Three's a Crowd (From the Files of Madison Finn, 16) (9 page)

“Maddie…”

“And I’m sick of soup,” Madison moaned.

“Soup? Honey bear, Gramma is doing us a huge favor by being here. Don’t let yourself get all worked up just because she’s being overly nice. You should be grateful. I know I am.”

“I love Gramma Helen,” Madison said. “I don’t know why she just bugs me sometimes.”

“Well, if there’s a moment when she bugs you, just call me on my cell phone,” Mom said with a wink. “I finally got it fixed.”

“Do you really mean it?”

“Just think! While I’m gone, you and Gramma can talk about how much
I
bug you,” Mom teased.

Kicking her legs into the air, Madison bounced up and off the bed. Mom had more packing left to do.

Madison hadn’t been away from her own bedroom for very long. But in that short time, Gramma had refolded sweaters, straightened papers (including postcards tacked up on Madison’s bulletin board), and made Madison’s bed. She’d put Madison’s teddy bears on display in a row by the pillows.

Madison hadn’t had her bears on display like that since she was ten.

Mom poked her head into Madison’s room. “Did you hear the doorbell?”

Madison shook her head. “No. Isn’t Gramma downstairs?”

At that moment, Gramma appeared in the doorway, wearing a giant apron and yellow rubber gloves. “Isn’t it good luck that I brought these with me?” she asked.

“I thought I heard a bell. Is someone at the door, Mother?” Mom asked.

“Oh, yes, a boy,” Gramma announced. “For Madison.”

“For me?” Madison said.

Madison’s eyes bugged out. A boy?
Josh Turner?
It had to be. Who else would be in her neighborhood on a Saturday—except for her neighbor?

“Are you expecting someone?” Gramma asked.

“Oh, I’m sure it’s just Maddie’s legion of secret admirers.” Mom joked. She grinned and went back into her room to get ready.

“Mom! I can’t believe you just said that!” Madison called out after her.

Madison looked down at her ratty jeans and top. Her hair looked like spaghetti. How could she go to answer the door looking—and feeling—like a total mess?

“Stall him, Gramma!” Madison said. “Please.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Gramma said, toddling back downstairs.

Madison tried to run a comb through her hair but it didn’t help. She switched tops, too, but the second one looked as sloppy as the first. Madison’s nose was red again, too, from sneezing all morning. And the tickle in her throat had returned. She felt another coughing fit coming on.

Maybe Josh wouldn’t notice?

As she went downstairs and approached the front door, Madison thought to herself: this could be it. This could be IT.

“The guy of my dreams could be standing right outside and I’m about to meet him,” she said softly to herself. “Hello, destiny.”

Her heart thumped. She opened the door.

As she pulled the door toward her, the person on the outside pushed in.

Thunk.

The door flew open. It was a boy, all right, but not the one she’d hoped it would be. Egg stood there, not Josh.

She sighed. Egg was definitely not her destiny.

Egg had his hands wrapped around a fat textbook. The title on the book’s spine read
Classic Short Stories and Poems.
He shoved it at her stomach.

“Here. I forgot to bring this yesterday with the other homework,” Egg said. “It’s from Mr. Gibbons’s English class. We finished
The Outsiders.
Now we have to read some short stories in this.”

Madison took the book.

“You didn’t have to bring this over,” Madison said, feeling grateful and dejected at the same time. “But, thanks.”

“No prob,” Egg said. “We were all over here in the neighborhood, anyhow.”

“We?” Madison asked.

“Yeah, me, Drew, and Hart,” Egg said. “We’re going to Chet’s.”

“Huh?” Madison’s jaw dropped. She had not seen the other boys standing there. They’d been waiting off to the side.

“How are you, Maddie?” Drew asked.

“Yeah, Finnster, how are you feeling?” Hart asked.

“Drew? Hart?” Madison’s voice squeaked. “Wow. What a surprise.”

Madison couldn’t take her eyes off Hart. His hair was tousled and he had on a brown sweater that matched his eyes. She could only imagine what he thought of
her
outfit.

Just then, Phin ran outside. Goofing around, Egg and Drew chased him to the opposite side of the porch.

“Um … these are for you,” Hart said. He held out a tall vase of flowers.

Madison stared.

“At least, I think these belong to you,” Hart said with a grin.

Flowers?

“For me?” she asked, biting her lower lip.

