Give Me a Break (From the Files of Madison Finn, 18) (18 page)

It was hard to fall asleep. Madison’s mind buzzed with thoughts of Hart gossiping about her (and how lame she was) with the other guys, and of Bigwheels writing in her blog that she hadn’t told Madison about. Just what was autism, anyway? Madison would have to do a dictionary search online. Then she would write an e-mail directly to Bigweels and ask her what was going on.

Of course, eventually all of those thoughts faded away, or at least morphed into images of the jumping sheep that Madison counted until she fell fast asleep. After a while, Phin was sleeping, too. His little paws danced as if he were running in his doggy dreams.

When Mom finished her work, some time after midnight, she tucked them both into bed and closed Madison’s laptop. Although Madison was asleep and didn’t hear it, Mom whispered something very real into Madison’s ear.

“Good night, honey bear. Thank you for being such a beautiful daughter. You are my moon and stars, and I love you more than anything—no matter what.”

With that, Mom turned out the light and called it a night.

Phinnie started snoring.

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Author Laura Dower has a lot in common with Madison Finn: They’re both only children and they both love dogs, the color orange, and books! Laura has written more than ninety kids’ books to date, including twenty-five in the series From the Files of Madison Finn. Her other books include the new Palace Puppies series and
For Girls Only
, a guide to girl stuff. When she’s not writing, Laura loves to garden, sing (loudly), and volunteer as a scout leader for her daughter and two sons. She and her family live in New York. Want to be keypals? Drop her a note at
www.lauradower.com.

All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Text copyright © 2004 by Laura Dower

Cover design by Connie Gabbert

978-1-4804-2319-0

This edition published in 2014 by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.

345 Hudson Street

New York, NY 10014

www.openroadmedia.com