L8r, G8r (34 page)

SnowAngel:

there's a new sheriff in town, and her name is zoe barrett.

mad maddie:

she's on a mission, man. i tried to talk her out of it, but no go.

SnowAngel:

what?!

SnowAngel:

i'm loving the fact that she has finally grown a spine. LOVING it. don't you dare talk her out of it!

mad maddie:

she was not to be dissuaded, so chill.

SnowAngel:

i feel bad about doug, tho

SnowAngel:

a while ago she told me that she really really needs praise, and i think the opposite is true, too. if someone tells her she's “bad” in some way—like doug suggesting that she depends on him too much—she takes it waaaaay hard.

mad maddie:

i know. she obsesses over it.

mad maddie:

ack—ms. hathoway's coming over. i'm supposed to be entering quiz grades for her. sayonaras!

mad maddie:

hiya, zo. get your history assignment done?

zoegirl:

hold on, just have to type the very last …

zoegirl:

done.

zoegirl:

what's up?

mad maddie:

saw you talking to doug today. you guys all mended?

zoegirl:

i don't know. he knows he hurt my feelings, and he's being very sweet to try and make up for it. like leaving notes in my locker and meeting me after class.

zoegirl:

but even though he's being so nice, i feel like i have to keep a wall up between us … otherwise he's gonna think i'm too “dependent” on him again.

mad maddie:

a LITTLE dependent's ok. just not whole hog.

zoegirl:

his side of things is that it was prom, it was a party, he wanted to hang with his friends *and* be with me. i'm like, yeah, i get that. but at the same time i'm thinking, “we made love for the first time 24 hours earlier. LESS than 24 hours earlier! shouldn't that count for something?”

zoegirl:

but i can't SAY that, because … you know.

mad maddie:

too dependent

zoegirl:

yeah

mad maddie:

have you made any progress with your jana plan?

zoegirl:

yes, actually!
because when i work on that i *don't* feel loserish. in my head i'm like, “see? i can be brave. i can take action.”

mad maddie:

and what form has that action taken?

zoegirl:

to be honest, no actual action yet. but here is my brilliant idea: steal jana's car!

mad maddie:

pardonay moi?

zoegirl:

not STEAL it steal it. just borrow it … and then leave it at a sex addicts anonymous meeting!

mad maddie:

oh, zoe, yr priceless

zoegirl:

i know! it's perfect! sex addicts anonymous, that's *so* jana. she'll be humiliated just like angela!

mad maddie:

sigh. must i always be the lone sage in the wilderness?

zoegirl:

huh?

mad maddie:

how are you gonna “borrow” her car, zo? and say you do manage to get your paws on the heapmobile. do you actually have a sex addicts meeting in mind to drop it off at?

zoegirl:

well …

mad maddie:

and how is jana gonna know that's where it is, so that she can go retrieve it and be humiliated?

zoegirl:

i guess i would

zoegirl:

somebody could just

mad maddie:

mmm-hmm

zoegirl:

don't say that! it's a great plan!

mad maddie:

your instincts are great, your plan is horrible

mad maddie:

back to the drawing board, dude!

mad maddie:

check this out: vincent told me that things are NOT going well with jana and logan. good news, eh?

SnowAngel:

do i care?

SnowAngel:

no. yes. but don't give me any details. i don't wanna hear about it.

mad maddie:

pourquoi?

SnowAngel:

cuz i don't WANT to care.

SnowAngel:

when i think about logan and how much mental energy i've wasted on him … it's ridiculous!

mad maddie:

yes. yes, it really is, so let's move on.

mad maddie:

altho i *will* tell you one thing. well, two things.

mad maddie:

thing one: logan still wants to get back together with you. that's what vincent heard from jana.

SnowAngel:

mad maddie:

thing two: vincent also said that jana found out who her stepmonster's doing the nasty with. it's some guy who works at a liquor store.

