Lost and Found (15 page)

“Please be careful,” she said, flailing her arms. She bobbed and weaved herself to avoid getting pelted by raindrops. “Isn’t that dangerous?”

Aimee thought Billy was cool.

Madison thought he was acting like a show-off.

“You got a bigger problem than one little leak,” Billy said, climbing back inside.

“How much?” Mom asked. She sat on the windowsill and groaned.

Billy smiled, and his teeth gleamed. “Well, I think your chimney is busted and some of the shingles out there need to be replaced. You have some rotten wood and corrosion. And unfortunately, with this rain, I can’t really do much until it dries up….”

“Oh!” Mom sighed. But then she smiled. “But it
can
be fixed? You can fix it?”

“That’s why we call the company Dickson Fix-It, ma’am.”

“Please. Call
me
Frannie,” Mom said.

Madison crossed her arms against her chest and made a face. How could Mom be acting so nice to this total stranger when there was a total disaster in her bedroom? And why was she still smiling?

Aimee was getting a little restless, too. “Let’s go back downstairs, Maddie,” Aimee pleaded. “I have something to show you—and we have to paint our nails, remember?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Madison said. She didn’t want to leave all her stuff. She didn’t want to leave Mom, either.

Before they went back down, Mom asked the girls to help move some of Madison’s things out of the way and against the walls. They pushed the purple inflatable chair over by the closet, covered the bed in plastic, and made sure no clothing, stuffed animals, or posters were in a potential “wet zone.” Then Madison followed her BFF back downstairs, reluctantly.

Sharp rain plinked against the windows in the den. There was a flash of yellow in the evening sky that made the room glow. Madison counted one, two, three until a thunderbolt cracked. The storm sounded like it was churning around the house and trees in the backyard.

“I have to show you my new pictures!” Aimee said, rushing over to her schoolbag. She pulled out a fat blue portfolio. “I need you to help me pick one out for the ballet revue program.”

Aimee pulled Madison over to the couch and sat her down.

“Do you like the one with my hair in the bun or a French twist?” Aimee asked as she took out more photos. “What do you think of this one?” Aimee held up a photograph of her in a pink-and-blue pastel leotard. “I look way too fat, right?”

“Huh?” Madison sighed. She got up and wandered over by the stairway to see if she could hear anything else from upstairs.

“Maddie?” Aimee asked. She held up another photo that looked
exactly
like the first one. “What about this?”

“You always look great,” Madison said, distracted. She could still hear faint noises from upstairs.

Laughter. A hammer. More laughter.

Aimee held the two pictures up again for a side-by-side comparison. “I think I like this one better. Don’t you?”

Madison was staring up the stairway, trying to hear the conversation between her mom and Billy.

“Earth to Madison! I just asked you a question,” Aimee said.

“Sorry,” Madison said. She took the photographs from Aimee and picked one. “I like this. You look pretty in this one.”

Mom came down the stairs. “Well! We’re in capable hands with Billy. Isn’t he great?”

“Great,” Madison said, not feeling the situation was great in any way.

“Anyone hungry for some dinner?” Mom asked the pair.

Madison and Aimee followed her into the kitchen. Since pizza was the ultimate friend food, Mom ordered a large one with mushrooms and pepperoni.

“I think that Billy guy is so weird,” Madison said to her mom.

“Oh, Maddie! But he’s so nice.” Mom laughed. “Billy works as a cameraman for a film company.

Isn’t it a small world that we both work in the industry? He does contracting work on the side when he’s not filming. Actually, Billy and I have a lot in common. Isn’t that funny?”

“Hysterical,” Madison said. She wanted Mom to stop smiling and
stop
saying his name. The word
Billy
was really bothering Madison, like a pesky mosquito buzzing at her ears.

“Can I show you my ballet pictures, Mrs. Finn?” Aimee asked, pushing her overflowing portfolio onto the countertop.

