Monkey Business

by Leslie Margolis

  My mom was acting so weird these days, and I figured it was because she was pregnant or maybe just so focused on the new baby that she was forgetting that she had a teenager now.

  Okay, turning twelve did not make me an official teenager, but it sure put me close. I was merely a year away from being thirteen, which was a very big deal.

  As soon as I got upstairs I opened up my closet and began shifting through my wardrobe. I was acutely aware of the fact that I only got to turn twelve once, and I didn’t want to mess things up.

  I’d just gotten a new bathing suit for the pool party. It was a blue-and-purple paisley tankini. I knew Rachel was going to say something about my new suit and I didn’t want to have to answer to her. Deep down I had to admit to myself that I didn’t even want her at the party at all. I felt bad about that, but it was true. Rachel had changed. She was not the same girl she used to be. But would she ever go back to the way she used to be, or was this the new Rachel? And if this was the new Rachel, did I want to spend so much time with her? Did I even want her to be my friend?

  People grow up and grow apart—it’s a fact of life. That’s what people say, anyway. So it must be true. Right?

  This year had already been a time of crazy change. I thought about my last birthday—turning eleven had seemed like a big deal too. I was still in my old apartment. I’d gone to a different school in a different town and had different friends. Mia and Sophia were my best friends then, but now I hardly spoke to them. I’d invited them to the party today, even though I hadn’t seen them in months, but it turns out they were busy. They had a dance recital at Ballerina Suprema—the dance studio where we all used to take classes. I actually never liked ballet so much—I danced because my best friends did. I was glad I was having a big pool party instead of being in a dance recital. I never liked the costumes, either—they always itched. And being onstage—it was a lot of pressure. Not fun.

  I put on the new tankini and then slathered on sunscreen because I knew my mom would ask me about it. I had to prove that I was old and responsible enough—she didn’t have to remind me about every small thing. Then I threw on a pair of cutoff jeans shorts and a red-and-blue-checked sleeveless, button-down shirt.

  When I checked the clock, I realized my friends weren’t due to arrive for thirty more minutes.

  I looked around my room. Everyone might come up here at some point—even the boys—so I put the Uglydolls in the closet because even though they were cute and everything, I was twelve, which was probably too old for dolls of any kind.

  I checked downstairs to make sure that the balloons were put away and they were. My mom and Ted had taken down the streamers, too. The room looked almost normal. Outside on the patio there was a giant bowl of watermelon, a jug of lemonade, and some chips and salsa. Also, a stack of plates and cups filled with spoons, forks, and knives, and napkins held under a rock, so they wouldn’t blow away in the breeze.

  It didn’t look like a birthday party scene—just a regular party and that seemed cool. I grabbed my phone and took a few pictures.

  “Everything meet with your approval?” asked Ted.

  I spun around, surprised and a little embarrassed. “Yeah. It’s great.”

  “Are you going to do a before-and-after thing?” asked Ted.

  I smiled. “I don’t know. I hadn’t thought that far ahead. Um, thanks for handling the balloons. I don’t know why my mom was being so difficult about them!”

  Ted just smiled. He knew better than to take sides, I guess. “We’re doing hamburgers and dogs, and veggie dogs for your vegetarian friends. Is that right?”

  “Yup,” I said with a nod. “Claire is the only vegetarian, but Emma might eat veggie dogs too because she likes them better.”

  “Got it.” Ted saluted and went back inside. Then I took some more pictures and flattened out the tablecloth in the corner where it was wrinkled. Once I was sure everything looked perfect—and every trace of a balloon had vanished—I went back upstairs and tried to read.

  I only got a few pages into my book when the doorbell rang.

  I saw Ted heading for the door, but I raced downstairs to get there first. “I’ll get it,” I called.

  “Okay.” Ted turned around and went back into the kitchen.

  Claire arrived first, carrying a gigantic blue box with a yellow ribbon. Also attached to the box were three helium balloons. “Happy Birthday, Annabelle!” she said, handing me the present.

  I wondered if maybe I did overreact with the whole balloon thing. But a few balloons from my friend were very different from a room filled with balloons from my parents.

