slipped the shirt over her head. It looked okay around the middle even if Madison’s belly was softer looking, but the shirt hung down lower than it had on Fiona. Madison wondered why.
“How’s it look?” Aimee asked through the dressing room curtain. “Let’s see!”
Madison stood sideways and backways and frontways in front of the mirror. The lights in the dressing room made her skin look almost green. She also thought the word FOXY was dumb. And there was absolutely nothing filling it out on top. Not like Fiona. Madison whipped the top off and stepped back out in her own loose shirt.
“It’s not me. You should get it, though, Fiona. It looked so good on you.”
“Ha! You’re kidding, right? My dad wouldn’t let me out of the house in this.” Fiona put the top back on the rack. “Aimee’s the one who should get it.”
Aimee shrugged. “I don’t have any allowance money left.”
A salesperson meandered over toward them, so the friends turned to dash. They left Chez Moi and went to check out some other stores.
It was over an hour before Madison, Fiona, or Aimee saw even one person they recognized, which was strange, considering malls were the number-one place to see and be seen. Madison was especially surprised she didn’t spy Poison Ivy anywhere.
Passing the food court, Madison saw Egg’s sister, Mariah, sitting with friends. She could see the glimmer of Mariah’s eyebrow ring. Her now black-dyed hair was wrapped in a polka-dotted bandanna.
She was all the way across the food court, so Madison couldn’t yell. She wasn’t sure if Mariah had seen her, anyway. Madison wanted to walk over and say hello, but Aimee wouldn’t budge.
“You don’t wanna do that, Maddie,” Aimee said.
Madison looked puzzled. “Why not? Mariah is so nice. And she’s your friend, too.”
“She’s all of our friends, Aimee,” Fiona added.
“You guys!” Aimee moaned. “I know from my brothers that freshmen like her cannot be bothered to talk to lowly seventh graders like us except far away from school property, and the mall doesn’t count. Besides, she’s with boys from the high school, which makes it that much worse. It would just be too, too embarrassing, okay? Can we just not do this?”
“Those are high school boys?” Fiona gasped. The boys dressed all in black like Mariah. “They’re not very cute, are they? I thought high school boys were hotter than that.”
“It’s just Mariah,” Madison argued. “She’d be happy to say hello.”
“Maddie,” Aimee moaned.
“Okay, okay, fine,” Madison said. As she turned to walk away, Madison looked over once more, only this time Mariah spotted her. She waved. Madison felt her heart leap a little. Mariah was a friend—and not just some too-cool freshman. Mariah’s boyfriends didn’t wave, but that was okay.
“See?” Madison nudged Aimee, who saw the wave, too.
They both waved back. Mariah went back to eating french fries.
“I guess I was wrong,” Aimee said sheepishly as they wandered away.
“I guess,” Madison said. She didn’t want to make Aimee feel bad, even if she had been wrong.
“Look over there!” Fiona yelled all of a sudden. She spotted the big sign that read PARTY TOWN. It was a supermarket for cheap Halloween stuff: costumes, makeup, decorations, and props in one-stop shopping.
The first costume they saw was on display at the front of the store. It was a cavewoman outfit. “We probably couldn’t wear that at school,” Madison said, joking around.
“It would make my butt look big, too, I think.” Aimee laughed.
“Your butt!” Fiona laughed. “Aimee, you barely have a butt.”
Aimee twisted around to see what her behind looked like. “I do too.”
“Yeah, whatever,” Madison grumbled. She hated it when Aimee acted fat.
Fiona ran to the back of the store and pulled a grass skirt and green tights from one shelf. She’d decided to borrow one of her mom’s Hawaiian short-sleeved shirts and tie it up at the
“How’s it look?” Aimee asked through the dressing room curtain. “Let’s see!”
Madison stood sideways and backways and frontways in front of the mirror. The lights in the dressing room made her skin look almost green. She also thought the word FOXY was dumb. And there was absolutely nothing filling it out on top. Not like Fiona. Madison whipped the top off and stepped back out in her own loose shirt.
“It’s not me. You should get it, though, Fiona. It looked so good on you.”
“Ha! You’re kidding, right? My dad wouldn’t let me out of the house in this.” Fiona put the top back on the rack. “Aimee’s the one who should get it.”
Aimee shrugged. “I don’t have any allowance money left.”
A salesperson meandered over toward them, so the friends turned to dash. They left Chez Moi and went to check out some other stores.
It was over an hour before Madison, Fiona, or Aimee saw even one person they recognized, which was strange, considering malls were the number-one place to see and be seen. Madison was especially surprised she didn’t spy Poison Ivy anywhere.
Passing the food court, Madison saw Egg’s sister, Mariah, sitting with friends. She could see the glimmer of Mariah’s eyebrow ring. Her now black-dyed hair was wrapped in a polka-dotted bandanna.
She was all the way across the food court, so Madison couldn’t yell. She wasn’t sure if Mariah had seen her, anyway. Madison wanted to walk over and say hello, but Aimee wouldn’t budge.
“You don’t wanna do that, Maddie,” Aimee said.
Madison looked puzzled. “Why not? Mariah is so nice. And she’s your friend, too.”
“She’s all of our friends, Aimee,” Fiona added.
“You guys!” Aimee moaned. “I know from my brothers that freshmen like her cannot be bothered to talk to lowly seventh graders like us except far away from school property, and the mall doesn’t count. Besides, she’s with boys from the high school, which makes it that much worse. It would just be too, too embarrassing, okay? Can we just not do this?”
“Those are high school boys?” Fiona gasped. The boys dressed all in black like Mariah. “They’re not very cute, are they? I thought high school boys were hotter than that.”
“It’s just Mariah,” Madison argued. “She’d be happy to say hello.”
“Maddie,” Aimee moaned.
“Okay, okay, fine,” Madison said. As she turned to walk away, Madison looked over once more, only this time Mariah spotted her. She waved. Madison felt her heart leap a little. Mariah was a friend—and not just some too-cool freshman. Mariah’s boyfriends didn’t wave, but that was okay.
“See?” Madison nudged Aimee, who saw the wave, too.
They both waved back. Mariah went back to eating french fries.
“I guess I was wrong,” Aimee said sheepishly as they wandered away.
“I guess,” Madison said. She didn’t want to make Aimee feel bad, even if she had been wrong.
“Look over there!” Fiona yelled all of a sudden. She spotted the big sign that read PARTY TOWN. It was a supermarket for cheap Halloween stuff: costumes, makeup, decorations, and props in one-stop shopping.
The first costume they saw was on display at the front of the store. It was a cavewoman outfit. “We probably couldn’t wear that at school,” Madison said, joking around.
“It would make my butt look big, too, I think.” Aimee laughed.
“Your butt!” Fiona laughed. “Aimee, you barely have a butt.”
Aimee twisted around to see what her behind looked like. “I do too.”
“Yeah, whatever,” Madison grumbled. She hated it when Aimee acted fat.
Fiona ran to the back of the store and pulled a grass skirt and green tights from one shelf. She’d decided to borrow one of her mom’s Hawaiian short-sleeved shirts and tie it up at the
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