Heart to Heart (From the Files of Madison Finn, 11) (17 page)

“Oh, Mom, it’s perfect! Thank you!” Madison said, throwing her arms around Mom. She flipped through the notebook and ran upstairs to pack.

As Madison flung her body across her unmade bed and buried her face into a cool pillow, Phin jumped up on the bed, too, nuzzling her arm.

“Hey, Phinnie, do you want to come on the field trip?” Madison asked, grabbing his tail.

“Gggggrrrrrrrrrooooooo,” Phin cooed, rolling over. She scratched his tummy.

Next to the bed Madison’s laptop lay open in the exact same spot she’d left it the night before. She’d been chatting online with her keypal Bigwheels.

Even though Bigwheels lived across the country in Washington State, they talked online so much that it seemed like Bigwheels lived closer.

Madison logged on and found three new messages blinking inside her mailbox. She readjusted her pillows. It was easy to procrastinate. Who wanted to pack when there was e-mail to read!

FROM            SUBJECT


JeffFinn        SICK


Bigwheels      Read This


Bigwheels      P.S.


Dad had written to explain about missing dinner. He had a fever of 102. Madison hit
REPLY
and sent him back a get-well-soon message. Then she clicked on Bigwheel’s first e-mail.

From: Bigwheels


To: MadFinn


Subject: Read This


Date: Wed 23 Apr 2:42 PM


Maddie, really bad news. I don’t have a boyfriend n e more. Reggie decided to ask someone else to the spring dance and just stopped talking 2 me. JUST STOPPED. Could u die? I am sooo bummed out. I never had a bf and now I don’t again. What am I supposed 2 do? Luckily, my dad got me a kitten today. Isn’t that cool? His name is Sparkles. But it isn’t the same as a boyfriend, u know?


Yours till the heart aches,


Victoria, aka Bigwheels


Poor Bigwheels, Madison thought. She opened the second e-mail right away.

From: Bigwheels


To: MadFinn


Subject: P.S.


Date: Wed 2 3 Apr 2:45 PM


R u leaving on school trip? J/W. I think that’s what u said BWDIK. Write back! HAGO!


Yours till the rain falls,


Victoria, aka Bigwheels


Madison hit
REPLY
and marked the e-mail with a red exclamation point for
URGENT
.

From: MadFinn


To: Bigwheels


Subject: Re: P.S.


Date: Wed 23 Apr 5:04 PM


:-e! How could ur bf do that? He’s a dummy. I’m away until the weekend. But I wanted to say pleez don’t be bummed. Everything will work out, I swear. I’ll write as soon as I get back from the class trip, ok?


Yours till the key pals,


LYL, Maddie


p.s. What does Sparkles look like? >^,,^< Can you send fotos online?


Madison wanted to say more to cheer up Bigwheels. But that was all she could think of writing. She still had to pack for Jasper Woods.

“M
ADISON, ARE YOU ON THE
computer this early?” Mom yelled through the bedroom door. “You have exactly thirty minutes to get down to the car.”

Luckily, Madison had successfully stuffed her duffel bag the night before. This morning was her last chance to go online before Jasper Woods. Madison eyed the digital clock on her nightstand.

6:24
A.M.

Mom’s wrong. I really only have twenty-six minutes, Madison thought. But I just need to finish….

She typed quickly.

Spring Fever


At 3 AM this morning I decided I don’t want to go on this trip. I was imagining the bus ride there and before I knew it, my whole stomach did a flip-flop. I just know something major is going to happen there and I’m not prepared at all.


Dad’s sick with a fever and that gave me this brilliant idea that maybe I should pretend to be sick, too. There are so many reasons NOT to go:


1.
I have a fear of heights and falling and a bunch of other things and I don’t want to climb mountains. Does that sound lame? WILL we be climbing things?


2.
I don’t know any camp songs because I have never been to camp.


3.
We have to share a bunk and I do NOT want to get undressed in front of Ivy and her drones.


4.
I can’t bring this laptop.


5.
I just don’t want to. Isn’t that a good enough reason?


Of course, staying awake thinking up excuses means that I got no sleep and I have giant black bags under my eyes, which is SO attractive. I am sure Hart will love it just like he loves everything about me. HA HA LOL.


