Chapter Nine

Ariana

Wednesday, October 4

All Wednesday morning Ariana couldn’t stop glancing over at her lunch bag, which was hanging from a peg in her cubby. She could hardly concentrate, she felt so excited about the invitations stowed beneath her sandwich and chips. She was going to have a party, and she loved throwing parties!

Okay, not really a party. For a party you needed at least six people. Not that that was a rule, but it was one of Ariana’s Guidelines for a Happy Life. With six people, you could have two teams of three for games, which made it so much more exciting than two teams of two. But Ariana’s mom said she could only invite three girls for Saturday, so really it wasn’t a party, it was just a plain old sleepover.

But sleepovers were good! Sleepovers meant popcorn and movies and séances and ghost stories. She’d had a sleepover in August with Meryl and Katie and Schuyler from Girl Scouts, and they’d acted out scenes from Little House on the Prairie, even though they admitted to each other they were probably too old for that kind of pretend play. Still, they’d had so much fun! Ariana played Nellie Oleson, which was especially neat because she got to be mean and cranky, which was totally the opposite of who Ariana was. Her mom always said she was born with the cheerful gene, which was a good thing, right? Better to be cheerful than to be like Lila or Rosie, always sneering and scowling and looking down their noses at people.

Finally the clock read 11:40—time for lunch! Okay, 11:40 was actually a little early for lunch, but Ariana had started to think of it as elevenses instead of lunchtime, ever since her mom packed a note in her lunch that read, “Nearly eleven o’clock,” said Pooh happily. “You’re just in time for a little smackerel of something.” Ariana knew she was too old for Pooh the same way she was too old for Little House or Barbies, but Pooh made her so happy! Why shouldn’t she be happy?

She’d stored the invitations in her lunch bag because she planned on handing them out at lunch: one for Ellie Barker, one for Becca Hobbes, and one for Elizabeth Hernandez. Although she wasn’t advertising it, this was really a Get Well Soon, Becca! party. Because something was clearly wrong with Becca Hobbes. First there was the whole haircutting incident on Monday, which you had to admit was pretty strange, even if it probably was all Petra Wilde’s fault. But then yesterday Ariana had seen Becca dog-earing books in the book nook! Mrs. Herrera made a big deal about treating books like sacred objects and set out baskets of bookmarks all over her classroom so that no one would ever feel like they didn’t have a choice but to mark their place by bending over the corner of the page.

It felt crazy to Ariana, seeing Becca dog-ear those books! What was next? Was she going to rob the school store? Spray-paint graffiti all over the playground?

Becca clearly needed her help, and a sleepover was a great place to start. In fact, Ariana was almost glad it wasn’t going to be a regular sort of party. A sleepover would be small and intimate. And Ellie and Elizabeth were the perfect people to invite. Ellie because she was new and didn’t have the same expectations of Becca’s behavior that everyone else did, and Elizabeth because she was so nice.

When she got to the cafeteria, she found Elizabeth sitting with Aadita and Cammi. For some reason, Ariana had pictured Elizabeth, Becca, and Ellie sitting together, which of course they never did, but it would have made handing out invitations a lot more convenient. Now she’d have to wait until they went out on the playground after lunch. She certainly couldn’t give Elizabeth an invitation and not give Aadita and Cammi one. Gosh, it was strange to see Cammi without Becca by her side! It was like Pooh without Piglet, Calvin without Hobbes, Curious George without the Man in the Yellow Hat.

When Cammi saw her, she clamped her mouth shut, and Ariana wondered what they’d been talking about. Her? That seemed pretty unlikely. What could you say about Ariana Savarino behind her back that you wouldn’t be perfectly happy to say to her face?

“What?” she said as she sat down next to Elizabeth. “What were you guys talking about?”

As usual, Aadita smiled shyly but didn’t speak. Cammi shrugged and took a bite of her sandwich. Finally Elizabeth said, “Well, it wasn’t gossiping, but we were talking about Petra. Do you know what Henry just told us?”

“That Petra is a space alien?” Ariana said, and laughed at her own joke. That was exactly the sort of thing Henry would say.

“No! Not even close!” Elizabeth said, and then she started giggling so hard she couldn’t finish.

“Tell me!” Ariana said. “I mean, it’s not something horrible, right?”

