Don't Drink the Punch! (4 page)

Back at Alice's later that night, the girls finished watching a movie in Alice's spacious bedroom. Then they arranged their sleeping bags in a circle, so they could have their heads together and be able to talk late into the night.

“I'm so bummed about Nick,” Alice said with a sigh.

“Yeah, me too,” said Pria. “I mean, I'm bummed too, but about Scott,” she added quickly. “He doesn't seem all that into
me
, either.”

“Anthony barely even says hi to me in the halls,” said Jess. She sighed glumly and reached for a handful of chips.

“Do
you
like anyone?” Alice asked Kayla.

“Me? No. No one,” said Kayla quickly.

Alice's eyes narrowed. “You so like someone,” she said. “Will you tell us if we guess? I bet I know. It's Scott's cousin Tom, isn't it? Say it isn't, Kay. He is
such
a nerd!”

Kayla blushed. “I so do not like Tom,” she said unconvincingly.

“You so do,” replied Alice. “We need to find someone better for you to like. I can't have one of my friends liking a dork like Tom.”

“No, really, I—” Kayla needed to think of a way to change the subject, fast. “Hey, you guys remember that cat that almost got run over?”

“Oh yeah!” said Jess. “Was it dead? Did you find out who owned it?”

Kayla described the events of the afternoon, and how she'd discovered that Jinx belonged to the owner of the mystical shop. Then she told them about the strange girl, Matilda.

“I totally know that girl,” said Alice, scrambling to a sitting position. “She moved here a year before you did, Kay. We were in the same fifth grade together. She is super weird.”

“She's emo,” added Jess.

Alice glared at her, displeased at being interrupted. Then she continued, “Back in fifth grade, she was huge, like, the enormous kid in the class. I don't think she's grown an inch since then, but you should have seen how
much taller she was than everyone else in our grade! We used to call her all kinds of names. And those glasses? I mean, what is her mother thinking, letting her walk outside with those things?”

Kayla felt relieved that the conversation had shifted away from her and her possible crush on Tom. “Well, but here's the funny thing,” she said. “Matilda
works
at that shop, and she said I should bring you guys in, and that she has all kinds of cool stuff there that you might want to check out.”

“As if,” sniffed Alice.

“Yeah, as if,” agreed Jess.

Kayla laughed. “Yeah, I didn't think you'd want to go. I did notice that they sell love potions there, though.”

Alice turned toward Kayla and regarded her thoughtfully.
“Really,”
she said. “Love potions, huh? As in, if we gave some to Nick and Scott and Anthony and Tom, they'd fall head over heels for us?”

Kayla nodded, ignoring her friend's mention of Tom, and smiled uncertainly. Alice didn't really believe the love potion would work, did she?

“We could totally spike the punch at your party!” said Jess eagerly.

“And get our crushes to drink it and then have them fall totally, madly in love with us!” added Pria breathlessly.

“Um, sure, I guess that's the idea,” said Kayla, because she felt like they were waiting for her to say something.

The three girls waited while Alice considered the issue. “We'll go there tomorrow,” she said.

CHAPTER 6

The next day, Sunday, the weak February sun shone down on the girls as they made their way toward the mystical shop. The wind had died down completely, making it feel considerably warmer than the day before.

“What if it isn't open?” asked Jess.

Alice snorted. “Eleven o'clock on a weekend morning? What business wouldn't be open?”

But when they got to the shop, a
CLOSED
sign was hanging on the inside of the door. The girls stood there, looking at it.

“Let's go,” said Pria, shivering. “This place kind of gives me the creeps anyway.”

Suddenly the door was flung open, causing all four girls to jump back.

Matilda poked her head out. Her bangs half obscured her face, and much of what wasn't hidden by bangs was covered with her huge glasses. The sun glinted off them, making it impossible to see her eyes. “Oh, it's you,” she said, waving them inside. “Come on in. I'm just opening up.”

The girls exchanged glances with one another. Then Alice shrugged and led the way into the shop.

“I'm Alice Grafton, and this is Pria Patel and—”

“I know who you are,” interrupted Matilda. “We've been classmates since fifth grade.”

“Oh, right, I forgot all about that,” said Alice, in a mock-sweet voice.

There was an awkward silence. Kayla hated awkward silences. She tried to think of something, anything, to say. Then she spotted Jinx sitting on the counter near the back register, grooming his hind leg. The front leg that had been hurt was now bandaged.

“Hey, how's Jinx doing?” she asked Matilda.

Matilda crossed her arms. “He's shipshape. The vet fixed up his leg. And I put a healing crystal on his collar, and he's right as rain now.”

Pria snickered, but changed to a throat-clear when Matilda jerked her head to look at her sharply.

Kayla had to agree that Matilda did say some pretty strange things.
What seventh grader uses expressions like “shipshape” and “right as rain”?
she thought.

“I'm glad he's better,” she said, walking back toward the cat and reaching out a hand to stroke him. The cat started to purr.

“So Kayla says you guys sell love potions here,” said Alice, getting straight to the point. “Is that true?”

Matilda lifted her chin a little and peered at Alice through her thick glasses, her bangs parting. “That's right,” she said. “We've got all kinds of great things here—love potions, complexion creams, beauty elixirs . . .”

“Well if
you
work here,” said Alice, “why haven't you used them? I mean, well, especially the beauty products . . .” She trailed off with a little snort and winked at Jess and Pria, who both laughed out loud. Kayla cringed. Did Alice really have to be so mean?

Matilda's face darkened, just for a moment, but then she smiled rather sweetly at Alice. “If you don't believe me, try this free sample,” she said, hurrying around the back counter and stooping down below the register to rummage around in a drawer.

