Isabella's Spring Break Crush

by Angela Darling

  Later, when her mom picked her up, Dr. Clark asked Isabella, “So, what did you girls do today?”

  Free pass! Isabella realized. Now she could talk about spring break without breaking her mom’s rule.

  “Lilly was packing for her spring break skiing trip,” Isabella said. “And Amanda showed me a picture of this cute beach cover-up she got for her trip.”

  Dr. Clark raised an eyebrow. “Oh, really?”

  Isabella just nodded, afraid to say anything more. “Um-hmm.”

  For the rest of the weekend, Isabella was on pins and needles. She kept hoping her mom or dad would bring up the subject of spring break, but neither of them said a word. By Monday, as Isabella stepped out into another cold, dark Chicago morning, she was starting to feel hopeless. Friday was the last day of school before break. If her parents didn’t plan a trip soon, it would probably be too late.

  That night at dinner, she was poking a fork into her pork chop when her mom made a show of clearing her throat. Isabella looked up from her plate.

  “I have an announcement to make,” her mom said, and a surge of hope rose in Isabella. “You guys could do well with a change of scenery. It’s been a long winter, and Dad and I are going to be very busy in the next week. So . . .”

  She looked at Isabella and Jake, beaming. Isabella couldn’t contain her excitement. Her mind raced through the suggestions she had made on her chart. Were they going to Hawaii? Snorkeling in the Caribbean?

  “The two of you are going to visit Grandma Miriam in Florida!” Dr. Clark finished.

  Isabella stared at her mom in stunned silence. Jake looked pretty stunned too. Grandma Miriam?

  Isabella felt her hopes for a great spring break crash and burn. She loved Grandma Miriam a lot. She was funny, and she loved David, Isabella, and Jake like crazy. But “Grandma Miriam” and “vacation” were two things that just didn’t go well together.

  They had visited Grandma Miriam in Florida before, and it was Boring with a capital B. For one thing, Grandma Miriam always got up early—like crazy early, before even the birds were up—so she could swim laps in the pool in her condo complex.

  In fact, she never seemed to stop moving, and she was always making the kids exercise even if they didn’t feel like it. She thought it was wrong to watch TV during the day (“That’s what sick people do!”), and she didn’t have anything in the house with sugar in it (“Raisins are nature’s candy!”).

  And when she wasn’t swimming or stretching or mall walking, she loved to sit around and talk. And talk. And talk. Which Isabella always thought was nice for the first hour or so, but then she would get bored and want to go on the Internet. She was usually able to slip away and get on her phone because Mom and Dad were there to talk to Grandma Miriam. But this time, it would be just her and Jake.

  She turned to Jake with a look of desperation, but her brother looked excited and happy.

  “Cool!” he said. “We get to fly by ourselves?”

  Dr. Clark nodded. “Your dad and I have talked it over and we feel that you are both very responsible. You’re old enough and we trust you. You’ll have a flight attendant helping you, and Grandma Miriam will be on the other end to meet you as soon as the plane lands.”

  A flight attendant helping us? How embarrassing! Isabella thought.

  “This is going to be awesome,” Jake said. “We can go in the pool every day!”

  “But only during certain hours,” Isabella reminded him. “Remember? They don’t let kids in it for half the day so the old people can swim in peace.”

  Jake ignored her comment. “Maybe she’ll take us to the alligator farm again. And remember that time we went to the batting cages?” He kept babbling on about how great the trip was going to be.

  Isabella wasn’t so sure. This was so not what she’d planned. No scuba diving, or snorkeling, or adventures. There was a beach near Grandma Miriam’s, but she only let them go in the early morning or late in the afternoon so they would miss the strongest rays of the sun. It didn’t matter how much sunscreen Isabella promised to wear or how big their beach umbrella was. Grandma wouldn’t budge.

  “I won’t have the skin of my beautiful grandchildren being fried!” she would yell.

  “Bella?” Dr. Clark asked. “Aren’t you happy? You got your wish!”

  As if, Isabella thought, but she didn’t want to sound ungrateful. “Sure. It sounds good,” she said.

