by Cari Simmons
Alice stood for a moment as the restaurant bustled around her, and tried to envision explaining to Cassidy just what exactly she was doing hanging out with Nikki. However, she couldn’t imagine the conversation going pleasantly.
“You’re hanging out with Negative Nikki?” she could see Cassidy asking in disbelief, while all her friends from the musical giggled.
To possibly have yet another awkward moment with Cassidy . . . in a public place, no less—not to mention hurting Nikki’s feelings—would be too much for Alice.
So Alice decided to tell a little white lie.
“Nikki, wait!” she croaked, just before Nikki turned the corner into the room the singing was coming from. Nikki’s colorful high-tops squeaked on the tiled floor as she came to a quick stop, her denim skirt swinging forward as if it still wanted to keep walking.
“What’s up?” she asked, looking concerned.
“I don’t feel so well,” Alice said, willing her skin to look even paler than it already did.
“Why? What’s wrong?” Nikki said, frowning. What is wrong? Alice thought. Think, Alice, think! “Is your stomach upset?”
“Yes,” Alice said, almost gratefully. Her tummy was in knots, actually, but not for the reasons Nikki probably thought. “I think I need to go home.”
“Poor thing,” Nikki said, her face softening in a way Alice hadn’t seen before. “No problem. Let’s head home. I was up to speed on all the math stuff for today anyway.”
Fortunately, the waitress saw the girls putting on their coats and dropped off the check. “Box this up, honey?” she asked, nodding at Alice’s half-eaten apple pancake.
“Probably not, if your stomach doesn’t feel good,” Nikki whispered.
“Oh yeah,” Alice said. “I guess not,” she told the waitress, and looked longingly as her sticky, caramelly, delicious apple pancake got swooped away by a busboy who was probably just going to throw it in the trash.
“All right, you all set?” Nikki asked. “Let’s go.” The girls started towards the front door, which Alice realized was right next to Cassidy’s table. She could even catch a peek of Cassidy’s red-and-black-checked fall jacket through the doorway.
“Nikki,” Alice said. “I need fresh air—like, right now.” And displaying a sense of drama and impulsiveness that wasn’t typically her style, Alice dashed for and threw herself through the side door, prominently marked FIRE ESCAPE ONLY: ALARM WILL SOUND.
The door wasn’t lying. To her horror, Alice heard a BEEP BEEP BEEP blaring through the restaurant after Nikki came dashing after her. Finally the metal door closed, and it was quiet in the Walker Bros. parking lot, aside from the cars whooshing by on Green Bay Road.
“Gosh, are you okay?” Nikki asked, looking seriously concerned.
“Yes,” Alice said. “I already feel better.” This was true, now that she was done making a scene at her favorite restaurant, but she still felt miserable. She’d dragged Nikki out, lied to her, and was for some reason afraid of her own best friend. Alice wasn’t sure she recognized herself anymore. She wasn’t a liar, and she felt like she was making her friendship with both Cassidy and Nikki more complicated than they needed to be—but she didn’t know how to get out of it.
“Would it help to take a walk?” asked Nikki. “Maybe get some water?”
“I think I just need to go home,” Alice said.
“Okay,” Nikki said. “Call me later and let me know you’re doing okay?”
“Sure,” Alice said, and turned and started trudging in the direction of her house. Of course—of course—it started drizzling. At least Alice had decided to wear her green parka with the faux-fur-trimmed hood instead of her purple puffer jacket. She pulled up her hood and sighed. She deserved to actually get sick for lying and being a bad friend.
Instead of walking straight home, Alice headed down to the lakefront so she could wander along the walking and biking path that led to her parents’ house. In the summer, the lakefront was busy, the park packed with people playing volleyball, picnicking, sunning themselves, and walking their dogs, a place where she and Cassidy enjoyed riding their bikes or sharing some popcorn with the seagulls. Alice kind of liked having it to herself in the cooler months, though. Listening to the waves and looking at the lake, which changed color every day (today it was a deep navy blue; some other days it was gray, or silver, or aqua, or even green) typically helped her get her thoughts together.
