Emma Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice (7 page)

I felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. I snuggled deep into my covers and started to fall asleep immediately, I was so relieved. “Okay, Mama,” I said, calling her by my private baby name for her.

“Good night, my little worker bee,” she said, kissing the top of my head. I was so sleepy, I didn't even remember her closing the door.

A
t lunch the next day, I slid into my seat and handed Alexis a white business envelope with forty dollars in it.

“Thanks,” she said. “But, wait. Did you get an advance on the modeling job?”

I had to laugh. “Alexis! You're so sharp, you even keep track of
my
finances?”

She rolled her eyes at me. “It's just the way my brain works. I can't help it!”

“My mom lent me the money. I'm not going,” I said. I busied myself with putting a straw into my milk. I could feel Alexis staring at me.

“Wait, you bagged the job?” she asked.

Alexis and I both have very strong work ethics. The idea of not delivering on a job is inconceivable
to both of us. Our professionalism is certainly a strong part of our friendship, and it's the backbone of the Cupcake Club. If we promise, we deliver.

I looked away as I sucked from the mini milk container, stalling for time. Finally, I said, “I couldn't get over the blood thing fast enough. I fainted at the hospital yesterday on Jake's preop tour.”

Alexis's jaw dropped in shock, right as Mia and Katie slid into places across the table.

“What?” asked Mia.

“What did we miss?” insisted Katie, her eyes dancing merrily.

“I fainted at the sight of blood yesterday, so I can't go to the modeling job today.”

“Whaaaat? After all your hard work?” said Katie.

“All your
mom's
hard work, for nothing!” I said grimly. “I feel bad.”

“Well, you got to watch Diego Diaz get his teeth cleaned.” Katie giggled. “So it wasn't all for nothing!”

We all started to laugh. “He
is
a cutie!” I said.

“So, now what?” asked Mia, eating her chili.

“Well, I'll try to get some more go-sees, pay my parents back. Probably write a note of apology to the publicity person at the hospital . . .”

“No, silly, not your career! Now what with
Diego
!” Mia laughed, and we all started laughing again. I didn't have an answer for her, so the topic quickly turned to Jake's send-off the next afternoon. Now that my go-see was canceled, I could come help bake today.

“Are you sure you want to be a part of the vampire cupcakes?” asked Katie in concern.

I nodded through my spaghetti. “Mmm-hmm,” I said. Then I swallowed. “Fake blood doesn't bother me
that
much. Baking for a brat does, though.”

“Ooh, poor Jake!” said Mia.

“No, poor
me
!” I corrected her.

That afternoon we baked at Alexis's house, which is close enough to my house to walk. We agreed that I would bring Jake's party cupcakes home tonight, since the other girls were on bikes, and we'd be all ready for Jake's little party tomorrow. Katie and Mia were whispering about a little present they'd gotten him, but they knew I was annoyed with all things Jake lately, so they didn't really discuss it in front of me. They knew I'd probably just roll my eyes or something.

It was fun just chilling with the girls in an all-girl house for the afternoon for a change. We wound up playing some of our silly cupcake games
while we waited for the treats to cool, like Name That Cupcake.

“Okay, okay, how about pineapple upside-down cake . . . with hibiscus frosting . . . and flowered cupcake papers?” said Mia, her eyes twinkling.

“Oh! I know! Hula-Hoppers!” said Katie.

“Hula-
Hoppers
?” we cried, incredulous.

“That's awful, Katie!” said Alexis.

“Hula . . . Poppers?” she amended, and that made us laugh even harder.

“More like Hula-Floppers,” said Alexis wryly.

“Wait, now I've got one,” I said. “Golden yellow butter cake, with . . . butter crunch bits . . . dipped in buttercream frosting . . . and some fresh blueberries on top.”

“Ooh, you had me until the blueberries,” said Alexis. “How about Blueberry Fool?”

I smiled.

“Blueberry Crumble?” asked Katie.

“Blueberry Mumble?” joked Alexis, now that we were on the rhyming track.

“Wait! I have a great idea!” said Mia. “Let's play Name That Guy! We describe a guy, then see if people can guess his name!”

“Okay, I'll go first: short, bratty, obsessed with policemen . . . ,” I said.

“No, just do guys our age!” said Mia, laughing.

“Athletic; curly hair; very, very blue eyes; great graphic designer . . . ,” said Alexis dreamily. We all knew she was describing my brother Matt.

“Alexis!” teased Katie. “That's too easy!”

So I said, “I have one: brave, cute, very white teeth . . .”

“Diego Diaz!” they all yelled in unison.

“Okay, maybe this game is too easy.” Mia laughed.

While Katie mixed up the fake blood–raspberry sauce, I busied myself elsewhere, making the frosting and prepping the carrying container. I didn't have to see the “blood” at all, which was a relief. Despite what I'd said earlier, even listening to them talk about it made me feel queasy.

“Oh, it's so realistic,” said Alexis. Katie had mixed in a little cornstarch to thicken the sauce. I peeked, and she was dipping a spoon into the mixture to taste it. “Yum!” I quickly looked away.

“Katie, wow! That looks really good. Maybe you should go into special effects!” said Mia approvingly.

Even without looking, I couldn't take much more. So while Katie filled the cooled cupcakes (“You wield a mean syringe, Dr. Brown!” teased Mia), I called my mom at work to see how her call
with Alana went. The go-see would have been well under way by now.

