by Laura Dower
Conversations flowed right into the hall. The next-period bell was about to ring. Students rushed to grab their books and notebooks. Madison, Aimee, Fiona, and Lindsay migrated back toward the lockers like everyone else.
“I don’t know how I feel about being on video,” Lindsay whined. “Doesn’t the camera put on fifteen pounds? I have to wear black so I’ll look thinner.”
“What are you worrying about that for?” Fiona said. “You look great.”
Lindsay bowed her head. “Thanks, Fiona.”
Ivy and her drones, Rose and Joan, walked by, talking about the film.
“Well, I know exactly what I’m going to wear,” Ivy announced in a loud voice. “I have that little purple tee with matching sweater and those embroidered cargo pants with the buttons on the cuffs and my Vans. I just got three new pairs so I could match them to all my outfits.”
Madison stuck her finger in her mouth and made a barf face, to the delight of her friends.
Hart, Egg, Drew, Chet, and Dan lumbered down the hall toward the girls. The boys bragged about which one of them would be the “star” of the video shoot. Naturally, Egg crowed the loudest. He always did everything the loudest.
Aimee nudged Madison. “So wait. I’m confused, Maddie. Where’s your mom? Didn’t you say she had something to do with all this?”
“Oh,” Madison replied, “she does. But she guaranteed me that she’s totally behind the scenes. She told me she wouldn’t be anywhere near the school. Thank goodness.”
After the class period bell rang, talk of the documentary died down a little bit. Madison and Hart trotted off to Mr. Danehy’s science class together. As they walked along, Madison felt Hart bump into her a few times—on purpose. Any reaffirmation (no matter how small or bumpy) of the fact that Hart liked Madison was encouraging.
Upon entering the science lab, however, Madison’s mood shifted significantly. Poison Ivy held court off to the side of the room with Rose and Joan fawning over her, as usual. Ivy’s pink cell phone was out on the desk beside her makeup case. The only thing missing was Ivy’s science notebook, Madison noticed. Of course, Ivy didn’t have to bring her own notes. She’d just steal Madison’s notes instead.
Hart sat down in his usual chair at the back of the room. The bell rang, and Madison slid into her seat next to Ivy. The drones retreated.
“Last time I checked it was science class,” Madison said under her breath. “Not beauty shop.”
“Wow, you’re so funny,” Ivy said, putting away her makeup kit and phone. “Can I look on at your notes today?”
Madison chuckled to herself. So predictable.
“Why? Didn’t you finish your part of the lab questions?” Madison asked, knowing what the answer would be.
“Actually, no,” Ivy said, producing a blank homework sheet. “I just didn’t have time. Anyway, who cares about homework when we’re all going to be in a documentary? I figured that you’d let me share your answers. You know I’d do the same for you.”
Madison sighed. She took out her own filled-in sheet of questions from the homework and passed it to Ivy.
“You can copy mine today,” Madison said, reluctantly. “But next time, Ivy, I swear, you have to face Mr. Danehy on your own. I won’t help you.”
“Yeah, sure,” Ivy said, quickly writing down Madison’s answers on her own work sheet as if they were her own.
Madison was relieved that class went by quicker than quick. She couldn’t stand sitting near Ivy Daly, or putting up with her attitude, for much longer. As soon as the bell rang, Madison leaped from her seat and made a beeline for the door.
Hart raced to the door, too. They walked out at the same time.
“I can’t stop thinking about this film thing. What are you going to wear?” Hart asked.
Madison laughed.
“What?”
“You’re worried about how you’ll look at the video shoot?” Madison asked. “You sound like Ivy.”
“Hey,” Hart said, as he struck a pose and did a classic Ivy imitation.
Madison stopped short. “You know what, Hart? I think the entire school has lost its mind.”
Hart had been joking, but he seemed a little offended by Madison’s quips. Even so, she didn’t feel like taking anything back. Didn’t Hart and everyone else know that the docudrama being made was based on a bunch of boring, ordinary questions about boring, ordinary things?
“There she is! Maddie!”
Madison turned quickly. She nearly knocked Hart’s book bag right off his shoulder. Then she nearly fainted.
“M—M—Mom?”
Madison gulped. What was Mom doing here?
“Hello, Hart,” Mom said with a wink.
Madison wanted to die. A wink?
“Hello, Mrs. Finn,” Hart replied politely.