Rude Awakening:
Everyone says spring fever means tons of fun. But my spring fever feels more like the flu.


Madison glanced at her bedroom window, which she’d cracked open. The early morning air felt warm and smelled sweet. Puffy clouds crowded the sky. Madison knew what it all meant.
Rain.

“As if I wasn’t already freaking out,” she muttered to herself, “now it’s going to rain, too?”

“Rowrroooooooo!” Phin howled. Sometimes when Madison talked to herself, Phinnie answered.

“MADDIE!” Mom called. “Better pack that fold-up umbrella with your clothes.”

Madison searched the top shelf of her closet for the umbrella, tossed another sweatshirt and her new orange notebook into the bag, and zipped it shut.

Despite all protestations and reservations, she
was
going to Jasper Woods. She’d turned in her permission slip. Aimee and Fiona would be waiting out in front of the school.

The teachers had requested that all students “please arrive at seven sharp!” The digital clock now read 6:37
A.M
. Madison quickly shut down her laptop, pulled a blue faded cardigan sweater over her overalls, and laced up her shoes.

“I’m coming!” Madison declared as she bounded into the kitchen and grabbed a piece of toast on the counter. It was smothered in purple jam. “Can I eat this?” she asked, taking a bite.

Two minutes later, they were inside the car, headed for Far Hills Junior High.

In the school parking lot, all the kids looked alike. Everyone had overnight bags and backpacks over their shoulders. Except for Ivy Daly, of course, who had one of those little suitcases with wheels.

“GOOD MORNING, CAMPERS!” Assistant Principal Mrs. Goode announced. She stood on the steps of the school, directing seventh-grade traffic. “Please enter the school and line up in groups of four inside the main gym. Walk slowly!”

Madison followed the crowd into the school lobby and downstairs to the main gym. Where were her BFFs?

“Over here, Maddie!” yelled Fiona. She stood near the back wall of the gym, under the basketball net. Aimee twirled around nearby, testing out a funky new dance move.

“Hey!” Madison cried.

“Morning, camper!” Aimee chirped sarcastically. She was imitating Mrs. Goode. Madison laughed and slung her duffel bag onto the ground. It was way bigger than Aimee’s or Fiona’s bags.

“What’s in there?” Fiona asked. “Phin?”

“I wish.” Madison smiled. “I brought all the stuff on the packing list.”

“Me too,” Fiona said. “It was a looooong list.”

“I brought a nice outfit for the talent show, too,” Aimee said. “What about you guys?”

“Talent show?” Madison asked.

“Oh yeah! I have this great new blue top,” Fiona said. “It has these cute sequins along the neckline. That would be okay to wear with my greenish-yellow skirt, right?”

“Totally,” Aimee said. “My brothers all went on this class field trip when they were in seventh grade. They said it’s kind of like a party. Kids sing and dance. Like this—”

Aimee spun around for effect. Fiona giggled.

“Wait! What are you guys talking about?” Madison asked.
“What talent show?”

Madison had packed her duffel bag with jeans and sweatshirts and clothes that she wouldn’t mind getting muddy—NOT talent-show clothes.

“Since when is there a talent show?” Madison asked again. Did she have time to run home and get something nicer from her closet?

“It was on the permission slip,” Fiona said. “I thought you said you read the list.”

Madison collapsed onto her duffel bag, head in her hands. Seven in the morning and her nerves were jangling already? Why hadn’t anyone mentioned the talent show online last night? Weren’t friends supposed to tell you these things? How could she have missed something as big and important as a
talent show
? First she’d missed hair dryers, and now
this
?

Why hadn’t she read the stupid permission slip more carefully?

“I wouldn’t worry about it,” Aimee said.

“But I have nothing to wear!” Madison yelped.

Aimee patted Madison’s shoulder. “You can wear anything. You could even wear
that
.”

