Heart to Heart (From the Files of Madison Finn, 11) (7 page)

: It looked like he was buying a ring.


: what kind?


: Like maybe he’s going to ask Stephanie to marry him.


: R? Did U actually see the ring? Was it definitely an engagement ring? Did U ask him about it?


: no—I just ran.


: but u don’t know 4 sure


: No … but why else would he be in a jewelry store?


: IHNI. Maybe he was getting earrings for Valentine’s Day. Or maybe something for U!


: I didn’t even think of that … that would be so cool. A ring 4 me! Should I ask him about it?


: Do U really want to tell him U were spying on him??


: Good point …


: Maybe u can find out another way. Ask him what he’s getting Stephanie for Valentine’s.


::>:)


: Guess what Reggie gave me already? A silver heart necklace. He said he couldn’t wait until Friday to give it to me


: That’s so sweet! Listen, I’ve
GTG
. Major project to finish in English—I’ll be up all nite if I don’t start.


: Okay. E me.
TTYL
!


Madison sat back in her chair and sighed. She hadn’t really planned on working on her English project. That was just a convenient story to get out of the chat with Bigwheels. But now that she thought about it, Madison pulled out her reading materials to make an outline. The paper was due on Friday—only four days away.

Hearing a squeak, Madison turned to see Phin munching on a bright orange chew toy in the shape of a carrot. The carrot squeaked with each bite, which only made Phin attack it more, slurping and snuffling excitedly. Madison smiled. It was easy to make her pug happy.

“Why isn’t it as easy to make
me
happy?” Madison wondered to herself, turning back to her computer.

She began jotting down a few ideas for the paper. Then Madison clicked on the TweenBlurt.com search engine, to see what it came up with. She typed in the words
American Revolution
and clicked on the first site that popped up.

If you want to participate in a reenactment of any of the major battles of the American Revolution, please contact the Society for Better Understanding of the Revolutionary War. The American Revolution was a time of great struggle, but it was also a time of great innovation …

That page gave Madison another idea.

What would it be like if she and Fiona wrote about Revolutionary War generals for their presentation? She typed
George Washington
into the search engine next. It brought up a webpage about the first presidents of the United States.

George Washington faced many challenges upon his inauguration as first president of the United States.

Madison scrolled down to a passage about the second president.

John Adams struggled with his role both as vice president and during his time as the second president of the United States. As we can see clearly in his letters to his wife, Abigail Adams, who urged him to “remember the ladies,” John was concerned both with social …

I wonder what John and Abigail Adams’s letters were like? Madison wondered. Would they be as gushy as Bigwheels’s letters about Reggie? Somehow, Madison doubted it. She bookmarked the webpage so she could mention it to Fiona. Maybe they could even look up historical letters online?

There were so many ideas. Madison left the search engine and opened her e-mailbox.

There were no letters in her mailbox, but just the thought of Hart writing one sent Madison’s mind churning. What would he say? What would she say back to him?

If only.

Madison shut down her laptop and decided to call Aimee. She went into Mom’s room, grabbed Mom’s smartphone off the nightstand, and flopped down on the bed. Phin jumped up beside her and rolled over on his back, wiggling, his paws in the air.

Madison punched in Aimee’s number and waited as the phone rang. She clicked SPEAKER so she could hear Aimee loud and clear.

“Hello?” It was one of Aimee’s brothers.

“Hi, it’s Madison,” she said. “Is Aimee there?”

“Oh, hi, Madison, it’s Doug.” Doug was in ninth grade. “Can I have Aimee call you back later? I’m watching the basketball playoffs right now with a friend.”

“What does that have to do with being on the phone?” Madison asked.

“He’s at his house, I’m at mine,” Doug said.

Madison sighed, glad that she didn’t have brothers who hogged the phone for no good reason. “Okay,” Madison said. “But you will give her the message, right?”

Time for plan B, Madison thought as she punched in Fiona’s number. The phone rang three times. “Hello?”

“Yeah? Who is this?” the voice on the other end said.

Madison groaned. It was Chet—another annoying brother foiling her plans to get in touch with her friends!

“Hi, Chet,” Madison said, trying to keep the irritation out of her voice. “Is Fiona there? It’s Maddie.”

