Mixed Messages Read online

  Zee pushed open the front door to her home, and her friends followed her inside. Jasper led the charge into the kitchen, where Zee expected to find her mother—and the usual plate of delicious homemade snacks.

  Jasper looked around frantically. “Where are the garlic pita toasts? Where’s the black bean dip?”

  “Where’s my mother?” Zee asked.

  “Is she gone, Zee?” Chloe asked. “Because I can’t be here without an adult.”

  “Maybe she went to the grocery store to get some snack ingredients,” Jasper suggested, licking his lips.

  Zee looked at her iPhone and shook her head. “Mom must be here,” she told her friends. “She didn’t text me and the front door was unlocked.” With her friends right behind her, Zee moved from the kitchen to the TV room, through the dining room, and into the living room. Then she peeked into the laundry room and knocked on the powder room door. No sign of her mother.

  “Maybe she’s upstairs,” Missy said.

  “I’ll check,” Zee said, zooming up the flight of steps as quickly as she could.

  Picturing her mother buried underneath a pile of her brother’s dirty clothes, Zee headed straight for Adam’s room. When she looked in, her mother wasn’t anywhere. “Mom?” she called out just in case. But there was no response.

  Then Zee remembered her parents’ plan to turn her room into a nursery. She hurried to her bedroom, half-expecting to see her mother painting the walls. Mrs. Carmichael wasn’t there, either.

  Zee glanced across the hallway through her parents’ open door. Her mother’s body was stretched across the bed, her head sunk deep in a pillow.

  Zee stepped into the room. “Mom,” Zee whispered. But her mother didn’t move. Instead she snored softly. “Mom.” Zee’s voice got louder—but not loud enough to wake her mother. “Mom!” Zee barked.

  “What is it?” Mrs. Carmichael asked groggily.

  “I’m home from school. My friends are here, too. Remember? I told you we were all going to walk home together today.”

  “Oh, of course, I remember,” Zee’s mom said, and Zee was relieved that she had not been completely forgotten.

  “I just came up for a little rest, and I must have fallen asleep,” Mrs. Carmichael told Zee. “I guess this pregnancy is really wearing me out. My body isn’t used to taking care of two other people.” She laughed as she sat up, but Zee didn’t feel like laughing. She hadn’t realized how tired her mother would be before the twins were even born.

  “Are you going to come downstairs?” Zee asked.

  “Of course, sweetie,” her mother said. “Just let me put myself together. You and your friends can grab snacks from the cabinet.”

  Snacks from the cabinet? Zee couldn’t believe her ears! Usually, all the prepackaged food was off-limits.

  When Zee got back downstairs, her friends were gathered around the Wii, playing baseball.

  “Was Ginny up there?” Ally asked Zee.

  “She was taking a nap,” Zee told her friends.

  “A nap?” Chloe said. “I didn’t know she ever slept.”

  “I’m relieved,” Jasper said without taking his eyes off the video screen. “I thought she’d taken off with the snacks, never to be seen again.”

  “Well . . . she’s here, but the snacks aren’t,” Zee explained. “She didn’t get a chance to make anything today.”

  In shock, Jasper spun his head around to look at Zee. He struck out in the game. “Oh, bother!” he said. “I’m so upset, I can’t even concentrate on baseball.”

  “Sorry, guys,” Zee apologized.

  Missy shrugged. “It’s not a big deal. Your mom’s snacks are fun and all, but that’s not why we came over.”

  Ally popped up out of her seat. “Let’s see what’s in the cabinet.”

  Jasper put down his game control and went into the kitchen with the others. They pulled out rice cakes, almond butter, cheese, and crackers.

  “Aaah, a fine snack indeed,” Jasper said, rubbing his belly.

  “I guess,” Zee said. She knew that she was feeling badly not because of the food but about the fact that her mother had forgotten her and her friends.

  “It must be really weird to have two bodies growing inside of you,” Ally said as she smeared almond butter on a rice cake. “Like aliens.”

  “My mom says that when she was pregnant she used to look down and see her stomach moving around! My dad called it the Baby Channel,” Chloe told her.

