by Coco Simon
I whooshed through the door of Molly’s, wincing as the tinkling bell announced my lateness yet again. Did it have to be so loud?
Both Allie and Tamiko were serving customers, so they didn’t stop to look at me or say anything. I quietly slid my box of doughnuts onto our side of the counter behind the ice cream containers, grabbed my apron, and headed to the cash register. This time I’d already pulled my hair back before I’d arrived.
As I made change for the last person in line, I wondered how things would go. I almost wished it would stay jammed in Molly’s all afternoon, so that my friends and I wouldn’t have to talk for a few hours. It might give them time to simmer down.
But the last person disappeared quickly, and when the three of us were all alone, I turned to face them. I knew I needed to just deal with it.
“I’m very sorry,” I said. “It was the play! It’s our last weekend of rehearsals before the show opens Friday. Then it’ll be over and it’ll be one huge thing off my plate.” I smiled, hoping they’d agree that that was good news.
But Allie and Tamiko were both stone-faced, busying themselves by doing some unnecessary cleaning and not meeting my eyes.
“I brought you doughnuts,” I tried in a singsongy voice, picking up the box and waving it under their noses. “Because I know it was wrong for me not to be here. And of course I’ll stay an extra twenty minutes. Or thirty, even, to make up for it. Okay, guys?”
But my friends weren’t having it.
“What were you thinking?” Tamiko whispered. “The stupid doughnuts made you even later.”
“Yeah,” said Allie. “And this time my mom’s here! And she’s come out front twice looking for you.”
Right then Mrs. Shear came out from backstage. She saw me holding the box of doughnuts and frowned.
“Sierra? What’s going on?” she asked. Her normally cheerful face was pulled into a frown, and her eyes flicked to the clock on the wall. “Did you just get here?”
I froze like an ice cube. I couldn’t stand being scolded by adults. Not by my own parents, not by teachers or coaches, not by anyone. I’d hated it ever since I was little and had forgotten to take the bathroom pass in first grade, and our teacher had yelled at me in front of the whole class.
I tried to think of something to say, but before I could find the words, Tamiko blurted out, “Sierra was late because she had an idea for a new ice cream flavor.”
What?
I stared at Tamiko, not following her at all. The front door’s bell tinkled again. Two older ladies walked in and strolled up to the ice cream display to browse.
Mrs. Shear’s eyebrow relaxed somewhat. “Oh. Really?” she asked. “So what’s the new flavor, Sierra?”
Oh no—new flavors and concoctions were not my strong suit. That was Tamiko’s specialty! I looked from the customers to Mrs. Shear and gulped, my mind a total blank. I was about to blurt out “jelly doughnut” and pray that Mrs. Shear laughed, or at least smiled, when Tamiko saved me yet again.
“Sierra’s so modest,” Tamiko said, laughing. “It’s Coffee and Doughnuts. Sort of like an afternoon pick-me-up—coffee ice cream with bits of fresh doughnut mixed in.”
With perfect timing, almost as if we were in a play, the two older ladies who’d been browsing the ice cream flavors immediately spoke up.
“Um, excuse us,” one lady said, “but we couldn’t help overhearing. . . . Do you have Coffee and Doughnuts ice cream? That sounds delicious.”
Tamiko beamed proudly, apparently forgetting that she’d just given me credit for the idea. She looked at Mrs. Shear, waiting to see if she’d approve the new flavor.
“Well,” Mrs. Shear replied, looking doubtful, “we could. I mean, we might soon. But all the ingredients here at Molly’s are homemade, and that includes the mix-ins, except for sprinkles and things, and I haven’t made these doughnuts. They’re store-bought—”
“Oh, that’s no problem!” said the lady. “We won’t tell. Couldn’t we just be taste testers? And then if it works out, you could add it to the menu, right?”
I felt like I was watching a court case with my own fate being decided. If the flavor worked out and the ladies liked it, I had a feeling I wouldn’t be in much trouble. But if it didn’t work out, then I was done for.
“We’ve just come from book club,” said the other woman. “And the book was a real downer this month. We need a pick-me-up!”
