Back Online

by Laura Dower

  Fiona grabbed Madison by both shoulders.

  “Okay. What was that about?” Fiona asked.

  “What?”

  “Dan’s being Mr. Helpful, isn’t he?”

  “What does that mean?” Madison asked. “Friends help.”

  Madison’s eyes absentmindedly searched the steps for Dan. Was that his backpack heading inside? Wait! Was that Leyli chasing after him?

  “Maddie, is there something you forgot to tell us?” Fiona asked, smirking.

  “What?” Madison said. “Ewwww. You’re talking about Dan? Pork-O!”

  “Well, he really isn’t Pork-O anymore,” Fiona said. “He’s actually getting cuter. He has muscles now.”

  “Blecch,” Madison said. “He’ll always be Pork-O to me.” Madison laughed aloud—at Dan’s expense. She felt a little guilty when she heard herself do that, but it was a funny thought. And she’d had enough embarrassment for one morning.

  “Yeah, what do I know.” Fiona said. “There will always be one true Hart.”

  “Right,” Madison said.

  “Hurry up, students!” Ms. Goode, the assistant principal was perched at the top of the landing, where everyone entered the school building. Aimee, Madison, and Fiona raced up the steps. No one wanted to snag a late slip.

  Lucky for Madison, she escaped without any major angst about incomplete homework, and the remainder of the day was pain-free. In social studies, she actually answered a question that stumped all the other students—including Poison Ivy! Madison finally caught up with Leyli in English class, but her new friend seemed totally overwhelmed.

  “This place is bigger than I thought,” Leyli said.

  “Maybe you should do cartwheels from one classroom to the next,” Madison joked, referring to Leyli’s awesome gymnastics skills.

  “Back handspring coming right up.”

  Near the end of the school day, Madison ran into Poison Ivy in the third-floor bathroom, and they talked a little bit about science. Once again, they were lab partners. This year, however, science with Ivy wasn’t a prison sentence for Madison. In fact, it involved no sentences whatsoever. Ivy wasn’t copying Madison’s notes anymore.

  Next was Mrs. Wing’s technology lab. It used to be a class with just eighth graders, but now the brightest tech students from all grade levels were included to help out with the website overhaul.

  And then there was Egg, who defied categorizing.

  “Hey!” Egg cried when Madison burst into Mrs. Wing’s tech lab. Then he let out a huge burp.

  “Nice,” Madison said.

  Drew chuckled. “On the burp scale, it’s a perfect ten.”

  Up on the SMART board was a screen capture from the school web page with all sorts of cross-outs and comments attached.

  “We have a lot to do to fix the page,” Madison said, pointing to the image in front of them. “Mrs. Wing told me last week that she wanted to make the online school bulletin board a real place where students can post things.”

  “Hey, Maddie,” Egg called out, “how’s your laptop doing since it fell this morning? Any damage?”

  “I don’t think so,” Madison said. “But knowing my luck, it will probably detonate the moment I need to print out something important.”

  “Yeah, but you know how to fix all that stuff, Finnster. It’ll be fine,” Egg said.

  Madison couldn’t stop herself from smiling when Egg said that. She was taken aback at Egg’s comment and by the nickname he used: Finnster.

  That was a name that Hart had invented for her a long time ago.

  Finnster.

  She sort of missed that.

  Bach or Mozart or some other classical dude’s music blared loudly through the classroom speakers. The tune made Madison think about Hart Jones again, almost as if he were sitting in the row behind her.

  Hart and the other boys had played a joke on the school secretary and switched the music channel in between class one day. Instead of classical, banjo bluegrass piped through the speakers. It took Principal Bernard and everyone in the office nearly a full minute to figure out how to change it back. By then, half the kids in school were up out of their seats doing a fake jig.

  While the class-changing music was still playing, Leyli sneaked into class and collapsed into a seat.

  “Hey,” Leyli said, breathless. “Sorry I’m late. I’m still getting used to this place. It’s hard to find my way around. I need a human GPS.”

