Sweet Thirteen Read online

  “Hello?” Charlotte answered as her dad and Sophie came into the kitchen, chatting with each other in French.

  “It’s Betsy Fitzgerald! Did you get my e-mail?”

  “No, not yet. We were—”

  Charlotte’s cell phone buzzed. She flipped it open to look at the text message.

  Kgirl: need u on IM asap!!!

  “Just a sec,” Charlotte told Betsy and carried the phone into her room, where a scattering of IM windows and a “you have new mail” message greeted her.

  “I’d like to take Sophie into Boston tomorrow to see the USS Constitution museum,” Betsy chattered. “I think the history and atmosphere . . .” Charlotte spaced out Betsy’s next few sentences as she opened up her e-mail and gasped at the number of messages in her in-box. Seventeen! And they’d only been gone for two hours! “Okay,” Charlotte answered a question Betsy had just asked, even though she wasn’t entirely sure what it was. Her IM windows were all flashing!

  Charlotte clicked on the top one. It was from Chelsea.

  shutterbug: Want 2 go hiking 2mro w BFF?

  Charlotte looked around for Sophie. She must still be in the kitchen.Oh well, Charlotte had already planned on hiking with Nick. Chelsea could just come too.

  skywriter: you can join nick and us

  shutterbug: gr8

  “Hello? Hello?” Betsy’s voice crackled out of the receiver. “Is that okay?”

  “Yes! Sounds great. Bye,” Charlotte clicked the phone off and looked in her e-mail in-box. Over half of the messages were from kids she didn’t even know.

  Sophie wandered in from the hallway with two bottles of nail polish. “Pink or gold? What would your friend Katani say?”

  Katani! That reminded Charlotte. She needed to talk to Kgirl on IM!

  “Ummm . . . gold?” Charlotte answered Sophie as she clicked through the IM windows. Finally she found the right one.

  Kgirl: u back yet?

  Kgirl: i have secret party-planning committee news!!!

  Charlotte was about to type “what?” but Chelsea’s window flashed and popped on top of Katani’s.

  shutterbug: where r we hiking? mom wants 2 know

  skywriter: 1 sec need to ask nick

  Charlotte quickly typed in Nick’s IM name and clicked in the box to type her question. Just after she hit enter, she realized she was in the wrong window!

  skywriter: where r we hiking 2mro? chels wants to come with

  Kgirl: ??? schedule says horseback riding 2mro! i called the stable already

  skywriter: Right. brb.

  Then Charlotte realized the problem. Nick wasn’t online! She opened up her e-mail, ignoring the pile-up of unread messages, and began to type.

  She’d only made it halfway through the first sentence when the phone rang.

  “Hello?” Charlotte held the phone on her other shoulder—her neck was getting sore! But she actually managed to finish typing her e-mail to Nick and press send while she was talking.

  “Is Sophie there?”

  Oh, great. It was Joline Kaminsky. Charlotte could have recognized her voice anywhere. “It’s for you.” She held out the phone, but Sophie just lifted one freshly nail-polished hand helplessly. Oh, great. Now I get to chat with the QOM . . . , Charlotte thought, starting to get annoyed.

  “Who is it?” Sophie asked.

  “Joline. She wants to meet you at the mall tomorrow.” Charlotte passed on the message.

  “Magnifique!” Sophie exclaimed.

  Joline overheard. “Great!” she squeaked.

  Charlotte could hear Anna giggling in the background. “Ummm—,” Charlotte started, realizing that they now had some historical thing with Betsy, hiking, horseback riding, and the mall scheduled all for one day! But Anna and Joline had already hung up. Things were getting way out of control! I wish the two of us could just spend time together, Charlotte bemoaned. She was my friend first, wasn’t she? She sighed and clicked on her e-mail. What else can go wrong?

  The first four messages were all from Julie Faber, the girl who hadn’t invited Avery to her birthday bash back in the fall. Now Julie wanted Sophie to come to a pool party this weekend. She didn’t say anything about whether Charlotte or the other BSG were invited. Charlotte was speechless! Does anyone even remember that I’m the reason Sophie came to Boston? That I’ve been her BFF for years?She didn’t know how to reply to Julie’s request, so she didn’t.

