TTFN (6 page)

mad maddie:

hey, girl. ready for dylan's party?

SnowAngel:

dylan's party? that's tonight?

mad maddie:

yeah, and newsflash: you're coming. and so is chive! wh-hoo! so u'll get to meet him, which u claim u've been wanting to do.

mad maddie:

more importantly, it'll get u out of yr funk. u've been moping about in your room ever since u got home from school, haven't u?

SnowAngel:

yes and no. i was moping for a while, but it wasn't helping, and all i could think about was how terrible everything is. so i rode my bike to little five points to clear my head.

mad maddie:

huh. exercise. not familiar with the concept.

mad maddie:

did it work?

SnowAngel:

well, it's not like i'm leaping up and down for joy, but i don't feel QUITE so suicidal anymore.

SnowAngel:

wanna know why?

mad maddie:

er … why?

SnowAngel:

cuz of what happened when i got back home, which i am calling my GREAT BRACELET
BREAKTHROUGH. *strikes a tragically romantic pose* even in these darkest of times, i found a light at the end of the tunnel.

mad maddie:

angela, what the hell r u talking about?

SnowAngel:

i parked my bike when i got to little five points, and i did a little window shopping. and i found a bracelet that i love sooooo much. it's made out of brown leather, and the ends connect with a silver clasp, and on the front there's a slender silver rectangle with the word “believe” etched onto it.

SnowAngel:

i know ur gonna say it's corny, but it's like fate was jumping out at me and telling me that everything's gonna be all right. telling me to BELIEVE.

mad maddie:

oh, angela, ur not gonna start carrying around little pewter angels, r u? or those stones that say “joy” or “happiness” or—god help us—“believe”?

SnowAngel:

don't u WANT me to believe?

SnowAngel:

why r u making fun of me when i'm actually feeling the tiniest bit better?

mad maddie:

i'm not making fun of U. i'm making fun of those dorky stones.

SnowAngel:

back to my bracelet. in order to look right, it has to be fastened nice and snug, cuz otherwise the “believe” part rotates around where it's not supposed to. i was able to get it PRETTY tight, but not just-right tight, cuz it kept slipping out of place just when i thought i had it.

mad maddie:

why didn't u get chrissy to fasten it for u? or me? u could have brought it to the party and i would have fastened it for u.

SnowAngel:

cuz it became this big thing. cuz in my head i was like, “am i the kind of person who gives up? no. am i the kind of person who fights to the end? yes.”

mad maddie:

over a bracelet?

SnowAngel:

here is what i finally did, and i think i should get a medal cuz it was so brilliant. i hooked one of my necklaces to the end of the bracelet to make the bracelet longer, sort of. and then i used my teeth to pull the necklace tight, which in turn pulled the bracelet tight. then i used my free hand to reach around and fasten the clasp—effortlessly, i tell u!—and voila, my bracelet is on and gorgeous. and every time i look at it, i just think about how things CAN work out if u make them. isn't that good?

mad maddie:

well, lord love a duck

SnowAngel:

i know i have to get on that stupid plane tomorrow, but we haven't moved YET. i just have to believe.

mad maddie:

does this mean u'll come to the party?

SnowAngel:

can u give me a ride?

mad maddie:

hells yeah—i'll pick u up in an hour!

zoegirl:

hey, angela. i'm texting from work, so i've got to be quick.

SnowAngel:

hey, girl. wassup? ur coming to dylan's, right?

zoegirl:

eventually, just not till after work.

zoegirl:

listen, i just wanted to say … well, i'm sorry i thought your dad was having an affair.

SnowAngel:

oh yeahhhhhh. THAT.

zoegirl:

i don't know why i even thought that. pretty stupid, huh?

SnowAngel:

don't worry about it. i told my dad, tho.

zoegirl:

you told your *dad*?

zoegirl:

omigosh. did you tell him it was me who said it?

SnowAngel:

of course. i said it to get back at him for all the crap he's putting me thru, but it backfired cuz he just laughed. my mom thought it was pretty funny too.

zoegirl:

angela!

SnowAngel:

they said to tell u they have a very fulfilling sex life. aren't u glad u brought it up?

zoegirl:

this is so embarrassing! i can't believe you *told* them!!!

SnowAngel:

oh well

SnowAngel:

c ya at dylan's!

mad maddie:

good morning to u on this lovely day of giving thanks, which we americans call thanksgiving, and which wld be far lovelier if not for the taste of sour beer wafting about my tonsils.

mad maddie:

can anyone say cottonmouth?

zoegirl:

hi, mads. i see you're still recovering from last night.

mad maddie:

that was so much fun. i kissed chive on the washing machine, did i tell u?

zoegirl:

yes, maddie. you called me from your cell phone even though i was 20 feet away having a very nice conversation with doug, which you interrupted. you were all, “i'm kissing chive on the washing machine! hahaha, isn't that hilarious? i'm kissing chive on the washing machine!”

mad maddie:

cuz u r my friend. cuz i wanna share my life with u.

zoegirl:

and then you gave your phone to chive and made him talk to me. it was very random and unnecessary.

