“During winter break, in December. We’ll get to see the city all decorated in lights! And, Sophie, here’s the best part: Mom and Dad said I could invite you to go with us!”
“Really? Me and you in Seattle?”
“I know, right? So you have to ask your parents when you get home, okay?”
“Okay, I will.”
“Can I get you girls anything else?” the waitress asks. We tell her no thanks and go to work finishing off the fries.
“Oh, before I forget, I brought you something,” Isabel says.
She reaches into the pocket of her jacket and pulls out a little notebook. It has a picture of the New York skyline across the front with the words I NEW YORK.
I smile. “Thanks, Is. It’s cute! Not sure what I’ll write in it, but I’ll think of something.”
“Yeah, you’ll think of something,” she says. “Hey, hold on. What thing of epic proportions happened before you got here? You haven’t said.”
The butterflies I felt earlier as I talked on the phone with Mrs. Parks come rushing back. I still can’t believe how my whole life has changed in the course of an hour.
“Well, it turns out one of my camp counselors, Marcella, has a mom who is a talent agent. And she’s interested in signing me. She thinks she can get me into some commercials, and maybe even a spot on a TV show.”
Isabel’s brown eyes get big and round, like two chocolate cupcakes. “Sophie! Why didn’t you say anything sooner? That’s ten times more exciting than me winning a baking contest. You’re going to be famous!”
I laugh. “Well, it’s kind of early to be saying that. She’s sending me a contract and we have to mail her some photos, then she’ll let me know if there are any auditions that might be a good fit. I’m trying not to get my hopes up, you know?”
Ah, who am I kidding? My hopes are already higher than Seattle’s Space Needle!
Chapter 6
chocolate gum
IT WILL SATISFY THAT CHOCOLATE CRAVING IN A PINCH
Tuesday morning, I roll out of bed, take a shower, and get ready. When I get to the kitchen for breakfast, Dad hands me the Willow Gazette. I squeal when I see my best friend’s picture with the heading “Isabel Browning Takes First Place in National Baking Contest.” I read the entire article and when I’m finished, I’m so excited. Today will be a really fun day for Isabel.
“It’s exciting!” Dad says. “She won a thousand bucks? Somehow you left out that small detail when you were telling us about it last night. Guess you were too busy thinking about the talent agent who wants to sign you, huh?”
I smile. “Yeah. That could be it. Oh, and Isabel wants to spend the money on a trip to Seattle with her family. She asked me to come too. Can I go? It’ll be over winter break.”
“I don’t see why not. Sounds fun. Check with Mom, though. Make sure she isn’t secretly planning a family trip to Tahiti or something.”
“Wow, that’d be some surprise. Even better than tickets to see Wicked.”
I scarf down a piece of toast and some juice, and then I’m out the door and on my way to school. What a difference a few days make. There will be no fake happiness today. Only the real kind, thank goodness.
When I get to school, a crowd has gathered around Isabel. I try to squeeze my way in, but I don’t have much luck. I can hear some kids laughing, and then Isabel says something so quietly, I can’t make it out.
When the first warning bell rings, everyone takes off, and I’m able to get to our locker, where Isabel is standing.
“Congratulations!” I say, reaching in to get my science textbook. “You made the front page of the paper! And they mentioned the cupcake shop. I bet that will help business.”
She looks at me funny. “Why would you say that?”
Uh-oh. “I mean, it’s a good thing, that’s all. Good for you, good for your parents. It was a great article!”
I slam our locker and look at her. “You okay? You don’t seem as happy as I thought you’d be.”
“You know how the paper mentioned the prize money?” she whispers.
I nod. “Yeah. So?”
“A couple of the kids were joking about it just now. One said I’d probably be going on a shopping spree and would come back with a new Coach purse or something. Then the other one said after that I’d be too good to eat in the cafeteria with them, and I’d have to eat with the teachers instead.”
I feel my happiness disappearing faster than a plate of jam tarts at a coffee shop. “Isabel, don’t let them bug you. They’re just jealous, that’s all.”
