cast party?”
“Well, my parents said it was okay,” Ivy said, flipping her hair. “So I guess the rumor is true. It should be great.”
“Cool,” Chet said.
“Is it a cast party, Ivy?” Drew asked. “Or is it cast and crew?”
“Huh? I don’t know,” she said. “Cast, I guess. And crew. I haven’t really decided.”
“Well, it really isn’t for you to decide,” Madison muttered.
“Excuse me?” Ivy said.
Phony Joanie clucked her tongue. “I think only people who are really in the show are supposed to go to a cast party, like actors and the director.”
“That’s not true!” Fiona said. “It’s for everyone. It’s for your family and friends who aren’t even in the show if you want it to be.”
“Well,” Joanie said. “That’s not the kind of cast party I’ve been to.”
Madison knew that Phony Joanie had probably never been to a single cast party in her entire life.
“A cast party is for everyone, even people who are behind the scenes,” Aimee said, looking right at Madison.
“The crew—I mean, Madison and Drew—can come,” Ivy snarled. “If they really want.”
She said that like it was the last thing in the world she wanted to happen.
“Hey, does anybody have a dollar I could borrow?” Dan interrupted. “I wanna get another dessert.”
“You already had two desserts,” Chet said. “Like, slow down. Lion Man.”
“I can’t help it. I’m hungry,” Dan said, grabbing a half-eaten brownie off Chet’s tray. “Fine, I’ll eat yours, then.”
Aimee laughed, but her smile disappeared when she looked over at Madison. “What’s that on your shirt?” she whispered.
Madison looked down.
Splat.
The whole time she’d been eating her lunch, her Sloppy Joe had been slopping. There were orange blotches in three different places.
Rose and Joanie snickered.
“Here.” Fiona handed Madison a wet napkin across the table. “You can’t even tell that you spilled it.”
“I can’t believe I just did that,” Madison said aloud.
Ivy snickered, too.
“Is something funny?” Madison turned to her.
Ivy held up her hands in front of her face and shook her head as if she hadn’t laughed.
“Is something wrong?” Madison asked.
Ivy stood up and grabbed her tray. “Not with me. What about you?”
The boys got up to go when Ivy stood. Madison wondered if they did that on purpose.
Even Hart got up. “Looks like this party is breaking up,” he said, grabbing his backpack.
Egg, Chet, Dan, and Drew followed.
Madison wanted to shout out, “Good-bye, Hart,” but it was too late. The boys were halfway out of the cafeteria without turning back.
Ivy and her drones were right behind him.
“That was totally awkward,” Fiona said to Madison. “Why did you get all weird with Ivy?”
“Because she was being a jerk,” Madison said.
Aimee nodded. “I guess. A little.”
“You guess? A little? I thought you were my friends,” Madison said.
Aimee leaned in. “What are you talking about?”
“If you were my friends, you would not be sitting here at our table with the most popular, most obnoxious, most EVIL people in the school.”
“Maddie, it’s really not that bad. Why are you acting like this? I mean, it wasn’t even a problem having lunch all together—until you came over.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Madison said.
“You—you know what I mean,” Aimee stammered.
“You just sat there,” Madison said. “While she and her drones laughed at me.”
Fiona shrugged. “She wasn’t really laughing, Maddie.”
“Then what was really happening?” Madison tried in vain to mop away the Sloppy Joe on her shirt, but the stains just got worse. “What a mess!”
“Maddie, we’re your best friends,” Aimee explained. “We were just hanging out.”
“Whatever,” Madison said, wiping some more at the Sloppy Joe stain.
“Madison, don’t you believe us?” Fiona asked.
Madison realized she did believe them. They were her best
“Well, my parents said it was okay,” Ivy said, flipping her hair. “So I guess the rumor is true. It should be great.”
“Cool,” Chet said.
“Is it a cast party, Ivy?” Drew asked. “Or is it cast and crew?”
“Huh? I don’t know,” she said. “Cast, I guess. And crew. I haven’t really decided.”
“Well, it really isn’t for you to decide,” Madison muttered.
“Excuse me?” Ivy said.
Phony Joanie clucked her tongue. “I think only people who are really in the show are supposed to go to a cast party, like actors and the director.”
“That’s not true!” Fiona said. “It’s for everyone. It’s for your family and friends who aren’t even in the show if you want it to be.”
“Well,” Joanie said. “That’s not the kind of cast party I’ve been to.”
Madison knew that Phony Joanie had probably never been to a single cast party in her entire life.
“A cast party is for everyone, even people who are behind the scenes,” Aimee said, looking right at Madison.
“The crew—I mean, Madison and Drew—can come,” Ivy snarled. “If they really want.”
She said that like it was the last thing in the world she wanted to happen.
“Hey, does anybody have a dollar I could borrow?” Dan interrupted. “I wanna get another dessert.”
“You already had two desserts,” Chet said. “Like, slow down. Lion Man.”
“I can’t help it. I’m hungry,” Dan said, grabbing a half-eaten brownie off Chet’s tray. “Fine, I’ll eat yours, then.”
Aimee laughed, but her smile disappeared when she looked over at Madison. “What’s that on your shirt?” she whispered.
Madison looked down.
Splat.
The whole time she’d been eating her lunch, her Sloppy Joe had been slopping. There were orange blotches in three different places.
Rose and Joanie snickered.
“Here.” Fiona handed Madison a wet napkin across the table. “You can’t even tell that you spilled it.”
“I can’t believe I just did that,” Madison said aloud.
Ivy snickered, too.
“Is something funny?” Madison turned to her.
Ivy held up her hands in front of her face and shook her head as if she hadn’t laughed.
“Is something wrong?” Madison asked.
Ivy stood up and grabbed her tray. “Not with me. What about you?”
The boys got up to go when Ivy stood. Madison wondered if they did that on purpose.
Even Hart got up. “Looks like this party is breaking up,” he said, grabbing his backpack.
Egg, Chet, Dan, and Drew followed.
Madison wanted to shout out, “Good-bye, Hart,” but it was too late. The boys were halfway out of the cafeteria without turning back.
Ivy and her drones were right behind him.
“That was totally awkward,” Fiona said to Madison. “Why did you get all weird with Ivy?”
“Because she was being a jerk,” Madison said.
Aimee nodded. “I guess. A little.”
“You guess? A little? I thought you were my friends,” Madison said.
Aimee leaned in. “What are you talking about?”
“If you were my friends, you would not be sitting here at our table with the most popular, most obnoxious, most EVIL people in the school.”
“Maddie, it’s really not that bad. Why are you acting like this? I mean, it wasn’t even a problem having lunch all together—until you came over.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Madison said.
“You—you know what I mean,” Aimee stammered.
“You just sat there,” Madison said. “While she and her drones laughed at me.”
Fiona shrugged. “She wasn’t really laughing, Maddie.”
“Then what was really happening?” Madison tried in vain to mop away the Sloppy Joe on her shirt, but the stains just got worse. “What a mess!”
“Maddie, we’re your best friends,” Aimee explained. “We were just hanging out.”
“Whatever,” Madison said, wiping some more at the Sloppy Joe stain.
“Madison, don’t you believe us?” Fiona asked.
Madison realized she did believe them. They were her best
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