Too Many Toppings!

by Coco Simon

  “Yes!” Mom agreed, and turned to Isa. “Are you going to go to Sierra’s musical debut Saturday? Papi and I will be there.”

  I froze. “Mom! No way,” I said, hoping she was teasing.

  “I’m kidding,” Mom said, laughing. “I wouldn’t do that to you. Maybe Isa can take a video for us.”

  Isa glared silently at her dinner, and I wondered why she wasn’t responding. Then I realized something—I’d never invited her! I’d assumed she would never in a million years want to go to a birthday party that my friends and I were attending.

  But maybe I’d assumed wrong.

  “Do you want to come, Isa?” I asked.

  She continued to stare at her food.

  “I’d be happy if you were there. You could hang out with Allie and Tamiko.”

  Slowly Isa shook her head. “Thanks, Sisi. But I’ve got plans Saturday. Maybe another time.”

  I was disappointed, even though I hadn’t allowed myself to get my hopes up that my twin would be there. There was something that kept Isa away from my group, and my friends, and I didn’t know what it was. But if everyone was going to let me be me, then I knew I should let her be her.

  “Okay, but if you change your mind, tell me. You can come with me and the band. You get special treatment because you’re the sister of the lead singer!”

  Isa cracked a smile, and we all went back to eating. I knew that Isa wouldn’t make it to the party, but I had a feeling that she’d come to something in the future.

  Saturday finally arrived. I’d let Tamiko pick out my outfit, which was what she called “rocker chic.” I had on faded black jeans with some tears in the knees, black ankle boots, and a teal tank top of hers that she’d embellished with fringe and beads. I felt good in it, but it was a far cry from my usual long flowy shirts and cheery print patterns. My thick curly hair was loose and free, and Tamiko told me to shake my head around a lot. I had a feeling she thought the Wildflowers were a little more rock ’n’ roll than we actually were.

  I rode to the birthday party with the band, since Reagan’s dad had a minivan and had offered to take us all. Earlier in the day we’d gone over and set up the drums and keyboard in Patrick’s backyard.

  Allie and Tamiko were already at the party when the rest of the Wildflowers and I walked in. Tamiko was in the kitchen chatting with two girls that Allie had become friends with at Vista Green, while Allie was in the living room talking to a boy. As I moved closer, I could tell by his profile that it was Colin.

  Uh-oh.

  I glanced over at Tessa, who’d styled her dirty-blond hair in long loose curls down her back and was wearing jeans and a pink tee and pink lip gloss. She looked terrific. I found myself torn. I didn’t know whether to hope Tessa would get the chance to talk with Colin, or to hope that Colin would spend the whole night talking to Allie.

  Kasey hissed, “Is that him?” Tessa nodded silently. Even I could see the way Colin smiled at Allie as he talked to her, and she looked especially cute too, wearing another embellished tee by Tamiko.

  Then Patrick yelled, “The band’s here! Hey, guys, get ready! They’re going to start playing soon!”

  I glanced at my bandmates, and even Reagan looked slightly terrified. This had all sounded so fun when we’d been planning it in her garage. But now that we were here, in Patrick’s house with all these kids staring at us, I felt the pressure.

  I was the singer. What if I forgot all the words?

  After years of best-friendship, Allie must have sensed how I was feeling, because she jumped up right away and came over to me. “Sierra! You’re here! I’m so excited to hear you guys play. I’m Allie,” she added as she turned to the other members of the band. Reagan and Kasey both said hi, but Tessa hung back, quiet.

  I wondered if she’d realized that Allie was friends with Colin and was going to be rude and not say hello, but then I saw what it was that had made her so quiet.

  Colin had gotten up with Allie and come over to say hi to us. I’d met him a few times at Molly’s—he was a very loyal customer.

  And right now his eyes were fixed on Tessa.

  “Tessa!” he said. “Hi. I haven’t seen you since—I don’t know, a while. It’s your band that’s playing?”

  Tessa nodded shyly, an unmistakable blush rising to her cheeks. “I play guitar,” she said.

  “I remember,” replied Colin.

