Freaked Out

by Annie Bryant

  CHAPTER 12

  To Party or Not?

  Despite promising herself that she wouldn’t think about the “party of the year” anymore, Avery got up Saturday morning feeling kind of sad. She hadn’t felt so bad since all the fighting during the student elections when she and Katani were competing against each other. “Why me?” she said aloud. “Why did she have to pick on me?”

  “What would you do, Walter?” she asked her pet snake. Walter was not all that responsive. Snakes weren’t really that interested in their owners. And he surely wouldn’t have an answer to her problem, but he was good to talk to anyway. You can’t get really embarrassed in front of a snake. Lifting him out of his aquarium, Avery let him wrap around her hand and test the air with his tiny black tongue. He really was a beautiful snake.

  “You have any ideas, Frogster?” she said after she put Walter back. Frogster looked at her with a cute froggy expression but didn’t have any suggestions either.

  “Who are you talking to, Avery?” her mother asked as she walked into the room and looked around.

  “Walter and Frogster.” Avery started making her bed and her mother got on the opposite side to help.

  “Is your mind still on the party? Thinking everyone else is going except you?”

  Her mother was a mind reader. After their first talk Avery had hardly mentioned the party. She just hadn’t wanted to think about it.

  After working so hard to be a tough, nothing-bothers-me type of person, Avery wiped a tear from her eye.

  “Oh, Avery.” Her mother gave her daughter a hug. “Everyone gets left out sometimes, but it’s never fun.”

  “I don’t see Maeve or Katani ever being left out. Or Anna or Joline, for that matter. And anyway, why would Julie do such a thing, Mom? I’ve tried and tried to understand, but it just doesn’t make sense. I never did anything to her!”

  Her mother pulled her down to sit on the bed. She took a deep breath. “You know, Avery, I’ll bet she really doesn’t know either. But it just may have something to do with power. Often, when you reject or exclude someone, it makes you feel superior. It’s not true, but somebody immature might think it’s true.”

  “The BSG think that Anna and Joline put her up to it. Anna was whispering to people and laughing at me at basketball tryouts.”

  Mrs. Madden had heard the names Anna and Joline enough times that Avery didn’t have to explain who they were. “Maybe Julie wants those two girls to be her friends. She may have thought this was a way to make that happen.”

  “Then Julie is going to get hurt, too. As soon as the party is over, Anna and Joline will return to their tight twosome.”

  “Do you think causing trouble is the only way Anna and Joline have of getting attention? If that’s true, that’s really sad.”

  “Anna put Julie up to inviting me to the party at the last minute.” Avery picked at a thread on her bedspread. She sniffed a couple of times, then got a tissue and blew her nose.

  “Do you want to go under those circumstances?”

  “And have everyone at the party laughing at me? No way. I get so angry just thinking about it. I’m left with nothing to do except visit with Walter and Frogster.”

  “Which can’t be terribly stimulating.” Her mother smiled and hugged Avery again. “Maybe we can think of something to do together tonight. Would you be open to that?”

  “I guess.”

  Mrs. Madden kept her arm around Avery and walked her down to the kitchen to make breakfast.

  “What’s up, Ave?” Scott, her sixteen-year-old brother, asked. He was already frying bacon and getting out eggs for his weekend breakfast special.

  Scott really liked to cook. He was getting pretty good at it, too, especially with breakfast.

  “Want to do something today? Go lift weights? Shoot some hoops?” Scott cracked six eggs into a bowl and added a splash of milk, then shredded cheese.

  “Maybe.” Avery took a slice of toast and smeared it with raspberry jam.

  “I have a great idea for both of you,” their mother said.

  Avery looked at Scott. Not my fault, her look said.

  “There’s a charity event at Children’s Hospital tonight. I could sure use some help.”

  “Can those kids you work with play basketball, Mom?” Avery asked. “I don’t mind helping them with shooting hoops. That would be fun.”

  “Not those kinds of games, honey. Poker, a Twenty-one table—”

  “Gambling? You’re gambling, Mom?” Scott looked at Avery and made an ultrasurprised face.

