Spike It!

by Matt Christopher

  “I want to hear all about Michelle,” Donna said.

  “It’s Michaela, honey,” he corrected her. “And you’ll get to know her soon enough. She and Tracy are moving in day after tomorrow!”

  “What?!” Jamie blurted out before she could stop herself. “Isn’t that kind of soon?”

  “Well, the wedding is set for Saturday, so—”

  “Saturday?!”

  Donna was jumping up and down. “Yay, a wedding! I can’t wait to greet my new mom and sister! Can I make a cake for them, Daddy?”

  Their dad laughed. His brows unfurrowed and he seemed to relax. “Sure, baby, that would be fantastic. Er, maybe you could get Jamie to help you?”

  That made Jamie mad. How could he just volunteer her like that? She didn’t want to bake a cake for people she barely even knew—and she wasn’t sure she wanted to live with them, either!

  “I don’t want Jamie to help me; I want to do it myself!” Donna insisted.

  “Fine. For once we agree. Do it yourself,” Jamie said, fighting back tears as she ran into the house.

  She still couldn’t believe her dad had acted so rashly. How could he have sprung this on them? Did he have any idea what he was doing?

  Incredibly, Donna didn’t seem at all bothered. Bringing total strangers into her home was just fine with her.

  Donna was too young to remember, Jamie reminded herself. The image of her mother’s face flickered in her mind for a moment, then faded. She never really knew her. Of course she doesn’t remember.

  Her dad now came into the house, carrying all their bags and whistling a snappy little tune. Donna skipped in after him.

  They seemed so happy! Jamie shook her head in disbelief. What planet were they on, anyway?

  Not the same one she was, that was for sure.

  3

  They’re here! Jamie! They’re here!”

  Two beeps of the horn told the girls their dad was back from the airport with Tracy and Michaela. D day had arrived.

  As Donna ran eagerly out the front door, Jamie lagged behind. A sudden sense of dread came over her. Lifting the living room curtain, she peeked through the window, watching as everyone else hugged and kissed each other.

  Jamie had met Tracy a couple times before, of course. The first thing she’d noticed was how tall and beautiful Tracy was. Even Jamie’s mom hadn’t been that pretty. No wonder Dad fell in love again, she thought with a frown.

  Now she focused on Michaela for the first time. Michaela looked a lot like Tracy—tall, red haired, pretty, athletic looking—but with a certain added impishness in her features that Tracy didn’t have.

  Jamie forced herself to calm down. The last thing she wanted to do was ruin everyone else’s happiness. She went slowly outside, bracing herself.

  “Jamie! Come on over and say hi!” her dad called to her.

  Jamie could hear the worry in his voice. He hadn’t forgotten her reaction the other night when he’d announced his wedding plans.

  Jamie went up to Tracy and gave her a little peck on the cheek. “Hi, Tracy. Welcome. Congratulations.”

  “Oh, Jamie,” Tracy said, gazing back at her with a glowing smile, “this is such a big moment in all our lives. I’m so thrilled this has happened. I can’t wait to get to know you better!”

  Jamie pasted a smile onto her face. “Yeah. Me, too,” she said quickly.

  Obviously her dad must have said something to Tracy. Something like “Jamie’s taking it badly. Better be extra nice to her.”

  Jamie turned to Michaela before the phony smile faded from her face. “Hi, I’m Jamie,” she said, and stuck her hand out stiffly.

  “Michaela. Hi.” Michaela took Jamie’s hand and shook it. She didn’t smile, but looked questioningly into Jamie’s eyes, seeming to ask, “Is it okay with you that we’re here?”

  Ugh! He’s told Michaela, too! Jamie broke free and looked away as quickly as she could. She was so glad neither of them had tried to hug her. That would have been too much to bear.

  “I hope all this didn’t come as too much of a shock to you,” Tracy said, putting a hand on Jamie’s shoulder.

  “No, not at all!” Jamie lied.

  “I know it must be hard—”

  “No problem.” Jamie cut her off. Then, luckily, she spied a way out. “Uh, here, let me help with your bags.”