She bites her lip, quiet for a second. Then she says, “I told them I was taking my family on a trip. Someone said they’d watch for me on the Spoiled Rich Kids TV show.”
Anger boils up inside of me. “Isabel, listen. You have nothing to feel bad about! You came up with an incredible recipe, and you worked hard to bake that recipe in a bake-off with real judges! Don’t let their stupid jealousy bring you down.” The words taste yucky in my mouth, because I know, just a few days ago, I was one of those stupid, jealous people. Shame on me. Shame on them.
We start walking to class. “They’re acting like I won a million dollars or something,” she says.
“Now that would be something, huh? You could buy every girl in the whole school a Coach purse.”
As I’m turning into my science class, Dennis Holt, a tall, skinny kid I’ve known since kindergarten, is there and says, “You’re buying every girl in the whole school a purse, Isabel? Wow, you are rich. What about the boys? What do we get? Maybe a new video game? There’s this new one I really want—”
I interrupt him. “She’s not buying anyone anything. Especially you.” I wave to Isabel. “See you next period.”
The bell rings just as I’m taking my seat. Mr. Leonard tells us we’ll be doing an experiment with chewing gum. He loves coming up with these crazy experiments to help us learn what all the terms in the scientific method mean. This time, we’ll be chewing different kinds of bubblegum to see which type of gum blows the biggest bubble.
I like Mr. Leonard except for the fact that he doesn’t let us choose our partners. He seems to get a thrill out of matching me with kids who get on my nerves. For the bubblegum experiment, of course, he assigns Dennis Holt as my partner, who is definitely on my nerves today.
“Hey, Sophie, want to see a dead bird’s foot?” Dennis asks when he comes to my desk to work.
Ewww! “What? Why would I want to see that? And why do you have a dead bird’s foot? That’s disgusting.”
He’s rummaging around in his binder, like he’s looking for it. If he shows it to me, things are going to get ugly. “My cat likes to kill things and bring them to the porch for us to see. The bird’s foot was lying there, so I picked it up.”
I hold up my hands. “Please, do not show me that thing. And what do you mean, foot? Birds don’t have feet, do they?”
“Yes, they do.”
I scowl. “No. I’m pretty sure they don’t.”
“What are they called, then?” he asks.
“Talons. At least on big birds of prey that’s what they’re called. My brother went through a birds of prey obsession.”
“Man, I bet he’d like to see the bird’s foot,” Dennis mumbles.
I shake my head. Why do boys have to be so weird most of the time? “Can we just get started with the project? Please?”
“Sure.” He points to the pieces of gum in front of us. “Pick a flavor, any flavor.”
I don’t say one word to him the whole time, even though he tries his hardest to get me to talk to him. I simply shake my head yes or no if I have to answer an important question. Halfway through class, I can tell he’s getting tired of my silent act.
Mr. Leonard comes over to see how we’re doing. He gives us his approval, then says, “You both need to work on the write-up. Don’t forget, it’s due on Friday. Sophie, I do not want you doing all of the work, understand?”
I look at Dennis, expecting
him to make a smart remark, but he just sits there, twirling a gum wrapper between his fingers.
“Okay,” I say.
After he leaves, Dennis says, “He hates me.”
“He does not hate you. He might think you’re lazy, but he doesn’t hate you.”
“Do you think I’m lazy?” he asks.
I unwrap another piece of gum and pop it in my mouth. Oh my gosh, it tastes like chocolate. Chocolate gum!?
“That depends,” I tell him. “How much of the write-up are you going to do? And you have to taste this chocolate gum. It’s the weirdest thing.”
“Do you want me to do all of it? I can do the entire write-up if you want me to. I’ll prove to both of you I’m not lazy.”
I don’t trust him with the whole thing. “How about half? You want to do the first half or the second half?”
“I have a better idea,” he says. “Let’s meet up one day after school and do the whole thing together. How about Thursday? I have other stuff going on after school tomorrow.”
