Claudia and the Friendship Feud

  After I got off the phone with my new best friend, I spent the morning working on my Thanksgiving centerpiece. And I decided to use both of Erica’s ideas.

  In the center I made a sparkly turkey with the glitter glue, cardboard, and real feathers (not exactly “disco,” but it was pretty flashy). I also painted little Styrofoam balls to look like fruit and added leaves cut out of construction paper. Then I wrapped it in a fuzzy velvet bow.

  Mom said that she’d get a fat bayberry candle to put in the centerpiece.

  “I think it’s one of the most creative things you’ve ever made! Everyone will love it.”

  I was proud of myself, even if I had strayed from my original design plans.

  I also began constructing the teeny origami turkeys for the place settings. However easy they looked to make on the cover of the package, these were tougher than I’d thought.

  I ruined about five pieces of foil before I constructed anything that even remotely resembled a bird.

  Sigh. The origami would take work. And more time. I’d have to go back to it later.

  For now, I was heading over to my aunt’s house.

  I’d promised Peaches I would stop by to help her get ready for Molly’s arrival.

  Since Lynn was born, Peaches was always grateful for extra help around the house. And this weekend she was looking for extra, extra help so she could make the house perfect.

  When I arrived, she looked a bit frazzled. Her hair was twisted up onto her head and she was still wearing her bathrobe, on which there was a wet spot. It looked as if Lynn had spit up.

  “Peaches? Are you okay?”

  “Oh, Claudia you’re here. I’m fine, but Lynn has an upset stomach, Russ had to go to the office for a special breakfast meeting, even though it’s Sunday, and I have barely started cleaning up.”

  She collapsed onto a kitchen chair.

  The last time I’d seen my aunt so frantic was when she was getting ready to have her baby.

  “You look a little tired, Peaches.”

  “Oh, I shouldn’t be complaining. You came over to help me get ready, and that makes all the difference. By the way, let’s see your hair today.”

  I twirled around. Today it was pulled back in five different rainbow barrettes.

  “Very colorful, Claudia.” My aunt laughed to herself. “I think your being the calm in the middle of my storm is going to do me a world of good.”

  I glanced at the baby, snuggled into her door swing. Lynn could fall asleep anywhere. Noise didn’t bother her. Nothing bothered her. She was the sweetest baby I’d ever seen.

  “Okay, kiddo! Time to vacuum.” Peaches handed me the vacuum cleaner while she started to dust the windowsill.

  Crashhhh!

  “My vase! Oh, no!”

  Peaches had knocked a glass bud vase off the windowsill. I rushed to help her pick up the broken pieces and mop up the water.

  “I am such a klutz this morning.”

  “What’s wrong, Peaches?”

  “I’m nervous about Molly. I can’t believe she’s going to be here tomorrow.”

  Peaches was worried because she thought Molly would be bored to death in Stoneybrook.

  After all, she explained to me, Molly had seen the world, met famous people. What in suburban Stoneybrook could possibly compare to that?

  “Peaches, Molly doesn’t have a baby …”

  “No, Claudia, you’re right. She doesn’t.” Her face softened. “See, that’s why I need you here! Keep telling me that kind of stuff!”

  I tried, but my insightful comments didn’t take the edge off my aunt’s frantic behavior. She continued to clean the house in a fury and wouldn’t stop talking about Molly’s visit.

  “I want everything to be just right. This is a woman who has stayed in the best hotels in the world. I can’t let her think my bathroom is a mess, can I?”

  My aunt’s logic baffled me. If she and Molly were such good friends, what was the difference? If Stacey came into my house and it were messy, I don’t think she’d mind.

  Peaches was walking in circles around the living room, straightening lampshades and fluffing pillows. (I think she refluffed one couch pillow three times.)

  Eventually, she went upstairs to straighten up, dragging the vacuum cleaner behind her.

  Lynn and I played patty-cake a few times. I built her an awesome castle out of alphabet blocks. I popped a Wee Sing video into the VCR.

  Upstairs, I could hear the low hum of the vacuum cleaner.

