Green Algae and Bubble Gum Wars

by Annie Bryant

  “I still can’t believe I was stuck with this slacker,…” Bailey chided with a grin, fighting off Matt, who was trying to give her a noogie.

  “Bailey, this is Maeve. The girl I was telling you about,” said Matt.

  Suddenly, Maeve felt like the sun was pouring down on her and her alone. The girl I was telling you about… So Matt had been talking about her!

  She held out her hand very properly and said, “Pleased to meet you.”

  “Your display is absolutely gorgeous,” Katani interjected. “These colors are just…delicious.” She pointed to a particularly vibrant pot of tangerine-colored blossoms. “You could not get fabric in this shade.”

  Bailey laughed and suddenly looked embarrassed. “These are my prizewinning peonies. I developed a custom-made fertilizer from compost—I used leftover food from the school cafeteria. It’s 100 percent organic.”

  Matt shook his head. “Bailey’s Magic Plant Juice. I swear you should sell this stuff.”

  Bailey shrugged and giggled. “C’mon, Matt. You know I need to do more research…but someday, I hope.”

  Matt rolled his eyes. “Puh-lease. Even Professor Sutter asked her for her secret formula. This is actually a lot more intense than it looks. Bailey bred all these flowers from baby seedlings. She pollinated them in a lab.”

  “It took me three whole semesters to get it right,” Bailey explained. “The lighting, the soil, the fertilizer…. But the good news is, now that I know what I’m doing, I think I might really be onto something.”

  Maeve gazed at the flowers, feeling slightly sorry for herself. Science came so naturally to some people, but it was so difficult for her. If only she had the talent to grow beautiful flowers from tiny seeds. She glanced over and noticed that Sam was busy reading Bailey’s lab report. Grr, she thought. He probably understands all this stuff.

  “Bailey, I’d love to stick around for a while, but we’re actually on a bit of a scavenger hunt here. I’m trying to round up some kids. One of them has a real passion for the environment, so we thought maybe she’d be at your booth.”

  Bailey scratched her head. “Hmm…I’ve seen like a million kids today. What do they look like?”

  Charlotte had a writer’s eagle eye for details. “One is about up to here on me,” she described, holding her hand up to her shoulder, “and was wearing a side ponytail and a soccer jersey with the number five. The other one is a little taller than I am, with long, shiny black hair, brown eyes. She was wearing this bird T-shirt. It said, um…what was that…oh, yeah: ‘Polly want a little piece and quiet at the Boston Public Library.’”

  Bailey laughed. “I think I’d certainly remember if I saw a T-shirt like that around. Sorry, though…no such luck.”

  “We have three of the girls now…,” Matt said, scanning the room.

  “Three?” asked Bailey. “I’m only counting two.”

  “Shoot!” Matt exclaimed. “Don’t tell me we lost another one!”

  Sam, Maeve, and Charlotte looked around. “Katani?” Maeve called.

  “Don’t panic,” Charlotte said soothingly. “Isn’t that her over there in the yellow scarf?”

  Maeve sprinted over to retrieve her. When they returned, Katani had a huge smile on her face. “Too bad they’re packing up to go. I wish you could have checked out that booth, Char. If you thought the hydro-car was cool, you’d just flip over the waterwheel that spins and creates electricity. It reminds me of some stuff my dad showed me.”

  Matt used the bottom of his T-shirt to wipe sweat off his brow. “Keeping track of you kids is impossible. It’s like herding cats,” he said. “Now where in the world are Avery and Isabel?”

  Maeve tried to ignore the fact that he just said “you kids.” He must have meant everyone but her.

  “Maybe their workshop ran a little late,” Katani suggested.

  “You’re probably right,” Matt agreed. “So I guess we’ll just head back to the entrance and wait for them. I sure wish they’d hurry up, though. I promised to have you guys back in plenty of time for dinner, and if I’m going to show you the tunnels—”

  Sam’s hand suddenly shot into the air. “Ooh, ooh! Pick me! Pick me! I have an idea!”

  Maeve groaned. “This isn’t school, Sam. You don’t have to raise your hand, you know.”

  “Let him talk, Maeve,” instructed Matt.

  Maeve felt stung and took a step back. Matt was totally treating her like a little kid!