  “Okay, okay, you two. Las Vegas nights are often a great way to make money for an organization, and people feel okay about gambling because it’s for a good cause. It’s perfectly legal, so don’t worry about my being arrested. No one keeps the money they win. All the proceeds go to the hospital, most of it goes to the kids’ cancer ward.”

  “So you want us to come over and play poker?” Avery kept a straight face. She loved giving her mother a hard time. She took everything so seriously.

  Mom sighed and snatched a bite of the shredded cheese. She tried to look stern but was losing the battle. “I need your help….”

  “Like teaching them to play poker. Sounds fun, Mom.” Scott grinned. “Ocean’s 11. Count me in.”

  Mrs. Madden stared at both of them for a few seconds. Then she shook her head and grinned. “All right you two smart alecks. I want you to come with me this morning to help set up and visit with the kids. Then we’ll come home, change into nicer clothes, and then it’s party time…for a good cause.”

  Avery couldn’t believe it. Wait a minute. Working at the hospital all day and all night wasn’t exactly what she wanted to do. In an instant, she had gone from having no plans to having a really busy day, with not even a moment to breathe, or more importantly, walk Marty. But she guessed it would take her mind off Julie’s party, and all of the pre-party plans at Charlotte’s house. And it would keep her from feeling sorry for herself. It sure beat snake and frog sitting.

  Maeve, Katani, and Charlotte would be calling back and forth all day long checking to see what everyone was wearing. In fact, they’d probably go over to Charlotte’s to get dressed. Katani would apply everyone’s makeup. Then she would add finishing touches to clothing choices, making sure they all looked just a little unique and in style. Avery didn’t want to be thinking about all her friends together. They invited her to come over but Avery thought that would be totally horrible. She would feel like a complete loser.

  “We’re trapped,” Scott said to Avery when their mother went to get dressed.

  “Yeah, but Scott, think about it. We don’t spend much time with Mom anymore. Don’t you think she gets lonely?”

  “I think she keeps too busy to think about being lonely. But sure, she probably would like a date occasionally. Wouldn’t we all?”

  Avery groaned. “Speak for yourself, Scotty.” Avery ducked and laughed when Scott threw a paper towel at her. “These eggs are awesome, Scott.”

  Her brother beamed.

  “You know Ave, I might have my own restaurant when I grow up.”

  “Cool,” Avery enthused in between mouthfuls of eggs. “Can I work there?”

  “Definitely, dude.”

  “What kind of restaurant would you have?” Avery asked.

  Scott’s face lit up. “I’m going to serve Asian food and hamburgers and hot dogs. I could call it Korea Joe’s. What do you think?”

  Avery’s eyes widened. “Cooool!” Her heart thumped. Scott was the best brother ever.

  “So, Ave, how’s basketball going?”

  “Great. We have our first game coming up.”

  “Who made the team?” Scott asked.

  “Well a lot of eighth graders, plus me and Isabel, Anna McMasters, Julie Faber, and you’ll never guess who else.”

  “Who?” asked Scott.

  “Betsy Fitzgerald!” said Avery as she took a bite of eggs. “She’s this crazy overachiever at school who studies like si
x hours a night, and also practices free throws ten hours a day.”

  “Practice makes perfect, kiddo, especially in sports.”

  “That’s what Betsy said!” Avery continued to munch on her breakfast.

  At that moment, Avery’s mother came back in the kitchen ready to go. “Five minutes, kids.”

  Mrs. Madden poured herself one more cup of coffee and sat at the table to make some lists.

  A lightbulb clicked on in Avery’s head. “Mom, I just had a great idea. If Isabel can come, could we circle by and pick her up? Just for the day? She’s baby-sitting tonight.”

  “Absolutely. We need all the help we can get with the kids.”

  Avery picked up the phone and punched in Isabel’s number. “Izzy, what are you up to today?”

  “Nothing, really. Just sketching in my notebook. You have any ideas?”

  “I do. Well, my mom does.” Avery explained her plan, Isabel agreed, and said she could be ready ASAP.

  Avery gathered some things in a tote bag that might come in handy for entertaining kids. She put her basketball in the car, just in case. Suddenly, a smirk came over her face as she wondered how much chaos a loose basketball could cause at a Hawaiian party.