  Zzzzzzap!

  The power went out.

  “Claudia, are you okay?” Peaches yelled from upstairs.

  “Yeah. What happened?”

  “The vacuum cleaner short-circuited. I’ll have to fix it. Aaaaaugh!”

  My aunt tore down the stairs, flashlight in hand, rushed to the basement to reset the circuit breaker, and ran upstairs again.

  “Do you need any help?” I called out once or twice, but she was in too much of a hurry to answer.

  At last the vacuum started again.

  When Peaches finally came downstairs, I asked her again what was wrong. “Why are you so nervous?”

  “Nervous? Is that what I am?” She sat on the sofa and pulled Lynn into her lap. “I don’t know, Claudia. It’s more like a mix of nerves and excitement. Friends do that to you sometimes. Do you know what I mean?”

  I knew.

  “To tell you the truth, Claudia, there’s more to it than that. I feel a lot of things. Molly is a big part of my past.”

  Peaches had thought she would feel relieved to see her long-lost friend. But somewhere deep inside she felt insecure.

  Were the old friends too different to get along anymore? Had their lives gone in completely different directions? Had one person’s life become much more interesting than the other person’s?

  “I used to call Molly all the time, but it became too upsetting for me,” Peaches confessed. “I put a successful advertising career on hold and opted for the role of stay-at-home mom. Molly became an internationally renowned photographer. I was jealous.”

  My head was spinning.

  Peaches was jealous? Insecure? How was that possible? My aunt was the most secure person I knew.

  Everything was turned upside down these days. People were acting strangely and nothing was what it seemed to be.

  Jeremy, for instance. I had liked him and thought he liked me back.

  WRONG.

  I believed Stacey would be my very best friend forever.

  WRONG.

  And I had believed Peaches was one hundred percent secure, happy, fearless….

  WRONG.

  Why was everyone and everything changing?

  Peaches and I moved into the kitchen, where I peeled potatoes and Peaches trimmed green beans for dinner.

  “Have you heard anything from Stacey?” she asked me.

  I shook my head and shrugged.

  “Is she still seeing Jeremy?”

  I groaned. “Yes. But I am determined not to like him.”

  Peaches nodded and winked at me. “Of course.”

  “Did you and Molly ever have another fight?” I asked.

  “Believe me, we had more fights. Molly and I shared everything good and bad.”

  “You know, Peaches, I don’t think you should worry about what the house looks like or what project you’re working on or any of that.”

  Peaches stopped what she was doing and gave me her complete attention. “Why not?”

  For a split second, I had one of those weird out-of-body experiences in which you feel like you’re watching yourself. Here I was, a kid, giving advice to a grown-up — and she was really listening.

  “Well, you keep saying Molly is so successful. Then why is she alone for Thanksgiving? You’re rushing around worrying about her, and she’s probably doing the same thing. Why do you feel insecure? What if she feels insecure too? You’re giving her a family for the holiday.”

  Peaches looked as if she were about to cry.
“A family, Claudia. Right.” She hugged me. “I love you.” She sighed. “My little niece. Whew. Maybe Molly’s visit will turn out just fine. I feel a lot better.”

  I smiled. “Well, you always make me feel better. It’s just my turn to make you feel good.”

  Lynn gurgled from across the room. I swear she could understand what we were saying.

  When I got back home that night, I felt different. Better about myself. After talking to Peaches about Molly, I was more determined than ever to put my situation with Stacey into perspective. I wanted desperately to forget about her and Jeremy. I needed to move on.

  Besides, now I had Erica to keep me company.

  Rrrrrrring!

  I was sure it was Erica calling to tell me about her Sunday skating lessons.

  I answered on the third ring. “Hello, Cheese Outlet.”

  “Uh, Claudia?” It wasn’t Erica’s voice. “Claudia, is that you?” It wasn’t even a girl’s voice.

  I froze.

  “Claudia, it’s Jeremy.”

  “Jeremy?” I was stunned. He was calling me? At home?

  My heart was beating like a bongo drum.

