Sweet Thirteen Read online

  “Will you drop us off at Montoya’s Bakery?” Maeve asked. “I’m gonna hang with my friends awhile. Mom knows. I’ll be home later, in time for dinner.”

  The girls climbed into Maeve’s grandparents’ rental car.

  “I messed up the Hebrew a little on the third part of my reading,” Maeve told Charlotte and Sophie on the way to the café. “I’ll have to review it one more time before the big day.”

  “Sounded just right to me,” Charlotte told her.

  “Yeah, because you don’t speak Hebrew!” Maeve laughed. “Botching the Hebrew is like when an actress forgets a line. Only the director, I mean, the rabbi, knows, but it’s still a mess up.”

  Charlotte and Sophie hugged Maeve, who was in the middle.

  “You’ll do fantabulous,” Sophie added with a wink and a grin.

  The girls were still chitchatting about the service when they got to Montoya’s.

  “OMG! Do you think Riley’s here yet?” Maeve peered into the car’s rearview mirror and fluffed her hair. “I’m totally not ready. . . .” They had set up a triple date after the rehearsal. Maeve and Riley. Charlotte and Nick. Sophie and Dillon.

  “You look beautiful, Maeve, as always!” Charlotte dragged her dramatic friend away from the car and into the bakery. Riley and Dillon were waiting at the BSG’s usual table.

  “Hey, dudes!” Dillon waved. A pair of scruffy sneakers poked out from the bottoms of his jeans.

  “What happened to your pointy shoes?” Maeve teased.

  “Avery gave me a talk about being myself.” Dillon shrugged. “And she backed it up with threats of bodily harm.” He widened his eyes like this was the worst thing ever.

  “Say no more.” Sophie waved his words away. “I absolutely agree! Fashion is about so much more than designers and popularity. It is about expressing your true self.” She paused before adding, “And, being confortable, non?”

  “A good lesson for next time we go hiking,” Nick agreed, joining the group with a tray of freshly baked chocolate-chip cookies.

  “I don’t think there will be a next time for me,” Sophie said gently. “My new sneakers are just right for walking in a mall or on a sidewalk, but not the forest. I’m full with roots, dirt, and bugs.” She paused, then added with a grin, “And Ninja Chipmunks.”

  They all laughed, and the girls went to sit down.

  Nick jumped in front of Maeve and pulled out a chair facing the window out onto the street. “Why don’t you sit here?”

  Maeve looked confused for a second, but when Riley scooched over so he could sit next to her, she relented. Charlotte and Nick took their seats facing the back of the restaurant.

  “What was that all about?” Charlotte whispered. Then she saw a door in the back of the restaurant open, and Katani, Avery, and Isabel snuck out! Their secret meeting had run long and they were just now leaving Montoya’s.

  “Maeve! Did you tell Riley about the dress you’re saving up for?” Charlotte distracted her friend.

  By the time Maeve was done describing every sequin of her dream dress in intimate detail, the other BSG were safely out of the building. Charlotte let out a sigh of relief.

  Mrs. Montoya brought them iced hot chocolate to go with their cookies. Dillon offered Sophie a cookie, and she nibbled off one end, laughing as the crumbs landed in her iced hot chocolate. Charlotte smiled shyly at Nick when he handed her a straw and pushed his iced hot chocolate her way. “I think my mom put an extra shot of chocolate sauce in mine. Want to try?”

  It was the best iced hot chocolate Charlotte had ever had. If she had eyes for anyone other than Nick, she would have noticed that Riley and Maeve were lost in their own little world as well!

  When they finally got up to leave, Maeve saw Fabiana, Nick’s older sister, coming out of a door she’d never noticed before.

  “Do you have another room back there?” Maeve asked Nick, squinting her eyes toward the open door.

  “No!” Nick said, too quickly. “I mean, it’s just storage.”

  “So what was Fabiana doing back there?” Maeve asked, intrigued. “Inquiring minds want to know.”

  Charlotte held her breath, but Nick replied smoothly, “She has a secret life. I try not to pay attention.”

  “I read this book where everyone had a secret life,” Charlotte said, helping Nick with his cover-up.

  “I don’t have one,” Riley remarked. “Where can I get a mysterious, intriguing, rock star secret life?”