  The e-mails were endless—one was from a shy girl Charlotte barely knew, written in butchered French, and then there was a message from Jennifer, the newspaper editor, requesting that Charlotte write an article on “Paris Fever” for the school paper. Personally, Charlotte thought “French Mania” was a better title, but she didn’t have time to reply that she’d rather write about mold growing than cover “Paris Fever” because all of her IM windows were flashing again! This was crazy!!! Riley’s IM was on top, so Charlotte clicked on it first.

  GuitarRockStar: band needs BFF’s help tom

  skywriter: ???

  GuitarRockStar: need 2 work on new french lyrics

  GuitarRockStar: k?

  Charlotte glanced over at Sophie, who was blithely applying a second coat of gold polish. “Mustard Monkey needs your help with lyrics. They’re this band at school,” Charlotte reported.

  “But of course I will help!” Sophie answered.

  Charlotte shrugged and typed “ok.”

  It was like she had lost her own identity! Sophie, Sophie, Sophie! Everyone wants Sophie! What am I, her social secretary? Charlotte griped to herself.

  Just then, an e-mail arrived from Nick to brighten Charlotte’s mood a little bit.

  To: Charlotte

  From: Nick

  Subject: RE: Hiking

  Psyched to hike!!! I’ll stop by in the a.m. Need sunscreen, hats, bottles of water. Planning to take the skyline trail.

  See ya,

  Nick

  “Nick’s coming over in the morning,” Charlotte told Sophie. “So, we’ve got hiking, the mall, band lyrics, and what am I forgetting?”

  “It all sounds magnifique.” Sophie smiled, then yawned.

  Charlotte suddenly wanted to leap out of her desk chair and run out of the room, leaving Sophie to handle all her obsessed admirers on her own! Aughhh! This is ridiculous!Charlotte shouted inside. Then she saw that Katani was still waiting on IM to hear back. She took three deep breaths. Okay. Calm down. You can handle this.

  Ding-da-ding-dum-dum . . .A tinny version of JT’s number-one hit song played from inside Charlotte’s jacket pocket.

  Her cell. Charlotte took it out and stared at it for a second, like it was poisonous, then answered. “Hello?” she snapped.

  “Uhhh . . . I think I have the wrong number.”

  “No, Dillon. This is Charlotte.”

  There was a long pause on the other end of the line, and finally Dillon said, “Uhhh . . . Is Sophie there?”

  Charlotte handed the phone over as her calm disappeared and she started to seethe. No way was she taking another message for her popular friend! Especially not from a boy. Thankfully, Sophie was done with her nails and took the phone carefully.

  “You want to invite me to play soccer?” Charlotte overheard. “Ahhh, but I have not the right shoes!”

  This better not be another Saturday activity. . . .Charlotte winced. She couldn’t believe it. The way things were going, they’d have to literally make a hundred clones of Sophie to get through the weekend! Charlotte, for one, couldn’t handle so many people and plans crammed into two very short days. But if Sophie wants to do all of it, let her figure it out,Charlotte thought bitterly. Sophie was the Queen of Chic. A rock star. A tulip.

  The “tulip” laughed with a musical, cheery sound. “Ahhh, but of course! See you!” And she hung up.

  “Okay, that’s it,” Charlotte announced.

  “That’s what?” Sophie answered, stretching out on her cot.

  “I’m not answering the phone, writing e-mails, or IMing f
or the rest of the weekend!” Charlotte proclaimed. “You’re totally booked, and we haven’t even made it through Saturday night! Ugh!” Spontaneously, Charlotte reached over and shut down her computer. The monitor went dark and all the flashing IM windows disappeared. The sudden black emptiness of the screen somehow made her feel a little better.

  “This will, how do you say, work itself out in the morning,” Sophie promised.

  Charlotte wished she could believe her.

  CHAPTER

  16

  Too Many BFFs

  The slam of a car door made Charlotte roll over in bed. Am I still dreaming? she wondered as voices drifted up from the driveway.

  “What are you doing here?” There was no mistaking Anna’s shrill tones.

  “Sophie’s going to the USS Constitution with me,” Betsy responded, keeping her cool.

  “No, she isn’t!” Joline scoffed. “She’s going to the mall. With us.”

