Bottom line: I shouldn’t have to choose between my two friends.
Sunday, October 12, 11:15 a.m.
Post-Homecoming
So much happened this weekend. The dance team performed at the pep rally on Friday. According to Ms. Baumann (and the applause we got), we did a great job. The Friday night football game (which we won, YEAH!) was great too. The dance team performed at halftime. It was fun and exciting and a lot less nerve racking than it was when I did it last year. When we came off the field, everyone on the team was in a great mood, including Brynn. “That was awesome!” she said and gave me a hug.
Unfortunately, the Homecoming dance on Saturday was such a weird, awkward night.
SGA had decorated the gym for the Winter Wonderland theme, and there were stars and twinkly lights everywhere. When I got to the gym, I looked around to find my friends. Sophie and Billy were in a corner hanging a string of lights. They’d been decorating all afternoon, and I guess they weren’t quite done. I went over to where they were working. “Everything looks amazing!” I told them.
“Does it look wintery?” asked Billy.
“And wonderlandy?” added Sophie.
“It’s very wintery and wonderlandy,” I said. Everyone was in a good mood. The three of us were talking and joking around when Brynn got to the gym. I waved to get her attention, but she wasn’t looking at me. Her eyes were locked on Billy.
“You look great,” I said as she joined our group. She was wearing a tight white dress that showed off all her curves.
“Thanks,” she said.
“Wow!” said Billy. “You look amazing.”
“I love your dress,” said Sophie.
Brynn smiled and put her hand on Billy’s arm. “Let’s dance,” she said. Then she pulled him off toward the dance floor without even acknowledging Sophie’s compliment.
“She doesn’t like me,” Sophie said. I hadn’t been sure before if Sophie was totally aware of Brynn’s disdain for her, but she clearly hadn’t missed it.
“She’s just jealous,” I said.
Sophie shrugged. “She’s difficult.”
Sophie is always so positive. Sometimes annoyingly so. This was the first time I’d heard her say anything so negative about someone else, and she was saying it about the person I’d been best friends with since kindergarten. “We can talk about it later,” I said, not really wanting to get into it at the dance.
But Sophie didn’t bring it up at our sleepover and I didn’t either. I was actually relieved this morning when she left. I feel terrible saying that. Sophie hadn’t done anything to me. Not directly, anyway. But she and Brynn have both made it clear they don’t like each other, which puts me in the middle. The person I’ve always talked to when I have issues like this is Billy.
But he’s clearly not a person I can talk to about this.
3:15 p.m.
I don’t need to talk to Billy. The people I need to talk to are Sophie and Brynn. I just need to figure out what I want to say. They’re two of my best friends and they can’t not like each other. It’s ridiculous. We’re in high school now.
It’s time they start acting like it.
I don’t like that man. I must get to know him better.
—Abraham Lincoln
Wednesday, October 15, 6:30 p.m.
Talked to Sophie
Tonight, when I got home from dance, I called Sophie and told her there’s something I wanted to talk to her about.
“I’m glad you called,” she said. “There’s something I want to talk to you about too.
“You first,” I said. I thought maybe we were going to talk about the same thing, but I wasn’t expecting to hear what Sophie said.
“I was supposed to go to New York for Thanksgiving to see my dad,” said Sophie. “But he called today and told me he’s not coming in until Christmas.”
Sophie almost never talks about her parents’ situation, and when she does she makes it seem like it’s no big deal, so I was a little unsure of how to respond. “That’s too bad,” I said.
“Yeah,” said Sophie. I waited for her to elaborate, but she didn’t.
“You’re upset, aren’t you?”
“Kind of,” said Sophie. “I haven’t seen my dad since we moved here.” She paused. “I’m going to call him back. I know I can get him to change his mind.”
“That sounds like a good idea.” I’ve only met Sophie’s dad once when he was here for Gaga and Willy’s wedding. I had no idea if Sophie could get him to change his mind, but it couldn’t hurt to try.