  “You should thank your mom, Bella,” her dad said. “I thought it would be good to have you earn some spending money by working in my office, but she wanted you kids to enjoy yourselves while your old parents will be working like dogs.”

  Isabella felt a little guilty. Her mom had been looking really tired lately. It seemed like every night she was getting calls from parents with sick kids. And her dad had been going into the office extra early, even before she left for school, so he could come home and make dinner for them. And then after dinner he would have to work.

  She flashed her mom a smile. “Thanks, Mom!” she said, and she hoped she sounded like she meant it.

  She broke the news to her friends the next day at lunch.

  “So, my parents are sending Jake and me away for spring break,” she said.

  “Oh, I’m so happy for you!” Amanda squealed. “Where are you going?”

  “To my grandma’s,” Isabella replied.

  “The one who lives in DC?” Lilly asked.

  Isabella shook her head. “No, the one who lives in Florida.”

  “That’s good, right?” Amanda asked. “You’ll be near the beach. And it will be warm. Lots of Florida sunshine.”

  “Only Grandma won’t let me go out in the sun,” Isabella complained. “Or watch TV during the day. It’s going to be so boring!”

  “Well, maybe she’ll let you and Jake do some things by yourselves,” Amanda said, always looking on the bright side.

  Isabella tried to imagine Grandma Miriam letting them out of her sight.

  “I don’t think so,” she said with a sigh. “But I guess it’s better than staying here.”

  “Definitely!” Amanda said. “Just think, you’ll be leaving the snow and the cold behind. No more dressing like the Abominable Snowman!”

  Isabella laughed. It was hard to be in a bad mood when Amanda was around.

  “Promise you’ll text me,” Isabella said.

  Amanda grinned. “Of course!”

  • • •

  That night, the phone rang at Isabella’s house, and she picked it up.

  “HAVE YOU HEARD?”

  Isabella knew the loud voice on the other end immediately. It was Grandma Miriam. She talked LOUDLY. ALL. THE. TIME. Mom said it was because she didn’t hear well anymore, but Dad said she was always loud.

  “Hi, Grandma,” Isabella said. “Yes, I heard.”

  “I’m so excited!” Grandma Miriam said. “What a treat to spend a week with two of my beautiful grandchildren. I have so many fun things planned for us, Izzy. You won’t be bored for a second!”

  Isabella couldn’t help smiling. Hearing Grandma Miriam’s voice reminded her of how much she missed her. Her grandmother was the only one who called her Izzy, and she didn’t mind. It made her feel special.

  “I know, Grandma,” Isabella said. “I can’t wait!”

  “And you’re not going to believe this,” Grandma Miriam said. “But you and Jake won’t be the only kids here. Rose’s grandson, Ryan, will be here, and you can all go to the pool together!”

  Isabella’s excitement faded. She had met her grandma’s friend Rose before, and, boy, was she annoying! She complained about everything all the time and seemed like she was about two hundred years older than Grandma Miriam. Her grandmother was always busy swimming laps or going to museums or one of the discussion groups they had at the clubhouse in her condo complex. But Rose didn’t ever seem to leave the house. Grandma Miriam said she was just shy.

  Isabella tried to imagine what a grandson of Rose’s would be like. Probabl
y short and pale with glasses, and he would probably be complaining every minute, just like Rose.

  Jake and I will get stuck babysitting him and carting him around wherever we go, she thought. Ugh. This is getting worse by the second!

  “Oh, wow,” Isabella said in a flat voice. “I can’t wait to meet him.”

  “I’m sure you’ll love him!” Grandma Miriam said. “Now, go put your brother on the phone. I don’t want him to think I’m playing favorites.”

  Isabella found Jake and handed him the phone. “It’s Grandma,” she said, and then she headed into her room.

  Might as well think about packing, she thought, opening the drawer in her dresser where she kept her summer clothes. Her mom wouldn’t take her shopping; she was too busy, and anyway, what was the point? She’d only be going to Grandma’s. She started pulling out some T-shirts and shorts.

  Jake came bounding into the room. “Isn’t this going to be so great?” he asked.

