Freaked Out

by Annie Bryant

  “The invitation didn’t say costumes,” Isabel pointed out. “I don’t know what I’m wearing yet.”

  “What party?” Avery said with a puzzled look on her face.

  A moment of dead silence came over the other four girls. You could have heard a hot chocolate bubble pop.

  “Didn’t you get…um…your invitation from Julie Faber?” Charlotte stammered, looking desperately around the table for help. But the other BSG just stared at Charlotte.

  “Julie gave them out at lunch yesterday. Didn’t she give you one?” Charlotte continued, wishing that the room would swallow her up. “Maybe she couldn’t find you after school.” Charlotte felt Avery had to be invited. She just had to be.

  “I saw Julie after school yesterday at the basketball tryouts meeting. She didn’t mention anything about a party or an invitation.” Avery looked around blankly at her friends.

  Maeve looked at Charlotte, then Katani and Isabel. “Maybe we could ask Julie…. She might have forgotten about it. Maybe…Maybe…”

  “Yeah, well, maybe I’m not invited,” Avery said. “Whatever. I’m really busy anyway. Plus, you know me; I’m not really the ‘party girl’ type.” Avery chugged her cocoa and stood up. “I’ve got to go check my math homework over and hand in my revised book report to Ms. Rodriguez before school starts.”

  The other girls fell silent as Avery gathered her things. No one knew what to say. Avery gave a tiny wave as she left the table.

  Isabel’s heart went out to Avery. “What are we going to do?”

  “We’re not going to the party,” Katani announced. “That’s an easy decision.”

  “Right,” agreed Isabel, Charlotte, and Maeve.

  “I didn’t want to go that bad anyway,” Katani huffed, putting her nose in the air. “Julie Faber is a snob not to have invited Avery. Besides, remember our rule: Beacon Street Girls forever!”

  The BSG clicked their hot chocolate mugs in solidarity. The sound seemed loud in the silence that had surrounded them. Each took a big sip of the sweet liquid and studied their cups.

  “Do we really have to skip it?” Maeve asked in a meek voice. “It’s going to be the party of the year. You know how Julie’s parents always go all out. Hey, they’re probably bringing in sand from Hawaii to make a huge beach in the rec room.”

  “Maeve!” all the BSG shouted.

  “You know the BSG have to stick together,” Charlotte scolded Maeve, but her expression softened when she saw the disappointment on Maeve’s face. Her romantic friend just loved parties. For some reason, in that moment, Charlotte realized that it wasn’t just about the fun. Friendly and energetic Maeve could shine at a party where she couldn’t shine in school.

  “I know, I know.” Maeve hung her head. “But given last year’s extravaganza it’s going to be such a great party.”

  “They’ll probably fly in real orchid leis for all the girls,” Katani said wistfully. “You know, like that crazy TV show about the sweet sixteen parties.”

  “I wasn’t here for last year’s party,” Charlotte reminded them. “Would they really do something like that?”

  “They would. Last year Mrs. Faber took about twenty girls to Boston to shop. She gave each of us some money to spend. Afterward, we went to that fancy French restaurant for lunch. I didn’t like the food that much, but the shopping was really fun,” Katani said, remembering the pretty pair of earrings she had purchased.

  “Maybe we could talk Julie into inviting Avery,” suggested Maeve, a twinge of hope in her voice.

  “Julie could still have Avery’s invitation,” Charlotte said. “Maybe she just forgot to give it to her.”

  “You really believe that?” Katani asked.

  No one answered. They sat quietly for another minute, fearing the truth.

  “We have to be loyal to Avery,” Charlotte said. “She’d stick up for any of us.”

  “You are so right about that.” Katani finished off her muffin and stood up. “But I lied. I do want to go to Julie’s party as much as all of you want to go. But I won’t go unless she includes Avery. And even if she invites Avery after we put pressure on her, she’s already hurt her feelings. Did you see Avery’s face when she left? She was really upset, even if she pretended she wasn’t.”

  “Oh, wow.” Isabel looked at her watch. “It’s getting late. We have to get to school.” The Beacon Street Girls packed up their things and hurried out of the bakery. They were going to be really late if they didn’t run. Nobody wanted to get after-school detention.

