L8r, G8r (26 page)

SnowAngel:

hey, sweet zoe! i know yr busy seeing relatives and
eating lots of hush puppies. i'm just leaving you a message so you'll feel loved.

SnowAngel:

can u believe it's only a little over a month until we graduate?!

SnowAngel:

omg, that means we have GOT to figure out our senior quotes. when are we supposed to turn them in? the end of april?

SnowAngel:

aside from that, get this: i saw glendy last night. the girl is internet-obsessed. she made me look at her facebook profile with her, where she now has—yes, it's true—4,987 friends. ridiculosity!

SnowAngel:

k, off to get a latte. hope yr having fun with the grands!

zoegirl:

hello to my ladies from I-75!

zoegirl:

either of y'all there?

zoegirl:

just inhaled delish dairy queen blizzard, as per driving-back-from-TN tradition. one of those full-service dairy queens with hot dogs and hamburgers and everything.

zoegirl:

i find it a little freaky, to tell the truth. mads, you would have loved. i know, i know.

zoegirl:

next up: obligatory stop in chatanooga so mom can revel in the outlet stores. oh, and then that horrible bridge across the mountain where i always think i'm going to die. joy!

zoegirl:

i'm back! i'm back! i am no longer trapped in the car with my parents, nor did i plunge to my death off the twisty turny mountain road!!!!

mad maddie:

welcome, dudette!

zoegirl:

they would not shut up about princeton the
*entire* trip, i'm not kidding. they were bragging about it to my tennessee relatives—and i haven't even gotten in! “well, when zoe's at princeton … ,” as if my aunts and uncles are these big hicks who are going to be impressed by an ivy league school. aaaargh!

mad maddie:

what are they gonna say if you DON'T get in?

zoegirl:

i don't know, and i don't care. and it's WHEN i don't get in, not if. i should get my rejection in a week, and then it'll all be over.

mad maddie:

maybe they'll feel sorry for you. pity could work to your advantage, cuz then you can win them over to kenyon more easily.

zoegirl:

that's the plan

zoegirl:

how'd pelt-woman do with the squishies?

mad maddie:

pelt-woman is in 7th heaven. pelt-woman is fulfilling her destiny as earth-goddess-chicken-lover, making the squishies homemade chicken feed and letting them run loose around their apartment. she loves them so much she wants to keep them fo-evah.

zoegirl:

seriously?

mad maddie:

i think they're good for her image—it makes her seem authentically eccentric. one of her friends has a ferret … but what's a ferret compared to 11 squawking chicks?

zoegirl:

true

mad maddie:

i brought ian over to see the chicks, and he let them walk on his tummy, it was cute.

zoegirl:

so you hung out with ian over break, did you? verrrrry interesting. does this mean …?

mad maddie:

that he has nerves of steel? yes it does. he put one of the chicks on my stomach, and it was like some
terrible tickle torture. pokey scratchy chicken feet, trip-trip-tripping along.

zoegirl:

nooooo. does it mean that things r moving forward with you and ian?

mad maddie:

hmmm

mad maddie:

i don't know how to answer that question. i am confused in my own head about that question.

zoegirl:

why?

mad maddie:

cuz think about it! we're graduating in may!

mad maddie:

when i broke up with ian last year, it was awful. i was just so stupid about it. and i never told you or angela, but part of me really regretted it.

zoegirl:

we knew that. you didn't have to tell us.

mad maddie:

well … i've always thought that if i ever DID get back together with ian, it would have to be for real. for the long haul, you know?

mad maddie:

but even tho i tell myself and tell myself that neither of us is ready for that, i DO like him. a lot. and he told me he … oh god. please don't make a big deal of this, ok?

zoegirl:

he told you what???

mad maddie:

we were outside my house, just leaning against his car and talking, and suddenly he got all solemn. he said, “i can't believe this. after last year … i never thought we'd be doing this again.”

zoegirl:

oh my gosh

mad maddie:

and he took my hand, and we just … looked at each other for a really long time.

zoegirl:

oh, maddie

zoegirl:

i'm getting the chills!

mad maddie:

but i can't talk about it anymore. too scary.

mad maddie:

what about you and doug? have you planned a date for the big wonka wonka love-fest?

zoegirl:

this friday. eeeek, talk about scary!

zoegirl:

i'm telling my parents i'm going to the senior daze campout, but really doug's going to get us a hotel room.

mad maddie:

zoegirl:

i'm nervous

zoegirl:

it's all so big. everything about this year is big.

mad maddie:

and there's nothing we can do about it, is there? we just have to hang on and enjoy the ride.

SnowAngel:

hiya, madikins. yes, pelt-woman can keep the chicks—as long as i get visitation rights.

mad maddie:

hey hey! u back on atlanta soil?

SnowAngel:

just flew in an hour ago, and boy my arms r tired. (hardy-har-har … )

mad maddie:

that's great about the chicks—pelt-woman will be so happy.

mad maddie:

and now, time to report the results of a very scientific experiment. ready?

SnowAngel:

uh, sure

mad maddie:

the tacky gold glitter polish you made me put on my toes is finally gone.

SnowAngel:

what gold glitter polish?

mad maddie:

from last summer. remember?

SnowAngel:

from last …?

SnowAngel:

hold on. you mean that time you borrowed my sandals and your toes looked like little crabs, so i gave you a pedicure? THAT gold polish???

mad maddie:

i was too lazy to ever use nail polish remover, so i just clipped off little moons of glitter as virgin growth inched up my toes. and today i clipped off the very last bit! my toenails are pure once more!

SnowAngel:

are you telling me you left that nail polish on for … omg … 8 months???

mad maddie:

that's the scientific experiment part! now we know that it takes 8 months for toenails to completely cycle thru!

SnowAngel:

no, now we know that yr an unhygienic slob!

mad maddie:

didn't we already know that?

SnowAngel:

wow. i'm both disgusted and impressed.

mad maddie:

why thank u

SnowAngel:

and now i'm outta here. i'm biking over to logan's to do the deed. wish me luck!

SnowAngel:

hey again. and before you ask: NO, i didn't break up with logan. but it's not my fault! it's like, where is he? he's not at home and he's not answering his cell. what's up with that???

mad maddie:

i told you he was acting weird that day i saw him at the drugstore. maybe he's avoiding you.

SnowAngel:

why would he be avoiding me? i've been gone for a week—you'd think he'd be DYING to see me.

SnowAngel:

oh well. can't say i didn't try!

SnowAngel:

logan is acting WAY odd. almost rude!!!

mad maddie:

did you break up with him?

SnowAngel:

not here at school. gonna meet to talk this afternoon.

mad maddie:

maybe he knows it's coming?

SnowAngel:

maybe, i dunno. strange, that's all!