“Hey,” Chet said. “She’s here, but I’m on the other line. Can she call you later?”

“Who are you talking to?” Madison griped. “The president of the United States?”

“Why do you want to know?” Chet asked.

But Madison was too annoyed to stop now. “I mean, you’re just talking to one of your stupid friends, right?” she barked. “Why is your phone call so much more important than mine?”

“Stupid friends?” Chet asked. “They’re your friends, too!”

Suddenly, Madison heard a click on the line. Someone had picked up an extension. Good, Madison thought, I’ll tell Fiona to kick her dumb brother off the phone. “Fiona, I—”

“Hello?” said the voice.

Madison gulped. She’d know that voice anywhere. And it sure wasn’t Fiona’s.

“Hart, I’m still on the phone,” Chet said. “Do you need to call your mom?”

“Yeah, sorry,” Hart said. “I thought you were done.”

“No problem. So, Maddie,” Chet went on in a superior tone, “if you don’t mind, my
friend
—” he put extra emphasis on the word, “needs to use the phone now.”

“Finnster?” Hart said. “What are you up to?”

“H-h-hi, Hart,” Madison stammered. Suddenly, she couldn’t think of another word to say besides “Bye!” as she slammed down the phone.

“What have I done?” Madison moaned to herself. She fell backward on the bed. “If Hart is my secret admirer, why can’t he just come out and say so?” she screamed.

“Rowrowrooowr!” Phinnie howled.

Madison propped herself up on her elbow. “What is his problem, Phin?” she asked. “I mean, even Egg is admitting his true feelings. Why can’t Hart?”

Phin looked at her, then trotted to the door. He turned back and stared at her. “Rowroooo!” he barked.

“Oh, I get it,” Madison said. “Walk time.”

She trudged downstairs and pulled on her coat, then clipped the leash to Phin’s collar. She called out to her mom that she was taking Phin out, then stepped into the chilly evening air.

Phin put his nose to the ground and snuffled. After a moment, he was tugging on his leash like crazy.

Madison laughed. “Whoa, Phin! Slow down!” she said, but he ignored her.

She let him lead her down the block and around the corner, not really caring where they went through the purplish twilight. After three blocks, Phin strained hard against the leash, snapping Madison back to reality. What was Phin so eager to get at? Madison looked up, and saw the answer headed straight for her.

“Hi, again!” Toby called. “Whoa, Peaches, slow down!”

The glossy golden retriever pulled at her leash, and Toby hurried to keep in step. Madison chuckled to herself. Phin’s curly little tail was moving so fast that it almost wagged into a blur.

“It’s Madison, right?” Toby said, flashing his same white smile.

“Yeah, hello, Toby,” Madison said shyly. “How’s high school so far?”

“Good,” he said, pushing his shaggy blond bangs off of his forehead. “Everyone here is nice.”

“Rowrooooooooof!” Phin barked as Peaches nuzzled him happily.

“I hate to break up this romantic moment,” Toby said, “but I’ve got a ton of homework.”

“Same here,” Madison said. “I guess I’ll see you around.”

“I think the dogs will make sure of it,” Toby joked. “Bye, Madison.”

Madison gave Toby a little wave as he steered Peaches away. Phin gazed sadly after her for a while, then looked up at Madison.

“Really, Phin,” Madison said, pretending to scold him. “You should at least try to play hard to get once in a while, don’tcha think?” Phin blinked up at Madison, and she laughed. “Come on, let’s go home.”

Reluctantly, they headed back to Blueberry Street.

“Mom—where are you?” Madison called as she unwrapped her scarf from her neck and hung it on the peg in the hall along with her heavy jacket.

“I was in my office,” Mom said, walking into the living room as Phin dashed to the kitchen in search of dinner. “But then the doorbell rang and I got this.”

Mom was smiling from ear to ear. In her hands were a red envelope and a red rose. The rose was wrapped in red tinfoil at the end. It was made of chocolate. “Look what arrived while you were out!”

“Wow,” Madison said, sighing. “Someone must really like you, Mom.”

“Not me,” Mom said, handing the envelope and rose to Madison. “It’s for you.”

“No way!” Madison said. “Did someone bring it over? Huh?
HUH
?” she asked eagerly.