I’m silent.
“I promise it’ll be fun. And my mom makes really good snacks.”
“There’s one more thing you have to promise,” I tell him. “That after class, you’ll go and tell Isabel congratulations on the contest. Tell her you’re really happy for her, and mean it. Plus, I want you to apologize for joking about the money.”
He sighs. “Fine. But I really don’t think what I said was that big of a deal.”
“Imagine twenty other kids saying something like it,” I tell him. “It is a big deal.”
His expression changes. I can tell he gets it.
“All right. Sorry.”
“Don’t tell me. Tell her.”
He nods. “Where do you want to meet Thursday?” I consider the question for a second. “My brother says Mars is pretty cool.”
“Ha ha, very funny. How about my house?”
So much for a day filled with real happiness.
Chapter 7
chocolate-covered banana
DIP IT IN PEANUT BUTTER FOR AN EXTRA KICK
By the time the bell rings, I get the feeling Isabel would love nothing more than to return to New York City and stay there forever.
“Want to come over?” I ask her as we leave school. The sun is shining, but it’s cold. I zip my black down jacket all the way up. “We can listen to the Wicked CD. Bake some cookies or something?”
She slips her arms through her backpack straps as we walk toward the bike rack. “Thanks, Soph, but I better get home. I have lots of homework. I missed two days of school, remember?”
A strange noise comes from above. We look up and see a flock of geese flying across the bright blue sky. A couple of them are honking loudly.
“Flying south for the winter,” I say.
“Wish I could go with them,” Isabel says.
“Oh, Isabel. The stupid, jealous people need to get over it and just be happy for you.” Yes, once again I think of myself when I say this, and secretly cringe. “Try to forget about them, okay?”
She bends down to unlock her bike. “I’m trying, but it’s hard. I heard someone whispering to a friend that I think I’m better than everyone else now. Where did she get that?”
She stands up and looks at me, her eyes starting to fill with tears. “You’ve done nothing wrong,” I tell her. “Nothing! So forget about them and just hang in there. It’ll be old news in a couple of days anyway. Hey, you want me to do something shocking and get caught, so the attention is on me? Toilet paper the principal’s house or something?”
She finally smiles. “Thanks for the thought, but no, please don’t.”
“Okay, well, if there’s anything I can do, let me know.”
“Sophie Bird, you are the best.”
She gives me a quick hug before she gets on her bike and rides away. I look up and think of those geese, flying together in the V formation. They’ll stick together and help each other through until they get to their final destination.
Why can’t the kids at school be more like those geese?
I pull out the notebook she gave me and decide then and there it’ll be a place where I can dream things, big or little, and maybe, just maybe, they’ll come true.
Dream #1 –
I dream of a school where
no one is mean to one another.
(In other words, everyone
is as sweet as eupeakes
like my best friends.
When I get home, I find Mom at her sewing machine, working away on something for her Pampered Pooch business. Last year the business really took off and she got so busy, she had to hire a couple of women to help her. Now they also sew doggy clothes in their homes.
It’s weird to me how many people believe dogs need clothes. When my mom first started Pampered Pooch a few years ago, Dad and I thought she’d be out of business in six months. Boy were we wrong. Not only do people want their dogs to have clothes, but they want them to have a variety. I mean, do they really think the neighbors are going to say bad things if the dog goes outside wearing the same outfit two days in a row? I guess they do. And thanks to my mom, there are some dogs out there who dress better than I do.
“What are you making?” I ask as I grab a banana from the fruit basket. Daisy begs me with her eyes, telling me she wants a little snack, too. So I take a treat from the special treat container and toss it to her.
“I’m working on bows today,” she says.
I pick up a finished one. It’s made out of plaid fabric in pastel colors. In the center of the bow is a button shaped like a bone.
“You want one?” she asks. “I bet it’d look cute on you.”