Why, exactly, did she panic when she realized that she, Cassidy, and Nikki were all under the same roof together? Part of it was that Alice had felt left out when Cassidy joined the musical without telling her about it first. After running into Cassidy at the ice-cream store with her other friends, Alice didn’t want to face another awkward moment.
But there was more to it than that. Alice started kicking a pinecone along the path, trying to work things out. She knew that there was still a tiny grain of weirdness between the two of them from when she had gotten into honors classes and Cassidy hadn’t. And if Cassidy saw Alice with Nikki Wilcox? Maybe she’d think that Alice was just trying to get back at Cassidy for the times she hadn’t been invited out for ice cream or to the mall. Plus, Cassidy didn’t know Nikki the way Alice did (yet). What if Cassidy said something snarky to Nikki? Nikki was Alice’s friend now, and had been so nice to her at Walker Bros. Alice didn’t want to get her mixed up with Cassidy when Cassidy still didn’t know the real Nikki.
Alice kicked the pinecone into the grass with the tip of her pink Dr. Marten and took a deep breath of the cool, misty air. If only there were some way to blend together Cassidy and her Nerd Herd friends . . . but unfortunately, even Alice wasn’t smart enough to figure out how to make that happen.
In the meantime, though, she knew of a way to at least get Nikki more incorporated into the Nerd Herd. Once she got home, she started writing a mass email to everyone in the class.
CHAPTER 13
CASSIDY’S TURN
“Hi,” Alice said, meeting Cassidy at the bus stop Monday morning.
“Hi,” replied Cassidy. The two girls stood quietly, their hands gripping their backpack straps, each staring out at the street. It was possibly the first time the two had not had much to say to each other—ever. “How was your weekend?”
“Fine,” Alice said. “How about yours?”
“Nice!” Cassidy said brightly. “We—I mean, us in the musical—had rehearsal and then went to Walker Bros., so that was fun.”
Alice had to fight the urge to say “I know.”
“I missed you, though,” Cassidy added with a shy smile. “It’s not the same without someone to steal my strawberry waffle.”
“Hey,” Alice said suddenly, coming up with a brilliant idea that was infinitely better than this current conversation, where Alice was afraid she was going to spill the beans that she had evacuated Walker Bros. in order to avoid running into her best friend. “Want to sleep over tomorrow night? Let’s have old-fashioned you-and-me time. It’s been too long.”
“Um . . . sure!” Cassidy said. “I don’t have rehearsals tomorrow night so . . . definitely!”
“Great!” said Alice, and luckily, just then, the school bus turned down the street. This could be exactly what she and Cassidy needed, although Alice felt like she had better put on a great sleepover, or else. If it felt as awkward as their last couple of encounters . . . well, they might be in trouble.
“Hey, guys,” Alice announced at the end of Mr. Nichols’s class. “Just a reminder. Anyone who wants to come to my house after school today for study group is welcome.”
“Thanks for sending that email, Kinney,” said Aaron. “I’m in.”
“Me too!” Christy and Todd nodded.
“Nikki, you’re in too, right?” Alice said. Nikki blushed but nodded. Alice figured that if she could get Nikki to blend in as part of the Nerd Herd, maybe she could finally get Cassidy and Nikki to coexist, too.
Ironically, for a bunch of smart kids, the Nerd Herd was kind of a flop when
it came to actually functioning as a study group. All Christy, Aaron, Nikki, and Alice had been able to do since they came over to Alice’s was snack on popcorn, drink pop, and goof around. “Once Todd comes, we’ll get to work, promise,” said Aaron.
Alice didn’t mind, though, because she had other plans on her mind.
“Hey, did you know that Nikki lived in Hawaii for a little bit?” Alice announced.
“Really?” Christy asked, her green eyes widening. “You lived in paradise and now you live in . . . Illinois?”
Nikki laughed. “My parents taught there for a few years, but now they have jobs here. You know what? I like it better here. I think I like the snow. Is that crazy?”
“Kind of crazy,” Aaron said thoughtfully. “Actually, no, I’d say mostly crazy.” Everyone laughed right as the doorbell rang.