Kayla couldn't help noticing that Matilda moved
oddly. She swayed back and forth as though both her feet hurt to walk on them. She came back bearing a small silver plate with a pile of flat green disks on it. They were so bright, Kayla wondered if they would glow in the dark.

“What are those?” Jess asked suspiciously. She looked at them and wrinkled her nose.

“Wonder mints,” said Matilda. “Guaranteed to make your hair shiny and your complexion totally blemish free.” She smiled quickly, and Kayla caught a glimpse of a silver side tooth.

“Like I need
that
!” said Alice, flipping away a strand of her shiny hair.

Matilda leaned toward Alice, scrutinizing the side of her face closely. “Poppycock! You do indeed,” she said. “I think I see a blemish coming out on your cheek there. Not to worry, though. One of these mints will clear it right up before it even appears.”

Alice scowled at Matilda and reached for a mint. Jess and Pria followed. Kayla considered not taking one, and then put a hand up to feel her own hair, decidedly not shiny and sorely in need of smoothing. And her complexion? She could practically feel her chin
breaking out. She reached out to take a mint.

But Matilda snatched the dish away before Kayla could take one. “Not for you,” she said curtly. “
Your
hair is beyond the help of any wonder mint.”

The other three girls laughed. Kayla tried not to let the comment bother her, but Matilda's words stung. She already felt like the least attractive girl in this group and was constantly wondering why they tolerated her presence in their elite circle. Her thick hair was hopelessly wavy, resembling the ripples on the surface of a pond. Kayla looked at Pria's glossy raven-black hair and dark eyes rimmed with thick lashes, then at Jess's princesslike features and straight, shining hair, and finally at Alice, who really did look like a model.

Kayla managed to smile as though she didn't care a bit, even though she really did. She wanted one of those mints.

The other three girls sucked on the mints. “These are actually pretty tasty,” said Alice. “And I don't even
like
mint.”

“How long before it takes effect?” asked Jess.

“Oh, you'll know when it does,” said Matilda with a half smile.

“Okay, so how about that love potion?” said Alice. “Valentine's Day is coming up.”

Matilda crossed her arms. “An empty wagon makes a lot of noise,” she muttered.

“What did you just say?” asked Alice sharply.

“Never mind,” said Matilda. “Why do you want a love potion? Anyone in particular you have your eye on?”

Alice's eyebrows shot up, but she didn't seem otherwise perturbed. “Maybe. Why do you care? Believe me, he's out of your league.” Matilda just glowered at her in response. Alice let out an exasperated sigh. “So are you going to sell us the potion or not?” Her pretty face furrowed into a frown. She did not like to be kept waiting.

“Hang on. I'll see what we have,” said Matilda, heading once more toward the back of the shop. This time she passed through the heavy velvet curtain. Alice, Pria, and Jess all looked at one another and burst into laughter. Kayla was sure Matilda could hear it.

“She is so
weird
,” whispered Pria. “Did she really say ‘poppycock' earlier?”

Jess and Alice giggled harder. Kayla managed a wan smile. She was getting a creepy-crawly feeling down her spine. All she wanted to do was get out of this shop. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something glinting green, moving down the red wall behind Jess. She
jumped, startled. It couldn't be. But it was: a huge green beetle, which stopped crawling and waggled one of its long antennae at her. Could it be one of the bugs that had been taken from Mr. Talbert's terrarium? Kayla darted a look at the other girls. They hadn't seen it. The bug continued on its way down the wall and disappeared behind Jess. Kayla shuddered.

She was still trying to think of a reason to lure her friends out of the shop when Matilda returned, carrying a small bottle made of thick glass. “Right. Love potion. Here it is. It's yours for only ninety-nine dollars, plus tax.”

Kayla gulped.

“You have
got
to be joking,” said Alice.

“I never joke,” said Matilda in an icy tone. Kayla believed her.

“Ninety-nine
dollars
? For a dumb potion that's probably just grape juice or something? No way. There is no way we are paying that much. No wonder this dump has no customers. What a rip-off!” Alice picked up her bag and slung it onto her shoulder. She gestured to the other girls to follow her out of the store.

Matilda shrugged. “Suit yourself. The stuff really
works, just so you know. But I understand if you're reluctant to use it. It's pretty powerful. It'll make your crush act like an idiot, following you around like a lovesick puppy. But who needs
that
aggravation, right?”

She turned around and headed back toward the velvet curtain. Kayla could practically see the wheels turning in Alice's head. She knew what Alice must be thinking. Nearly every guy acted like a puppy around her, on a regular basis. Every guy except one: Nick Maroulis. He seemed as vain and self-centered as Alice, acting like she should be following
him
around. Kayla knew Alice well enough to know that she didn't like it when things didn't go the way she, Alice, wanted them to, and she was used to getting her way. Maybe this potion was worth a shot.

“Wait!” said Alice.

Matilda stopped, her back to them, and stood there quietly.

“We'll pay it. I fully realize that you are ripping us off big-time, but I want to see if it really works. We'll each contribute twenty-five dollars.”

“Alice,” said Kayla, the words coming out in a whisper from the side of her mouth, “I don't have a crush,
remember? I'd rather not chip in.” She plunged her hand into her jeans pocket. She could feel a nickel and two pennies, and a carefully folded ten that her mother had given her, which she hadn't spent at the mall yesterday. She planned to give it back to her mother, who could definitely use it.

“I totally don't believe you,” said Alice. “I totally think you do have a crush on someone, and you're just not telling us. Whatever.” She turned to Jess and Pria. “You guys can give me thirty dollars each. I'll pay the rest.” She shot a look at Kayla and pulled out her shiny, slender wallet.