Isabella's Spring Break Crush

by Angela Darling

  “Grandma says to get ready for dinner,” he said.

  She had almost forgotten about that! She wasn’t sure if she was in the mood anymore. The Shelby twins wouldn’t be there, at least, but how could she face Ryan after what had happened?

  But she knew there was no backing out. With a mom as a doctor, she could never fake being sick, and she was pretty sure Grandma would call Dr. Clark if Isabella tried it with her. She took a quick shower and toweled her hair until it was mostly dry. Then she put on the new sundress, a swipe of lip gloss, and her sandals. Might as well make the most of it, she thought.

  “What a vision!” Grandma Miriam exclaimed as Isabella came down the stairs. “Izzy, it looks even nicer than it did in the store.”

  Isabella laughed. “Grandma, it’s the same dress!”

  Jake came into the room, wearing khaki shorts and a blue short-sleeved shirt with a collar. “Hey, Bella’s not the only gorgeous one in this family.”

  Grandma hugged him. “You! You’re so handsome I can’t stand it!”

  Rose didn’t like to drive, so they picked up Rose and Ryan, and Grandma drove to the restaurant. Isabella felt weird in the car, but Ryan and Jake talked the whole time like nothing could possibly be wrong or different. The building the restaurant was in was round, like a sports stadium, only smaller. A giant baseball and bat were over the front entrance.

  “Is this a restaurant?” Isabella asked.

  “It’s owned by Brock Lowry,” Ryan explained. “He was a big player in the seventies. There’s awesome baseball stuff inside, and the food’s really good.”

  “We always come here when my Ryan visits,” Rose said lovingly.

  It wasn’t crowded inside (probably because it was so early, Isabella thought), and they got a table with a great view of a giant TV screen. A baseball game was playing on the screen, and from the look and sound of it, Isabella guessed it was an old one. But she was glad something was on the screen, because it gave her an excuse to stare off into the distance. Ryan was sitting right next to her, and it still felt awkward talking to him, even if he was acting like everything was normal.

  Grandma handed her a menu, and Isabella accepted it without her usual “thank you.”

  “Izzy, sweetie, I have to ask,” Grandma said gently, whispering. “Is something bothering you?” Because it was Grandma, she didn’t exactly whisper, and everyone heard. Isabella turned bright red.

  Jake answered for her. “Ashley read her texts or something.”

  “She misread my texts,” Isabella said. “And anyway, it was none of her business.”

  Grandma quickly changed the subject. “So, Ryan, you really love baseball, don’t you? Just like my Jake.”

  Ryan’s face clouded a little.

  “He’s still upset about those tryouts,” Rose offered.

  Ryan made a face. “Everyone thought I was a shoo-in, but I just had a terrible game at tryouts,” he admitted. “I got all nervous and distracted.”

  “I know how you feel,” Isabella blurted out. “This fall I had a piano recital. I practiced the same piece for, like, months and months, and I knew it perfectly. Then, the night of the recital, I was really nervous, so I stared at my keys. When I was almost through, I looked up. There were all these faces looking at me! I totally panicked. My hand slipped and I landed on a really bad note and flubbed the rest of the way.”

  “That’s awful,” Ryan said sympathetically.

  Isabella nodded. “It gets worse. My teacher actually made me start over again! I got it right, but I could tell everyone was feeling sorry for me.”

  “Nobody noticed,” Jake said.

  “You’re just being nice,” Isabella told him. “You played your piece perfectly. Honestly, sometimes I can’t believe we’re twins!”

  That conversation cleared whatever awkwardness was hanging between Isabella and Ryan, and Isabella was able to really enjoy dinner. Ryan told her to order the Home-Run Chicken, which she did, and it was delicious. Then the grandmas even let them order dessert: an Extra-Innings Sundae with the works. Big scoops of vanilla ice cream dripping with hot fudge and piled high with toasted peanuts, caramel corn, and whipped cream. Everyone got a spoon with an extra-long handle, and they all dug in.

  “This was a great idea,” Isabella said, taking another spoonful of sundae.

  “Oh, and I have good news,” Grandma said. “We have something exciting planned for tomorrow. We’re going to Adventure Land!”

  “No way!” Jake and Isabella cried at once, and Ryan shook his head.