  Jamie knew she had to keep busy doing a million things, or else she might let her real feelings show. No, she decided, crying would definitely not be cool right now.

  But why couldn’t her dad have taken more time to prepare her for this? Why did he have to just spring it on them all of a sudden?

  She knew she couldn’t stop what was happening. Tracy and Michaela were not going to disappear tomorrow, no matter what Jamie did. She knew that resenting them was unreasonable. After all, they seemed nice enough. They hadn’t done anything bad to her.

  Oh, well, Jamie thought. Who knows? Maybe I could actually get used to having them here—if I can just get through tonight!

  For the next half hour, while the grown-ups did some unpacking, the three girls sat around the kitchen table, getting acquainted over ice cream.

  It had been Donna’s idea, and Michaela had eagerly taken her up on it. Now the two of them were giggling as they drizzled chocolate syrup over their banana splits.

  Jamie played with her one scoop of plain vanilla, taking an occasional spoonful into her mouth. She wasn’t hungry. In fact, she was on the edge of nausea.

  Not that the other two noticed. Donna was oblivious, totally entranced by Michaela. And if Michaela sensed that Jamie was unhappy, she was doing a really good job of hiding it.

  Right from the first, Donna had been so busy trying to impress Michaela that Jamie couldn’t get a word in edgewise. Even worse, Michaela had seemed totally interested! She laughed and nodded at all Donna’s stupid fifth-grade jokes and gossip. It was like being with two fifth graders!

  Jamie just sat there, trying not to barf. Either Michaela really liked hanging out with little kids or she was humoring Donna—in which case she was a really good actress. Jamie wasn’t sure which was worse.

  That evening, they all went out to a restaurant for dinner. There, to Jamie’s continued annoyance, Donna kept showing off, not even caring that she was in public.

  “Wanna see my monkey face?” she asked Michaela. “It’s really cool!”

  And Michaela laughed at the stupid face as if it were the funniest thing in the world. Jamie had seen the monkey face a million times. It hadn’t been funny the first time.

  Worse, her dad didn’t even try to shut Donna up! He just sat there, smiling like a goon, and so did Tracy.

  “Please, I’m trying to eat,” Jamie commented when Donna did her Phantom of the Opera face.

  Donna frowned. “Cheer up, Jamie,” she said. “Michaela’s not being crabby, and she had to come all the way from New York and lose all her friends and stuff.”

  “Shut up, Donna!” Jamie hissed. “I’m not acting crabby. You’re acting like a jerk.” She glanced quickly at Michaela, who seemed taken aback by her sudden outburst.

  “Now, kids!” Suddenly her dad looked worried. “We’re in a restaurant. Try and get along, will you? Unless you can think of something nice to say, don’t say anything!”

  “Sorry,” Jamie muttered, glaring at Donna.

  “I can say something nice,” Donna offered. “I think Michaela is really nice. A whole lot nicer than—”

  “Donna! Stop it this instant!”

  Jamie could see that her dad was angry. Oh, well. At least he was madder at Donna than at her. That little brat deserved whatever she got, for sucking up to Michaela so much.

  And to think, Laurie had said just the other day that Jamie was Donna’s idol. Jamie had almost believed it then. Well, so much for that. Donna had a new idol now.

  4

  The wedding took place as planned on Saturday. With so little advance notice, only a couple of dozen people had been invited. But sinc
e the ceremony took place in the gazebo in Milford Park, there were lots of onlookers, passersby who stopped to witness the event.

  Everyone seemed touched by how affectionate the bride and groom were. Even Jamie felt her eyes welling up with tears. It was great that her dad was so happy. For years after her mom’s death, Jamie would hear him every once in a while, crying through the closed door of his room. She would go in and comfort him, and they would hug, just the two of them missing her, neither one of them ever saying a word.

  Yes, it was good that her dad was happy now. But there would be no more wordless moments like the ones they’d shared.

  Jamie had worn her best dress for the wedding—the flower print she’d worn to the seventh-grade end-of-year dance. She wanted to look good when she gave her father away. From the proud, tender way he looked at her before he took Tracy’s hand, Jamie knew she’d succeeded.