  “Ha! You said it!” Madison smiled. “But every day is off-the-charts in this place.”

  Madison was so happy to see Leyli’s familiar face and grateful to have another girl by her side. A couple of other seventh-grade girls were in the room, but Madison didn’t know them very well. Leyli was different.

  “OMG, I fell down half a flight of stairs on the way here,” Leyli admitted. “It was so embarrassing. My bag flew open and everything. And I am going to have the BIGGEST bruise.”

  “No way! You fell? On the way here?” Madison smiled even wider. “I fell this morning, too,” she said. “I got some bruise action, too!”

  “Really?!”

  “We are obviously twinning,” Madison said.

  Leyli chuckled. She opened a thin blue notebook from her bag and pushed it in front of Madison on the desk.

  On the cover were two words: SLAM BOOK.

  Madison made a face. “I don’t slam,” she said. “Someone put my name in one of those books and I never really got over it.”

  Leyli opened the book. “It just says that on the cover. I’m being ironic.”

  “Right,” Madison said. She knew the definition of that word. But she still hated the idea of slamming anyone. She’d learned her lesson from all the fights with Poison Ivy over the years.

  “Open it,” Leyli said, nudging Madison. “You’ll laugh.”

  Madison smiled and opened the book, flipping through pages quickly. There was so much in there, and it wasn’t at all what Madison expected. There were sketches, doodles, and funny little caricatures of boys and girls in school. It was an amazing collection of artwork. Great artwork.

  “This isn’t slammy at all,” Madison said, handing it back. “I’m impressed. You mean you can do championship gymnastics and draw like this?”

  “Thanks,” Leyli said quietly.

  Madison knew that sharing the book wasn’t about showing off—it was about letting her in on a secret. Leyli wanted to be Madison’s good friend.

  “I write and draw a lot in the book when I go away for gymnastics competitions. I have to wait around sometimes for hours, and it’s the easiest way to pass the time,” Leyli said. “Do you draw?”

  “I love to draw,” Madison said. “But the only thing I can draw is a stick porcupine.”

  Leyli laughed. “What?”

  “You know, with all the quills and that cute snout. I learned from some how-to-draw book. And I like to paint, even if I’m not that good at it. Mostly I spend too much time on the computer.”

  “So you’re a graphic designer then!” Leyli said cheerily.

  “Yeah, well, that sounds fancy. Basically, I make pictures for friends and family online. But that’s about it. My dad’s a tech guy.”

  Leyli nudged Madison. “Incoming,” she whispered. A boy was making a beeline for them. He looked unfamiliar, and Madison knew he wasn’t in eighth grade. He was shorter than most kids in the room, so he was probably in sixth.

  “Hey,” the boy said.

  “Hey yourself,” Madison said half under her breath.

  “What’s up?” the boy said.

  “We were actually talking,” Madison said, “before you interrupted us.”

  “Yeah,” Leyli added. “We were talking.”

  “About me?” the boy cracked.

  “Yeah, I don’t think so,” Madison said with a snarl.


  “Well, I was just being polite and saying hey,” the boy said. “I mean, it is a free country. You don’t have to be nasty when someone says hello.”

  “Nasty? Free?” Madison commented. She cracked a big grin. “That’s a good one. So that means you’re free … to go now.”

  Leyli smiled. “What’s your name?” she asked. “Are you a six or seven?”

  “I’m six-D. Name’s Joe.”

  “Hey Joe.” Madison let out a humongous sigh. “Look, we really don’t have time to talk.”

  “Your name is Madison Finn. I know who you are,” Joe said, pointing to Madison.

  “Whoa,” Leyli’s eyes got huge, and she burst into laughter. “He knows who you are, Maddie.”

  Madison made a face. “Okay, now you’re just being creepy, stalker kid.”

  “You’re friends with my cousin Dan. That’s how I know you,” Joe said. “I see you all over school. I’m not creepy. You’re just rude.”

  “You’re Dan’s cousin?” Madison said. “Are you close?”