  “Thanks, Claire,” I said, giving her a hug. “But I said you didn’t have to get me anything. I mean, come on, what can top these custom-made high-tops?” I asked, pointing to my feet.

  “It’s your birthday,” said Claire as she walked inside. “I had to get you a gift and I wanted to too.”

  “Okay, thanks,” I said. “I’m not going to complain!”

  “Do you have your bathing suit on yet?” Claire wondered. “I wasn’t sure if I should wear mine under my clothes or not.”

  “I do,” I said.

  “Oh, then let me run upstairs and change,” said Claire.

  I started to follow her to my room but then heard a knock at the door so I turned around again.

  Oliver, Tobias, and Corn Dog Joe had all arrived together.

  “Hi, guys,” I said.

  “Happy Birthday, Spazabelle,” said Tobias.

  “Hey, haven’t we been over this a million times?” said Oliver, hitting Tobias on the back of his head.

  “Sorry, dude,” said Tobias. “I’m only kidding.” He handed me a silver gift bag and gave me a stiff hug. “Thanks for inviting me over.”

  “No problem,” I said.

  “My mom made me promise to say that,” Tobias said.

  I laughed. “Yeah, I didn’t think it came from you, spontaneously.”

  “So where’s your pool?” asked Corn Dog Joe.

  “Out back, dummy,” said Tobias, shoving Corn Dog Joe.

  “Hi, boys,” Ted said, suddenly appearing in the entryway. “I’m Ted, Annabelle’s stepdad. I know you, Oliver, but would you introduce me to these other fine gentlemen?”

  “Um, sure,” said Oliver, pointing to Tobias. “This is Tobias and this is Joe.”

  Ted held out his hand, and the boys shook it and murmured their “nice to meet you’s.” When Claire came hopping down the steps, two at a time, she said, “Hey, guys!”

  “Now, does everyone know how to swim?” asked Ted.

  “Of course they do!” I said.

  Ted held up his hands in surrender. “Hey, it’s my job as the responsible parent to ask.”

  “We can all swim, sir,” said Oliver.

  “Yeah, and no one’s as fast as me,” said Corn Dog Joe.

  “Glad to hear it,” Ted said.

  Just then Pepper barked at the door, telling me Yumi and Emma had arrived. I let them in before they’d even knocked.

  Now everyone was at my party except for one person. “Where’s Rachel?” I asked.

  Yumi and Emma exchanged a glance, like they shared a secret.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Nothing,” Emma said with a cough. “Guess she’ll be here later. You know how it is with her these days. She’s always late.”

  “Let’s swim!” said Yumi.

  “Great idea,” said Tobias.

  I led everyone outside to the pool. I’d made an awesome mix on my iPhone, and my favorite Taylor Swift song blared from our new outdoor speakers.

  The pool seemed even more inviting than usual, and the sun shined bright. It was perfect swim weather.

  Life seemed pretty perfect. If I were to see this scene in a movie, I’d think, “That short, pale, blond girl is so lucky. She’s got an awesome life.”

  “Last one in is a rotten egg!” yelled Oliver before peeling off his shirt, kicking off his flip-flops, and cannonballing
in.

  “You heard what the man said,” Tobias said to Corn Dog Joe right before shoving him in.

  I giggled as Corn Dog Joe surfaced.

  “Dude, that is so not cool!” he yelled, taking off his T-shirt and throwing it at Tobias.

  Tobias swerved to dodge the wet T-shirt, laughing the whole time. “It’ll dry. What’s the big deal?”

  “You are so dead!” yelled Corn Dog Joe.

  “Hey,” said Oliver, treading water from the deep end. “I say Tobias has to do a belly flop to make up for that uncouth behavior.”

  “Totally!” I said.

  “No way,” said Tobias, pushing his bangs out of his eyes.

  Corn Dog Joe cupped his hands over his mouth and began chanting, “Belly flop, belly flop, belly flop.”

  Oliver joined in and I did too. Then Claire and Emma and Yumi shouted, and pretty soon we were all chanting so loudly, I’m sure they could hear us down the street.

  “Forget it!” Tobias said.

