How to Outfox Your Friends When You Don't Have a Clue (12 page)

“What are you looking at?” I challenged him. “Liv
forgot
my birthday. Do you really think having her mortal enemy nearby will help?” I narrowed my eyes at him.

My phone beeped again.

Ash: Yeah, sorry!

I slumped with relief.

“Time to make myself look thirteen,” I told him. Leaving him to inspect my new boots, I gave myself one last pep-talk-y look in the mirror and headed for the shower. Cake would make everything better, right?

Top Three Weirdest Things about Being Thirteen

1. Although I don't
look
any different, I definitely feel different. I mean, was I hoping to wake up and look in the mirror and see supermodel boobs staring back at me? Sure. But I'm still me, and it's probably better to have no surprises on a day like today, rather than be wondering how I'm going to fit in all my old bras, right? Yes, that's me doing my best to find a silver lining, but deal with it.

2. What was I saying again? Right,
feeling
different. Although it could be the pancakes and strawberries talking, I do feel a little older. Like my skin is stretching and my insides are bursting out. That probably sounds like a horrible disease, but maybe that's one of the things grown-ups are always talking about when they say teenagers are weird. Really, we're walking around practically bursting out of our skins doing our best to keep ourselves together against all the craziness in our heads.

3. The way your parents stare at you all dreamy-eyed with this faraway look in their eyes. I asked Mom why she and Dad kept doing it to me, and all she said was “Oh, honey, time flies, that's all,” with this sad little smile. When exactly does time start flying exactly? When I'm twenty? Thirty? Because I don't know about you, but there are about a million and a half reasons I would like time to fly (like when I'm stuck in the cafeteria line), and all I can tell is that this world doesn't speed up for anyone.

Coyotes are one of the most adaptable animals on the planet, surviving in almost every biome. They live in every state, except Hawaii.

—Animal Wisdom

I. Am. Thirteen.

It's funny. You can go ages thinking you have only a few friends at school, but then suddenly you offer up some free birthday cake and ice cream and the whole world shows up, ready to high-five you and hand you presents.

I'd been thirteen for only a few hours so far, but already it was turning into one of the
coolest
years of my life. Was it too early to say that? All I knew was that the banquet hall of the zoo was jam-packed with kids, most of whom were super eager to give me presents, cards, and even hugs.

A huge table of snacks was arranged at the side of the room, with trays of veggies and dip, mini sandwiches, chips, punch, and cans of soda perched on top of a bright purple-and-green tablecloth. Happy-looking balloons and streamers were scattered all over the room, dancing in the breeze as people opened and closed the door. And in the corner, a six-foot-tall inflatable dinosaur manned the bathroom door.

I grinned, happy that Daz was able to have a dinosaur at the party after all.

“Pretty great turnout, right?” Bella came up to me and wrapped me up in a hug. “Happy birthday!” My heart warmed to see that she had purple-and-green clips in her hair to match the decorations.

Bouncing on my heels, I nodded. “It's amazing! I never knew so many people would come!” I pointed out the group of guys standing by the punch bowl. Eric, also known as The Guy Who Wears Too Much Cologne, was goofing off with Zack. “Even
Zack
came.” I made a face. He and Eric kept sneaking glances at Sugar, who was talking animatedly with Grandpa a few tables away.

Bella laughed. “Well, to be fair, they're probably here for the free pizza,” she said. “No offense,” she added quickly.

“Daz probably invited them,” I said, nodding. Maybe twelve-year-old Ana might be annoyed to see such a jerk at
my
birthday party (
he
was the reason I got covered in chicken parm in the cafeteria last year), but thirteen-year-old Ana knew that sometimes guys were idiots and the best thing you could do was ignore them.

Sort of like mosquitoes.

Or the calorie count of s'mores.

“When do you think Liv will get here?” Bella asked, checking her watch. “She's a bit late…”

Instantly, my throat tightened. I hadn't exactly told Bella about my plan to keep Liv and Ashley apart, mainly because when I thought about saying it out loud, it seemed a
lot
worse than it actually was.

“Um,” I said, checking my own watch. “I think she mentioned she might be a little late.” The tally of lies that was building in my head rang off with a warning ding.

Lies to Bella: one.

“Oh!” Bella exclaimed suddenly. “There she is!” She gripped my arm and pointed to the door.

“
What?!
” I whirled around, cursing myself already for sounding
wayyyy
too shocked. But Liv wasn't supposed to be here yet! She was supposed to come in twenty minutes, after Ashley left!

