Just Kidding (10 page)

When she finished her homework, Isabel went online to see if any of the other BSG were still chatting. No luck. Nervous about all the gossip flying around about her, she decided to scroll down her buddy list and click on
GLOWJO
2.
If anyone was gossiping it would definitely be one of the Queens of Mean.

“Oh no,” groaned Isabel. She could not believe what she was reading on Joline's away message:

Isabel put her head in her hands. She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. This was going to be way worse than she thought.
Everyone will think I am the evil break-up queen
.

K
atani was the first of the BSG to arrive at Montoya's Bakery in the morning. Ever the budding businesswoman, Katani tried to be on time for every appointment, even if it was just with her friends. She was hoping she could grab a word with Isabel before the rest of the BSG arrived. Today she wore a gorgeous, multicolored velvet long-sleeved shirt she had designed and sewn with some help from her grandmother. She paired it with stretchy black leggings and a sparkling amber necklace…and, of course, her favorite black boots. But fashion wasn't on her mind this morning.

As Katani was studying the order board at the counter, she heard someone beside her say, “Hot tea, please. And a whole-grain sunshine muffin.”

Katani glanced over. It was Betsy Fitzgerald, of course, Abigail Adams's resident type-A personality. Katani
groaned inwardly. Betsy was actually okay when you talked to her about normal things, but the minute the conversation turned to school subjects, she became kind of obsessive. Katani moved away a step, hoping Betsy wouldn't notice her for awhile.

“You want butter on that muffin?” asked the girl behind the counter.

“No, thank you,” Betsy declared. “That's very bad for your brain function, you know.”

Katani looked at the counter girl, who was clearly used to Betsy's attitude, because she simply took Betsy's money, handed her a receipt and told her to wait; her tea and muffin would be ready shortly.

As Katani stepped up to place her own order, Betsy moved down the counter.

“Hi, Bets,” Katani said. “Healthy breakfast, I see.”

Betsy nodded very seriously. “I've been doing a lot of reading about how what you eat for breakfast affects your actions for the entire day,” she pronounced.

Figures
, Katani thought.

“And did you know,” Betsy went on, “that eating healthy helps the brain perform significantly better?”

“Oh really?” Katani said. Betsy sounded like she was about forty years old. Katani wondered what Betsy would sound like when she
was
forty.

“Oh yes,” Betsy went on. “Your neurons fire more smoothly when they've been primed with good breakfast foods. There've been lots of studies to prove it. Protein is best, of course, but unfortunately, Montoya's doesn't specialize in protein breakfasts.”

Katani wondered why Betsy came to Montoya's at all, if that were the case. Everyone knew that the bakery specialized in big, beautiful pastries and delicious coffees, teas, and hot chocolates, not to mention Katani's favorite, chocolate biscotti.

Betsy went on, “So, I've been trying to eat healthier meals to improve my brain function, especially early in the morning. Our most important school tests are always administered in the mornings, you know.”

“Good thinking, Bets,” Katani said. “I'll bet you've already had some protein this morning, right?”

Betsy nodded. “Absolutely. I started my day with two hardboiled eggs,” she explained. “That's the
best
source of protein.”

“Good for you,” Katani responded, glancing at her watch. Was Betsy a health food chef now, too?

“Can I help you?” the counter girl asked Katani. She looked like she was sick of listening to their conversation. Katani glanced at the menu again and made up her mind.

“Yes. I'd like a large hot chocolate with whipped cream and a toasted blueberry muffin.”
Good to mix it up every once in a while. Maybe the blueberries will help my brain power
, Katani thought with a smile.

But it wasn't good enough for Betsy. She looked concerned. “Katani, I don't think that's going to work. That's too much sugar, not a good source of protein—”

“That'll be four twenty-five,” the counter girl interrupted, eyebrows raised.

Katani paid for her breakfast and turned to Betsy.

“Well, tell you the truth, I've always felt the eighty/twenty formula worked best for me.”

Betsy looked doubtful. “The what?”

“The eighty/twenty formula. My mom said that some doctors believe that if you eat healthy eighty percent of the time and exercise regularly, you can slip in a little treat the other twenty percent.”

“I don't know about that.” Betsy seemed skeptical. But Katani saw her glance at an appealing display of fresh, plump, chocolate-covered doughnuts covered with rainbow sprinkles.