SnowAngel:

do I care? I do not.

mad maddie:

she found the guy's work shirt in her stepmonster's car. it smelled like her stepmonster's perfume.

SnowAngel:

did you get glendy's latest spam offering? about the bad guys who go around with fake perfume samples, only really it's ether?

mad maddie:

u read it? i thought u automatically deleted her emails.

SnowAngel:

well, i've been showing a little more caution recently, after she called me all giddy to tell me her spiffy new trick. get this: she's learned how to dump some bug on ppl's computers which makes them shut down and reboot automatically. and when they reboot, they relay the owners' log-on names and passwords straight to glendy.

mad maddie:

dude, that's some serious hacking. why???

SnowAngel:

cuz apparently some ppl have had the audacity to block her (incroyable!), and this way she can go to twitter or tumblr or whatever and UNblock herself. can you imagine? *pretending to be glendy: hi!!!! i'm baaaack!*

mad maddie:

jesus

mad maddie:

doesn't the fact that she's been blocked in the 1st place tell her anything?

SnowAngel:

so you better stay on her good side … or else!!!

mad maddie:

hey, babe. wanna hear about my healthy dinner? a reese's big cup and a glass of nestle quik.

zoegirl:

mmmm. nutritious *and* delicious.

mad maddie:

the rents r playing bridge with their buddies, so i'm on my own. you should come over!

zoegirl:

sorry, charlie. gotta finish my physics so i can keep my A. i do NOT want to take the final exam!

mad maddie:

are you gonna have to take any finals at all?

zoegirl:

i don't think so. straight As all the way … yeah!

zoegirl:

i did, however, take a study break to watch big bunny episodes 5 & 6. big bunny finally ate the kitty!

mad maddie:

au contraire—the kitty went away on a business trip! the kitty has a very good head for figures, remember?

zoegirl:

do you have every episode memorized? yr freaking me out.

mad maddie:

heh heh heh

zoegirl:

what freaked me out even more were those psychotic squirrels who hacked up the other forest creatures and turned them into pie …

mad maddie:

“chop chop chop went the squirrel. slice slice slice went his associates!”

zoegirl:

so guess what? i heard back from UGA, about my late application.

mad maddie:

WHAT?

mad maddie:

wait a sec—you actually did that? used angela's idea about writing the prez of the university?

zoegirl:

uh huh. i used my mom's letterhead.

mad maddie:

holy frickin shit, zo. you ARE taking a stand!

mad maddie:

what did they say?

zoegirl:

that i've got a spot if i want it. what do you think of that?

mad maddie:

what about the Hope Scholarship?

zoegirl:

they said my transcript demonstrates “the academic excellence the Hope Scholarship is in place to support.” so i could do it, if i want. i could honestly and truly go to georgia.

mad maddie:

free ride, baby! tell your mom to put THAT in her pipe and smoke it!

zoegirl:

i know. it's incredible. i can't wait to see her face when i tell her.

zoegirl:

well, no, that's not true. i'm totally nervous about telling her, because it'll be me fighting back in a real way. me saying, “are you *sure* you're not willing to pay for kenyon?”

mad maddie:

ahhhh, a power-play

mad maddie:

smart smart smart, little zoe

zoegirl:

we'll see. i've got to play it just right if it's going to work.

mad maddie:

SHOW NO FEAR

zoegirl:

but i'm not going to tell angela till it's done, because she'd just latch onto the UGA part and refuse to let go. you know.

mad maddie:

uh, yeah. been there, done that.

mad maddie:

what about your jana revenge plot? making any progress?

zoegirl:

i'm tossing some ideas around, but i'm not telling what they are because you'd just tell me they wouldn't work. for now i'm just … letting her get her confidence up.

mad maddie:

uh, i think her confidence IS up

zoegirl:

i'm just waiting for the right opportunity. and for a chance to talk privately with vincent.

mad maddie:

vincent?!

zoegirl:

g'night!