“Of course,” Mom said, clearing a space on the kitchen table. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”

Madison leaned in close to Aimee. Looking at the ballet photos again was the last thing she felt like doing, but it was
way
better than talking about the things Mom had on her mind.

Like Billy the bug.

Even with the rainstorm, the pizza-delivery guy made it to Madison’s house in under a half hour—a time frame that’s 100 percent guaranteed or else the pizza was free. Madison, Aimee, and Mom ate it with salad that Mom threw together. They had store-bought brownies for dessert, but Aimee only ate a corner of one.

By the time they’d eaten pizza, Billy had surveyed the upstairs room completely and given Mom a rough estimate of the work that would need to be done. He said that he’d come back to check on the roof and attic the next day. Mom chatted with him like he was some kind of old pal. Madison squirmed every time he grinned his gap-toothed grin.

After Billy left, Mom headed into her office to do some film-editing work while Madison and Aimee disappeared to do their homework. At least they intended to do their assignments. Instead of math books, however, they pulled out Aimee’s manicure stuff. Aimee painted Madison’s nails a perfect blue to match Madison’s rainy-day mood.

“Let’s go online and find Fiona,” Aimee suggested when she’d finished nail painting.

“But she’s at that family dinner,” Madison said. “And I can’t type or anything with my nails like this.” She blew on them to make them dry faster.

“Fiona’s dinner must be over by now,” Aimee said, looking at her watch. “And I can type for you so your nails don’t get messed up.”

They set up the laptop on the desk in the den and logged on to TweenBlurt.com. Aimee typed while Madison leaned over Aimee’s shoulder for assistance.

“You have to give your password,” Aimee said when she saw the password prompt. Madison grabbed a pencil to punch her supersecret password on the keyboard without messing up her nails.

Screen Name: MADFINN


Supersecret Password: ********


The waiting room inside TweenBlurt.com was packed with members. Aimee scrolled down the list of special rooms.

Soccer rules! !!!!!!!


(11 fish)


“I bet she’s in there,” Aimee said right away. “She’s such a soccer maniac.”

But Madison told Aimee to keep looking. She knew Fiona would wait somewhere else where they’d
all
be more likely to hang out.

******animal lovers here*****


(23 fish)


Keypal Kingdom


(8 fish)


Junior High—enter at ur own risk!


(41 fish)


“There!” Madison blurted. “I bet she’s in that junior-high room. We went in there once when she was over.”

Aimee glanced at the list of forty-one kids’ screen names.

Crazy_boyz


Luv4ever


HelPer


Peacefish


WillydOO


Luckyduck


987goforit


lovetoPARTY


barbeedoll


Flowr99


BryanSarah


Wetwinz


“Wetwinz!” Aimee said. Fiona was online with the screen name both Aimee and Madison knew. Fiona had selected the name to match that of her twin brother, Chet. His was
Wetwins
with an s. It stood for “We are twins!”

“Wait a second,” Madison said, pointing to the name
Flowr99.
“Look who’s in the chat room with her—Poison Ivy Daly!”

Aimee didn’t recognize Ivy Daly’s screen name. “Is Flowr99 Ivy’s screen name? She’s a
poisonous
flower if she’s any kind of flower!”

Madison checked her buddy list. Her keypal Bigwheels was also online. Madison and Bigwheels had first met online inside a TweenBlurt.com chat room called GO FISHY. After a few chats, Madison learned that Bigwheels was greater than great at dishing out advice—especially when it came to friendship.

But she couldn’t talk to her right now. She’d have to give her a shout-out later, after Aimee went home.

Suddenly, Fiona’s screen name appeared on the buddy list. “Look who’s here!” Aimee said excitedly. She typed a quick message and hit SEND.

: HELLOOOOOO FIONA!


: Hi Maddie


: and Aimee too how wuz dinner???


: Boring. I wish I was there w/u guys


: did u get caught in the rain tonight


: no but lightning hit a tree on my block!


: =8–0


: it fell on Ridge Rd.