  Who’s Invited?

  Tuesday morning lasted forever. Maeve survived math by copying equations out of her textbook onto index cards. The Crow had actually complimented her and suggested the rest of the class follow her lead. Under her breath Joline whispered that Maeve probably didn’t understand what the equations meant. Maeve made a face at Joline, but at the same time felt horrible inside because she knew Joline was right. The equations looked like gobbledygook to her. Math felt like a giant pit of mud. Could she survive without it? That was the question she had asked Matt, her tutor. He told her that you had to understand math or you could end up in serious trouble with taxes and stuff like that.

  At lunch, the BSG were quiet. Avery was missing again. Was this on purpose, or was she studying? They’d also found out that there was a whole “not invited” group: Riley Lee, Betsy Fitzgerald, Chelsea Briggs, and Robert Worley.

  Of course, Julie couldn’t invite the entire seventh grade, but the fact that she invited only part of a group that were obviously friends and left one out felt really mean to the BSG. It was like inviting Joline Kaminsky and not Anna McMasters. Katani wondered if Julie had excluded Avery on purpose…just to divide up the BSG.

  Of course, Henry Yurt was invited. Julie wouldn’t dare leave the class president out. Actually, Henry was becoming quite popular, proving that a zebra can change his stripes. The Yurtmeister was a big joke when he ran for class president, but when he won, people took another look at him. And then to the surprise of everyone, Henry Yurt, father of Pajama Day, started acting like a leader instead of a clown. Except, of course, in math, where Henry had taken it upon himself to liven things up and improve the Crow’s sense of humor.

  “But, Mrs. Fields,” Henry had protested when the Crow had sent him to the principal. “Mr. Sherman is in need of some lightness of spirit. His facial expressions alone can cause a massive attack of negativity.”

  Katani overheard her grandmother telling her mom the story, and Mrs. Fields said that she had to bite her cheeks to keep from laughing. Katani wished that she could tell the story to her friends, but it was a rule that she couldn’t repeat anything Mrs. Fields said at home to people at school. “It would compromise my integrity at school, dear,” her grandmother had explained.

  “Henry Yurt is going, but not Avery. I just think that is impossibly unfair. But we’re not going to solve this problem by sitting around moping,” Katani said in her serious executive voice. “Something has to be done!”

  “Do you know what to do, besides what we’ve already decided?” Isabel asked.

  “No, but we have to figure something out. This isn’t a school problem.” Maybe Katani would talk to her older sister, who was in college. Candice was a really good advice giver.

  “We don’t have long to decide,” Maeve said. “I have to plan what to wear. Oops!” Maeve knew the minute she’d mentioned clothes, it wasn’t the right thing to say. Sure enough, she got the “how insensitive are you?” look from her friends. “I’m sorry. I know clothes aren’t important right now. I just can’t help myself. It’s where my mind goes.”

  “Can we talk tonight?” Charlotte stood up. “I’m not very hungry. I guess I’ll go over to the newspaper office and work.”

  The girls agreed, returned their trays, and split up for the rest of the lunch break. Riley Lee caught up with Maeve on the way out of the cafeteria. Soon they were deep in conversation about a music video that Riley had seen.

  Sam t
he Man

  Maeve’s afternoon got so busy that she almost forgot about the party and the “not invited” list. Right after school she went to math tutoring. Poor Matt; she whined the whole time. When she arrived home for dinner her mother was rushing about.

  “I hope you don’t mind Chinese takeout.” Ms. Kaplan placed several white containers on the table. “I have a class.”

  “Wait, Mom, I have Hebrew School, remember?” Maeve usually looked after her younger brother Sam after school and at night if her parents were busy. But since her mother and father separated, her mom seemed to have something extra every night. She seemed to be completely ignoring Maeve’s schedule.

  “Sam, can you go over to Gary’s house until Maeve gets back?” Ms. Kaplan picked up the phone. “It won’t be late.”

  “Yeah!” Sam looked at Maeve and raised his eyebrows clear to his bangs. His friend Gary was a blast and a half.

  Ms. Kaplan arranged the visit, promised to let Gary visit Sam another day, and dashed out the door. Sam followed, still chewing.