Had he seen the wink? Mom was about to ask them a question or say something, but just at that moment a crowd of kids pushed into the hall from one of the other classrooms. It was a case of perfect timing (or at least perfect timing for Madison). Fiona and Aimee led the pack.
“Mrs. Finn!” Aimee cried. She ran over and gave Madison’s mom a hug.
“Aimee! Fiona! How are you both?” Mom asked.
“We’re great, Mrs. Finn….” Fiona started to say. But Madison interrupted.
“Mom, what are you doing here?” Madison asked.
Mom reached out and squeezed Madison’s shoulder. “Well, there’s been a change of plan, honey bear,” she said with a nonchalant shrug. “It couldn’t be helped.”
Honey bear? Madison cringed when Mom called her that in front of her friends. She felt four years old.
“It turns out that the director wants the producer on site for the shoot, so I guess that means I’ll be around after all….” Mom said.
“That is so cool, Mrs. Finn. You’ll be in school with us?” Fiona cried.
“Wow, Maddie!” Aimee said.
“Wow? Yeah. Wow,” Madison said in a low voice. “But wait a sec, Mom, you won’t be here for the whole shoot, right?”
“Yes, actually, I will,” Mom replied quickly.
“Mom, you’re kidding.”
“No, honey bear, I’m not kidding,” Mom said, shaking her head. “That’s the way the ball bounces, I guess. But it will be fun, fun, fun!”
The way the ball bounces? Fun, fun, fun?
Gack.
Sometimes Mom said things that sounded so outer-limits embarrassing. It was bad enough that she said those things, but why did she always have to say them in front of Madison’s friends? Why did she have to be there, at school, right now? Why? Why? WHY?
It took every ounce of Madison’s energy to keep from screaming.
Chapter 3
WHENEVER IT CAME TO work projects, Madison always tried to be Mom’s biggest fan and biggest supporter. But this week, Madison wasn’t ready to be a cheerleader for Mom’s work. Not at FHJH. Not in front of her friends or her crush, and especially not in front of the enemy.
After school on Tuesday, as Madison turned the corner on to Blueberry Street, she came to an important realization.
It was time for a Mom boycott.
Madison knew that Mom couldn’t help her hectic work and filming schedule, or the decisions made by Julian Lodge. But why hadn’t Mom warned Madison about the fact that this documentary might be filmed at Madison’s school? She had to have known.
Phin jumped up to say hello as Madison walked through the front door. She scooped him up and whispered to him about the boycott, as if he might even understand. Sometimes it was true that Phinnie could read Madison’s mind. Could he read it right now?
Naturally, Mom wasn’t home. Madison had left her at the school, setting up with Julian Lodge for the next day. On the counter in the kitchen Madison spotted a note written on the back of a scrap of paper.
M,
Call Daddy. He wants to see you Thurs. for dinner.
Love,
Mom
xoxo
M
adison crumpled up the paper and tossed it across the room, missing the wastebasket. She grabbed the kitchen phone and speed-dialed Dad.
“Hello, there!”
It was Dad’s way-too-perky answering machine that picked up.
“Hey, Dad,” Madison mumbled after the beep. “Mom said you called … about dinner … Um … Thursday night is okay, I guess. Can we try that new Mexican place near you? … Um … Call me back. Bye.”
She hung up the phone and poked her head into the fridge for a snack before calling Phinnie to take him for a quick walk.
When she got back from walking Phinnie, Madison went right upstairs to her room. It took only a few moments to boot up her orange laptop and get on to the TweenBlurt.com website. Madison had a few e-mails waiting for her.
FROM
SUBJECT
Jeff Finn
Burgers and Fries
Boop-Dee-Doop
Ski Sale
GoGramma
Knitting
Sk8ingboy
Shoot
The first was from Dad, about the Thursday dinner. Madison hit REPLY and told him the same things she’d said on the phone message. She couldn’t wait to talk to and see him in person. Sometimes Dad was good at helping Madison understand her bad feelings about Mom.
The message after Dad’s was a coupon from Madison’s favorite online store, Boop-Dee-Doop. It was their annual winter sale, but Madison knew she didn’t need any more mittens or scarves. At least she didn’t think she needed any more woolly stuff. Her feelings about that changed significantly when she read the next e-mail from Gramma Helen.
