Three's a Crowd (From the Files of Madison Finn, 16) (15 page)

Madison shook her head. “I don’t think so,” she said, slumping.

Brrrrrring.

The bell rang for the next class period. Josh disappeared down the hall in the opposite direction. Madison was relieved.

“Now you missed your chance!” Fiona said.

“Can we meet up later to finish scanning stuff?” Aimee asked. “I have to return some of these books to my dad tonight.”

Lindsay nodded. “I can stay after school.”

“Me, too,” Madison said.

Fiona was the only one who had to go home. She was still taking medicine for her lingering flu. “I’ll help more tomorrow,” she said.

Everyone was fine with that.

“Even if we can’t always be here working together, we’re making progress,” Madison said. “That’s good, right?”

“Good?” Aimee scoffed. “Our project is going to kick some major butt.”

Fiona and Lindsay laughed, grabbed their book bags, and ran off to the next class. Madison needed to get something out of her locker, so Aimee waited with her.

“Is something wrong?” Aimee asked.

The halls were starting to clear out. The second bell was about to ring.

“I’m an idiot,” Madison said simply.

“What are you talking about?” Aimee asked, looking concerned.

“It’s about Josh. I’m an idiot. He never liked me. He never even thought about me like that,” Madison confessed.

“Wait—you said he—but—I thought you said—”

“Ignore everything I said,” Madison said. “I was wrong. Josh doesn’t like me. He already has a girlfriend. Lindsay told me she hadn’t seen him with any girls at school, but I saw him. Last night at Freeze Palace. He was with this girl Remy. Do you know her?”

“Remy McEvoy?” Aimee asked.

“I don’t know her last name. How many Remys can there be in the ninth grade, though?” Madison said.

Brrrrrrrrring.

They tried to finish the conversation as they walked along to the next class.

“So that’s it? That’s the end of Josh?” Aimee asked. She sounded disappointed. “I was getting excited about the prospect of your dating some ninth grader. And then maybe you’d introduce me to some other ninth grader….”

“Yeah, right,” Madison said. But she smiled.

Aimee put her arm around Madison’s shoulders. “You’ll be okay, Maddie.”

“I just feel so stupid.”

“Don’t say that!” Aimee said. “You are not stupid. You’re … you’re perfect.”

“Yeah, well, whatever. We better get to class,” Madison said.

Madison wanted to believe what Aimee said.

But she couldn’t get Josh and his signs out of her head.

She was perfect, all right.

Perfectly
embarrassing.

Her usual daily routine was back once Madison returned home that afternoon. Phin rushed to the door, panting. Mom was holed up inside her office, juggling the computer and phones. Working on the final edit of her documentary was an all-consuming task.

Madison said hello to Phinnie and rushed upstairs with no more than a quick hello to Mom through the office door. Although she’d been determined to get well, Madison wasn’t so sure anymore. The new plan: to bury herself as far down under the covers as possible and try hard to forget the last twenty-four hours.

Before she pulled the curtains closed in her bedroom, Madison glanced across the yard at Josh’s window.

She half expected to see Josh and Remy staring back at her, laughing and pointing.

But no one was home next door.

Madison made a beeline for her bed.

“Maddie!”

Mom was calling upstairs to her.

“What?” Madison yelled back.

“Phone!” Mom screeched again. She was coming up the stairs.

“What?” Madison raced over to the door.

Mom stood there, portable phone in hand. “Didn’t you hear the phone?” she asked. “Here. It’s for you.”

Madison took the phone and clicked the
HOLD
button.

“Hello?” Madison asked. She expected to hear Aimee’s or Fiona’s voice.

“Finnster?”

Madison sighed. Hart was one of the last people Madison felt like speaking to just then.

“Are you there?” Hart asked.

“Yeah,” Madison said. “Are you calling about the science work again? Because I felt bad when I told you I couldn’t do it. I mean, of course, you were right about me not liking my partner….”

“That isn’t why I’m calling,” Hart said, clearing his throat.

“Oh,” Madison said. “Then why are you calling?”

“How are you feeling?” Hart asked.

“I’m mostly better,” Madison said. “Still have a little cough.”

“That’s good. Not the cough, I mean. It’s good that you’re mostly better,” he said.

“What are you guys doing for your webpage project?” Madison asked.

“The Titanic,” Hart said.

“That’s deep,” Madison said, making a bad joke.

Hart cracked up.

He thought that was funny?

Madison threw herself across her bed, phone in hand. Talking to Hart right now wasn’t so bad after all. It was actually cheering her up a little.

“Did you do your science homework yet?” Hart asked.

“No,” Madison said. “I am so behind in Mr. Danehy’s class.”

“Me, too,” Hart said. “At least we’re not as behind as Ivy Daly.”

“Huh?” Madison said. She couldn’t believe he’d brought up the name of the enemy.

“Ivy never does her work. She’s always bugging me for help,” Hart said.

“Really?” Madison asked.

“She’s kind of annoying, in case you hadn’t noticed.”

Madison let out a huge roar of laughter. She couldn’t help herself. The laughter just exploded from her.

“Are you okay?” Hart asked after a brief pause.

“Sorry,” Madison said. “It’s just that … well, I thought … never mind.”

“Look, the reason I called is actually…” his voice trailed off.

Madison chewed on her fingernail. She needed to paint her nails. That would make her feel better, wouldn’t it?