: WOW did Egg call u?


Madison gave Aimee a light punch on the shoulder. “Aimee!” she said. “You aren’t supposed to ask her about that.”

Egg was the nickname of their best guy friend, Walter Diaz. Fiona liked him—a lot.

: Yeah Egg called tonite


: HE DID??? WHAT DID HE SAY?


: he wanted homework pages. That’s all


: YR he just wanted reason to call u


Madison wanted to erase what Aimee wrote. She knew Fiona could be a little sensitive about the whole Egg thing. She leaned over Aimee and tried to punch in a message of her own.

: dont lis ten to Am ee!


“Maddie, stop that!” Aimee yelped. “You’ll mess up your nails!”

: LOL which 1 of u is writing2 me?


: Maddi so wha else gon on?


Madison could barely type in the awkward position she was in. And her nails were getting a little smudged.

“Oh, Maddie, will you just let me type, please?” Aimee said, giggling. “I won’t ask about Egg anymore, okay? I promise. Cross my heart.”

Madison leaned back again. “Okay. But you promised.”

: Aimee typing now—so what else is new


: well I ordered my GLASSES today


: Ooooooh how do they look?


Didja get the wire ones or the ones that look like turtle shells?


: tortoise AND my mom got me a special strap so I can wear them when I play soccer 2


: I bet u look groageous


: I mean GORGEOUS


: LOL I wish I was there w/you guys


: come oVER! It’s only a short walk.


: it’s raining hard


: ok then c u l8r


: LYLAS


“Girls!” Mom called out. “GIRLS!”

Mom interrupted their online conversation with the dangle of car keys. She was ready to take Aimee home.

“Already?” Aimee protested.

“It’s nine o’clock and it’s a school night,” Mom said.

While Aimee and Mom went to get into the car, Madison dragged Phin outside to say good-bye and get in a quick walk at the same time. Sidewalks were off-limits for pugs during lightning storms, so Phinnie stayed very close to home. He nosed happily around the front steps only.

“See you in school tomorrow, Maddie,” Aimee yelled as the car pulled out of the driveway. “Bye!”

“Thanks for my nails!” Madison yelled back. She waved good-bye to Aimee from the front porch. “I loooove the color!”

“Rowrroooooof!” Phinnie barked his own goodbye, shook the rain off his fur, and headed for the front door.

Madison unhooked his leash and went back into the den.

In the half-darkened room, she saw that her laptop screen was lit. She and Aimee had forgotten to log off the TweenBlurt.com site. To Madison’s surprise, there was a new e-mail waiting in her e-mailbox.

From: Bigwheels


To: MadFinn


Subject: School Trips


Date: Sun 25 Mar 7:36 PM


What’s up? I went shopping w/my mother and my cousin today and bought this GREAT shirt. It will look amazing this wk when we go on our school mountain trip. Everything about the trip is planned: we’re saving the whole date for hiking and writing. Sometimes my school plans cool trips. We even have classes outside once in a while! Plus we get to pick our own partners and of course I am pairing up w/my BFF Lainie.


Have u been on any major school trips this yr?


Yours till the peanut butters,


Bigwheels


P.S. I had a peanut butter for a sandwich today—my new fave food. What is ur fave food?


Madison couldn’t believe that she and her keypal were both going on school trips in the same week—or that Bigwheels liked peanut butter as much as Madison did. They had so much in common.

She looked down at her polished fingernails and smiled.

The nails were still blue, of course. But thanks to her friends, online and off, Madison wasn’t feeling blue anymore.

She could hardly wait for the week to begin.

M
ADISON HAD TO STOP
by her locker to grab all of her science books before Monday’s classes started. She wanted to be extra prepared. That way, Mr. Danehy would be impressed and would be more likely to accept her very late permission slip for the field trip.

As she was standing in front of her locker, Hart Jones and Chet Waters passed by on their way to science class.

“Hey, Finnster!” Hart yelled.