Stirring Up Trouble (17 page)

“Zoe, I should do more gardening,” Mom said without turning around. “It really is therapeutic. And if my yard looks better than Mudhead Mack’s, so be it.”

“Mom, uh, Jake stopped by.”

“He did?” Mom switched off the water and turned around. “Well, hi, Jake. It’s good to see you again.”

“Mrs. Miller.” Jake nodded politely.

Mom grinned. “Well, you make yourself at home, Jake. I’m going to make a quick landscaping sketch of the yard before I say anything to embarrass Zoe. Like how if John marries Sheree, you’ll be dating your sister. Or something petty, like how funny I find it that John’s getting a taste of his own medicine.”

I dashed across the kitchen to open the back door. “Bye, Mom.” With an exaggerated gesture, I motioned for her to leave.

Mom laughed. “Let me gather my sketchpad.” She picked up her pad off the kitchen island. “And a pencil,” she said pulling one from the pencil jar. “And I will leave you two to yourselves.”

She drifted through the door and I shut it behind her before she could make any comments.

“So,” I said, “What now?”

Jake’s expression could only be described as an evil leer.

Later that night, Milo called with great news. “I’m coming up for Halloween!”

“What? No way!” This day was really shaping up to be one of the best ever.

“Yep. Mom and Dad want to see the leaves so they’ve booked a week in Gatlinburg.”

“Awesome! Can you stay with me?” I never got to see him. “Or do you have to stay with them?”

“They said I can stay with you some. Definitely for Halloween. We can help keep each other out of trouble.”

Oh crap. I had forgotten about Halloween and the wacky things that happened to us on that day. “We’ll just hang out together at my house, so nobody notices anything.”

“Good plan. Last year, my Dad made a stupid pun and I said something like ‘Dad, you’re so sad,’ and our house filled with soap bubbles.”

“Yeah.” I could sympathize. All the magic in the air during Halloween turned everything Milo rhymed into a spell and everything I mixed into a potion. These Halloween Hiccups could be mere nuisances or real trouble. Last year, I’d made it all day with nothing happening. Then, I’d washed my face with soap and put on some zit cream and boom, I’d turned my hair into snakes. Since snakes really freak me out, I was very fortunate that the potion only conjured rubber snakes. Still, not such a good look for me. Even with my softest pillow, the snakes hurt my scalp. The potion wore off during the night, and there wasn’t a punishment because the potion was totally accidental and not self-serving. “We can hang together, and having you in town will be the perfect excuse for me to stay away from my friends.” I told him. Even Jake.

Dad and I met Jake and Sheree for lunch. I helped myself to a chip and some salsa. I loved Chili’s.

I sat on the same side as Jake, with his leg pressed against mine.

Dad cleared his throat and nodded for me to scoot away from Jake.

Good grief! I slid over two inches but moved my leg against his anyway. Dad wasn’t going to duck under the table and check for contact.

When I glanced at Jake, he had a big grin on his face. I realized he liked tormenting my dad. I wasn’t exactly opposed to making him miserable either.

“Oh, Jake,” Sheree said. “Did you tell Zoe about our idea for Halloween?”

Halloween? I choked on my nacho.

Jake finished chewing his chip and rolled his eyes. “Not yet, Mom. You just decided last night.” He turned to me. “Mom’s planning a big Halloween party.”

Great. “For the weekend before? Or on the actual day?” I croaked. Please say the weekend before.

“On Halloween itself!” Sheree interjected, obviously excited. “It’s a Tuesday night.”

I shared a look with Dad. He knew how dangerous a party could be.

“Zoe’s mom may not want her out on a school night,” he lamely suggested.

Sheree waved dismissively. “Don’t be silly. She’s a ton of fun. I’m sure she’ll be fine with it.”

Being blindsided with this party left me with no capacity for excuses. “Um,” I said.

“Mom wants to go all out with the decorations.” Jake dipped another chip.

“It’s perfect, really,” Sheree said, putting her hand on Dad’s shoulder. “You can help with all the complicated science stuff, John.”

Dad brightened a little at that. He couldn’t resist dry ice and fog machines.

Traitor! I had a serious crisis here. I couldn’t risk a Halloween Hiccup. “My friend Milo is coming into town,” I murmured. “I don’t know if I can make it.”