  Michaela was the bridesmaid, and Jamie had to admit she looked gorgeous in the off-the-shoulder green dress she’d borrowed from her mother.

  Donna made the most of her role as ring bearer, and everyone in the crowd commented admiringly on her big blue eyes and angel face. Even Jamie took pride in how cute her little sister was. But when the ceremony started, Donna held Michaela’s hand, not hers. That really stung Jamie. She had to gulp back the tears.

  During the wedding vows, Jamie got all choked up again, along with everybody else. Her dad had lost his wife to a sudden illness. Tracy, she knew, had lost her husband to a drunk driver. It was a second chance at love for both of them.

  Then the preacher cleared his throat. “If anyone present knows why this man and this woman should not be joined in holy matrimony, let them speak now, or forever hold their peace.”

  Jamie bit down hard on her lip, stifling the words that threatened to escape.

  “You may kiss the bride,” said the preacher. And everyone cheered. Jamie sniffed back tears and tried to smile.

  Afterward, there was a raucous party at a local restaurant. There hadn’t been time to hire a band, but Freddie McIntyre, the local DJ, was a friend of Chuck Bonner’s, and he came with his whole setup and played a mix of dance music.

  Everyone was dancing. Jamie’s dad was kind of comical, the way he moved, but Tracy was really good. She and Michaela got up and danced together, and it was the highlight of the whole party. Michaela was an even better dancer than Tracy. She had a natural grace about her that Jamie envied.

  Jamie wondered if the two of them would ever be friends. It was beginning to seem possible to her, this idea of having a new, bigger family.

  Laurie and Jeff Gates were dancing with each other. Jamie would have given a lot to switch places with Laurie right at that moment.

  “Wanna dance with your old dad, pumpkin?” Jamie turned around to see her father smiling at her, his hands held out for hers.

  “Sure,” she said, and let him lead her around the floor to a corny old Frank Sinatra number.

  “How’re you doing?” he whispered in her ear as they swayed back and forth.

  “Pretty good. You and Tracy looked so perfect together,” she told him. “It was a beautiful ceremony.”

  “I’m glad,” he said. “And how do you like Michaela?”

  “She seems okay,” Jamie admitted. “Maybe I could get to know her better if Donna would leave her alone for a minute. It’s so annoying the way she acts.”

  “She’s just trying to make a new friend,” her dad assured her. “Donna still loves you best, you know.”

  “Yeah?” Jamie replied, unconvinced.

  “Come on, pumpkin,” her dad said, giving her a little squeeze. “I can see you’re worried about it, but believe me, it’s just the fascination of someone new. Donna’ll settle back down to normal after a while.”

  “I sure hope so,” Jamie confessed.

  “Besides, you and Michaela are the same age. You’re going to be together a lot at school. You’ll soon find out you have lots in common.”

  “Mmm.”

  “Trust me. She’s a great kid, you’ll see.”

  “Okay, Daddy.”

  Then he cleared his throat. “And you know, Jamie,” he said tentatively, “as you said yourself, the house is pretty small for five people. We’re all going to have to share space. Me with Tracy, you with Michaela…”

  “What?”

  Jamie caught her breath. She broke free and stared at her dad. “What are you talking about? I thought she was sleeping on the sofa in the living room!”

  “For a couple of days, yes… but once her bed arrives—”

  “Where is all my stuff supposed to fit?”

  “Shhh!” Her father glanced around to see if anyone had heard her complaint. “Look,” he said in her ear as the music played, “we’ll work it out eventually, Jamie. But until we save enough money to add on to the house, or move to a bigger place, you’re going to have to share your room with Michaela.”

  “But—”

  “Jamie…” His tone had a stern warning in it. “Not here at the party. Please. This isn’t the time or place.”

  Jamie stood there on the dance floor, frozen. She felt like she was losing her father, her little sister, and now her bedroom, all at the same time! Pretty soon she’d have nothing left—nothing that was all her own.

  5

  That night, her dad came to tuck her in. “Feeling better?” he asked.

