I had one hand on the seat belt release as my mother pulled into the train station parking lot. I caught sight of my best friend standing on the platform. With her cranberry-colored hair in its neat signature bob and her high-tuned vintage fashion sense, Ivy Scanlon was hard to miss. Miko Suzuki stood next to her, checking her watch and peering up the track. A bolt of excitement shot through me. This was really happening! I was going on a three-day trip to New York City with my friends!
“Here we are,” Mom said, giving me one of her careful looks. “I still can’t get over it—an all-expenses-paid trip to visit City Nation magazine. What an opportunity! And you’ve only been working on 4 Girls for what, three months?”
I nodded. “This one will be our third issue,” I said.
“It seems like it was just a few weeks ago that the four of you were pulling an all-nighter to get the first issue ready for the printer,” my mother said, shaking her head and smiling.
“Well, Ivy came up with this great idea. We’re going to make this one a web issue! All online, with video and everything. We won’t need to worry about sending it to the printer.”
“That is a great idea,” my mother said, opening the car door. “I guess Ivy inherited her mother’s publishing savvy.”
“She definitely did,” I said, stepping out of the car and into the chilly fall morning air. “Good thing for us, too!”
“Oh, there’s Ivy’s mom,” my mother said. “I want to make sure she has my cell number. She’s going to have her hands full, supervising the four of you and getting her own project for City Nation done. Who did you say she’s interviewing again?”
“She still hasn’t told us! It’s a big secret!” I pulled my suitcase out of the backseat. “City Nation covers so much—fashion, current events, entertainment. All we know is it’s for the cover article, and Mrs. Scanlon has arranged for us to watch the photo shoot and to each ask the person one question for 4 Girls. But we may not know who it is until the very last minute.”
“So it could be absolutely anybody,” she said.
“Anybody!” I agreed. My brain was rattling, wondering who it would be. A politician? A rock star? A famous actor? And how would we prepare our questions when we didn’t know who we’d be talking to? The suspense was already killing me.
“Paulina!”
“IIIIveeeee!” I yelled back at my best friend, waving wildly with one hand and dragging my suitcase on its little wheels with the other as I walked up the ramp to the platform. She looked as excited as I felt. Even though she had lived in the city for years before moving upstate and had been in the City Nation office where her mom worked plenty of times, this trip was about US going together to find our own stories to tell our readers. Seeing Ivy’s familiar face, her pale blue eyes flashing, I could hardly believe my good luck. Not only was I going to see New York City, I got to do it with my best friend and with Miko and Tally Janeway, the third and fourth founders and publishers of 4 Girls, the magazine we published for the students—mainly the girls—of Bixby Middle School.
“Oh my gosh, Paulie, your suitcase is huge!” Miko exclaimed.
As usual, Miko looked like a team of stylists had spent an hour with her. She wore skinny jeans and high boots, and she had a purple scarf wrapped several times around her neck over a tailored jacket. Her long, glossy black hair hung perfectly around her face.
“My suitcase is huge?” I asked, laughing and pointing at the enormous red thing on wheels by Miko’s feet. “What’s that thing?”
“Well, this is the suitcase my mother made me bring,” Miko said a little sheepishly. “She crammed all kinds of stuff in there that I know I don’t need—a Windbreaker, rain boots, a down jacket. Like I’d wear any of that in New York City!”
“You’re dressed perfectly for the city,” Ivy told her. “That scarf is gorgeous.”
I looked down at my own less than exciting jeans and tweed coat. I had more or less inherited my mom’s taste for sensible clothes, though Ivy occasionally dragged me to the mall to help me find something supercute.
“There you are, Paulina. Are you all ready to go?” Mrs. Scanlon asked me.
I smiled at Ivy’s mother. “I can’t wait to get on the train! I tried to think of everything I’d need,” I said. “But I have a feeling there might be a surprise or two that I’m not prepared for.”
“Oh, you can count on that at City Nation,” she told me, laughing. Then she turned to my mother, who had her cell phone out so she could double-check all the contact numbers.
