Recipe for Trouble (9 page)

Kylie, Sadie, and Jenna all agreed they weren't ready to give up just yet. They'd take turns the next day at school observing Jeremy's every move. Sadie took the first shift. Her mission: tail Jeremy during lunch and recess. Kylie suggested all the girls wear disguises—baseball hats and sunglasses—and report any info immediately.

“He had spaghetti and salad for lunch, no dessert,” she briefed the girls. “The pudding parfait looked really good, and he passed.”

“What about chocolate milk?” asked Jenna.

“Negative,” Sadie replied. “Just a bottle of water.”

Jenna was the next shift. Since she had PE with Jeremy, it was easy for her to hide behind the bleachers and eavesdrop on his conversation with Jack.

“You want to come over tomorrow after school? I got the new NBA game for Wii,” he said.

“Can't. I have a stupid doctor's appointment,” Jeremy answered. “Maybe this weekend?”

Kylie took the last shift—fifth period. Jeremy was in her art class. In the middle of class, he got up and left the room. “Where'd he go?” she whispered to Abby.

“Nurse,” she replied. “He goes there a lot.”

Kylie knew that Ms. Bayder would excuse her from art class if she pretended to have a paper cut. “It really hurts,” she moaned, sucking on her finger. “Can I
please
go to the nurse?” She raced out of the room and down the hall to where Lexi was in math. She knocked softly on the door and interrupted Ms. Nuñez's class.

“I'm sorry. We have an emergency in the teachers' lounge kitchen. Can I borrow Lexi for five minutes?”

Ms. Nuñez pursed her lips and looked suspicious. “What
kind
of emergency?”

“A flood…of frosting…everywhere,” Kylie improvised.

“Okay,” the teacher said. “Just make it quick and clean it all up before my free period. I don't want to be up to my elbows in frosting.”

Kylie yanked Lexi out of the classroom. “How did frosting flood the kitchen?” she asked. “Did Jenna get loose in there again?”

“No, I had to say something so Ms. Nuñez would let you leave. It's Jeremy. He's going to the nurse and I need you to come with me
now
.”

Lexi felt her temper start to boil. “Are you serious? You dragged me out of class to help you spy on him? I told you, I won't do it anymore, Kylie.”

“Just this once?” she begged her friend. “He looked very serious when he left art, and Abby said he goes to the nurse a lot.”

“What does that prove? Maybe he has a headache.”

“I don't know. Please just come with me for five minutes?” Lexi knew if she didn't give in, Kylie would continue to whine and plead with her.

“Fine, five minutes,” she said, following Kylie to the first floor where the nurse's office was located.

“I'll pretend I'm hurt or something. You stay at the door and listen in,” Kylie instructed her.

Lexi crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. This was ridiculous. What could they possibly hope to learn? And what if Nurse Finster realized Kylie was lying? They might get sent to Principal Fontina's office for cutting class! But it was too late. Kylie had already pushed through the door.

“Oh, my stomach,” she moaned. “Ow, ow, ow!”

The nurse rushed over. “Where does it hurt, dear?” she asked.

“Here,” Kylie pointed to her stomach. “No, kind of here.” She pointed to her back. “Well, maybe here.” She pointed to her butt. Lexi laughed and covered her mouth so the nurse wouldn't hear. “Oh, it just hurts everywhere!”

“When did it start?” Nurse Finster asked, feeling Kylie's head.

“Um, about a half hour ago.”

“Did you eat anything different?”

“No…just a dozen cupcakes.” The nurse's mouth dropped open.

“You ate a dozen cupcakes? And that's normal?” she gasped.

“Well, sometimes I eat two dozen. But I was kind of full from lunch.” Kylie continued moaning and groaning and rubbing her tummy.

“Well, that's the reason for your bellyache!” the nurse scolded.

“Can I please have a warm compress for my tummy?” Kylie asked sweetly. “Pretty please?”

“Sure. Stay right here.” Nurse Finster went to her supply closet. Lexi kept watching Jeremy. He was just sitting there in a chair, not saying a word.