  “Not really, but our families had a dinner the other weekend. He was there. He showed me some pics from the animal clinic. I saw you in a couple of them.”

  Leyli smiled at Maddie. “What’s that about?”

  “What?” Madison said quickly. “We’re friends. Of course he’d have my picture. Okay, Joe, time to go! Get lost, twerp.”

  “Maddie, don’t,” Leyli said. She apologized to Joe. “She doesn’t mean that. Sincerely.”

  “I totally mean it,” Madison said. “You should find another seat, Joe, like in the Kingdom of Far, Far Away.”

  “Hey, I actually like that movie,” Joe said. “I relate to Shrek. Who do you relate to?”

  “Donkey!” Madison and Leyli said at the same time. They laughed.

  “Donkey! Ha!” Joe said, faking the Shrek accent from the movie. “Well, later.” He moved to the seat behind the girls.

  “Oh, Maddie, that Joe kid just loooooooves you,” Leyli whispered, batting her eyelashes.

  Madison felt uncomfortable. “No one loves me. Come on!”

  She thought about Joe’s comment. Dan had photos of Madison on his phone? Lately everything seemed to have something to do with Dan, didn’t it?

  Where was Mrs. Wing? She still hadn’t arrived, and things were getting a little rowdy. The volume went up a decibel as kids tossed airplanes and yelled to one another.

  Leyli leaned closer to Madison to be heard. “Hey, what’s your favorite color?”

  “Orange,” Madison said. “And not just ordinary orange. I mean loud, almost neon.”

  “Traffic-cone orange?” Leyli giggled.

  “Yes! What’s your favorite color?” Madison asked. “I bet your screen name is a big purple clue?”

  “Yes, it’s purple,” Leyli said. “And I like polka dots, too. My bedroom is dot city. Weird, right?”

  “Not as weird as Joe,” Madison said.

  They laughed together again.

  “Seriously though, I like dots.” Madison pulled up her ripped-up jeans. She had on polka-dotted socks to match the crocheted sweater.

  “Twinning again,” Leyli said.

  “You have a pet right?” Madison asked.

  Leyli shook her head. “I used to have a fish, but it died. You?”

  “Well, you know I have a pug. His name is—”

  “Phineas T. Finn, or Phinnie for short,” Leyli blurted back. “How could I forget?!”

  “You even got his middle initial. Impressive.”

  Madison and Leyli quickly realized how much they had in common. Ever since her English teacher had given her the advice last year to “expect the unexpected,” Madison always kept her eyes open for the new and different. But something she truly never expected was to meet a brand new BFF in eighth grade like this. She figured her friend group was pretty much set in stone at Far Hills. Leyli was the most unexpected thing that had happened in a long time.

  Finally, the classroom door flew open. Mrs. Wing appeared at last.

  “Tech labbers!” Mrs. Wing howled, her arms waving and bracelets jangling. “Sorry I’m so late, but I have the best new assignment for all of us. Is everyone ready to change things up a bit?”

  Madison chuckled to herself because as far as she could tell, change was all that was happening these days.

  Everyone in class scrambled for his or her seat, especially Egg and Drew, who’d been paper-airplane-tossing. Joe was in the back of the class, staring at the back of Madison’s head. She felt his eyes like laser beams.

  “Okay, class!” Mrs. Wing said. “Does everyone know what we’re here to do?”

  “Fix up the website! Boo-yah!” Egg called out, pumping his fist in the air.

  “Yes, Walter,” Mrs. Wing said in a low voice. “And while I appreciate your enthusiasm, I’m trying to teach a civilized class. So let’s keep the fist-pump volume to a minimum.”

  Everyone laughed. Egg silently pumped his fist in the air again.

  Mrs. Wing brought down the lights so the images on the SMART board came into sharper focus. She flipped through a basic PowerPoint that explained the next months of classwork. It all sounded exciting. Electives in middle school kept getting better and better.