“So what did you want to talk to me about?” asked Sophie.
I hesitated. What I was going to say seemed trivial in comparison to what she’d said.
“Just say it,” said Sophie, like she understood my hesitation.
I cleared my throat. “I wanted to talk to you about Brynn. She and I have been best friends since kindergarten. I know she can be …” I paused. I decided to use Sophie’s word. “I know she can be difficult. She’s just jealous of you. I really hope we can all be friends.”
“Consider it done,” said Sophie.
I hate to be the pessimist here, but I consider it half-done.
Friday, October 17, 6:57 p.m.
Talked to Brynn
Finally
I’d been putting off talking to Brynn all week, because sometimes she can be so unreasonable and hard to talk to. But today when I got home from dance practice, I decided to just do it. I put Gilligan on a leash and walked to her house. “Can we talk?” I asked when she came to the door.
“We’re eating dinner soon,” she said, like I only had a few minutes to state my case.
I got right to the point. “I want to talk to you about Sophie.” Brynn stiffened. A knot started to form in my stomach. “She’s part of my family,” I said. “You’ve been my best friend since kindergarten. You’re both super important to me. You can’t not like each other.”
“I haven’t done anything,” said Brynn, like Sophie was the one responsible for any tension that existed between them. I was speechless. Did Brynn actually think that was true?
“I don’t have a problem with Sophie as long as she stays away from Billy,” said Brynn.
It was an absurd thing to say. “She doesn’t like Billy. But they’re on SGA together, so that means they’re going to do stuff together.”
Brynn made an hmmm sound like she had offered to do more than her part and the rest was up to Sophie. “I have to go eat.”
“That’s kind of ridiculous,” I said.
Brynn looked dumbfounded. “That I have to go eat?”
I let out a breath as Brynn closed the door. She knew exactly what I meant.
8:15 p.m.
I called Billy. He’s Brynn’s boyfriend, but he’s been one of my best friends since third grade. Plus, he knows Brynn and I have had our troubles lately, and the truth is that he’s part of the problem, at least from Brynn’s perspective. He listened patiently while I told him what was going on.
“I guess I don’t really understand what everyone is upset about, but … I’m sorry you’re all having issues,” he said.
It was a really diplomatic response, but it didn’t solve the problem. “So what do you think I should do?” I asked Billy.
“I’m honestly not sure,” he said.
Billy gets an A for honesty. An F for helpfulness.
Sunday, October 19, 5:31 p.m.
Babysitting
Mom’s store opens a week from yesterday, and she and Dad are both busy and stressed. This morning, she thought he was making breakfast and he thought she was making breakfast. In the time they spent discussing it, they both could have made breakfast. And lunch.
“I’ll make it,” I said.
I thought for sure one of them would say they were sorry for being ridiculous and that they’d be happy to do it. But they just thanked me for taking care of my sisters and left. I wasn’t thrilled I had to babysit all day, but to be honest, it’s better than havin
g them around.
Wednesday, October 22
Study Hall
This morning I was trying to open my locker, but my lock was stuck. I kept turning the dial to put in my combination. But no matter what I did, it wouldn’t open.
“Need some help with that?” a voice asked from behind me.
Without turning around, I knew it was Matt. I turned the dial on my lock again and pulled extra hard. Fortunately, it opened. “No, thanks,” I said. Then I got out the books I needed, closed my locker, and walked off.
It was the first time we’ve spoken at school. Not that we spoke about much. I’d been so worried that it would be a big deal seeing him at school.
It wasn’t.
Saturday, October 25
Grand opening of Flora’s Fashions
Today was the opening of Mom’s store. It was incredible in lots of ways, but a few things stood out that made the day especially awesome, at least for me.
