hurt your feelings, honest! I wanted to speak up for the animals, so at first I was just going to wear the costume to the protest and no one would have ever found out. But then I realized that getting back to New Jersey was more important than anything else in the world, so that’s when I decided to speak to the lady on TV. I was just trying to make you mad enough to send us home. That’s all I wanted. To go home. I’m sorry if you hate me—” My voice broke and I looked down at Ripple, her brown and caramel swirls blurring in front of me.
“Oh, Sunny.” My grandmother shook her head. “I could never hate you. You’re my granddaughter.” She took her hand off the steering wheel and patted my hand. Then her foot went down on the accelerator and when I looked up at the speedometer, we were going five miles over the speed limit.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Let me be honest with you,” the doctor said an hour later, after he’d taken Ripple to an examining room. “This cat’s been hurt badly. She’s lost a lot of blood and probably has some internal injuries. She’ll need surgery, and even with that, there’s no guarantee she’ll make it.”
I gripped the counter in front of me. Ripple will make it. She just has to.
“You’ll have to make up your mind if you want to take a chance with the surgery,” the doctor continued. “It can be quite expensive when we see an animal with these kind of injuries. I can work up a quote, and then you can decide what you want to do.”
I was afraid to look at my grandmother. I concentrated on taking slow, easy breaths. My eyes rested on a photo of Dr. Wenton and a large, happy dog. He seemed like a nice enough person, one who loved animals. Maybe he’d let me work off the bill by helping around the clinic.
I could picture myself, wearing a white lab coat, feeding the animals that stayed overnight, walking dogs, cheering up lon
ely cats.
“There’s no time to wait for a quote,” Grandma Grace said, taking out her credit card and handing it to the doctor. “This animal needs help right away.”
I turned to face my grandmother, the last person I would have expected to try to save a cat’s life. “Thank you,” I said, my voice coming out in a whisper.
“Don’t worry, you’ll pay me back. I’ve got plenty of chores that need doing around the house,” she said with a wink.
I nodded, thinking about how I’d been planning on asking her about chores to earn money for Mom and Scott’s gift certificate but hadn’t because I hadn’t thought she’d pay me a penny. Who would have guessed she’d let me do chores to pay off a vet bill for a cat she hadn’t even known about? “I’ll get started right away.”
***
Autumn was waiting for us on the front porch when we pulled into the driveway. “Is it the stray who’s been hanging around the yard?” she asked me. “I knew you were feeding her, even if you said you weren’t. I saw the saucers under the bushes. Why didn’t you tell me the truth?”
I glanced over at my grandmother. “It was a secret.”
“What happened to her? Is she going to be okay?”
“She was attacked by a dog. Or probably a bunch of dogs.”
“The doctor’s doing everything he can,” Grandma Grace said, putting a hand on my shoulder.
I swallowed, trying not to think about what was happening back at the doctor’s office. What I needed was to stay busy. “I’m going to work on some chores to help pay for the vet bill. You can help if you want,” I told Autumn.
And she did. Silver tea sets and candlesticks needed polishing, drawers needed organizing, a porch needed sweeping, windows needed scrubbing, and rooms needed dusting and vacuuming. I worked on the list all the next day, sometimes with my sister’s help and sometimes without. I didn’t stop thinking about Ripple the whole time.
The phone rang late Saturday afternoon.
“Oh, hello, Dr. Wenton,” I heard my grandmother say. I dropped my dust rag on the floor and ran into the kitchen, my legs shaking as I stood next to her.
Call Me Sunflower Page 16