Madison looked down at her wrinkled shirt and jeans. “Yeah, I’ll win first prize in this.”

“Has anyone seen Egg?” Fiona asked, distracted, eyes scanning kids inside the gymnasium.

Aimee looked around, too. “He’s usually late.”

“I wonder what Jasper Woods is like,” Fiona said.

“Better be good. I’m missing a major dance practice because of this trip,” Aimee added. “And my ballet teacher wasn’t too happy.”

Madison hung her head and stared at the gym floor. “I want to go home,” she moaned.

“Maddie, don’t stress about the talent show,” Aimee said. “We are going to have the BEST time together no matter what you wear.”

“Yeah,” Fiona agreed.

Madison nodded. “Okay, I believe you,” she said, even though she didn’t believe them at all.

Teachers and chaperones rounded up the seventh graders and lined them up for the bus. Girls and guys stood together so they could pick adjacent seats.

By now, Fiona spotted Egg, so she edged closer to where he stood. Madison saw Hart too, standing there in his duck pants. He almost made her forget the talent show trauma.

“DO NOT PUSH FELLOW STUDENTS,” Mrs. Goode bellowed. “NO ELBOWS ALLOWED!”

Madison chuckled. She had a picture inside her mind of Ivy Daly wedged in the bus aisle next to Madison, fighting for a seat. Madison was ready to give her one good elbow
whomp
—

“Hey, Finnster!” Hart cried. “What are you doing? You almost hit me.”

“Oh,” Madison said, blushing. “I was only—oh, sorry.”

Everyone lined up by the side of the bus, to load luggage. The driver placed everyone’s bag in a storage compartment underneath the bus. Then kids moved inside to pick seats. Egg, Chet, Dan, Drew, and Hart stood behind Madison.

“What’s up?” Hart asked Madison.

“Nothing much,” Madison said with a shrug. Whenever she had a major opportunity to get Hart’s attention, she always ran out of things to say.

“It’s supposed to rain,” Hart said, eyeing the sky.

“That bites,” Dan said with his mouth full of cookie. He was always eating something.

“DROP OFF YOUR BAG AND SLEEPING ROLL! KEEP THE LINE MOVING!” Mrs. Goode yelled.

Chet nudged Egg, who nudged Dan, who nudged Hart, who jokingly put his fingers on Madison’s shoulders and pushed forward. Madison didn’t mind the contact at all.

“Mrs. Goode is like a dictator,” Aimee complained from her spot in the line ahead of Madison. “This is incredibly dumb.”

Of course Madison didn’t think it was dumb. Not when she was
this
close to her crush.

The line shuffled slowly inside the bus.

“There are seats here,” Fiona said, picking a row in the middle of the bus. Aimee and Fiona sat on one side of the aisle, while Madison sat alone on the opposite side.

As the boys approached, she wondered if Hart would park himself right there in the empty seat next to her….

But he kept right on walking. Of course.

Egg, Drew, and Chet kept walking, too.

Fiona looked as disappointed as Madison felt.

“Lindsay! Over here!” Madison exclaimed. She caught a glimpse of her other friend boarding the bus. “Sit here with me!”

As she stood up to wave to Lindsay, Madison got an elbow in the side. “OUCH!” she yelled.

Poison Ivy was standing there.

“Why don’t you watch out?” Ivy hissed.

“Over here, Lindsay,” Joan said, mocking Madison’s voice. “Over heeeeere!”

Ivy and the drones burst into laughter.

“Why don’t you shut up?” Aimee snapped, rushing to Madison’s defense.

“Make me!” Joan snapped.

“Let’s go,” Ivy said.

“Sorry!” Joan said, not meaning it.

Madison sat back down. “Yeah. You’ll be sorry,” she grumbled.

The enemy pushed to the back.
Where the boys are
, Madison thought. She stared out the window and chewed on her bottom lip. She had a funny feeling about this trip. Being superstitious, Madison looked for omens everywhere. This bus overflowed with them. And they weren’t so good.