  Hebrew School was in walking distance from the theater. The class was so boring she almost fell asleep. Sometimes Hebrew was as complicated as math to Maeve, but she liked all the stories. Tonight she couldn’t wait to get home and look through her closet for something to wear to Julie Faber’s party. Her Bat Mitzvah portion would just have to wait.

  She arrived home at the same time Gary’s mother dropped Sam at the door. No one kept two eight-year-old boys longer than was absolutely necessary.

  “I’m still hungry,” Sam said. “Gary’s mom didn’t have any good snacks. She wanted me to eat fruit cocktail. Yuck!”

  Maeve gestured to the takeout containers that were still on the kitchen table, half eaten.

  “I’m having seconds. Want some?” Sam asked.

  “Okay. Where’s Mom?” Maeve was really hungry, but suddenly the idea of cold Chinese made her feel queasy. She looked in the freezer and pulled out some strawberry ice cream instead. She sliced a banana into what was left in the container and smushed it all together.

  “I don’t know. You think she has a date?” Sam tried to use chopsticks to pick up a grain of rice.

  “I have no idea what Mom is up to. I almost liked it better when she fussed at me all the time.”

  Maeve had hated all the scheduling and her mother’s obsessive attention to “everything Maeve” before her mother and father split up. But now, Maeve was practically feeling neglected. First, the upcoming test she knew she wasn’t ready for. Then a party she wasn’t going to be able to go to, all because Julie Faber felt like being mean. Maeve had seen a picture of a guy who was trying to carry the world up a mountain on his shoulders. That’s how she felt right now. Maeve the Magnificent carrying a pink globe on her shoulders. NO ONE was home to help her.

  “What’s wrong, Maeve?” Sam asked. “Are you getting ready to cry?”

  “I hate math!” Maeve nearly choked on a banana bite.

  Finally Sam said, “You’ll make the ice cream salty if you cry.”

  That did it. Now Maeve giggled and stuffed her mouth with sweet, cold spoonfuls of strawberry ice cream. Strawberry was her favorite. Who could not love strawberry ice cream? It was so pink, she thought with pleasure.

  “You goin’ to Julie’s party?” Sam asked.

  “How do you know about that?” Maeve asked back.

  “Gary’s sister is going and he says she’s making him sick with all the planning about what to wear.” Sam attacked the grains of rice again.

  “NO! I’m not going!” Maeve was practically yelling. She tried to calm down. She took a deep breath. “Julie didn’t invite Avery, who is practically my best friend in the whole world, along with Charlotte, Katani, and Isabel. So none of us are going. So, we’re going to do something with Avery instead. We’re making a statement!”

  The class had just talked about people making a statement in social studies. Rosa Parks had died. She was noted in history as the black woman who refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white man. She figured she paid her fare. She deserved the seat as much as anyone. She had no idea that her actions were going to spark an entire movement in the South. Now, that was really making a statement. But ordinary people could make a statement over little things, too. Not that Julie’s snub was equal to what happened to Rosa Parks, but it was excluding someone she knew, thought Maeve.

  Maeve came out of her daydream to see that Sam was frowning. He appeared to be thinking about what making a statement meant.

  “It means—”

  “I know what it means. It’s like when Mom buys me clothes that nobody, I mean nobody, is wearing, and I wear my old torn jeans and stained Blue Guys T-shirt.”

  Maeve closed her eyes and sighed. “Do you think Mom is losing it, Sam?”

  “I guess. But there’s nothing we can do about it.”

  Sam tried to grab some food and missed. He gave up on his chopsticks, speared a chunk of sesame chicken with his knife, and poked it in his mouth. “I could help you with your math. I already know fractions!”

  “Sam, if you tutored me, we would get in the biggest fight of our lives. And even though I’m having trouble, I’m so beyond third-grade math. But thanks for offering anyway.”

  “What are you going to do about Julie and the Hawaiian party?” he asked, slurping up a noodle.

  Maeve couldn’t believe it. She was actually sitting at the kitchen table having a real conversation with Sam. Was this real, or was she so desperate for conversation that she would sit and chat with anyone, even her little brother?

  “No. Well, yes, not go. We’ve all decided we won’t go without Avery.”

