Sweet Thirteen Read online

  “Has she ever been hiking before?” Chelsea whispered to Charlotte.

  “I thought so . . . ,” Charlotte pondered.

  “Oh!” Sophie yelped as one of her shoes flipped off for the dozenth time.

  Dillon handed over the offending footwear as Sophie sat down on a log.

  “I think, if I take off my socks, I might not have so much trouble,” she told Dillon, who just nodded with big puppy eyes. “The shoes will stick to my feet.”

  “Um, that might not be the best idea—,” Nick started.

  “It’s brilliant!” Dillon interrupted. “Who needs socks?”

  Chelsea snapped a photo of Dillon making a goofy face while Sophie wriggled her bare toes, free from sweaty socks, and then they set off down the trail again, following Nick and Charlotte.

  “Come look what I found!” Charlotte called them all over to a dark, damp hollow between two giant boulders.

  “Cool! A cave!” Dillon ducked inside, and Chelsea took more pictures.

  “Watch out!” Sophie yelped and grabbed Charlotte’s arm as something mouse-sized flew out over Dillon’s head. “What was that?!”

  “A bat, probably.” Charlotte shrugged.

  “Don’t you have bats in France?” Nick asked.

  “Bats?” Sophie thought hard. “But of course. I just don’t hang out with them!”

  The kids all laughed. Sophie is being a good sport,Charlotte thought, even though she is out of her element. Sophie even climbed inside the cave with Dillon, after he checked the rock walls thoroughly for more bats.

  The trail climbed up and around the boulders, then along a ridge lined with birch trees. They’d been walking quietly for a few minutes when Sophie complained that her feet were sore.

  Charlotte diagnosed the little red bump of Sophie’s left heel. “It looks like a blister.”

  Nick opened up his first-aid kit. “I have a blister kit.” He handed a special Band-aid to Sophie, and Charlotte helped her put it on. “I tried to tell you it’s not a good idea to hike without socks.” He shot a told-you-so look at Dillon.

  “Okay, I will wear the socks.” Sophie looked around in her pack, but could only find one!

  “Mon dieu!”Sophie exclaimed. “I’ve lost a sock!”

  “Just wear one sock, on the foot with the blister,” Chelsea suggested.

  “That will look crazy!” Sophie immediately rejected the notion. “I will just go back to look for my sock.”

  Charlotte shook her head. “Not when we’ve already come this far!”

  “Just wear the one,” Nick agreed with Chelsea. “At least the blister will be protected.”

  “You can have one of my socks,” Dillon offered, but when he untied his shoes, stinky-foot smell wafted up.

  Nick plugged his nose and protested. “Ewww! Put them back on! That’s gross, dude!”

  Sophie laughed musically. “It is not as bad as my school after the science disaster. Thank you, Dillon, for your chivalry, but I will just wear the one sock.”

  This is a bold move for Sophie, Charlotte had to admit. I bet she’s never worn just one sock before! Wouldn’t it be funny if that became the new fashion craze at AAJH?

  As they got moving again, Dillon stepped ahead of Sophie, kicking stones out of her way and holding tree branches back.

  “Merci.” Sophie smiled each time he helped her out.

  Chelsea walked behind Dillon and Sophie, with Nick and Charlotte bringing up the rear. From where Charlotte stood at the back of the pack, all she could hear was the chirping of birds and Sophie going “merci.” “Oh, merci.” And then “merci.” Again.

  “It sounds like she’s calling for mercy,” Nick commented back to Charlotte.

  “That’s not a good thing when we still have almost six miles to go!” Charlotte said with a grimace. “Maybe I should switch places with Dillon.” Charlotte tried to dodge around Nick and scoot up closer to Sophie.

  “I think Dillon has this one covered,” Nick replied, jokingly blocking Charlotte’s path, trapping her in place at the end of the line. “He wants to help her.”

  “Merci, Dillon.” It went on as the birches made way for majestic pines.

  “Merci.” As Dillon helped Sophie cross a log placed over a wide brook.

  So it went for another mile, until it ended with “Merciiiii. Oof.”

  Charlotte rushed past Nick and up the trail to find Sophie sprawled out on the trail. She’d tripped over a tree root that even the hyper-gentlemanly Dillon couldn’t protect her from. Her scarf was snagged on a thornbush, and her sockless foot had lost its shoe.

