Only the Lonely (18 page)

She couldn’t believe it.

“Miss Finn, Miss Daly,” Mr. Danehy said as he plucked up the glass shards. “This is absolutely not your fault—”

“Well, I
KNOW
it’s not my fault,” Ivy interrupted.

“I should not have had the containers here …”

“Oh, well, Madison probably didn’t mean to make a big mess,” Ivy said. “I mean I tried to grab the materials for her but she fell off the chair—”

Madison’s jaw dropped.

“Madison, you really have to be careful in science class,” Ivy went on, smirking.

Mr. Danehy nodded, “Thank you, Ivy.” Then he patted Madison on the back. “No problem, Madison. We all make mistakes and get caught off balance, don’t we?”

“Yeah,
don’t we
?” Ivy said.

All at once, Madison felt tears coming but she sucked on her top front teeth, inhaled deep, and held them in. She wanted to flee—
badly.

If Ivy Daly did not shut her trap in T-minus-30 seconds, Madison was ready to do the fifty-yard dash down the hall. She tried to hold on.

By the time science class finally ended, Madison’s stomach ached from holding on so long. She followed behind as Ivy, Rose, and Joanie exited class at the exact same time as Hart and Chet.

“Aren’t you Bart Jones?” Ivy said, tossing her hair.

Chet grunted. “Who wants to know?”

Hart just smiled. “Yeah, I’m Hart Jones. With an H.”

Madison could hear every word.

Ivy tossed her hair again. “Oh yeah, H for Hart. Do you remember me?” She cocked her hip to the side and twirled a strand of her red hair. Her jeans were cut low on her waist so that Madison could almost see her belly button.

Madison wasn’t sure why, but she didn’t want to see Hart with Poison Ivy. As they were standing there, Hart turned around once and caught Madison’s eye. But then he looked away again.

“Madison!” Mr. Danehy said loudly.

“What?” Madison said, stunned.

“Don’t forget your books.”

“Oh.”

Madison grabbed them and pushed her way over to the door. For a brief moment, she was wedged between Ivy and Hart.

“Excuuuuuse me.” She nudged Ivy and walked through.

Ivy clucked her tongue. “Way to be pushy, Madison.”

Hart just stared at the floor.

On the way home, Madison talked with Aimee and Fiona about the day’s events: the good, the bad, and the ugly. The good news about the election Web site, the bad news about the tiff with Egg, and the ugly—Poison Ivy Daly.

“Oh-em-gee,
she can
NOT
win this election!” Aimee exclaimed. “She is such a kiss-up.”

“Who else is running?” Fiona asked. “Is that Montrell guy?”

“Yeah, Montrell Morris. He’s funny.”

“And Tommy Kwong, too,” Madison added. “He’s one of the leads in Drama Club.”

“Ivy Daly
MUST
not win,” Aimee said again with emphasis.

Fiona nodded. “I really didn’t think she was so bad at first, but I really see what you mean about her being a little too—”

“Two-faced?” Aimee shouted.

“Yeah, well, if you put it that way, I have to agree,” Fiona joked.

“Did you guys see the way she was acting in school assembly last week?” Aimee pointed out. “She was kissing up to Principal Bernard after he made another one of his stupid speeches.” Aimee moaned, doing her best Ivy imitation. “Ooooh, Mr. Bernard, you’re sooooo funny!”

“She’s disgusting when she hangs all over the teachers. That’s how she is in science, too. She was even flirting with Hart Jones today.”

“Hart?” Aimee screeched.
“NO WAY!”
Aimee, as usual, was being a little dramatic.

“Yeah,” Madison groaned. “And Ivy was doing that thing she always does. That guy thing.”

Fiona asked, “What
guy
thing?”

“Hey,
do
you like Hart or something?” Aimee said.

Madison blushed. “Of course not.”

“You do like him!” Fiona screeched. “Look at you!”

“I do
NOT
like Hart Jones. Will you guys just stop, already.” Madison sighed.

Aimee started back in on the subject of their least favorite classmate. “You know, for once I wish things would not go Ivy’s way.”

“She’s eviler than evil,” Madison said.

“I don’t think any of us will be signing up for an Ivy for President fan club,” Aimee said.

“Not me,” Madison agreed.

“Well then, me neither,” said Fiona.

If there had ever been any doubt at the start of seventh grade about what new kids were friends with what old kids, that doubt ended here. Fiona was with Madison and Aimee all the way.

Continuing up the street, Madison felt the quick breeze in the air that announced fall was really on its way. Gone were the afternoons of running through freshly cut lawns and sprinklers and all things summer. The sky was getting dark earlier now. Gone were the sidewalk smells of lilacs and honeysuckle, replaced by the sweet scent of firewood and damp, cool air. Soon all the trees in the neighborhood would blend yellow, red, and
orange
—Madison’s favorite color in the whole world. Maybe the breezes could blow away all the bad vibes of school?

Madison hoped so.

“So does Egg have a girlfriend?” Fiona said all of a sudden, switching to a new subject.

“Egg?”
Madison laughed.

Aimee stopped short.

“He really is a cutie,” Fiona said shyly. “I know I said that before but—”

“Fiona Waters, did you just say Egg was
CUTE?”
Aimee laughed out loud.

“Don’t you think so?” Fiona said. “I don’t know why but he is just so—”

“Are you nuts?” Aimee asked seriously. “No, Fiona, I mean it.
ARE YOU NUTS?”

“Noooo.” Fiona grinned. She was a little embarrassed, but she didn’t stop talking about it. “I just think he’s cute.”

Aimee doubled over with laughter. Madison had to hold back her own attack of the giggles, too. How could someone
really
like Egg, the same Egg who had burped “Yankee Doodle” at field day last year?

Aimee and Madison were practically keeling over in hysterics, but Fiona wasn’t going back on what she had said.

“Go ahead and laugh,” Fiona said.

“We’re not laughing at you, I swear,” Madison said.

“You really have boys on the brain, don’t you?” Aimee smiled.

“Don’t you?” Fiona asked.

Fiona didn’t get a chance to hear their answers. From across the front lawn where the girls were standing, someone suddenly howled.

“Fi-moan-a, you’re
LATE
!
”

It was Fiona’s twin brother Chet.

Fiona yelled back, “Coming!” and looked down at her silver watch. “Oh! I am soooo busted! Tonight is my Dad’s birthday and I gotta make a cake and Mom’s gonna—’bye!”

She dashed across the lawn.

Madison started to say, “Wanna walk to school tomor—?” but it was too late.

Fiona was already inside the house.

Buy
Boy, Oh Boy!
Now!

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, events, 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.

Text copyright © 2001 by Laura Dower

Cover design by Connie Gabbert

978-1-4804-2252-0

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

345 Hudson Street

New York, NY 10014

www.openroadmedia.com