  Sam, like his big sis, cherished being the center of attention and explained as slowly as possible. “Wellllll…if we’re just going to be waiting around for…we could see the tunnels now, and then meet them.”

  “But Avery really wants to check out the tunnels,” Maeve protested. “We can’t do it without her!”

  “Actually, I think Sam has a good idea, Maeve,” Matt replied. “If we don’t go now, nobody’s going to get to see the tunnels. We’ll just meet them back at the entrance to the festival like we planned—after a little underground adventure!” Matt playfully threw an arm around Sam’s shoulders. “Forward, troops. To the tunnels we go. You coming, Bailey?”

  She shook her head. “Can’t. Someone’s got to stay here and pack up the peonies.”

  The crew waved good-bye to Bailey and went off on their mission. Maeve walked slowly between Katani and Charlotte. She couldn’t believe that Matt was paying more attention to her pesky little brother than her.

  “What did you think of Bailey?” she whispered to Charlotte and Katani.

  “Very nice,” Charlotte remarked. “And very smart. Her fertilizer formula was pretty genius, really. Everybody wants to be green these days.”

  “I like her style, too,” Katani noted.

  Maeve gasped. “Seriously? Those clothes looked like they were from 1969! I swear, my mom has like, a thousand of those hippie skirts in boxes in our attic.”

  “Gosh, Maeve.” Katani sighed. “Hippie chic is totally in vogue right now. The style’s called boho. Short for bohemian.”

  “Boho,” Maeve tried out the strange-sounding word. “More like hobo, if you ask me.”

  “Maeve!” Charlotte gasped. “Be nice!”

  A wave of shame came over Maeve when she realized how catty she’d sounded. She didn’t know what was wrong with her.

  “C’mon guys!” Matt called. “We can get into the tunnels through this building right over here.”

  Maeve’s stomach did a flip-flop. It suddenly occurred to her that she was going to be going underground. What if the tunnels were filled with spiderwebs? “Umm…if it’s okay with you guys, maybe I should just stay right here, you know?”

  Matt folded his arms. “Absolutely not, Maeve. From this point on we are sticking together. Understand?”

  “Yes.” She grabbed Charlotte’s wrist as the girls descended down the stairs.

  “Ouch! Maeve, you’re hurting me!” Charlotte squeaked.

  “Sorry,” Maeve said, loosening her grip. “It’s kind of hard to go down stairs in these boots—I don’t want to fall!”

  Katani had to laugh at that one. “Honey, you have got your arm on the wrong girl!” Klutzy Charlotte was the most disaster-prone girl in the seventh grade, but she didn’t really mind. It was just something she learned to deal with. Sometimes she even cracked herself up with her crazy mishaps.

  The insides of the tunnels were dimly lit, and the sounds of their footsteps echoed eerily on the ancient tile floor. “This would be the perfect setting for a scary movie,” Charlotte admitted, squeezing Maeve’s hand.

  “Do you think this place might be a little bit haunted?” Maeve whispered. She heard creaking noises, and just when she thought it was safe, a little bug scuttled out in front of her feet. “Eeek!”

  “Maeve, is that whining noise coming from you?” Katani accused.

  “I can’t help it,” Maeve said in a breathless voice. “It’s spooky down here. I feel like I might faint.”

  “You are such a drama queen, Maeve,” Katani moaned.
“It’s just a tunnel. Hundreds of students must pass through here every day.” Katani would not let a few butterflies in her stomach blow her cover of always being cool, confident, and composed.

  “Chin up, Maeve!” hollered Matt. “I thought that Mix-Master-Curl was the toughest cookie on the block.”

  Maeve felt her mouth curl into a smile. He truly was a prince. If I did happen to faint, Maeve told herself, surely Matt would catch me in his arms and carry me to safety. Still, the creepy clangs and creaks wouldn’t stop. “There is no way we’re alone down here,” she murmured.

  All of a sudden, classical music started to play. Katani, Maeve, and even Sam jumped into the air and grabbed each other.

  “Isn’t that—” started Matt.

  “Beethoven’s Fifth!” Charlotte exclaimed as she shuffled through her purse. “It’s my cell phone, you guys. My dad downloaded the ringtone online. I know, it’s wicked dorky.”

