by Simon, Coco
Next I e-mailed the Cupcake Club to say that I was so sorry, but I would have to miss the meeting the next day. I kept it brief. I was fully prepared to be kicked out. And I knew I wouldn’t be a bridesmaid.
Alexis wrote back right away: “Please tell me what’s going on.”
But I couldn’t. I didn’t think she would understand and, besides, I didn’t want to. My real friends should want to be my friends even if I couldn’t be a bridesmaid. I shouldn’t have to prove that I was pulling my weight. I was pulling plenty.
Still, I couldn’t sleep that night, and I checked my e-mail again first thing the next morning, but there still wasn’t any response from Katie or Mia. I was nervous to get to lunch, and I wondered if they would even let me sit with them. Or if I wanted to.
But when I got to the cafeteria, it was Sydney I ran into first.
“Hey! I’m going to get the dress today!” said Sydney, all dressed up in a tight, sleeveless turtleneck and a miniskirt. “I guess your friend never coughed up the dough.”
“How do you know . . . I mean, how did you hear?” I asked, my face getting hot.
“I called the store to check, silly!” said Sydney brightly. “I’m going tonight with my mom and Brandi, right after cheerleading. I can’t wait!” She flounced away, leaving me standing alone, breathless in the middle of the cafeteria.
I saw Mia, Alexis, and Katie staring at me, already eating. They hadn’t waited for me in our usual meeting spot, which wasn’t a total surprise, but it was a pretty strong move on their part. I took a long look at them, gulped, then turned and fled. “Emma!” I heard Alexis calling. But I didn’t turn around. I just kept going. I’d eat my lunch alone, in the gym, with all the weirdos. I’d better get used to it, I thought bitterly.
I managed to avoid everyone all day, even Alexis, who almost tried to chase me down the hall. After school I ran out the door to the bike rack and pedaled home furiously. I had decided to ask Sam to drop off the cupcakes for Mrs. Mellgard on his way to work. I thought I could hear Alexis calling me again, but I didn’t turn around. I hated everyone right now. If they couldn’t understand, then I didn’t want to be friends with them anyway.
At home I went into a baking frenzy, relieved that Mom had bought the baking supplies the previous night. Matt had met Jake at the bus and taken him to the park for a while to get him out of my hair while I got the cupcakes ready, and I was grateful for that. Jake was the last thing I could handle right now. The cupcakes were cooling on a rack and the frosting and bacon was sitting mixed and crumbled and ready, when the phone rang.
I went to answer it and saw that it was The Special Day bridal salon! What should I say? I couldn’t let it go to voice mail because then Mom or Dad would get the message. I picked up the phone, cold with fear and dread.
“Hello?”
“Hello, is Emma there please? This is Patricia from The Special Day bridal salon.”
“This is Emma,” I said, gulping.
“Oh, hello, dear. I was just calling to see if you could come into the store today. We had set aside the dress for you for Ms. Vélaz’s wedding, and Mona is getting nervous about the alterations as the time draws near.”
I realized that Patricia was being nice. Instead of saying that I couldn’t pay for it, Patricia merely suggested that I was late.
“Oh,” I said. “I’m . . . I’m not sure I can make it today.”
There was a pause. “Well . . . I can ask Mona about extending the hold period for another day or so. I just have another customer who is eager for the dress. You are going to go ahead with it, are you not?”
“Uh . . .” I had to think.
“Let’s do this,” said Patricia. “If you can get in here today, I can legitimately hold off the other customer for another couple of days, or I can put her in a different dress. I think once you see the dress again, you’ll realize how marvelous it is on you and you’ll be able to organize everything very quickly. Okay?”
I didn’t know what to say. I should have said, “Oh, let Sydney have the dress. End my friendship with Mia, Katie, and Alexis. I’m going to quit the Cupcake Club.” It was all done already anyway, pretty much. But what I said was, “Okay.”
“Great. Then we’ll see you soon,” said Patricia. “Bye!”
I hung up. I went to frost the cupcakes and put them in their carriers. I was halfway through packing them up when Sam came in, banging the back door.
