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  Isabel nodded. She walked down the aisle. Even though she moved slowly she had a little bounce in her step. Everybody was trying not to stare at her, but at the same time, it was exciting to have another new classmate.

  “Welcome,” Ms. Rodriguez said, smiling straight at Isabel. The thing about Ms. Rodriguez was that when she said welcome, you can tell that she really means it.

  Charlotte was keenly aware of Isabel behind her for the rest of the hour. She couldn’t wait to introduce herself. She soon got her chance.

  CHAPTER 3

  The Fifth Wheel

  Katani was very late to lunch. She'd gotten a note from Ms. Mathers saying that Kelley needed her. Mr. Bear, Kelley’s favorite stuffed animal—her “transitional object,” as Ms. Mathers put it—had gotten lost somehow, and Kelley was dangerously close to a meltdown when Katani found her in the Resource Center. By 12:15, Mr. Bear had been found, and Katani was walking her sister—calmer now, but still sniffling—to the lunchroom. Katani still had her mind on her sister, and barely noticed Maeve charging after them.

  “Katani! Kelley! Hey, guys.” She fell into step beside them. “Guess what?”

  Every other word out of Maeve’s mouth was “guess what?” Katani loved Maeve to death, but sometimes she could swear her batteries were overcharged!

  “Guess what?” Kelley repeated. Katani could’ve hugged her. Kelley always seemed to guess exactly what Katani was thinking or feeling.

  “Don’t forget we were talking a little while ago about making blankets,” Maeve said, her eyes sparkling.

  “You were talking about it,” Katani reminded her wryly. It had happened the night of Maeve’s disaster date with Nick. The girls had spent hours helping Maeve to get ready. Katani herself had given Maeve a fabulous makeover. Wasted, all wasted, she thought now, with a sigh. When it was clear that Nick had absolutely no romantic interest in Maeve whatsoever, she’d run back from the Movie House in tears, finding her friends waiting for her up in the Tower room. Somehow, Maeve’s darkest hour had given way to a burst of generosity. Maeve had wrapped herself up in a snuggly blanket, and had started wondering, almost out of nowhere, what it would be like to be cold and lonely. That was how her idea for making blankets for the homeless had started. Everyone else, as Katani reminded her now, had only listened. It was all Maeve’s idea.

  Maeve brushed this detail aside. “Anyhow,” she hurried on. “My mom and I were talking last night when I was doing my Hebrew homework about the whole idea of ‘mitzvahs.’”

  “What’s that—mitzvah?” Kelley asked. She said it again a few times, obviously liking the word. “Mitz-vah. Mitzzzz-vah.”

  “It’s Hebrew for a ‘good thing.’ And part of preparing for your Bat Mitzvah is doing something good. You know, thinking about other people, what they need instead of you.”

  “Like what Betsy said about Abby’s Project Bread walk?” Katani said dryly.

  Maeve blushed. “The point isn’t to talk about it. The point is to do it. Remember our New Tower Rules? Do something to make the world better. You know, like the Miss Rumphius story.”

  Katani nodded slowly. The New Tower Rules were important to all of them. They’d made up a kind of creed together about things that mattered most to them—like being yourself, treating people fairly, being honest, giving back, taking care of the earth. The New Tower Rules were incredibly special to them. They made them Beacon Street Girls!

  Maeve kept going. “Anyway, I was talking to my dad about the blanket thing, and he thought it was a really nice idea.” She paused. “My mom wasn’t so sure at first, but my dad and I kind of talked her into it. Anyway, she’s going to take me to get some fabric today and—” Maeve hesitated, shooting a look at Katani, “And…well…you know so much about fabric and stuff—I just thought…”

  Katani sighed. “Maeve, do you need help? Is that what you’re saying?”

  Maeve threw her arms around her. “Katani, you are the greatest!” she cried. “I knew you’d help me! I just knew it! You are a complete and total sewing, fashion goddess and I adore you!”

  Katani stared at her. “I’m a—what?” She shook her head. “Oh, Maeve, I don’t know if I…”

  But it was too late. Maeve was already bounding off in the direction of the cafeteria, and it looked like somehow Katani had gotten roped into helping her out.