“That’s probably Todd,” Alice said, scrambling up. “I’ll get it.” She was too busy looking over her shoulder to see how Nikki was getting on with the others that she didn’t even bother looking out the front door before opening it. “Todd, thank goodness you’re here or else—”
But it wasn’t Todd. It was Cassidy, looking a little frantic, like a squirrel that had run into traffic—it was possible she wanted to bolt but wasn’t sure which way to go. She stood in the entrance, her hands dangling awkwardly by her sides, the notebook clutched in one of them.
“Uh, hi,” Cassidy said. “I just wanted to bring by the notebook. I wrote a bunch in it today and figured you might want to read it tonight. I heard a bunch of voices inside. Um, what’s going on?” she asked, craning her head to look into the house, where the noise of Aaron, Christy, and Nikki talking boisterously emanated from the kitchen.
“It’s a Nerd Herd study group,” explained Alice.
“Hi, Cassidy!” Christy called, spying Cassidy in the doorway. Cassidy waved back, uncertainly.
“So, uh . . . ,” Alice said, not sure what she was supposed to do next.
“You do realize that . . . Nikki Wilcox is in your house,” whispered Cassidy. “Are you doing okay?”
“Yeah,” said Alice. “I had to invite her as part of the class, you know?” she said. “So she doesn’t feel left out.” There was a whoop of laughter from the other room, which normally would be a good sound—Nikki and the Herd were having fun!—but right now, well, Alice just looked like she was lying to Cass. Which she was.
“She sounds like she’s doing okay,” Cass said. “Well, I guess I should go.”
“Okay,” said Alice helplessly, taking the notebook from her friend. She felt mean for not including Cassidy, but what would she get out of a study group for some classes she wasn’t even in?
“Cass, wait,” Alice said suddenly.
“Yes?” Cassidy said, her eyebrows up hopefully.
“We’re still having a sleepover tomorrow night, right?”
“Oh,” Cassidy said, leaning back. “Sure. Why wouldn’t we?”
She turned away, and Alice watched as Cassidy headed across the street, back to her house, her hoop earrings swaying as she walked quickly.
“Hey, Alice,” Christy said, when Alice came back to the living room. “Nikki said her dad can get cheap tickets to Northwestern basketball games. Don’t you think it would be fun if we all went as a group sometime?” Alice nodded. Her plan of incorporating Nikki into the Nerd Herd was going off without a hitch—but why did she feel so bad?
CHAPTER 14
A VERY IMPORTANT SLEEPOVER
The morning before Cass was due to sleep over, Alice prepped for the perfect night. If it was a good night, she would feel better about the state of Cassidy’s and her friendship. If not . . . she was worried that they might be drifting in separate directions for good. Alice got together all her manicure equipment, stacked up all the magazines she had in her room to pore over, gathered some materials for homemade facials, and added a few things to her mom’s shopping list.
“What’s this?” her mom asked, squinting at Alice’s handwriting.
“Funfetti cake mix,” Alice said. “We’re going to make cupcakes.”
“What’s Funfetti?”
“It’s like edible confetti,” Alice said. “Nikki told me about it. She had it when she was visiting her cousin once. She says, ‘Funfetti is like a party in your mouth.’”
Mrs. Kinney laughed. “Hey, why don’t you also invite Nikki over to the sleepover?”
“I can’t do that!” Alice said, horrified.
“Why not?”
“Well, Nikki and Cassidy aren’t exactly friends, Mom,” Alice said.
“How come?” Mrs. Kinney looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “They’re both nice girls. They’re both smart. They’re both your friends. Aren’t they both in ballet?”
“Um, well.” There was no way to sugarcoat it. “Cassidy thinks Nikki is stuck-up.”
“But Nikki’s not stuck-up.”
“No.”
“So,” said Mrs. Kinney, “why can’t you explain that to Cassidy? Or better yet, show her?”
“I just can’t, Mom,” Alice said, sighing dramatically. Eventually she’d figure out a way to get Nikki and Cassidy to be friends, but first she had to tell Cassidy that she and Nikki were friends. Dragging Nikki over to the slumber party was obviously not the ideal way to break the news. Just imagine, Cassidy coming over to find Nikki already there. “Surprise! It’s a Nerd Herd ambush!”