  Aunt Lourdes’s apartment was right on their way to the hospital. Mrs. Madden stopped and honked.

  “Hi, Mrs. Madden, Scott,” Isabel said when she ran out and got in the car. “Thanks for letting me come.”

  “We need help for the event at the hospital, Isabel,” Mrs. Madden said. “It’s great you could join us.”

  “What’s happening at home?” Avery asked.

  “Oh, Elena is still mad about her boyfriend. I mean her ex-boyfriend. Mama is feeling kind of tired today, and Aunt Lourdes kept thinking of things for us to clean to keep us busy. The usual.”

  “Is your mother any better, Isabel?” Mrs. Madden asked.

  “She is, but her energy goes up and down. Multiple sclerosis does that a lot. My dad is visiting next week for a whole week, though, and that will make us all feel good.”

  This Is Work?

  Boston was a straight shot from Brookline and they had good luck with the traffic. They got to the big hospital complex quickly. Children’s Hospital of Boston was world famous, and when Avery first came to America, she was treated for dehydration there. Ever since, Mrs. Madden had been committed to working on fundraisers for them. She believed in giving back to her community, especially one that had helped her baby girl.

  As they neared the cancer wing, Avery started to feel queasy. What if the cancer ward was depressing? Seeing bed after bed of kids who had lost all their hair was making her nervous. She took Isabel’s hand and squeezed it.

  Isabel squeezed back. “Hospitals can be a little scary sometimes,” she whispered.

  Avery, Isabel, and Scott stood at the door as if that was as far as they could go. “What should we do, Mom?” Avery finally said.

  Mrs. Madden motioned for a woman in a clown suit to come meet them. Avery took a deep breath. She had always been a little bit frightened of clowns. When she was little, she thought the white paint was their real face. She even asked a clown once if he slept in the makeup.

  “Marilyn, these are two of my children. Scott is sixteen and Avery is twelve. And this is Avery’s friend, Isabel. They’re all yours for as long as you need them.” After introductions, their mother turned and left. They were stuck.

  “Let’s see. Unless you’d like to be a clown, I guess I’ll assign Scott the book and game cart. Isabel and Avery, what about snacks? These kids get up at seven a.m. for meds, so they’re ready for a snack now. If someone needs a partner, Scott, maybe you can play games with some of them in turn. You’ll find things to do, don’t worry. The kids will help you. They’ll ask for what they want or need. They are really regular kids and just want to have fun too.”

  Marilyn, the clown, disappeared. Relieved to say good-bye, Avery and Scott looked at each other and walked into the ward. Isabel followed Avery.

  “Look, Izzy, there’s a dog playing with that kid. I didn’t know they allowed dogs in hospitals. This is so cool.” A small boy was rolling a ball. A golden retriever ran after the ball, brought it back, and the boy rolled it again.

  One of the nurses explained that the dog was a special pet therapy dog trained to work with sick children.

  “Hi, Avery.” A voice got their attention away from the dog. “I didn’t know you volunteered here. Is that boy getting out the game cart your brother? He’s really cute. Hi, Isabel.”

  The voice came from Betsy Fitzgerald. She seemed to be everywhere Avery went lately. Surprise Basketball Star-Shooter. Super Hospital Volunteer. The badge Betsy wore was hanging with bars that marked how long she’d worked and the many hospital awards she’d received.

  “How do you have the time to work here, Betsy?” Avery asked. “Seems like you study every minute of every day.”

  “No, you just have to be well organized. You know me. I have a calendar where I lay out my week, my month, and some dates farther ahead. I plan my study time, and now I have to put all the basketball practices and games on it. I might have to give up sewing quilts for seniors in the nursing homes, though. And I never have time for parties.” Betsy’s face flushed a bit at that last comment. No one wanted to be left out of Julie’s party. Avery and Izzy knew that she was just covering up that she wasn’t invited either.

  Without looking at each other, the threesome shared an awkward moment of silence about the party.

