sat down at our table at lunch. “We’re picking out curtains.”
“Can I come?” I asked. I looked from Vi to Sarah. Not that I was all that excited to spend all day looking at curtains, but it would make Vi happy. Besides, by then she’d be supermad at me, so maybe if we had plans to go look at curtains, she’d have to forgive me. It was worth a try, anyway.
“You want to?” Sarah threw out, looking down at her food.
“I can’t think of anything I’d rather do,” I said, giving Via meaningful look. I meant it, too. Now that I knew I might be in my final minutes of being Vi’s BFF, even picking out curtains with her would be nice.
I suddenly thought back to a time when I was crying on the playground in first grade. We’d all been working on an art project and I was put on a team with Chelsea, her neighbor Erica, and a girl named Mary Jo Myers. We were all supposed to work together, but the three of them cut me out completely, acting like I wasn’t even there. If I spoke, they ignored me. If I tried to do something, they pulled it out of my reach. I was in tears by the time we broke for recess, sure nobody in the world liked me.
But Vi hung out with me. She told me that those girls were mean and she didn’t know why I wanted to be friends with them anyway. She was right, I realized back then. I had Vi as a best friend, so why did I need anyone else? For the rest of the day and a few weeks afterward, I tried to focus on the people I liked who liked me back and to forget about those mean girls, but it was only a matter of time before I was once again trying to get them to like me.
That was how I felt right now, sitting next to Vi, with Jessica and Sydney across from us. We even had a new friend Sarah, who was gushing about how I’d introduced her to Aiden and she really thought she might like him andwasn’t I the awesomest person ever? I didn’t want to talk about some reality TV show. I wanted to hear what Vi had to say about her redecorating project.
I sat up straight, my eyes widening, as I realized I really did want to listen to Vi’s decorating plans. What was happening to me? Was this no-gossip project making permanent changes to my personality?
“Are you sure we won’t have something else to do this weekend?” Jessica asked. “I mean, you know . . .”
I flashed her a warning look, as did Sarah. We didn’t know when 24-Hour Makeover was taping, but that wasn’t why I was glaring. Vi was looking down at her tray, but Jessica’s words brought her head back up again.
“Like what?” Vi asked. She didn’t sound too concerned, so maybe we could just blow it off.
“Nothing,” I said. “Jess was just thinking we might want to come hang out at her house, but we can do that anytime.”
“No way.” Vi shook her head. “Maddie is mine this weekend. She promised to help me with this. My mom’s out of town Saturday, so it’s my chance to do whatever I want. Otherwise, she’ll be standing over me, talking me into some kind of ruffly, checkered thing.”
“Yikes,” I said, mostly to keep Jessica from speaking up.But Jessica’s attention was on something just past my right shoulder.
“Red alert,” she said.
Not that I could have done anything about it, but by the time I turned around, Chelsea was already right behind me. She slid onto the seat next to me. Kathina moved around to sit next to Sydney.
“So . . . let’s talk about the show,” Chelsea said.
“You still haven’t told us how we get on it,” Kathina said. “We want to be on camera.”
I was all too aware of Vi, sitting next to me and watching every bit of this. She didn’t say anything, but she didn’t have to. I knew that if I looked at her, she’d have a big question mark on her expression.
“We aren’t supposed to talk about it until it’s announced,” Jessica whispered. “It’s top secret.”
Chelsea rolled her eyes. “By the time it’s announced, it’ll be too late. We need to know how
“Can I come?” I asked. I looked from Vi to Sarah. Not that I was all that excited to spend all day looking at curtains, but it would make Vi happy. Besides, by then she’d be supermad at me, so maybe if we had plans to go look at curtains, she’d have to forgive me. It was worth a try, anyway.
“You want to?” Sarah threw out, looking down at her food.
“I can’t think of anything I’d rather do,” I said, giving Via meaningful look. I meant it, too. Now that I knew I might be in my final minutes of being Vi’s BFF, even picking out curtains with her would be nice.
I suddenly thought back to a time when I was crying on the playground in first grade. We’d all been working on an art project and I was put on a team with Chelsea, her neighbor Erica, and a girl named Mary Jo Myers. We were all supposed to work together, but the three of them cut me out completely, acting like I wasn’t even there. If I spoke, they ignored me. If I tried to do something, they pulled it out of my reach. I was in tears by the time we broke for recess, sure nobody in the world liked me.
But Vi hung out with me. She told me that those girls were mean and she didn’t know why I wanted to be friends with them anyway. She was right, I realized back then. I had Vi as a best friend, so why did I need anyone else? For the rest of the day and a few weeks afterward, I tried to focus on the people I liked who liked me back and to forget about those mean girls, but it was only a matter of time before I was once again trying to get them to like me.
That was how I felt right now, sitting next to Vi, with Jessica and Sydney across from us. We even had a new friend Sarah, who was gushing about how I’d introduced her to Aiden and she really thought she might like him andwasn’t I the awesomest person ever? I didn’t want to talk about some reality TV show. I wanted to hear what Vi had to say about her redecorating project.
I sat up straight, my eyes widening, as I realized I really did want to listen to Vi’s decorating plans. What was happening to me? Was this no-gossip project making permanent changes to my personality?
“Are you sure we won’t have something else to do this weekend?” Jessica asked. “I mean, you know . . .”
I flashed her a warning look, as did Sarah. We didn’t know when 24-Hour Makeover was taping, but that wasn’t why I was glaring. Vi was looking down at her tray, but Jessica’s words brought her head back up again.
“Like what?” Vi asked. She didn’t sound too concerned, so maybe we could just blow it off.
“Nothing,” I said. “Jess was just thinking we might want to come hang out at her house, but we can do that anytime.”
“No way.” Vi shook her head. “Maddie is mine this weekend. She promised to help me with this. My mom’s out of town Saturday, so it’s my chance to do whatever I want. Otherwise, she’ll be standing over me, talking me into some kind of ruffly, checkered thing.”
“Yikes,” I said, mostly to keep Jessica from speaking up.But Jessica’s attention was on something just past my right shoulder.
“Red alert,” she said.
Not that I could have done anything about it, but by the time I turned around, Chelsea was already right behind me. She slid onto the seat next to me. Kathina moved around to sit next to Sydney.
“So . . . let’s talk about the show,” Chelsea said.
“You still haven’t told us how we get on it,” Kathina said. “We want to be on camera.”
I was all too aware of Vi, sitting next to me and watching every bit of this. She didn’t say anything, but she didn’t have to. I knew that if I looked at her, she’d have a big question mark on her expression.
“We aren’t supposed to talk about it until it’s announced,” Jessica whispered. “It’s top secret.”
Chelsea rolled her eyes. “By the time it’s announced, it’ll be too late. We need to know how
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