  “She writes a lot of our songs too,” Reagan chimed in. I hoped she wasn’t going to say anything about “You’re the One.” I was pretty sure that Tessa would melt onto the floor or something.

  Colin and Tessa chatted for a second, and Allie gave them an odd look, almost as if she couldn’t understand what was going on. But when Tamiko came over to say hi, Allie’s face was normal again, and she sounded like herself.

  “Can we stand right up front while you play?” Allie asked.

  “And scream?” Tamiko added. “I’ve got the flashlight on my phone all ready to go.”

  I laughed. “You can do ALL of those things. Just don’t make me forget my words. . . . I’m so nervous!”

  Tamiko hugged me. “You’ll do great. You do everything great!”

  I hugged her back. I hoped she knew how much those words meant to me. “Well, I’m not a flavor genius like some people, but thanks.”

  Kasey gestured at me wildly from the doorway. “Sierra, come on! We’re going to go warm up.”

  Allie clutched my hands. “Good luck!” she said. “We’ll cheer for you, no matter what.”

  “Um, thanks, I think.”

  I took a few deep breaths and followed my bandmates to the backyard. Patrick (or maybe his parents) had lit some Tiki torches around the yard, so it looked really pretty, and our instruments were set up on one side, so there was a lot of room on the stone patio for dancing. It was a really neat place to play, and I felt lucky to have this chance. So why was I so nervous?

  We all took our places and began quietly warming up. Tessa strummed her guitar, I sang softly with no mic, Reagan played air drums, and Kasey turned the volume on her keyboard all the way down. After a few minutes of running through our first few songs, I felt more confident. We could do this.

  Reagan looked at all of us. “Okay, Wildflowers. Are we ready?”

  “YES!” Kasey shouted.

  “Um, I think so?” said Tessa, and we all laughed.

  Reagan gave the signal to her cousin, and Patrick ushered everyone outside. In seconds we had a backyard full of kids, all of them staring at us with anticipation.

  Reagan banged her sticks together. “And a one, a two, a one, two, three, FOUR!”

  And off we went. We started with an upbeat pop song to get everyone loosened up and relaxed. I kept my voice strong and confident, and stayed with the music. I saw Allie and Tamiko jumping around and dancing, and they both looked like they were having a great time.

  A few seconds later, as we switched to another good dance song, I saw Colin appear to one side of Allie and begin dancing next to her.

  Curious, I watched them, even as I was singing. When we’d first arrived, he had seemed really into Allie. Then he had looked really happy to see Tessa. But now here he was, dancing with Allie. Was he just the world’s friendliest person? He was so hard to read!

  I glanced over at Tessa and saw that she had noticed Allie and Colin dancing together. Her eyes looked big and sad, but she ducked her head and kept playing. When our song ended and we were supposed to move on to “You’re the One,” I turned around quickly to check in with everyone.

  “Tessa, do you want us to play ‘You’re the One’ now?” I whispered.

  Reagan, who had also noticed Allie and Colin, said, “Yes, of course! He needs to hear it.”

  “No way,” said Tessa.

  “But it’s on our song list!” said Kasey. “And we don’t have many songs, especially slow ones. People are going to want to dance.”

  Tessa sighed. “Fine, but don’t say I wrote it.”

  “Got it,” I s
aid, giving her a thumbs-up.

  I whirled back around to the mic. I was starting to feel more comfortable in front of the crowd. In fact, I was having fun. This wasn’t that different from performing in a soccer game or a play. But it was better, because I was singing.

  “Next up we have an original song called ‘You’re the One.’ And it’s for all of you out there who have ever really liked someone. . . .”

  Just as I said that, we started playing, and I saw Colin’s eyes flash up toward Tessa. She immediately played a wrong chord.

  I shook the thought away and focused on singing Tessa’s beautiful lyrics. It really was a great song.

  You’re the one.

  I see you in my dreams.

  You’re the one.

  But telling you is harder than it seems.

  You’re the one.

  My love is deep and true!

  You’re the one.

  But what if I’m not . . . not the one for you?