  Maeve clutched her heart. “Char, you have got to tell your dad to choose something, like, ten times less creepy.”

  “I don’t think Beethoven would like his music being called creepy.” Charlotte laughed, flipping open her phone. “Hello? You’re where? No! We’re in the tunnels! No…don’t come back. Stay right where you are.” She flipped her phone closed. “That was Isabel, using Elena Maria’s cell phone. She said she and Ave and Scott and Elena Maria are outside the entrance. They already checked out the tunnels—Avery was kind of disappointed. Isabel said they didn’t get very creeped out.”

  “Well, I’m creeped out enough for all of us! Let’s get out of here!” Maeve said. The group did an about-face and hurried towards the stairs that led into the building above.

  “Can you believe it?” moaned Isabel, when everybody was reunited. “These two went to the holography exhibit without me!”

  Elena Maria and Scott giggled like they’d been up to serious mischief.

  Matt just shrugged casually. “Well, good. See, I told you there’d be something for everyone here.”

  Avery rolled her eyes and whispered to the BSG, “I have a feeling that the only thing here my bro is interested in is Elena Maria!”

  On the way home on the T, everyone was still totally jazzed about the festival. Their brains were definitely ticking over all the fascinating things they had learned and the cool people they’d met, but they weren’t exactly as happy and light as usual. The festival had given them a lot to think about.

  “Look at these photos,” Isabel breathed to Maeve and Avery, who were sitting on either side of her. “How beautiful are these plants? But if people don’t make more of an effort to control global warming, these algae will change. Then the fish that need them for food might not eat them. It’s complicated…you know, it’s a food web thing,” Isabel said with a gulp.

  “I know,” Avery exclaimed. She was majorly into all issues environmental, and sometimes got pretty fired up about it. “People don’t realize how small things can make a big difference to the health of our planet!”

  “Like you, right, Ave?” Katani teased her short friend.

  “You betcha!” Avery shot back with a grin.

  Maeve squeezed Isabel’s hand. “Maybe there’s something you can do?” she said.

  Isabel nodded. “I sure hope so. I’m going to e-mail Emily Sullivan when I get home.”

  “It’s too bad that the AAJH science fair can’t be all about the environment,” Avery lamented.

  Charlotte stopped chatting with Sam in midsentence and whipped around. “Well, why can’t it?”

  Avery shrugged. “I dunno. I just thought it was supposed to be whatever science thing you wanted to learn about…you know?”

  Matt smiled. “Well, according to Al Gore, the environment isn’t just going to be an issue for the future of our Earth…it’s already the issue.”

  “Oo! Oo! Oo!” Avery hooted excitedly, practically bouncing out of her seat. “This could work! We should totally make the AAJH science fair all about saving the planet!”

  “If you guys truly feel passionate about environmental issues, that would be a very cool idea,” Matt agreed.

  “You really think?” asked Maeve.

  Matt shrugged. “Hey. Why not? Didn’t I tell you Mix-Master-Curl could do anything? Especially with your BSG posse around.”

  Maeve felt herself glowing as she watched the city of Cambridge, next door to Boston and Brookline, rush by her window. All in all, she thought, it had been one fabulous day…even the science was cool.

  CHAPTER 6

  A Shocking Surprise

  Maeve couldn’t believe how tired she was when she returned home from the Festival. Phew! College is seriously a ton of work, she thought. Not just all the learning and everything, but running around all over that big, beautiful campus. And on top of all of that, I’m supposed to make sure my hair doesn’t get frizzy! In five years or something, am I really going to be cut out for college? It’s not like I’m Betsy Fitzgerald. Maeve sighed. Betsy was AAJH’s superstar student, who was dedicated to growing her college résumé at every opportunity.

  As Maeve made her way up the stairs of the apartment, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She was pleased to find that each strand of her straight-for-the-day hairdo was absolutely perfect. Huh. Maybe I am cut out for this after all. Maeve flashed herself a gloriously glam smile, and began daydreaming about what her life would be like when she was old enough to be a real college student.

  First of all, she was definitely going to have a boyfriend as cute as Matt. Maybe they would work on a science fair project like Bailey’s together…someday. The thought of growing plants from tiny seedlings, making sure that they were properly cared for and turning out beautiful pink flowers for everyone to enjoy, made Maeve feel all glowy inside.