  “Dad,” Jamie said in a hoarse whisper so no one outside the room could hear. “This is so unfair! Why do I have to share my bedroom? It’s my own private place! Can’t we fix up the basement for her or something?”

  “The basement isn’t exactly a nice place to sleep,” he said. “How would you like to sleep down there?”

  “I’d rather do that than share this room,” she lied. There were spiders in the basement. Creepy, crawly spiders, and who knew what else?

  “Come on, you don’t really mean that, Jamie. It’s just for a while—six months to a year, maybe. We’ll start looking for houses in the spring, or add on to this one, okay?”

  “A year’s a long time, Daddy!” Jamie complained.

  “I’m sorry, pumpkin. But we can’t always get everything we want when we want it, you know?”

  Uh-oh, she thought. Here comes one of Dad’s “little talks.”

  “I think it’s time we had a little talk, young lady.”

  Young lady. She loved that. And why was it that during their “little talks,” he did all the talking?

  “Look, I want you to understand something, Jamie. This isn’t easy for Michaela, either. She’s just left her school, her house, all her friends behind. She’s coming into a strange new situation. It’s a much harder adjustment for her than it is for you. I should think you’d want to give her a helping hand.”

  Jamie sat silently. What was there to say? She guessed she was just a bad, selfish person. But she couldn’t help how she felt, could she?

  “Now, I expect you to behave like a good stepsister and help make Michaela’s adjustment go smoothly.”

  “Fine,” Jamie said through clenched teeth. “But I’m keeping my stuff right where it is,” she said, trying to salvage something from the wreckage of her life. “She’ll have to find space to put her things, because I’m not moving mine. I mean, nobody’s helping me with my adjustment.”

  “I’ll help, pumpkin.” Her dad knew he had won the battle, and he could afford to be generous in victory. “I’m glad we had this little talk,” he said, kissing her on the forehead. “You’ll see, honey. You’re not losing your room. You’re gaining a new friend.”

  Jamie rolled over to face the wall. At least it was better than facing reality.

  She didn’t know when she’d fallen asleep, but when Jamie woke up, the house was still dead quiet. It was eight o’clock on a Sunday morning, and everyone was still worn out from partying the day before. Everyone but Jamie.

  She went downstairs and tiptoed through the living room so as not to wake Michaela, who was sleeping on th
e sofa. She glided silently into the kitchen and had some cereal for breakfast.

  Looking around as she ate, Jamie felt as if the house itself had suddenly turned against her. There was no one here she could talk to, no one who understood what she was feeling. In fact, if they knew how she really felt, they’d hate her for it, she was sure.

  Jamie thought of calling Laurie but realized it was too early and she’d wind up waking the Gateses. It was only Laurie she wanted to speak to; only Laurie would understand.

  She finished eating, went upstairs, and got dressed. Today was the last day she could call her room her own, she reflected. Tomorrow, it would be Michaela’s, too.

  She looked around at her posters on the wall, her trophies and treasures displayed on the bookcases, her stuffed animals, the painting she’d done in fourth grade. Oh, well, she thought. Michaela will just have to deal with it. She can keep her stuff in the attic until she gets her own bedroom.

  An hour later, Jamie and Laurie were in the Gateses’ backyard, popping a volleyball over a net to each other. In between hits, Jamie poured out her heart to her friend. Laurie took her time thinking over what Jamie had said.

  “I don’t know, Jame,” she finally said. “It doesn’t seem like the end of the world to me. Like I said, change happens. Nothing stays the same forever. And it could have been worse, right? No matter what, you’re not leaving Milford.”

  “That’s true,” Jamie said. She tossed the ball in the air above her. As it fell back to earth, she linked her hands and held her arms ramrod straight out in front of her. Using the underside of her forearms, she sent the ball back over the net to Laurie.

  Hands above her head, Laurie used her fingertips to gently return the ball.

  “Besides,” Laurie continued, “Michaela seems really nice. Maybe she’ll turn into a friend if you give her a chance.”

  Jamie gave the ball a ferocious dig with one arm. The ball ricocheted off the net and fell to the ground.