Read Online All Shook Up (From the Files of Madison Finn, 22) by Laura Dower - Free Book Online

like a spice chest.
    “Don’t forget ghee,” Mrs. Singh explained to the girls.
    “That’s butter,” Madhur whispered.
    Madison nodded and watched. The meal magically came together.
    Somewhere between Mrs. Singh’s rubbing the spices onto the chicken and Madhur’s stuffing the Indian bread with herbs and onions, an older boy plowed through the kitchen doors. He carried an iPod and wore a hat pulled down over his forehead.
    “Yo!” the boy said.
    “Who’s that?” Madison whispered, curious.
    “Mister Obnoxious,” Madhur mumbled, “Otherwise known as my brother. He is seriously lacking the cool gene.”
    “You have a brother?” Madison said quietly. For some reason, she’d assumed Madhur was an only child—just as she was. After all, they’d been alike in so many other ways.
    “Are you staying for supper, Jahan?” Mrs. Singh asked, reaching over to remove the boy’s headphones. She turned back to Madison. “Jahan is just back from year two at university. He’s studying to be a doctor.”
    “We’re so lucky to be graced by his presence,” Madhur said mockingly, making a face at him.
    “Zip it,” Jahan said as he shot a brooding look toward Madison and Madhur. “Sorry, Mom, I can’t stay for supper.”
    Mrs. Singh hit Jahan in the shoulder with a wooden spoon. “Nonsense,” she said, chastising him. “Of course you will stay. Now, go put out the silver and china—for five today.”
    Jahan skulked away. Madison and Madhur couldn’t help giggling.
    “So where’s Dad?” Jahan asked, ignoring Madison’s and his sister’s laughter.
    Mrs. Singh smiled. “Your father is upstairs. You know. Napping.”
    “Snoring is more like it,” Jahan said.
    “He’ll be down for the meal,” Madhur’s mom said.
    Everyone laughed at Jahan’s comment, including Madison, even though she knew it was a family joke. Everything about Madhur’s family was different from Madison’s own; yet it was so comfortable .
    Somewhere inside, a twinge of jealousy bubbled up. Madison tried to ignore it. What was making her jealous? Then she knew. It was Madhur’s intact family: mom, dad, and brother.
    Madison often felt a similar jealous twinge when she visited Aimee or Fiona. It was always the same realization: having two parents at home was somehow better than having one. Okay, not always better, but different , in a way that made Madison miss life before the Big D. No matter how much she got used to her parents’ divorce, she’d always long for a mom and a dad who lived in the same house. And having a stepmother (Stephanie) didn’t really help. An extra person couldn’t just make all those other feelings go away.
    Madison recalled how, pre-Big D, Dad had prepared delicious meals in their house, just as Mrs. Singh was doing now, in hers. Phin had used to dance around the table while Mom filled water glasses. Life hadn’t just been a series of paper plates and takeout. Sometimes, these days, that was how life felt.
    “Maddie?” Madhur asked. “It feels funny to say my own nickname when I talk to you.”
    Madison smiled politely and tried to get her thoughts back on track.
    “Let’s go hang out upstairs for a few minutes,” Madhur said. “Supper won’t be ready for a little while.”
    Madison followed her new friend up a long, winding staircase. At the top, the hall split three ways. Madhur went through an orange door. This had to be a very good sign: Madhur’s door was painted orange! That was Madison’s favorite color in the whole world.
    “Welcome to my room!” Madhur announced.
    The room was tiny, Madison observed, but bright, like a bouquet of flowers. The walls were painted in rich red, yellow, and tangerine, respectively. On her bed, Madhur had a collection of colorful stuffed fish. The room looked like a rainbow come to life.
    “You like fish,” Madison asked, “and you had never been on TweenBlurt!” That had to be more than just a coincidence.
    Madhur smiled. “Maybe,” she said.
    It was