Authors: Julie Bowe
My Best Frenemy (17 page)
Mr. Crow showed us how to make paper snowflakes in school today. We get extra credit if we make more at home to hang in our classroom.
“Of course,” Jenna says, following us inside. “I’m excellent at making them. ”
I find paper and scissors for both of us after Rachel starts her lesson. We sit on my bedroom floor and fold and cut the paper like Mr. Crow taught us, so that our snowflakes will be perfect hexagons when we unfold them again.
“We should cut the holes in geometric shapes, ” Jenna says. “Triangles. Circles. Squares. ”
I nod. “Maybe even stars. ”
“Maybe even
hearts
,” Jenna adds. “Then you could give a snowflake to your
crush
.”
hearts
,” Jenna adds. “Then you could give a snowflake to your
crush
.”
“Ha, ha, ” I say. “I barely even like any boys. ”
Jenna snips at her snowflake for a minute. “I like Tom, ” she says.
My mouth drops. “Tom Sanders? But you made him drink his science experiment! ”
Jenna rolls her eyes. “That was in first grade, Ida. I’m way more mature now. ” Jenna unfolds her snowflake. Little squares are scattered over its six points. “What about you? ” she asks. “Who do
you
like? ”
you
like? ”
I think about what I wrote in my journal way back when I started it. About liking Quinn. And how I haven’t told anyone that secret. Not even Stacey.
“I told you who I like, so you have to tell me who you like, ” Jenna says, folding a new sheet of paper. “It’s only fair. ”
I cut heart shapes along the edge of my snowflake. “Maybe I like Quinn, ” I mumble. “A little. ”
Jenna snorts. “I knew it. ”
“How did you know? ”
“Duh, Ida, ” she says, glancing up at me. “Remember when we built our snow fort and you hit Quinn with a snowball and he smiled at you? ”
“You saw that? ”
“Yup,” Jenna says. “You turned ten shades of red. ”
I do a huff. “I did not turn colors! ”
Jenna snorts again. “Like a box of crayons. ”
“If my cheeks were red, it was only because it was cold out, ” I say.
“Uh-huh, ” Jenna says back, cutting a circle in the center of her snowflake. “Don’t worry. Your secrets are safe with me. ”
I unfold my snowflake and I give her half a smile. “Yours too. ”
Epilogue
Dear Stella,
We finished our math unit in school yesterday, so everyone helped Mr. Crow put away the Little table of cardboard shapes and roll up the rug and hand back our concrete poems. He also Let us take down our paper snowflakes if we wanted to keep them.
I took down the one I made with heart shapes and Jenna dared me to give it to Quinn. She’s still the only one who knows that I Like him. So I gave it to him even though we’re not supposed to do dares in school.
Quinn grunted and stuck it in his desk.
Boys.
I glance up from my journal and see my reflection in the mirror that hangs behind my bedroom door. It’s the million and oneth time I’ve looked at myself today.
Mostly just my ears.
Mostly just my earlobes.
That’s because I counted all my babysitting money this morning and there was enough to get them pierced.
The more I tilt my head, the more my earrings sparkle. “They’re my birthstone,” I say to George. He’s watching me from my dresser. “
Peridot
,” I add, sliding off my bed and walking over to him. “Which I think is the artistic name for
green
.”
Peridot
,” I add, sliding off my bed and walking over to him. “Which I think is the artistic name for
green
.”
George glances from my ears to my fish tank and I tap on the glass. “I’ll clean your filter in a minute, Pic, ” I say to my fish. “Right after I clean my ears. ”
Pic must be happy to hear this, because he takes a couple of laps around the pirate.
I set George on my bed and glance at the picture of me and Stacey that’s sitting on my nightstand. I called her this morning to see if she could go to the mall with me to get my ears pierced.
But she was on her way to Brooke’s house to practice their dance for the spring recital.
So I called Jenna and asked her if she could go with me instead.
She said yes.
After the piercing lady cleaned my earlobes and marked them with two tiny dots, and held an earring shooter up to my ear, and said, “Ready?” I looked at Jenna and asked her if I could squeeze her hand.
She said, “Squeeze the blood out of it. I don’t care. ”
So I did.
Which was a good thing because guess what? It hurts to get your ears pierced.
I pick up my journal again.
I got my ears pierced today. Afterward we walked around the mall until I could breathe normally again. Then my mom got a coffee while me and Jenna Looked around the Mish Mosh. Mom had given me some extra money so I could buy something for Jenna, to thank her for coming aLong.
We dug through the jewelry bin together for a Long time until she found exactly what she wanted.
Ladybug barrettes.
Bye, Ida
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