  “That can’t be right. Sophie’s going hiking!” Charlotte recognized Nick’s voice and started to realize that maybe this wasn’t just a weird dream. She sat up slightly, blinking the sleep out of her eyes.

  “Hiking? You’ve got to be kidding. That’s sooo lame. Sophie is totally too cool for that.” Anna didn’t sound impressed.

  “What?” Nick countered. “She said she’d go a couple days ago. And Charlotte e-mailed me a definite yes last night.”

  “That’s weird,” Betsy retorted. “I called Charlotte, and she said Sophie was free.”

  Uh-oh. Charlotte glanced over at Sophie, who was still fast asleep on her cot. The Queen of Chic was curled up in a ball with her dark hair sticking out wildly in all directions. If her admirers could see her now,Charlotte thought. It would be really embarrassing!

  Outside, a new voice joined the conversation. “What are you all doing here?!”

  It was Katani. Charlotte tiptoed to the window and looked out. Cars were lined up and down the street, a few idling and sending up plumes of exhaust. Kids from school swarmed the front lawn, like locusts. Or maybe a bouquet of tulips, Charlotte mused. Her still-tired brain imagined them all instantly transformed into flowers. Maybe then they’d quiet down and quit all the arguing.

  “It’s all set. Sophie’s going horseback riding with me,” Katani told the crowd. “Look, it’s on the schedule!” She held up a copy of her detailed itinerary that Sophie hadn’t followed at all, and Charlotte felt a stab of guilt. Katani had worked hard on that schedule, but so far the only thing they’d actually done on it was the welcome party in the Tower!

  “Umm, she’s supposed to help Mustard Monkey with some lyrics, too.” Riley joined the fray.

  “And she’s coming to my party!” Julie Faber hopped out of her mother’s convertible.

  “This is ridiculous,” Betsy started. “Absolutely ridicu—”

  Anna cut her off as she marched toward the door. A QOM on a mission. “Why don’t you all clear out?”

  Inside, Charlotte rushed over and shook the lump named Sophie. “Sophie, your, um”—she searched for the right word—“your BFFs, I mean, uhhh, all of them, are here.”

  Sophie sat up, eyes wide. “Combien? How many?”

  “Oh, not too many.” Charlotte couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of her voice. She had held it in so long. “Remember all those people calling and IMing last night? Well, they all showed up. All thirty of them.”

  “Thirty?! What do they want?” Sophie looked ready to panic.

  The voices outside combined with Anna’s insistent knocking on the door created a cacophony of noise, and Charlotte lost it.

  “I can’t handle this!” she shouted. It was totally unlike her to yell, and Sophie shrank back. “Everyone is here to do a million different things with you, so go, have fun.” Exasperated and overwhelmed, Charlotte collapsed back onto her bed.

  Sophie drifted over to the window and put a hand to her mouth when she saw the crowd outside. “But this is crazy! I cannot do this!”

  “Sooophie! Where are you?” A voice called from outside. At that point Charlotte didn’t even care who it was.

  Sophie backed away from the window and put her hands over her ears. “Please, Char. Make them go away! I don’t want to disappoint anyone, but I am at my ends.”

  “What?” Charlotte got up and pulled the shade down over the window so hard, the cord snapped back up like a snake striking. “I thought you liked all this attention.”

  Sophie’s voice was very small. “I just wanted to make everyone happy and be nice to all your friends so they would like me. Wasn’t that what you wanted? And now, c’est une catastrophe! Aide-moi, Charlotte, you have to help me! I’m so sorry for everything, mon amie.”

  For the first time since Sophie arrived, the French fashionista wasn’t dressed up, surrounded by look-alikes, or trying to impress anyone. She was sleepy and had a terrible case of bed head. Right then, Charlotte realized that her friend was still the Sophie she’d always known.

  And she’s even more upset than I am about this insanity!Charlotte thought, finally understanding what was happening. It wasn’t totally fair for her to get so mad at Sophie because it really wasn’t her fault. “It’s okay, Sophie. I knew this was coming. And I think tulip mania is about to crash.”