  “See? You guys are such twins. You’re always saying the same stuff at the same time,” he said.

  “Not always,” Jake and Isabella said together, and everyone cracked up.

  “Anyway, I can’t believe we’re going,” Isabella said. She turned to Ryan. “We always ask to go when we’re down here, but Dad hates the crowds at amusement parks and Mom thinks it’s well . . . too much.” She glanced at Grandma Miriam.

  “I know I’m an old lady, but I can take you to an amusement park,” Grandma Miriam protested. “You twins are old enough to go on rides by yourselves now anyway, as long as you stick with the other kids.”

  “Other kids?” Isabella’s heart sank a little. She had a feeling she knew what was coming.

  Grandma nodded. “Yes, the Shelby twins are going. It was their idea!”

  Isabella frowned, and she noticed that Ryan didn’t look too happy either. But Jake was grinning.

  “Awesome! This is going to be great!”

  “We’re going to go later in the day to avoid the strongest rays of the sun,” Grandma told him. “Rose will be staying here, but Lorraine is going to come with us.”

  “Sounds like fun,” Isabella said in a flat voice.

  When they got back to Grandma’s condo, Isabella was relieved to see that Ashley and Andrew weren’t waiting for them like lions ready to pounce on prey. To be sure, she hurried up to her room and closed the door.

  You there? she texted Amanda.

  Amanda texted back.

  I need 2 tell you something, Isabella began, and her fingers flew as she told Amanda about everything—how Ashley read her texts and now Ryan thought she liked Andrew and Andrew liked her and it was so confusing!

  Ur lucky! Amanda texted back. U have 2 guys who like u. There are no cute guys here. Just little kids.

  It’s not like that, Isabella typed, but then she paused.

  Or was it? It was true. Andrew liked her. She was pretty sure Ryan did too. Yes, it was confusing, but it was still kind of fun. Way more fun than working in her dad’s accounting office, for sure.

  Ur right, Isabella typed back. I am lucky.

  Need details! Amanda demanded.

  Promise!

  Isabella leaned back on her bed. She wasn’t sure what was going to happen at the amusement park tomorrow, but she was pretty sure it was going to be interesting!

  chapter 9

  “YOU’VE GOT TO RIDE THE stomach churner!” Andrew was saying. “It’s killer. There are these three loops and then this gigantic drop at the end.”

  Isabella shuddered. “That sounds scary, but fun!”

  The next day, the two sets of twins, Ryan, Grandma Miriam, and Lorraine Shelby stuffed themselves into Lorraine’s minivan. Isabella had found herself squeezed between Andrew and Jake in the very back seat. Ashley and Ryan sat in front of them. She would rather have Ryan at her side than Andrew, but at least she wasn’t sitting near Ashley. She still got mad every time she thought about Ashley picking up her phone.

  That left her stuck with Andrew, who had been talking nonstop about every ride in Adventure Land. Isabella couldn’t hear what Ashley and Ryan were talking about, but Ashley seemed to be laughing a lot, and Ryan was looking kind of down. Isabella wondered why.

  “And then there’s the Wheel Whipper, which spins around and around at superspeed. I almost upchucked my slushie,” Andrew said.

  Isabella laughed. Andrew might be annoying, but he was pr
etty funny sometimes too.

  “I hate those spinny rides,” she said. “I like roller coasters best.”

  “I’ll go on it with you, dude!” Jake promised, high-fiving Andrew.

  It was almost three o’clock when Lorraine pulled into the parking lot.

  “Nobody go running off!” Grandma Miriam said as she jumped out of the car. “Not until we go over a few things.”

  Isabella thought Grandma looked like a gym teacher today, in her sensible sneakers, gray yoga-style pants, and white T-shirt. The only thing “grandma” about her was her floppy sun hat. She took some papers out of her shoulder bag and handed one to each kid.

  “We’re not doing all this willy-nilly,” she said. “I printed out a map of the park and made an agenda for us. We’ll visit one section at a time. You can go off on your own, as long as you stay in your section. Lorraine and I will meet you at a different checkpoint in each section when the time is up. Got it?”

  “Grandma, you should have been a military strategist,” Jake remarked as he looked at the agenda.

