Lost and Found (11 page)

“WHAT?” Ivy and Madison screamed at the same time.

Ivy covered her mouth. “Get out!”

Fiona giggled.

“You’re joking!” Rose blurted.

And the rest of the boys started to laugh, especially Drew. He even started to snort.

“I only saw for a second,” Hart corrected her. “And I didn’t even know what had happened. But Susie was so embarrassed. She kept apologizing every time she saw me. It was embarrassing for both of us.”

Madison couldn’t understand how something like that could have happened between Hart and Susie. How could they even look at each other?

Ivy obviously couldn’t believe it, either. She had a look on her face like she’d bitten into a lemon.

“Who’s next?” Drew said, passing the bottle over to Susie.

Susie spun, and it landed on Chet, which made her laugh. Madison remembered that she’d admitted during skating that she thought Chet was cute.

“DARE!” Chet said. “I am not revealing any truth to you guys. No way.”

“Okay, Chet,” Susie said. “Then spin the bottle and whoever it points to…you have to carry them around the room.”

“What?” Egg shouted. “That is so stupid.”

“As long as you don’t have to carry me,” Dan said. Except for a series of gross-out burps, he hadn’t spoken much until now. Everyone laughed at the comment, though, since he was the heaviest kid in the room.

Chet spun the bottle. It landed on his sister.

“NO problem, man,” Chet said. He lifted Fiona into a piggyback position and circled the family room, throwing her on the sofa at the end of it.

“Thanks a LOT,” Fiona said as she crawled back down to the floor.

“Hey,” Susie said, smiling. “I was going to tell him he had to lick someone’s arm. Be glad I picked the piggyback thing instead.”

Chet spun the bottle again and asked Ivy if she wanted truth or dare.

She thought for a moment and then said, “Truth.”

Everyone wanted to tell Chet what question to ask, but he didn’t want to hear anyone else. He already had a question in mind.

Madison couldn’t believe Ivy had chosen truth. But Madison also suspected that Ivy would probably lie about whatever she was asked.

“Which teacher do you have the biggest crush on and why?” Chet asked.

Everyone groaned.

“Why didn’t he ask her which person in the room she had a crush on?” Fiona whispered. “My brother is a dork.”

“SHHHHHH!” Chet said. “So what’s your answer, Ivy?”

“Well, I would have to say…Mr. Danehy,” Ivy said. “Because science is my favorite subject.”

“What a lie,” Madison said out loud.

“Excuse me?” Ivy said. “That is not a lie. Are you calling me a liar?”

“I’m your science partner, and it is SO a lie. And a big, fat, slimy one at that.”

“Well, I answered the question, so I get to spin,” Ivy said, ignoring Madison and twisting the bottle around on the floor.

Madison’s heart sank when she saw where the bottle landed. On her.

“Well, Madison!” Ivy said with glee. “Okay, so do you want truth or dare?”

Madison looked over at Aimee for some kind of life preserver, but Aimee was distracted. Fiona was gazing off into space somewhere, too.

“I’ll pick truth,” she said at last. “Truth.”

“Okay, then,” Ivy said. She rubbed her hands together like some mad scientist. “Tell the group what person at school you have the biggest crush on and why.”

The whole room tilted. Madison felt her hands get sweaty, too.

She had to lie.

“Um…well, no one, really…” Madison stammered.

“That is SO not true, Madison,” Ivy said. “And you know it.”

Madison blinked. “How would you know?” she asked.

Ivy smirked. “Because I do. You have to tell the truth, Madison. Spill it.”

The whole circle of friends got silent. Everyone’s eyes were on Madison. Even Hart was staring at her.

“We’re waiting…” Ivy said.

Madison grabbed her knees and rocked back and forth a little.

“Okay, Ivy.” Madison took a deep breath. “You got me. I will admit my crush to everyone in this room. I have a crush on Egg Diaz.”

“WHAT?” Egg said. “You are the world’s worst liar!”

“No lie, Egg,” Madison said. “So there. Can I spin the bottle now?”

Ivy sat backward on her hands. “I guess.” She looked confused.

Egg was shaking his head. “No way, man!”

Drew started snorting again.

Fiona nudged Madison before she spun the bottle. “Did you mean that, Maddie, about having a crush on Egg?”