The main thing was the opening itself. The store looked amazing, and so did the clothes. Everything Mom designed was black, white, coral, and robin’s egg blue. All the racks of dresses, pants, skirts, and blouses were color-coordinated and so pretty. I wasn’t the only one who thought so. Everybody was raving about the designs. Plus, Mom had gone all out for the opening. There were flowers, candles, food, champagne, and a harpist. Everyone was talking and toasting Mom. There was even a photographer and a reporter from the Faraway News who interviewed her. All of Mom’s hard work showed, and I was really proud of her.
Another great thing about the night was that all my friends and family were there and everyone got along. Brynn came with her parents. Brynn’s mom, who is super chic, even made an appointment to come back. “You’re my new favorite designer,” she said as she gave Mom a hug.
Billy was there with his family, and Sophie and her Mom came too. I was worried there would be tension between Brynn and Sophie, especially since Billy was there. But if there was, they didn’t let it show. We all talked and ate finger sandwiches and laughed. It was really fun. Somehow I think they all intuitively knew how important this night was for me.
After most of the guests left, my extended family stayed. Sophie and I were hanging out with Harry, who invited us to come with him to a Halloween party that one of the juniors is having. Sophie said she’d love to go. I knew I’d have to get permission from Mom and Dad. I didn’t think the opening was the time to do it, but I was excited Harry invited us. It’ll be my first high school party, and I think Mom and Dad will say yes since I’ll be going with Harry and Sophie.
Another cool thing actually happened before the opening. I popped into the deli to see Leo. “Wow!” he said when he saw me. “Look at you!”
It was the reaction I’d been hoping for. I had on a fitted black dress and a pair of Mom’s heels I’d had to beg her to let me wear. I was almost as tall as Leo with them on. I told Leo about the opening and that I couldn’t stay long.
“That’s too bad,” said Leo. “I’m about to go on break.”
When he said that, I took a pen off the counter and wrote my number down on a napkin and gave it to him. It felt like a very grown up thing to do.
“You can call or text me later if you want,” I said.
Leo shook his head. “A call, maybe. A text, never.”
“Who doesn’t text?” I asked.
Leo raised his hand like he was the guilty party. “Audio is widely considered to be a core feature of phone technology. Why not use it?”
As I left, I rolled my eyes at him. But I couldn’t help smiling. He’s weird, but in such a likeable way.
Last but not least. When my family got home from the opening, we were all in the kitchen when Mom made a little speech. “I want to thank all of you for your support over the last month. I know it has been hard on everyone, but now that the store is up and running, things should be much smoother at home.” When Mom finished talking, Dad gave her a hug. It was the first time I’d seen them be affectionate in a while, and a sense of relief washed over me. They both seemed more relaxed and happy than they’d been in a long time.
A lot of things happened today, but nothing better than this.
Charlie Brown is such a loser. He wasn’t even the star of his own Halloween special.
—Chris Rock
Monday, October 27, 11:12 p.m.
Can’t sleep
Just when I thought things were going to get better at home, Mom and Dad were arguing again. The good news is a woman who owns a major clothing store in Atlanta read the article about Mom that ran in the Faraway News. She set up a meeting with Mom at the end of November to see her clothes and said if she likes them, she might carry her line in her store.
The bad news (at least from Dad’s perspective) is that Mom wants to sew a new collection made from high-end fabrics, which means she’ll be spending (a) a lot of time sewing and (b) a lot of money on more fabric.
“We just spent a fortune getting the store opened. We can’t afford to spend more,” said Dad.
“We can’t afford not to,” said Mom. They went around and around on that point for a long time. Then Mom told Dad she was doing it. “The next few weeks are going to be very busy,” she told him.
I didn’t wait to hear Dad’s response. I already know how this is going down.
Tuesday, October 28, 8:52 a.m.
School nurse’s office
I forgot to set my alarm last night so I woke up late this morning. Then, when I was getting dressed, I remembered that today is the last day to bring in a check to Ms. Baumann for the dance costumes for the show. She’d gone on record saying that if you don’t have a check by practice today, you can’t dance in the show. So I threw on clothes, skipped makeup entirely, and was in the kitchen trying to quickly explain to Mom why I needed a check for $122.19 on the spot when June walked in in her pajamas.