  Calm down, Claudia. Don’t be dramatic.

  “Uh, Claudia, are you there?”

  “Yes. Of course I’m here. What a surprise!”

  “Yeah. So … how are you?”

  You mean, besides the fact that I feel flushed all over and my palms are sweating and I feel dizzy?

  “Okay, I guess,” I mumbled, desperately trying to conceal my excitement.

  “Well, I just wanted to say hi.”

  “Oh, yeah?”

  “Yeah. And to see what was up.” He paused. “So what’s up?”

  “Oh, not much. The sky, the clouds, the birds …”

  Jeremy chuckled. “But what’s up with you?”

  “Me? Well, I’m making a Thanksgiving turkey out of feathers and glitter. Actually, the floor in my room is covered with glue and paper and it’s really a mess right now. It’s for a centerpiece.”

  “That’s cool.”

  I looked at the clock. Eight twenty-four P.M.

  What should I say? What should I say? Think fast. Think fast.

  “Jeremy, why are you calling me?”

  Why did I say that?!

  “Uh, well, like I said, I wanted to say hi.” Jeremy cleared his throat. “And since we saw each other in school between every period the other day, I figured maybe someone was trying to tell me something.”

  “Tell you something?”

  “Yeah, like we never get a chance to talk in school.”

  “Oh.”

  “Am I making any sense?”

  “Well …”

  “So how’s school going for you, anyway?” he continued. “You seem so busy.”

  Okay. That was a question I could deal with. My heart was thumping a little more quietly now.

  “Art class? Super. The best.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah. You know, art … my whole reason for living … the thing that makes me happier than anything else in the entire world.”

  “Whoa. Yeah, art. I forgot.”

  He forgot?

  “Well, anyway, we’re in the middle of making these collages in class and I decided I didn’t want mine to be flat like everyone else’s so I made a papier-mâché sculpture.”

  “That’s different.”

  “Yes. Well, I like to be different. Anyway, it’s a giant cat, and everything I pasted on it has to do with cats.”

  “Cat stuff? Like kitty litter?”

  “Noooooo.” I laughed a little. “Like words and pictures of cats that I drew or cut out of magazines. And other words I like.”

  “Mm-hmm.”

  He was pretending to be interested, but I knew what was really going on here. Change the subject — fast!

  “Sooooo … are you getting ready for Thanksgiving?”

  “Yeah, well, I think I told you, my family is staying in Stoneybrook,” he answered. “We’re doing the turkey and cranberry sauce thing. I’ll probably watch football with my dad and Gramps.”

  “Your grandparents are here too?”

  “Just Gramps. My grandmother died a couple of years ago.”

  “Really? Gosh, I’m sorry.” I paused. “You know, my grandmother died too. It was so sad….”

  “That was your grandmother Mimi, right?”

  He remembered her name!

  He told me that he hadn’t been so close to his Gramma Joan, but he still missed her.

  I looked over at my clock again. Eight thirty-six P.M.

  Wow. We’d been on the telephone for twelve minutes already. A new world record.

  “This is pretty cool, you know that?” Jeremy said.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Talking on the phone.”

  Hmmm. If he liked talking on the phone so much, why wasn’t he doing it with Stacey?

  “Claudia, I said this in school and I meant it. I always wanted to stay friends. I don’t want what’s happening with me and —”

  “Please don’t say that,” I interrupted him.

  “Don’t say what?”

  “That name. Her name. Whatever.”

  “Stacey?”

  It was still 8:36 P.M. Time had stopped.

  Change the subject, Claudia.

  “Uh … does your family ever go to the movies on Thanksgiving?”

  “Uh, sometimes.” Jeremy sounded perplexed by my diversion. But he went along with it. “Hey, have you seen Lovelocked yet?”

  “Actually, I have.”

  “Me too. I went to see it last weekend with —”

  “There she is again!” I interrupted, groaning.

  “What? Who? Stacey?”

  “Yes.”

  “She is my girlfriend, Claudia.”

  “Yeah, yeah. And you guys went to the movie and held hands and …”

  “How did you know that?” he said.

