Give Me a Break (From the Files of Madison Finn, 18) (12 page)

It wasn’t hard to remember the day the photo had been taken. The temperature had dropped to about ten degrees in Far Hills a few days after a mega-snowfall. Aimee and Madison built their very own igloo in Madison’s backyard.

Madison sighed, thinking back to that day in first grade, when the photo was taken.

Then she remembered that Ivy had been there, too.

Way back before their huge third-grade fight, Ivy had been friends with both Aimee and Madison. In fact, Ivy had helped with the igloo’s construction.

Madison couldn’t remember why Ivy wasn’t in the photograph with them. It seemed funny to think about how things had changed so much, how Ivy really had—literally—fallen out of the picture. That long-ago day in the snow seemed like a fragment of a dream, as if maybe it had never really happened.

Madison saved the photo to one of her files. She would print out a color copy for Aimee when they returned home again.

The next e-mail was a hello note from Gramma Helen. She was “up to her earlobes” in snow in Chicago, she wrote. She’d heard from Mom that Madison had gone skiing with Dad and Stephanie. “Don’t fall off the mountain!” Gramma said in her note. Madison knew Gramma was kidding, of course, but she hit
REPLY
and told her all about Aimee’s accident.

After answering Gramma’s e-mail, Madison opened a note from Fiona. It had some surprising news inside.

From: Wetwinz


To: MadFinn


Subject: Chet is a GEEK


Date: Tues 2 Mar 8:31 AM


I am up and it is 5 in the morning can u believe it?!! My bed is too hard and the shades let in too much light so the minute the sun comes up it’s like BLAM! I’m up too.


Chet sprained his foot! 2 bad he didn’t have ur GLC! We have only been here a day. Because of him we couldn’t go to the beach yesterday (it was kind of gloomy outside n e way). I am actually kind of bored. Chet is SOOOOOO mad. He called the other guys on the hockey team and I think I heard him whining to my mom. What a geek. I bet u guys r having the BEST time. I wish I were skiing 2.


Say hi to Aim 4 me.


BTW: I got an e-mail from Egg yesterday. He said that he & Hart went sk8ing with Drew and his gf Emily--and Hart was talking about YOU!!!! Isn’t that GREAT? Egg thinks that Hart is going to ask u out on a real date when we get back home. I know he’s said it b4 but maybe this time it’s 4 real? I hope so. I think u should 4get finding a new crush at Big Mountain. You haven’t met someone u like more yet, have u? Well, DON’T!!!!! WBS.


xoxoxoxoxxo


Big smoochies,


Fiona


Madison instantly hit
REPLY
.

She wanted to tell Fiona about Hugh—and about Aimee’s fall on the mountain, too. But as she typed, Madison realized that she couldn’t write about Hugh. She couldn’t put the whammy on a new relationship by
talking about it.
Talking about things too much brought the worst luck, didn’t it?

DELETE
.

Madison yawned. She was overthinking things again. Why was she even worried about Hugh when he was practically ancient history? There would be no more cute ski partner. No more Treetops or Big Mountain. Dad had made it perfectly clear: they were heading home today. The coolest winter break in the history of Madison Finn’s life was ending.

And that was that.

Madison opened a new file and started to type.

Never Again


Dad came back with Phinnie and he’s curled up in my lap right now. Thank goodness he’s here. I feel better than I did an hour ago, but that’s not saying much.


I wonder how Aimee feels? She’s been crashing out in the bedroom for a while now. I feel so bad about the fact that she hurt herself. But I’m also kind of upset because now our vacation is ruined. I knew it had to be too good to be true. And I told Aimee she should wear her bunny charm. Why didn’t she listen to me?


Rude Awakening:
I thought that coming on this ski trip made me the luckiest duck. As it turns out, Big Mountain is not all it’s quacked up to be. LOL.


I guess I can live if I don’t see Hugh again even though I sincerely thought we made some kind of real connection. Okay, I only knew him for two days, but still.