  Maeve laughed. “When I’m famous, the tabloids will report on all my friends’ lives. If you don’t have any secrets, they’ll make some up for you!”

  “Sophie Morel wrestles rabid chipmunks in her secret life.” Dillon spread his hands, as if this were a newspaper cover story.

  Sophie and Charlotte started laughing and couldn’t stop until they got home.

  Counting Pennies

  I can’t believe it! I have $191! Just in time to buy the amazing dress that has MY name on it in the window of Think Pink! Maeve thought as she skipped home from tutoring Austin. It had been her third session that week, and each day she’d checked on the dress. Just to make sure.

  “Wait up!” Sam whined, dragging a backpack full of plastic army men.

  Since her mom was busy ushering more family from the airport to hotels, Maeve had arranged with Mrs. Franklin to bring Sam with her to Austin’s. It had gone well, even though Sam insisted on turning every story they read into some sort of battle for his army men. When Maeve got the envelope from Mrs. Franklin with her payment, she instantly added it to the wad of cash growing in a secret pouch inside her babysitting bag. Finally it was enough!

  Think Pink will be closed now, but I’m just going to stop by to say hello to the amazing, soon-to-be-mine, red-carpet- worthy number!Maeve thought as she picked up the pace. By tomorrow everyone will be here. Tomorrow night I go to the Friday night service at temple. We’ll have a nice dinner and then go to sleep. The next morning it’s pink-sequined-gown grown-up Bat Mitzvah Maeve showtime! Wow,Maeve thought. All these months and months of preparation. It feels like years! I can’t believe it’s actually almost here.

  “Are you listening to me, Maeve? ’Cause I don’t think you’re listening.” Sam had finally caught up to his older sister and poked her in the side.

  “Sorry, Sam.” Maeve took his hand as they crossed the street. “I zoned out.”

  “You’ve been doing that a lot lately,” Sam remarked. “Is it your dyslexia?” The large word rolled easily off her little brother’s tongue. They stepped up on the curb and started down the sidewalk.

  Maeve laughed, then started in seriously, “I hate to tell you, Sam, but I am almost positive I have a very serious disease. Worse than dyslexia. It’s making my brain turn to mush. It’s called . . . drumroll, please!” She drummed her feet on the sidewalk. “Bat Mitzvah-itis.”

  Sam poked Maeve again and said, “You’re verrry funny.”

  Maeve poked her little brother back, saying, “No, you are.”

  “Know what?” Sam asked, suddenly all serious. “Austin told a bunch of kids today how much he loves his new tutor.” Sam smiled mischievously, “So, I said, ‘If you love her so much, why don’t you marry her!’ How cool would that be, Maeve-y? Too cool for words!”

  “Austin’s kind of young for me, don’t you think?” Maeve asked with a giggle.

  “He’ll grow up someday,” Sam said. “We could be related!”

  “Ha-ha.” Maeve rolled her eyes.

  “And now all these other kids want a tutor. I said if they paid me, I’d ask you.” Sam opened his hands and showed Maeve two quarters, a dime, and three pennies. “I made sixty-three cents!”

  “Sam, you’re brilliant!” Maeve stopped in her tracks so suddenly Sam bumped into her.

  “I know I’m brilliant,” he said. “I know what a square root is.”

  But Maeve wasn’t listening. “I could make my tutoring work with Austin my Bat Mitzvah project!” she exclaimed. “And maybe tutor ot
her kids with learning differences, too! There could be a whole program matching up older kids and younger kids with things like dyslexia, so they can teach one another. They’d, like, help one another with more than just school.”

  Sam nodded. “Uh-huh. A square root is when there are two of the same number that multiply together—”

  “You weren’t even listening!” Maeve threw her hands up in the air, too excited about her new idea to get really angry at her brother. I’ll make a difference in the world after all! That’s what becoming a Bat Mitzvah is all about,Maeve told herself as she turned down the street that would take them past Think Pink on the way home.

  As they got closer, Maeve’s fingers gripped her savings and her heartbeat started racing. One-hundred and ninety-one dollars. Enough to pay for the dress, plus one bag full of Swedish Fish!After all the drama, all the trouble and disappointment, Maeve had finally set herself a goal and achieved it. What could be more fantabulawesome than that?

