Save the Date
Page 13
Egg was standing with her homeroom group. Even though Madison often found him to be a pain in the neck, he was still one of her best friends ever. And he was definitely her best guy friend. Madison, Aimee, and Egg had all been pals throughout elementary school. Some old habits—and old friends—were hard to leave.
Madison clustered together with the rest of the kids from her homeroom, most of whom she usually never noticed. At today’s fire drill she ended up standing next to a quiet girl she recognized from her science class.
“Aren’t you in Mr. Danehy’s section?” Madison asked the girl after a while.
“Yes,” the girl said softly. She introduced herself as Carmen, but she didn’t have much to say after that. She barely even smiled.
The longer Madison looked, she saw that Carmen wasn’t just pretty, she was prettier than pretty. Her long, thick, black hair rolled down her shoulders, and she had light, hazel-colored eyes. Carmen dressed really nicely too, like some magazine models. Her fingers and arms were long and thin and her skin was a pale brown color, as if she’d been to a tanning salon or something.
Carmen wore a plain sweater and spoke in a whisper, but none of that mattered to Madison. She stood there wishing that she looked and talked the same way as Carmen. She was suddenly self-conscious about her clothes, her hair, and even her feet. Madison quickly checked her own sweater for fear that she had food stuck on the front or cuffs. Carmen had on leather shoes with tiny buckles. Madison had on old sneakers.
“Line up in alphabetical order!” their homeroom teacher demanded.
It turned out that Carmen’s last name was Forrest; and she ended up right behind Madison Finn for the duration of the fire drill. No one was supposed to talk, but Madison leaned in to talk anyway.
“Do you like Nikki?” Madison asked after a moment or two of silence.
Carmen shook her head. “Not really.”
“Oh,” Madison said. “How come? I think she’s the coolest—”
“She’s okay,” Carmen said, cutting her off.
“Oh,” Madison snapped back. She didn’t understand why Carmen had to be rude all of a sudden like that. Carmen was obviously like all the pretty girls. The prettiest girls in school always acted supersnobby.
Madison decided right there that Carmen was a supersnob.
“Okay,” the teacher said. “We’re going to file back into the school quietly, and you should all report directly to your next period class. Is that clear?”
Everyone pushed a little as they headed back into school. Madison’s eyes scanned the crowd for signs of Aimee or Fiona.
Did they know Carmen?
Did they have any more ideas about the chaperone for the concert?
Where were they?
Up ahead, Madison saw a familiar, brown, curly head.
Hart Jones.
She hurried to catch up with him, but other kids kept getting in the way. Hart was probably headed up to art class, the same destination as Madison. She’d chosen art as a spring elective, and luckily Hart had ended up in the same section. They’d only met for class once before, so they hadn’t picked final seats yet. Madison hoped that she’d be seated near her crush.
As they headed into the school lobby, Madison nearly went flying. Egg caught her elbow. He’d been right behind her the whole time.
He was chattering on and on about some stupid new video game that he’d bought. He was obsessed with computers. Of course Madison loved them just as much, in a different way. But listening to Egg could get so boring—so fast.
Up ahead, Madison still had her eye on Hart, plowing through the crowd with his backpack on his back. But as he turned to head up the stairwell toward the art classroom on the fifth floor, Madison noticed something she hadn’t seen before.
Hart was walking with another girl.
And that girl was Carmen.
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About the Author
Author Laura Dower has a lot in common with Madison Finn: They’re both only children and they both love dogs, the color orange, and books! Laura has written more than ninety kids’ books to date, including twenty-five in the series From the Files of Madison Finn. Her other books include the new Palace Puppies series and For Girls Only, a guide to girl stuff. When she’s not writing, Laura loves to garden, sing (loudly), and volunteer as a scout leader for her daughter and two sons. She and her family live in New York. Want to be keypals? Drop her a note at www.lauradower.com.
All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Text copyright © 2002 by Laura Dower
Cover design by Connie Gabbert
978-1-4804-2258-2
This edition published in 2013 by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.
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New York, NY 10014
www.openroadmedia.com
FROM THE FILES OF
MADISON FINN
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