Madison shook her head. “No way.”

Fiona breathed a sigh of relief. “I thought so, but…you were so convincing.”

“Are you going to spin the bottle or what?” Rose asked.

The bottle whirred around so fast that it moved halfway across the floor inside their circle.

“Hart!” Drew shouted.

“Truth or dare, Hart?” Aimee asked.

Madison looked him squarely in the eye. “Well?”

He looked right back at Madison and said, “Truth. Let me have it.”

Madison grinned. “Okay.”

Right then and there, she decided to ask him a real question. She knew Hart wouldn’t lie no matter what. So she took a chance.

“Have you ever liked anyone in this room?” Madison asked. “And I mean ‘like’ like, not ‘good friend’ like. You know?”

“I know what you mean,” Hart said.

He sat back and looked around the room.

Everyone waited for his answer.

“T
HE TRUTH IS, I
do like someone in this room,” Hart said. He didn’t look at anyone in particular.

Fiona giggled.

“You do?” Madison asked again. “So the answer is ‘yes’?”

“Yeah,” he said.

“Oh, man!” Egg said. “Who is it? Who is it? Come on!”

“That wasn’t part of the question,” Hart said. “I don’t have to answer with a name unless it’s part of the question, right?”

Madison nodded. And of course, she’d purposefully left the name part out. She felt her heart beating, like she’d swallowed something huge.

He liked her?

Maybe.

“Your turn to spin, Hart!” Ivy said. He smiled at her and picked up the bottle. This time it landed on Egg.

He picked dare.

“Okay, then,” Hart said, daring him. “I like Ivy’s suggestion. Spin the bottle and then you have to kiss the person it lands on.”

“Get out of here!” Egg shrieked. “What if it lands on YOU, bozo?”

“Pucker up!” Drew said.

Egg looked nervous. He spun the bottle.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!” Fiona screamed. It landed on her.

“No way, man, I am NOT kissing her. She’s sick,” Egg said. “I’ll catch some nasty germs.”

“I’m all better, actually,” Fiona said. “You won’t get sick.”

“Yeah, well, I won’t risk it.”

“You can’t blow this off, Egg. It’s the game. Everyone else played fair,” Dan said. “Kiss her.”

“Kiss her! Kiss her! Kiss her!” everyone started to chant.

Aimee stood up. “Hold it!” she said. “Everyone needs to stop. Chet and Fiona’s mom and dad will hear us.”

“You didn’t say where I have to kiss her,” Egg said.

Fiona blushed.

Egg leaned across the circle and kissed Fiona’s bent knee.

“There!” he said, proud of himself.

“We need to get more specific about the questions in this game,” Ivy said. “Like if we ask people who they like, we ask for names. And real kisses are required.”

“That
was
a real kiss, Ivy,” Egg argued. “Why do you have to see everyone get embarrassed?”

Ivy just shrugged. “I don’t,” she said. “I just—I don’t.”

She cut herself off. The room was silent.

“Fiona!”
a voice called from outside the family room. It was Mrs. Waters. “Do you or your friends want any more snacks?” she yelled through the doorway.

The boys all jumped up for more food, but the girls stayed put.

“I think this game is history,” Aimee said.

“Sure looks that way,” said Susie. “I think I’m going home. I have to head back to boarding school tomorrow.”

“No! Don’t leave!” Fiona said. “Please?”

But everyone started to gather their stuff.

“Plus you have a math test tomorrow,” Aimee reminded Madison.

“Oh, wow! The snowstorm made me forget that completely,” Madison said.

“And I have ballet practice in the morning,” Aimee added.

Everyone got Susie’s phone number, e-mail, and address at school so they could keep in touch. In one day she’d become a good friend.

“Let me know what happens with Hart,” she whispered to Madison on her way out. No one else heard.

“Huh?” Madison said. “What are you talking about?”

“He totally likes you,” Susie said. “Does anyone know you like him?”

Madison stood there like a mannequin.

“Keep in touch,” she said. “I’ll call if I’m home from school. And we’ll have to hang over the summer.”

She leaned in and gave Madison a small hug. But Madison was still too stunned by Susie’s comments to move.

“Bye,” Madison said, managing a one-word response.

“Bye!” Susie chirped back.