  “I was a teacher. Same thing,” she replied. “Do you know how many school trips I chaperoned? And we never lost a kid. Not one. Now, let’s go have some fun!”

  The words “Adventure Land” arched above them in huge red letters arched above them as they entered the park. Grandma and Lorraine bought their tickets, and Isabella looked down at the schedule.

  3:30–4:30 Old Time Adventure Land, Grandma had typed.

  “Cool! The log flume is there!” Andrew cried, and then sprinted away. Ashley followed him.

  Isabella and Jake glanced at Grandma.

  “Go!” Grandma urged. “Just meet us over by the ice cream stand at four thirty.”

  “Have fun!” Lorraine called out in a voice even louder than Grandma’s.

  The twins ran after Andrew and Ashley, and Ryan lagged behind them. Andrew skidded to a stop in front of the log flume ride.

  “This is awesome!” he cried. “And the line’s not so bad.”

  He raced to get in line. Isabella noticed Ryan looking up at the ride. From where they stood, they could see the last drop of the flume as it came down a waterfall and splashed into a pool of water at the bottom.

  “Do you think that’s the highest drop?” he asked.

  Isabella nodded. “The last one on the flume is always the highest. It’s not like a roller coaster.”

  They caught up to the others. After a few minutes, the ride operator helped them into what looked like a big, hollowed-out log with three seats that fit two people each.

  Ashley grabbed Ryan’s arm and pulled him into the front seat.

  “It’s the best one!” she yelled.

  Jake jumped into the backseat. “No way! You get splashed way more back here.”

  Andrew grinned at Isabella and waved his arm toward the middle seat. “After you,” he said, and Isabella didn’t feel like she could refuse. She sighed. She hoped she wouldn’t be paired with Andrew the whole time.

  The ride operators made sure they were strapped in, and then the ride started. It sped up and down hills and around corners. Water splashed up at every turn. Then the log pitched down the last steep hill. When they hit the bottom, water splashed up, drenching them all.

  “I am soaked!” Isabella said. She laughed as she climbed out of the log.

  “We’ll dry up in minutes in this heat,” Jake promised.

  Her brother was right. They waited in line for a roller coaster ride with cars that looked like mine carts, and by the time they got on, their clothes were just about dry. This time, Ryan got in the last seat in the mine cart and motioned for Isabella to sit with him. She quickly slid in next to him. Ashley didn’t look upset; she took the front seat again, and Jake joined her this time. Andrew had the middle seat to himself and spread his arms out wide.

  “Ah, this is the life!” he said.

  The mine cart ride was pretty tame, as far as roller coasters went, but Isabella screamed the whole time anyway. She glanced over at Ryan at one point and noticed his eyes were closed.

  Is he afraid? Isabella wondered for a second, but the ride quickly tore up a steep hill, jolting the thought from her mind.

  When the ride ended, Ryan’s face looked practically green.

  “You okay?” Isabella asked him.

  “Yeah, fine,” Ryan replied. They all walked down the ramp that led off the ride, and Ryan pointed in front of them.

  “Let’s do the Shooting Gallery,” he suggested, and nobody objected. It looked like an Old West shooting gallery in a saloon, with an animatronic man playing piano and lots of root beer bottles on the wall. Most objects in the scene had targets behind them, and you could shoot at them with lasers. When you hit a target, bells or whistles went off or the objects moved around.

  By the time they finished playing, it was time to meet the grandmas by the ice-cream stand. Grandma Miriam was looking at her watch as the kids ran up.

  “Perfect timing!” she said approvingly. “Next we’re going to High-Octave Adventure Land. But first, how about some ice cream?”

  “Yes!”

  “Yeah!”

  “Woo-hoo!”

  “It’s my treat,” Lorraine said, as she purchased an ice-cream pop for each of them. They thanked Lorraine and happily ate them as they walked to the next area of the park.

  The next few hours were a whirlwind. They went on more roller coasters and the Ferris wheel and bumper cars, and Isabella even agreed to go on one spinning ride that didn’t look too fast. They ate hot dogs and hot pretzels, and by the time they met up with the grandmas at the final stop, Isabella was exhausted.

  “Gran, do we have to go?” Andrew asked Lorraine.

  “Your old grandma is getting tired,” she said with a grin.

