Then, at the stroke of midnight, MacKenzie was crowned Sweetheart Princess and my fairy tale turned into a horror story.
My gown and glass slippers turned back into my pj’s and bunny slippers. And my limo and chauffeur turned back into the Princess Sugar Plum Magical Flying Car (with real working headlights) and Baby Unicorn.
OMG! I was SO embarrassed to be at the school dance in my pajamas with Brianna’s toys. Everyone was laughing at me. Even Brandon, Chloe, and Zoey!
But this was the really scary part. Suddenly MacKenzie turned into this huge monster with pointy teeth, and she started growling and chasing me around the dance. I barely escaped by galloping away on Baby Unicorn . . . .
It was probably the WORST nightmare I’d ever had in my entire life.
I woke up in a cold sweat.
But this is the crazy part!
Even though I was wide awake and staring at the ceiling, I could still hear MacKenzie (or something) growling.
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!
And it seemed to be coming from outside.
I rushed to my bedroom window and cautiously peeked out, half expecting to see a glammed-up monster in a tiara terrorizing the neighborhood.
OMG! I couldn’t believe my eyes . . . .
IT WAS A TOTAL BLIZZARD OUTSIDE!!
Overnight, we’d gotten a whopping nine inches of snow!!
And the growling sound I’d dreamed about was actually Dad’s snowblower.
ALL of the schools in the area were closed, including WCD Middle School.
That’s when it hit me . . . . OMG! Our Sweetheart Dance was probably canceled as well!!
I felt so sorry for my BFFs and all of the other girls at school.
I’m sure they were SUPERdisappointed!
I usually enjoy when school is canceled due to snow. But today I just felt kind of numb.
So as a special treat to try and cheer myself up, I decided to make . . .
HOMEMADE DOUBLE-CHOCOLATE FUDGE . . . !
She sho
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15
Today I agreed to watch Mrs. Wallabanger’s adorable little grandson Oliver for a couple of hours while she played bingo at the senior center.
Okay! I admit I was wrong! I should NOT have teased Brianna about having a crush on Oliver last week.
And I don’t blame her for STILL being a little mad at me about that silly K-I-S-S-I-N-G poem.
But I never imagined she’d go hide in a closet and refuse to play with him. Especially after they got along so well when they played together at Kandy Kingdom in the mall.
Trying to coax Brianna out of the closet was a major headache. “Come on, Brianna! Why don’t you come out and play with Oliver? It’ll be fun!”
Oliver smiled and nodded his head. “Brianna, do you wanna play Princess Sugar Plum Monster Truck?”
Finally Brianna slowly opened the closet door and peeked out.
BRIANNA, PEEKING OUT OF at myself in the mirror.usdiMom THE CLOSET
I couldn’t believe Brianna was acting like such a little drama queen!
She knew good and well that if Oliver wasn’t visiting, I’d snatch her butt out of that closet so fast she’d have a permanent wedgie.
Brianna rolled her eyes at me and finally stomped angrily out of the closet.
That little brat didn’t appreciate the fact that I’d spent fifteen minutes setting up the family room with assorted toys, games, and stuffed animals!
I’d even managed to find some dinosaurs, astronauts, and wild animals for Oliver, thanks to Princess Sugar Plum’s Journey to Dino Island, Blast-Off Voyage to Mars, and Swinging Safari Adventure.
But in spite of a room full of toys, Brianna and Oliver just sat there staring at each other like strangers.
“Hey, Oliver! Look at this cool T. rex!” I said enthusiastically. “ROAR! ROAR!”
“And, Brianna, why don’t you show Oliver your Princess Sugar Plum spaceship with real-life blast-off sound effects! ZOOOOOOM!”
“No way!” Brianna grumped. “Boys have COOTIES!”
Oliver looked sad and sighed. Poor kid! I felt really sorry for him. Then Brianna got really personal and started dissing MY babysitting skills.
“Nikki! As a babysitter, you STINK! If Miss Penelope was watching us, we’d have lots of fun!”
“Fine!” I said. “Then let HER do it! She’ll see how hard it is to watch a little brat like you.”
“Fine!” Brianna yelled at me. “You’re . . . FIRED!”
That’s when Brianna brought out Miss Penelope.