  Oliver changed the chant to “Belly flop or go home,” and we all picked up on that.

  Tobias put his fingers in his ears but, obviously, he still heard us, and no way was he getting away. Once he realized that, he sprinted toward the deep end, screaming, his arms extended, and belly flopped into the pool. His body made the loudest smacking sound when he hit the surface, and I cringed just imagining the pain.

  And I didn’t have to imagine on my own because Tobias resurfaced and screamed his head off. He used some curse words that I couldn’t repeat because they were not allowed at my house.

  I glanced toward my mom and Ted, who were sitting on the patio drinking lemonade. They waved but didn’t say anything, which was exactly what they were supposed to do. So far so good!

  When Tobias climbed out of the pool, I couldn’t help but notice his bright red tummy. “You okay?” I asked.

  “So far I would say this is not the best birthday party I’ve ever been to,” he said.

  I shrugged. “Your fault for pushing in Joe.”

  Then I climbed down the ladder and into the pool.

  Emma dived in, Claire cannonballed, and Yumi walked around to the steps at the shallow end. Now that we were all in, we played catch with a giant rainbow-striped beach ball. Then we played a couple of rounds of Marco Polo until Tobias got mad and accused everyone of cheating. And then the boys had a diving contest while Claire and Emma choreographed a dance routine to the new Katy Perry song. Yumi jumped out of the pool to text Nathan, and I treaded water with my hands in the air, timing myself to see how long I could last before sinking or using my arms.

  And again I was thinking about how lucky I was to have a swimming pool. And all my awesome friends and how this was the best birthday I’d ever had in my whole entire life. And how summer was going to be filled with fun and pool parties and the Panda Parade, and my life could seriously not get any better. Then Rachel showed up.

  I didn’t even see her at first. I was out of the pool and about to jump in backward because Oliver had dared me to, and there she was—in jeans and a black T-shirt and her dark-green ski cap. She also wore giant tortoiseshell sunglasses.

  “Hey there,” I said, waving happily.

  “Glad you’re having so much fun without me!” said Rachel.

  I couldn’t see her eyes behind her glasses, but I imagined they were squinting at me with anger and annoyance. At least it seemed that way from the tone of her voice.

  I started to shiver, so I crossed my arms over my chest. “Huh?” I asked, totally confused by her comment because she was the one who was late. Did she expect us to all sit around and wait for her before starting the party?

  “My party started at noon,” I said, glancing up at the outdoor clock. “You’re almost an hour late.”

  “I’m sorry, but some of us had chores to do this morning,” she replied, all hostile, as if I’d been the one to make her do whatever it was she had to do.

  I decided to ignore this comment. “Um, where’s your bathing suit?” I asked.

  “I forgot it,” she said.

  “Do you want to borrow one of mine?” I asked.

  “No,” Rachel said with a yawn. “I don’t feel like swimming anyway.”

  “Okay,” I said. And suddenly this unkind thought flashed into my brain: I don’t feel like dealing with your grumpy self. I didn’t say it out loud, though. Instead I jumped back into the pool without another word.

  “You were supposed to go in backward,” said Oliver.

  “Oh yeah, I forgot,” I said, swimming back to the steps so I could try it again. This time when I walked past Rachel, I ignored her. I heard her let out a little puff of air in frustration.

  “Hey, Rachel, aren’t you coming in?” Claire called.

  “No,” Rachel said.

  I continued to swim and have fun at my party. Rachel wandered over to the shade and sat down cross-legged on the ground.

  And a half an hour later Ted said he was firing up the barbecue. It was a good thing, too, because by the time the food was ready, I was starving.

  I wrapped myself in a fluffy blue-and-yellow-striped towel and shivered as I bit into a delicious cheeseburger.

  Oliver sat on one side of me and Claire was on the other.

  Corn Dog Joe asked if there were any corn dogs, which surprised no one.

  “I’ve only got regular dogs and veggie dogs with plain buns,” Ted explained.

  “No, thanks,” said Joe. “I’ll have a burger.”

  Rachel took a hamburger but hardly ate a thing. No chips, no salsa, no carrots, no nothing. She didn’t even put mustard on the bun, which was weird because I’d never seen Rachel eat a hamburger without mustard.

