“Hi, Mrs. Jones. Hi, Olivia,” he said, putting it down. “Sorry this is so stinky.”
“Yipes!” cried Olivia wrinkling her nose. “It’s stinky all right.”
A moment later, Mrs. Vreeland joined them. “Well, how are you all?” she said. “Olivia, you have grown so much! You look wonderful! Now, I see you are chatting with my grandson Austen. Do you know Mrs. Jones and her daughter, Olivia, Austen dear?”
Austen nodded. “Yes, Nana,” he said with a smile.
“Oh, Austen is your grandson, Angela?” said Olivia’s mom right away. “Well, let me tell you how wonderful he is! My husband just adores him! But didn’t I see you standing by an asparagus bed? That’s what I want to plant.”
The two ladies walked away, chatting happily.
Austen and Olivia looked at each other. “Well, I’m glad your father adores me,” said Austen with a laugh. “That’s a good start.”
Olivia laughed too. “What are you doing with that?” she asked, pointing to the wheelbarrow.
“People come by and drop off their extra compost, and now I’m adding it to our big pile. Would you like to see it?”
“Love to!” said Olivia.
Austen smiled. “And, if you play your cards right, I might even let you aerate the compost. We have to do that so all the debris will turn into humus.”
The compost was separated in a big area that was some distance from the main part of the garden. As they passed some of the raised gardens, Austen pointed out the different vegetables and flowers that were shooting up.
Olivia was amazed by what he knew. “Are there any daisies here? That’s my favorite flower,” she said.
“Which ones? The white, like, Shasta daisies?”
Olivia nodded.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said. “We have a big, big garden at home. Mom and Dad always make us work in it, but it’s fun.”
“My mom has a garden too, but it’s nothing like this,” she said, looking across at her mother chatting away with Mrs. Vreeland. “Hope your grandmother isn’t giving her too many ideas,” she said, thinking of how much work it is to turn the soil and put in new beds.
As if he read her mind, Austen said, “Be careful. Nana is great at inspiring people.”
Olivia gave him a big smile and didn’t even think about her blue-and-white braces.
“It’s cool that Mrs. Vreeland is your grandmother. I think I’ve known her all my life,” she said just as they got to the compost pile, and Austen set down the wheelbarrow.
Boy, I would hate to fall into this, Olivia thought, staring at the moldering heap and taking a few steps away from it. Poison ivy was bad enough, but at least it didn’t stink!
She turned to see Austen gazing at her.
“Olivia,” he said almost in a whisper, “don’t laugh, but I made something for you, and I wanted to give it to you before I get all grungy with this compost.” He reached into a pocket in his cargo shorts.
Olivia looked down. He was holding out a friendship bracelet in purple with OLLIE spelled out in pink.
“Ooh,” she gasped. “You made this? It’s absolutely amazing!”
“Your color chart says purple is for beautiful and pink for sweet, so I thought that was you. But there are lots of mistakes,” said Austen, tying it on for her.
“You know what, Austen? You’re definitely not a mistake,” she said, twirling it with a laugh. I don’t care how much stinky compost he has to shovel. I’ll wait until he’s done, she thought.
Chapter 41
“Alex, it’s so beautiful I can’t keep my eyes off it,” said Olivia, caressing her new friendship bracelet. “I’m taking it to Nantucket.”
Camp would be over at the end of the week, and the girls were catching up on their vacation plans. It was a tender topic because this would be the first summer since forever that Alex had not been with them.
“Dad is making us leave first thing Saturday morning as usual, so maybe you and I can Skype on Sunday? Oh, I’ll send you a pic of the ferry,” said Olivia.
“Sure thing. But what about THREADS?” asked Alex. “Will someone cover for you?”
Olivia laughed. “Of course. Ethan has worked that all out! But really, Alex, Ethan is actually becoming a human being. The kids in the hospital are so great.”
Alex wasn’t fooled by Olivia’s cheerful tone. She knew Nantucket would be lonely for her friend. “Send me pics of the Juice Bar and Jetties Beach and any new T-shirt shops that have opened,” she said. “And watch out for the seagulls at the ferry! Love you!”
Chapter 42
“Come on, Ollie. You’ve got to get everything packed tonight,” Olivia’s dad was saying. “You know we have to leave at five in the morning in order to catch the noon ferry.”
It was the eve of the Joneses’ annual family vacation in Nantucket. For one amazing whole week, they would live in a beach cottage, swim all day long, and fall asleep to the sound of the surf.
As Olivia took out her big floral tote, she remembered the summer Alex had been losing her first tooth and Olivia’s mom had taken them over to the Cottage Hospital. A sweet, young doctor gave the tooth a good yank, and out it came. Then, he gave Alex a small plastic box shaped like a treasure chest to put it in. The girls couldn’t believe the tooth fairy found them all the way in Nantucket, and for years afterward, that’s where Olivia thought all fairies lived.
There was the time they set up a lemonade stand in the front yard. After about three hours, they’d made four dollars, and then they had so much fun spending it in the tiny Corner Market that always had lots of fresh doughnuts and cookies.
“We’ll have a great time,” Olivia’s mom kept saying over and over. “You know how we love the shops and walking down the cobblestone streets to see all the houses.”
She’s right, thought Olivia, packing up her new bathing suit and flip-flops. There is a ton of stuff to do there. Dad said we could go out on a whale watch. Mom wants to go on the garden tour. That’s cool too. I wonder if I can eat lobster with my braces.
“OK, Sully, we’re finished,” she said, turning out the light and snuggling under her summer quilt, which she had to remember to bring with her tomorrow.
“Go to sleep now. We have to get up super early,” she told him.