Mrs. Shear’s face broke into a smile. “Well, then, of course. Just this once, though, and it’s on the house. Then it’ll be homemade doughnuts in our Coffee and Doughnuts flavor. Okay?”
“Coming right up!” Tamiko said cheerfully, handing the box of doughnuts to Allie.
Allie smiled back and quickly began chopping up a chocolate doughnut into tiny bits and adding them to a cup of coffee ice cream. I had to admit, it looked delicious. Tamiko was something of a genius.
The two ladies each took a taste and couldn’t stop complimenting us. Mrs. Shear was so pleased by all the praise, I thought her head was going to fly off her body.
“Don’t thank me,” said Mrs. Shear. “Thank this wonderful girl here for coming up with it.” She wrapped an arm around me and squeezed.
Tamiko glanced at me, and I felt like a jerk. I was so grateful not to be in trouble, and yet at the same time I felt so bad because I was getting credit for something I really didn’t deserve.
The two ladies oohed and aahed over their specials some more and then left, leaving behind a generous tip in the tip jar.
Mrs. Shear studied me thoughtfully. “Well, Sierra, I guess I owe you an apology. I was about to scold you for being late, when really you were working hard and thinking up a great new idea for Molly’s! In the future, though, I’d prefer that you check with me first before you go off and do any shopping for the store.”
“Yes, of course, Mrs. Shear,” I said meekly.
Mrs. Shear patted me lightly on the shoulder. “I’ll be in the back finishing up some paperwork,” she said. “But—Coffee and Doughnuts! I love it. Good work. We need more great ideas like this from you!”
As soon as she was out of earshot, I walked to the tip jar and pulled out the money the ladies had left. “Here, Tamiko. This should be yours for saving my behind. And you too, Allie, for not telling on me to your mom. I’m so embarrassed. You guys totally saved me, and now I’m stuck taking credit for your good idea! That’s not what I wanted.”
Tamiko took her half of the money and put it into her pocket. “You owe us BIG-TIME, Sierra,” she said. “You made a promise that you wouldn’t add one more thing to your schedule. And then you joined the Wildflowers. And Allie and I were supercool about it, and we’ve been so supportive, because we understand what an amazing opportunity this is. But if you can’t fit in Molly’s, too, then maybe you should think about quitting and letting us hire someone who actually shows up on time.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“Hire someone else?” I squeaked. “But this is our special time together! The Sprinkle Squad! The Sprinkle Sundays sisters! We can’t lose that.”
Allie looked sad as she handed me a box of cones to unpack and stack. “Maybe we’ve already lost it. Those are just words, Sierra, if you can’t make it here to be with us. Right?”
She was right. Unless I showed them that they were a priority like my other activities, they had every right to think about replacing me. I wondered who they would ask. MacKenzie? One of Allie’s new friends from Vista Green? It was a horrible thought.
The idea that I might be replaceable gave me a terrible ache in my stomach. I’d been telling myself that I wasn’t as needed here at Molly’s as I was at some of my other activities, because there were two people to cover for me until I arrived. But maybe what mattered more was that I was wanted. I was wanted by my two best friends, and I was leaving them hanging.
CHAPTER SEVEN
TESSA’S CRUSH REVEALED
Even though I managed to make it to all of my commitm
ents over the next few days, including a spur-of-the-moment student council meeting (which luckily ended up being at lunch and not after school), softball practice, and a play rehearsal, I wasn’t the usual Sierra. I felt guilty and selfish, because my friends were right—I had prioritized certain activities over them. I hadn’t done it consciously, but I’d done it. So even though my careful scheduling was mostly working, because I was pretty much getting everything done without my grades suffering, my friendships weren’t working.
On Thursday, I was getting ready to head over to an evening practice with the Wildflowers at Reagan’s house. They’d moved it from early afternoon to accommodate my schedule, which I definitely felt bad about, considering I was a brand-new member, but it was better than not practicing.
I loved being part of the band. It was a lot of work, though, because in addition to the rehearsals, I had to learn all the words to Tessa’s songs, as well as some pop hits we’d been practicing.
I stood in the kitchen, packing my bag with sheet music. I hummed to myself, trying out a new harmony that might work for Tessa’s song “Don’t Stay a Stranger.”
