AS MADISON WALKED INSIDE Aimee’s house, Phineas T. Phin, Madison’s snuggly pug, rushed the front door.
“Phinnie!” Madison squealed, chasing him into the family room. His little pug tail squiggled. He was allowed to stay at the Gillespie house too when Mom was away because he could hang out with Aimee’s dog, Blossom, a sad-looking girl basset hound with bloodshot eyes.
Her arms full, Madison chased Phinnie into the next room to get his personalized dish, which said PHIN FOOD on the side.
“Whoa, there!” Roger jumped back. “You’re about to crash into me!”
Roger was the oldest child in Aimee’s family. At twenty-three, he was busy helping Mr. Gillespie with The Book Web, the family bookstore, while he saved up money for graduate school. He had thick blond hair like his sister. Madison liked the way it waved. He was really smart and talented.
Older brothers were so great. Aimee was so lucky. She had four of them.
“Hey, Ma says keep it down in here you guys and, oh yeah, dinner is in like an hour,” said another one of Aimee’s brothers, Billy, coming into the room. The soles of his sneakers were peeled back to reveal ratty yellow socks. He was an undecided sophomore at Briarwood, the local community college. Billy couldn’t decide what TV show to watch, let alone decide on a major or minor.
He clicked past ten channels, which annoyed Aimee.
“Billy, don’t be a jerko,” she yelled, looking disgusted. “You are such a—”
“Bonehead, just give sis the remote.” Roger flicked a finger on the back of Billy’s head.
“No way,” he responded. “Quit poking me.”
Roger poked him again. The two brothers started a slap fight.
Aimee, as usual, was not amused.
“Roger! Billy! Can’t you be a little bit more normal? What is your problem?” Aimee’s voice increased in volume with each word. “Maddie, let’s go up to my room before dinner. My stupid brothers are soooooo embarrassing.”
Madison picked up her bag and laptop computer case, followed closely behind by panting Phin and Blossom. She caught one last look at Roger and Billy, sprawled across the couch as she left the room. Aimee had her brothers all wrong. These boys seemed perfect.
Half an hour later, everyone was gathered together again at the Gillespie dinner table for a health food feast.
This is a long way from one of Mom’s Scary Dinners, Madison thought as she and Aimee silently devoured their platefuls of delicious homemade spaghetti and tofu meatballs. Madison hoped chewing quickly would help make the tofu taste more like real meatballs. Healthy dinners could also be scary ones in their own way.
The boys chattered and chewed and burped, seated in an arc around one side of the table. Madison caught herself staring a few times. She hoped no one else caught her doing it. It was like a piece of her brain had become fixated on boys, even boys who were Aimee’s brothers.
She didn’t know why. It just was just one of those things.
Before they got ready for bed, Madison found a little downtime to go online. She hadn’t checked her e-mail since yesterday.
|
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Dad always warned Madison about opening unexpected e-mails and attachments in her mailbox. Tonight she deleted them without even opening the files. She figured the BUSTER Special Message was some kind of advertisement and she wasn’t interested in “earning $$$ at home.”
That left one real message.
Getting Mom’s e-mail tonight was like getting tucked in via long distance.
From: ff_BUDGEFILM
To: MadFinn
Subject: bonjour!
Date: Mon 11 Sept 2:06 PM
Bonjour mon amour! Comment va l’ecole? I love you so much, sweetheart, and I miss you already! I thought you might have fun figuring out the little bit of French here.
The weather over here is rain, rain, rain. Have to get me a new parapluie. That’s umbrella, by the way. We’re on site all week but I promise to write and call. You must be having fun with Aimee.
Au revoir!
Love you, Mom
ff_BUDGEFILM
Ms. Francine Finn
Vice President of Research and Development
Senior Producer
Budge Films, Inc.
“Hey, can we turn out the lights, Maddie?” Aimee grumbled in a sleepy voice. She put down her copy of The Outsiders and rolled over. “Good night.”