  “But you love parties, don’t you?” Sam took the other side of the argument in Maeve’s head.

  “Yeah, Sam. I love parties. I am really good at parties.”

  Maeve could see herself dancing with Dillon. Then all of a sudden Riley popped into her head. Maeve and Riley could talk about music for hours. Like this afternoon. It was so much fun having a heated discussion with Riley about his fave new band. And they were planning another song for her to sing with his band. She could dance with Riley and Dillon. She would be wearing the orchid lei. Eating coconuts and pineapples. Both boys would bring her punch in a cup made from a coconut shell that had a little umbrella. She’d take a deep breath of the sweet perfume of Hawaii. Reality check. Riley wasn’t invited to the party. That was so mean, thought Maeve.

  “What should we do about all this food?” asked Sam.

  “I don’t know. Put it away. Eat it. Don’t eat all of it, though. You’ll be sick.”

  “I know that. I’m not a—”

  “I know. You really aren’t a baby, Sam.” Maeve turned around and hugged her brother.

  “Ugh. Get away from me.” Sam pretended he was going to sword fight Maeve with his chopsticks, but he was smiling.

  Maeve smiled back, helped Sam clean up the kitchen, and hurried off to bed before the good feelings about Sam faded.

  Just as she was falling asleep, she felt her mother kiss her lightly on the cheek. “Thank you, sweetheart, for taking care of Sam and cleaning up the kitchen. You are my special girl.”

  Maeve murmured, “I love you,” to her mom.

  CHAPTER 3

  Fair Play

  Charlotte heard Avery call from downstairs, “Char, it’s me.” She was a little surprised to hear her friend’s voice.

  Usually Avery called the night before when she was coming over early to walk Marty. She ran halfway up the elegant staircase, then slid down the banister while Charlotte and Marty ran after her.

  “What are you doing here, Ave?” Charlotte asked.

  “Just felt like it. And I missed Marty. You missed me, too, didn’t you, little guy?” Avery grabbed Marty up in her arms and the little dog licked her face.

  Just as Charlotte, Avery, and Marty were heading out the door, Miss Pierce suddenly appeared.

  “Charlotte, why don’t you stop by for tea and co
okies some afternoon?” she called after them. “I have some wonderful new images from the Hubble telescope. I think you would find them fascinating, and my new recipe for Chocolate Coconut Surprises is scrumptious.”

  “I’d love to, Miss Pierce,” Charlotte said. “We have to get going now; Marty is going to have a heart attack if we don’t walk him.” The little dog was practically hopping on one leg.

  “I see that. Run along, girls, run along.” Miss Pierce patted Charlotte on the shoulder as the girls rushed outside. Charlotte was so surprised. Usually Miss Pierce refrained from any physical contact. She was so shy.

  “Maybe she is starting to come out of her shell,” Charlotte said to Avery when they got outside. “How nice of her to invite me. I’d love to see some Hubble photos.”

  Charlotte’s landlady was a mysterious recluse, but Miss Pierce had so many hobbies she kept busy night and day. She was an astronomer who studied deep space. Before they knew anything about Miss Pierce, the BSG had discovered her telescope up in the Tower. She worked for NASA and was always getting packages and visits from men in black. Charlotte wondered what secret assignments they might be giving Miss Pierce. Avery was convinced that Miss Pierce was researching aliens. Isabel said she didn’t want to think of alien visitations—little green men with black holes for eyes gave her the willies.

  “I think Marty missed us when we went to Lake Rescue.” Charlotte pulled on her vintage denim jacket—the one that had belonged to her mother years ago. It was the most important piece of clothing Charlotte owned, and she hoped it would last forever.

  Marty jumped and barked and wagged his stub of a tail as if to say, yes, I missed you BSG, and now you need to make up for leaving me practically alone. But meanwhile, wanna see me dance? See how high I can jump?

  “I know he missed us. Huh, boy!” Avery bounced beside the little dog.

  The outside air was autumn brisk with a hint of rain. Charlotte savored all the seasons and loved having them change. But, Charlotte didn’t want any more change. She’d had all she could handle for a long time. She and her father had moved so often after Charlotte’s mother died. Now Charlotte felt she could live in Brookline and in the old Victorian house forever.