  The Magic of Electrons

  Multimeter Measures

  Simple Motors

  Resistors and Capacitors

  Computer-Aided Drafting and Design

  Web Development

  Basic Robotics

  Mrs. Wing explained how the school had received an important grant from a computer foundation—a grant Mrs. Wing had applied for last year. Her technology program had been selected over the summer from among hundreds of others across the country. The grant funds would help her to do a complete overhaul of the school’s website. Part of the change included tech assistance from Mrs. Wing’s top students as well as any members of the Tech Club.

  Madison knew that was why Joe fit right in with the rest of the geeks in the room, herself included. But she hoped that didn’t mean he’d be hanging around her all the time. The last thing Madison needed was another boy in the mix.

  As soon as everyone settled in, taking notes from their seats, the classroom door swung open.

  It was Dan.

  Dan?

  There he was, backpack slung over one shoulder, hair falling half over his face. She hadn’t expected him, and now all at once Madison’s insides swirled with unmistakable cute-boy butterflies, the same ones she used to get with Hart—only worse. She had a prickly feeling on her scalp and on her earlobes and all sorts of weird nerves in places she’d never had nerves before.

  All because Dan walked into the room.

  He just looked so handsome in those shoes and jeans. Pork-O or not, he made her head woozy, and Madison wanted him to look right at her and say something nice.

  Stop staring, Madison told herself. You’re acting like a weirdo. It’s just Dan.

  “Yo! Dude!” Egg called out.

  Dan put up his hands like he was at a stick-up and laughed.

  “You can sit here,” Madison said softly, but she must have said it too softly because he was looking in the other direction.

  At Leyli.

  “There’s an open seat right here!” she called out.

  “Yo, dude, here!” Egg yelled a little louder.

  Joe waved Dan over, too, and of course Dan went for the seat near his guy pals and cousin.

  Mrs. Wing and her bracelets jangled over to Dan and the crowd of boys. Her head bobbed up and down, listening closely to Dan’s excuses. She always demanded an explanation for a tardy arrival. He had a million of them.

  Dan finally yanked a late pass from his shirt pocket. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Wing. Won’t happen again.”

  “He’s so cute. Isn’t he cute?”
Leyli whispered to Madison.

  Madison shrugged and made a face. “Dan? Cute? Are you serious?”

  “Well …” Leyli said, smiling. “Yeah, totally.”

  “He picks his nose, you know,” Madison said, feeling a little guilty about making up a lie, especially one so stupid. “I saw him eat it once.”

  “Oh, come on,” Leyli said, looking a little grossed out—and more than a little confused. “He does? Really?”

  Madison nodded. “I told you his nickname is Pork-O, right?”

  Leyli gazed off into the distance. “Well, I still think he’s cute. Who knows?”

  Class proceeded quickly, with more explanation of the extensive plans Mrs. Wing had for the group. Everyone was assigned a few tech tasks right before the class ended, including an honest appraisal of the existing website.

  “I think some students probably have a better idea about what’s working—and isn’t working—than I do,” Mrs. Wing said.

  When class was finally dismissed around three o’clock and the classical music began playing, Joe came over to Madison’s desk while she was packing up her bag. Dan was with him.

  “I told you Dan and I were actual cousins,” Joe said. “See?”

  Dan shrugged. “Truth is,” he said, “we’re second cousins. He just moved to Far Hills last year, and he totally tries too hard.”

  “I don’t have to try,” Joe said. “I just have a magnetic personality.”

  Joe bopped away, leaving Dan alone with Madison.

  “I have a magnetic personality, too,” Dan said, mocking his cousin. “Seriously though, my cousin talks too much—and annoys everyone. But he’s a cool guy. I think the only reason he signed up for tech class was because I told him there would be cute girls here. I didn’t think he would go for you.”

  “Gee, thanks,” Madison said.

  “No, I-I didn’t mean it like that,” Dan stammered.

  “What did you mean?” Madison asked, putting her hands on her hips.

  “Hey, Maddie! Hey, Dan!” Leyli said, bouncing over a little too enthusiastically. She sidled right up to him with a wide, glistening smile. How annoying. Leyli looked prettier than ever.