“Let's go say hey,” she said, starting to lift her hand in a wave.

And I almost waved alongside her.

That is, until I saw Ashley appear from behind the snack table, with a cup of punch in her hand.

I sucked in a breath and ducked my head behind a cluster of green balloons in the corner, yanking Bella with me. “Can you do me a favor?” I whispered to Bella as I peeked around the corner. It's crazy how a room can seem inviting and happy one minute and like a viper's nest the next. I
couldn't
let Liv see Ashley, not like this.

“Um, okay?” Bella said. Her mouth formed a thin line. “Are you all right? You look…green.” She darted a look around us. “Is it Zack? Do you want me to see if we can get him to leave or something?” Her voice was hushed, like she didn't want me to be embarrassed by it.

I shook my head. “It's not that,” I hissed. I peeked out again. Liv was talking to Daz now, scanning the room. I could tell by the question in her eyes that she was looking for me. “Would you mind talking to Liv for a few minutes? I have a”—my mind raced—“a
surprise
for her. And I don't want her to see it yet!”

God, I am such a horrible person.

Bella's eyes lit up. “Oh! Uh…okay, I guess,” she said slowly. “I mean, you know I don't know her very well, right? So it might be a little weird if I walk up and start to—”

“That's all right,” I said, cutting her off. I made a promise to myself that I'd explain everything to Bella when I wasn't in crisis mode like this. It felt like two planets were about to collide with each other. I'd seen enough of the PBS channel to know what happened when planets collided—
worlds
ended.

“She won't mind! Maybe keep her in here, by the snacks!” Checking my watch, I calculated how much time was left before Ashley needed to leave. “I'll be like ten minutes, swear! Ask her about New Zealand. She loves that!”

Bella nodded but gave me one last look of confusion before making her way to Liv. Relief poured through me as Bella stood between us, blocking Liv's view of me. Stuffing my hands into my pockets, I made a beeline for Ashley.

I had to get her out of here.

“Hey!” I said, forcing my voice to sound as casual as possible. “Having fun?” I edged forward slowly, trying to herd Ashley toward the side exit.

“There you are!” She took one more sip of punch and wiped her mouth daintily with a napkin. For a moment, she looked as nervous as I
felt
. “You have a minute?” she asked. “I have a present for you, but it's embarrassing and cheesy.” She tapped her foot impatiently as she glanced awkwardly around her at the crowd.

“Yes!” I said, grateful for the excuse to head outside away from Liv. “Let's get some air.”

I ducked out the side exit, following Ashley out of the visitor's center. It occurred to me that not so long ago, an invitation like this from Ashley would have probably left me running for the hills. It's funny how much our lives can change without us noticing it.

“What's up?” I asked. Already the weight on my shoulders felt lighter, and I was able to suck in a deep breath. Liv was inside. Ashley was outside. It was all fine.

Better than fine.

I grinned as Ashley handed me a small, silvery box tied tight with a blue ribbon.

“What's this?” I asked. I know that you're probably supposed to expect presents on your birthday, but if Past Ana could see me actually getting a
gift
from Ashley, she would probably flip her biscuit.

“What do you
think
it is?! It's for your birthday! Open it!” Ashley said. Her smile was tight with excitement as she rubbed her hands together. The wind picked up, sending her hair cascading over her shoulders in a breezy wave.

I tugged the thin blue ribbon around the box. It wasn't heavy, which made me even more nervous. Carefully lifting the lid, I peeked inside and pulled out some of the icy-blue tissue paper.

“The lady at the gift shop wrapped it,” she said, wringing her hands. “Hurry
uuuppp
!”

Finally, I dug through the paper to find a teensy silver cord. A silver crocodile was attached to it, topped with a glittery green gemstone.

“It's beautiful!” I gaped. “Is it a necklace?” I gingerly lifted it out of the box. The silver sparkled in the midday autumn sun.

“A bracelet,” she said. “I saw it in the zoo gift shop, and I knew I had to get it for you. I mean, it's a crocodile and all. Don't feel too special though.” She lifted her arm to show off a gold bracelet. A teensy gold shark glittered back at me. “I got one too. A shark, obviously.” She clicked her tongue.

“I love it!” She helped me do up the teensy clasp. It was the perfect size, not too big and not extra dangly so I'd be getting it caught in everything. My heart squeezed with happiness.

“We match,” Ashley said, lifting her eyebrows. “Never thought
that
would happen, huh? You have to admit, sharks are better, but—”

My stomach dropped as the lighthearted look in Ashley's eyes morphed into one of shock.