  “Definitely alien forces at work,” Ally said matter-of-factly.

  The friends laughed, but Zee was still worried.

  “Was your mother always tired when she was pregnant with twins?” Zee asked Missy.

  Missy thought. “I don’t really remember,” she said. “I was only five when they were born.”

  “She’s not going to be pregnant forever,” Ally reassured Zee.

  “You’re right,” Zee said, perking up a little.

  Then Zee noticed a strange look on Missy’s face. “What?” she asked.

  “Well . . .” Missy hesitated.

  “What?” Ally pleaded.

  “If you think your mom is tired and forgetful now, just wait till she actually has the babies,” Missy explained. Zee’s stomach dropped, afraid of what Missy would say next. “Your dad, too. When your parents aren’t feeding them, changing their diapers, or giving them baths, they’ll be sleeping—probably on the couch.”

  “Sounds bad,” Ally put in.

  “It is,” Missy said. “You’ll forget what homemade snacks taste like.”

  “I think it would be fun to be a big sister,” Chloe said. “The twins will probably think that Zee is the most awesome person in the world.”

  Zee smiled. Lately, she’d been so busy thinking about losing her parents, she hadn’t even considered what she’d be gaining.

  “That part’s cool,” Missy agreed. “Until the screaming starts.”

  “Screaming?” Zee gulped. “For what?”

  “Anything—and everything,” Missy explained.

  “I thought you were too young to remember,” Chloe reminded her.

  “Oh, I remember the screaming. I recommend you keep your iPod on twenty-four hours a day.”

  “I’ll be here for you, Zee,” Ally said. “Just log onto Bluetopia and find me. Oh! That reminds me—” she said to Jasper. “I know you said we shouldn’t invite anyone else, but I was thinking it would be really cool if my French friends were on Bluetopia, too.”

  “We definitely need more people for the Fashionista group,” Missy pointed out.

  “Yeah,” Chloe agreed. “It would be awesome to get ideas from people I don’t already talk to about fashion every day.”

  Jasper swallowed his mouthful of food and opened his mouth to respond. Zee was certain he was about to say no.

  “Ally’s right. Bluetopia was supposed to help me and Ally keep in touch without having to always catch up first with what’s going on with our friends,” Zee reminded Jasper. She looked around the table. “My friends have all joined. Plus, having Ally’s friends from Paris would make Bluetopia more international.”

  Jasper stayed quiet.

  “The French definitely like soccer,” Chloe added.

  That got Jasper’s attention. “I suppose we could invite them, too.”

  “Yay!” the girls cheered.

  Jasper pointed his finger. “Only if they promise not to invite anyone else.”

  Ally made an X over her chest. “Promise!”

  Zee couldn’t wait to make her next blog entry.

  * * *

  Bloggio,

  I’m not sure how to make a chart, and I can’t ask anyone since this blog is 100 percent private, so you’ll just have to pretend that these lists are in a chart.

  Things That Are Going Better Than I Thought

  Bluetopia. Everyone loves it, and Jasper is letting more people join, so it’s going to be even more fun.

  My music career. Who wouldn’t want to be Roxy Vardol
is’s assistant? And two of my songs are going to be featured at the biggest event in Brookdale.

  My friendship with Missy. She’s full of information about twins.

  Things That Are Going Worse Than I Thought

  The Soon-to-Be Babies. It sounds like they’re not much fun.

  Mom. She’s definitely changed since she’s gotten pregnant.

  (I can’t think of a third thing, so there are more good things than bad. I hope it lasts.)

  * * *

  Chapter 8

  The Spanish Boy

  Zee was already at breakfast Wednesday morning when Ally came down.

  “What took you so long?” Zee asked, digging a section out of her grapefruit with a spoon.

  “Sorry.” Ally grabbed the container of Mrs. Carmichael’s homemade granola from the counter and brought it to the table. “I was on Bluetopia.”

  “Cool beans!” Zee said. “What’s going on?”

  “Marcus and Conrad have started a joke blog.”

  “Is it funny?” Zee asked.