“Don’t be silly.” Sheree patted Dad’s arm. “Your friend is welcome to come too.”

“Who’s Milo?” Jake asked. “I don’t remember you mentioning him.”

Before I could answer, Dad said, “He’s Zoe’s little friend from camp.”

“You went to camp?” Jake asked.

“In second and third grade.”

“That is so nice that you’ve kept up with each other,” Sheree said.

“They have a lot in common,” Dad said.

Before Jake got the wrong idea, I said, “We’ve been good friends forever. He’s like a brother.”

Sheree smiled and I knew she could totally see through me.

The way Jake was watching me made me uncomfortable. “I went to camp in fifth and sixth grade, and I never kept in touch with any of those guys.”

How could I possibly explain my relationship with Milo? I couldn’t say he was special. That he was the only one who really understood me. Jake would misinterpret anything I said.

Dad jumped to my rescue. “Zoe has lots of pen pals. She’s one of those people who likes to keep in touch.” He smiled at me. “For the longest time, she had a pen pal in Hungary.”

For about three weeks as an assignment in fifth grade, but it sounded good.

“Bring your friend. We’d love to have him. I’m thinking of being a vampire for the party, Zoe.” Sheree said, “What are you going to be?”

Screwed, apparently. Because there was no way for me to wiggle out of this one. “I guess I’ll have to think about it. What about you, Jake?”

He shrugged. “I’ve got a few ideas. Maybe you can help me later.”

“Sure. We can help each other.”

I asked Jake later why his Mom was suddenly throwing all these parties.

“She loves parties,” he told me. “But Larry never wanted to bother with them.”

Huh. Too bad I couldn’t get Larry to move back in before Halloween.

Chapter Fifteen

Anya threw her books down on her desk. “I am so excited!”

I could tell. “Why? Did you see Brad?”

“Not that. About Jake’s party. I love Halloween! Remember that party I had in seventh grade?”

“No. I had the flu.” I hadn’t of course. I couldn’t risk going out on Halloween.

She tossed her hair in her trademark ‘look at me’ move. “Guess what I’m going to be?”

“A princess?” Anya always went as a princess.

“No, silly.” She rolled her eyes. “Cinderella! I found the best dress on the Internet.”

“Cinderella is a princess.” I whispered as the teacher started talking. “She married a prince, remember?”

“Well, I’m still looking for my prince,” she said with a pout.

Poor prince.

Anya didn’t need any response from me. “Jake says your friend Milo is coming up from Florida. Too bad he’s so nerdy or I might consider him for the role of prince.”

Mrs. Seaton was interrupted by a student, so we kept talking. “I never said he was a nerd.”

“You didn’t have to. I can read between the lines.” She made a face. “Nice, funny, a great guy. I’ve heard enough about him over the years to know the truth.”

Thank God she was so wrong. I’d be in big trouble if she knew the truth. “Well, I guess you’ll get to see for yourself.”

Cocking her head, she said, “I think I’ll get a new tiara this year.”

Anya had several. She was the only person I knew who owned tiaras. “Won’t your other twenty work?”

“Don’t be silly.” She waved my remark away. “I only have seven. And two of them are plastic.”

Anya gave princesses a bad name. “How silly of me.”

“What are you going as? You aren’t going to be something ugly,” Anya said. “This is your night to look awesome.”

Somehow she’d held back from adding “for once” to that statement. “I’m still thinking it over.” I needed something versatile in case I turned myself into a horse or something. I knew one thing for sure. I was not going to miss that party.

When Milo arrived at my house at 9:00 on Saturday morning, Anya found a way to be there. She must have reconsidered what I’d stupidly said about his hotness. He and his parents pulled up in the mini-van as her mom dropped her off in their Lexus.

Trying not to be irritated, I ran over to hug Milo. But Milo didn’t get out of the van. Chace Crawford got out. Okay, not the real thing, but Milo in Chace Crawford’s body. He’d told me he’d grown. And gotten contacts. And his skin had cleared up. But Holy Cow!

He was a total hottie. I glanced over at Anya who stood on my front lawn with her mouth hanging open. Now, I’d never get rid of her.

“Zoe,” Milo said in a voice even deeper than it sounded on the phone. I felt a rock hard wall as he hugged me and even lifted me a little off the ground.