mad maddie:

i did not make chive talk to u.

mad maddie:

did i?

zoegirl:

you don't remember? afterward, doug and i talked about how much we hate it when people do that. “here, talk to my great-aunt zelda.” “here, talk to my buddy from camp whom you've never met and never will.”

mad maddie:

weird. well, what did u say to chive on the phone? what did HE say?

zoegirl:

he was nice, i guess. he was like, “let's see, you're the shy one, right?”

zoegirl:

maddie, did u tell him i was shy?

mad maddie:

i dunno, i might have

zoegirl:

why?

mad maddie:

what do u mean, why? cuz ur my bud.

mad maddie:

i told him all about angela too

zoegirl:

well, that's sweet, but please don't go around telling people i'm shy.

mad maddie:

but u R shy

zoegirl:

a little, maybe. with some people. but it made me feel dumb.

mad maddie:

chive made u feel dumb?

zoegirl:

noooo, not chive. he must have realized i was embarrassed, because he said, “hey now, nothing wrong with being shy. just don't be afraid to let loose, okay? you can't always stand around with your hands in your pockets. sometimes you've got to bust a move!”

mad maddie:

ha. bust a move. not sure how that relates to being shy …

mad maddie:

so did u like him? don't u think he's awesome?

zoegirl:

i did like him. he had that drunk-and-sincere thing going on, but he was kind of charming.

mad maddie:

he's cute too. more like gorgeous.

zoegirl:

if you say so. but what's going on here? i thought you and chive were just friends.

mad maddie:

we r!

mad maddie:

what, u think i wanna be his girlfriend?

zoegirl:

doug assumed you were. he saw the two of you together, and he said it looked like you were really into each other.

mad maddie:

that's just chive. he does this deep-gaze thing when ur talking to him, as if ur the only person in the whole world that matters.

zoegirl:

well, like i said, doug thought you were a couple.

mad maddie:

doug, doug, doug. why the obsession with doug? anyway, the two of u hung out for the whole party, but that doesn't make YOU a couple, now does it?

zoegirl:

hanging out versus hanging all over …

zoegirl:

kidding!

mad maddie:

i'm gonna let that slide, cuz at least i'm getting some.

zoegirl:

ick! maddie!!!

mad maddie:

it was cool that doug came to dylan's, though. i don't usually see him at those parties.

zoegirl:

we were chatting at work, and i told him about it. i thought it was cool that he came too. i was glad.

mad maddie:

i liked his shirt

zoegirl:

“tough guys wear pink”? he wore it on purpose for the kids at Kidding Around. graham especially. (graham's that adorable three-year-old i told you about.)

zoegirl:

last week graham wore pink socks, and a girl named ashleigh told him that only girls are allowed to wear pink.

mad maddie:

alas, it starts so young

zoegirl:

but graham didn't seem fazed. i call him graham cracker.

mad maddie:

bet he's never heard that in all his 3 yrs

zoegirl:

last night i played candyland with him, and i let him land on queen frostine even though that wasn't the card he drew. he said, “you're the best, zoe.” he kept saying it over and over. “you're the best.”

mad maddie:

awwww

mad maddie:

so i thought angela did pretty well with the whole party thing, didn't u?

zoegirl:

freakily well, given all that's going on.

mad maddie:

no doubt cuz of THE BRACELET

zoegirl:

ah, yes, *the bracelet*

mad maddie:

but now she's having her thanksgiving dinner at eleven in the frickin morning and preparing to jet off to california. isn't that just wrong?

zoegirl:

i hate that. it makes me so worried for her.

mad maddie:

worrying won't do anything. it'll only stress u out.

zoegirl:

yeah, but *not* worrying about it is like … denial. i mean, there's a very real chance that she'll have to move.

mad maddie:

and there's even a realer chance that she won't. stop being a negative nelly.

mad maddie:

and now the googlewhack attempt of the day. let's c, how about “graham's hero” …

zoegirl:

you're changing the subject!

mad maddie:

i'm sorry to report that graham's hero got 876,000 hits. guess ur not as special as u thought u were, zo.

zoegirl:

maddie, this is what denial *is*! doing everything you can to deny that something's happening!

mad maddie:

no, this is called having fun on the computer searching for the perfect 1.

mad maddie:

i know, i'll try “sudsy canoodle,” in honor of chive.

mad maddie:

good lord—4,820 hits. what is wrong with the world?!

zoegirl:

um, hate to burst your bubble, but i just tried “inchoate despot” and got only one hit. then I tried “insouciant lavalier” and got ZERO hits!

mad maddie:

what? no. impossible. hold on …

mad maddie:

phew, i am right and you are wrong. *i* just tried “insouciant lavalier” and got 15,200 hits.

zoegirl:

but …

zoegirl:

huh???

mad maddie:

zoe, hate to burst *your* bubble, but u can't use quote marks when u google yr two words. u know that, right?

zoegirl:

oh.

mad maddie:

yes. oh. which reaffirms my point: the world is OUT THERE, and it is wild and woolly and filled with things both possible AND impossible. so until we know which category angela's move falls into—don't worry!!!