Picture Perfect #3: Best Frenemies

by Cari Simmons

  The girls danced around to the pop radio station in the kitchen as they mixed up the cupcake batter.

  “Very important question. What’s your ultimate cupcake?” Cassidy asked.

  “Hmm,” said Alice. “I would like to try a carrot cake cupcake someday.”

  “That would be good,” said Cassidy. “I think my favorite still is a yellow cake cupcake with chocolate frosting.”

  “Mmm, chocolate,” Alice said, licking a bit of icing off her finger. “Can you believe that Nikki Wilcox never had the chocolate chip pancakes at Walker Bros.—” She was going to finish saying “before I took her there last weekend?” But Cassidy interrupted her.

  “Ugh, why, because she’s on a diet?” said Cassidy, making a face.

  “Um, no,” said Alice, searching for a subtle way to tell Cassidy about how she and Nikki had been hanging out lately, and how she’d gotten to know her, and how she was a sweet, caring person who just needed some extra confidence and friends and understanding. But it was hard to figure out how to kick that conversation off when Cassidy was already deep into a speech about how she couldn’t deal with girls who refused to eat dessert.

  “It’s un-American!” she said, waving around a wooden spoon for emphasis. “God put sweets on this planet for a reason—because they taste good. I don’t trust people who don’t eat chocolate! It’s because she’s in ballet, isn’t it? That’s so dumb. Madame Bernard is always telling us that we need to eat to live and love and thrive!” Cassidy waved the wooden spoon around like she was directing an orchestra performing a song about cupcakes.

  Ding! Saved by the bell. The kitchen timer went off just when Alice started to worry that Cassidy would accidentally smack her with the spoon.

  “Oooh, yummy,” Cassidy breathed in the vanilla scent as Alice carefully pulled out the hot muffin tin with one of her mom’s old oven mitts. The girls busied themselves with mixing up the icing, and Alice thought how it was funny that Nikki’s favorite cupcake was the only thing that got Cassidy to stop talking about how much she didn’t like Nikki.

  With the cupcakes finally iced and the sprinkles sprinkled on top of the icing, the girls took a plate and settled into the squishy dark green couch in the Kinneys’ den to watch The Princess Bride, an old movie Mrs. Kinney had introduced them to years ago and they watched every sleepover, even though they knew every line.

  “Do you think we’ll ever get sick of this movie?” Alice asked.

  “I’ll get sick of it when I get sick of these,” Cassidy said, peeling the wrapper off her second cupcake. “That is to say, in a thousand years to never.” The movie, the pajamas, the cupcakes, the old striped afghan the girls cuddled under: the night was the perfect old-school sleepover—just about.

  Right when the handsome Westley was about to stand up to the evil (and weird-looking) Prince Humperdinck, though, the phone rang.

  “Not now!” Cassidy yelled. “This is one of my twelve favorite parts!” Alice grinned. Her mom would normally grab the phone, but she happened to glance over at the caller ID display on the end table next to Cassidy’s side of the sofa. It read, in letters that seemed twelve feet high, WILCOX.

  Aargh! If her mom answered, she’d announce to Alice that Nikki was on the line or, even worse, suggest that Alice invite her over. Clearly, Cassidy wasn’t ready to hear that Alice and Nikki were buddies, so Alice was left with only one thing to do: perform an acrobatic feat and lunge over to the phone to silence the ringer.

  “Ow!” Cassidy laughed after Alice threw herself over Cassidy and silenced the ring. “What the heck was that all about?”

  “Telemarketers, always ruining the best parts of movies!” Alice cried.

  Cassidy laughed. “Maybe you should be in ballet, with moves like that.” Alice smiled and settled back in for the rest of the movie. Truth be told, her hip hurt a little bit from throwing herself across the couch, but at least she wasn’t trying to explain to Cassidy why Nikki was calling.

  Once the movie ended, the girls split one last cupcake along with some milk before getting ready for bed.

  Cassidy turned around and leaned against the counter after wiping off her milk mustache. “So, I know I probably don’t even have to ask you this, but . . . you’re coming to the opening night of the musical on the tenth, right?”

  “What?” Alice said. “Of course I am. I wouldn’t dream of missing it.”