The nurse came back, handed Kylie a hot water bottle, and read a small instrument on the desk next to Jeremy. “Okay, Jeremy, you can go back to class now. Your sugar seems fine,” the nurse called. He got up and walked out the door just as Lexi ducked out of sight.

Nurse Finster turned to Kylie. “Now, about you…”

“Gee, I feel all better,” Kylie smiled. “I'm good to go.”

Nurse Finster stared. “Really? Are you sure?”

Kylie raced out the door. “Yup! I feel great! Thanks!”

When she came out, Lexi was hiding in an empty office waiting for her.

“Did you hear that? Did you hear what Nurse Finster said?” Kylie grabbed her.

“Something about sugar being fine? What does that mean? And if it's fine, then why did he hate my sweet cupcake?”

Kylie considered what they'd overheard. “I don't know. But I know who to ask: your mom.”

“My mom is a veterinarian—an animal doctor, not a people doctor,” Lexi said.

“But she studied medicine, right? We have a lot of clues. We just need her to help us piece them all together.”

• • •

After school, Lexi, Kylie, Sadie, and Jenna laid out all the facts for Dr. Poole in her home office while she tended to a cocker spaniel with a splinter in his paw.

“So Jeremy snacks on nuts, doesn't eat any sweets, goes to the nurse a lot, and Nurse Finster told him his sugar was fine?” Lexi's mom repeated the clues back to them.

“That's right,” said Lexi. “Does it make sense?”

“It makes perfect sense,” said her mom. “It sounds to me like Jeremy may have juvenile diabetes.”

Lexi's face grew pale. “What does that mean? He's sick?”

Her mother put the dog back in his carrier and took Lexi's hand. “Well, honey, it's complicated,” she began. “Everybody has some amount of sugar, or glucose, in their blood. We couldn't live without it, and glucose comes from the food we eat. But when someone has diabetes, his body has trouble controlling the level of glucose in his blood.”

“That sounds really scary,” gulped Lexi.

“I'm sure it's hard for Jeremy,” Dr. Poole said. “Along with all the things you guys learn in school, he's also had to learn to manage his diabetes.”

“And that means
not
eating a sugary cupcake, right?” asked Kylie.

“Probably,” said Dr. Poole. “It certainly would explain why Jeremy doesn't usually eat dessert…or even the best cupcakes in New Fairfield.”

Jenna sighed. “I just can't imagine a world without cupcakes! Poor Jeremy!”

“If you want, you can find out more about it,” Dr. Poole suggested. She went over to her laptop and called up a website for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

For over an hour, the girls pored over the site, reading all the FAQs and stories about kids who were diagnosed with diabetes. “So his body probably can't process sugar,” Lexi said.

“And we made him the sweetest cupcake on the planet…major mess up!” groaned Sadie. “No wonder he got rid of it so fast. We're lucky he threw it in the trash and not at us!”

Lexi paged through the site and pondered, “What if we made Jeremy a cupcake he
could
eat?”

“You just said sugar was a no-no,” Kylie reminded her.

“‘But a rose by any other name would smell as sweet,'” Lexi quoted
Romeo
and
Juliet
.

“Okay, you lost me,” Jenna complained. “Now you want to give him roses?”

“I'm just saying a cupcake by any other name—” Lexi began.

“Is still a cupcake!” Kylie finished her thought. “It doesn't have to be a sugary cupcake. It can be something savory, like the bakers make with crazy ingredients all the time on that TV show
Cupcake
Wars
.”

Jenna made a face. “Yuck. They made a tuna cupcake with wasabi cream frosting last week!”

“Spaghetti and meatballs!” Sadie suddenly shouted. “Jeremy gets it anytime it's on the menu for hot lunch. Could we make him a spaghetti and meatball cupcake?”

Lexi pulled her sketchbook and pencils out of her desk drawer. “I don't see why not!” She sketched a cupcake filled with wiggly spaghetti strands, topped with tomato sauce, Parmesan cheese, and a mini meatball.