“What?” I whirled around to follow her gaze, but it only took a nanosecond to see what had Ashley so surprised.

My blood turned to ice.

Liv was staring at us, her mouth dropped open.

Night snakes are rear fanged, which means their fangs are located at the back of their mouths instead of the front.

—Animal Wisdom

Liv was ten feet away, but she was already stumbling back. Her fists were clenched, and her eyebrows were knit together in a harsh, dark line. “What the
hell
, Ana?” she spat. Her eyes darted back and forth from me to Ashley.

I tried to open my mouth to speak, but the spazzy fear had already taken me over. Behind Liv, Bella was standing like she'd seen a ghost. Her mouth hung open in a tiny
O
, and her eyes were full of questions.

Just keep it
together
.

My thoughts whizzed around like a balloon with the air let out of it. This was a silly misunderstanding, and there was no way I could let it ruin everything. I just had to think of something that made perfect sense.

“Liv! Hi!” I said, waving her over.
Play it cool.
“We were—”

“No, I think I pretty much have it figured out. You guys
match
. Why did you lie to me, Ana? I
asked
you!” I could tell from the way Liv's fingers clenched and unclenched that she was trying desperately not to cry in front of us. It was the same thing she had done when her goldfish died in fifth grade, and the same thing she had done when her mom convinced her to get a perm in second grade that made her look like a fuzzy Pomeranian.

It made my heart ache. But
she
was the one who had been acting so weird and making me feel like our friendship was hanging by a thread!

“I didn't lie! I—”

“Stop it!” She cut me off again, her voice getting higher and squeakier. “Is
this
why you told me not to show up until two o'clock? So I wouldn't know you were best buddies with
stupid Sneerer Ashley
?! It's probably why you sent
Bella
to talk with me! To keep me occupied?!”

“Whoa, now,” Ashley said, taking a step back. She scoffed and turned to me expectantly, the fire in her eyes practically burning me. She held her hands up too, which didn't help matters because her shark bracelet was
still
the only thing I could see.

And I'm pretty sure it was the only thing Liv could see too.

“Can we please talk?” I begged. I
knew
how awful it looked. How would I feel if I'd caught Leilani giving a friendship bracelet to Liv? It was bad enough they texted every waking moment. But it
wasn't
like that! I was trying to
save
our friendship, not ruin it!

“Why don't you just admit it?!” Liv seethed. Her face was flushed, and her voice was as sharp as glass.

My throat ached. In all the years we'd been best friends, I couldn't remember a
single
time when she'd glared at me with such hate in her eyes. Not even when I ruined her favorite blue sweater by accidentally spilling fake blood on it at Halloween.

Despite what I'd done, had
so
much changed between us in such a short time that she could seriously hate me?

“You lied to me about not being friends with Ashley, and you let me go on and on about her when we talk, all the while sneaking around and hanging out together behind my back! And now this!” She lashed out, pointing at my bracelet. It felt like a chain, pulling me down into the ground, instead of a beautiful gift. “Why didn't you tell me from the start?”

“I tried,” I croaked. “But every time I did, something happened, and I didn't want you to get upset, especially since things are sort of weird between us. And Leilani—” My throat was dry, with every little breath tearing at me from the inside.

Please,
please
don't do this.

Liv shook her head. “I wonder why
that
is! And
don't
even mention Leilani! I never lied to you about anything! It's not my fault she's a better friend than
you
are right now,” she snapped, glaring at Ashley. Then she dug into her jacket pocket and pulled out a small present wrapped in purple paper.

She had gotten me a
present
.

My heart squeezed, desperate to turn back time so this whole mess hadn't happened.

“It's nothing special,” she said. Her lip was quivering, and I could tell she was doing everything she could to stop from crying. “It's not some fancy documentary or a silver bracelet or anything some
celebrity
would want with their awesome
new life
,” she choked out, wiping her nose on her sleeve angrily, tossing the present at my feet. It landed with a clatter onto the dead, brown grass. As she turned her heel and started to stomp away, she nearly plowed into Bella.

Tears stung in my eyes as I stood, staring after Liv and sniffling like an idiot. What the heck happened to us?! We were supposed to be friends! Liv and I had fought before, but this felt different. Friends didn't run off when things got sucky.

Friends
listened
to each other.

They give each other a chance.

Beside me, Ashley was shaking her head. “That was
low
, Ana,” she said bitterly. “You're not going to have
any
friends if you keep treating them like that.”