  “Yeah, you might have to give up something.” She nodded her head toward Scott. “That’s my big brother, Scott. He wants to open his own restaurant, you know. We both got kind of trapped today by saying we didn’t have anything to do. My mother volunteers here.”

  “Some people think it’s really depressing to work here, but I don’t. The kids are nice. I really like them. They are very brave, you know. Come and meet Charlie.”

  Betsy pulled Avery and Isabel over to a bed where a pretty young girl with the bluest eyes Avery had ever seen smiled a huge smile.

  “Hi, I’m Charlie. My real name is Charlotte, but everyone calls me Charlie.”

  “I’m Avery, and this is Isabel,” Avery introduced. “We have a best friend named Charlotte, too.”

  “Are you going to work here? I hope so. I’ll bet you’re good at sports, aren’t you, Avery?”

  “What gave it away? My warmup suit or my basketball shoes?” Avery grinned back.

  “I wanted to play basketball,” Charlie said. “Now I’m not so sure. I’m in remission. That means that I don’t have cancer right now, but I still have a couple more treatments. I’d give a quarter just to go outside for a little while. My mother’s here today. If I get permission, can you take me outside?”

  Betsy looked at Avery and Isabel, who both shrugged. They didn’t know any of the rules. “I’m sure that’s okay if your mother and Marilyn agree,” Betsy said.

  “I saw a park across the street,” Avery said. “I wish we had Marty with us. He’d love to play with the kids. There’s a basketball hoop too. I always leave my basketball in the car.”

  “Will your brother help us if some other kids want to go?” Betsy looked around. “Chris could go. He’s in remission, too, and feeling pretty good. I think Jadie’s mother is here today. She could get permission. I think everyone is at the end of their treatment program, that’s why the dogs can come in. We’ll just have to get passes for the kids to go.”

  Just then, Marilyn showed up, and Avery hoped she wasn’t going to spoil the field trip for the kids. Charlie was beaming ear to ear and jumping up and down. “Please don’t say no, Marilyn, please.”

  “They have to go in wheelchairs,” Marilyn said after hearing their plan. “And one volunteer per wheelchair. That’s four kids.”

  A fourth kid that everyone called Louie-Louie ran up saying he could go. His mother had said yes. Avery was glad they’d brought Isabel. She didn’t want to disappoint any of these kids.

 
“And, Charlie,” Marilyn said, “I think you’d better have an adult along. Do you think your mother would go?”

  “My mom’s game for anything,” Charlie said. “She’s so much fun. She’s helping Bonita, but let me ask her.”

  A half hour later, the small party of kids wearing hats and riding in wheelchairs, along with their volunteers, arrived laughing at the park. Both Charlie’s mother and Jadie’s mother agreed to go. They strolled along behind the bustle of kids, probably glad to be outside in the warm fall sunshine, too.

  “I feel as if I’ve escaped,” Charlie said. “Will you help me throw that ball, Avery?”

  Avery looked at Charlie’s mother. She nodded that the game was okay. “For just a little while, Charlie,” she said. “You know you always forget how quickly you get tired.”

  They had played ball in the park for about a half hour, when Chris said, “Hey, lunch. We forgot about lunch. I’m getting hungry.”

  Chris’s white teeth stood out against his walnut-colored face. He grinned all the time, but right now he looked dismayed. It was the first time in weeks that he had been hungry, and he wanted some good food now!

  “I’m so tired of hospital food,” Jadie said. “I wish we could have a pizza. Or hamburgers.”

  “Hamburgers! Yeah, hamburgers!” all the kids shouted over and over until everyone was laughing.

  “Yeah!” Charlie smiled brightly. “Have you got some money, Mom?”

  Both Charlie’s mother and Jadie’s mother nodded and agreed to having lunch outside the hospital. “We’re tired of hospital food, too.” Jadie’s mother laughed.

  “No one told us what time to come back.” Scott looked at Avery.

  “There’s a burger place up on the corner.” Avery didn’t usually eat fast food, but she was willing to give these kids whatever they wanted. And to make their time out of the hospital special.

  “I’ve got money, too.” Jadie waved a ten-dollar bill she pulled from the small purse in her wheelchair.

  “Me too.” Chris pulled some bills from his pockets.