“He said that Petra’s in love with him and is going to ask him to the Fall Ball,” Cammi said, shaking her head at how ridiculous that was. “That’s why she cut her hair, so that only someone like Henry would see her beauty. Classic Henry! But seriously, do you think something terrible happened to Petra? I mean, like, are her parents getting a divorce? Because otherwise, what would explain how weird she’s gotten?”

“How do you explain how weird Becca’s gotten?” Elizabeth asked Cammi. “I mean not to judge or be rude? But it’s like Becca’s become a completely different person in just a few days. What has she said to you about what happened on Monday?”

Cammi shrugged. “She won’t talk to me. Not on the bus, not at school. She won’t answer my texts, either. Partly I think she’s mad because Carson’s her crush, and he and I are sort of study buddies now. Strictly as friends, though.”

Like there was a possibility of Carson liking Cammi as more than a friend! Ariana had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. “Did Becca know that on Monday? Because maybe that’s why she cut her hair—to make herself look pretty.”

Which definitely didn’t work, Ariana thought (but would of course never say out loud).

“I don’t think so,” Cammi said. “I didn’t mention that Carson and I were studying together. The thing is, I feel really bad, but at the same time, Becca and I have sort of been growing apart.”

Ariana gave Cammi a sympathetic smile. Sort of a convenient time to grow apart, she thought, but whatever.

“Anyway,” Cammi continued, “Carson says he never understood how Becca and I were friends in the first place, we’re so different. I told him it’s mostly because we live on the same street. It’s like we were automatically friends because we were the same age.” She paused and then said, “Why are you giving me that look, Ariana? I’m just saying the truth.”

What look? Ariana wasn’t giving anyone a look. “Sorry, I just remembered something my mom asked me to do that I totally forgot about.”

“Yeah, right,” Cammi said before biting into an apple.

“When did you and Carson get to be such good friends?” Elizabeth asked. “Do you like him? I mean, like him like him?”

“We’re just friends who study together,” Cammi repeated, sounding like it was no big deal, even though clearly it was. “We have the same sense of humor.”

Uh-huh. Ariana took out her sandwich and examined it, trying not to make eye contact with anyone. Turkey and avocado, mustard, cut into four neat squares, no crust, no mayo, just the way she liked it. “So I thought I saw Sam yesterday afternoon,” she announced, deciding it was time for a new subject. “In the hallway after the last bell.”

“Sam who used to be in our class?” Elizabeth asked. “Why would he be back at school? I thought he moved.”

“Maybe he’s moving back,” Ariana said. “Maybe he missed us so much he couldn’t stay away!”

Ariana liked that idea. Not that she’d liked Sam, but he was kind of cute, and it was fun to think that maybe he’d fallen for someone (not her, of course!) and had come back to catch a glimpse of his true love from time to time.

“Carson said he saw him too,” Cammi said. “On Monday, I think. He must not have moved too far if he’s coming back all the time.”

Elizabeth nodded. “A lot of my swim team friends live pretty close to here, but they go to New Hope Middle. Maybe that’s where Sam goes now.”

Ariana looked around the cafeteria as though she might find Sam there now (not that she cared if he was or not). People were beginning to pack up their lunches and head for the places they usually headed for. Ben, Stefan, and Bart would spend the rest of the period in the computer lab, and Ethan, Cole, and Rogan (Booger Boy!) were collecting their lacrosse sticks so they could get in some playground practice. Rosie and Lila had their heads close together, probably talking about bizarro Petra (they wouldn’t bother discussing bizarro Becca; Becca was too far below them). When they left the cafeteria, they’d go over to the picnic table where the popular girls from the different homerooms gathered and plotted how to make other people miserable.

Where was Petra? Well, wherever she was, Ariana hoped she was okay. Really! Just because Petra had told her in fifth grade that she looked like a rabbit—“Your nose is always twitching; are you aware of that?” Petra had asked in the middle of reading group—didn’t mean Ariana hated her. She didn’t hate anyone!

Glancing up at the clock—11:35, recess time—Ariana realized she’d barely touched her sandwich. But that was okay. She was too excited to eat—she was throwing a party! No, not a party—a sleepover. She laughed to herself. How could she keep forgetting it was a sleepover? She guessed it just felt like a party to her.