  Finally, Maeve reached the fancy pink awning and stopped to gaze in the window. But something was wrong. . . . Her smile vanished, and she started to tremble. Mostly the display case looked just as she expected: There was a stack of pink hats, a stuffed flamingo, a wicker chair, and a mannequin. But the mannequin, her mannequin, was wearing a pink plaid jacket.

  Her dress was gone. Gone!

  Life as she knew it was over.

  Maeve clenched her fingers around her money so tightly, the bills crumpled. It was the most she’d ever saved up in her whole life, and suddenly it was all for nothing. Her eyes frantically searched the window display. This is all a bad dream! It can’t be real! She grasped out to hold onto something, and Sam took her hand.

  “No. No. No,” Maeve wailed. “Where is my dress???!!!”

  Sam just looked at her, then looked away. “It’s okay, Maeve-y. It’s only a dress.”

  “It’s not okay! This is the least okay I’ve ever been in my entire life!” Maeve pronounced dramatically, and stared in the store window again, studying the ghastly jacket now on display.

  The dress was still gone. Someone else must have bought it. How dare she! Maeve moaned inside. Some other girl will be wearing the most glamorous gown on the face of the Earth, MY gown, to her party. I hope she’s happy.

  Somehow, this had gone from the best day to the worst day of Maeve’s life. Head down and shoulders slumped, Maeve walked with Sam the rest of the way home, tears streaming down her face.

  CHAPTER

  19

  Changing the World

  Notain Ha-Torrahhh,” Maeve chanted the last bit of Hebrew after her Torah reading. She had been so nervous all week that she would stumble over her part in the service, but once she got up in front of everyone, the actress inside Maeve kicked into gear. She threw back her shoulders, stood up tall, and spoke the Hebrew words she’d practiced a million times before. Whew. I survived. I did it! Maeve smiled, looking out into the sanctuary. Her mom and dad were smiling. Even Sam was blowing Maeve kisses from his place in the front row. She saw the BSG and Sophie staring up at her, beaming with pride. It’s okay that I don’t have that dress,Maeve told herself for the hundredth time, finally starting to believe it. They’re all here because of me and the meaning of the ceremony. I didn’t need a fancy gown for this day to be special.

  Maeve took a minute and scanned the crowd; friends from school and the neighborhood, a few teachers, her pals from Hebrew school, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents—they’d all come to hear her read her special portion and watch her become a Bat Mitzvah. Now it was almost over.

  There was only one last thing she needed to do: give her speech. During their meetings over the last few months, Maeve had worked closely with Rabbi Millstein to write something about the ancient words she’d read in Hebrew and their relevance to her today.

  “Uh hum.” Maeve cleared her throat, stepping into position in front of a microphone. “Shabbat Shalom.” I wish you a day of peace.That was the traditional greeting before the speech.

  Maeve opened her mouth to continue, but at that moment she caught her cousin Stacy’s snide smirk. Maeve suddenly felt nauseated.

  Stacy had confronted her before the service, looking up and down at Maeve’s Valentine’s Day dress. “I hear you’re having a tiny family-only luncheon after your service.” Stacy had spoken in a tone reminiscent of the QOM. “My Bat Mitzvah is next month, and afterward my party is going to be on a yacht. I’ll have music and dancing and fruity drinks with little umbrellas that are to die for and party favors like nothing you’ve ever seen.”

  “So?” Maeve had retaliated. “I’m going to have a sleepover with my best friends next week that will be waaay more fun than your lame boat ride.” It was the first time she’d thought about having a sleepover to celebrate, but once the idea took form, Maeve was instantly excited about it.

  But Stacy made the idea seem pathetic. “Sleepovers are sooo sixth grade. Ugh. I still can’t believe my dad dragged me all the way up here, and there’s not even a party! Don’t you think that’s a little rude?”

  Maeve had wanted to snap back at her spoiled cousin, or at least stick out her tongue and tell her she hoped she’d get seasick at her party, but something stopped her. Out loud, Maeve said simply, and with so much maturity that Katani would be proud, “Thanks for coming today.” Then she turned on her heel and walked away.