  “Okay,” Cassidy said. “Phew. You’ve been so busy lately, I wasn’t sure you’d make it. You know how to buy tickets, right?” Cassidy prattled on, excitedly telling Alice when the box office would be open for her to buy a ticket and when best to arrive in order to get a good seat and where specifically in the theater to sit. Alice tuned out, because somehow that date sounded familiar, but she wasn’t sure exactly why.

  Before she could get her thoughts together, Cassidy grabbed Alice by the shoulders. “I don’t think I could go out onstage Friday night if I didn’t know you were there. I kind of have a big part for someone who just tried out for the first time, and if I do well, who knows, maybe I’ll get the lead next time! So I’m excited, but nervous! I’m glad you’ll be there rooting for me.”

  She squeezed Alice’s arm and, with a smile, sauntered off to the bathroom to brush her teeth.

  Friday night. Alice took her time rinsing off her plate, depositing it in the dishwasher.

  Friday night. Alice wiped the crumbs off the marble countertop and dropped them into the sink.

  Friday night. Alice switched off the lights underneath the kitchen cabinets.

  What was it, exactly, about the night of Friday, November tenth, that was sticking in Alice’s mind?

  OMIGOSH. The math meet! Nikki’s math meet—which Alice had already promised she’d attend—was the same night as the musical!

  “You coming or what, slowpoke?” she heard Cassidy call from her bedroom. “I’ve got beach-luau theme makeup that’s just begging for a face to be put on, but I’m already doing bright sunflower, so bring your head in here!”

  It’s okay, Alice coached (and maybe lied to) herself. I just have to figure out how to be in two places at the same time!

  “Just have to brush my teeth!” Alice called. She took her time walking to her bathroom, which was done up with black-and-white tiles and black-and-white wallpaper to match. She was going to have to figure out a way to act like she wasn’t freaking out about what she’d just realized. Lying wasn’t fun. And ironically, while she was doing it to try to save both Nikki’s and Cassidy’s feelings, she was having less fun with both of them because of it.

  But what could she do about it? Tell Cassidy about her friendship with Nikki and possibly stay up all night fighting about it? Or tell Nikki, “I know I promised you I would go to your thing, but I can’t after all, and P.S., I can’t even let Cassidy see me talking to you in the hall”? No, Alice couldn’t do either of those things. All she could do was brush her teeth and hope the minty fresh taste would help brush away her bad feelings.

  When she finally got to her bedroom, Cassidy was primping in the mirror, perfecting her cat’s-eye with liquid eyeliner.

  “Let’s get beautiful. Or, I mean, more beautiful.” She grinned at Alice. Alice smiled back, but inside she was thinking, How in the ever-living heck am I going to pull this off?

  CHAPTER 15

  TWO FRIENDS, ONE NIGHT

  Homeroom was always abuzz right before the weekend, but the classroom was extrafidgety this Friday. Thanksgiving break wasn’t too far off, but more important, both the school musical and the math meet were occurring that night. Most kids in class were involved with or had friends who were a part of one of the events, so students chattered about what time they were going, and what they were wearing, if they’d get dinner ahead of time, and whose parents would drive.

  “What’s on your mind, Kinney?” Aaron Woolsey asked Alice. She had been sitting with her chin in her hands as she contemplated her fate. After a whole week of thinking about it, she still hadn’t figured out
how to be in two places at the same time. At least both the math meet and the musical took place in Lakeside, but the big auditorium (for the musical) and the small auditorium (for the math meet) were at opposite ends of the school. Surely she was going to get busted by either Nikki or Cassidy for not being there when she had said she would be. She couldn’t think of an excuse for just staying home, the way she wanted to. Maybe she could fake her own death, or pretend she’d been kidnapped?

  “Oh, nothing,” Alice said. “I’m, um, just nervous for the math meet.”

  “But you’re not even on the team!” He laughed. “Even though you’d totally be the star of the team, not that I am trying to pressure you to be on it, even though it would totally be fun, no pressure. Pressure, comma, none.”

  Alice squinted at him. “No. I am not, nor will I ever be on the team, because I like to keep math in class, where it belongs. But I feel like I am on the team, after all the cramming I’ve been doing with Nikki!” Nikki grinned, but when Aaron turned away to talk to Todd, she lowered her head to whisper to Alice.