  “But I need to do something first,” Andrew said. “I’ll be fast. Promise. It’s right over there.” He pointed to one of the carnival games.

  “All right. But don’t be too long,” Lorraine told him.

  Andrew darted toward the stand, and everyone else followed him, curious. It was one of those games where you threw darts at balloons to win a prize. Giant stuffed animals hung from the ceiling, and smaller shelves filled with tiny stuffed animals lined the floor under the balloons. A sign on the stand read HIT ANY RED STAR TO WIN A BIG PRIZE.

  Andrew gave money to the young man behind the stand and got three darts in return. He closed one eye, aimed carefully, and threw the dart at the balloons.

  Pop! The first one hit a green balloon, but there was no star on the wall behind it. The second one didn’t hit anything. Then he threw the third . . .

  Pop! The dart broke a pink balloon and revealed a red star underneath.

  “Woo-hoo!” Andrew cried.

  Everyone clapped and cheered for Andrew. Only the guy working the stand seemed unimpressed.

  “Which one do you want?” he asked.

  “That one,” Andrew said, pointing to a giant pink teddy bear with a goofy grin on its face.

  That’s a funny thing for a guy to pick, Isabella thought—but in the next moment she realized why he had picked it. Andrew handed it right to her!

  “Here you go, Isabella,” he said as everyone watched.

  Isabella was sure she turned as pink as the bear. The thing was half her size.

  “Um, thanks,” she said, feeling more awkward than she ever had before. This even beat the wrecked piano recital.

  “Well, isn’t that nice,” Grandma Miriam said, raising an eyebrow curiously.

  “That’s my grandson. He’s a sweetheart,” Lorraine said proudly.

  Ashley appeared holding a snow cone. She thrust it in front of Ryan. “This is for you,” she said.

  “Um, thanks,” Ryan said, echoing Isabella, and now it was Isabella’s turn to raise an eyebrow. Ashley had been trying to get close to Ryan all day. Does she like him now? I thought she liked Jake, Isabella thought.

  “See? My Ashley’s a sweetheart too,” Lorraine said.


  The sky was dark overhead as they walked back to the parking lot.

  “So, did you go on any rides, Grandma?” Isabella asked.

  “Lorraine and I went on the carousel,” Grandma Miriam replied. “And the train ride.”

  “You need to go on a roller coaster, Grandma!” Jake said.

  “Not those loop-dee-loop ones,” she said, shaking her head.

  They were walking back through Old Time Adventure Land again. Isabella nodded toward the mine cart coaster. “That one has no loops, Grandma. It’s really fun.”

  “Well, I suppose,” Grandma said slowly. “Should we all go on one last ride?”

  “I need to finish my snow cone,” Ryan said. “And I can hold the teddy bear. But you guys can go on.”

  Grandma frowned. “You shouldn’t be alone. Everyone should have a buddy at all times.”

  “I’ll be his buddy!” Ashley offered, and Isabella tried not to grimace openly.

  But she was more excited about going on a ride with Grandma. She, Jake, and Grandma got a cart to themselves. Isabella sat next to Grandma. Andrew and Lorraine had a cart to themselves, too, right in front of them.

  The mine cart ride started, and the carts clicked-clicked-clicked up the first hill. Then . . . whoosh! They fell down the first drop.

  “Woooo!” Grandma cried, holding her hands up in the air. Isabella had never seen such a look on her grandmother’s face—wild, crazy, and free.

  They were all laughing when the carts came to a stop.

  “That was fun,” Grandma Miriam said. “Maybe next time you come, I’ll go on more rides.”

  Isabella beamed at her grandmother. “I hope we can spend every spring break with you,” she said.

  Grandma hugged her. “Me too, Izzy. Me too.”

  The ride home was quiet, and Isabella dozed off for part of it. She woke up when Lorraine pulled into her driveway.

  “Thank you so much for driving, Lorraine,” Grandma Miriam said. She nodded to Isabella and Jake. “Why don’t you two walk Ryan home?”

  “Sure thing, Grandma,” Jake said.

  Isabella was relieved. She wanted to get away fast from Andrew. She didn’t know what to make of the teddy bear. Everyone had joked on the way home that it took up an entire seat.