  “They’re definitely not as funny on the computer screen as they are in person, but a few of the jokes made me laugh.”

  “What else is going on?”

  Ally thought. “Kathi and Jen have created a Dish Club, but it’s invitation-only, and since I wasn’t invited, I have no idea what that’s about.”

  “I’m sure I won’t be invited,” Zee said, “so I’ll never know, either.”

  “Oh!” Ally suddenly exclaimed. “I almost forgot about my French friends!”

  “Do they like the Fashionista Club?” Zee asked.

  “No,” Ally said with a smile. “They love it.”

  “This is so amazing!” Zee told Ally. “I am going to get to know all of your friends in France the way you got to know my new friends here.”

  Adam stepped into the kitchen. A lumpy puff of hair stuck out on one side of his head, and his shirt was halfway tucked in.

  “Did you wrestle a bear before you came down?” Ally asked.

  Zee giggled.

  “That’s so funny I forgot to laugh,” Adam shot back. He opened the refrigerator door. “By the way, don’t even think about being my bud.”

  Zee gagged on her grapefruit juice. “What are you talking about?” she asked after she had recovered.

  “Bluetopia.” Adam poured himself a glass of milk. “By the way, nice name. Who did you pay to name it after you?”

  “How do you know about Bluetopia?” Ally asked, panicked. “You’re a senior.”

  “A bunch of people invited me to be their buds,” Adam explained.

  “Seventh graders?” Zee asked.

  “Uh . . . no. Seniors,” Adam responded. “I don’t hang out with seventh graders.”

  “You’re here with us,” Ally pointed out.

  “Exactly. That’s already way too much.”

  “Whatever,” Zee said. “How did seniors hear about Bluetopia, anyway?”

  Adam shrugged. “I don’t know. Word gets around.” He chugged his milk and wiped the white mustache from his lip. “I’ll give you credit, though. The Beans’ page looks awesome. I think you’re going to get a bunch of people to come to Brookdale Day to see you.”

  “That would be so amazing!” Ally squealed. “What if a bunch of talent agents come from L.A. to check us out?”

  “Don’t get carried away. I just meant that you’ll probably get more than the usual seventh graders and their families,” Adam told the girls as he walked out of the kitchen. “Bye-o-nara.”

  “Oh my gosh!” Ally said as Adam disappeared from view. “I think it’s my fault there are so many people on Bluetopia.”

  “Don’t freak out,” Zee said. “Like Adam said, Bluetopia’s going to help The Beans have a larger audience at Brookdale Day.”

  Ally perked up. “You’re right,” she said. “It might be the best thing to happen to The Beans.”

  “But just to be safe,” Zee said, “don’t invite anyone else.”

  Chloe met Zee and Ally at the lockers before first period. She looked like she was going to explode. “Guess what?”

  “What?” Ally and Zee said at once.

  “A Spanish boy likes me!”

  “Someone in your Spanish class?” Zee asked.

  “No, a boy from Spain,” Chloe explained.

  “How do you know a Spanish boy?” Zee asked.

  “He’s on Bluetopia,” Chloe said.

  “Who invited him to join?” Ally wondered out loud.

  Chloe shrugged. “I dunno. But whoever it was, I’m glad they did.”

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea to be buds with someone you don’t know, Chloe,” Zee told her. “It might not be safe.”

  “I’m not telling him any of my personal information,” Chloe explained. “He doesn’t even know what town I live in.”

  “He didn’t ask?” Zee said.

  “I think you should ask him to tell you who his buds are on the site, Chloe,” Ally suggested. “It’s kind of weird for him to come out of nowhere.”

  “Don’t worry,” Chloe reassured her friends. “I’m not going to do anything stupid. My parents check my Bluetopia page and my email, anyway.”

  Nearby, laughter interrupted the girls. Zee looked up to see Marcus, Conrad, and Landon walking down the hall.

  Ally nudged Zee and whispered, “Here comes Landon.”

  Zee’s stomach only did a tiny somersault. She was surprised that she actually felt close to normal. “Uh . . . yeah,” Zee said.

