friends. But she was still angry. Really angry.
“I don’t mean to be weird.” Madison sighed. “It’s just that I couldn’t believe I would ever find you eating lunch at the same table—at our orange table—with Ivy Daly.”
“It’s just that Ivy has been pretty cool.” Aimee put her arm around her best friend. “About the show, I mean.”
Madison was really trying to understand.
“She’s being so nice to me and Fiona,” Aimee said.
She’s being so FAKE. Don’t you get it?
She wanted to say that out loud but decided not to say anything.
The three friends got up and started to leave.
“Madison, wait!” a voice yelled from the other side of the lunchroom. It was Lindsay Frost. “I have something to ask you,” she said.
“Hi, Lindsay,” Fiona said.
Aimee waved hello and then said to Madison, “We’ll wait over there.”
“I’m so glad I caught you!” Lindsay was talking fast. Madison noticed that her hair wasn’t combed. She even had a Sloppy Joe stain on her sweater. It was kind of gross. Madison looked down at her own shirt.
“You spilled lunch, too, huh?” Lindsay smiled, pointing at Madison and then back at herself.
Madison held her hands over her blotches. “No, not really.”
Were all eyes in the lunchroom on them?
“Um, did you say you had a question for me?”
“Yes! I was looking for you earlier. I wanted to see if you had time to practice lines with me later,” Lindsay said.
“Later?” Madison asked.
“Before or after rehearsal, I guess. Or if you have a free period.”
“Oh,” Madison said. She couldn’t take her eye off Lindsay’s Sloppy Joe spot. Did her own shirt look as bad as Lindsay’s sweater?
Aimee and Fiona were standing over by the exit doors, waving and waiting.
“Well, can you help?” Lindsay asked again.
“Well,” Madison started to answer. She was about to say, “Yeah, sure, yeah, I’ll go,” but then Aimee make a face. A funny face.
Lindsay was oblivious as usual. Madison wanted to run.
“I’m sorry,” Madison blurted out suddenly. “I’d really like to help … but I can’t. I have so much work for the show and I’m really behind in my classes and maybe we can do it tomorrow?”
“Oh.” Lindsay shrugged. “No, that’s okay. Don’t worry about it. I understand. I’ll see you at rehearsal. Another time, I guess.”
As Lindsay walked away, Madison hurried over to Aimee and Fiona.
Lindsay
Rude Awakening: Popularity is a war I can’t win.
I watch the other kids onstage and I wonder what’s real and what’s not. People can be such fakers, and when they’re singing and acting it’s even worse. Even people you thought you knew.
That fakeness just continues right off the stage into life, doesn’t it? I should have helped Lindsay today when she asked me. But I didn’t. Dissing Lindsay was more embarrassing than spilling Sloppy Joe on myself in front of Hart and everyone else. It was way more embarrassing than anything I’ve done lately. How could I be so un-nice?
Even when I think I can rise above the whole mind trip about what’s popular and what’s not, I still get sucked in by what other people think. I care what they think. Does that make me a bad person?
What happened to being the glue and holding everything together like Mariah said? I am so not holding ANYTHING together right now.
I can’t figure out where I fit in.
Chapter 9
T HE MORNING OF THE first dress rehearsal, Madison got up extra early to get a head start on some positive vibes. She was up at five-thirty, to be exact. A case of major nerves can sometimes be the best alarm clock in the world.
Phinnie made a snuffling noise and curled into a tighter ball when Madison stretched and slid out from under the covers. But ever so quietly, Madison perched by the bedroom window seat to watch the sun come up like a piece of tangerine candy.
More than anything else in the entire world, Madison wanted to do a good job in The Wiz. As she looked out at
“I don’t mean to be weird.” Madison sighed. “It’s just that I couldn’t believe I would ever find you eating lunch at the same table—at our orange table—with Ivy Daly.”
“It’s just that Ivy has been pretty cool.” Aimee put her arm around her best friend. “About the show, I mean.”
Madison was really trying to understand.
“She’s being so nice to me and Fiona,” Aimee said.
She’s being so FAKE. Don’t you get it?
She wanted to say that out loud but decided not to say anything.
The three friends got up and started to leave.
“Madison, wait!” a voice yelled from the other side of the lunchroom. It was Lindsay Frost. “I have something to ask you,” she said.
“Hi, Lindsay,” Fiona said.
Aimee waved hello and then said to Madison, “We’ll wait over there.”
“I’m so glad I caught you!” Lindsay was talking fast. Madison noticed that her hair wasn’t combed. She even had a Sloppy Joe stain on her sweater. It was kind of gross. Madison looked down at her own shirt.
“You spilled lunch, too, huh?” Lindsay smiled, pointing at Madison and then back at herself.
Madison held her hands over her blotches. “No, not really.”
Were all eyes in the lunchroom on them?
“Um, did you say you had a question for me?”
“Yes! I was looking for you earlier. I wanted to see if you had time to practice lines with me later,” Lindsay said.
“Later?” Madison asked.
“Before or after rehearsal, I guess. Or if you have a free period.”
“Oh,” Madison said. She couldn’t take her eye off Lindsay’s Sloppy Joe spot. Did her own shirt look as bad as Lindsay’s sweater?
Aimee and Fiona were standing over by the exit doors, waving and waiting.
“Well, can you help?” Lindsay asked again.
“Well,” Madison started to answer. She was about to say, “Yeah, sure, yeah, I’ll go,” but then Aimee make a face. A funny face.
Lindsay was oblivious as usual. Madison wanted to run.
“I’m sorry,” Madison blurted out suddenly. “I’d really like to help … but I can’t. I have so much work for the show and I’m really behind in my classes and maybe we can do it tomorrow?”
“Oh.” Lindsay shrugged. “No, that’s okay. Don’t worry about it. I understand. I’ll see you at rehearsal. Another time, I guess.”
As Lindsay walked away, Madison hurried over to Aimee and Fiona.
Lindsay
Rude Awakening: Popularity is a war I can’t win.
I watch the other kids onstage and I wonder what’s real and what’s not. People can be such fakers, and when they’re singing and acting it’s even worse. Even people you thought you knew.
That fakeness just continues right off the stage into life, doesn’t it? I should have helped Lindsay today when she asked me. But I didn’t. Dissing Lindsay was more embarrassing than spilling Sloppy Joe on myself in front of Hart and everyone else. It was way more embarrassing than anything I’ve done lately. How could I be so un-nice?
Even when I think I can rise above the whole mind trip about what’s popular and what’s not, I still get sucked in by what other people think. I care what they think. Does that make me a bad person?
What happened to being the glue and holding everything together like Mariah said? I am so not holding ANYTHING together right now.
I can’t figure out where I fit in.
Chapter 9
T HE MORNING OF THE first dress rehearsal, Madison got up extra early to get a head start on some positive vibes. She was up at five-thirty, to be exact. A case of major nerves can sometimes be the best alarm clock in the world.
Phinnie made a snuffling noise and curled into a tighter ball when Madison stretched and slid out from under the covers. But ever so quietly, Madison perched by the bedroom window seat to watch the sun come up like a piece of tangerine candy.
More than anything else in the entire world, Madison wanted to do a good job in The Wiz. As she looked out at
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