Off the Wall Read online

  “So? All the more reason for you just to answer it. She’s your best friend, Maddie … ”

  “Mom, you don’t understand. We had a fight. A big fight.”

  “What? When?” Mom looked concerned. “You didn’t tell me anything about—”

  Dingdong.

  “Madison Finn.” Mom crinkled up her nose. “What’s going on?”

  “I just can’t talk to Aimee now,” Madison said. “Mom, please do this one thing for me. I’ll explain later. Please?”

  Mom let out a huge sigh.

  “Fine! But afterward, you’re telling me everything,” Mom said. She whirled around, towel and bathrobe on, and headed downstairs.

  Madison crawled toward her bedroom entrance so she could eavesdrop. Phin sniffed around the door.

  “Aimee! What a surprise!” Madison heard Mom say as she opened the front door.

  “Hi, Mrs. Finn,” Aimee said. “I came to see Maddie. I thought maybe we could walk the dogs together …”

  Madison bit her lip. What would Mom say next?

  “Walk the dogs? Oh, I’m sorry, Aim,” Mom answered. “Madison isn’t feeling well right now. Can she … can she call you later?”

  Madison clutched at her pj’s and listened close. What would Aimee say next?

  “Oh, wow, sick?” Aimee said. She sounded disappointed. “But I just talked to her last night … She seemed fine.”

  “Yes, but …”Mom stalled.

  “Well … um … tell her to call me as soon as she feels better, okay? Fiona and I are hanging out later. We might go ice skating. And if Maddie wants to come, that would be cool.”

  “Okay, dear,” Mom said sweetly. “I’ll tell her.”

  That was all Madison needed to hear. She scooted back over to her bed and bounced down onto the edge. “What a close one, Phinnie!” she said. “But Mom saved the day.”

  “Rowrrrooooo!” Phin howled.

  A few moments later, Mom reappeared at Madison’s bedroom door, arms folded tightly. She had a Grinch-like scowl on her face.

  “Start talking, young lady,” Mom said.

  And Madison did.

  From: MadFinn

  To: Bigwheels

  Subject: When Things Fall Apart

  Date: Sat 4 Nov 11:47 AM

  Bad things come in threes. It’s cold. My teacher is MIA. My best friend has betrayed me.

  Okay, I’m being a little dramatic, I know. But how am I supposed to feel when my BFF in the whole planet goes back on a promise we’ve had forever and ever?

  Aimee and I said a long time ago that our puppies would make puppies one day. It was like a dream of mine. And now that she’s ready with her dog, it turns out that my dog isn’t the lucky dad. I know we didn’t make a formal pact or anything, but isn’t a friend’s word supposed to count for something?

  Okay. I shouldn’t whine, because there are poor, starving people in the world, but I feel soooo crummy and it’s hard to think about anything but this. Does that make me a bad person? Am I obsessing over nothing?

  I wish it would snow or something. I hate winter when nothing happens except lots of cold and more cold and blah, blah, blah.

  Help me!

  Yours till the head aches,

  Maddie

  xoxox

  P.S. My friend Egg told me about this new bulletin board site, The Wall. It’s cool. Have u seen it?

  Madison hit SEND.

  After Mom’s strategic save with Aimee, Madison had been feeling a little better. But it was communication with her keypal Bigwheels, aka Victoria, that made Madison feel best of all. Bigwheels always knew the right things to say to ease Madison’s anxiousness about friends, school, and parent stuff. Hopefully, she’d respond right away to Madison’s e-mail.

  After logging off, Madison headed back into the kitchen to grab her jacket. Mom suggested that Madison plan something for Saturday afternoon, to raise her spirits, rather than just moping around the house, avoiding friends like Aimee. A good place to visit was the animal clinic, of course. What better place for Madison to go when she was bummed out about puppies … than a place where she could visit lots of puppies? Mom even agreed to drive her there.

  Best of all, while she was at the clinic, Madison could talk to her friend Dan Ginsburg, the one guy who could always make Madison laugh out loud. Dan volunteered at the clinic every Saturday and most weekday afternoons. His mom, Eileen Ginsburg, was the primary veterinary nurse there.