  Isabella was tired of pretending in front of Mom and Dad. “Uh, no,” she said, and Jake’s eyes got wide. “My idea of a vacation is not going to see Grandma Miriam and hanging out at the old people’s pool and getting stuck hanging out with her loser friend Rose’s grandson.”

  “Bella, you have a bad attitude,” Jake said. “We get to go hang out and have fun, and Grandma Miriam spoils us rotten. It’s going to be great. At least my vacation is. I hope yours is too.”

  He stomped out of the room.

  SPOILS us? thought Isabella. Grandma’s idea of a treat is a box of raisins. How is that being spoiled?

  chapter 3

  “KEEP YOUR CELL PHONE ON until they make you turn it off on the plane,” Dr. Clark was saying. “I want to make sure I can contact you, all right?”

  “Sure, Mom,” Isabella said with a yawn. It was 6:17 in the morning, but you wouldn’t know it inside the busy terminal at O’Hare International Airport. Travelers scrambled around them in every direction under the terminal’s bright fluorescent lights.

  “You’re all checked in,” Mom went on. “We’re almost at security. I won’t be able to go through with you, but there will be a flight attendant there who will take you to your gate.”

  “We got this,” Jake said confidently. He looked wide awake.

  Dr. Clark hugged them both supertightly. “I will miss you two! Be good for Grandma, okay?”

  “Of course,” Isabella said grumpily. What were they, five?

  The twins had to pry their mom off them when they got to the security line. As they got to the checkpoint, a woman in a blue uniform approached them, smiling.

  “Isabella and Jake Clark?” she asked.

  “That’s us!” Jake replied.

  “I’m Jeni. I’ll be taking you to the boarding area,” she said.

  Mom waved and looked like she didn’t know if she should leave or stay.

  “We’re good, Mom!” said Jake, and Mom grinned.

  “I’ll just wait a few minutes more!” said Mom, and Isabella rolled her eyes.

  They followed Jeni to the moving sidewalk, which took them down a long corridor with glass walls. Outside, Isabella could see the planes docked at the gates. The sidewalk ended and opened up into a wide room with more glass windows. There were five different boarding areas, each one with a desk and seats for the waiting passengers.

  Jeni pointed to an area marked B-7. “That’s your gate. You two are old enough to walk around a bit if you want. Just meet me there in a half hour, and don’t leave this terminal, okay?”

  Relieved that Jeni wouldn’t have to babysit them, Isabella and Jake readily agreed.

  “So, what should we do?” Isabella asked her brother.

  “Walk around, I guess,” Jake said with a shrug.

  Right by the boarding gates was a row of shops and food stands, so they headed there. They hadn’t gone far when Isabella heard the text tone on her phone. It was from her mom.

  Did u guys get to the gate OK?

  YES! Isabella replied.

  K. Let me know when u board.

  K.

  Isabella shook her head. “It’s like she thinks we’re little kids.”

  “Forget about it,” Jake said. “I’m gonna get some fries.”

  “At six thirty in the morning?” Isabella asked.

  “It’s never too early for fries,” Jake replied.

  He led her to one of the food stands and ordered his fries. Isabella’s phone beeped again.

  Did u pack ur sunscreen? her mom texted.

  2 bottles! Isabella replied.

  Her mom texted back a smiley face, but Isabella didn’t feel like smiling. This annoying vacation is getting more annoying, she thought. She reached over and grabbed one of Jake’s fries, and they walked around the terminal.

  Isabella stopped at a gate for a flight to Los Angeles. “Imagine if we were going there? We could see the Hollywood Walk of Fame and probably meet celebrities and stuff.”

  “Boring,” Jake said. He walked over to the big digital display that showed all the flights in the airport. To make the best of it, she and Jake took a walk around the terminal pretending they were going to the different places listed at each gate.

  “Look, we could go to Guam,” Jake said, pointing.

  “Why Guam?” Isabella asked. “You don’t even know what it’s like there.”

  Jake shrugged. “It sounds cool.”

  “How about Tokyo?” Isabella asked, pointing to another one.

  “Hmm, I want a flight to New York,” Jake said. “So I can visit the Baseball Hall of Fame.”