  “Hey,” Nikki said. “You don’t have to go tonight. It’s okay.”

  “What?” Alice said. “Of course I’ll be there. I promised I would.”

  “But what about the musical?” Nikki asked.

  “The musical?” Alice said.

  “Alice,” Nikki said, rolling her eyes. “You are so smart that you stink at playing dumb. Everyone has been talking about the musical for weeks. There are posters everywhere. I would go to it tonight if I weren’t in the math meet. And I know that Cassidy’s doing a solo in it. She won’t stop talking about it during ballet.” She smiled wryly.

  Alice smiled, exasperated. She couldn’t put anything past Nikki. She was probably the smartest person in the Nerd Herd. She was definitely smarter than Alice, who should have taken the chance to get out of the math meet when Nikki gave it to her. But she just couldn’t back out of a promise.

  “I told you I’d go,” Alice said. “And so I will be there. Especially after all that work we put into it! I can’t wait to see you rock it.”

  “All right, people,” Ms. Garrity said in her warning voice, which was usually the first of three times she told the students to quiet down before she got really mad and did something drastic like turn off the lights or clap her hands, which were her two favorite ways of displaying that she was serious.

  “Doesn’t Cassidy want you at her thing?” Nikki asked, lowering her voice to a whisper.

  “She’ll have so much family there, she won’t notice if I’m gone,” Alice said, which was yet another lie. She had celebrated with Cassidy’s family after every big performance she’d been a part of—she was practically a member of the family. But, as much as Alice hated lying, it almost seemed worth it, based on the big grin on Nikki’s face.

  “I’m so glad you’ll be there,” Nikki admitted. “If I do well, it’ll be because of you! And if I do badly, I can cry and use your shoulder as a Kleenex.” Alice smiled and almost felt embarrassed. Cassidy knew that Alice would be there because they’d always been there for each other. Meanwhile, Nikki just seemed so grateful even for the promise of Alice showing up. Alice couldn’t let her down, even if Nikki had given her the chance to skip the meet.

  All Nikki had needed was someone to listen to her and get to know her, and she came alive. Ever since she had opened up to Alice that morning in homeroom, she had started to speak up more in class. She joked around and even sat at the Nerd Herd table sometimes, when she wasn’t cramming for the math meet. Nikki was a great girl and getting greater the more people had the chance to see it.

  If only Cassidy could be one of those people. Alice wanted so badly to be a good friend to both girls—but it was pretty hard, especially since there wouldn’t be any good chances for Alice to get the two girls together until after the musical and math meet were over—both required its students to eat lunch and practice at the same time. Afterwards, Alice promised herself, I can finally bring my two good friends together. And it’ll be awesome . . . I hope!

  “Great,” Nikki said, grinning hugely and putting her arm around Alice’s shoulders for a spur-of-the-moment squeeze. “I’ll see you tonight! Maybe we can go to Walker Bros. afterwards to celebrate!”

  “But you haven’t even won yet!” Alice laughed.

  “Uh, isn’t chocolate chip pancakes victory enough?” said Nikki.

  Alice headed to the cafeteria to eat with . . . well, she’d find out. It seemed like all of her friends were either spending lunch break rehearsing for the musical or practicing for the math meet. In the hall, she did get the chance to catch Cass before she rushed out of class to the auditorium for one last dress rehearsal.

  “You’ll do great tonight!” Alice said, giving Cassidy a hug as well as the notebook. What she had really wanted to write in it was something along the lines of I’m really stuck in a bind: I know two great girls and I don’t want to let either of them down. What advice do you have for your best friend? But Alice wasn’t ready to come clean, so instead she drew a rendition of what she imagined the musical would look like, with Cassidy in the spotlight onstage, lots of tiny backup dancers around her, and a stick-figure Alice in the audience cheering “YAY!” I can’t wait for your big moment! Alice had written at the bottom.

  “I hope so!” Cassidy said, both her eyes and grin wide as she shook some nerves out of her hands. “It’s like with ballet. I’m always nervous until we get going.”

  “And just like ballet, it’ll be great,” Alice said. “I can’t wait to watch you be awesome!”

  “Remember where to sit, right?” Cassidy said.

