Part 2 (2/2)
”Have Landon call me with the cost,” William said.
”Thanks, Daddy.” Ma.s.sie ran over to the couch. She hugged her father and planted a big kiss on his balding head.
”What about the cell phone?” Claire whispered to Ma.s.sie.
”Huh?” Ma.s.sie said. She was busy ma.s.saging her father's shoulders.
”You told me you'd help me ask for a cell phone.”
Ma.s.sie started karate chopping William's back.
”Honey,” Jay said to Claire. ”You know the rule. NO cell phones until you're sixteen.”
”I know.” Claire looked down at her fluffy pink slippers.
”Well, g'nite,” Ma.s.sie said, her voice bursting with cheer. She kissed her parents and headed off to bed.
Claire ran out after her.
Todd was sitting on the hardwood floor outside the living room, playing his Game Boy on mute so he could eavesdrop.
”Hey, Ma.s.sie, how 'bout for the party I dress up as a rock star and you can go as my stalker?”
”Hey, Todd,” Ma.s.sie said. ”How 'bout you dress up as a roadside racc.o.o.n and I'll go as a speeding truck driver?”
”Are you serious?” Todd asked Ma.s.sie. ”I love that.”
Ma.s.sie ignored him and was speeding toward the stairs when she saw that Claire had followed her out of the room.
”I can't believe you tricked me like that!” Claire shouted at Ma.s.sie. ”I thought we had a deal.”
”Then DEAL!” Ma.s.sie shouted back.
”Good one!” Todd slapped his hand against his faded jeans. ”Hey, who wants to make root beer floats?”
But all he got in return were heavy sighs, stomping feet, and slamming doors.
HARDAPPLE ORCHARDS.
HAYRIDE.
11:15 AM AM.
October 24th The rickety Hardapple Orchards wagon jerked and wobbled as it rolled over the clumps of hay and horse poo that covered the trails. The entire seventh-grade cla.s.s struggled to keep their hot chocolate from spilling all over the rough wool blankets that covered them. Ma.s.sie fixed her gaze on the pa.s.sing apple trees and thought about how she'd get back at Becca Wilder.
It was their second field trip of the year, and despite the chilly air and the b.u.mpy ride, it was going much better than the first.
”Hey, Kristen,” Britton Daniels shouted toward the back of the wagon. ”You're not going to be selling any bad makeup on this this trip, are you?” trip, are you?”
Britton and her B-list friends giggled.
Ma.s.sie saw Kristen clench her jaw muscles.
”Don't let her get to you,” Ma.s.sie said. ”How were you supposed to know the makeup would make everyone's lips swell up?”
”Yeah,” Dylan Marvil said. ”It's not your your fault they got rushed to the hospital.” She twirled a piece of long red hair around her index finger. fault they got rushed to the hospital.” She twirled a piece of long red hair around her index finger.
”Dylan's right.” Alicia's beautiful almond-shaped eyes looked hazel in the sunlight. ”It's their fault for having sensitive skin.”
Despite the comforting words of her best friends, Kristen refused to let it go.
”Hey, Medusa,” Kristen fired back. ”This time I thought I'd sell you something from my new line of power tools. Maybe an electric saw will help you comb through that lice trap you call your hair.”
Britton ran her hand across the back of her head. Ma.s.sie, Alicia, and Dylan roared with laughter.
”That's enough, girls,” Heidi said. Their nature-loving science teacher was zigzagging her way over to Kristen, clutching onto her students for balance as she pa.s.sed. When she finally reached her target, Heidi rested her palm on Kristen's shoulder and continued her lesson.
”We will be at the pumpkin patch in a few minutes. In ancient Greece pumpkins were called pepons pepons, which is Greek for 'large melon.'” The turbulent wagon made her voice shake.
”That's a nice pair of pepons pepons you got there,” Ma.s.sie whispered to Alicia. you got there,” Ma.s.sie whispered to Alicia.
Alicia was super-sensitive about her big b.o.o.bs and Ma.s.sie knew it. But she wasn't about to pa.s.s up the opportunity for a good joke.
Alicia responded by smacking Ma.s.sie on the arm as hard as she could.
Dylan laughed out loud, but it was Kristen's cackle that caught their teacher's attention.
”One more interruption and there will be no pumpkin picking for you today,” Heidi said to Kristen.
Kristen lifted the wide collar of her turtleneck over her blus.h.i.+ng face and hid.
The horse-drawn cart rolled up to a huge pumpkin patch and Farmer Randy pulled the reins until they came to a complete stop. Heidi started explaining how the pumpkins' bright orange color came from beta-carotene, but the girls had already tuned her out. Most of them were too busy scanning the orchard so they could outpick each other when they were finally let loose.
”Someone should tell these losers that they can buy pumpkins for twenty bucks on every corner in our neighborhood,” Ma.s.sie said.
”What? And ruin all their fun?” Alicia put her hand on her heart and shook her head to show she pitied her naive cla.s.smates.
The second Heidi unlatched the wooden gate on the side of the wagon, the ”losers” busted out like stampeding bulls.
Claire and Layne held hands and laughed hysterically while they ran, moving as fast as their matching steel-toed hiking boots could take them, which wasn't very fast at all.
Layne's friends Meena and Heather ran along beside them.
Ma.s.sie, Alicia, Dylan, and Kristen trailed behind. They had no interest in pumpkins, picking, or soil.
”Wanna know what we're doing this year for Halloween?” Ma.s.sie asked.
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