A smile spread across Oliver’s face as he quickly pulled his tattered Mr. Buttons sock puppet from his pocket. Within seconds Miss Penelope was showing Mr. Buttons Brianna’s Princess Sugar Plum spaceship.
“I’m an astronaut, and I’ve been all over the galaxy! Wanna see my moon dust?” Mr. Buttons asked.
“You actually have REAL moon dust?!!” Miss Penelope exclaimed.
Oliver Mr. Buttons reached into Oliver’s pocket and dumped a small pile of sand and rocks on the floor . . . .
MR. BUTTONS SHOWS OFF HIS MOON DUST
“COOL!” Miss Penelope gushed in amazement.
I couldn’t believe my eyes! Soon Miss Penelope and Mr. Buttons were having so much fun laughing, playing, and running around that Brianna and Oliver joined in too.
The two four of them took a trip to Mars and had a conversation in an alien language. Then they nceled due to
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16
Now, where was I (tapping chin and thinking) . . . ?
Okay . . . Mr. Buttons was missing! And Oliver, Brianna, and Miss Penelope were having a simultaneous meltdown.
We looked EVERYWHERE! And still couldn’t find that stupid sock. I knew socks had a nasty habit of disappearing in the dryer. But I had no idea how one could just vanish into thin air.
“Nikki! You’re the babysitter!” Brianna screamed. “Do something! And do it NOW!”
I was like, Oh. No. She. DIDN’T!! “Really?! So I’M the babysitter now that Mr. Buttons is LOST and everyone is CRYING?!” I yelled at Brianna. “Personally, I think this is all Miss Penelope’s fault. Tell HER to go find Mr. Buttons!”
But since I WAS the mature, responsible older sister, I decided to take matters into my own hands.
After rummaging through my sock drawer, I found an old mismatched sock with ruffles and lace. I grabbed a black marker and drew on a face. Then I stapled on some yarn for hair, dabbed on some cherry-red lip gloss, and BAM!! A new puppet was born. I called her Maxine. Mainly because she was as UGLY as Max the Roach. (Max is a six-foot-long hideous-looking plastic roach bolted to the top of my dad’s bug extermination van.)
Although, with the big hair, long eyelashes, fancy lace and ruffles sock outfit, clueless expression, and five thick layers of lip gloss, she bore a striking resemblance to . . . NEVER MIND. I rushed back into the family room to introduce Maxine to Oliver.
“Oliver, please don’t cry!” Maxine pleaded in a squeaky voice. “Everything will be okay. I promise!” at myself in the mirror.shI just rolled my eyes at that girl.
“Wh-who are you?” Oliver sniffed.
“I’m Mr. Buttons’s older sister. My name is Maxine. Nice to meet you!”
“Wow! You’re Mr. Buttons’s SISTER?!” Oliver giggled as he wiped away his tears.
Brianna must have felt a little jealous or something because she just glared at Maxine and frowned. “Um . . . WHY do you have lint balls all over your face?” Brianna asked.
“Yeah, and your hair looks funny too,” Miss Penelope scoffed, looking her up and down.
“Hey, back off, girlfriend!” Maxine said, rolling her eyes at Miss Penelope. “At least I HAVE hair!”
So, maybe Maxine WAS a little linty. Sorry, but I was NOT about to destroy a good pair of socks. And WHY would Miss Penelope get all snotty and insult another puppet when SHE was a puppet too?! Was I the only person who found all of this distu
rbing, bizarre, and a wee bit creepy?
Maxine continued. “I’m here to help you find Mr. Buttons. But don’t worry about that guy. He’s a prankster and he’s probably just playing hide-and-seek!”
Oliver’s face brightened. “You think so?”
“Don’t listen to her!” Brianna fumed. “I think he’s been KIDNAPPED by the TOOTH FAIRY!!”
“I have a great idea, Oliver!” Maxine I said. “Why don’t you hang out with Maxine while I finish looking for Mr. Buttons. Okay?”
“That would be fun!” Oliver giggled.
I handed Maxine to Oliver. Then I went from room to room in search of Mr. Buttons. When I returned, Brianna and Oliver had plastered over a dozen Kidnapped, Missing, and Wanted posters all over the family room in their desperate attempt to find that puppet.