“Oh! Please tell me those are bacon cupcakes!” he cried happily.
I smiled, despite my gloom. I had made a few extra, partially in hopes of buttering up Sam.
“Yes, Sammy, these are for you.” I handed him the plate. “And now I have a favor to ask.”
“Uh-oh,” he said, through a mouthful of cupcake.
“I need you to drop these off for me in half an hour. Two dozen go to the Mellgards’ on Race Lane. And two dozen go to the gym with Matt, for his team party.”
“Ugh,” said Sam with a sigh. He thought for a second. “I guess I can do it,” he said. And he grabbed another cupcake.
Just then his cell phone rang. “Hello?” he said.
I was so happy I could kiss him. I packed up the rest of Matt’s cupcakes. All set.
“Where? What? Dude, slow down,” said Sam in annoyance.
I glanced at him and saw that he was looking at me, his eyebrows knit together in concern.
What? I mouthed at him, but he didn’t react. What did I do now?
“Okay, let me just write down the address. Darn it all, I’m going to be late for work tonight,” he huffed. “Bye.”
“What was that all about?” I asked, a little worried. “Is everything all right?” I pressed the tops down on the carriers. Sam was looking at me strangely.
“Nothing,” he said finally. “I’ll be ready in twenty. But you’re coming with me,” he said. “You can run in with the cupcakes while I wait in the car. It’ll be faster.” And he left the kitchen in a hurry.
“What? But I have Jake! And Dad will kill me if we leave!” I called after him. “Sam!” but he didn’t come back.
Ten minutes later, Jake and Matt walked in, and Matt ran to shower and change. He gave me a strange look, one that made me say, “What?” in annoyance, but he didn’t answer.
Jake actually helped wash the baking dishes—sort of—and shortly after we finished, Sam came down, freshly showered, followed by Matt, also freshly showered, with a backpack. Something about Sam still looked fishy, but I wasn’t going to press it, especially since I needed his help.
“Let’s hit it, kids,” Sam said, grabbing the keys to the minivan.
“What about Mom and Dad?” I asked. I couldn’t deal with more punishment.
“I’ll deal with them later,” said Sam.
The novelty of going anywhere with Sam was enough to make Jake cooperate, even without a bribe. But he was curious. “Where are we going, Sammy?” asked Jake.
“Down to the station house,” said Sam with a wink. “We’re going to book her.” And he jerked his thumb at me. I rolled my eyes and decided to go along with it all. If Sam was willing to deal with Mom and Dad, then how much trouble could I get into? The four of us got into the minivan and set off to drop off the Mellgards’ cupcakes, Matt and his cupcakes, and return home. Or so I thought.
CHAPTER 12
Brothers and Bridesmaids
Except that we didn’t go straight home. After the cupcake delivery to the Mellgards’, which went smoothly, and dropping off Matt, Sam turned his car in the opposite direction of home.
“Hey! Where are you going?” I asked in alarm. I was already treading on thin ice. I knew my parents would kill me for dragging Jake around this late and not doing my homework. Plus, no one had started dinner.
“Just downtown for a minute. Chill.”
Now I was annoyed. This week was just getting worse by the day. I turned and glared out the window. Then I turned back to Sam.
“Are we going to the mall?” I asked. Maybe I
could run into The Special Day after all and tie up the loose ends. Just tell Patricia thanks anyway, but it wasn’t going to happen. I didn’t want her to be mad at me. I looked over at Jake in the backseat, and I suddenly spied Matt’s backpack.
“Sam! We have to go back! Matt left his bag!” I said urgently. I didn’t want to open it because it was probably stinky, but I was pretty sure his practice clothes were in there.
“Oh,” Sam waved his hand. “I’ll . . . I’ll deal with that,” he said.
“But . . .” Then I sighed. Everyone was weird and getting weirder. The cupcakes were delivered. The dress was gone. I was done.
We parked in the mall lot and headed in. Sam carried Matt’s backpack. “What are you doing with that?” I asked, but Sam kept walking fast and didn’t answer. Sam was walking briskly right toward The Special Day. What on Earth was going on, I wondered. Poor Jake was jogging alongside to keep up with Sam’s long strides.