“Wow!” exclaimed Kylie. “That's amazing, Lex. That's the most creative cupcake I've ever seen!”

Lexi beamed. It was pretty good. She especially liked how the tiny meatball looked like a cherry on top! “And we'll use whole wheat spaghetti, like the American Diabetes Association site recommends.” She felt pretty confident that Jeremy wouldn't toss
this
cupcake in the trash.

• • •

It took the girls several hours to perfect a recipe. They decided to bake it right in the pan without cupcake liners, and the first version stuck and got burned on the bottom. Plus, the meatballs were a little raw in the center. Lexi's mom offered to help. “You know I make a mean marinara,” she laughed, stirring the pot of sauce. The girls rolled the meatballs and let them simmer in the sauce. The aroma of garlic and basil filled the kitchen.

Dr. Poole suggested they coat the muffin pan with non-stick spray, just in case the cheese melted around the edges. This way, the spaghetti slipped out beautifully and formed a neat little cup. The sauce and cheese made a bubbly crust and the meatball was cooked to perfection.

“This is really
pastalicious
,” Sadie said. “Did I say that right?”

Lexi laughed. “Yes. I think we can heat it up in the teachers' lounge and give it to Jeremy at lunchtime.”

“You sure? You don't want to sneak it to him again?” asked Jenna. “I can always leave it on the bleachers next to him at PE.”

Lexi popped a meatball in her mouth. “Nope. I learned my lesson the first time—no more secret admirers. I'm going to make this delivery in person.” She sounded sure and confident.

“That's great, Lexi. Good for you!” said Sadie.

Lexi smiled. “Thanks. But maybe you guys can just back me up…in case I chicken out?”

“You mean in case you
meatball
out?” Jenna teased.

“We'll all be right behind you,” Kylie said, hugging her. “Always.”

Juliette took the tray out of the oven in the teachers' lounge kitchen and placed a piping hot spaghetti and meatball cupcake on a plate.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” she asked Lexi, concerned. “Love is not as simple as following a recipe.” Lexi thought her teacher sounded like she was speaking from experience.

“Did you ever have your heart broken, Juliette?” she asked.

“Oh, dozens of times!” Juliette confessed. “My first time was in fifth grade, just like you.”

“You had a crush on a boy?” Lexi asked. “What happened?”

“His name was Jean-Paul,” Juliette sighed. “He was very tall, dark, and handsome.”

“Did you tell him you liked him?”

“Did I! I made him a huge pink cardboard Valentine's Day card covered in hearts and lace doilies.”

“What happened?” Lexi sensed there wasn't a happy ending to this story.

“He laughed at me. Right in my face.”

Lexi gasped. “That's horrible! That's almost as bad as throwing my cupcake in the garbage!”

“Well, it gets worse,” Juliette continued. “He hung it up on the bulletin board outside our classroom. Then
everyone
laughed and made fun of me.”

“You must have been so hurt!” Lexi said.

“I was pretty devastated. Then a stuffed pink teddy bear magically made its way into my desk the next day.”

“Did Jean-Paul give it to you to apologize?”

“No! It was from Louie.”

Lexi looked puzzled. “Louie? Who's that?”

“The short boy who had a crush on
me
! I thought it was the sweetest gift ever—and forgot all about Jean-Paul.”

Lexi considered the story. “Are you telling me to forget all about Jeremy?”

“I'm just saying that hearts sometimes get broken, but they heal pretty quickly.”

“What happened to Louie?” Lexi asked.

“Well, it didn't last. I fell for an older man, a sixth grader named Gerard. He had braces and I thought he was very cool.”

Juliette handed the plate to Lexi, who dusted the spaghetti cupcake with a thin sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. “Are you ready?”

Lexi nodded. “Ready as I'll ever be.”

• • •

Lexi marched into the cafeteria where Sadie, Kylie, and Jenna were waiting to back her up. She spotted Jeremy sitting at a table with Jack and some other fifth-grade boys. He looked up as she approached.