“Works for me,” Katani answered. “I eat pretty healthy for most of the week, but when I come to Montoya's, I know I'm going to eat something I really love. If I get something blah, it'll make me cranky, and when you get cranky at a really good bakery, it affects your neuron function for the rest of the day.” Katani didn't know if that was true, but it could be, and she really thought that Betsy needed to lighten up a bit. She was so serious and focused all the time.

“Really?” Betsy seemed almost convinced by Katani's logic, but she wanted some proof. “Could you show me one of those studies?”

“Oh, I'd love to, Bets,” Katani said as the counter girl set the tray with her hot chocolate and blueberry muffin in front of her, “but I can't remember where I read it…. I guess you'll just have to take my word for it. See you later.”

She took her breakfast and started to head for the BSG's favorite table. Betsy looked over at the chocolate donuts again.

“You want one of those with your order?” asked the clerk.

“Uh…yes, thanks,” Betsy finally decided, looking a little skeptical. “I think I'll save my muffin for later. I'm experimenting today. I'll see how it works.” Betsy took a big bite of the donut as soon as the girl handed it to her.

The counter girl gave her a look that clearly said,
Early morning customers sure are bizarre sometimes!

As Katani carried her tray toward the empty table in the corner, she saw Charlotte come through the door, looking worried. “Hey, Char!” she called. “Meet you at our table.” She nodded at the corner window, which Maeve had once said was the perfect spot for the BSG to claim as their own. She observed that they would be able to see everyone who came in and out of Montoya's—which wasn't so important to Katani, but seemed to matter a lot to Maeve.

As Katani arranged her breakfast neatly in front of her, she remembered something that Nick had once said—that the worst thing about working in his family's bakery was having to clean up the messes people left behind. The kids were often the worst, and Nick dreaded seeing a group of kids come in for a snack, knowing they'd leave napkins and forks and other yucky stuff behind that he'd just have to wipe up. Nick was one of Charlotte's good friends, and for his sake, the girls made a special effort at Montoya's to leave their table as clean as it had been when they first sat down.

Katani had just taken the first bite of her warm muffin when Charlotte arrived at the table with a frozen hot chocolate and flaky crescent roll. Right behind her were
Avery, Isabel, and Maeve. Katani cringed when she saw that Isabel looked like she hadn't slept a wink. Katani had seen Joline's away message the night before and was hoping that Isabel hadn't. But Isabel's expression told Katani that she hadn't missed Joline's nasty little note.

Not wanting to make a big deal about it, Katani knelt down by Isabel's chair while the others were getting settled and gave her friend's shoulder a squeeze. “Don't worry, Iz. No one takes Anna and Joline seriously,” she whispered.

Isabel smiled weakly at Katani but looked doubtful. “I hope you're right,” she answered, “but I have a really bad feeling about this. I just can't talk about it right now. I've been thinking about it so much my brain hurts.”

“Guys, I have the most amazing idea,” Maeve jumped in right away. “I was trying to tell you about it yesterday, but things got a little out of hand.”

“Hang on, Maeve,” Katani interrupted her. “Any news about Miss Pierce, Char?”

Charlotte looked worried, and she seemed to be eating her breakfast without even looking at it or tasting it. “Officer Moody finally called in the police last night, and they searched Miss Pierce's apartment just like they do in the movies. You know, they even brought somebody over who hacked into her computer! They found her friend's address and went over to his house and then over to his office at MIT.”

“And?” Katani probed. She'd forgotten all about her own breakfast.

Charlotte shook her head and took a deep breath,
looking at each girl in turn. “Nothing. Miss Pierce is really missing now. It's official.”

Stunned, Katani, Isabel, and Maeve exchanged glances at this disturbing news. Their pastries lay untouched before them.

Avery, on the other hand, hadn't been paying attention. She had her head down and was eating busily, chewing her warm cinnamon roll. She took a long drink of her hot chocolate and swallowed, then asked, “Can I walk Marty later tonight, Char?”

Charlotte stared at her. Hadn't Avery heard anything she'd just said?

“Earth to Avery. Are you listening?” Katani asked. “Miss Pierce is
gone.
…”

“My dad said the police called in the FBI this morning,” Charlotte murmured. Somehow this made her feel worse than anything else that had happened.