  Now, at the podium, she let that same feeling wash over her again, chasing away the nausea. I’m a Bat Mitzvah now, and I understand what today is really all about. It’s not about parties or even a fancy dress with lots of sequins. It’s about growing up and becoming a responsible adult. A member of the community. Someone who can make a difference. Maeve gripped her speech notes.

  “Today I became a Bat Mitzvah,” she started. Then stopped. Her mom and dad and Sam were all focusing their complete attention on her, glowing with pride. She glanced over at her BFFs; Avery gave her a quick thumbs-up and Sophie blew a kiss. In the back row Maeve caught Austin’s eye. She’d chosen to invite his family at the last minute and wasn’t sure they’d come. And yet there they were. Little Austin was staring up at Maeve with awe, like she had accomplished something absolutely amazing simply by turning thirteen.

  But it’s not just my age that’s different,Maeve realized, and lowered her eyes back down to her speech. The words she was supposed to say were there, but there was something else she wanted to add. Something that she had just come to understand and needed to share.

  “Today I became a Bat Mitzvah,” Maeve repeated. She needed the time to gather her thoughts as she forged ahead without a script. “Over the last few weeks I’ve realized something really, mega-important. Even though I feel a little sad that I am not having a big blowout bash tonight, I really, truly, absolut-ively know that becoming a Bat Mitzvah is about way more than having some fancy fête. Um, that means ‘party’ in French. Anyway, I know now that a party won’t make me a better person.”

  Maeve was on a roll. She rested her hands on the sides of the podium and let her gaze sweep the sanctuary. “Becoming a Bat Mitzvah is about being responsible and sharing an extraordinary moment with your family and friends. It took me a while to figure it out, but now I know that it’s also about listening, even when no one is talking. This was a pretty hard lesson for me to learn. Sure, I like to help when there’s something obvious I can do, like when we did Project Thread at Jeri’s Place, but sometimes there are things about yourself that you don’t know you have to give.”

  Maeve told everyone about how she’d spent her whole life working with different tutors, and she thanked every single one of them. “You all helped me become who I am today, and I’m sorry about the times I was totally uncooperative.” A few people laughed, Maeve’s Hebrew tutor and her math tutor, Matt, among them. “You see, I recently became a tutor myself. I never thought I was smart enough to teach someone else. But now I know that I really do have something to offer.”

  Maeve stood up straight and took a deep breath.
“I know how hard some kids have to work to learn something that everyone else just gets right away, because I’m one of those kids. I have dyslexia, and normal things like reading are a lot harder for me.” Maeve was aware that she had just admitted her difficulties at school, something she’d spent her whole life trying to hide, to a giant room full of people. But somehow it didn’t bother her.

  “So this is what I realized. I can totally help other kids with learning problems, because I’m just like them! I’ve decided to embark on a new Bat Mitzvah project. It’ll be like a tutoring program, but all the tutors and tutees will be kids with learning differences. Kids like me. We’ll share our experiences and figure things out together. This is the small way that I, Maeve Kaplan-Taylor, can help change the world.”

  The sanctuary fell silent, in awe. Maeve was stunned. Somehow this felt like the most spiritual moment of the whole morning.

  Maeve flashed her special Academy Awards smile and then looked down at her printed speech. “Thank you all for coming today and celebrating with me,” Maeve began the real speech, just like she’d written it with the rabbi. At the end, Maeve gave special thanks to her friends and family, then said “Shabbat Shalom” again.

  A few more prayers and the service was over.

  “You were stupendous!” Katani gushed when Maeve came out of the sanctuary into the social hall.

  Avery held up her hands for a double high-five. “Way to go!”

  “Brilliant,” added Charlotte.

  Isabel and Sophie spoke at the exact same time, “Fantabulous!” Then everyone wrapped Maeve in a big group hug. When they pulled back, Maeve realized, for the first time that day, what her BFFs were wearing.

  Since Maeve was wearing her dress from the Valentine’s Day dance, all the BSG had decided to wear their Valentine’s Day dresses too! Maeve hadn’t even gotten a chance to tell them about the pink gown disaster, but somehow, they’d known that she’d need some solidarity.

  Before Maeve could thank her friends, her cousin Stacy passed by. “Are these your sleepover friends?” she jibed.