Mom shrugged. “I don’t know,” she said. “Whoever it was rang the doorbell and left before I answered it. These were on the mat outside.”

Madison ripped open the envelope and pulled out the card. It had a picture of a bear on the front, holding a red paper heart. She read the message inside.

Happy Valentine’s Day in advance, signed, Your Secret Admirer

“A secret admirer, huh?” Mom asked, grinning. “Is this the same guy you were talking about this weekend?”

“Yeah,” Madison said. “Kind of.” Her head was spinning. Orange Crush was totally Hart. She knew for sure now. He had been around the corner just moments ago, at Chefs house. And he had spoken to her on the phone, so he knew she was home, too. It had to be him!

“Any idea who it is?” Mom asked. “I had no idea seventh-grade boys could be so romantic,” she added, winking.

“I’ve got to go call Aimee,” Madison said quickly.

“Dinner in an hour,” Mom called as Madison dashed up the stairs to her room. “Don’t get all wrapped up online, okay?”

Madison took the steps two at a time up to her room.

IT WAS HIM
! Madison thought as she punched Aimee’s number into the phone. She hoped that neither Doug nor any of Aimee’s other brothers would answer again.

“Hello?”

Madison grinned. It was Aimee! “Aimee, it’s me,” she said in a rush. “You said to call when I got another message from my secret admirer and I got one. I
GOT ONE
!”

“What did he say?” Aimee asked.

“It’s more than just a note. It’s an early Valentine’s Day card and a chocolate rose!” Madison said. “I’ve never gotten a rose before!”

She had to hold her receiver away from her ear as Aimee squealed into the phone. “That is so totally romantic!” Aimee shrieked. “I’m coming right over!”

“Okay, see you soon,” Madison said, hanging up the phone.

She leaned down and lifted Phin into her lap.

“Wawoooo,” he whimpered when she squeezed too hard.

“Oops, sorry Phinnie,” Madison said, kissing his wet nose. She felt a whoosh of adrenaline inside. She could hardly sit still.

She had her first rose.

She would have a date for the dance.

And she would finally—
finally
—get the chance to tell Hart Jones how she really felt about him.

“O
KAY, MADDIE, WE’VE GOT TO GET
serious about this,” Aimee said as she folded her legs Indian style and leaned forward to type something on Madison’s laptop. “If we really want to find out who Orange Crush is, we’ll have to look at all of the evidence—carefully.”

Madison nodded. “What are we—love detectives?”

They broke up into a fit of laughter.

The two
BFF
s had just finished having soup and salad with Madison’s mom. Now they were sitting on the floor in the den. Mom believed they were going to watch a movie, but really they were trying to guess the true identity of Madison’s admirer. Or, as Madison preferred to think of it, they were going to find absolute proof that Hart was the one.

“So,” Aimee said. “Let’s make a list.”

“A list of what?” Madison asked.

Aimee grinned. “A list of suspects,” she said. “What else?”

“Ha-ha,” Madison said.

“Now, as I see it,” Aimee went on, “the prime suspects are Drew, Chet, Hart, Dan, Suresh, Lance, and Egg.”

“What about Ben Buckley?” Madison asked.

Aimee shot her a look. “What about him?”

Madison smiled. “Aimee, why don’t you just admit
YOU
like him.”

“Whatever,” Aimee said. “Can we please get on with this?”

“Why do you have Lance on that list?” Madison asked, crinkling her nose. “He’s such a weirdo.”

“True,” Aimee admitted, tapping her lower lip. “We’ll cross him off.”

“And I hardly even know Suresh,” Madison said. “I think he likes Lindsay Frost anyhow. She told me he might ask her to the dance.”

“Really?” Aimee said. “Okay. Cross him off, too.”

“Hey, you can cross off Egg, too,” Madison said. “Have you forgotten that he likes Fiona?”

“Yeah, but Egg could be helping someone else by putting the things in your locker,” Aimee explained. “So identifying him brings us closer to knowing who the real admirer is … right?”

Madison’s eyes bulged. “I hadn’t even thought of that,” she said.

“And Egg knows more about you than any of those other guys,” Aimee added.

Madison shrugged. “Okay. Put him on the list.”