  PULL UP A CHAIR

  The Abigail Adams cafeteria was buzzing, as always. Kids were everywhere—crowding around the big round tables; standing in line to buy pizza, burgers, or sandwiches; helping themselves to food from the salad bar; or filling up drinks from the machine at the back of the room. On nice days, kids spilled over into the courtyard outside, sitting on the stone steps or even out on the lawn. Today, since the temperature had dropped, almost everybody was inside. The place looked like a beehive.

  Charlotte, Katani, Avery, and Maeve found themselves at their usual table. It was hard to believe that they’d first sat together because they had to—thanks to Ms. Rodriguez’s assignment. Now, they couldn’t imagine sitting anywhere else.

  “What’s that?” Katani asked Avery suspiciously, as Avery started to unwrap what appeared to be an enormous submarine sandwich.

  Charlotte giggled. Avery’s appetite was legendary.

  “It’s a power sub. Ham, turkey, tomato and lettuce and my favorite new spread—mayo and mustard mixed together.” Avery took a huge bite and patted her stomach with great satisfaction, barely noticing the mustard dripping from the end of the sandwich. “This ought to give me enough energy to skateboard home.” Her brown eyes fell disapprovingly on Maeve’s salad.

  “How can you even call that lunch? It looks like guinea pig food,” she objected, in characteristic Avery-style—less tactful than honest.

  “My guinea pigs do not eat salad,” Maeve retorted. Maeve had two guinea pigs—both female—that she liked to pretend were male and female so she could give them romantic names. This week, she was calling them Scarlett and Rhett…last week it was Lucy and Ricky.

  The girls’ lunches were as individual as they were. Katani liked to bring delicious things from home, packed with care in bright-colored plastic containers. Maeve was a salad girl. Charlotte stuck to sandwiches or helped herself from the lunch line. Avery was the one with the appetite on steroids!

  “No one as small as you are should eat so much,” Katani told Avery. “It doesn’t make sense.”

  “I eat like a bird,” Avery told her. “Did you know birds eat more per gram of bodyweight than elephants?” She pointed her sandwich in Katani’s direction to demonstrate that most of it was already gone.

  Maeve was trying to snitch one of Charlotte’s French fries when Ms. Rodriguez came over, just a few steps ahead of Isabel. “Hello girls!” she said warmly, ushering Isabel over to their table. “I’ve been telling Isabel what great luck I had when I assigned you all to be lunch partners, and I’ve suggested that she join you at your table today.”

  Charlotte could feel Avery kicking her leg under the table.

  “Please,” Ms. Rodriguez added, “make her feel especially welcome.” Her voice was warm, but she didn’t give them a chance to object. Her eyes moved from one girl to the next with a meaningful expression in them. “Isabel,” she added, “pull up a chair.”

  Then she was gone, leaving Isabel looking slightly awkwardly around the table at the four of them. She held onto the chair but didn’t sit down. “I need to go get something to eat,” she said finally. “I’ll be right back.” She didn’t sound exactly shy, just a little tentative.

  “OK,” the four girls said in unison, with Charlotte adding, “Great!” to make their welcome seem a little warmer.

  “Terrific,” Katani muttered. “Hasn’t Ms. Rodriguez ever heard of the expression ‘the fifth wheel’? Can’t she see we’re doing great just as we are, the four of us?”

  “That’s not very nice, Katani,” Maeve objected. “It’s Isabel’s very first day here! How would you like showing up in the middle of t
he grading period and not having anyone to eat lunch with?”

  Katani raised her eyebrows and shrugged. She didn’t look happy.

  Avery talked through a mouthful of food. “I don’t really care,” she said philosophically. “But here’s a question—if she eats with us today, aren’t we going to be stuck with her?” She crammed in the last bit of sandwich. “You think she’s going to want to hang out with us all the time? Come up to the Tower and stuff?”

  “SSShhhh!!” Maeve turned pink. “She might hear!”

  Katani frowned. “Avery’s question is good,” she said slowly. “Not that I don’t want to be friendly or anything, but…I don’t know, we just have a special chemistry, the four of us. I don’t want to wreck that! What’s it going to be like if all of a sudden we’re not four, but five? Maybe things won’t be the same.”