  “Row fifteen, seat A for Alice,” Alice recited. Cassidy had made sure the box office would save her a special seat.

  “That’s the one!” Cassidy said. “I’ll see you tonight!” She gave Alice one last hug before she skipped off down the hall.

  I sure hope I can pull this off, thought Alice.

  CHAPTER 16

  SHOWTIME

  “Whoa there, boss,” Alice’s dad said that evening, as Alice helped herself to her second huge helping of her mom’s baked ziti. “Some of us like pasta too. What are you, carbo loading?”

  “Sort of,” Alice said, with her mouth full.

  “Come again?” he asked. “I thought you were going to some sort of math party.”

  “Math meet,” Alice said. “And yes, I am going.”

  “I thought you were going to Cassidy’s musical.” Mrs. Kinney frowned as she served herself some salad.

  “I’m going to that too,” Alice said. “I promised both of them I would be at their things, but they’re at the same time.”

  “So what are you going to do?”

  “Um,” Alice said. “I figured I’d go to Cassidy’s musical for fifteen minutes, then run across the hall to Nikki’s, see that, and then go back.” The second she said it out loud, she knew it sounded ridiculous.

  “Alice,” her mom said in her most Mom voice. “That sounds ridiculous.”

  Alice ran her hand through her hair. “I know,” she said. “But it’s the only way I can make things work.”

  “Is it?” Mrs. Kinney said. “Think hard. Is it really?”

  “Mom,” Alice said. “Nikki and Cassidy still don’t get along. I know, I wish they would, and I will eventually let Cassidy know I’m friends with Nikki—”

  “Wait, Nikki knows that you’re friends with Cassidy, but Cassidy doesn’t know you’re friends with Nikki still?” her mom asked, her eyes wide.

  “No,” Alice said.

  “That sounds kind of sneaky, kid,” Mr. Kinney said.

  “And not very nice to Nikki. Or Cassidy, for that matter,” said her mom.

  “I thought best girlfriends tell each other everything,” said Mr. Kinney.

  “What do best boyfriends do?” Mrs. Kinney asked her husband.

  “Tell each other nothing,” he said. “Sit around and, you know, talk sports. Pump iron.”

  Mrs. K
inney smiled and rolled her eyes. “Just tell Cassidy the truth, Alice,” she said. “No more deception.”

  “But what if I make Cassidy mad and she doesn’t want to be my friend anymore?” Alice asked.

  “If Cassidy’s your true friend, she’ll understand—even if she’s mad at first,” Alice’s mom said. “I think you’re scared that she’ll be upset to find out you have more than one good friend, but doesn’t she have friends who are in the musical?” Alice frowned and stabbed her last noodle with a fork. It was true, but that didn’t bug Alice. Much.

  Whatever happened, Alice didn’t want to ruin Nikki’s or Cassidy’s nights with a truth bomb. She’d finally come clean after the weekend, after things had died down.

  What on earth did one wear to both a musical and a math meet, anyway? Alice debated in front of her closet for more minutes than she should have, just delaying the moment until she had to go down to school and run around like a chicken with her head cut off. She knew things would probably be fine, but still, they’d feel a lot finer if she could just sit in one place for the evening. Finally she opted for a sparkly black turtleneck sweater, a preppy blue plaid skirt, gray tights, and some black patent leather flats, so she could run the halls comfortably.

  The ride to school with her dad was silent. He whistled along to the classic-rock station, but she could sense that he wanted to say something (but maybe he could also sense that she didn’t want him to).

  “Good luck, double agent,” Mr. Kinney said, giving her a kiss. “I hope you have fun, whatever goes down.”

  “Thanks, Dad,” she said, and scooted out of the car. Since he had dropped her off at the south exit, which was closer to the small auditorium, she figured she’d start off at the math meet. Plus, Nikki didn’t have to hide backstage before the meet began, unlike Cassidy.

  The gym, lined with chairs for spectators, was decently full for a Friday night math meet, but Alice was able to grab a seat on the aisle near the exit for a quick getaway. The math team milled around near the front of the staging area in their black-and-red team T-shirts, and Alice strained her neck to make eye contact with Nikki before they started. Nikki finally looked up and spotted her.