  “Don’t you like him anymore?” Chloe asked.

  “I guess so,” Zee told her friends.

  As Landon got closer, Zee wondered how she really did feel. She wasn’t getting the flip-flops in her stomach the way she used to. That’s weird! she thought.

  “Hi, Zee,” Landon said when he reached her locker.

  “Hi,” Zee replied. Think of something to say. Anything, Zee silently pleaded with herself. “Oh yeah!” she suddenly blurted out. “That was really cool that you posted all of those surfer terms on your Bluetopia page.”

  “Thanks,” Landon said. “It’s kind of like a foreign language.”

  “Cool beans!” Zee said.

  “Yeah,” Landon agreed.

  Then there was an uncomfortable silence while Zee tried to think of something else to say.

  “Oh-kay,” Marcus broke in. “I hate to interrupt this interesting conversation, but I have something to ask Chloe.”

  “You do?” Chloe said, biting her lip nervously.

  “I was just wondering if you’d seen anything unusual on Bluetopia.”

  “Like an interesting friend or something,” Conrad added.

  “That’s so weird,” Chloe pointed out. “I do have a new friend—in Spain.”

  “What’s her name?” Marcus asked.

  “His name is José,” Chloe corrected him.

  “Ohh,” Marcus said in a singsong voice. “Is he your boyfriend?”

  Chloe blushed and rolled her eyes. “No, he’s just a friend—I mean, bud.” Zee could tell Chloe was happy to have something to talk to Marcus about—even if it was another boy.

  “How old is he?” Conrad asked.

  “Thirteen.”

  “Does he speak English?”

  “Almost as well as I do,” Chloe said.

  “Almost?” Conrad asked. “What’s wrong with his English?”

  “Nothing. It’s just obvious that it’s not his first language.”

  “Hey, look!” Ally cut in, staring down the hall. “Here comes Jasper.”

  Now Zee’s stomach began flipping and flopping. Was she nervous because she didn’t know how Jasper would react to so many new people joining Bluetopia—or was there some other reason?

  As Jasper walked toward the group, Zee could see that his white shirt was untucked on one side, and his tie was off-center.

  “What happened to you?” Chloe asked.

  “You look like you got in a fight on the way to school,” A
lly said.

  “You look like Adam,” Zee added.

  Jasper looked down at himself, then fixed his shirt and tie. “I was up all night fixing Bluetopia.”

  “What’s wrong

  with it?” Zee asked.

  “Just a lot of traffic.”

  “Traffic?”

  Chloe said, confused.

  “A lot of people,” Jasper explained. “I can’t even keep track of everyone. There are kids from so many countries.”

  “Like Spain?” Marcus asked.

  Jasper looked at Marcus curiously, but all he said was “Undoubtedly.”

  Then Marcus and Conrad gave each other a high five.

  “What are you two so happy about?” Zee asked.

  The smile disappeared from Conrad’s face. “Just that Bluetopia is turning out to be really cool.”

  “See, Jasper,” Zee said proudly. “It’s totally worth all the work.” She patted him on the back.

  “Yes, it is,” Jasper said, flashing her a smile.

  That was enough to send the flipping and flopping into overdrive.

  At that moment, Mr. P walked out of the main office toward the group. He said hello, then stopped cold when he noticed Jasper.

  “Did you get into a fight?” Mr. P asked.

  “That’s what I said,” Ally said as the others laughed.

  “No, I overslept this morning because I was up late working on Bluetopia,” Jasper said.

  Mr. P got a curious look. “What’s that?”

  Jasper sighed. “It’s a social networking site I created for fun.”

  “It doesn’t look like you are having fun.”

  “Jasper has been working super-hard on it, so it’s awesome,” Zee explained. “I’ll show you.” She pulled her iPhone out of her locker and logged onto Bluetopia.

  The teacher nodded approvingly. “Very impressive, Jasper.”

  “Show him The Beans’ page, Zee,” Chloe suggested.

  “Cool! This will help us get a lot of attention. How many people are registered?” Mr. P asked Jasper.