  Maeve tossed back her hair. “Katani, we’re best friends, but can’t we be nice to someone who’s new?! Remember, Charlotte was new and now she’s one of our best friends. Besides, just ‘cause she’s eating with us today doesn’t mean she’s going to sit with us for the rest of her life. It’s just like this wonderful movie I saw once with my dad when Doris Day is new to the city and she moves in with these people she doesn’t know and…”

  “Maeve!” Avery groaned. “This is so not the movies.”

  “The point is,” Katani said, “we don’t even know her. I mean, she could be perfectly nice, but on the other hand…”

  “Hey, guys,” Charlotte said, trying to sound soothing. “There’s nothing wrong with being friendly and helping Isabel feel welcome. Let’s just give her a chance, OK?”

  Katani poked at her chicken casserole. “I still don’t see why Ms. Rodriguez couldn’t have asked somebody else. Like Betsy Fitzgerald. She could put it on her resumé.”

  “Very funny, Katani,” Charlotte laughed.

  “SSShhh!” Maeve said again, more emphatically this time. “She’s coming back here, Katani! You have to be nice!”

  “See,” Katani glowered. “She hasn’t even sat down yet and she’s already ruining everything!”

  Isabel made her way back over to the table, balancing a tray in one hand and her backpack in the other. She looked uncertainly around at the four girls before sliding into an empty chair at the end of the table near Maeve and Charlotte.

  Maeve sat up a little straighter, a theatrical look on her face. “Isabel,” she said, her green eyes fixed on the new girl, “I’m Maeve Kaplan-Taylor.” She put out one hand and Charlotte had to suppress a giggle; sometimes Maeve really sounded like she was accepting a Golden Globe award. “And this is Charlotte Ramsey, Katani Summers, and Avery Madden…” Avery grunted through the last bite of her sandwich. Clearly, Isabel was getting the usual from Avery—no frills.

  “You guys are so sweet to let me come and sit with you,” Isabel said, pulling her dark hair back with one hand and looking earnestly around the table at them all. “I was really dreading lunch. It’s so weird not knowing anyone. But you guys are great—thanks!”

  Katani dropped her eyes, embarrassed. But Avery wouldn’t know embarrassed if she tripped over it.

  “So what made you move in the middle of the year?” she asked Isabel bluntly.

  That was Avery, Charlotte thought. Like a bull in a china shop!

  Isabel didn’t seem to mind the question. “Oh—my mom’s been having some medical problems,” she said simply, “and my aunt, who’s a nurse here in Boston, convinced her that we should come up here for a little while so she can have some tests, and maybe some treatment.”

  Now Katani really looked embarrassed. “Oh. That’s hard,” she said. Medical stuff—that made her think at once of Kelley. If Isabel was going through something like that…

  But Isabel clearly didn’t want sympathy. “She’s going to be fine,” Isabel said matter-of-factly. “It’s just that the doctors up here are so great, and my Aunt Lourdes is so well-connected. My dad had to stay back in Detroit, so it’s just my mom, my older sister, and me for now.”

  “Wasn’t it awfully hard, leaving school right in the middle of the year?” Charlotte asked with compassion.

  Isabel shrugged. She seemed like the kind of girl that made the best of everything. “I don’t mind,” she said with a smile. She had braces with little aqua bands, but that didn’t detract from her beauty one little bit. “To tell you the truth, it’s kind of exciting to be in a new place.” She was pretty open and chatty. Soon she had told the girls all about life back in Detroit—her big, extended family, who had moved up to Detroit two generations ago from Mexico City, with lots of cousins and aunts and uncles, all of them very close. Her mom had always worked as an accountant with her father, and they ran a small accounting firm together, doing people’s taxes. Now that she was having health problems, she had to take some time away from work. While her mom was up in Boston, her father would have to run the business all on his own, so he wouldn’t be able to visit as much as he would like to. Isabel’s older sister, Elena Maria, had started school today, as well, at Abigail Adams—she was in ninth grade. It was much harder for Elena Maria, Isabel confided, because she had to leave her boyfriend Johnny behind in Detroit. “She’s pretty upset,” Isabel added with a sigh. “So it’s kind of up to me to try and cheer her and my mom up a little, if I can.”