  “Help!” Sophie cried out in distress, discovering that she was tangled.

  Dillon helped Sophie sit up, retrieved her shoe, then struggled with the thornbush until his hands were all scratched up. But the scarf wouldn’t come loose!

  “I think it’s even more tangled than before,” Chelsea commented as Sophie tried untying the scarf from her neck . . . but both ends were trapped tight.

  “Let me try.” Charlotte tugged with all her might, until the bush was bending over backward, but Sophie was still stuck.

  Nick cut in with his pocket knife and snipped at twigs and strings until Sophie was free.

  “Looks like you’re taking the bush with you.” Chelsea pointed to several sawed-off twigs still dangling from the end of the scarf.

  “And some of the scarf is staying here.” Dillon nodded at the frayed silvery fabric tangled in the bush. “Couldn’t you be more careful?” he chided Nick.

  “Sorry,” Nick apologized.

  “It’s all right.” Sophie kept her head high, and Charlotte felt so proud of her. If she’d been the one tangled in the bush, she’d be mortified right now!

  “When we get back to Boston, I’ll buy you another one,” Dillon offered. “An American scarf to remind you of your hiking trip.”

  “Merci, non. I think I will remember this hike no matter what!” Sophie exclaimed. The others laughed in agreement.

  Dirt, Roots, and Bugs

  Finally it was time for a rest. As they chowed down on sandwiches, carrot sticks, and granola bars on top of a flat rock overlooking the woods, Charlotte realized that Sophie looked a little less than her usual bubbly self.

  Apparently she wasn’t the only one who noticed. “What’s up?” Dillon asked Sophie. “Do you wanna stop soon or something?”

  “No, no, please. I think I am slowing you all down and ruining the hike.”

  Dillon shook his head. “You could never ruin anything.” His smile was warm and sincere.

  “We don’t have to go all the way around,” Nick said. “We’re only about ten minutes from the halfway mark.”

  “We are not even halfway?” Sophie sounded stunned. “But we must have come almost eight kilometers already, non?”

  “Umm, the whole hike is eight miles,” Charlotte explained. “That’s about thirteen kilometers.”

  The color drained from Sophie’s face. “Mon dieu!” she exclaimed, collapsing backward into a clump of moss and grass, dropping the granola bar she’d been eating.

  Sophie looked over at it with sorrow. Then her expression turned to horror as a zillion happy ants swarmed the granola bar.

  “I can’t do this.” She groaned with a sigh. “I won’t make it. I shall just lie here and let the ants carry me away.”

  “No, you won’t! And yes, you can make it,” Charlotte insisted, overhearing Sophie’s lament. “It seems like we found out something important today. I like hiking. You don’t. That’s okay. It’s nice when friends have differences.” Charlotte gave Sophie a hand up. “But I won’t let you quit, just like you don’t give up on me when I have my clumsy moments at school. Let’s go.”

  Chelsea poked Sophie’s arm and held up her camera. “Group shot?”

  When they got going again after Chelsea took their picture, Sophie hung behind the group, taking each step slowly.

  “Come on, Sophie, you can do it!” Dillon cheered her on.

&n
bsp; “Put a little power to it,” Nick continued the cheer.

  “Gooooo, Sophie!” Chelsea finished.

  “You’re doing great, Soph. Hang in there!” Charlotte hung back next to her friend.

  It’s strange to see her so dejected,Charlotte thought. My put-together friend has met her match. Who would have guessed she’d be bested by Mother Nature? I should be the one getting tangled in a bush or tripping over rocks. Charlotte chuckled to herself. Of course, there’s still time for that!

  The path wound up and down another steep hill. Sophie walked very quietly between Dillon and Charlotte.

  Something rustled in the trees.

  “Aughhh! Help!!!” Sophie screamed, running behind Dillon for cover!

  “A bug! There’s a bug. A huge, deadly bug!” Directly in front of Sophie, a furry brown-and-black striped animal was standing on the path, washing its face with its tiny little paws. Chelsea grabbed her camera and took a few shots of the furry fellow, who didn’t seem to be afraid of people at all.