  “Are you okay?” asked Emma.

  “Fine,” said Rachel, staring at her burger and not touching it. “I’m just not hungry.”

  I didn’t know why she came to the party if she wasn’t going to swim and she wasn’t going to eat much. It was like she was deliberately making herself have a rotten time. But I didn’t bother saying so. I didn’t even look at her.

  After the rest of us finished, my mom came outside with the most beautiful birthday cake I’d ever seen. It had three tiers, and each level was a different color—green, pink, and light blue. It had yellow polka dots on the middle layer, and yellow stripes on the top and bottom layers. It looked like a fancy hat, the kind old ladies wear on Easter Sunday.

  There was just one candle on top—a jumbo number twelve. The top layer of the cake read Happy Birthday, Annabelle in fancy calligraphy.

  My friends sang “Happy Birthday” to me, and I blew out my candle.

  Then my mom cut and served the cake.

  Oliver, Tobias, and Joe wolfed their slices down and asked if they could have seconds.

  “This is delicious and totally gorgeous,” said Claire. “May I have another piece too?”

  “Of course,” said my mom.

  “Hey, we should have a special birthday line of sock puppets, don’t you think?” asked Emma. “Like, we can do special-order ones and charge extra money for them. Personally engraved.”

  “More than six dollars?” asked Yumi. “We don’t even know if our new line is going to sell. And I thought we were going to retire after we make this next batch. You know, because by then we’ll have enough money for the Panda Parade weekend.”

  “I know we’re taking the summer off, but it’s never too early to start thinking about next year,” said Emma. “I’m sure we can save up for some other concert. Or maybe we can all take a trip to Disneyland.”

  “That sounds awesome!” said Claire.

  “But let’s get through the Panda Parade first,” I said.

  “Okay,” said Emma.

  “And speaking of birthday sock puppets,” said Claire as she pulled a sock puppet out of her backpack. It had blond hair and brown eyes, and it wore a red T-shirt and dark blue capri jeans. The outfit looked a little familiar. So did the sock puppet. She had a little orange basketball atta
ched to her right hand.

  “Is that supposed to be me?” I asked.

  Claire smiled and nodded and handed it over. On the bottom she’d written, Happy Birthday, Annabelle! Yay for Turning Twelve—Finally! in blue puffy paint.

  “This is awesome,” I said.

  “Are you sure it’s fancy enough for you?” asked Rachel.

  Everyone at the table got really quiet and looked at Rachel. I’d almost forgotten she was still at the party—this was the first thing she’d said in a really long time, not to mention the rudest.

  “What did you say?” I asked.

  “Nothing,” said Rachel.

  I stood up. “No, I definitely heard you say something. Did you just ask if Claire’s present was fancy enough?”

  “Yeah,” said Rachel. “I wanted to make sure, since all you talk about now is your new house and your new pool and your new iPhone.”

  “What are you talking about?” I asked, feeling slightly sick to my stomach. “It’s an old iPhone. It used to belong to Ted. Remember? I’ve told you that, like, a million times.”

  “Whatever. It’s still an iPhone,” said Rachel. “They’re, like, hundreds of dollars. My mom doesn’t even have an iPhone.”

  “What does that have to do with anything?” I asked.

  “I’m just saying,” said Rachel. “Ever since you’ve moved, you’ve had kind of an attitude.”

  “No,” I said, standing up. “Ever since I’ve moved, you’ve had an attitude. And I can’t believe you’d be so rude to me on my birthday.”

  “You’re right.” Rachel stood quickly and knocked over her chair, which clattered loudly onto the concrete. “Maybe I should go!”

  “Maybe you should!” I yelled. “Because I didn’t want you here ruining my birthday party anyway!”

  Rachel stormed off as soon as my mom and Ted came back with a pitcher of lemonade.

  “What’s going on?” my mom asked.

  “Nothing!” I shouted.

  I looked to my friends. Everyone seemed shocked—too shocked to say anything. I felt hot tears build up behind my eyes, and before I could blink them back, they poured out.

  I was crying.

  I was crying in front of everyone on my birthday.