  When Maeve arrived at her room, she flung open the door, and was totally ready to throw herself on her big, pink, plushy bed, when she noticed something blocking her dramatic moment: a large brown shopping bag. This was very strange, Maeve thought. It wasn’t anywhere near her birthday or anything.

  Tied on the handle of the bag with a pink ribbon was a small card with a note. Maeve opened the card and slowly read the words. “Maeve, let me know if this fits. My girl is growing up!!! XOXO ~ Love Mom.”

  Maeve’s stomach did a tiny flip-flop as she wondered what might be lying beneath the light pink tissue paper. It was certainly something sophisticated—there was no doubt about that! Maeve hoped it would be the cute jean skirt that she’d been eyeing in the window of Think Pink—her favorite local boutique and pink stuff headquarters. Every day when she drove by Think Pink with her mom, she oohed and aahed over that lovely sequined pink denim number. Maybe her mom had finally picked up on her not-so-subtle hints.

  Maeve never had much patience for suspense. It took her all of two seconds to pull out the tissue paper, shake it, and rip it up into shreds, revealing a small piece of white fabric. But it definitely took Maeve less than half a second to realize exactly what that little piece of white fabric was.

  A bra.

  A training bra?

  A really, really, really, totally not cute training bra.

  Maeve used her thumb and forefinger to pick up the garment, slowly—very slowly—and hold it up an arm’s length away to give it an inspection. She wanted a bra, but Maeve had always imagined that her very first bra would be…well…something not quite so blah. Something silky maybe, with lace, and teeny tiny rosebuds. But this, this, thing… Ugh.

  As Maeve put on her coziest pajamas, she knew there was no getting around it—sooner or later she was going to have to talk to her mom about this little “present.” She just didn’t realize how soon until she heard a quiet knock on her door. “Yoo-hoo, honey. It’s me. Your mother. Can I come in?”

  “Sure.”

  Ms. Kaplan hesitantly creaked open the door, crept in slowly, and took a seat next to Maeve on her bed. She was moving so cautiously, Maeve wondered if her mom thought her bed was going to explode or somethin
g. “Soooo…tell me. Did you have a good time at the science festival today?”

  Maeve shrugged. “It was okay, I guess. Definitely cooler than I thought it would be.”

  “Really? How so?”

  Maeve looked dreamily out the window, remembering how dashing Matt had been when he’d led the group through the creepy tunnel. “Oh, I dunno. They had some booths with science stuff that was really awesome. I can’t believe how much those MIT kids know about the environment. This girl Bailey was growing the most awesome plants with her special organic fertilizer. And Sally Ride, the first American woman astronaut, was there. And of course Matt was like, the awesomest tour guide ever. He makes me feel like a real grown-up, you know?”

  Maeve’s mother burst into a smile of relief. “I’m so glad you feel that way, Maeve. In fact, that is exactly what I was hoping to talk to you about tonight.”

  “Matt making me feel like a grown-up?”

  “No,” Ms. Kaplan began, “I was going to talk to you about you becoming a grown-up. Did you see the surprise I left on your bed for you?”

  “Oh…that.” Maeve felt herself blush.

  “Yes, that.” Maeve noticed that her mom looked pretty uncomfortable too. “So…did you like it? Did you try it on?”

  “Actually…”

  “Well?”

  Maeve saw how hopeful and sweet her mom’s face looked. Now she didn’t feel so much embarrassed—she just didn’t want to hurt her mother’s feelings by telling her that the bra she’d bought was far from the kind of bra that Maeve herself would ever want. So she decided to go with a little phrase that Katani had taught her when they were shopping together. Katani explained that this was what she said to Kelley when she didn’t like what Kelley picked out. Maeve opened up her mouth, took a deep breath, and went for it. “To be honest, I wasn’t crazy about it.”

  “Not crazy about it?” Ms. Kaplan got up and fetched the bra from the bag. She held it up and inspected it from every angle. Maeve felt her humiliation creeping right back immediately. “Not crazy about it?” she repeated. She seemed confused. “I don’t get it, Maeve. It’s only a training bra, after all. It’s not supposed to be like those ridiculous things on those, those, you know, Dream commercials.”