  Maeve couldn’t seem to get enough of this information. “Boy, you’re so easy to talk to,” she told Isabel delightedly. “You just open right up about stuff!”

  Yeah, Katani thought glumly. Isabel was a little too open for Katani’s liking. Wasn’t it a little too soon to be telling them all this private stuff?

  The rest of the lunch period flew by, with Maeve and Charlotte shooting questions at Isabel and Isabel answering, rapid-fire. It was like a prime-time interview. It turned out that Isabel loved to read, just like Charlotte. She loved movies, like Maeve. But her very favorite thing of all was art. “I definitely want to be an artist when I grow up,” she told them. “I love painting—and I love drawing comics and cartoons—but my favorite of all is collage-art—I love making special little boxes for my friends.” She smiled shyly, looking around the table. “Maybe I can show you guys some stuff I’ve done.”

  Maeve bubbled over with excitement at this, but Charlotte noticed that Katani was getting quieter and quieter, poking at her lunch without even tasting it. Come to think of it, Katani had barely said two words to Isabel all through lunch.

  ANOTHER PAIR OF HANDS

  “Hey,” Maeve said, staring at Isabel as if she’d just had the best idea on earth. “If you’re artistic, you might want to help me out with my fabulous custom-made blanket idea!” She started describing the project with great enthusiasm, barely noticing how quiet Katani was across the table.

  “That sounds wonderful! I’d love to help,” Isabel declared.

  “Omigod!” Maeve looked like she’d just won the lottery. “We’re actually all going fabric shopping this afternoon—me and Katani and my mom,” Maeve went on, completely oblivious to Katani’s obvious discomfort. “Why don’t you come with us, Isabel?”

  “I’d have to check first with my mom and my aunt,” Isabel began. She glanced a little uncertainly at Katani, who was sending dagger-like looks at Maeve.

  “No problem. Check with them, and meet us out front after the last bell!” Maeve sang out. Clearly she couldn’t be happier with the idea.

  Suddenly Katani got up, pushing her food away with distaste. “I just remembered—I have to pick something up before math next period. See you guys later, OK?”

  “I’ll come with you,” Avery said, jumping up and grabbing her skateboard, with barely a nod back in their direction for good-bye.

  Charlotte watched them take off, feeling a little uneasy as Maeve and Isabel continued to chatter together. What was it that Avery and Katani had been saying before Isabel joined their lunch table—that they had such a great thing together, the four of them, and someone new could wreck all of that? She couldn’t put her finger
on what had just happened, but she could tell that Katani hadn’t felt comfortable during lunch. And somehow, the friendlier Maeve was to Isabel, the more withdrawn Katani seemed to become.

  Charlotte hoped everything was OK, but she had the definite impression that something was up. It was clear that Katani wasn’t as excited about Isabel as Maeve was. Charlotte had seen firsthand what happened when Maeve and Katani clashed, and she just hoped there wasn’t going to be trouble between those two again!

  * * *

  Maeve

  Notes to Self:

  Love my computer and spell checker!

  Blankets!!!! Must make them cute. Happy that Isabel will help!! Yay, Katani—she’s the magishun.

  New dres for Social Dancing. Blue or green?—both great for my eyes. Dillon is so not goin to ask anyone to dance but ME.

  Money-makeing ideas: Mother’s helper? Who do I know who’s got kids younger than me who need help? Friends of Sam? Too gross. Scratch that.

  Math test coming up—ugghh. Get tutor to help.

  Change I.M. away message to: “Out to lunch. If not back by 5, out to dinner.” Get Dillon’s screen name.

  Countdown to my birthday—107 days!!!

  Oops! No time for spell check.

  * * *

  CHAPTER 4

  Three’s a Crowd

  Katani:

  Today’s Horoscope

  Don’t let your friends misunderstand you. You’re not fussy, you’re a perfectionist! The Virgo girl is thoughtful, intelligent, and has fabulous taste. Your astro challenge: taking risks, listening to your inner voice and making your dreams come true. Believe in yourself!

  You may be asked to take a leadership role at school. Speak up! The stars are in your favor this month. Lucky day for love: the 12th.

  Unwise day for new business ventures. Begin new projects with caution.