“We have things scheduled at City Nation through Wednesday,” Mrs. Scanlon was saying. “And I thought it would be nice if the girls could spend a few hours after that taking in some of the sights. Is it still okay with you if Paulina gets back Wednesday evening?”
“Oh yes, that’s fine. I’d love for her to see the big city,” my mother said. “Paulina’s aunts will be helping me cook, and Kevin can pitch in, too.”
Ivy and I exchanged a knowing look. My little brother was not likely to be much help in the kitchen or doing anything else Thanksgiving related. His expertise lay more in sci-fi trivia and karate moves.
“Your mom looks amazing,” Miko murmured to Ivy as my mother and Mrs. Scanlon continued chatting. “That coat is gorgeous. I can’t believe she’s taking us all with her when she’s got this big celebrity interview to run. She is extremely cool.”
“That’s sweet,” Ivy said, looking as pleased as if Miko had given her the compliment.
Mrs. Scanlon was an older version of Ivy herself. They had the same delicate features and pale blue eyes. And wearing a crisp tailored suit and Jimmy Choo heels, Miko was right. Mrs. Scanlon did look amazing.
“Do you want me to wait with you until the train gets here?” my mom asked, smoothing my hair off my forehead.
“It’s okay,” I told her. “I know you need to go pick Kevin up from his sleepover. I’ll be fine, Mom.”
My mom nodded. “I know that, honey. Give me a hug.”
Normally I would find a public display of mother/daughter affection extremely embarrassing. But normally I was not leaving for New York City! I gave her a nice long hug, with an extra squeeze as a thank-you for letting me go.
“You’re going to have the time of your life, sweetheart,” she whispered. “Call me tonight once you’re all settled.”
“I will,” I assured her. Then I watched her walk away, throwing glances over her shoulder and waving all the way to her car.
“Is that clock right?” Miko asked, pointing at a digital display near one end of the platform. “Because if it is, the train is going to be here in three minutes.”
“Cool!” I said. Then I suddenly realized what Miko meant and exchanged a worried look with Ivy.
“She’ll make it,” I said with more confidence than I felt.
“Tally Janeway has never been on time for a thing in her life,” Ivy corrected me. She looked up and down the length of the platform like Tally might be hiding somewhere, playing a joke on us.
What Ivy said was true. Tally was one of the most scattered, disorganized people I had ever met. The girl was a genius onstage but tended to be surrounded by drama offstage, too.
“I’m calling her cell,” Miko said, already dialing her phone. She listened for a moment, then shook her head.
“Tally still isn’t here?” Mrs. Scanlon asked.
“Miko’s calling her cell phone,” Ivy told her mother as she turned to watch Miko hopefully. But Miko shook her head again and snapped her phone closed.
“It went straight to voice mail,” she said.
“She probably forgot to turn it on,” Ivy said, smacking her forehead.
“What do we do?” I asked anxiously.
“There’s nothing we can do,” Ivy said. “Is there, Mom?”
Mrs. Scanlon checked the time on the station’s display again.
“I’m afraid that unless she gets here in the next minute she will miss the train,” Mrs. Scanlon said. “Unless the train is late, too.”
But as we all looked at the display, which read TRAIN STATUS—ON TIME, my stomach clenched. Tally wasn’t just going to miss the train; she would miss our big trip AND our chance to make 4 Girls even bigger than the four of us.
“We should have realized this might happen. One of us should have picked Tally up,” Ivy said with a groan.
“Tally’s the one who’s always late for stuff, not her parents,” I pointed out. “Her mom seems pretty reliable.”
“I should have insisted she let us come pick her up,” Ivy said again, and I wondered if she even heard me.
“Sweetie, coordinating the drop-offs at the train station was my responsibility,” Mrs. Scanlon said. “It’s not your fault. Don’t worry about it.”
Miko tried Tally’s cell again, then I tried it on my phone, too.
“I hear something,” Ivy said. “I think it’s coming.”
Ivy was right. The train was coming, and Tally was nowhere in sight.
I held on tightly to the handle of my suitcase as the train squealed to a halt. As the doors slid open, I heard the sound of a car horn blaring in quick successive bursts. I turned around and saw a green minivan careening into the parking lot.