  “Have fun with the animals, honey bear,” Mom said as she dropped Madison off in front of the clinic. “Phin and I will just be hanging out at home. Call, and we’ll come back to pick you up.”

  Mom gave Madison a big kiss good-bye, and Phin gave Madison an even bigger doggy smooch through the rear window.

  The entrance to the clinic was decorated with wreaths and brightly colored lights. Eileen sat behind the front desk of the clinic, helping visitors and their pets. On one side of the room, a woman cradled her French bulldog, and a man held on to his black cat in a box. On the other side of the room, an older woman yipped back at her nippy little terrier, and a couple played with a small, gray ferret on a small, gray leash.

  “Hey, Maddie! Dan’s in the back!” Eileen yelled. “Go on in.” Eileen wore a crazy T-shirt from her T-shirt collection. It said PAWS FOR PEACE and had different muddy animal paw prints all over the front and back.

  Madison wandered toward the kennels in the back. The clinic kept two main groups of animals there: those recovering from medical procedures and those needing to be adopted.

  Puppies barked and kittens meowed as Dan cleaned cages. The whole room smelled like wet fur and lemon soap. Madison felt right at home.

  “Maddie! I’m so glad you’re here. I could use your help big-time,” Dan said, tossing Madison a cleaning rag.

  “I’m glad you’re here, too,” Madison told Dan. “It’s been a bad day. I need cheering up.”

  “Try cleaning up dog poop and cat poop,” Dan cracked. “That’ll cheer you up real fast.”

  “Ewwwww,” Madison groaned. She turned to look inside the cages. “Who’s new?”

  Dan pointed to a large German shepherd that sat pensive, eyes watering a little. “We’re calling him Mr. Serious,” Dan said. “Doesn’t he look bummed out?”

  “Maybe Mr. Serious and I should bond,” Madison said. She reached over to his cage and handed him a dog bone cookie from the bin on the floor. Mr. Serious barked and attempted to pace inside his small cage. He grabbed the cookie and licked his chops.

  “Hey, he likes you!” Dan cried. “I think he just smiled!”

  “You sound surprised,” Madison said. “Who doesn’t like me?”

  “That’s my line,” Dan cracked.

  They both laughed.

  “Why are there three cats in here?” Madison asked, pointing to another cage. She read the names on the little card attached to the pen: Winky, Blinky, and Nod. The kittens were orange with white stripes.

  “Someone left a litter on this old lady’s step,” Dan explained. “So she brought ’em here. She kept three, gave up three. Mom and I were thinking of keeping one.”

  “I wish my mom weren’t allergic to cats,” Madison said. “She doesn’t mind Phinnie for some reason, even though he sheds a lot. … ”

  “Why don’t you get one of those hairless cats?” Dan said.

  Madison raised an eyebrow. “You mean those naked-looking cats?”

  Dan giggled. “Naked?” he repeated.

  Madison looked away, a little embarrassed. She tried to change the subject. “Um, Dan, I was wondering,” she said, grabbing a fistful of newspapers to line some empty cages. “Has Egg or Drew or any of the guys ever broken a promise they made to you?”

  “What kind of promise?” Dan asked. “Egg once said he’d meet me at the lake and he never showed up. Does that count?”

  “I guess,” Madison said.

  “Why are you asking? Did someone break a promise to you?” Dan asked.


  Madison nodded. “Yeah. Aimee did—sort of. A couple of years ago when we got our dogs, Blossom and Phin, Aimee said that one day they’d have puppies together. But now, that isn’t going to happen.”

  “So, what’s the big deal?” Dan asked.

  “A promise is a promise,” Madison said. “I’ve never broken one.”

  “Never?” Dan said. “Look, maybe she just forgot.”

  Madison looked into a cage and stared down a shih tzu. “What do you think, Pearl?” she asked the pooch. “Do you think it’s fair or not?”

  “Chill out, Maddie,” Dan said. “Phin can have puppies with some other dog. Hey, you have ten to choose from right here,” he said, pointing like a game-show host to the cages.

  Madison laughed. “Very funny. By the way, where is Dr. Wing today? I haven’t seen him once back here. Isn’t this usually his busy time?”