  Oops.

  “Jeremy, I was at the same show. Last Saturday. With another friend of mine. You know Mary Anne, right?”

  “The same show? Are you sure?”

  “I’m sure. I saw you there with Stacey.”

  Gulp. Did he think I’d been spying on him?

  “Oh. Did you like the movie?”

  Who was watching the movie? I was watching YOU.

  “Mm-hmm.” I had a lump in my throat all of a sudden.

  “Hey, Claudia, are you going to the science meet?”

  Science? Now he was changing the subject.

  “I’m not exactly what you’d call a science scholar. I’m not a scholar of any kind, come to think of it.”

  “Why do you say that? You seem really smart.”

  “Smart? You think so?” I laughed out loud.

  “Sure I think so. You’re smart and super-creative too. Everyone at SMS likes you.”

  “You’re embarrassing me, Jeremy. Cut it out …”

  Secretly, I was thinking: Keep it up, Jeremy. Who doesn’t like compliments?

  “Okay. I’m sorry, Claud. I don’t want to embarrass you.” His voice cracked. “Mrs. Gonzalez says I have a shot at the top science prize. Can you believe that?”

  “I bet you’ll win the prize. No contest.”

  “Now you’re being nice to me.”

  Was he flirting with me? Was I flirting with him?

  We both grew quiet all of a sudden.

  “So, what did you do today?” I asked, breaking the silence.

  “Skated. I take this class at a rink in Stamford. It’s a little bit of a haul but my mom doesn’t mind taking me. I want to sign up for Stoneybrook’s Junior Hockey League.”

  “Why don’t you just sign up now?” I asked.

  “Not good enough yet. And I don’t really know anyone in town. I’m kind of shy, in case you hadn’t noticed.”

  “It’s hard to notice anything with Stacey always hanging on you.”

  “Huh?” Jeremy asked. “What did you just say?”
/>
  “Uh, forget it. I didn’t mean it. It just slipped out.”

  “Stacey isn’t always hanging on me, is she?”

  “Well, not always. I didn’t mean it that way. It’s just that she —”

  “I know what this is about. It’s you two. Fighting all the time. I know, Stacey talks about it too. You know, maybe I shouldn’t have called you up like this. I want to be friends, but if you and Stacey can’t work stuff out, I don’t want to cause any trouble here.”

  Stacey talks about it too. I couldn’t get that out of my mind. Was she as upset as I was about our “breakup”?

  “Claudia, I feel strange talking to you like this. Especially when you and Stacey are having problems. And since I’m going out with her …” His voice trailed off.

  “What are you trying to say, Jeremy?”

  “I mean, if you and Stacey aren’t getting along, being friends with both of you just gets in the way.”

  “Gets in the way of what?”

  “I guess I’m supposed to be loyal to my girlfriend over a regular friend. And I guess Stacey’s my girlfriend …”

  “Yeah, she is. You keep saying that.”

  “Anyway, I’m just a little mixed up. Because I really like talking with you too, Claudia.”

  “Just because Stacey and I are arguing doesn’t mean you can’t ever talk to me, does it?”

  “Yeah, but …”

  “So maybe sometimes it won’t be easy at school.”

  “Like this week.”

  “Yeah. At lunch.”

  “I know you said Stacey grabs me when you’re around, and maybe she does, but …”

  “You don’t have to say anything else, Jeremy.”

  “Yeah, well. I really am okay with it.”

  Silence.

  Fortunately, we overcame that tense moment and talked some more about Thanksgiving (he can’t stand stuffing). We also talked about art class (he told me that he loves to draw). We talked about how he felt moving to a new school (he was bummed out because he left a lot of good friends behind in Washington).

  We talked about everything except Stacey.

  I looked over at the clock. Nine twenty-one P.M.

  We’d been on the phone for almost an hour.

  “Do you realize that it’s almost nine-thirty?” I said.

  “No way!” he said. “I’ll be in trouble if my dad finds out I’m still on the phone. It’s so late and it’s Sunday! Won’t your parents get mad?”