It was getting later than late. The clock said 10:25 P.M. Madison punched a few keys to save Mom’s message and then typed one last e-mail, a note to her brand-new keypal, Bigwheels, whom she had met in a special chat room on TweenBlurt.com. Bigwheels was starting seventh grade too.
From: MadFinn
To: Bigwheels
Subject: School elections and stuff
Date: Mon 11 Sept 10:32 PM
Sorry FTBOMBH that I haven’t written! Well, I actually cannot believe a week has passed. How r u???? School is getting to be a little bit weird. I should have written sooner. HELP!
We’re in the middle of school elections right now and it feels like total chaos. I’m not running for president or class rep or anything but I am in the middle of it all. I feel like I am ALWAYS in the middle of SOMETHING!
The tech teacher asked me to help her put all the school elections onto the computer and I’m soooo nervous. What if I make a mistake?
Actually, I wonder sometimes what’s the point of the whole thing. It’s all decided already. Did I mention that my sworn enemy is probably gonna win and rule the school? I just don’t know what magic power she has over everyone so they like her, but they do. How come the people you like the least end up being around you the most? And the people you love the most go away when you need them? It’s a drag.
All I can say is TAL, PAL! Just for being out there in the Web world. I feel not so alone just writing now.
Oh—I have 1 more very important question!!! Is it possible to suddenly like someone when you didn’t like him AT ALL yesterday?
Do you have a boyfriend?
Yeah, I know that was two questions.
Yours till the nail tips,
MadFinn
After she sent the message, Madison yanked on her favorite GRRRILLA POWER T-shirt with the ape on the front and crawled silently into Aimee’s trundle bed. She loved the way the sheets smelled like cinnamon at Aimee’s house.
Once again that creepy yellow hall light clicked on, casting an eerie glow that danced and bobbed along Aimee’s wall. Madison thought for a moment how funny it was that everything in Aimee’s world—even the shadows of her bedroom—danced.
Aimee’s room was so quiet Madison could hear herself blink.
“Maddie?” Aimee whispered from under the covers.
Night vision kicked in as Madison rolled over on her side to see her friend’s face. “Yeah?”
“I can’t sleep.”
“Sorry.”
“No, I’ve been thinking about our conversations today. You know, about Ivy and all.”
“Yeah?”
“Why do you think we want her to lose so badly?”
Madison shrugged but then realized, of course, Aimee couldn’t see her in the dark. “I dunno. Because we do. Because we want to see her lose, for once.”
“Because sometimes, I dunno. I feel bad about being so nasty. Like I’m so mean or something—”
“Well, you’re NOT,” Madison said. “And neither am I. She had her chance to be our friend, and she totally blew it.”
“Ivy always gets her way, doesn’t she? She always wins.”
“Yeah.” Madison yawned. She was getting a little sleepy, but she made herself stay awake to talk some more. “Well, she won’t win this time.”
“She’s the only girl running, Maddie. Of course she’ll win.”
Madison yawned again. “Yeah, I guess.”
“I just wish we could get back at her in some way. Not like revenge. Just something to show her that—”
“To show her that she is not the queen of the universe?”
“Exactly.”
Madison scrunched her toes up under the covers. It was cold in Aimee’s room.
“Maddie, I think I know. I have an idea.
“Tell me,” Madison whispered. “Just say it.”
“I think that the way to get back at Ivy for everything she’s ever done to us,” Aimee said softly, white teeth flashing a sudden smile in the dark, “is to make sure she has some real competition in the election.
“Yeah,” Madison agreed, “I guess Montrell Morris and Tommy Kwong don’t have a chance.”
“Like you said, they’re gonna split the boy vote.”
Madison wondered aloud, “Too bad there isn’t a way to split up the girl vote, too.”
“There is. I’m gonna run against her,” Aimee said matter-of-factly.
“You’re what?” Madison propped herself up onto one elbow.
Aimee sat up in bed and clicked on the lamp on her nightstand. Madison squinted.
“I’m gonna run against Poison Ivy in this class president election,” Aimee said with growing confidence. “And I’m gonna win.”