Forget Me Not (From the Files of Madison Finn, 21) (16 page)

Everybody shuffled toward the door of the classroom. There were a few moments left before the next bell. Madison grabbed her bag and pushed toward the door along with everyone else. Madhur was already out in the hall.

Madison wanted to tell Madhur how much the presentation about Punjab had meant to her. And she had questions, too. But a crowd of kids was in the way, and Madhur seemed too far to reach.

“Wait! Finnster!”

Hearing her name, Madison turned around and collided with Hart. As they bumped, Madison felt Hart’s hand press into the small of her back.

“Hey,” he mumbled. “Great job on your presentation.”

“Really?” Madison asked.

“Really.”

Madison smiled. “Thanks.”

Hart’s hand moved away from her back. Now he touched her shoulder.

“You going to Math?” he asked.

“Math?”

Madison caught a glimpse of Madhur out of the corner of her eye. She started to follow Madhur toward the next class.

“Where are we going?” Hart asked, sticking close to Madison as they walked down the hallway.

A cluster of their friends—Walter “Egg” Diaz; Drew Maxwell; Dan Ginsburg; and Fiona’s brother, Chet—appeared from around a corner.

Madison sighed. Her eyes darted around the hallway again, but Madhur was gone.

“Who you looking for?” Egg asked in his typical, obnoxious voice.

“No one,” Madison shrugged.

“The bogey man?” Dan joked.

“Or the booger man,” Chet said, cracking up at his own lame joke.

Madison rolled her eyes. “No one, really,” Madison insisted. “Just this girl from class.”

“Who?” Hart asked.

“That girl Madhur,” Madison said. “She did such a great presentation, and I just wanted to tell her how much I loved it.”

“I know Madhur. She’s cool,” Chet said.

“Huh?” Madison replied. Chet never said any girl was cool.

“She’s smart, too,” Chet added.

Just then Egg, Drew, and Dan started a shoving match in the hallway. They weren’t listening. The second bell was about to ring.

“How do you know Madhur?” Madison asked Chet.

“Duh,” Chet said. “She’s in our grade.”

“Oh, I know
that
,” Madison said. “But …”

“Race you guys to Math,” Drew cried. All the boys dashed away, leaving Madison standing solo in the middle of the hallway.

“Later, Finnster!” Hart called back before disappearing with the rest of the group.

Madison slung her bag over her shoulder. She couldn’t believe that after all that time in seventh grade with her friends and classmates she had failed to notice someone as interesting as Madhur.

Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrring!

The bell! Quickly, Madison tripped down the hall toward Math, feet—and mind—racing.

A
FTER MATH CLASS, MADISON
headed for lunch. She still had Madhur on the brain—big-time.

Madison didn’t remember ever having seen Madhur in line for food or sitting at a table in the cafeteria. But today, there she was. It reminded Madison of something Gramma Helen always said, about how funny it was to learn a new word, because as soon as you did, that word appeared
everywhere
.

Madison jumped in line behind Madhur. “Hey,” she said loudly.

Madhur whirled around, clutching her chest.

“Whoa! You scared me,” Madhur said. “I was spacing out on the macaroni and cheese. It looks especially disgusting today.”

Madison smiled. “I’m sorry to come over like this…. I mean, we’ve never talked before…. You don’t really know me….”

“Sure I know you. You’re Madison Finn.” Madhur said matter-of-factly.

Madison was taken aback. “Yeah, that’s me.”

“You did a fab job today on your speech in English,” Madhur said, her voice sounding as cheery as it had earlier that day. “Until class had to be dismissed, that is.”

Madison was caught off guard by Madhur’s compliment. “That’s what I was going to say to you just now….”

“What?”

“I wanted to tell
you
how much I liked
your
story … about Punjab … and your parents … and your culture …”

“Oh. Thanks,” Madhur said.

By now they had moved to the front of the food line. Fiona, Aimee, and their other friend, Lindsay Frost, pounced on Madison when they saw her.

“Where have you
beeeeeen
?” Aimee wailed. She took Madison by the arm.

“We’ve been waiting for ten minutes,” Lindsay said, even though Madison knew she was (of course) exaggerating.

“Maddie,” Fiona said to Madhur. “Meet us at the table.”

Madison smiled. “I’m sorry, Madhur. My friends …”

“No biggie,” Madhur said, filling her lunch tray.

