Alexis and the Missing Ingredient (10 page)

“Oh, right! I remember something about that. Hi!” said Caroleena.

“Something about that”? Poor Mia. I didn't dare look at her.

“Hi,” we all said.

But Caroleena had already turned her back on us and was talking in great animation to Ava, as if we weren't even there.

“Well, you'll never believe this, but guess who I just saw downstairs?”

“No. Way,” said Ava.

“Yes. Totally. And guess what she was wearing?”

“You're kidding!” said Ava.

“No, I am not. Guess where she was going?”

“No!”

I looked at Mia and Katie, to see if they were as confused as I was, and from the looks on their faces, I knew they were. But Mia looked more than confused. She looked annoyed.

“Ahem.” She cleared her throat but not loudly enough. Ava didn't hear her.

“Ava,” she said.

“Hang on one sec, this is major!” said Ava, holding up a finger but not even glancing at us.

Mia looked like she'd been slapped. She stood stunned for a second and then shook her head as if to clear it. “If you need us, we'll be in the denim section,” she snarled, and, turning to us, she said, “Come on!”

Mia walked away from Ava in long strides. I scurried to keep up. Mia glared at me.

“Okay. Right.” Katie and I followed Mia while she prowled aimlessly through Petites (we aren't) and Misses Sophisticates (we're not that either) and then finally into a cool department of jeans and T-shirts (aaaahhh). Pawing through the familiar items here seemed to calm her down finally, and then she wheeled around and said, “Is it just me or was that incredibly rude?”

“Um . . .” I wanted to be sympathetic, but I also didn't want to fan the flames. (Ten more minutes of
Celebrity Ballroom
, please!)

“Well?” Mia turned to Katie.

“Yeah, I guess so. Pretty much,” admitted Katie. Now that she was the clear winner in the best-friend sweepstakes, she didn't exactly seem eager to collect her prize.

“Wow. I mean, I have never even
heard
of that girl. And she has clearly never even heard of me, which is just . . . shocking, really. And Ava had the nerve to just go on and on and that girl with her weird nicknames and whatever.
Aaargh!
It's just so annoying!”

“Well, maybe she's just—” I began lamely.

Mia wheeled on me. “I've had enough of your peacemaking! It can't be sunshine all the time! I'm sorry if you don't understand because you
and Emma get along perfectly and never fight, but what's going on around here . . . well, it's just NOT. OKAY.”

“Hey!” I said indignantly. “That's not fair! I never said Emma and I get along perfectly. And what do she and I have to do with this, anyway?”

“What do you have to do with it? Isn't it obvious? You're the lucky one in all this! You have your best friend. She's still in your class at school. She lives around the corner from you. You've been together for a million years, and you know each other inside and out. Your parents are best friends, and you'll probably marry her brother, and then the two of you will be related for real, and it's all so perfect, can't you see?

“But look at Katie! Dumped by her best friend, Callie, she takes me on even though I'm the new loser, and I've still got Ava, who's fighting her to be my official best friend all the time. And how about me? I don't know where to turn! I'm trying to make everyone happy all the time and show everyone a good time, and I am just so sick and tired of it!” And with that she burst into tears.

Katie and I stood there with our jaws hanging open. I'd never seen Mia lose her cool before, and I'd rarely, if ever, seen her cry. Katie and I looked at
each other briefly, and then we went to Mia's side to hug her and pat her back.

“I'm sorry,” Mia said through her tears. “It's just too much for me all the time. It's exhausting.”

Suddenly, Ava appeared behind Mia. “Hey! I found you!” she said.

Katie and I looked at her, trying to send her a message to back off, but she didn't get it.

You could see the surprise on Ava's face when she realized Mia was upset.

“Who was that crazy girl?” demanded Mia.

“Um . . . what? We're . . . She's just a friend of mine. From school. She's new this year. . . .” stammered Ava, shocked by Mia's outburst.

“What, and suddenly you're best friends even though you've only just met?” accused Mia.

Ouch. I didn't dare glance at Katie to see how this comment went over. It had to have hurt a lot.

“So what if she is? Can't I make some new friends too, or do I just have to hang around and wait for you to come back? Anyway, you're importing friends now, so what do you really need me for, anyway?” asked Ava, and tears began to fill her eyes.

Oh boy. It was definitely time to be the peacemaker. “Okay, people,” I said firmly. “Let's sum this all up, and then we can see what is going on. Mia,
you're hurt because Ava has a great new friend—”

“That I've never even heard of!” Mia interrupted impatiently.