“Gotta go,” Cammi announced, shoving the remains of her lunch back into her bag. “Carson and I are going to quiz each other on Spanish verbs after he’s done playing soccer.”

Aadita stood up. “I need to meet my sister to help her set up her science project. It appears that eighth-grade science is very demanding.”

That left Ariana and Elizabeth. They looked at each other. There was so much to say, Ariana thought, but they had made a no-gossip pledge last year, after so many of the girls in their class had gotten, well, mean.

Elizabeth’s invitation! How could Ariana forget? She pulled out the envelope with Elizabeth’s name on it and handed it to her friend.

“What is it?” Elizabeth asked. “A party?”

“A sleepover! But I still wanted to do an invitation,” Ariana explained. “That’s not dumb, is it?”

“Not at all!” Elizabeth pulled out the card Ariana had worked so painstakingly on the night before. “Oh, this is so cute! I love when you rubber-stamp stuff.”

“You really like it?”

“Kittens in a basket?” Elizabeth smiled. “What’s not to like? It reminds me of Mrs. Herrera’s ceramic kittens in her special collection, except all of your kittens have their ears!”

Ariana made a sad face. “That poor kitty cat! I wish we could fix it somehow. What was its name?”

“Sandra, maybe?” Elizabeth sounded unsure. “I think? She named it after her sister, and then her sister broke it.”

“That’s right. Mrs. Herrera bought them when she was only nine, the first thing she ever bought with her own money. I’m glad I don’t have a mean sister like that,” Ariana said. “She’d probably try to ruin my sleepover!”

“Speaking of which…,” Elizabeth said. “Who’s invited?”

“You, of course, and Ellie Barker and Becca Hobbes,” Ariana said, cheering again at the thought of her sleepover. “I thought it might be a nice thing to do for Becca, you know? She’s been having such a hard time lately.”

Elizabeth nodded. “Definitely. And I know Cammi is—well, Cammi has her own point of view. But maybe this wasn’t the best time for her to, I don’t know—pull away from Becca?”

“I was thinking the same thing!” Ariana said. “I mean, not judging or anything, but now’s when Becca needs her friends. And since Ellie’s new, I figured she might be a great person to—I don’t know. Accept Becca for who she is?”

“You’re exactly right,” Elizabeth said. “I think we should go find Becca right now and give her the invitation.”

Two minutes later they were on the playground, looking for Becca. When they finally found her, she was around the corner of the building (off-limits!), reading a book.

“What are you reading, Becca?” Ariana asked, trying to sound friendly and casual, like she was always running into Becca by herself with a book in her hand. “Anything good?”

Becca held up her book. Salem’s Lot, by Stephen King.

“Wow! That’s pretty scary stuff,” Elizabeth said. “I bet it would give me nightmares.”

“My mom says no Stephen King for me until high school,” Ariana agreed. “My brother read a Stephen King book in seventh grade and couldn’t sleep for a week!”

Becca opened her book (to a dog-eared page, Ariana noticed) and started reading again.

“I’ve got something for you, Becca,” Ariana said, holding out the invitation. Only now she felt sort of nervous about it. She had no idea Becca had started reading horror books!

Becca glanced up. “What is it?”

“Sleepover invitation?” Ariana sounded as though she wasn’t exactly sure. “I know it’s kind of dumb, doing an invitation for a sleepover that’s not really a party sleepover. I guess I was just feeling creative!”

“No, thanks,” Becca said, not even bothering to take the envelope from Ariana.

“Come on, Becca!” Elizabeth said. “It’s going to be so much fun. Me, Ariana, you, and Ellie—what could be better?”

“It’s sort of a welcome-to-town party for Ellie,” Ariana said, improvising on the spot. “You know, her being new and everything.”

“She’s weird,” Becca said, her eyes still on her book. “The way she’s always spying and taking notes.”

Ellie’s the weird one? Ariana wanted to ask, but kept her mouth shut.

“I think she’s trying to find a way to fit in,” Elizabeth said. She turned to Ariana and made a desperate face, like What am I supposed to say here?

“She’s got a funny way of doing it,” Becca remarked.

