unloaded. “I’ll go get it. I told her three glasses, for a game.” She winked and ran back to the kitchen.
I held the phone in the air. “You better do this fast. Jane’ll be back in two minutes.”
Alyssa snatched the phone away into thin air. A moment later it reappeared on the floor.
“You’ll have to dial,” she said. “I can’t see the numbers while I’m holding the phone.”
“Oh, cripes. What’s the number?”
I dialed for her and handed it back.
“Hello? Extension number four-five-seven, please. Hello, Tina? This is Alyssa. Uh, fine, thanks. Is my mom there?”
“Who’s Tina?” I whispered.
“My mother’s secretary.”
The seconds ticked by. I heard Jane giggle in the kitchen and ice rattling out of its tray.
“Oh, hi, Mom? I’m calling because I didn’t go home on the bus today. I was invited to have a sleep-over.”
“What!” I spluttered. “You were not!”
“By Billie Stoner,” Alyssa continued, her voice as cool as cool.
I waved my hands where I thought her face must be, shaking my head back and forth. Alyssa sleep over at my house? No way!
“Uh-huh. Billie Stoner. Ms. Stoner’s daughter. Well, I know I don’t usually like … but … well, yeah, I know I told you she was …” Alyssa’s voice dropped to a mumble.
Embarrassment hovered over us. I wondered what terrible things she’d said about me to her mother. Probably the same kind of things I’d said about her to mine.
“I’ll borrow pajamas.” Her voice was normal again. “So, it’s okay?
“Oh, let me ask.” Alyssa poked me, and my sweatshirt flickered for an instant. “When should I be picked up?”
“Now,” I said, knowing it was hopeless.
“Get real. When? When is it going to wear off?”
“Tell her you’ll call her,’” I whispered.
My heart sagged like a water balloon ready to pop. I was going to have to help her. I’d have to call Jody. I’d have to find all the ingredients for the potion. The talcum powder, the different fungi … The dog biscuits we have. I would need Hubert for the gum juice. Why did it have to be so complicated? I was going to have to—
“Mom? Can I call you again in the morning? We might do our homework.”
Of course she didn’t have to know I was going to help her. She deserved to suffer for as long as possible….
“Yes, I promise. Yes, yes, I will. Okay, g’bye. Mom.” The phone flew through the air and landed on Jane’s bed.
“I did
not
invite you to stay here tonight,” I said.
“Do you have any better ideas, you lamebrain?” Somehow Alyssa managed to sneer even without a face.
“You’re the last person I want as a guest, Alyssa.”
“Billie!” Jane was standing there, holding a teetering tray with three glasses. “It’s Alyssa? The Frog Fairy is Alyssa? I thought you hated Alyssa!”
“Jane!”
“I’m not deaf, you brat, only invisible,” said Alyssa.
“But how come she gets to be invisible, and I never do? I want to! When’s my turn?”
“Oh, shut up!” yelled Alyssa.
“You shut up, Alyssa!” I said.
“I’m telling Mommy!” cried Jane.
I snatched the tray of drinks from her hands before we had a disaster. I put the tray on my desk and pulled Jane onto her bed, landing with the phone under my spine. Harry was on top of us in a second, yelping with delight.
“Janey,” I whispered. “I know it doesn’t seem fair, but being invisible isn’t always a good thing. No one hugs you if they can’t see you. People say rude things about you even if you’re standing right there.”
“I didn’t mean to.”
“I know, I know, I’m not mad at you. Actually, I’m mad at Alyssa for getting this way. But here’s the thing. If Mom finds out, I’ll be in so much trouble I’ll be crying for a week.”
“You will?”
She sounded intrigued instead of sympathetic. I tried to think fast. I knew it would be much safer to have Jane as a partner on this.
“If you can keep this secret,” I promised, “I will give
I held the phone in the air. “You better do this fast. Jane’ll be back in two minutes.”
Alyssa snatched the phone away into thin air. A moment later it reappeared on the floor.
“You’ll have to dial,” she said. “I can’t see the numbers while I’m holding the phone.”
“Oh, cripes. What’s the number?”
I dialed for her and handed it back.
“Hello? Extension number four-five-seven, please. Hello, Tina? This is Alyssa. Uh, fine, thanks. Is my mom there?”
“Who’s Tina?” I whispered.
“My mother’s secretary.”
The seconds ticked by. I heard Jane giggle in the kitchen and ice rattling out of its tray.
“Oh, hi, Mom? I’m calling because I didn’t go home on the bus today. I was invited to have a sleep-over.”
“What!” I spluttered. “You were not!”
“By Billie Stoner,” Alyssa continued, her voice as cool as cool.
I waved my hands where I thought her face must be, shaking my head back and forth. Alyssa sleep over at my house? No way!
“Uh-huh. Billie Stoner. Ms. Stoner’s daughter. Well, I know I don’t usually like … but … well, yeah, I know I told you she was …” Alyssa’s voice dropped to a mumble.
Embarrassment hovered over us. I wondered what terrible things she’d said about me to her mother. Probably the same kind of things I’d said about her to mine.
“I’ll borrow pajamas.” Her voice was normal again. “So, it’s okay?
“Oh, let me ask.” Alyssa poked me, and my sweatshirt flickered for an instant. “When should I be picked up?”
“Now,” I said, knowing it was hopeless.
“Get real. When? When is it going to wear off?”
“Tell her you’ll call her,’” I whispered.
My heart sagged like a water balloon ready to pop. I was going to have to help her. I’d have to call Jody. I’d have to find all the ingredients for the potion. The talcum powder, the different fungi … The dog biscuits we have. I would need Hubert for the gum juice. Why did it have to be so complicated? I was going to have to—
“Mom? Can I call you again in the morning? We might do our homework.”
Of course she didn’t have to know I was going to help her. She deserved to suffer for as long as possible….
“Yes, I promise. Yes, yes, I will. Okay, g’bye. Mom.” The phone flew through the air and landed on Jane’s bed.
“I did
not
invite you to stay here tonight,” I said.
“Do you have any better ideas, you lamebrain?” Somehow Alyssa managed to sneer even without a face.
“You’re the last person I want as a guest, Alyssa.”
“Billie!” Jane was standing there, holding a teetering tray with three glasses. “It’s Alyssa? The Frog Fairy is Alyssa? I thought you hated Alyssa!”
“Jane!”
“I’m not deaf, you brat, only invisible,” said Alyssa.
“But how come she gets to be invisible, and I never do? I want to! When’s my turn?”
“Oh, shut up!” yelled Alyssa.
“You shut up, Alyssa!” I said.
“I’m telling Mommy!” cried Jane.
I snatched the tray of drinks from her hands before we had a disaster. I put the tray on my desk and pulled Jane onto her bed, landing with the phone under my spine. Harry was on top of us in a second, yelping with delight.
“Janey,” I whispered. “I know it doesn’t seem fair, but being invisible isn’t always a good thing. No one hugs you if they can’t see you. People say rude things about you even if you’re standing right there.”
“I didn’t mean to.”
“I know, I know, I’m not mad at you. Actually, I’m mad at Alyssa for getting this way. But here’s the thing. If Mom finds out, I’ll be in so much trouble I’ll be crying for a week.”
“You will?”
She sounded intrigued instead of sympathetic. I tried to think fast. I knew it would be much safer to have Jane as a partner on this.
“If you can keep this secret,” I promised, “I will give
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