Madison followed. “I really wanted you to know how much you totally inspired me today,” she said. “I’m a writer, too, or at least I want to be a writer sometimes….”

“That’s cool,” Madhur said, chuckling. She popped a french fry into her mouth and chewed. “Hey, are you going to eat now? You wanna sit together?”

Madison grinned. By now, Fiona and the others had moved through the salad bar and were headed toward the usual orange table at the back of the cafeteria.

“My friends and I usually sit … there….” Madison said, pointing. “You can sit with us if you want.”

Madhur shrugged, lifting her tray. “Why not?”

As they walked toward the orange table, Madison heard someone call out her name. It was Ivy Daly, Madison’s mortal enemy. She sat alongside her drones, Rose and Joan.

“Hello-o-o-o-o, Madison,” Ivy said snidely. “Um, do you have the science notes? I don’t have mine, and I think Mr. Danehy’s giving a quiz today.”

“He
is
giving a quiz,” Madison said, “and my notebook is in my locker.”

“Can you get it for me?” Ivy asked.

Rose, aka Rose Thorn, snickered.

“Get it for you? I don’t think so,” Madison said. “See you in class.”

“Wait!”

Ivy dashed over and put her arm on Madison as if Madison were her best friend in the universe, squeezing just a little bit too hard.

“Please, Maddie,” Ivy said. “I just need to look at the notes during my study period, and then I’ll give them right back, I swear. Pretty please with chocolate chips and whipped cream on top?”

Madison sighed. “Just one class period?”

“I swear. Cross my heart,” Ivy said, smirking.

“Fine,” Madison moaned, giving in.

Before walking away, Ivy shot a look at Madhur as if to say,
Who are
you
?

Madhur caught the look. She leaned in to Madison as they walked on.

“You’re friends with
her
?” Madhur asked.

“Well,” Madison explained, “not exactly friends.”

“Because Ivy Daly is just so-o-o-o not like you. I mean, for one thing, she’s super stuck-up. And her friends are even worse. One time they said some pretty mean things to me in the girls’ bathroom.”

“Yeah, they can be cold,” Madison said.

“
Icebergs
is more like it,” Madhur said in her slight accent. “Brrrrr.”

Madison giggled. “We call her Poison Ivy.”

“Poison Ivy?” Madhur cried. “Perfect! She’s like an itch you can’t scratch.”

They both laughed out loud.

Hart waved Madison over to the orange table. He was saving an empty space on the bench just for her. He’d been saving her seats at lunch for weeks.

“What’s up, Finnster?” Hart asked.

Madison dragged Madhur over. “I think there’s enough room for two of us,” she said, sitting down.

Of course there
wasn’t
enough room for both of them. Aimee had to move over. Lindsay stood up and sat back down again. Hart had to shift over. Egg had to complain—as usual. Fiona was pleased with the seating reorganization, however. All the moving around pushed Egg that much closer to her new seat.

Madison noticed Aimee staring at Madhur; and she knew what the stares were all about. Aimee was extremely territorial when it came to lunchroom seating—and friends.

“Thanks for letting me sit here,” Madhur said. “The cafeteria looks different from this table.”

“I liked your talk in class,” Hart said to Madhur. “You’re a good writer.”

Madhur nodded. “You are, too,” she said, looking away from Hart.

Across the table, Egg flicked one of his fries. It landed in Madison’s lap.

“Thanks a lot, moron,” Madison said. “What am I supposed to do with this?”

“Stick it in your nose,” Egg said.

“You’re so funny I forgot to laugh.”

“You forgot to barf?” Egg cracked.

The other boys laughed loudly.

“
You
make me want to barf,” Madison said.

Madhur giggled. “You and Walter must be good friends,” she whispered.

“Yeah, this whole group has all known each other forever,” Madison explained. “Everyone except Fiona and Chet. They just moved here last summer from California.”

“I know them,” Madhur said, glancing over in Chet’s direction. “Fiona seems nice. So does her brother.”

“Before, when I was telling you about how much I liked your presentation,” Madison said, “I forgot to tell you that I know a little bit about Punjabi culture.”

“Really? How?”

Madison shrugged. “It’s my mom, actually. She’s a documentary filmmaker and producer, and she’s been to Pakistan and India. She told me all about the monsoons. And her crew took this incredible footage, too. The way you described the weather and the places was so intense.”