“Why aren’t you dressed?” asked Mom.
“I’m not going to school,” said June as she sat down at the table.
“Do you feel sick?” Mom went over to June and put a hand on her forehead. “You don’t have a fever.” June crossed her arms across her chest.
I cleared my throat. “Um, Mom, I need a check now or I’m going to be late.”
Mom gave me a blank look like she’d forgotten what we’d been discussing. She turned her attention back to my sister. “You have to go to school.”
June shook her head. “I’m not going. Cole Martin is mean to me. And so are Sam Chen and Evan Walker.”
I blew out a breath. “Mom, I need a check. Now.”
“How are they mean?” she asked in response.
“They make fun of me because I bring soy milk in my lunch.”
“Tell them you’re allergic to dairy,” said Mom.
June shook her head like that wouldn’t work. “They’ll say I’m weird. That’s what they say every day.” Mom sat down at the table and took a sip of coffee, like that was going to give her some insight as to how to handle the situation.
I looked at the clock. I was seriously going to be late for homeroom. “Tell them they’re all big baby losers and you’ll beat them up if they make fun of you again,” I said.
“April!” Mom said my name sharply.
“Mom!” I said shoving her checkbook in front of her. “I’m really late.” So she wrote the check, but not until she told me I need to be more responsible and let her know in advance when I need money for something. It stressed me out and made me wonder if she didn’t want to write the check because we don’t have the money, but it also made me have to run to school. I literally ran all the way. When I got to Mrs. Monteleone’s room, she was just finishing taking the role. Beads of sweat were running down my forehead.
“I’m going to have to give you an unexcused tardy,” she said as I entered her classroom. I’m not sure what the consequences of having an unexcused tardy are, but shockingly, Mrs. Monteleone changed her mind. She said she wasn’t giving me the tardy because I looked feverish, then sh
e sent me to the nurse’s office.
The nurse took my temperature, then gave me some juice and a paper towel and told me I could sit out first period while I cool down.
The only problem is I sweated so much, now I have body odor.
I’d much rather have the unexcused tardy.
Wednesday, October 29, 7:32 p.m.
In my room
Mom asked me if I could stop by the store after dance practice and help her set up a Flora’s Fashions Facebook page. I thought she could have figured it out without me, but I didn’t think it was a good time to say no. When I’d asked if I could go to Mark Miller’s Halloween party with Harry and Sophie, she and Dad had reluctantly agreed. I didn’t want her to change her mind.
Once we had her Facebook page set up, she had some paperwork to do before we left, so I went next door to see if Leo was there. He was busy slicing meat, but he took a break. “I’m glad you came,” he said. “I was going to call you tonight.”
“You really don’t text, do you?”
Leo shook his head. “If you have something to say, just say it.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “So why were you going to call me?” I asked.
“I wondered if you would like to go trick-or-treating with me on Halloween.”
I sighed. The idea of trick-or-treating with him was appealing, but I’d already made plans. “I can’t,” I said.
Leo shook his head like not going was a mistake. “Trick-or-treating will be retro and fun. We’ll get to eat loads of candy.”
“It sounds like fun, but I already told my cousins Harry and Sophie that I’d go with them to a party.” I shrugged. “I mean, I think the party will be fun.”
“April, high school parties are not fun for 98 percent of the kids who attend them.”
I laughed. “Is that a fact?”
Leo shook his head. “Nope. Just a theory.”
Thursday, October 30, 6:46 p.m.
Home from dance
As we were leaving dance, Brynn asked what I’m doing for Halloween, so I told her I’m going to Mark Miller’s party. She wrinkled her nose when I said it. “Who are you going with?”
#5 Not What I Expected Page 5