All That Glitters (From the Files of Madison Finn, 20) (2 page)

“You bet,” Drew said. “Mom’s making cheddar-cheese popcorn and milk shakes for us.”

“Sounds good,” Madison said. She knew Fiona would be into that menu. Fiona ate anything. Aimee, on the other hand, ate like a rabbit. She wouldn’t pig out on anything but tofu, salad, or granola. The Gillespies were health nuts.

Madison followed Drew inside and down a set of stairs to the screening room.

“Everyone’s waiting,” he said as he opened the door. The music sounded even louder from there.

Madison adjusted the waistband of her jeans. Even though she liked the low-rider style, sometimes the pants slipped a little too far down. She wriggled around in an attempt to get comfortable. It would be
so
nice to grab Fiona’s hand and let go of all of her nervousness.

“Howdy, you!” a voice chirped as soon as the door flew open. It was Elaine, a friend (actually, a girlfriend) of Drew’s from down the street. She didn’t attend FHJH, but sometimes she came to Drew’s parties or met Madison and her friends at the town pool or at Freeze Palace, one of their favorite hangouts.

Madison said hello to Elaine and then glanced around the room, looking for other guests.

But there were none.

“Drew…wait…” Madison stammered. “I thought…I thought you said this was a party…”

“It is a party!” a new voice said.

Madison turned to see Hart standing there. Her stomach flip-flopped. Was this some kind of setup? What
was
this?

“Good thing we ran into you in the park,” Hart said.

“Good thing,” Madison replied, still unsure about what was going on. Where was the “everyone” that Drew had mentioned? Had they all conveniently canceled at the last minute? Had anyone else ever even been invited?

“You have to come inside and see something,” Hart said. He reached out and touched Madison’s shoulder when he spoke. She thought her legs would turn to jelly.

“Look!” Hart cried. “Just look at Drew’s Room of Things. It’s amazing!”

“He’s a collector,” Elaine said. She was now standing next to them. “Drew’s mother just bought him an entire set of figurines for
Star Wars
and
The Hobbit
.”

“Really?” Madison said, still unsteady and now very unsure about what was going on. She wanted to run. Or call Mom. Or scream?

All of a sudden the tinkling sound of classical music filled the air
.

“What is
that
?” Hart asked Drew.

“New doorbell,” Drew replied.

“What happened to the old doorbell?” Madison asked.

“Mom wanted one that played Mozart. You know how she is,” Drew explained.

“Drew! Darling!” Drew’s mother’s voice called out from upstairs. “Your company has arrived!”

Madison felt a great sense of relief. Everyone really was there now. She wasn’t trapped in the middle of some secret double date.

Whew.

She heard Egg’s voice; he was making an obnoxious crack. Walter “Egg” Diaz often went out of his way to be obnoxious. Madison hoped that Egg’s arrival meant that Fiona had arrived, too. Sure enough, a few moments later, Fiona bounded down the stairs and into the screening room.

The two BFFs embraced.

Moments later, Dan Ginsburg, another friend from both school and the animal clinic, arrived. He’d made a new playlist with a few top-ten tunes, and Drew synched Dan’s iPod up to his megamansion’s digital sound system immediately.

Everyone started goofing around, moving their hips and clapping to the music. Hart stood across from Madison, a wide smile on his face.

Madison felt as if they were at a fifth-grade school dance. She leaned back against the wall.

Where was Fiona?

She could feel the drumbeat of Drew’s speakers.

Boom, boom, boom.

Inside her chest, Madison’s heart was making the exact same noise.

From: MadFinn


To: Bigwheels


Subject: Trouble with Hart?


Date: Sat 5 Dec 9:12
PM


OK. I just spent Sat. afternoon w/Hart--the supposed crush of my life (yeah, well, in my dreams)--and here’s the deal: he was paying attention to me the ENTIRE time--and everyone witnessed it--and he even held my hand at one point--and I still have NO idea what’s really going on between us. Did today really happen?