  The Wildflowers played, and everyone danced. When the song was over, everybody cheered. I saw Colin smile at Tessa and she smiled back. I relaxed a little bit because I realized that no matter who he ended up liking, Colin was a nice enough boy that he would make sure neither girl was hurt.

  And I couldn’t help thinking of how happy I was to be there, with my band and my best friends. Maybe I did do too many things, as everyone loved to tell me, but if I didn’t, I wouldn’t have moments like this. And I wouldn’t have traded this for anything.

  As we were finishing up the song, I saw my own face looking back at me from the far corner of the patio. It was Isa, and she was nodding her head to the beat.

  At first I was surprised, but then I smiled and waved as I sang, and she waved back.

  I had a feeling she’d disappear as soon as our set was over and not stick around to hang out with my friends. But it didn’t matter. She had come to see me, because she was my sister and she knew how much I wanted her there.

  How? Twin-tuition, of course.

  When the song ended, all the kids burst into applause. “YOU’RE MY HERO, SIERRA!”  Tamiko screamed over the noise. Allie jumped up and down, beaming. We sang a few more songs, and then it was over.

  “All right, Wildflowers. We did it!” Reagan cried, and she pulled us all into a group hug.

  I thought about how crazy the past month had been. Trying to arrange my crazy schedule, fighting with my BFF, becoming the lead singer in a band. It had been hectic and exhausting, but also a little bit exhilarating.

  And I wouldn’t have changed it for anything in the world.

  Keep reading for a preview of

  Rocky Road Ahead

  by

  Coco Simon

  It was the after-lunch rush on a beautiful Sunday afternoon—that’s about as busy as Molly’s Ice Cream shop ever gets, and I love it! I feel so good when we’re busy—moving smoothly behind the counter with my friends Tamiko and Sierra like a well-oiled machine, the register ringing and ringing up sales, and inventory (as my mom calls our ice cream and toppings) moving out the door. Most of all, I love happy customers, and today we had plenty!

  There was a group of Girl Scouts coming back from a campout. They were all hot and tired and wanted to be refreshed, so we sold them a lot of sorbet. There were grandparents babysitting grandchildren, and they always went big: unicorn sundaes, candy toppings, hot fudge—all the stuff parents usually forbade, the grandparents bought. Putting together the more complicated items on the menu satisfies our creativity as scoopers. After all, it’s more fun to create a fancy mermaid sundae than it is to put a scoop of vanilla ice cream on a cone, even if it is rich, creamy, delicious Molly’s Ice Cream vanilla!

  My friends and I were in the middle of serving a car pool of Little Leaguers when I noticed my mom had come into the store from her office in the back. Her eyes were bright with excitement, and her cheeks were pink—she looked like she had news of some sort. I wanted to stop what I was doing and run over to talk to her, but we were too overwhelmed: the line was out the door. I was alternating between scooping and running the register, which meant I couldn’t take a break for even one second.

  I kept my eye on her as we worked through the rush. She went back to her office and returned with her laptop in hand, right as the line was drawing to an end. I caught her eye, and she grinned widely at me. Phew! That meant she definitely had good news. I was so eager to chat with her that I rushed as I packed a scoop onto a cone, and I cracked it and had to start over. Ice cream is the ultimate slow food—there’s just no way to rush making it, serving it, or eating it!

  Finally, finally, things died down, and I darted over to my mom.

  “What’s going on?” I asked breathlessly. “You look so excited!”

  My mom smiled again and threw her arm around me in a sideways hug. “We’re going to be famous!” she said with a laugh.

  I laughed too, just because she was so happy. “How? Why?”

  By now Tamiko and Sierra had wiped down the counters and joined us.

  “Girls, I just got a wonderful e-mail from a reporter at Yay Gourmet, the online food magazine!”

  “Yay Gourmet?!” Tamiko squealed. “I love them! Their site is supercool and amazing at predicting new food trends.”

  “And what did the e-mail say?” Sierra asked.

  My mom beamed proudly. “They want to do a big article about Molly’s!”

  “Cool!” Sierra and I exclaimed together.