And--big surprise--I still don’t know how I feel about Hart. He chased me around in third grade and I was like, “cooties!” so he and I never had instant sparks like I did w/Hugh on the slopes the other day. Hart’s more like one of these guys who starts as a real good friend and should probably just stay that way esp. since he calls me Finnster. I mean that is just about the most UN-romantic name in the


“Maddie, can I talk to you?” Aimee shuffled across the floor in a pair of bunny slippers that she’d brought along for the trip.

“Hey, Aim,” Madison said, hitting a quick
SAVE
and pressing the button that made the white rhinoceros screen saver appear on Madison’s computer screen. “How are you feeling?”

Aimee sat on the comfy sofa next to Madison and crossed her hands neatly in her lap. Madison stared at the cast on Aimee’s wrist.

“Does it hurt?” Madison asked.

Aimee shook her head. “Only when I breathe,” she said dramatically.

Madison laughed. “I’m really sorry that you fell,” she said.

“Why are you sorry?” Aimee said. “I’m the one who fell.”

“Oh,” Madison said. “I just meant… well… I feel bad.”

“Why?” Aimee asked. “Don’t feel bad.”

“Well, I feel bad that you won’t be able to ski in the presentation or finish the lessons.”

“Oh, no. I’ll be there,” Aimee said. “We’ll both be there.”

Madison did a double take. “What?” she said. “Aim, the doctor said you should rest. And Dad said we’d be going home this morning.”

“No, we’re not,” Aimee said. “Yesterday my parents said I could stay if I wanted. I just wasn’t sure.”

“We’re staying?
Really
?” Madison asked.

Aimee nodded. “I hope that’s okay… I just have to tell your dad…”

“What do you mean, ‘if it’s okay’?” Madison cried. A wide grin spread across her face, and she lurched forward to give Aimee a bear hug. Of course, she stumbled while doing it, nearly squashing Aimee’s cast, and stubbing her own toe at the same time, but it didn’t matter.

They were staying.

Madison dashed into the next room, waving her arms. “Stephanie! Dad! Aimee has something to tell us. It’s very important. She’s staying!”

Phinnie got excited by all the commotion. He jumped on and off the sofa at least five or six times, panting wildly.

“What did you say?” Stephanie asked. “You’re hungry?

“No, no, no, no,
no
! Aimee’s staying,” Madison cried. She could hardly form a complete sentence—she was
that
excited.

“Is this true, Aimee?” Dad asked. “You want to stay?”

Aimee nodded. “Yes,” she said. “I thought about it a lot. I just don’t want to ruin anyone’s vacation—not even my own. And if I go back I’ll just have to work in my dad’s store even with my sprained wrist, so I’d rather hang out at a cool chalet and watch Madison put everyone else into the deep freeze at the ski presentations this week. Is that okay?”

“If that’s what you want, Aimee,” Madison’s dad said. “I’ll call your parents and let them know.”

The next morning, Aimee helped Madison get ready for their sunny day on the slopes. Even with a cast on, Aimee was a fashion expert. She looked good, too, Madison noticed. With or without injuries, Aimee looked like a ski catalog model, all dressed up in her navy ski pants and the flowered wool sweater she’d been bragging about.

“Why are you so dressed up?” Madison asked.

Aimee shrugged. She pulled out a tube of eyeliner.

“Hey, you don’t even wear makeup!” Madison said.

“Yes, I do… sometimes,” Aimee said. “I just don’t talk about it. “And you know, my mom says that most cosmetic companies test their products on animals, so I’m not allowed to touch mascara or even lip gloss unless it’s a cruelty-free product.”

Aimee stared at herself intently in the mirror. It was hard to apply eyeliner with only one free hand.

“Can I wear some?” Madison asked, looking at herself in the mirror, too.

Aimee leaned in and applied a little eyeliner to Madison’s lids. Madison blinked. She looked different with makeup. Maybe Hugh would notice her more. After her minimakeover, Madison dressed in her ski pants and other layers, including her oversize Far Hills sweatshirt, a lavender Henley shirt, and a pale blue scarf she’d borrowed from Mom. Then she hooked her ski-bunny chain and charm around her neck like a
KEEP OUT BAD LUCK
sign. She wasn’t taking any chances today. No way.