  “Los Angeles would be way better,” Isabella argued, but they were having fun.

  Before they knew it, it was time to get back to the gate. Jeni was waiting for them.

  “Right on time,” she said. “You guys get to board first.”

  That wasn’t as cool as it sounded, Isabella thought. She felt like everyone was looking at them as Jeni led them to their seats—one by the window and the one in between the window and the aisle seat.

  “Can I have the window?” Isabella asked, knowing that her easygoing brother would oblige, and he did.

  They settled into their seats. Isabella was about to open the magazine she had brought with her when her phone beeped.

  U board yet? her mom texted.

  Just did! Isabella replied.

  Thankfully, the announcement to turn off all electronic devices came a few minutes later. Isabella looked out the window as the plane sped down the runway and then slowly lifted into the air. As they flew across Chicago, she could see the houses and other buildings below them. Then the houses got smaller and smaller and all she could see were white, fluffy clouds.

  After the plane was flying steadily, Jeni came around with the beverage cart. The businessman in the aisle seat next to Jake ordered a coffee. Isabella ordered a water.

  “I’ll have two sodas, please,” Jake told Jeni, and Isabella’s eyebrows went up.

  “Mom would freak out if she knew you were drinking soda,” she said.

  “Mom’s not here,” Jake said casually, taking the two cans that Jeni handed him.

  “Okay, but why two?” Isabella asked.

  He smiled, handed her one, and then held up his can. “Cheers!”

  They tapped cans. “To a great spring break!” Jake said.

  Isabella smiled back. This is probably as good as it’s going to get, she thought.

  Two and a half hours later, they landed in Tampa International Airport. Jeni walked them back to the security area, and on the other side, they could see Grandma Miriam waiting for them.

  Grandma Miriam was their mom’s mother, so she’d probably had sandy brown hair at one time, but now it was streaked with gray. She had on a big, floppy orange hat and wore an orange and white striped shirt, white shorts, and orange sandals with a big flower on top of each foot.

  “Yoo-hoo!” she was yelling, and she was waving her arms like crazy.

  The twins thanked Jeni and then ran to their grandm
other, hugging her. They hadn’t seen her since last Thanksgiving and it felt like such a long time.

  Grandma Miriam stood back and looked at them. “You two you are growing so much!” she gushed. “I have all sorts of things planned. The day is young!”

  Oh boy, thought Isabella. Here we go!

  “So I made us some sandwiches for lunch,” Grandma Miriam was saying. “Then I thought we could go to the orange grove. It’s very shady there under the trees. Then we’ll go to the pizza place for dinner and go for a walk, and I rented a movie for us.”

  “You mean we can order one on TV?” Jake asked.

  Grandma looked confused. “Who does that? I went to the library and got a video for us! You’re going to love it.”

  Jake and Isabella exchanged glances. They were both hoping that it wasn’t some dumb kiddie movie. But they didn’t want to spoil Grandma’s mood; she seemed so proud of herself.

  They went from the airport to her condo complex, a small, tidy community with two-story town houses made of sandy stone. Each house had a tiny front lawn with palm trees in front. Grandma’s house was right down the street from the clubhouse and the pool.

  Since it was just Jake and Isabella, they each got to have their own room. Grandma put Isabella in the guest room with the white wicker bed and matching dresser. The bedspread had a pattern of colorful tropical flowers.

  “Now, you two unpack, and I’ll set up lunch,” Grandma told them.

  As Isabella placed her clothes in the drawers, she marveled at how sunny and warm it was here and how pretty the room was. A vacationy feeling was creeping up on her, whether she liked it or not.

  When she got to the kitchen, her grandmother was hanging up her phone.

  “That was your mother,” Grandma Miriam said. “She wanted to make sure we all got here safely.”

  Isabella shook her head. “She worries too much!”

  “That’s what mothers do,” Grandma Miriam said, and she smiled as Jake bounded into the kitchen. “Let’s eat!”

  Grandma Miriam hadn’t lost an ounce of energy since Thanksgiving. After lunch they helped her clear the table, and then they drove to the orange grove. Grandma produced three white umbrellas from the trunk of her car.