Lexi froze in her tracks. “I can't do it,” she whispered to her friends. “He's looking at me.”

Jenna gave her a gentle push. “Just put the cupcake down in front of him and smile. That's it.”

Lexi obeyed, pushing the plate in front of Jeremy.

“What's this?” he asked. But Lexi had already turned and started to run for the cafeteria door. Kylie caught her. “Wait! See what he says!”

Jeremy stared at the plate and the little cup of pasta. “Is this spaghetti and meatballs?”

Lexi was completely tongue-tied. All she could do was nod her head. So Kylie piped up, “Yes! Lexi made it for you. It's a whole wheat spaghetti and meatball cupcake.”

Jeremy looked a little uncomfortable.

“Well, we know you usually don't eat sugar…” Lexi said softly. “I wanted to make you a cupcake you
could
eat.”

“Oh,” he replied.

Jenna gave him a threatening look. “You
better
say you like it.”

“Yes! I like her…I mean
it
!” Jeremy blurted out. Sadie, Jenna, and Kylie grinned.

“Well, it was all Lexi's idea,” Kylie said.

Jeremy smiled shyly. “It looks really good.” He took the meatball off the top and ate it. “It's way better than hot lunch.”

Jack tried to grab a forkful. “Lucky!” he whined. “I want one! Lexi, how come you made it just for Jeremy?”

Lexi shrugged. “I thought he would like me…I mean
it
!”

“He does like
you
,” Kylie whispered in her ear. “Maybe we should rename our club Peace, Love, and Cupids?”

• • •

In drama class the next morning, it was time for Lexi and Jeremy to rehearse the final scene of the play. Lexi was both excited and terrified at the same time. She knew all her lines by heart, but she also knew how the scene ended—with a kiss.

“Romeo walks in and sees Juliet's not breathing,” Mr. Higgins directed. “He thinks she's dead and can't live without her.” He motioned to the floor. “Lexi, play dead.”

Lexi closed her eyes tight and lay down on a floor mat. Jeremy ran his fingers through his hair. “Um, what do I have to do?”

“Just look miserable,” Mr. Higgins answered. Lexi opened one eye and peeked: Jeremy was doing a pretty good job of that!

Jeremy took a deep breath and said his line “Oh, my love…” so quietly Lexi could barely hear him.

“What? What was that?” Mr. Higgins asked.

Jeremy gulped and repeated ever so softly, “Oh, my love…”

“Louder!” Mr. Higgins bellowed, waving his arms in the air. He was getting frustrated, and Lexi was worried what he might do to Jeremy if he didn't speak up.

“This is a very tragic scene. Like this…” Mr. Higgins instructed. He suddenly grabbed Juliette to demonstrate. “Oh, my love!” he exclaimed, dipping her backward.

Juliette pretended to swoon and Mr. Higgins continued, “Thus, with a kiss, I die!” Lexi sat up and stared. Were her teachers actually going to
kiss
?

Mr. Higgins planted a peck on Juliette's cheek. She blushed.

“Just like that,” he told Jeremy. “Can you handle it?”

Jeremy ran his fingers nervously through his bangs again. “Yeah, I think so.” He gave Lexi a kiss on the cheek and said, “Thanks for the spaghetti cupcake.”

Lexi sat there positively stunned. She was completely unaware of anything going on around her. All she could hear was her heart beating wildly in her ears. All she could see were Jeremy's dreamy blue eyes.

“No, no, no,” Mr. Higgins wrung his hands. “Lexi, you're supposed to be dead. Not grinning from ear to ear! And, Jeremy, that's not the line! There are no cupcakes in
Romeo
and
Juliet
!”

Juliette jumped in. “Rodney,” she began sweetly, touching Mr. Higgins' arm. “It's okay.” She winked at Lexi. “Besides, maybe there
should
be cupcakes in Verona.”

Now it was Mr. Higgins's turn to blush. “Yes, dear.”

“Let's take it again from the top!” Juliette announced. And this time Lexi was happy to oblige!