  “Get away!” Sophie shouted at it, trying to scare the little guy away. “I hate bugs!”

  “Umm, I think you’ve got the wrong word.” Charlotte squeezed her friend’s hand. “Chipmunks are definitely not bugs.”

  “I think they’re related to mice,” Nick offered.

  That didn’t help. “I hate mice and bugs and bats and woods,” Sophie cried. “He’s going to bite me. I will get the plague!”

  “He’s more afraid of you than you are of him.” Dillon tried to soothe Sophie, but she ignored him and backed up until she was only one step away from a huge patch of poison ivy!

  “Stop!” Charlotte cautioned her, but it looked like Sophie would rather tangle herself up in a thornbush again than face the gnashing teeth of that terribly vicious chipmunk.

  It was up to Dillon to play the rescuing hero. “Ay ya!” He leaped into a ninja warrior stance, hands raised to challenge the furry critter to a fight to the death. “Ya. Ya.” Dillon moved in one of his practiced karate sequences, his hands chopping in perfect arcs.

  The chipmunk merely blinked at the unmasked avenger. It was one brave little guy!

  “Yeeeeeaaa!!!” Dillon exclaimed, and whipped around with a spinning, jumping back kick that finally sent the chipmunk scampering away.

  Nick dropped to the ground in thanksgiving. “All praise, Master Dillon. I was nearly eaten alive!” he said, arms raised dramatically skyward in a mocking pose.

  “The Chipmunk Ninja has rescued us all!” Chelsea added, putting the back of her hand across her forehead, like she was about to faint. “The best part? I got the whole battle on camera!”

  Charlotte rolled her eyes and drew Sophie away from the poison ivy. “Are you okay?” she asked, but Sophie was staring straight at Dillon.

  “You are my hero!” Sophie put a hand on Dillon’s shoulder and kissed him lightly on the cheek. “A real live kung-fu master! Thank you!”

  Dillon blushed, one hand floating up to his cheek. “You’re welcome,” he mumbled, all his bravado completely dissolved.

  “Come, my Ninja Chipmunk Warrior, lead the way!” Sophie cheered, ready to finish the hike.

  And they did. They made it all the way up to the overlook point, where they rested and watched cars traveling along the highway into the city. Charlotte called her dad to say they were going to finish the whole hike. Then they climbed back down, telling jokes to keep themselves going and to keep Sophie’s mind off her sore, blistered feet.

  “What do you call a monkey that eats chips and dresses in black?” Dillon asked as they started back on the path. “A ninja chipmonkey!”

  “Lame,” Nick said, snickering.

  “I have one.” Charlotte went next. “How many Chipmunk Ninjas does it take to screw in a lightbulb?”

  Chelsea stepped adroitly over a rock. “No one knows. When the light comes on, they all scatter!” The group burst into giggles.

  The rest of the way down the trail, they took turns frightening birds and squirrels away with bold karate moves and making up Chipmunk Ninja jokes.

  Finally, they made it back to the parking lot, where Mr. Ramsey was leaning against the hood of his car, waiting for the gang. “Hey!” he called, waving to them.

  Sophie practically flung herself into Mr. Ramsey’s car.

  “Thank you for the hike,” she told her friends when they all settled in for the ride home. “But now I think I need a hot bath and perhaps, a paraffin pedicure and a hot meal, then everything will be back to magnifique!”

  CHAPTER

  18

  French Romance and American Secrets

  How’d you do on the math test?” Isabel asked Maeve as they waited for the rest of the BSG outside school on a warm and sunny Tuesday afternoon.

  “I got a B plus!” Maeve grinned. “Working with Austin is like a miracle cure for both of us. It makes me think about how I learn, and for the first time ever I’m not completely dreading homework.”

  “That’s fantabulawesome!” Katani came up behind Maeve, cheering her math success with Maeve’s new favorite word.

  “Totally,” Isabel agreed.

  “Hey, guys!” Avery came running over, already changed into her soccer uniform for her usual afternoon pickup game. “I only counted ten girls wearing scarves today. The Scarfless Wonders are totally taking over!”

  Isabel whipped a scarf out of her book bag and looped it around Avery’s neck before she could get away. “Gotcha!” She giggled.