Isa was in the kitchen too, rooting around in the fridge for a snack. She turned to look at me and pretended to hold up a remote control and hit the mute button. I just sang louder.
“Do you ever stop?” she asked.
“Nope—I’m a singing machine!”
Isa rolled her eyes as my dad came into the kitchen to grab his keys.
“Papi,” she said in an uncharacteristically sweet voice, “after you drop off Sierra, would you take me to Molly’s? I’ve been looking for a snack, and I suddenly realized that what I really want is ice cream, and we don’t have any.”
Dad looked pleased. Isa didn’t often ask anyone to take her anywhere. She usually went off with her group of friends on her skateboard.
“Sí, sí, of course,” he said. “Sierra, do you want to come with us? I could drop you at practice after. Your mom could come too. We haven’t all gone out for ice cream in ages.”
For a second I considered it. I’d have loved to stop by Molly’s on a weeknight and see Allie. I never got to see her during the week anymore! Sometimes she and Tamiko met up together at the mall or at each other’s houses, but I had too many activities and could never make it.
It was also pretty rare to have Isa willing to hang out with us as a family. In public, no less.
But I couldn’t be late for my practice—not after they’d moved it for me. That would be terrible. So I said, “Thanks, Papi, but I really need to be on time. Bring me home a cup of Lemon and Lime?”
Dad winked at me. “Of course. Let’s go, girls! I’m getting myself a giant sundae tonight. I deserve a treat. I had to clean out a pig’s infected ears today. You don’t want to know what that’s like.”
Practice was great. I tested out some of the harmonies I’d been working on, and the other girls loved them. Kasey had a great voice for harmonizing and wasn’t as shy about singing as Tessa was. Reagan would sometimes sing along as well but mostly preferred to just play drums. But when the four of us did all sing together, it sounded really good.
After about an hour we took a break. Reagan went inside and grabbed a pitcher of lemonade she’d made earlier and some chips and salsa, and we all sat around and talked for a bit. Reagan’s garage had an old sofa on one side, and she’d hung up some twinkle lights along the ceiling so that it didn’t feel quite so garage-y at night.
After she’d finished eating, Reagan stood up and clapped her hands. “Wildflowers, I have a big announcement. I’ve been waiting to tell you until now because I wanted to make sure we were really ready, and I think we are.”
Tessa sucked in her breath. “Holy cow, seriously?”
I turned to look at her. “ ‘Holy cow, seriously’ what? Do you already know what she’s going to say?”
Kasey’s eyes were open wide, and she nodded at me. “Yes. Don’t you?”
I didn’t. I had no idea.
Reagan jumped up and down a few times, like an excited kindergartner going out for recess. “My cousin wants us to play at his birthday party next Saturday!” she announced.
There was a moment of silence, and then a collective shriek as we all jumped up and started hugging one another.
Suddenly we all stopped jumping and stood and stared at one another. It was exciting news, for sure, but also a bit nerve-racking.
I wondered if I should even say the next words. “Um, are we ready for this?” I asked. Was that breaking some sort of band code? Were we supposed to believe in ourselves 100 percent, all the time? Wasn’t there some “fake it till you make it” saying in show business? “I mean, will we really be ready to perform . . . in front of people . . . by next Saturday?”
Reagan laughed. “Is anyone ever ready?” she said. “I don’t know. But he wants us there. He said, at least this way he’s guaranteed four fun, super-awesome people at his party. We’ll have to make time for some extra practice, though. Right, girls?”
All of us nodded, me nodding the hardest, while mentally scanning my schedule in my head. The play would be over this weekend, but I had softball games, a soccer game, tests, Molly’s . . . and now a real gig that required extra practices! I didn’t see how I could possibly do it all. On the other hand, how could I possibly not? I couldn’t let down my bandmates. Or teammates. Or thespian-mates.
“Sierra, your friend Allie might know my cousin,” Reagan said, interrupting my thoughts. “His name is Patrick Ryan, and he’s at Vista Green too.”
“Oh, ummm, I don’t think she’s ever mentioned him, but I’ll ask her,” I said. I picked up my glass of lemonade and took a sip, unable to stop worrying about the extra rehearsals and Molly’s.