I should get it--well, him--by now. I mean I went over to my friend Drew’s place expecting a zillion people and then the only person there other than Drew and his gf Elaine was Hart. Duh. And then Drew was falling all over Elaine with this incredibly doofy laugh and grabbing for her hands, while Hart and I just stood there LA LA LA. And when all the other people finally arrived, the only place to sit was practically on Hart’s lap. They fixed it that way, I could tell. And then we all ate pizza and Hart asked me if he could try a bite of mine, which was kind of gross but kind of romantic in a sharing way. And then Drew’s mom put in one of his new DVDs and turned the lights down in their screening room (my mom would never have approved of that) but there I was again sitting with the one and only Hart practically knee to knee--I swear--my knee touching his knee. Touching!


But in spite of all this, he didn’t ask me out. He didn’t say anything specific about dating or whatever. Grrrrr. Why, after all this time, are Hart and I still not a WE?


Am I cursed around guys or what?


You know my lame-o history. I had that first real kiss (OMG it was soooo fun) with that kid Mark from my gramma’s place in Chicago. But a first kiss is supposed to be one of those over-the-moon, can’t-sleep, last-forever kind of things, but mine only lasted like a week for me. A week? Huh? Then I double-crushed on that Josh guy who lives next door (until I found out he was already dating another ninth grader--hello!) And then I went skiing with Aim and decided to blow off liking Hart AGAIN. But no matter what I think or do or say, I still come back to this place, this crush. Why is it so hard to stop liking someone once you start? Liking Hart is like diving into a mudslide or maybe quicksand. Glug, glug, GLUG.


Maybe all of this waiting means something. Like Hart is THE ONE, as in, the guy I’m destined to be with. Got any advice 4 me?


Oh, and BTW how r u?


Yours till the boy friends,*
Maddie


*note that this is not yours till the break ups or yours till the kiss offs or yours till the c u laters--I still DO I DO I DO have hope LOL


Madison hit
SEND
and waited for her screen to flash. After a split second it beeped, which meant that the message had gone through. Then Madison hit a few more keys on her laptop and exited her e-mailbox. She wanted to visit her favorite website, TweenBlurt.com. The headline on this webpage flashed in neon letters:
ASK THE BLOWFISH
.

Madison clicked on a teeny, yellow-striped fish swimming on-screen. A cursor popped up, and Madison stared at the row of blank spaces where she was meant to write an important question. Slowly, she typed her question into the space and waited for the Blowfish to reply.

What is going on with me and Hart?


Madison sighed. She tapped her fingers on the desk and impatiently watched the tiny clock on the computer screen. Time was passing slower than slowly. Where was her answer? A restless Phin, who had been curled up by her feet, scrambled across the carpet and hopped onto Madison’s window seat. He stared across the room at her as she waited until the answer finally appeared.

You are swimming in a flood.


“No way! A flood?” Madison cried. “What is that supposed to mean, Phinnie? This website is so messed up sometimes…”

She leaned back away from her laptop and let out a big sigh. Phin jumped from the window seat and then scurried over to the doorjamb and then made a beeline for the top of Madison’s bed. He was restless.

Madison reworded her question and retyped it into the blank space.

Will Hart and I ever go on a real date?


The Blowfish hummed, or at least Madison’s computer did. It hummed and sizzled and chugged. She waited another minute for another answer. At last it popped up.

The tide has turned.


“Huh?”

That answer wasn’t good enough for Madison, either, so she tried one last question. Now she was as direct as possible.

Tell me if Hart wants to be my boyfriend—RIGHT NOW.


The Blowfish took its time again. But its answer finally appeared on the screen in glowing yellow letters.

Most decidedly yes when the water is rising.


Madison buried her head in her hands. Yes? Rising water? She was good at English but she was no code breaker. Then again, how could she actually believe that a computer could tell her whether or not the crush of her life would come through in the clutch?

Obviously it couldn’t. Duh.

Just then, Phin woofed and flopped onto his back atop Madison’s bed. He rubbed and rolled and then took one of the throw pillows that had been on top of Madison’s comforter in his teeth and shook it.

“Rarrrrrrrrgrrrrr!”

“Phinnie! No-o-o-o-o!” Madison cried.

It was too late. The bed was completely unmade. Everything that had been on top now lay in a messy pile on the floor: a notebook, her latest copy of
Star Beat
magazine, her math textbook, and a small pile of new mail. Madison bent over to pick the things up.

That was when she saw something shimmer. On the front of a bright, glittery, oversized pink envelope, written in dark purple cursive letters was Madison’s name and address. In the upper left corner was a doodle of a heart with the letters
NYC
inside it.