“Wow! Maddie!” Aimee said. She stood back and put her fingers up in front of her eyes as if she were a fake photographer taking a picture. “You look…”

Snap. Snap. Snap.

“FAB-ulous…”

Snap. Snap. Snap.

Madison posed like a starlet, going along with Aimee’s compliments and the pretend photography session. Then she broke into a small fit of giggles.

“I started this trip as a fashion disaster, and now I’m ready to walk the runway!” Madison said, still cracking up.

“Maybe we’ll see Foster Lane again,” Aimee said. “And he’ll give you a part in his next big movie!”

Madison was glad to be laughing again.

“What is so funny?” Stephanie asked, walking into the room. “Are you girls getting ready or preparing a comedy routine?”

Dad walked inside, hands crossed like he was thinking really hard.

“You’re sure you feel comfortable heading up to the mountain, Aimee?” he asked. “Because we can stay together here and go shopping or something else if you want. Madison probably won’t miss the ski lessons; will you, Maddie?”

Madison wanted to scream. Of course she would miss the lessons, Dad! She had to go to the lessons, Dad! It was all about
the lessons,
Dad!

Aimee was the one who answered. “No, I want to go up the mountain, Mr. Finn,” she said sweetly. “I think Maddie wants to do that ski demo they’re having this week. I can probably help the instructor keep score or something. Right, Maddie?”

Madison smiled to herself. The old Aimee was back! Of course she knew Aimee had another, ulterior motive for staying: she wanted to see Carlos again (even if she’d never admit it).

The four of them boarded the shuttle to Big Mountain with Phin in tow. Aimee volunteered to babysit him while Madison skied, but the resort regulations didn’t allow pets in the main lodge or on the slopes. So he was sent off to spend his day with the other animals, including Trix, Hugh’s cat.

Carlos was relieved to see Aimee returning to the class—and was impressed that she was willing to assist with scorekeeping and other tasks. But mostly, Carlos just had Aimee sit around like a cheerleader. Aimee didn’t seem to mind. Even off the slopes she could still find a way to get all the attention she needed.

Meanwhile, Madison and Hugh went to work, practicing their basic ski exercises together like synchronized swimmers—poles extended, skis wedged, the works. As midafternoon approached, they prepared to learn the hardest lesson of all: how to get on to the ski lift.

“I’m going to fall on my butt again,” Madison said.

“Nah. You can’t mess this up,” Hugh said.

For a moment, Madison feared the snow all around her would melt into an enormous puddle. She didn’t know what to say back to Hugh.

Every spot on Big Mountain had its own special name, including the ski lifts. One was called To the Top. Another one was named Take a Peak. But the ski lift that Carlos wanted the group to practice on was called Four-Leaf Clover. Naturally, Madison saw that as a very,
very
lucky omen.

Carlos lined the group up and explained how to board the lift. He made it sound easy, but Madison wasn’t so sure.

“First, remove the pole straps from your wrists,” Carlos explained. “Then proceed to the point before the lift loading area. Stop at the line marking the point before the lift that’s in the snow. Wait for a chair to swing past. You should be at the line marking the loading area. Now, stop there and place both poles in your inside hand. Watch for the next chair coming toward you. Grab the seat pole for balance and take the seat.”

“And don’t fall,” Hugh muttered under his breath.

“Yes, don’t fall!” Carlos said. “That would be a bad thing. Right, Miss Aimee?”

Aimee rolled her eyes. “Yes, Carlos,” she said, bowing her head. Aimee hardly ever got embarrassed, but she was close to being embarrassed then.

A few in the group laughed.

Madison raised her hand to ask a question.

“What happens to our skis?” Madison asked. “Do we keep them on? I mean, I can see everyone on the lift has their skis on, but…”

“Ah, yes!” Carlos nodded. “The skis! Keep your skis separated, with the tips up, as you glide forward and are lifted off the ground. And don’t forget to look down. You’ll have an incredible view once you are in the air.”