“Doesn’t Cassidy know you’re friends with Nikki?”
Alice busied herself with drawing perfectly round bubbles all around the border of her mom’s shopping list. “Umm . . .”
“So you have to sneak around and keep them separate?” her mom continued. “That doesn’t seem like a very good plan.”
“Well, Mom, you just don’t get it.” Alice said.
“I guess not. But this whole arrangement doesn’t sound very Funfetti to me.”
Later that morning, after Mr. Nichols’s class, the bell toned for class change.
“Hey, what are you doing tonight?” Nikki asked as she threw her books into her camouflage-printed book bag.
“Oh, hanging out with Cassidy,” Alice said, a little apologetically.
“Cool, can I come too?” Nikki said. Alice wished she could just say yes, but she was petrified that, unless she got the circumstances exactly right, the three girls would be like the vegetable oil, water, and corn syrup that the Nerd Herders had mixed together for Ms. Crawford’s class: not blending at all.
“Um, I mean,” Alice said, stammering. “We . . . we’re going to this thing . . . at the mall. We have tickets.” Alice wanted to kick herself. She had never been to a “thing” at the mall in her life, aside from a shopping trip or a visit to see the mall’s creepy young Santa Claus.
“A concert?” Nikki asked.
Alice nodded, hoping that Nikki wouldn’t ask any more questions. She hated lying and she was pretty sure she sucked at it. “I think it’s sold out?” she squeaked. But it was better than saying “My best friend just doesn’t like you.”
“No worries,” Nikki said, holding her head up high and coolly flipping her long, dark curls over her shoulder. “I know you and Cassidy have been friends for forever. And I don’t get the feeling she’s my biggest fan, anyway.”
“What do you mean?” Alice said.
“Oh, I can just tell,” Nikki said. “She rolls her eyes sometimes when I have to bust out of ballet in a hurry to get home for my parents’ crazy curfew. And I was in the bathroom with her the other day between classes, and she pretended like I was invisible.” Alice cringed inside, hearing that Cassidy could be mean like that, even if Cassidy didn’t realize she was hurting Nikki’s feelings.
“She’s just nervous about the musical!” Alice said.
“Maybe she just needs to get to know me better,” Nikki said.
“Totally!” said Alice. That night, she resolved, she would try to get Cassidy to see the good side of Nikki.
“Well,” Nikki said as they parted ways in th
e hall. “Maybe sometime we can all hang out. Maybe even after my math meet in a few weeks! Anyway, have fun at the mall!” She trotted off, her long hair swinging down her back. Alice smiled weakly and told herself that by the end of the weekend, she’d have everything between the two girls sorted out and there would be no more need for lies.
“Say ‘fabulous’!” said Mrs. Kinney, stepping back and holding the camera up to her eye.
“Fab-u-lousss!” singsonged Alice and Cassidy in unison as Mrs. Kinney snapped a photo. And with that, another sleepover was officially under way. Ever since Alice and Cassidy’s first sleepover, when Alice’s mom had taken a photo of the girls in their pajamas hugging in front of the fireplace, the two had commemorated each sleepover with a photo in the same spot, filing them all in a special sleepover photo album.
The styles had changed, of course: the girls wore flannel pajama pants (pugs on Cassidy’s, rainbows on Alice’s) and T-shirts instead of footie pj’s, and their makeup skills had grown immensely since the first time they had dabbed at each other’s faces with blush from old compacts that Mrs. Kinney had loaned them.
They were such suckers for tradition that once they had forgotten to take the picture, and two days later they reconvened in the same pajamas so they could re-create the moment. And of course, now, Alice felt like it was especially important to recapture the most awesome moments of their friendship, because if they had fun, maybe they’d be able to move past the weirdness of the last few weeks.
“Awesome,” said Cassidy, approving the picture on Mrs. Kinney’s camera. “All that posing’s made me hungry.”
“Are you ready for Funfetti?” Alice asked as they headed to the kitchen.
“I’m ready for Funfetti! I’m ready for Funfetti!” Cassidy chanted. Alice laughed. For the first time in what felt like forever, she and Cassidy were back to normal. The only trick, though, was how to approach the topic of Nikki without making things awkward.