Had her crush really shown up at her house … with a bouquet … with Drew and Egg standing right there to witness it all?

No way.

“Thanks, Hart,” Madison said softly. “I mean …”

NO WAY.

“No one ever gets ME flowers,” Egg teased.

“This was really nice of you….” Madison stammered. “I mean …”

“Oh,” Hart looked away. “No biggie. They were just sitting there on the porch step.”

“Sitting there?” Madison repeated, taking the vase. “Where?”

“Look at the card,” Drew suggested. Madison felt for a teeny card attached to the bottom of the vase. She ripped open the envelope.

FOR MY SWEET GIRL, NO MORE GETTING SICK! LOVE, DAD.

Madison sighed. “The flowers are from my dad,” she said.

“Duh. Who
else
would send you flowers?” Egg said.

Madison nodded. “Duh, of course,” she said, looking right at Hart, even though he wasn’t looking at her.

“Hey, Drew!” an unfamiliar voice rang out from the sidewalk in front of Madison’s house. Everyone turned to see who was speaking.

Josh Turner?

Madison froze. She’d never seen him up close.

“Yo! Josh!” Drew said.

He strode onto Madison’s porch.

“What’s up?” Josh said, smiling at everyone, especially Madison. He turned to Drew. “You going to the hockey match today?”

“Nah,” Drew said. “My team isn’t playing. How about you?”

Josh nodded. “Oh, yeah, I have a game today and tomorrow. Big-league.”

He looked way better up close than he did long distance, through his window. It was enough to make Madison dizzy all over again.

“You play hockey?” Madison blurted out.

The boys all turned and stared at Madison.

“Maddie, what is your problem?” Egg asked. “You know we all play hockey.”

“I meant … does Josh play?” Madison asked.

“Hello? He’s only the biggest scorer in our district,” Drew said, giving Josh another high five.

“Well,” Josh said, humbly. “Sometimes I lead the practice for Drew’s group. So, I was just heading out and saw you all standing here….”

“Yeah, we were headed to our friend’s house. We stopped to drop off a book for Madison,” Drew explained.

“So, I’ll see you around the rink, I guess,” Josh said to the group.

“Maddie, you should come to a hockey game,” Hart said.

“Huh?” Madison asked. “Game?”

Hart looked confused. “I said, you should come to a hockey game.”

“Uh-huh,” Madison answered Hart, but continued to stare at Josh. Madison thought about their secret sign conversations and smiled to herself.

“Well, I have to go,” Josh said. “See you later, neighbor.”

Madison blushed. “Later,” she said.

As soon as Josh disappeared down the porch steps, Egg turned to Madison. “So, we have to get going,” he said. Madison was grateful that Egg didn’t mention anything about their having discussed Josh on Wednesday.

“That is so cool that you live next door to Josh Turner,” Drew said. “He’s such a good player.”

“I bet,” Madison said, dreamily.

“You never met him before just now?” Hart asked.

Madison shook her head. “Nope. Maybe I
should
go to a hockey game….”

“You can come watch us play. We have practices this week,” Hart suggested.

“When does Josh have his next game? Do you know?” Madison asked.

Hart frowned, but that didn’t really register on Madison’s radar. She was still recovering from the up-close-and-personal Josh encounter. Hart shoved his hands in his pockets.

“Let’s go,” Hart said to Egg and Drew.

Madison said good-bye to her friends and walked back into the house. Her head felt lighter. She couldn’t stop smiling.

Then she passed a hall mirror.

“Oh, no!” Madison cried.

Gramma came running, still wearing her gloves and apron. “What’s wrong?” she said.

“Look at my shirt, Gramma!” Madison shrieked.

In the center of Madison’s T-shirt was a spot she hadn’t noticed when she changed outfits.

And her hair looked greasier than greasy. Half of it was sticking out of her ponytail in the wrong direction.

Madison put her head in her hands and moaned.

“You don’t understand, Gramma. That was HIM. The guy I like more than anything right now. And I look like
this.
I could die.”

“Murphy’s Law,” Gramma said, rubbing Madison’s back. “Just when you think something can’t possibly go wrong—”

“It does,” Madison said, finishing Gramma’s sentence.

“P
ASS ME THOSE ONIONS,
” Gramma said as she stood by the oven making supper. “I’m making a feast, so watch out!”