“That might be her!” I exclaimed excitedly, pointing. I felt a hand push firmly on my back.
“You need to get on the train, girls,” Mrs. Scanlon said. “If that is Tally, she’s going to have to run for it, and I can’t risk any of you being left on the platform.”
I shot one last agonized glance toward the parking lot, then got onto the train behind Ivy and Miko. My heart was pounding.
The aisles were narrow, and I had trouble with my suitcase, which kept getting caught on the armrests of the seats. Up ahead, Ivy had found a four-seater and was getting herself settled. When Miko reached the seats, she turned around and looked at me.
“Did Tally make it?” Miko asked.
“I don’t know,” I said. I looked behind me, hoping to see her there. But it was just a line of people looking for seats. Not a curly blond lock or bubbly personality to be found.
We took turns hoisting our suitcases up onto the luggage rack. The train lurched as we began to move, and I dropped into the seat beside Ivy.
That was it then. Tally hadn’t made it.
The three of us sat in silence as the train pulled out of the station.
“Let’s google train and bus schedules to see what her options are to still get into the city,” Ivy suggested. “I don’t know if I feel bad for Tally or if I want to kill her!”
That was a good idea. Googling schedules, that is—not killing Tally.
“But how will we tell her if she’s not answering her phone?” I asked.
Miko and Ivy looked at me like I’d just asked them to name all the state capitals in fifty seconds or less. Finally, Miko said, “Let’s just see what the choices are. Then we can go from there.”
I fiddled with my phone, waiting for it to connect to the Internet. I stared at the trees outside the window, which were becoming blurs as we picked up speed. Suddenly, the door to our car crashed open, followed by a flurry of oomphs and I’m sorrys.
Miko leaned into the aisle and looked for the cause of all the commotion. In my spot by the window, I couldn’t see what was going on.
“What is it?” I asked.
Miko sat back in her seat and gave me a huge grin.
“Guess,” she said.
I stood up, almost slamming my head into the luggage rack.
Tally Janeway was coming down the aisle. She looked like she’d just been tossed out of a tornado. Her coat was misbuttoned, her long, curly blond hair was shooting out in every direction, and she had a piece of brown packing tape stuck to her arm. She was looking in every seat for us and turning around to talk to Mrs. Scanlon at the same time.
“Sorry,” Tally said each time she looked into a seat and didn’t find us. “Sorry. So sorry.”
“Tally!” I yelled, way louder than I meant to.
When Tally saw me, she rushed forward down the aisle to our four-seater, collapsing in a heap in the empty spot.
“Hey, y’all!” She took a deep breath, trying to get some air into her lungs.
“Is that all you have to say? Tally, you almost gave me a heart attack!” Ivy said.
“As you can see, we have our Tally after all. Settle in, girls. We have a three-hour trip ahead of us,” Mrs. Scanlon said, smiling warmly and shaking her head as she settled into the seat behind us.
“We didn’t think you’d make it,” Miko said.
“The conductor saw me runnin’, and I was hollerin’ for all I was worth,” Tally explained. “And he took pity on me and held the door!”
“We were supposed to meet at the train station ten minutes early,” Ivy said.
“You told me fifteen,” Tally said.
“Yep, and it still didn’t help,” Ivy said.
“Oh, but I was so organized, you wouldn’t believe it! I was all packed last night, and we left my house at the exact minute we planned to. Only we got halfway to the station, and I realized I’d forgotten my cell phone, and I knew y’all would be mad because Ivy’s mom made us all promise to have them! So we went back for it, but I had a little trouble finding it because I distinctly remember putting it down next to the bread box when I was making toast, but for some reason it ended up in the freezer, where I never even would have looked, except the bread box is white and so is ice, well, not white but frosty, and—”
I stopped the stream of words by leaning forward and giving Tally a hug.
“I am so, so, SO glad you made it!” I told her. “As soon as I thought you really weren’t going to make it, I realized how much fun we’d all miss without you.”
Tally beamed at me. Her face was bright red—she must have been running like lightning from the parking lot.
