Once Upon a Toad by Heather Vogel Frederick Page A

Olivia replied in a low voice.
    â€œYou promised !” Iz said grimly, looking hurt and disappointed.
    As usual my stepsister tried to weasel out of it. “I know I did, Mom, but I had to check with Piper about my math homework.”
    Right. As if the two of them had ever discussed math in their entire lives.
    Olivia’s brown eyes filled with tears. “You can’t expect me not to have any friends at all just because of this,” she said, pointing to the bouquet of wilted-looking lupine that now lay on the floor at her feet.
    â€œWhat I expect is for you to keep your word when you give it,” Iz replied.
    I felt a flicker of guilt. I’d broken my promise too.
    My stepmother sighed. “I don’t think you understand the gravity of the situation, Olivia. We need to keep this completely quiet until we find a remedy for you.”
    â€œI am keeping it quiet! The only person I’ve told is Piper.”
    I almost laughed out loud. Piper Philbin is the biggest blabbermouth at Hawk Creek Middle School. If she knew Olivia’s secret, all of Portland would know it within the hour.
    Iz shook her head. “What’s done is done,” she said. “I guess I’ll have to call Piper’smother. Help me clean up this mess first.”
    The three of us started gathering flowers off the rug. Geoffrey protested as my stepmother stripped his LEGO castle of its glittering ornaments.
    â€œSweetie, your castle is beautiful,” Iz told him, “but these twinkle stars belong to Olivia. Why don’t you and Cat go help Daddy set the table? One of the pizzas is Hawaiian—your favorite.”
    My little brother brightened at this, but his was the only smiling face at the table. Dinner was nearly as silent as the car ride home had been. Olivia picked at her pizza, scowling, obviously still peeved about the loss of her cell phone.
    â€œDr. Douglass cleared you girls for the talent show tonight,” my father told her, and she perked up at this.
    â€œHold on, Tim,” said Iz. “After what Olivia pulled this afternoon, I’m not sure she deserves to participate.”
    Olivia’s face fell.
    Serves you right, I thought. Blabbermouth . My conscience prickled again as I thought about my video chat with A.J., but I pushed the guilty feeling away. That was different.
    â€œI say we let her attend on one condition, and one condition only,” my father replied. He passed Dr. Douglass’s note across the table to her. “Absolutely no talking! To anyone, understand? Until we tell you otherwise, Olivia, you and Cat are in the same boat.”
    Great, I thought. All aboard the USS Laryngitis .
    Olivia shot me a look. One that clearly said, I don’t want to be in any boat with you, anyplace, anytime, ever.
    She pushed back from the table and stood up. “I’m going upstairsto get my costume on,” she said icily, littering the table with milk-white snowdrops.
    As I watched her leave the room, I started to worry. Dr. Douglass might have cleared us for takeoff, but Houston, we definitely had a problem. My stepsister was ready for the talent show, but was the talent show ready for her?

CHAPTER 10
    Backstage at Hawk Creek Middle School swarmed with activity.
    Using my bassoon case as a wedge, I inched my way through the knots of excited students. Olivia was right behind me, dressed in a sequin-spangled sailor costume.
    How appropriate for the USS Laryngitis, I thought bitterly.
    My stepsister spotted Piper and peeled off toward her. Half a dozen other tap dancers in identical costumes joined them, and a minute later the sound of their shoes tapping on the wooden floor rose above the hubbub of the crowd as the Hawk Creek Tappers began warming up.
    I passed two magicians, a flock of ballerinas, a comedy act (at least, I assumed it was a comedy act, since it consisted of three football players in helmets, pink leotards, and matching tutus), a baton twirler, a