My heart pitter-pattered a little. With my height, I didn’t get to feel girly and dainty very often. “You look great,” I said when he put me down.

“A-hem,” Anya said into my ear. “Aren’t you going to introduce me?”

“I haven’t even said hi to him yet, Anya.”

Anya looked at Milo with a coy expression. “Do I get a hug?”

Milo grinned at me as if to say ‘You weren’t kidding’ and turned to my friend. “You must be Anya.”

“Alive and in person,” she said with a really irritating giggle.

Mom came out to greet his parents. They always amazed me. His mother was totally earthy and sweet. His dad was a computer nerd. They both hugged me and raved about how grown up I was. Mom kissed Milo on the cheek. She thought of him as a son.

“Come on in Marjorie, Bill,” Mom said. “We’ll have some coffee.”

“Great.” Marjorie said, “It’s been what, two years?”

“At least,” I said watching Milo carry his big duffle bag.

Anya had attached herself to his side. Before long, I was going to lose my temper with that girl.

“Let’s put your stuff in the guestroom,” I suggested. I led the way upstairs with Anya right behind me. Milo had insisted she go first. Politeness was not going to work with Anya.

As we reached the guestroom, Anya said, “Zoe, I think he’d be more comfortable in the other guestroom. It’s more masculine.”

The way she said masculine gave me the creeps. “Since there’s junk all over the bed in there, I think he’ll be more comfortable here.”

“This is great.” Milo plunked his bag on top of the totally impractical expensive, white bedding Mom had insisted on buying. “It’s like a fancy hotel room.”

“That’s what she was going for.” The room had been nautical for his last visit. His parents had stayed the night also, and we’d all had a blast. Too bad his parents had other plans this time.

“You’ll love the Egyptian cotton sheets,” Anya said.

I stared at her. She wasn’t really going to get into a discussion of fabrics or worse how they felt on your skin, was she?

“We should get back downstairs,” I said quickly. “I don’t want your parents to think I’m ignoring them.”

Anya pouted silently, but Milo agreed. We tramped back down the stairs to the living room.

The situation in the living room was a little tense. Marjorie and Mom kept exchanging looks because they couldn’t talk about any of the stuff they really wanted to with Anya there. After half an hour, we said goodbye to Marjorie and Bill. Mom returned to her workspace in the kitchen. She had a private client’s media room design to work on.

Milo had made the mistake of sitting on the sofa, and with the parents gone, Anya scooted even closer to him.

“So, Milo,” I said, not bothering to disguise my motivation. “Tell me more about your girlfriend.”

He grinned. “Darlene’s great. What do you want to know?”

“She’d have to be great to get your attention. Do you work out?” Anya reached over and squeezed his biceps.

Milo jumped a few inches off the couch.

I laughed, and he rewarded me with a glare.

Standing up, he said, “I’ll get her picture. It’s upstairs.”

Failing to take the hint, Anya rose. “Oh, I’ll come too.”

“I guess we’ll all go.” I graced my annoying friend with a big, fake smile.

She stepped toward me. “Are you asking if you have anything stuck in your teeth? Because I don’t see anything.”

This time, Milo laughed.

I frowned and followed them up the stairs.

Darlene’s picture didn’t seem to have any impact on Anya. She knew better than to say anything critical though. I’d have hated for Milo to have to tell her off.

Milo sat in the chair in the guestroom. He must not have wanted to risk Anya sitting on the bed with him. I sat on the bed, but Anya apparently wasn’t satisfied with that distance, because she stood near him and kept talking.

Anya fawning over Milo was really getting on my nerves. Luckily, my mother came to the rescue.

“Anya, we have some plans for the afternoon. You know, these two need to catch up. I’ll run you home.” Her tone brooked no argument. The look she gave me said there’d be more downloads from the assertiveness training website for me.

“Okay.” Anya shrugged. “Call me later though. Maybe we could all go out tonight.” To Milo, she added, “I’d be glad to show you the town. I know all the fun things to do.”

Milo gulped. “Great.”

Anya followed Mom out of my room, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Milo and I had a lot in common, and the great part of our friendship was that we could talk about our magic with each other. Having Anya around really screwed that up.

“Is she in heat?” Milo asked after breathing a sigh of relief.

My laugh could only be described as a guffaw. Maybe she was in heat. She’d been acting a lot like it lately. “Does that happen to people?”