I wiped my eyes as I picked up Liv's gift, tearing off the wrapping. An old picture—the two of us at my first-grade birthday party, beaming and hanging off each other wearing matching pink feather boas—stared back at me. A sob caught in my throat. How could two people who used to be so close end up so broken?

“I'm so sorry, guys.” I sniffled. “I didn't know what else to do, and everything's been so bad since Liv got here. I…I'm sorry. I won't put you in the middle like that again.”

Bella sighed, shoulders slumped. “I don't
mind
being in the middle,” she said. “That's what friends are for. But lying to us is pretty awful.”

“I promise I won't do it again,” I vowed. And honestly, I meant it.

“You better not,” Ashley said. Her voice was tight, but I could tell by the way her face softened that she didn't hate me. At least I hoped so.

“Forgive me?” I asked.

Ashley scoffed. “Oh, go
get
her,” she urged. “Yes, I forgive you. But standing here and snotting all over yourself isn't going to fix anything, right?”

Ashley was right. Apologizing again to both of them, I sucked in a breath and took off in a run.

I had to catch up with her.

I had to talk to her.

I had to save
us
.

“Liv!” I shouted. “Wait up!” I scrambled over the cobblestone, nearly twisting my ankle in the process. Leaping over an empty bench, I tried to take a shortcut through a mulched garden area to cut her off before she made it past the penguin exhibit. I couldn't let our friendship break like this. I had to figure out a way to be friends with everyone—and a
good
friend too—without lying or losing anyone along the way.

And you know what?

It might have actually worked if my left shoelace hadn't come untied.

Instead of sailing over the bench gracefully, my lace caught in one of the teensy slots between the wood. My shoe stayed put, but the yank from the stuck lace was enough to turn my attempt at a Superman impression into more of a clumsy flamingo. I toppled to the ground, landing on my wrist.

Cra-a-a-c-k!

The sick crunch seemed to echo through me. Had I broken the bench? Stars popped in my vision, and my head felt like it weighed as much as an elephant. I was going to throw up. I tried to shove myself up from my face-plant position to turn back and look, but my arm wouldn't cooperate. A sharp, icy pain shot through me.

“
Oww!
” I fumbled on my elbow. Something was wrong. Something was
definitely
wrong. Wrists shouldn't feel like this.

“Hey, loser!” Daz yelled from beside the hyenas. He was standing next to Kevin with an armful of presents. Concern clouded his face as he realized that I wasn't fooling around. The panicked, terrified look on my face probably tipped him off.

“Are you okay? Mom! Come 'ere!” he yelped, rushing over to me. Behind me, Ashley rounded the corner where I'd just become the worst stuntwoman in history.

Daz, Mom, and Ashley all knelt beside me, while Kevin stood a few feet away. Mom's face was white, but she spoke fast. “Okay, hun. Where does it hurt?” Her lips squished together as she gingerly pulled up my sleeve to inspect my wrist. I'd seen her make the same face when she was inspecting the fox for injuries. Was I broken like him? I
felt
like I'd been hit by a truck.

My stomach turned as I saw how angry and swollen my wrist looked already.

Ouch, ouch, ouch.

“It hurts!” I hissed, hardly able to find enough air through the pain to speak.

“Oh,
man
!” Daz said, his eyes widening. “Should I call 911?”

I looked back to Mom. If she thought I would be all right, then I knew I would be.

My heart skipped with fear when she frowned at him. “No, but I'm going to take Ana to the emergency room right away. I need you to stay here with Dad and help out, okay? Kevin, please go inside and ask the staff for some ice from the freezer.” She turned back to me, gripping me gently on my shoulder. I blinked away tears as people from the party and zoo visitors started to notice us. They milled about aimlessly, trying not to stare. I could practically hear the confused thoughts.

There's that girl whose best friend ditched her.

She deserved it, I bet. For being such a liar.

I quaked under the pain, leaning back into my mother with a whimper. I didn't care that everyone could see me crying, because it felt like so much more than my wrist was hurting.

“It's okay. I think you've got a broken wrist. We'll get you fixed up, I promise.” The way she looked deep into my eyes to reassure me made my throat tight. “Sit tight and try to think happy thoughts until we can get some painkillers into you.”

Settling into her arms, I did my best not to cry anymore, but all of my happy thoughts seemed to skitter away on the wind like the dead leaves on the ground beside me. I'd wrecked my friendship. Wrecked my wrist.

And I'd only been thirteen for a few hours.