  “I do not understand. Tulip mania? Is this a special phrase, like ‘easy as pie’”

  Before Charlotte could explain, her dad knocked on the door. “Umm, Char? There are quite a few people here to see you. Were you planning something? Because you know, I’d like to hear about these things ahead of time.”

  Charlotte took a deep breath, telling herself, I made this mess by not dealing with things yesterday. It’s my responsibility to clean it up.

  “Charlotte?” her dad repeated. “Please explain. Now.”

  “I’m just getting dressed, Dad. I’ll be right out.” Charlotte pulled on a pair of jean shorts and a T-shirt, and slipped her bare feet into a pair of fuzzy purple slippers.

  “I’ll take care of everything, Sophie,” she promised. Then she ducked out the door and down the stairs.

  But when Charlotte grabbed the knob to swing open the front door and face the tulip swarm, she was yanked swiftly forward. Anna had given up waiting for someone to answer her knocks and had pulled open the door with such force that Charlotte went flying!

  “Auuughhh!” Charlotte yelped as she fell forward, crashing right into Joline, who teetered into Katani, who toppled over onto Isabel, Avery, Chelsea, Julie, Nick, Riley, and Dillon! It was like the world’s strangest game of dominoes, and for once in her life, Charlotte wasn’t the only one lying on the ground, feeling like an idiot.

  Anna McMasters, the only one still standing, surveyed the scene with her usual haughty air. As she came running down the steps, probably to make some final biting remark, she was suddenly yanked to the ground by her fancy peach-colored scarf, which had somehow managed to get snagged on the metal railing!

  Charlotte couldn’t help it. She started laughing and couldn’t stop. Somehow she managed to get up and shout in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, “Due to unforeseen circumstances, Sophie Morel is closed for the day.” And with that, Charlotte stepped back into the house and slammed the door shut.

  Secret Messages

  Oh. Wait . . . the BSG!Charlotte turned back around, staring at the door for a second. There was no way she could open it again. Not without inviting the swarm inside.

  Then she had an idea.

  Charlotte peered through the mail slot. Everyone was shouting at one another while Katani struggled to get things organized. Anna was sulking off to one side, Julie’s mother had dragged her back to the car, and Betsy’s dad was trying to get Katani’s attention.

  The only person close enough to notice a spy in the mail slot was Nick.

  “Hey,” Charlotte whispered. No response. A little louder, “Nick!”

  He turned around, unsure where the voice was coming from.

  “Over here.” Charlotte flipped the small met
al door back and forth a few times so that it clanged softly.

  “Charlotte?” He walked up the steps to the door, bent down, and peered into the slot.

  Her eyes met his. “Ummm. Sorry this is such a mess. Could you tell the BSG I’m sorry? And I’ll call?”

  Nick nodded, but he looked hurt. “What about hiking?”

  “I still want to go. Tomorrow?” Charlotte hoped that was okay. “I think Sophie’ll be up to it first thing in the morning. It’ll just be you, me, Sophie, Chelsea, and—” Charlotte heard someone coming up the steps, and when Nick turned his head, Charlotte could see whoever it was had on a soccer uniform.

  “Is that Dillon?”

  “Uh-huh,” Nick said as Dillon elbowed him aside to look in the slot.

  “Dude, what’s going on here? Secret messages?”

  “Come hiking with us tomorrow?” Charlotte whispered loud enough for Dillon to hear. “Sophie would love it if you came.”

  At that, Dillon’s face glowed. His smile filled the whole mail slot.

  “See you tomorrow,” Charlotte told the boys. “And don’t forget to tell the BSG I’ll be in touch!” Then she headed upstairs to take care of her frazzled French friend.

  Sophie was fast asleep. Charlotte decided to let her be and signed onto IM to explain the whole mess. After ten minutes or so, all the BSG were there.

  Charlotte had to go because her mind had wandered back to tulips and all those kids swarming her front porch. Suddenly she knew exactly what should happen next in Orangina’s story!

  * * *

  Part 5

  Attack of the Butterbees

  On the other side of the door a field of brilliantly colored tulips basked in the warm sunshine.

  “What is so dangereux about flowers?” Orangina sniffed at a red and orange tulip.

  “Shhh!” Big Bruce held a finger to his lips. “The butterbees’ll hear you!”