I smile. “Uh, no thanks. I’m good. Hey, what about that leather jacket idea I had? I bet it’d be a big seller.”
She takes her scissors and cuts the thread. “I’m still thinking on that. Leather is expensive, so I think it’s going to have to be a faux leather of some kind. And besides, dogs like to chew on leather. Can you imagine paying fifty dollars for a jacket and having your dog decide it makes a great chew toy?”
I open a jar of peanut butter and scoop some up with my banana. “I can’t imagine paying fifty dollars for anything relating to my dog. I love her, but Mom, that’s so ridiculous. Don’t people realize there are starving children in Africa? I just think there are a lot more important things to spend money on.”
She stands up. “Careful, honey. You’re starting to make me feel bad. Although, if they weren’t buying the stuff from me, they’d probably buy it somewhere else.”
“Mom, I’m hungry,” Hayden says as he walks into the kitchen.
I break off part of my banana and hand it to him. “Don’t say I never gave you anything.”
He takes a bite. “How come I taste peanut butter?”
“Because bananas and peanut butter are awesome together.” I give him the peanut butter jar. “Here, try it.”
“I’d rather dip it in chocolate. Do we have any of that?”
“Mom, is that okay?” I ask.
“Sure, go ahead.”
I take the chocolate-flavored syrup out of the fridge and pour some in a bowl. I cut up Hayden’s banana, put it on a plate, and set it all at the kitchen table.
“There you go. Dude, that’s some snack you got there. You could even dip the banana slice in peanut butter and chocolate. Then you’d have it all.”
He pulls a banana slice out of the bowl of chocolate with his fingers, and I watch as chocolate drips down his arm and all over his pants.
Mom glares at me as she grabs a towel and starts cleaning up his gooey mess. “How about giving the kid a fork, Sophie? And maybe not quite so much chocolate next time?”
As I head to the silverware drawer, I notice Mom has gathered photos of me and piled them next to the phone. “Mom, you’re not going to send all of these to Mrs. Parks, are you?”
“No, honey. I pulled them out so you could go through them and choose the ones you like the best.” br />
“So does this mean you and Dad have discussed it?”
“Yes, we have. If this is something you really want to do, we’ll support you. I’ve done some research and talked to some other clients, and Candace Parks is one of the top agents in the business.”
“Are you going to be famous, Sophie?” Hayden asks before he licks the chocolate between his fingers on the hand Mom hasn’t washed yet.
“Ha, that’s what Isabel said. It’s fun to imagine big things happening, I guess.”
Mom goes to the sink to rinse out the chocolatey dish rag. “How is Isabel, anyway?” she asks. “Was everyone happy for her today at school?”
“Not really. Jealous is more like it. Everyone was focused on the prize money and acting like she’s rich now or something. Wouldn’t that be nice? Then their business wouldn’t be in trouble.”
Mom frowns. “Oh no. Sorry to hear that. And what’s this about their business being in trouble? Did Isabel tell you that?”
“No, their neighbor, Stan. He let it slip when Lily and I walked over there the other day. Isabel hasn’t said a word, and I don’t know what to say.”
“I’m thinking if she wants to talk about it with you, she’ll bring it up. Maybe just wait and see.”
I grab the jar of peanut butter and a sleeve of crackers and head for my room. “Okay. Thanks, Mom.”
Once I’m in my room, I pull out the notebook Isabel gave me and write down two more dreams.
Dream #2 –
I dream that someday
there are no hungry
children in Africa, or anywhere else.
Dream #3 –
I dream that tomorrow
isabel is back to her
happy self again.
Chapter 8
candy cane dipped in hot cocoa
A CHOCO-MINTY TREAT
There doesn’t seem to be as much drama at school today. This is good. Still, Isabel seems quieter than usual, so I ask her to come over after school, using our upcoming social studies test on ancient Rome as a good reason. Studying together is much more fun than studying alone, I tell her. Mostly I just want to try and cheer her up! She agrees, so we ride our bikes to my house, then she calls her mom to let her know.