From: GoGramma
To: MadFinn
Subject: Knitting
Date: Tues 25 Jan 2:42 PM
Maddie,
How are my favorite granddaughter and my favorite pug? I got your nice thank-you note for the sugar cookies. That’s my favorite recipe, too. I love hearing from you on e-mail, but my goodness I love it even more when you send me an actual paper letter. I especially liked the little cat stickers and the drawing in the corner of your envelope. You are so good at making pictures and collages—even on letters.
This week I am finishing up a little something else for you that I’ve been knitting for a month. It’s an afghan for your bedroom and I hope I got the colors right. You haven’t changed the wallpaper, have you?
Chicago is so cold. It takes at least three pairs of socks to keep my toes warm these days. We’ve been getting loads of snow, but I guess that’s just how the ball bounces. It’s always like that in the winters here.
I will call over the weekend. I love you all.
Gramma Helen
Madison reread the part where Gramma Helen said, “the ball bounces,” just like Mom would have said. They could be so different, Mom and Gramma, and yet they were also so much alike.
There was one final e-mail in Madison’s e-mailbox. Of course she recognized the screen name and clicked on it to open it.
From: Sk8ingboy
To: MadFinn
Subject: Shoot
Date: Tues 25 Jan 4:01 PM
Egg told me that yr mom is gonna be in school ALL WEEK? Hey I know ur being nice 2 yr Mom and all that but I would DIE if my parents were in my school so long no matter how nice they r. Whoa. I looked @ the sked and saw that we DEF don’t have n e filming @ the same time. I was sorta bummed out. Maybe u should get yr mom 2 change that LOL. Did u still wanna go 2 the movies w/me and Drew and Elaine and maybe Egg and Fiona 2? Lemme know. This wkend hockey might go late, but we could still do it.
C ya
Hart
p.s.: I HATE Mr. Danehy. The sci homewk this week STINKS. I can’t get lower than a B or Dad will ground me.
Madison smiled when she’d finished Hart’s e-mail. Lately, they’d been exchanging notes online and had even passed a few in their lockers at school. These were all signs that their “connection” was realer than real. If only Madison hadn’t had to deal with Mom’s movie, everything in life would have been that much closer to perfect.
She hit SAVE.
Madison decided that any communication from Hart deserved its own special folder, to be filed away in for all eternity.
No sooner had she hit the SAVE key than a message popped up on her computer with a loud ding.
Her keypal! Madison headed in to one of the regular TweenBlurt chat rooms where she and Bigwheels liked to talk. Sending e-mail back and forth was one thing, but getting to chat back and forth at the same time was completely different—and way better—especially after the crummy day Madison had had.
“Madison! Are you here?” Mom called.
Downstairs, Madison heard the door keys jangle. Phin ran into the hall.
“Maddie? I got some chow mein and steamed vegetables. Come on down here and let’s eat.”
Madison groaned. She didn’t respond, because of course talking was definitely not allowed in the proposed Mom boycott.
Instead, Madison turned back to the computer. Bigwheels was still there.
Madison clicked off her computer. The excitement about Hart’s e-mail seemed insignificant compared to Bigwheels’s news.
She had another keypal?
Phin zoomed into Madison’s room. He scurried under her desk and grabbed a chew toy that he’d hidden there. Then he trotted out again, playfully shaking the toy in his mouth.
Mom appeared at the doorway to Madison’s bedroom.
“Did you hear me, Maddie?” Mom asked. “I have dinner downstairs. I’m sorry I was a little later than I expected. We finished setting up at the school. Looks like we can get some
interviews and preliminary work done tomorrow without any problems. Isn’t that fantastic?”
Madison shrugged. She got up from her desk and silently closed her laptop.
“What’s wrong with you?” Mom asked, looking genuinely concerned. “Are you feeling okay?”
Madison bent over and picked up Phin and his toy. He was still chewing away on the end of the plastic newspaper toy. It let out a little squeak.
“Good doggy,” Madison said to Phin.
But she still didn’t say anything to Mom.
“Madison. Are you feeling all right?” Mom asked. She had a baffled look on her face.
Madison shrugged again.
“Is this about what happened today at school?” Mom asked.
Madison slinked past Mom into the hallway—still without speaking. By then, Mom had stopped talking, too. They headed into the kitchen, wordless, for the Chinese food.
For the next half hour, the only sounds in the Finn kitchen were the clang of forks (and chopsticks); the gnashing of Phin’s doggy teeth; and the low, slow tick of the oversize clock on the kitchen wall.
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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.
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