“Well, the important thing is you made it,” Miko said. “And at least you tried to be organized. I was still cramming stuff in my suitcase until the last minute this morning.”
“Wait a minute,” Ivy said suddenly. “Tally…where is your suitcase?”
Tally’s mouth dropped open into a silent O.
“You forgot your suitcase?” Miko asked, astonished.
Tally looked genuinely mystified.
“Uh-oh,” she said.
There was a long silence while all four of us tried to figure out what we would do about the latest Tally Incident. Then, suddenly, the whole thing struck me as hilarious. I began to laugh, silently at first, then in a stream of giggles. Tally joined in while Miko and Ivy watched the two of us and shook their heads.
“How could anyone forget their suitcase?” Miko asked.
Tally shrugged and made a twirling motion by her ear.
She is nuts, I thought. But she was also incredibly fun. Tally had a way of attracting disaster, but she rarely got down about it. Her sunny view on things and her wild excitement about almost everything was contagious. When I was with her, I felt like I was in a crazy but hilarious movie.
“So, guys, I have this month’s City Nation,” I said, pulling the magazine out of my bag. “Have you seen it? I thought maybe we could get some ideas about what to expect.”
“Oh, I have!” Tally exclaimed. “The tribute to silent movie stars was sooo beautiful! If I were a silent movie star, I…I would…”
Even Tally did not seem to be able to process a version of herself that was silent.
“I think Paulina means the magazine as a whole,” Ivy said. “Remember, we’ll be working in a few different departments. Later today we’re supposed to go to editorial and design meetings. Maybe we should split up and have two of us go to one and two of us go to the other, so we can cover more. Then tomorrow we’re going to sit in on the final prep meeting for the cover photo shoot, then watch the shoot itself. That’s when we’ll get to ask the celebrity our questions. In the afternoon, we’re going to watch them make storyboards, and on Wednesday we’ll check out some of the pictures from the shoot while they’re laying out the article. Other than business and accounting, we’re going to be seeing most of the major departments.”
“I still don’t see how we’re supposed to come up with questions for the cover person when we have no idea who it is,” Tally stated.
It was a good point, one I’d been asking myself a bunch of times.
“We’re just going to have to be ready for anything,” Ivy said. “And remember what my mom told us: Things go wrong just as often as not. So there’s a possibility there won’t be time for us to ask our questions at all. Or even that they’ll switch to a different person for the cover. We’re just going to have to play it by ear.”
“That’s right. Be ready for anything,” I said, pulling my little video camera from my bag. “Starting now—time to record our first video entry for our web issue.”
“Oh, great idea!” Ivy said. She turned around and hung over the back of her seat. “Mom, can you film us for a minute?”
“Sure,” Mrs. Scanlon said, reaching over and taking the camera from me. “Why don’t all four of you squish into the seat facing me.”
Ivy and I piled on top of Miko and Tally.
“Ready? I’m recording,” Mrs. Scanlon said.
Never shy about being on camera, Tally jumped right in.
“Hey, y’all! 4 Girls here, heading into New York City to bring you an all-web edition of 4 Girls from none other than City Nation magazine!”
Tally nudged me.
“We’re going to spend the next few days seeing how things run at one of the most popular magazines out there,” I said, holding up my copy.
“We’re going to go behind the scenes in everything from design meetings to a photo shoot,” Miko added. “So if you’ve got any questions, post them to our blog, and we’ll try to answer them for you.”
“We’re going to post articles, photographs, and videos of everything we can,” Ivy said. “And we’re going to keep you updated on the question that’s been keeping the four of us up at night—who is the mystery celebrity who’ll be featured on the cover?”
“And what question should each of us ask him or her if we get the chance?” Tally asked. “Stay tuned to find out!”
“Okay, that was great,” Mrs. Scanlon said. “You’ve created a sense of anticipation to keep your readers checking back.”
“So…who IS the mystery celebrity?” I asked with a grin.
Mrs. Scanlon laughed. “For now, you’re going to have to stick to your own advice and stay tuned,” she told me.
As if we had a choice—the four of us had front-row seats to the show!