“Sam! Slow down! What’s the rush?” I asked breathlessly. “And where are we going?”
“I can’t be too late for work,” said Sam. “There’s a six-thirty show, and they need me.”
And then we were there: The Special Day.
Sam held the door and ushered us in.
“I . . . I . . .” I didn’t know what to say. Did Sam know? Was he going to make me apologize to Patricia and Mona for telling them I was going to buy the dress?
Sam strode to the counter, and all I could do was follow him.
“May I help you?” asked Patricia, gliding to the counter. “Oh, hello there! You came in after all!” said Patricia to me.
I blushed furiously. Now I was going to have to explain it all in front of my brothers.
“Hey! It was you!” said an indignant voice behind me. I whirled around to find Sydney Whitman standing there with her mother and cousin, the tarty Brandi.
“Wh-wh-at?” I said.
“You were the one who hadn’t bought the dress! But then why are you here now? I came to get it!” Sydney’s eyes flashed angrily.
I felt mad all of a sudden. That was my dress. And Sydney was not going to take it from me. Sam and Patricia were in an intense conversation, their heads nearly touching. Then Patricia waved Sam to the back of the store to Mona’s office.
I just stood there, not knowing what to do.
“I guess they’re going to get the dress for me after all,” said Sydney smugly. “So who’s that hottie?” she asked, flipping her hair.
“My brother,” I said. “And he has a girlfriend.” Sam did not have a girlfriend. Not one I knew about, at least. But it sure wasn’t going to be Sydney.
Before Sydney could say anything else, I saw Alexis, Katie, and Mia walking from the back of the store. With Mona, Sam, and Patricia!
“What is going on?” I almost cried. I was so confused.
Mona had the dress on a hanger, and she crossed behind the counter, hung it on a pole, and waved me over to her.
I was so embarrassed. Now everyone was going to hear me turn down the dress, and they’d all witness Sydney’s glory as she purchased it. I felt like I was walking off a cliff as I walked over to Mona.
“Honey,” whispered Mona. “You have a lot of people who love you. You must be a very special person.”
I didn’t even hear her. I just started to cry. “I’m sorry, but . . . I can’t buy the dress.” I started crying really hard then, and I couldn’t stop.
“Oh no, sweetheart. Please, don’t cry. Everything is all right.” She gestured at Patricia for a Kleenex, and Patricia scurried to grab one from one of the many nearby boxes.
“I have your dress all ready for you,” Mona continued, as if she hadn’t heard me at all. “We’ll just have you try it on and then we can fit it.”
“But you don’t understand. . . . I can’t afford it,” I said. “I’m sorry I let it go on so long. I didn’t know how to tell you. Any of you,” I said, turning to look at the Cupcakers.
“Oh, Emma!” cried Mia, and she ran over and hugged me. Alexis and Katie piled on.
“I know you all hate me. I’m so sorry,” I said. “I couldn’t go to the meetings because I was trying to make extra money dog walking. And I had to babysit. And . . . and . . . well, I guess I just couldn’t do it all.” I didn’t even mention the order for Mrs. Mellgard.
“We don’t hate you!” said Mia.
“Why didn’t you tell us?” said Katie. “We could have helped you.”
“They did help you!” interjected Mona. “These girls came down here today to negotiate a reduced rate for your dress. And we’ve struck a deal!”
Alexis smiled. “Mona is knocking ninety-nine dollars off of the dress in exchange for four weeks of mini cupcakes!” said Alexis.
“This one drives a hard bargain,” said Mona, gesturing at Alexis. “She’s coming to work for me one day.”
Alexis beamed.
“But how did you know I was . . . that I couldn’t afford it?” I asked.
“I e-mailed your brother last night,” said Alexis. “When I didn’t hear back from you, I knew something was really wrong, and well, I knew about your mom’s job. I asked Matt if he knew about the dress, and he put two and two together.”
I remembered Sam was there, and I turned around to look at him. He smiled and shrugged.
