a drink after Vincent? And had printed up posters? Could he do that?
Could he name a drink after someone without asking that person?
The swim team gathered for a photo. Heidi Darling put her arm around Vincent for the picture that would be plastered all over the Internet. Someone shoved a microphone in her face. "What do you think of your teammate?"
"Vincent's the best," she replied. "He's a great guy. I've always known he's a great guy."
"She definitely likes him," Elizabeth whispered in my ear.
Okay, hold on just a moment. I knew that Vincent was a great guy, long before Heidi knew it. I knew it when he walked me to the nurse's office in the fourth grade, after I had split open my lip on the monkey bars. I knew it when he didn't tease me after Elizabeth and I got a horrid case of head lice from trying on wigs in a costume shop. I knew it because whenever I called him in the middle of the night, when I couldn't sleep or was worried about something, he never got mad at me.
But Heidi acted like it was something she had discovered. Like she was letting us all in on a secret. They looked so chummy with their chlorinated hair and matching sweatshirts.
"Vincent and I spend every morning together," Heidi said.
Elizabeth squeezed in next to a reporter. "If you want to know about Vincent, you should ask Katrina." She pointed at me. "She's his best friend."
"Shhh," the reporter scolded. "That girl with the pony-tail is still talking."
Heidi pressed against Vincent's shoulder. "My dad owns Java Heaven and he created a special drink called the Vincent Mocha." She held up one of the posters. "The best cocoa, the best coffee, the freshest milk. Vincent loves it."
Well, if you knew Vincent half as well as you claim to know him, you'd know that he wouldn't drink that in a million years because he's lactose intolerant!
Vincent looked totally surprised when he read the poster. But Heidi didn't give him a chance to say anything because she kept talking to reporters about how amazing Vincent was. Elizabeth fake gagged. While she had no real reason to hate Heidi, other than the excessively perky thing, she hated her on my account because that's what real friends do. "Did you notice that her hair is turning green?" she whispered in my ear.
Heidi's hair wasn't the only thing turning green. Jealousy had invaded me and I was pretty sure I looked exactly like the Incredible Hulk.
"Can I have that poster?" Elliott stood next to me. Principal Carmichael had put him on technical duty. He'd been providing extension cords to the camera crews. I gave him the poster. "I'm going to get Vincent's autograph, then sell it on eBay." He smiled at Elizabeth. "I like your striped raincoat." She ignored him.
Vincent didn't make it to any of his afternoon classes. He sat in the cafeteria, answering the same questions over and over. When I passed by, between Geometry and English Composition, he waved, looking totally bored. I never got the chance to congratulate him or ask him about the poster. But I knew that he hadn't agreed to the
"Vincent Mocha" because my friends and family had a longstanding pact to never buy Java Heaven coffee, to never taste Java Heaven Coffee, and to never, ever, step inside Java Heaven.
By the end of the day the rain clouds had cleared, but colder air moved in. I walked home, a hand-knit scarf wrapped around my face, trying to disappear into a cocoon of yarn. I should have been skipping merrily down the street, celebrating my best friend's fortune, but I had let the Darlings worm their way under my skin. I concocted the following conspiracy theory: that Heidi and her father were working together. She would take away my best friend so I'd be miserable, and in my misery, I'd convince my grandmother that we should move to Florida.
"I'll never move to Florida," I snarled.
"I wouldn't move to Florida either. Too humid."
I gasped, inhaling a mouthful of yarn. I stopped walking and pushed the scarf off my face. "You said you were
Could he name a drink after someone without asking that person?
The swim team gathered for a photo. Heidi Darling put her arm around Vincent for the picture that would be plastered all over the Internet. Someone shoved a microphone in her face. "What do you think of your teammate?"
"Vincent's the best," she replied. "He's a great guy. I've always known he's a great guy."
"She definitely likes him," Elizabeth whispered in my ear.
Okay, hold on just a moment. I knew that Vincent was a great guy, long before Heidi knew it. I knew it when he walked me to the nurse's office in the fourth grade, after I had split open my lip on the monkey bars. I knew it when he didn't tease me after Elizabeth and I got a horrid case of head lice from trying on wigs in a costume shop. I knew it because whenever I called him in the middle of the night, when I couldn't sleep or was worried about something, he never got mad at me.
But Heidi acted like it was something she had discovered. Like she was letting us all in on a secret. They looked so chummy with their chlorinated hair and matching sweatshirts.
"Vincent and I spend every morning together," Heidi said.
Elizabeth squeezed in next to a reporter. "If you want to know about Vincent, you should ask Katrina." She pointed at me. "She's his best friend."
"Shhh," the reporter scolded. "That girl with the pony-tail is still talking."
Heidi pressed against Vincent's shoulder. "My dad owns Java Heaven and he created a special drink called the Vincent Mocha." She held up one of the posters. "The best cocoa, the best coffee, the freshest milk. Vincent loves it."
Well, if you knew Vincent half as well as you claim to know him, you'd know that he wouldn't drink that in a million years because he's lactose intolerant!
Vincent looked totally surprised when he read the poster. But Heidi didn't give him a chance to say anything because she kept talking to reporters about how amazing Vincent was. Elizabeth fake gagged. While she had no real reason to hate Heidi, other than the excessively perky thing, she hated her on my account because that's what real friends do. "Did you notice that her hair is turning green?" she whispered in my ear.
Heidi's hair wasn't the only thing turning green. Jealousy had invaded me and I was pretty sure I looked exactly like the Incredible Hulk.
"Can I have that poster?" Elliott stood next to me. Principal Carmichael had put him on technical duty. He'd been providing extension cords to the camera crews. I gave him the poster. "I'm going to get Vincent's autograph, then sell it on eBay." He smiled at Elizabeth. "I like your striped raincoat." She ignored him.
Vincent didn't make it to any of his afternoon classes. He sat in the cafeteria, answering the same questions over and over. When I passed by, between Geometry and English Composition, he waved, looking totally bored. I never got the chance to congratulate him or ask him about the poster. But I knew that he hadn't agreed to the
"Vincent Mocha" because my friends and family had a longstanding pact to never buy Java Heaven coffee, to never taste Java Heaven Coffee, and to never, ever, step inside Java Heaven.
By the end of the day the rain clouds had cleared, but colder air moved in. I walked home, a hand-knit scarf wrapped around my face, trying to disappear into a cocoon of yarn. I should have been skipping merrily down the street, celebrating my best friend's fortune, but I had let the Darlings worm their way under my skin. I concocted the following conspiracy theory: that Heidi and her father were working together. She would take away my best friend so I'd be miserable, and in my misery, I'd convince my grandmother that we should move to Florida.
"I'll never move to Florida," I snarled.
"I wouldn't move to Florida either. Too humid."
I gasped, inhaling a mouthful of yarn. I stopped walking and pushed the scarf off my face. "You said you were
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