Brianna was about to tape a poster to a pillow on the couch when she suddenly gasped in surprise. “Hey, look! It’s Mr. Buttons!! The tooth fairy kidnapped him and stuck him behind this pillow?!” she exclaimed.
“Mr. Buttons! Mr. Buttons!” shouted Oliver. “I’m so glad to see you!”
We all gave Mr. Buttons a great big group hug.
Just then the doorbell rang. It was Mrs. Wallabanger.
“Hi, Mrs. Wallabanger,” I said, thankful she hadn’t arrived five minutes earlier.
“Hello, Nikki, dear. How are my little gangbusters doing?” she asked cheerfully.
“They’re GREAT!” I answered. “We played some games and even went on a BIG make-believe ADVENTURE!”
Suddenly Mrs. Wallabanger frowned.
“What was that?! You think I’ve gained weight and need to get a wig and dentures?!” she asked, highly insulted.
“NO! Actually, you look beautiful! Just the way you are,” I tried to reassure her.
As at myself in the mirror.WEt rs Oliver was leaving, he gave me a great big hug.
“Nikki! You’re the best sitter me and Mr. Buttons have ever had!”
“Thanks, Oliver! Both Maxine and I will be looking forward to you visiting again.”
He took a few steps down the sidewalk, holding his grandmother’s hand. Then he abruptly turned around and raced back to the door to give Brianna a hug too.
“Thanks for finding Mr. Buttons,” he whispered. “He made this especially for you!”
Oliver reached into his back pocket and handed Brianna a wad of red constructionG">Everything
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17
Due to the snowstorm on Friday, today was unofficially Valentine’s Day at WCD!
Chloe, Zoey, and I traded valentines. And I gave them some of my homemade double-chocolate fudge, which they LOVED!
I noticed Brandon staring at me in the hall this morning. It seemed like he wanted to say something, but I just totally ignored him.
And in bio I noticed he had what looked like a valentine or something stuck in his notebook. I assumed it was probably from MacKenzie. Or maybe even FOR MacKenzie.
But I didn’t bother to hang around after class to find out. As soon as the bell rang, I grabbed my stuff and ran out of there like my hair was on fire!
And speaking of MacKenzie, I know that girl HATES my GUTS! But never in a million years did I think she would actually stoop so low as to try to DROWN me!
In gym today my teacher announced that we’d be learning about swimming safety and the buddy system.
Okay, I’ll admit it. One of my most embarrassing secrets is that I’m NOT a very good swimmer.
Just imagine how cruddy I feel when Brianna is confidently doggy-paddling around in the deep end while I’m nervously wading in the kiddie pool!
Talk about HUMILIATION !
“Okay, class!” our teacher began. “I hope everyone read over the handout on swimming safety I gave you last week. Because today we’re going to discuss what to do if your swim buddy gets in trouble. I’m going to need two volunteers.”
MacKenzie and I immediately gave each other the evil eye! Just the mere thought of us working together as partners was beyond repulsive.
I think our teacher must have seen our reactions and decided that making us wear the school’s smelly, saggy, scratchy regulation swimsuits was NOT enough torture.
“Let’s see. How about . . . MISS MAXWELL . . . and MISS HOLLISTER?”
OUR GYM TEACHER, FORCING MACKENZIE AND ME TO BE SWIM PARTNERS
MacKenzie and I both rolled our eyes and groaned.
I immediately started feeling a little nauseous and I hadn’t even swallowed any of the nasty, germy pool water yet.
“Okay! Let’s do some role-playing. Miss Hollister, you’ll be the swim buddy on the shore. And Miss Maxwell, you’ll be the swim buddy struggling in the water.”
Well, one thing was for sure. I wouldn’t have to do a lot of acting to be totally convincing in THAT role.
“Actually, I was w-wondering if you maybe could pick someone else?” I stammered nervously. “I’m really not that good of a swim—”
“Come on, Miss Maxwell, hustle! In the pool! NOW!” she yelled at me like I was there trying out for the Olympic swimming team or something.
So I took a running leap, grabbed my nose, and did a cannonball into the pool . . . .
OMG! I hit the water like a brick. It literally knocked the wind out of me. I coughed and wheezed as I paddled for my life.