“Well, maybe if we make her feel welcome, she’ll stop taking notes and start talking and making friends,” Ariana said. “Have you ever thought of that?”

Elizabeth shot her a warning look. Had that come out too harshly?

Becca looked up again. “Quit being such a Girl Scout, Ariana. I mean, I know you are a Girl Scout, but you don’t have to act like it all the time.”

“I’m not acting,” Ariana said. “I really do want to help you. I mean, help Ellie.”

“Who died and made you a saint?” Becca threw down her book and stood up. “That’s what I’d really like to know. Who died and made you a saint?”

Ariana took a step backward. “That doesn’t even make sense, Becca. And it’s sort of funny coming from you, the world’s biggest goody-goody.”

“Not anymore,” Becca said, smiling a scary sort of smile. “One day you’ll understand—maybe when you stop acting like you’re still in second grade and everything’s just wonderful all the time. La-la-la, we’re so perfect and sweet!”

“Well, you’re a—you’re a—” Ariana didn’t even know what she was trying to say here, so she just kept stammering “you’re a—” until finally a word came out of her mouth that she’d never said before. It was a word she’d never even thought of saying before. Oh, sure, she’d heard other girls say it, but Ariana Savarino did not use words like that. Never, ever.

She wished she could take it back!

“Ariana!” Elizabeth said in a shocked voice. “Oh my gosh!”

Becca, on the other hand, just laughed and started walking away. “See, I knew you really weren’t as nice as you pretend,” she called over her shoulder as she turned the corner of the building. “Maybe I’ll go tell Mrs. Herrera what you just called me. Maybe everyone should know what a faker you are.”

Ariana sank to the ground. How could Becca say she wasn’t nice? Just because she’d gotten mad and said one bad word?

“It’s okay,” Elizabeth said, holding out her hand. “She’s not going to tell anyone.”

Ariana took Elizabeth’s hand and let herself be pulled up. She’d write Becca a note of apology and mail it to her house. How could she have said such a thing?

Even if it was sort of true.

“I shouldn’t have said it,” she told Elizabeth. “Promise me you won’t tell?”

“Of course I won’t tell,” Elizabeth promised as they made their way back to the playground.

By the look on everyone’s face, it was clear that Elizabeth didn’t need to tell anyone because Becca had already told everyone. And there she was now, talking to Mrs. Herrera!

“I think I’m going to be sick,” Ariana said to Elizabeth. “I think I need to go to the nurse’s office.”

“I’ll take you,” Elizabeth said, but Ariana noticed she’d moved away from her a little bit, like she didn’t want people to think she was the kind of girl who called other girls names. Bad names.

“It’s okay,” Ariana told her. “I can take myself.”

And then she just started running. She didn’t even know where she was running to until she was in the main hallway and saw the open door to the principal’s office.

“I’m turning myself in!” Ariana cried as she hurtled through the doorway. “I’m a terrible person!”

“I’m sure that’s not true, Ariana,” Mrs. Werter, the school secretary, said. “You’re a very nice girl.”

Ariana flung herself into the chair across from Mrs. Werter’s desk. But she wasn’t nice! She was a name-caller! She had turned into the sort of person who used bad language! She was—

Ariana actually couldn’t actually think of any more bad things about herself. Just those two. And she’d said what she’d said under stress, she reminded herself. Becca really was being horrible, after all. And just because Ariana had said one bad word didn’t make her un-nice, did it? Especially when—well, who was she trying to fool? Becca Hobbes sort of was—well, that thing that Ariana had called her.

Ariana took a deep breath. So just calm down, she told herself. You must be turning into a teenager—so dramatic!

“I guess maybe I’ll just go back to class after all,” she told Mrs. Werter, standing up. “You look very pretty today, by the way. I like your dress!”

“Why, thank you, Ariana!” Mrs. Werter said, clearly pleased by the compliment.

“You’re so welcome!” Ariana replied, and then turned and headed back to Mrs. Herrera’s classroom, smiling and waving at everyone she passed. Maybe she wouldn’t have a party after all, she thought. Parties were overrated. Maybe it should just be Ariana and Elizabeth. They could make a list of who was nice and who wasn’t and make plans for a nice people’s club. That sounded like fun, didn’t it? A nice people’s club?

Ariana already knew who she wouldn’t be inviting.