“I called because a bunch of us are going over to the Far Hill Shoppes on Saturday. And I know Egg is going to go with Fiona,”

“Yeah?” Madison said, still looking at her nails.

“Well, everyone wanted to go to the movies….” Hart said.

“Uh-huh.”

“And I was wondering if maybe … Finnster, would you go with me?”

Madison swallowed hard. She wanted to ask Hart to repeat what he had just said, but she couldn’t bring herself to say the words.

Had Hart Jones just asked Madison Finn out on a date?

After the embarrassment with Josh, Madison didn’t know what to think. Was this some kind of practical joke masterminded by Egg? Was this another of Madison’s romantic misunderstandings?

“You want me to go to the movies with you?” Madison asked.

“Exactly,” Hart said, his voice perking up. “We’ll all be there as a group, but everyone sort of goes as a couple—with someone else, you know?”

“Cool,” Madison said.

“So, we can go together, then?” Hart asked a second time. “I’d really like that.”

Madison realized that this was no misunderstanding.

“Yes!” she blurted out, not thinking anymore about it.

“Cool,” Hart said. “So, tomorrow at school I’ll tell you where we’ll be meeting, okay?”

“Okay,” Madison said. As usual, shock had her speaking in one-syllable words.

She hung up the phone.

“Rorwowowowwowowooo!” Phinnie howled and hopped up onto the bed next to Madison.

“Phin, what just happened?” Madison asked.

Phin cocked his head and made a whimpering noise, as if to say, “I have no idea, and why are you asking me anyway? I’m a dog!”

Madison felt tightness in the center of her belly. She had to speak to her BFFs. She had to speak to them right then and there.

Madison went online. Unbelievably, no one from her buddy list was online, so she reached for the phone again.

Aimee was at dance class.

Fiona was asleep and could not be disturbed, according to her mom.

Lindsay wasn’t home yet.

Madison sent all three of them a quick, emergency e-mail. She hoped they would respond soon. Madison was ready to burst with her news.

From: MadFinn


To: Wetwinz; Balletgrl; LuvNstuff


Subject: CALL ME ASAP!!!


Date: Thurs 2 Oct 3:09 PM


I just got asked out on a REAL DATE.


Call E or me me right away to find out who asked.


xoxo Maddie


p.s.: Yes, you know him.


Madison got up and looked out her window again. Josh’s curtains were still pulled shut, but it didn’t bother Madison anymore.

She’d wanted Josh to like her so much. But maybe liking Josh was just some real-life optical illusion?

After all, Madison had wanted Hart to like her for much longer.

Numbers


This week when I was sick I thought a lot about numbers. You can see your whole world in numbers. For starters, I am living proof that 1 is totally the loneliest number. Even though I’m an only child I don’t like being alone that much. Thanks to Phinnie, I’m not.


Gramma and I talked about numbers. We said how 2 was company but 3 was a crowd. I believe that’s true 100%. When it was just 2 of us in the house it was sooooo much mellower than when it was Mom, me, and Gramma together.


I also believe that good things come in threes. Like this week I have 3 BFFS. We did great with our webpage! And that’s a good thing.


But all my thoughts about numbers and my theories on Josh liking me (and not liking me) didn’t prepare me for what just happened with Hart.


Rude Awakening:
I may use numbers to figure out my life, but it doesn’t mean that everything will add up.


Madison checked back in her e-mailbox to see if any of her BFFs had responded to her note, but the mailbox was still empty. No one had messaged Madison, either.

She would have to wait a little longer to share the news about Hart.

But it was worth the wait.

So was he.

:~(~~               Poor you!

: “ )                  I’m so embarrassed

RN                  Right now

CTS                 Change the subject

AU                  As usual

IKIK               I know, I know

*yawn*           How boring

*wink*            With a wink

w8!                  Wait!

VVS                Very, very soon

SW?                So what?

*^_^*
             Dazzling grin

TGFT              Thank goodness for that

DW                 Don’t worry

There is nothing worse than being sick and isolated from the world. Thank goodness for my laptop.
Use e-mail to keep in touch with friends and family when you’re stuck at home.
I got bronchitis but it didn’t keep me from staying connected with Aimee, Fiona, and Lindsay. Best of all, Lindsay was able to use e-mail from the media lab in the library at school to keep me posted on FHJH gossip. Messages and e-mail are the best way to stay connected—without the risk of passing your cold and flu germs to your friends. Even better, I stayed in touch without anyone having to see me with my Rudolph red nose and in my wrinkled pajamas. I stayed on top of all the gossip—even the stuff about
me
!

Visit Madison online at the author’s page,
www.lauradower.com

Author Laura Dower has a lot in common with Madison Finn: They’re both only children and they both love dogs, the color orange, and books! Laura has written more than ninety kids’ books to date, including twenty-five in the series From the Files of Madison Finn. Her other books include the new Palace Puppies series and
For Girls Only
, a guide to girl stuff. When she’s not writing, Laura loves to garden, sing (loudly), and volunteer as a scout leader for her daughter and two sons. She and her family live in New York. Want to be keypals? Drop her a note at
www.lauradower.com.

All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2004 by Laura Dower

Cover design by Connie Gabbert

978-1-4804-2308-4

This edition published in 2013 by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.

345 Hudson Street

New York, NY 10014

www.openroadmedia.com