Everyone helped Chet and Fiona’s parents clean up the mess around the house. Most of the food had been eaten, but no one had watched any videos. Everyone said their good-byes and bundled up to face the cold outside.

“Wanna walk home?” Madison asked Aimee. She needed some fresh air.

Aimee nodded and called her brothers to tell them she didn’t need a ride home. It took them a little longer than usual to make it over to Blueberry Street with all the black slush and puddles around the neighborhood, but the pair of BFFs made it.

“When Fiona got picked by Egg, I thought I would DIE,” Aimee said. “And by the way, what was all that stuff you said about having a crush on him? Are you nuts?”

“He knows it’s not true,” Madison said.

“Maybe, maybe not,” Aimee said. “I heard him ask Drew if you were serious.”

Madison smiled. “Now, that’s funny. Aimee, he knows the truth. He’s one of my oldest friends.”

“Yeah, but sometimes friends can change,” Aimee said.

Madison stopped. They were standing in front of Aimee’s place. They embraced, and Madison walked on.

“See you at school tomorrow!” Aimee called after her.

Madison nodded. She thought about Aimee’s last words.

Sometimes friends can change.

Inside her pocket, the Ivy letter was now permanently warped, torn, and smudged. Madison took it out.

She ripped open the seal and read it.

Finally.

Do Not Open Till 7th Grade

Top Secret FOEO (For Our Eyes Only)

We Madison Francesca Finn and Ivy Elizabeth Daly do swear that we will be bestest friends until seventh grade and after that, too.

1. We will go to Far Hills Junior High like Janet, and we will be the coolest friends in the whole school.

2. We will always share everything and borrow each other’s clothes.

3. We will get discovered by a famous TV agent and become TV stars in seventh grade. But no matter how famous we get, we will always be friends.

4. We will get married someday and have kids at the same time so they can grow up and go to school together like us.

5. We will have a farm out in the country with all kinds of animals.

6. We will travel around the world on our own plane and go swimming in all the oceans.

7. We will never be mad at each other.

After reading the letter, Madison raced home. Even though they’d been enemies now for a few years, Madison suddenly felt a blank space inside where her friendship with Ivy had been. They had all those plans together, and the only thing that had come true was their being at the same junior high school together. She knew they’d had a falling-out, but how did it get so ugly? What had
really
happened?

When Madison came inside, Mom was in her office, working on the Brazil documentary.

“Hey, Maddie!” Mom called out. “Remember those tree frogs we saw in Brazil? You have to come see the footage. It’s amazing!”

Madison slunk into Mom’s work space and collapsed on the floor.

“How was your party?” she asked. “You look glum.”

“Huh?” Madison grunted.

“How was the party at Chet and Fiona’s?”

Madison rubbed her eyes. “Okay, I guess.”

Mom turned off the frog video and turned on the overhead light.

“Are you crying?” Mom asked Madison gently.

“No.” Madison sniffled, wiping her nose with a tissue. “Why do you say that? I am not crying.”

“What happened, honey bear?” Mom asked.

“Nothing. Everything. Oh, it’s just that I think I’ve lost my mind, Mom. If you find it, will you let me know?”

Mom laughed. “Sure thing. You want to talk?”

“Not really,” she said.

Mom nodded. “Well, I’m here when you need me.”

Madison decided she would go online to surf the Internet for a pre-algebra homework helper program instead of obsessing anymore about Ivy. Thoughts of a now imminent math test were giving Madison huge tummy flip-flops. She had to get studying—fast. There were no more snowstorms to save her from the test.

The TweenBlurt.com search engine gave Madison a few different sites where she could practice. They had a helpful hints section with special ways to remember rules and the order of things. Madison was looking for fast and easy tricks since she had so much to learn and so little time to learn it!

She learned an acronym to help her solve algebraic equations: PEMDAS (Please Eat My Delicious Apples Soon).

Instantly the whole process seemed to make sense. The letter
P
was for “parentheses,”
E
was for “exponents,”
M
was for “multiplication,”
D
was for “division,”
A
was for “addition,” and
S
was for “subtraction.” When she followed this order to finish her simple-variable equations, Madison felt more confident about the order of operations. Not only could she take this test, but she could ace it! Madison wondered why this part of math hadn’t seemed clear before now.

What was different
now
?

After studying for a half hour, Madison opened up her files.