“Okay, Miss Hollister, imagine you’re at the beach and you notice your swim buddy struggling in the water. What do—”
“Wait,” MacKenzie interrupted. “Which beach is it?”
“I don’t know . . . ANY beach!” the gym teacher snapped impatiently. “That doesn’t matter.”
“I know! How about . . . the HAMPTONS?!” MacKenzie said excitedly.
“Fine! A beach at the Hamptons! And you’re worri at myself in the mirror.ckt rsed your swim buddy might be in trouble. What would you do?”
“What would I do? Wow! That’s a hard one. Well, for starters, I probably WOULDN’T go to the Hamptons! We vacationed there last year, and there were WAY too many tourists,” she answered smugly. “Hey! Put ME on a Brazilian beach! With an air-conditioned cabana, raspberry-melon iced tea, and lots of cute surfer boys!”
“You’re completely missing the point! This is about water safety!” the gym teacher said, flustered.
How DENSE could that girl be?
“Hurry up and answer the stinkin’ question, MacKenzie!” I yelled. “I can’t paddle much longer!”
MacKenzie scratched her head and gave the gym teacher a long, blank stare.
“Um, is this, like, a multiple-choice question or something?” she asked, twirling her hair. “I’ve heard the beaches in Hawaii are to die for!”
“Getting! Stomach! Cramps!” I panted. “HEEELP!!”
“Hollister, you’re supposed to be aware of your swim buddy at all times!” the gym teacher yelled. “YOUR swim buddy is possibly in TROUBLE! Now go jump in the water and save her!”
“Who? ME?! I DON’T think so!” MacKenzie replied coolly. “I just curled my hair this morning.”
“WORST! (glug) . . . SWIM BUDDY! (glug) . . . EVER!!!” I gurgled, choking on more water.
Then my head went under. I can’t remember what happened after that. I guess I blacked out and my teacher jumped in to rescue me. That’s what I was told, anyway. However, what I DO remember is waking up on the tile floor next to the pool.
I was surrounded by a bunch of snickering classmates, a not-so-happy gym teacher, and my BFFs.
That’s when I felt something weird around my waist.
And when I looked down, I discovered I was wearing a yellow doughnut-shaped inner-tube thingy with baby ducks on it.
It wasn’t NEARLY as cute as the sea horse my teacher had flat-out refused to let me wear in the pool just last week.
Go figure!
“You’re keeping that thing on for the rest of the class today. Got it, Maxwell?” my gym teacher said drily. “If you’re having that much trouble swimming in only four feet of water, you’re going to
need all the help you can get.”
“Wait a minute!” I exclaimed. “Are you saying I almost drowned in only FOUR feet of water?!! That’s barely up to my shoulders! I thought for sure I was in the deep end!”
My teacher sighed and shook her head.
OOPS! My BAD !!
Then she launched into another one of her stern lectures.
“Listen up, people! Water safety is serious business! The buddy system is NO joke! Lives are at stake! To ensure that everyone completely understands these concepts, tomorrow I’ll at myself in the mirror.a" aid=" c be giving you a written test! Sorry! But after what just happened here today, I really don’t have a choice,” she said, and glared at MacKenzie.
Every kid in the class groBoth Brianna a
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!
(That was me screaming!)
I was totally FREAKED out by what I saw in the halls when I got to school this morning.
It was surreal! I felt like I’d walked into one of my worst nightmares. I wanted to just call my parents and go home.
WHO did this to me?!!! And WHY?!!!
Only three other people at school knew about it.
“It” being that horribly embarrassing photo that my bratty sister, Brianna, accidentally texted to the ENTIRE world.
Okay! Well, maybe NOT the entire world.
Just CHLOE, ZOEY, and BRANDON!
Just looking at that photo gives me a migraine . . . .
Chloe and Zoey were really upset and have pinkie sworn to me THREE times that they had NOTHING to do with it. And I really want to believe them.
So that leaves at myself in the mirror.lddiMom . . . BRANDON. But WHY would he do this? Or give my picture to someone who would?
Anyway, this is what I saw when I arrived at school this morning . . . .
“VOTE NIKKI MAXWELL FOR SWEETHEART PRINCESS!” POSTERS WERE EVERYWHERE!