“Right. That you've never heard of. And, Ava, you're upset because Mia has new friends—”

“That I hear about all the time!” complained Ava.

“Right. And Katie's feelings are hurt, because she doesn't know where she stands with Mia. In Maple Grove she's Mia's best friend, but here . . . Ava is.” I couldn't believe I'd said that out loud, but at least now it was out there. “And I talk about Emma too much. And”—I decided to go for it—“I don't really know where I stand with you two, Mia and Katie, because you're kind of a pair, and Emma and I are a pair. And also Mia and Ava are a pair. And this whole thing is just really awkward!”

We all stood there in silence for a minute, thinking. Then Mia said quietly, “It's just really hard.”

“You know, I think we all just have too many friends,” I said.

We laughed weakly.

I tried again. “Look, it's Taylor Swift!” And everyone laughed again, this time a little more. Better, but still not great.

I gave it one last try. “Um, not to make this all
about me, but do you really think I'm going to marry Matt Taylor?”

And then everyone was laughing hysterically, and things were definitely on their way to being better.

I
Dylan's Candy Bar!

N
ot to sound like Dr. Phil on TV, but of course the healing happened over cupcakes. For real! After the blowup, I quickly purchased a three-pack of adorable sorbet-colored tank tops that said
I
BLOOMIE
'
S
on them for Dylan, and then we went down to the new Magnolia Bakery on the Third Avenue side of Bloomingdale's. (I mean, I wouldn't have known it was new, but Ava informed me it was, and I was happy to learn that tidbit from a native New Yorker. It was information I could casually throw around at home to make me sound knowledgeable.)

We each picked out a cupcake, our second of the day, and sat at a little counter by the window.

“This is delicious. Is anyone taking notes for the
PTA meeting menu?” I asked innocently.

“Oh, Alexis!” Katie groaned.

“Kidding!” I said. “Sort of!”

“Always thinking about business.” Mia laughed.

“Someone has to!” I said. “By the way, I'm thinking cupcake wholesaling is the way to go. Much less overhead.”

Ava nodded. “Yes, and less liability, less holding of inventory . . .”

“Oh no, here they go again,” said Katie.

“Listen, I'd like to propose a toast,” said Mia, holding her cupcake up in the air. “To three of my four best friends, we're sorry Emma isn't here, but thank you all for putting up with my craziness. Thank you for being great friends for different reasons. Thank you for understanding me.”

We all clinked cupcakes. “Here, here,” I said. “And to Mia, the hostess with the mostest!”

“Yeah, seriously, this has been great,” agreed Katie. “Thank you so much.”

“I can't believe how much we've done!” I said. “It doesn't seem like we've only been here for”—I looked at my watch—“twenty-six hours!”

“Is that all?” Katie laughed. “It's been so smooth, it feels like way less!”

Mia playfully swatted her with a napkin. “Not
funny,” she said, but then she smiled.

Ava thoughtfully licked off a blob of frosting from her wrapper. “You know, Maple Grove is really nice and pretty,” she said. “If I had to live in the suburbs, it would definitely be there.”

“Thanks a lot,” I said.

“No, for real. The people are nice, obviously, and it's not totally city obsessed, like a lot of suburbs are. It has its own stuff going on, too. And I hear it has great cupcakes.” She grinned.

“Guys, I'm sorry for all the drama,” Mia began.

But we waved her off. “We get it,” said Katie. “It's fine.”

“But I didn't mean to be so mean,” said Mia.

“It's okay,” I said.

Mia laughed. “No, that was the part where you were supposed to say, ‘You weren't that mean.' ”

“Oh. Okay,” I said, still not saying it. I grinned evilly.

Now it was me who Mia swatted with her napkin.

“We still love you, Mimi,” Ava said sweetly.

“Hey, why does Caroleena have such a long nickname and mine is so short?” said Mia, nudging Ava with her elbow.

“Oh, that? I'm just making up for lost time.
It doesn't mean anything. Anyway, yours is short because I need to say it all the time. Hers, not as much.”

“Thanks . . . I think,” said Mia.

“You're welcome.”

“Aha! I knew I'd find you here!” We all jumped at the interruption, but it was Mr. Cruz coming to collect us.

“Are we ready to pack it in?” he asked hopefully.

But Mia had a glint in her eye. She looked out the big plate-glass window across Third Avenue.

“Just one more stop,” she promised.