  Dan scratched his head. “He left yesterday and said he wasn’t coming back for a few days. Mom’s holding down the fort.”

  “Where did Dr. Wing go?” Madison asked.

  “Who knows?” Dan said.

  “You know, Mrs. Wing was absent from school, too,” Madison said.

  “Maybe they ran away together,” Dan joked.

  “What if something bad has happened?” Madison said.

  “You think too much,” Dan said. “Let’s just finish feeding the animals, okay?”

  Madison and Dan handed out bowls of kibble and refilled water bottles up and down the rows of cages. The front office had gotten busier by now, so Eileen asked Dan to help her out. More animal owners were seated in the waiting room when Madison returned.

  “I have to call my mom to come get me,” Madison said, picking up the desk phone and dialing.

  Eileen was busy helping the owner of a Saint Bernard. The dog had drooled all over everything, making the floor slippery. Dan got a bucket and mop to clean the mess.

  While Madison waited for her mom to arrive, she watched a family come into the clinic with their sick parakeet. The little girl who owned the bird was about four, Madison guessed, and she didn’t stop crying the whole time she was there. Madison thought it was amazing how close people felt to their pets. But she knew that feeling herself.

  Madison said her good-byes to Dan and Eileen and went outside the clinic to get some fresh air, even though every time the air blew, it felt like icicles.

  Madison stuffed her hands into her pockets and paced to keep warm. Something was really off the wall in Far Hills these days, she thought. From Mrs. Wing to Aimee, Madison felt way out of the loop.

  But Dan was right. She had to stop thinking about it so much.

  She wrapped her scarf in a tighter knot against the cold and wished for snow, as she always did.

  Chapter 3

  MOM MADE PANCAKES ON Sunday morning, which was the perfect way to start the day. She decorated them with orange smiles, cherry noses, and pineapple eyes, too, just as she had when Madison was little. The best part was the whipped cream hair.

  Pancake decorating was an “Aw, come on, honey bear, cheer up” Mom trick, Madison thought, gobbling up the eyes, nose, and mouth before drowning her pancake in syrup—and it was a trick that usually worked.

  Today, however, it didn’t.

  “Do you feel okay, Maddie?” Mom asked. “Want to talk?”

  Madison looked down at the table. “I’m just sad about Aim, that’s all—and the whole puppy thing. I know it’s dumb, but that’s how I feel. Sometimes it’s like I’m the last person to know stuff.”

  “I thought your friends told you everything,” Mom said reassuringly.

  “Me, too. But lately people aren’t acting the way they usually do. My teacher even vanished off the face of the earth without telling me first,” Madison said.

  “Does someone have a case of the winter blahs?” Mom asked. “I get that way sometimes, too. When it’s gray and cold outside …”She stroked the back of Madison’s neck.

  Madison poked a fork into her half-eaten pancake. “Maybe a little.”

  Mom poured herself another cup of coffee and sat down in the seat next to Madison. She had an idea. They could spend the afternoon giving each other beauty treatments. That might chase away the blahs.

  First they would heat up water in a pan and give themselves a steam facial. Then Mom would paint Madison’s toenails, even though Madison’s feet were ticklish. She had bought new nail polish in a Tropical Punch color Madison liked. It would be just like the afternoons when Mom used to let Madison into her closet to play dress-up, only much better. Right now Mom seemed more like a friend than a mom—and Madison liked it that way.

  Mom heated up the water and took out her supply of lotions and creams. Madison got clean towels and then retrieved Mom’s bathrobe and slippers. Then she put on her oldest T-shirt. She didn’t mind if it got wet or stained. A couple of hours later, they made cocoa and watched TV. Madison felt like a different person.

  Since Mom needed to get a little editing work done for her film company, Budge Films, she and Madison ended their day of beauty around three o’clock, with a big hug. Madison headed upstairs to check her e-mail, hoping that Bigwheels—or anyone—had written back to her.

  The e-mailbox was packed.

  FROM SUBJECT

  FHJH SERVER Cancel Download

  TheEggMan The Wall

  JeffFinn Fw: Sounds Good

  GoGramma I Miss You

  Bigwheels Re: When Things Fall Apart

  The first message was a returned e-mail Madison had sent earlier on Friday, while she’d been at school. It must have gotten held up in the system. She always sent herself a message to remind her of what she had downloaded while at the tech lab. Friday was when she’d done the demonstration for her lab and the wacky substitute, Mr. Franks.