Avery's eyes widened. “The FBI! Whoa! Sorry, Char. I guess I didn't know that it was this serious. I figured she'd just show up or something.”

“Maybe,” Isabel suggested halfheartedly, “she just went on a trip. By herself…without telling anybody.” But the more she said, the worse it seemed.

Charlotte shook her head despairingly. “She'd have told someone. Miss Pierce is too responsible to just drop everything and leave. Besides, she always checks in on Marty. She'd at least have left me a
note
.” She thought back to their walk yesterday. “And she didn't look like she was planning on going anywhere except the park. In fact, I know she expected to come right home after visiting
with her friend. None of this makes any sense. I am so, so scared.” Seeing the stricken look on Charlotte's face filled her friends with worry.

“Have the police talked to the people she knows?” Katani asked. “I mean, shouldn't they talk to my grandma? She might know something.” Mrs. Fields was one of Miss Pierce's best friends from when they were kids, and she made a habit of coming to tea at the house on Corey Road once a month.

“We gave them all the names we had,” Charlotte answered. “I guess they'll check them out one by one.”

Isabel suddenly ducked her head down. “What are you doing?” Katani asked. Then she noticed Anna and Joline strolling into Montoya's. “Oh. Those two.” She saw the Queens of Mean give a snide look over at their table, and it seemed to be directed particularly at Isabel. Katani gave them the Kgirl stare and they quickly moved on to place their orders. “They're gone, Iz. You okay?”

Isabel shivered as she lifted her head and smoothed out her long black hair. “Those two are popping up everywhere!” She peeked over at Anna and Joline, who were waiting at the counter. They had their heads together like–
like birds
, Isabel thought.
They look just like blackbirds squawking at some poor little bluebird
.

The rest of the BSG were still thinking about Miss Pierce. Suddenly, Maeve clapped her hands. “I bet I know what happened to her. She's always studying those old stars and things. I bet aliens swooped down and picked her up off that park bench and took her away.”

Avery burst out laughing. “Maeve, you've definitely
seen too many movies! Chill on the imagination, flikchic! Aliens? Ha!”

“Hey, it could happen,” Maeve said defensively. “I saw a show on TV last week where people who really had been abducted by aliens talked about what happened to them.”

“I saw that too,” Isabel agreed. “But they also had doctors on afterward who said all these people who thought they were abducted had some sort of sickness that made them think it happened. I forget what they called it.”

Charlotte, who had been frowning at her plate, raised her head and stared at Maeve. She stared very hard, deep in thought.

Finally, Maeve couldn't take it anymore. “What's the matter, Char? Do I have something in my teeth?”

Charlotte's face broke into her first smile of the morning. “Maeve, sometimes you are so brilliant I can't stand it,” she exclaimed.

Nobody understood what Charlotte was getting at, and they all looked expectantly at her.

But Charlotte stood up immediately, grabbing her backpack. Her eyes were bright. “I've got to get to school right away,” she said.

“What for?” Katani demanded. “What's all this about, anyway, Char?”

“I think I know who kidnapped Miss Pierce,” Charlotte said confidently. She gave Maeve a big hug, picked up her tray, and started toward the garbage can.

“Hey, Char, come back, come back!” “Tell us what you think!” “Charlotte, at least wait for us!” A chorus of BSG
protests called after Charlotte, but she was out the door in a matter of seconds.

“She thinks I'm brilliant.” Maeve smiled brightly.

“I hope she has a good idea about Miss Pierce.” Isabel crossed her fingers.

“What if she doesn't?” Avery demanded. “Or what if she's wrong? And what if something really bad has happened to Miss Pierce?”

“Be quiet, Avery. You don't want to even think that,” Isabel said sharply.

Nobody wanted to think about that. They all took big gulps of their hot chocolates.

Katani was the first one to glance at the clock on the wall. “Listen, we've got to get going, or we'll all be late,” she told the others. She started to collect their trash on her tray.

“Hey, guys, wait! Please! I have to talk to you about my idea! We don't have to be at school for another fifteen minutes.” Maeve's eyes were pleading now, and no one wanted to hurt her feelings. Katani, Avery, and Isabel turned toward their friend.