“Just my grandmamma’s words,” Madhur interrupted. “I’ve actually never been.”

“Well, I felt like I really understood what you were saying,” Madison said. “I think I’m going to surf the Net and find out more information about that part of the world.”

Madhur ate a bite of salad from her plate. “Do you go online very much?” she asked Madison.

Aimee, who happened to overhear Madhur’s question, laughed out loud.

“Did you just ask Madison if she ever went online?”

“Is that a funny question?” Madhur asked, sounding confused.

“My friends tease me,” Madison said. “The truth is I’m on the computer most of the time. I keep these files, I have a screen name at TweenBlurt.com, I have a long-distance keypal … the works.”

“I’ve heard of TweenBlurt. I’ve never been on it, though.”

“You’ve never been?” Madison said.

“Wow,” Fiona said. “You’re missing out.”

Lindsay grinned. “We gossip … well, chat … online all the time there.”

“I don’t actually have a computer at home that works. I go to the library to check my e-mail or do homework,” Madhur explained.

“You don’t have a computer at home?” Madison asked, incredulously.

Madhur shook her head. “My dad said maybe this year we will get one.”

Madison felt guilty. Not only did she have her very own personal computer—it was right there in her orange messenger bag.

“Maybe you should help on the school website,” Madison suggested to Madhur. “Then you could use Mrs. Wing’s computers to do work.”

“That’s a good idea,” Madhur said. “I’m trying to do more extracurricular activities, rather than just studying all the time.”

“Do you play sports?” Fiona asked. “You should join the soccer team.”

“No way. I’m a total klutz,” Madhur said. “I tried soccer once, and I tripped on the ball.”

“Everyone trips on the ball!” Fiona said.

“Well …”

“It’s not like you have to dance ballet or something,” Fiona joked, eyeing Aimee. “Soccer is all practice and kicking and—I’m sure you’d have fun.”

“I bet you’d be good at soccer,” Chet blurted out from across the table.

The girls all stared.

Normally, Chet didn’t pay attention to anything girls said or did. But today he was acting differently.

“Who asked you?” Fiona grumbled, kicking Chet under the table.

“It’s a free country,” Chet barked. “I can talk if I want to….”

Fiona pounded him in the shoulder.

“Settle down! Settle down!”
Dan said, imitating Principal Bernard’s voice.

Lindsay laughed.

Madhur stood up all of a sudden. She seemed unfazed by the whole exchange. “I’m going back to get one of those giant brownies I saw. Does anyone want anything?”

“I’ll take a brownie,” Dan said.

“I’d love an orange,” Fiona said sweetly.

“Can you grab me some chocolate milk?” Lindsay asked.

“You bet,” Madhur said. “What about you, Maddie?”

“I don’t need anything else,” Madison said. “Thanks for asking.”

As Madhur walked back toward the kitchen, Hart leaned in to Madison. “What’s up with Madhur?” he asked. “Did she invite herself over to our table, or what?”

“I invited her,” Madison said.

“Why?” Aimee said, sounding a little Ivy-like.

“Because,” Madison said, “I wanted to.”

“She’s sweet,” Fiona said, shooting another look at her brother. “Don’t you think so, Chet?”

“What are you looking at
me
for?” Chet stammered.

Madison giggled. She wasn’t the only person at the table who thought Madhur was cool. It was probably the first time she and Chet had ever agreed on anything.

“You should have heard her in English class today,” Madison went on. “She has such an interesting life.”

“Oh, yeah?” Fiona asked.

“Her family speaks, like, five languages,” Madison said.

“Whatever,” Aimee said, rolling her eyes.

The boys stood up with their emptied trays and moved away from the orange table.

Aimee stood up, too.

“Why are you acting like that?” Madison asked.

“Like what?” Aimee replied.

“That. You know.”

“No, I don’t,” Aimee said firmly.

“You always do this,” Madison said. “Whenever I make a new friend, you get weird.”

“I do not.”

Madison sighed.

“Remember when Fiona first moved here?” Madison asked Aimee.

Aimee shrugged. “Okay, fine. I acted a little weird. But only because you’re my best friend. That’s all. You can only have so many best friends, Madison.”

“Who made that rule?” Madison asked.

Aimee didn’t respond. She tried to change the subject.

“So, what’s going on with Hart today?” Aimee asked. “He’s so into you. Did you see the way he saved you a seat?”