  She clicked onto Egg’s message next.

  From: TheEggMan

  To: LuvNstuff, MadFinn, BalletGrl, Wetwins, Wetwinz, Sk8ingboy, Dantheman, W_Wonka7

  Subject: The Wall

  Date: Sun 5 Nov 11:29 AM

  Yo I have been surfing online all day long and im telling u the WALL site is awesome u have to check it. i feel like i can tell who is writing what since ½ the postings are from people i know, at least i think so. Go to the bulletin board 4 sports and school and dont forget GossiP

  peace, out, egg

  Wow. Everyone really was logging on to The Wall, Madison decided. She’d have to look at the site again later on, when she had time to surf from topic to topic and read the postings in more detail.

  She read the third message, a note from Dad.

  From: JeffFinn

  To: MadFinn

  Subject: Sound Good?

  Date: Sun 5 Nov 12:03 PM

  Maddie, I have a plan—and I hope you go along with it. Stephanie’s nephew Kirk is flying in from Texas for a visit and she thinks we should all meet up together. He’s just about your age, maybe a little older. We could go for Mexican and maybe go to the movies? What do you think? Let me know.

  p.s. What did one Eskimo say to the other Eskimo? What’s an ice guy like you doing in a place like this? LOL.

  Love you,

  Dad

  Madison cringed.

  Stephanie’s nephew?

  She couldn’t imagine a fate worse than being forced to sit through dinner with a distant relative of her Dad’s girlfriend. And even though she had no idea what he looked like or how he acted, Madison had already decided that Kirk must be a major dork. Of course, there was the distinct possibility that Kirk wouldn’t be a dork. But, Madison thought, why risk it?

  Dear Dad …

  Madison thoughtfully composed a polite response in her head.

  Um … dorks are not really in my future. …

  Madison chuckled to herself and then continued thinking of a real response.

  Dad, I don’t know if I can make it to dinner this week. …

  What was a really, really, REALLY good excuse?

  I have to walk
the dog.

  I have to wash my hair.

  I have to save the world from an alien attack.

  Madison giggled.

  How would she get out of this? More time was needed to come up with the perfect reply. Maybe some kind of attack was warranted—like an attack of the sniffles? Dad always listened and felt sorry for Madison when she was sick (or at least when she pretended to be sick).

  She would call him later to cancel.

  Madison hit SAVE and moved on to the next e-mail. Gramma Helen had written to check in. Sometimes she did that on weekends.

  From: GoGramma

  To: MadFinn

  Subject: I Miss You

  Date: Sun 5 Nov 2:57 PM

  Your mother sent me a copy of your last book report, Maddie, and I was so impressed. I went to the library to get myself a copy of Carl Hiaasen’s Chomp, too. I am just reading it now. I’ve read loads of his grown-up mysteries. This story about a wildlife refuge is perfect. And dangerous! The librarian there asked me if you had read The Underneath or anything by Kathi Appelt. Have you? It’s all about animals and I bet you would likey!!! I think we should exchange reading lists. I like your books better than the romance novels my friends read.

  I dug out some old photos from a drawer the other day and found one of you sitting on your grampa’s knee. He looks so happy. I will send it to you. If only I had a scanner, I could do it right now. Can’t have everything!

  It’s been snowing here all day.

  This is some cold weather.

  I miss you very much. I need to plan a visit soon.

  All my love,

  Gramma

  Madison hit SAVE and put Gramma’s e-mail into her special file. Some notes were worth saving. Gramma Helen’s were always in that category.

  There was one e-mail left.

  The best she had saved for last.

  From: Bigwheels

  To: MadFinn

  Subject: Re: When Things Fall Apart

  Date: Sun 5 Nov 3:10 PM

  Before opening the e-mail, Madison looked at the time it had been sent: 3:10 P.M. NOW it was 3:13.

  Was Bigwheels still online … right now? Madison typed a quick message. She couldn’t help but grin when, checking her buddy list, Madison found Bigwheels online—and ready to talk.