“So, Tessa, do you think your crush might be at the party?” Kasey asked in a teasing voice. “He goes to Vista Green too, right?”
Immediately poor Tessa flushed a bright pink. “Yeah, but I don’t know if he knows Patrick,” she said. “It’s a big school, isn’t it?”
Tessa sounded trembly at the mere mention of her crush. She wrote beautiful songs about him but was too shy to sing them herself, even in front of just us. I couldn’t imagine her ever directly telling anyone she liked him.
I smiled at her encouragingly. “I didn’t know your crush went to Vista Green. What’s his name? I mean, if you don’t mind me asking.”
Still blushing, Tessa said, “It’s okay. His name is Colin Preston. Do you think your friend Allie knows him?”
I wanted to close my eyes and cringe, but I couldn’t do that with all three girls staring at me. Colin!
There couldn’t be two Colin Meehans at Vista Green. Which meant that Tessa’s crush just happened to be the same boy that Allie had become really good friends with this year. And even though Allie always told Tamiko and me that she and Colin were just friends, Tamiko and I secretly thought maybe they liked each other and didn’t want to admit it. Or at least Allie didn’t. She’d had so much going on with her parents’ divorce this year, and moving, and helping out at her mom’s store—how could she have time for a crush, too?
I also had the feeling that even if Allie didn’t like Colin that way, she’d still be kind of unhappy to know about Tessa’s crush. Colin was one of her few good friends at her new school. He was one of the first people who’d been really nice to her and welcomed her there.
Kasey nudged me. “Sierra—are you in there? Does your friend Allie know Crushworthy Colin?”
“I have no idea,” I fibbed. “I can ask her.”
“No, don’t,” Tessa begged.
“I think my cousin Patrick knows him, though.” Reagan’s eyes lit up. “Oh, Tessa, I have an idea! Patrick can invite him, and then Sierra can sing your song at the party and dedicate it to Colin, and tell him it’s from a secret admirer.”
Tessa looked as if she were about to keel over. Kasey and Reagan both squealed, and I played along as if I thought it were a good idea, but in reality I would neve
r, ever do that to Tessa. And anyway, what would Allie think? Allie had been so supportive of my being in the band, and had even kept me out of trouble with her mom when I was late, and now I was being asked to try to set up another girl with a boy she maybe secretly liked? I couldn’t.
Reagan giggled at poor Tessa’s stricken face. “Oh, we’re just kidding, Tessa. We wouldn’t do that. But, Sierra, you should invite Allie, since she’s new to Vista Green. My cousin won’t mind, and I’m sure she’d like to hear us play, right?”
“Um, sure,” I said, feeling not at all sure. Yes, it would be good for my friends to meet the band, but what if Colin were there? And then he and Allie ended up talking during the whole party and Tessa was heartbroken? Or the reverse happened? It was too much to worry about. But I couldn’t tell the band that. So I said, “I’ll invite her and our friend Tamiko. They’ll cheer really loudly for us.”
At least if both Allie and Tamiko came, Allie would spend most of the time with her. Then maybe the Colin thing wouldn’t be a problem. Maybe it would also help them feel more included in my new rock-star life.
Kasey held up her hands and hooted. “That’s two fans already! Plus Patrick. Pretty soon everyone will be wearing Wildflowers T-shirts and we’ll get mobbed on the streets.”
We all laughed and then got back up to practice some more, and I resolved not to worry too much about other people’s love lives. With a real, actual gig coming up, we needed to focus. I needed to focus!
And I, for the next few weeks at least, had to find time to fit in even more practices, and find a way to show Allie and Tamiko that they were still my priority.
Friends first. Music second. That was doable, right?
CHAPTER EIGHT
CRUSHWORTHY COLIN
The Wildflowers and I managed to practice again really early Saturday morning, before my softball game, and then again on Sunday morning. I couldn’t make it any days after school in the upcoming week, so that was the best I could do. No one liked the early morning practices, but I’d had the two showings of the school play on Friday and Saturday night, and both had gone great, so I was feeling pretty good about having one less thing to juggle as Dad picked me up from band rehearsal Sunday morning.