  Tamiko clapped her hands. “What are they going to focus on in the article?”

  My mom tipped her head to the side thoughtfully. “I think our flavors, most of all. Then our technique—the small batches, the high-quality ingredients, the test kitchen where I make everything. But there will certainly be a section on the wonderful concoctions you girls have created: the sundaes, shakes, and . . .”

  “And the sprinkle of happy?” Sierra and I chimed in.

  My mom laughed. “Of course! What would Molly’s be without a sprinkle of happy?”

  A sprinkle of happy is something we invented in the early days of the store last year, right when we all started working here together every Sunday. No matter how plain or complicated the ice cream order is, we put a pinch of rainbow sprinkles on top and say to the customer, “Here’s a sprinkle of happy!” It started out as an accident, when Allie accidentally put sprinkles on a cone when the customer didn’t ask for them. But it turned out to be a happy accident. People love it. It always, always makes them smile.

  “When will the article run?” asked Tamiko. She’s the person interested in details.

  “I’m not sure the exact date,” said my mom, “but I definitely think early summer. The reporter mentioned publishing it right in time for ‘ice cream season.’ ”

  Tamiko wrinkled her nose. “Don’t they know it’s always ice cream season at Molly’s?”

  Sierra and I laughed. Tamiko is a marketing whiz, and she loves trying to think of new ways to attract customers and attention: promotions, flyers, special events, social media, new menu items. She’s a one-girl publicity machine, and Molly’s has a lot to thank her for, especially building our fan base and attracting and keeping customers.

  “We will make sure the reporter knows that before they leave the store,” said my mom with a nod of agreement. “Ice cream’s not just for summer anymore!”

  My two friends and I went back to our spots behind the counter and began straightening up the chaos that our busy hour and a half had created. Sierra topped off the pots of sprinkles, toppings, and candies. Tamiko restocked cones, napkins, and cups. I refilled the crocks with marshmallow, hot fudge, and caramel (a sticky task!). As we worked, we discussed our summer plans.

  “Are you going back to your sleepaway camp again?”  Tamiko asked me.

  I shrugged. “I’m not really sure. Things are different this summer, since . . .”

  My friends knew what I meant: since my parents’ divorce. At the end of last summer I had come back from my
happy place (sleepaway camp) to discover that my parents were getting divorced and it was a done deal. They were both moving to new places, my brother and I were going to new schools, and my mom was switching to a new job, which was opening Molly’s.

  It had been a year of big changes and a lot more responsibility for me. But I also have much more independence now because of it. I get to work at Molly’s, I sometimes take care of my brother, Tanner, I make us both dinner, and I get us off to bed, and my parents trust me to get around on my own more than they used to. Also, both of my parents now live in supercool, very different places that I love, and I got to start at an awesome new school. I still miss my old school—especially because Tamiko and Sierra are there without me—but I like a lot of things about my new school too, like the librarian, Mrs. K., and my English teacher, Ms. Healy, and being on the school paper staff, and my new friend Colin. Even the food is better at my new school.

  Tamiko and Sierra and I have figured out how to stay close even if we go to different schools, and that includes lots of video calls, working together every Sunday, rain or shine, and plenty of fun plans when we can fit them in.

  But summer was still a big question mark. Would my mom need my help at home, watching Tanner, working at the store, or whatever? Would my dad want to spend more time together over the summer? Could we afford for me to go to that fancy camp up north for seven weeks again? We hadn’t discussed it yet, but I wasn’t even sure I wanted to go again. I almost hoped they’d make the decision for me. Or maybe that something better would come along.

  “What about you, Sierra? Do you have summer plans?” I asked.

  Sierra screwed the plastic lid back on the giant jar of rainbow sprinkles and stowed it in the cabinet. Straightening, she said, “Isa and I are going to work for our parents a bunch at their clinic. I’d love to work at Molly’s, too. Maybe I could pick up some more shifts, what with summer being the busy season and me being free to help more.”

  I nodded. “That would be fun. The time will fly in here this summer because it’ll be crowded all the time. What about you, Miko? Do you have a plan?”