  Katani touched the simple choker she was wearing. She hadn’t worn a scarf since Sophie walked into school on Monday in jeans and a Red Sox T-shirt! After the hike on Sunday, Sophie had explained, she decided she needed some casual wear. So she bought herself a few T-shirts and a good pair of sneakers, too.

  “Everyone is back to dressing like normal, boring, sloppy Americans,” Maeve commented. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but . . . it’s refreshing.”

  “Everyone except you two!” Isabel shoved Katani and Maeve playfully. They may not have been wearing scarves, but they were both wearing sundresses, for no particular reason except that it was a nice day.

  “And Dillon,” Avery said with a grin. “He’s still wearing those dumb pointy shoes.”

  “I’m no fashionista,” Isabel piped up, “but someone”— she coughed out Katani’s name—“has to tell him that you can’t wear pointy shoes with a sports jersey and shorts!”

  “I’m not telling him. Let the QOM tell him,” Katani suggested. “They like French fashion.”

  “I actually heard”—Maeve leaned forward like she was revealing a big secret—“that after Sophie bailed on everyone Saturday, the QOM were so mad they cancelled the French fashion club.”

  “It’s true,” Charlotte said as she and Sophie joined the group. “No more fashion club. But the French language club is still going strong.”

  “Who needs designer scarves when you have comfy T-shirts?” Sophie preened a little, showing off her pink and white Red Sox shirt. “I am no longer French. I am ohso-American, duuudes!”

  Charlotte laughed and plopped down on the grass next to Maeve. “What’s up with you, girl?” she asked. “You’ve been MIA a lot lately.”

  “Bat Mitzvah on the horizon—four days and counting.” Maeve grimaced. “My family starts coming in tomorrow! My great-grandma Gigi is arriving in the morning from New York. Uncle Marty and my cousin Stacy are getting here on Thursday.”

  “Yikes,” Avery whimpered on Maeve’s behalf. “Can we do anything to help?”

  “We already are—,” Charlotte started, but then quickly stopped herself.

  “Are what?” Maeve asked.

  “Are . . . available!” Katani finished Charlotte’s half sentence. “We are available for anything you need. And of course we’re coming to the service Saturday morning. We can’t wait!”

  “Great!” Maeve said. “It would be awesome if you guys came to my rehearsal at the temple tomorrow. You could hang out with Grandma and Gran
dpa Taylor while I run through the service with the rabbi. I think it would help calm my nerves if I had my friends there.”

  “I’m totally in. What time?” Avery asked. “I’m free after—”

  “No!” Isabel interrupted. “You can’t go. You have that thing with me and Katani.” She gave Avery a strong stare. “We have to go to that place. It was your idea after all.”

  “Oh, yeah,” Avery said, realizing what Isabel meant. She turned to Maeve. “Oops. Sorry. Can’t be there.”

  Maeve found the looks passing among her friends quite odd, but Avery had always been kind of hyper. It wasn’t worth delving into the details, especially with Austin to tutor, a dress to save up for, and Hebrew to practice!

  “Maybe Sophie and Charlotte can come?” Maeve pleaded.

  “We, uh . . .” Charlotte searched for an excuse.

  “We’d love to,” Sophie said, putting her arm firmly around Charlotte and dragging her close. “If we all ditch out, Maeve will know something’s up. We must go to the rehearsal,” she whispered.

  Charlotte nodded, realizing Sophie was right. “We’ll be there!” she told Maeve enthusiastically.

  Triple Date

  The next afternoon, Charlotte and Sophie followed Maeve and her grandparents out of the temple.

  “You did a great job!” Grandma Taylor cheered. “Didn’t she do well?” the tiny old woman asked Charlotte, then leaned in and gave Maeve a big, sloppy kiss on the cheek.

  “Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa, for coming today. I’m glad you’re here.” Maeve was speaking from her heart.

  “We’re so proud of you! This will be the finest Bat Mitzvah I’ve ever attended!” Grandpa Taylor told her, hugging Maeve tight.

  Maeve smiled, realizing that this was actually the only Bat Mitzvah they’d ever attend—her father’s parents weren’t Jewish, and this was the first time they’d been inside a temple since her mom and dad got married! Thankfully, none of the family had said anything about the separation, and both sets of grandparents and great-grandma seemed to be having a blast.