“Matt e-mailed me and told me that he and Sam wanted to chip in for the dress for you, but we still didn’t have enough,” said Alexis. “So I decided to see if we could work out a deal for you. And, well, I told Katie and Mia. Please don’t be mad. I just wanted them to know the real reason you hadn’t been around.”
“You should have told us!” said Mia. “I just thought you didn’t care about the wedding and didn’t want to be in the club! We could have helped you figure it out. Or I wouldn’t have cared if you wore an old dress!”
“I don’t know what to say,” I said. I really didn’t. So many people helped me: Alexis, Mia, Katie, Sam, even Matt.
“Well, instead of saying anything, let’s go get that dress on,” said Mona. “We need to make sure it fits you perfectly.”
“Wait! That’s my dress!” shrieked Sydney.
We turned to look—we had completely forgotten about her.
“Now, dear, we have a lot to discuss,” said Mona smoothly, and she steered Sydney away from us as she cast a strong look at Patricia to manage the rest of the situation.
I was on cloud nine as I stumbled into the dressing room, and once the dress was on, I felt even better. I still couldn’t believe my brothers had done this. I mean, Matt? And my friends. It was amazing. I thought for a second about how much heartache I would have saved myself if I had just told them from the start. Live and learn, as Dad always says.
I smiled in the mirror. The dress really was gorgeous.
There was a knock on the door.
“Come in,” I said.
Jake stuck his head around the corner. “Wow, Emmy! You look like a princess fairy!” he said breathlessly.
I laughed. “Thanks, Jakey.”
The door opened wider. And there was Mom. “Oh, honey,” she said, and she burst into tears. “I saw Sam when I was leaving work, and I was so confused. . . . You look beautiful!”
I laughed as Alexis handed Mom a Kleenex from one of three nearby boxes.
“Doesn’t she look divine?” asked Alexis, and all of us started giggling.
CHAPTER 13
Sweet Endings
That night all of us (minus Jake, who was asleep in his bed) sat in the kitchen, a plate of bacon cupcakes on the table. It was late and everyone was tired but very, very happy.
Mom was happy because the director of the library had called to say that the new grant funding would cover reinstating her job, and that she’d be back on board as of the first of the month, which was in only eight days.
Matt was happy because the bacon cupcakes had been a huge hit at his team dinner; his coach had even implied that someone with the great idea of bringing such delicious cup
cakes to a team dinner ought to be captain next year. Matt was thrilled.
Sam was happy because he could have his Friday nights back once Mom went back to work at the library. He had been missing out on the best shift at the movie theater and hanging out with his friends afterward.
Dad was happy because Mom was going back to work and because his kids were happy.
And I was happiest of all. I had amazing friends, generous brothers, a dad who had revoked my punishment once he heard the reasons why I was so overworked, and a mom who was going back to a normal work schedule. I also had a gorgeous dress that was being altered to fit me and permission to run the dog-walking business one weekday and one weekend day each week for two hours. Plus, Mrs. Mellgard had just called to place a very large order and was referring the Cupcake Club to all her friends. I had come clean about that order earlier. No one was angry, and Alexis was really happy we had another client.
“This has been a crazy few weeks,” said Mom.
“Tell me about it,” I said.
“Honey, I’m so sorry that Dad and I were so out of touch with what was going on in your life. I just feel awful about it,” Mom said.
“That’s okay,” I said. “After all, I can always handle . . .” And I trailed off.
Dad looked at me.
“Emma, you know we’re always here for you. Please don’t let things get that out of control again without asking one of us for help or at least filling us in on what’s going on, okay? You’re lucky you have such great brothers, kiddo.” He nodded toward Matt and Sam.
“The greatest,” I said.
“Just don’t stop baking, even if all else fails,” said Matt, laughing as he peeled the wrapper from a cupcake he’d just snagged.
“Yes, cupcakes should be the last thing to go, after schoolwork and flute,” agreed Sam through a mouthful of cupcake.
“I just can’t wait until the wedding,” I said dreamily.
“Speaking of weddings, who was that cute girl in the bridal salon? The blonde?” asked Sam.