“Hi, honey,” she said. “It's all taken care of.”

“How did it go?” I asked, squeezing my eyes shut in dread.

“Actually, they were very nice about it. It turned out there was some sort of glitch with the other model too, so they just decided to scrap it for today after all. They said to call back if you change your mind, since they're not sure when they'll end up shooting it.”

“I don't think I will change my mind, though,” I said. “Is that okay?”

“Of course! Please, sweetheart! I just thought it was nice they offered to keep the door open.”

“Yeah,” I said. “I wonder if the other model was Olivia Allen? And if so, I wonder what happened with her schedule? She certainly seemed excited for the job.”

“I don't know. Maybe she wasn't comfortable with it either. She probably canceled. Who knows?” said my mom.

I had a hard time picturing Olivia not following through on a job. She wanted to be a model so badly, she would have walked over hot coals for the work.

“So, you'll be home in time for dinner?” she asked.

“Yup. Almost done. When will you be home?”

“A little late since we have our staff meeting tonight. Maybe you could start the rice for me at six?” she asked.

“Oh, right! I forgot about your meeting. Sure, I can do that.”

“Okay, sweet pea. Thanks. And thanks for checking in. Love you!”

“Love you, too. Bye!”

I hung up the phone and then stared at the receiver. I wondered for a second if I should call Olivia, to see if everything was okay. I mean, there is no way that girl would back out of a job. Not with her ego. But I decided against it. I really wasn't friends with her, and I didn't want to be nosy. I'd ask her at school tomorrow if I ran into her.

We finished up Jake's cupcakes and packed them into the carrier, and I headed home shortly after. I put the cupcakes on the top shelf of the pantry, where Jake wouldn't find them, and I headed upstairs to take a shower and then start my homework. I was sitting at my desk in my pj's, with a towel-turban wrapped around my head, when I remembered about the rice. I hopped up and then
skipped downstairs toward the kitchen. But as I got near the kitchen, something caught my eye. There were little puddles on the floor; wet splotches of . . . blood?

No one was home but me, Matt, and Jake. Matt had been in his room the whole time, and Jake had been watching TV and hadn't made a peep. I could hear the TV playing from the TV room behind me, but I didn't want to scare Jake, so I let him be.

“Matt?” I said quietly. I was now scared for real as my brain replayed every late-night true-crime show I'd ever seen about intruders. “Jake?” But he didn't reply either. I
really
didn't want to go into the TV room and alarm him, so I kept going.

I reached the kitchen door and nervously peered around the corner. It was dark, and there was no one there. I grabbed a pair of sharp kitchen scissors from the butcher block and followed the blood stains as they continued past the kitchen and toward the front of the house.

“Matt? Jake?” I called again softly, but I heard nothing. The stains led to the front hall and then stopped, right outside the front hall closet. It was dark there too, and I couldn't decide whether to flick on the light or confront the intruder in the dark. My heart was pounding so fast, I almost felt
like I could see it. I decided I needed the element of surprise on my side, so I put one hand on the closet's doorknob and one on the light switch. I held the scissors in the light-switch hand, so I'd be ready to thrust them into the intruder if he or she came at me.

Okay, deep breaths,
I told myself. In through my nose, out through my mouth. Think of Mona. Think of Diego.

“Hi-
yahh
!” I yelled, flinging open the closet door and flicking on the light. I jumped into ready position, my scissors held aloft like a samurai sword. My adrenaline was coursing through my veins, my heart pumping: I was ready to take on anyone! Anyone except . . .

“Jake?”

“Emmy,” he said. His face was covered in blood, and he was crunched up in a ball, lying on the floor of the closet under all the long coats, his police officer bear clutched tightly in his hand.

My knees gave out at the sight of all the blood, and I dropped to the floor. “Jake! Are you okay?” I cried.

He sat up woozily and looked at me in confusion. “Am I in trouble?” he asked.

Despite
my
wooziness, I was so scared, I kept
functioning. “No! Why would you be in trouble? What
happened
to you? Is it your tonsils? Did you try to take them out yourself? OMG! Come out here, so I can see you! Can you walk?”

Jake crawled out of the closet and sat back on his haunches. “Emmy, you're not mad?”

“Mad! Why would I be
mad
? You're lucky to be alive!” I cried. Jake's whole shirtfront was soaked with blood. I tried to stay calm, like Mom and Dad taught me to do if there was an emergency. “Come, quick, to the kitchen. I'll call Mom. Wow, actually, we might have to call an ambulance. That's a lot of blood. Quick!
Matt!
” I hollered. “Get down here quick!”

“I feel sick,” said Jake. “I can't walk.”

“MATT!” I screeched. “Help us! Jake's been attacked or something!”

Matt came bounding down the stairs two at a time. “What is it?” he yelled. Then he saw Jake. “What the—? Jake! What did you do?” He ran to Jake's side, crouching down next to him on the rug.

“I . . . I . . .” Jake started to cry.

Matt and I looked at each other in fear.

“I ate all the cupcakes!” Jake wailed.

“What?” Now Matt looked at me in confusion. “What does that mean?”

Suddenly, it all came together. “Jake, you . . . Oh! The vampire cupcakes. Jake! You ate the cupcakes in the carrier I hid in the pantry?”