Madison grabbed the pink envelope and tore it open.

You’re Invited

to a Last-Minute Party

Lindsay Frost’s 13th Birthday Weekend

What? Two overnights in the city with Lindsay and a few friends

(We will be shopping, sight-seeing, and other stuff!)

When? Friday & Saturday, December 11 & 12

Where? New York City

Lindsay’s aunt Mimi Frost’s pad

The Manhattan Towers, East 82nd Street, PH B

RSVP to Lindsay ASAP

A party! Madison’s pulse revved up. She couldn’t believe how perfect this invitation was. It was the perfect thing to take her mind off
(way
off) Hart Jones.

Clutching the invitation in one hand, Madison raced out of her bedroom and downstairs to find Mom, who was curled up in a ball in front of the television set. Phin trotted right behind, panting and wondering about all the fuss.

“Mo-o-o-o-om!” Madison called out, breathless. “Did you see this in my mail?”

Mom glanced up at the pink-glitter invitation and smiled. “Yes, I wondered about that. I didn’t see a return address. Who sent it?”

“Lindsay is having a party. A birthday party in New York City. Can you believe it?”

“Wow, that’s nice. Is it a lunch or something during the day?” Mom asked.

Madison shook her head. “Actually, it’s a sleep-over.”

“Oh?” Mom frowned a little bit.

“Mom, you have to let me go. First of all, Lindsay is one of my best, best friends. Second of all, it sounds like so much fun.”

“Hmmm. I don’t know. A sleepover in the city? Where are you girls planning to stay? Let me see the invitation.”

Madison handed the card over and waited for Mom to read it.

“Maybe I should call Mrs. Frost and ask her about this,” Mom said.

“Oh, Mom, the party is at Lindsay’s aunt’s apartment, so there’ll be a chaperone at all times,” Madison cried. “And Lindsay’s aunt is this very cool lady who has all these cool clothes, and she knows all the cool places to go and…”

“Gee. Sounds cool,” Mom said drily.

“Very funny, Mom,” Madison said, getting the joke.

“Well…”

Mom took her time responding. She eyed the invitation again.

“Okay, honey bear,” Mom finally said. “You’ve convinced me. You can go. I’ll call Lindsay’s mom later just to double-check everything.”

Madison lunged forward and threw her arms around Mom’s neck.

“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!” Madison gushed. “You are the best. I won’t get into trouble, I swear, and we won’t do too much shopping and…”

“Maddie, slow down,” Mom chuckled. “I know you’ll be good. I trust you. But you had better start packing. I know how long that takes.”

Madison felt giddy. Mom was letting her go! She wondered who else would be attending the party. Had Lindsay invited everyone in their class? No, that wasn’t possible. Maybe just the BFFs—Madison, Aimee, and Fiona? That seemed more likely. Madison needed to speak to Lindsay right away and get all of the particulars.

As Mom went into the kitchen to get a snack for Phin, Madison grabbed the portable phone sitting atop a table in the living room.

“Hello-o-o-o!” an unfamiliar voice trilled. “Frost residence.”

“Um…hello,” Madison said, pausing. “Who’s this?”

“Who is
this
?” the voice replied. “Is this a friend of Lindsay’s?”

“Um…yes,” Madison said meekly.

“Well, howdy-doodle! I’m Lindsay’s aunt Mimi,” she said. “Sorry to say that lovely Lindsay’s not in right now. But I can take a message.”

Madison couldn’t help smiling at every word Mimi said. Each sentence came out like a little song.

“Are you the Aunt Mimi who lives in the city?” Madison asked.

“
C’est moi!
The one and only,” Mimi said.

“I’ve heard a lot about you. Lindsay always tells us funny stories…”

“Lo-o-o-ove it!” Mimi shrieked. Madison had to hold the phone away from her ear.

Lindsay had spoken a lot about her crazy aunt in Manhattan, who had a vault full of money that she had earned playing the stock market and investing in a bunch of start-ups, among other things. According to Lindsay, Aunt Mimi was like a character from a movie, complete with false eyelashes and fur hats. She had made her first millions developing her own “magic” brands of quick-drying mascara, shimmer powder, and other beauty items that sold like hotcakes in boutiques around the world. She called her line of products Serious Beauty, even though she wasn’t serious-sounding in the least.