“Here you go,” Madison said as she rolled an onion across the kitchen counter. It ricocheted off the toaster in Gramma’s direction.

Gramma laughed. “You make cooking much more interesting, Maddie,” she said. “Good thing I didn’t ask you to pass me a watermelon!”

Mom had left for her business trip hours before, so it was just the two of them hanging out—plus Phinnie, of course. Gramma always baked doggie biscuits for Phin on special occasions and sent them from Chicago. Now she was here to bake them in person! Phin drooled when he saw them come out of the oven, shaped like little dog bones.

Madison remembered what Mom had said about being grateful for Gramma’s visit. As she sat in the kitchen watching Gramma make her special lasagna for dinner that night, she felt very grateful. But it wasn’t just the food or the TLC. Gramma was a good listener.

“Did Mom ever date older guys?” Madison asked out of the blue.

Gramma nearly dropped the onion and knife. “Excuse me?” she said.

“Did Mom date older boys when she was my age?” Madison asked.

“Mom didn’t
date,
period,” Gramma replied. “Is this about those boys who came to the door earlier?”

“Well …”

“Don’t you think seventh grade is a little young for boyfriends?” Gramma asked, slicing fresh tomatoes onto a tossed salad.

Madison shrugged. “Seventh grade isn’t too young for Far Hills Junior High,” she said. “Everyone dates.”

“Everyone?” Gramma said, raising her eyebrows.

“Well, everyone except me,” Madison said.

Gramma put down the utensils and walked over to Madison. She sat at the kitchen table and smoothed out the tablecloth.

“When your mother was younger, like around your age, all she ever talked about was boys,” Gramma said.

“She talked to you about them?” Madison asked with disbelief.

“I remember she had a terrible crush on one boy from her school. His name was Theo.”

“Gramma, how can you remember his name?” Madison asked.

“Aha! I remember because your mother wrote his name everywhere—on her books, on her desk, on the back of her closet door, even! She got punished for that one,” Gramma explained.

“Mom never talks about any of her old crushes,” Madison said.

Gramma smiled. “She had plenty. You should ask her some time.”

Madison giggled. “It seems weird to like a lot of different boys at once.”

“Weird? NO!” Gramma said. “Don’t believe any gibberish about crushes being meaningless or that it’s bad to be boy crazy. That’s nonsense. You be how you want to be. Like whomever you want to like. We all have our crushes!”

“Even
you,
Gramma?”

Gramma stood up again so she could take the lasagna noodles out of the pot. She winked at Madison. “I’ll never tell,” she whispered.

Madison burst out laughing. “Gramma!” she yelled. “You have to tell.”

“Let’s see … I used to dream about marrying this boy who lived right next door,” Gramma admitted. “He was four and a half years older than me. Imagine that!”

“No way!” Madison said. She couldn’t believe Gramma had had a crush on her neighbor. But four years older seemed way too old. Not like Josh. He wasn’t too old, was he?

Gramma continued with her story.

“I was fourteen, and he had just graduated from high school. He was working downtown at a gas station, where we always saw him pumping gas and fixing tires,” Gramma said. “On weekends he used to hang out on his front porch and wait for me and my friends to come outside. My goodness he was such a sweet talker!”

“What was his name, Gramma?”

“Oh … Charlie Francis,” she said, batting her eyelashes a little. “I loved the way he wore his ties.”

Madison couldn’t imagine liking some guy because of the way he wore his tie!

“So what happened?” Madison asked.

“Two years passed. He kept flirting with me, but I didn’t really take it seriously. But the very day I turned sixteen, he crashed my birthday party. He asked my father if he could take me out on a date.”

“So, you were sixteen, and he was
twenty
?” Madison asked. “Whoa. What did your father do?”

“He threw Charlie out on his ear. But later on, my father changed his mind. I guess Charlie fixed his car up real good. That clinched the deal. He decided that Charlie would make a fine date.”

“That is such a great story,” Madison said. “You’re so lucky to have had someone like you that much.”

“Oh, Maddie,” Gramma cooed. “I think you worry too much about boys liking you. You are just right—and the right boy will come along.”

Madison helped Gramma pour the tomato-and-ricotta mixture over the lasagna noodles.

“What else do you remember about Mom when she was in seventh grade?” Madison asked.

“She always talked about having kids. Loads of kids. I think her magic number was twelve.”