The five-hour ride up was easy. Sully slept most of the way north up Route 95. Olivia texted Mu Mu and Zoe, and she promised Mu Mu lots of chocolate-covered cranberries and Zoe some homemade dog biscuits from Cold Noses, her favorite pet shop, down the street from the harbor.
As they neared Hyannis on the mainland, where they’d catch the ferry, Olivia’s phone chimed. It was a new pic from Austen. She actually laughed out loud. He had taken it in front of the compost pile and was holding his fingers in the shape of a heart. That was so romantic!
She started to wonder, What can I get him? It can’t be anything touristy… I know, the most beautiful seashells I can find. That will keep me busy.
The ferry ride over would be long—two and a half hours long—so she was extra glad she had packed her flosses. Maybe she would try making a bracelet with a whale. Ethan had given her the pattern before she’d left. Plus, he’d promised to help Miss Ruth Ann in the store while they were away. Zoe said she would stop in and help too. Hmm…that was nice of her, Olivia thought.
In the crowded lot at the Steamship Authority, lines and lines of SUVs, trucks, and cars waited their turn to board the gaping mouth on the big ferry. A burly seaman pointed to where her dad should park his ancient Land Cruiser and wait for their turn. They were more than an hour early, as usual, but the good news was they could get out of their car and stretch their legs.
Olivia started to reach for her backpack when she noticed the blue-and-white friendship bracelet, the special one from Dawn. It was looking extra frayed. “Mom, the bracelet you gave me is almost falling apart.
Do you have a safety pin?” Olivia asked, worried she would lose it again.
“I think so, sweetie, but let me get out the ferry reservations first,” she said, going through her overcrowded tote bag.
Her dad put out his palm.
“Yes, honey, I’m looking for them,” Olivia’s mom said. “I know they’re in here.”
Olivia sighed. They went through the same thing every year. Her mom’s inability to find the reservations was as much a part of the vacation ritual as their fast-food stops on the long drive up or ice cream cones at the Nantucket Juice Bar once they arrived.
Finally, the paperwork was straightened out, and the three straggled inside the main terminal overlooking the harbor. Sullivan loved the ferry and was happy to see other dogs waiting to get onboard. He was still young and wild, so her dad kept him on a tight leash.
“Don’t let him jump on me,” said Olivia. “I don’t want this bracelet to fall off. It’s on life support as it is.”
“You know, sweetie, a friendship bracelet is supposed to fall off when your wish comes true,” her mom said.
“I know, I know, but it hasn’t yet, so do you have that safety pin?” Olivia answered, looking at her wrist.
She didn’t want to tell her parents that her wish was that Alex could have come with them. That would make them think she wasn’t happy or that she was disappointed in some way with the vacation.
“Oh, Ollie, I think I know what your wish is,” said her mom.
“Really?”
“Uh-huh.”
She pointed to the electric eye doors at the main entrance. They went whoosh and a small group of people walked in. At the rear, Olivia could see a very tall man—a very tall man with his arm around the neck of a dark-haired, young girl.
“OMG! Alex! Alex!” screamed Olivia, “OMG, Mom. It’s Alex!” She streaked across the floor and flung herself into the arms of her BFF.
Olivia’s dad let go of Sullivan’s leash, and Sullivan bounded over to Alex too, wagging his tail wildly and jumping all over them.
“Don’t worry. I’m getting it,” Olivia’s mom told her dad while videoing the reunion with her phone. Alex’s father waved to them. Before Olivia’s mom could stop him, Alex’s father leaned over and picked up something from the floor. He flung it outside, and right away, a seagull swooped down and, in one graceful arc, nabbed it with its long bill and then sailed up toward the sky.
Olivia’s mom kept recording as Dawn’s blue-and-white friendship bracelet soared higher and higher over Nantucket Bay until it was completely out of sight. She knew Olivia would appreciate the poetry in that.
How to Make Your Own Friendship Bracelet
Weave it!
You will need embroidery thread in four colors (this makes it easy if you’re a beginner!). Cut one yard of each color so that you have four strings. Arrange the strings by color in the way that you want them to show on your bracelet.
1. Tie all the strings together with a regular knot, and leave about a 2-inch tail above the knot. You can tape the tail to a table, pin it to your jeans, or find another way to keep it in place.
2. Starting with string A (on the left), wrap it over and then under string B. This will make a knot.
3. Make sure you make it tight. Pull string A up while you hold down string B.
4. Using string A over string B again, make another knot like in step 2. Tighten it up the same way.
5. Now you’re done with string B! Next, take string A and make 2 knots on string C (just like you did on string B). Repeat again on string D. When you’re done, string A will be all the way on the right. Congrats! You just finished your first row!
6. Start the next row by using string B (which is now the first on the left) to make 2 knots each on string C, D, and then A. Always start a new row from the left.
7. Repeat to make more rows until your bracelet is long enough to wear.
Wear it!
When you’re done, make another knot at the end with all the strings to keep it together. Before you cut off any extra string, tie it on your wrist or ankle. The best way to keep it in place is with a square knot (first you tie it right over left, and then the second knot left over right). Now you can cut the strings. Make sure you leave around an inch of string for the tails.
Acknowledgments
To Steve Geck, my editor at Sourcebooks, I am deeply grateful for his inspired idea of spinning a story around friendship bracelets. I would also like to thank Josalyn Moran and my agent Patricia Brigandi plus my extremely patient sister Mo Stewart.
Look out for the next book in
The Friendship Bracelet series!
About the Author
In The Friendship Bracelet, Arlene Stewart weaves together her love of crafts with her fond memories of Katonah, New York, where she raised her daughter Annalee. The author of several crafts books, she also created the long-running “Teen Quiz” series with Annalee and her BFF Jana Peterson.
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The Friendship Bracelet Page 13