Green Algae and Bubble Gum Wars (12 page)

“Ave, you really are a genius,” Scott said, nodding seriously as he processed Avery's advice. “Game on. Thanks, shortie.”

Avery gave him a thumbs-up. “No prob, Bob.” She felt a little weird giving advice to her older brother—especially about all that lovey-dovey stuff—but it was also kind of cool to be able to help him out.

Scott opened the door and then, turning back added, “Oh, do me a favor? Don't, um, mention this to your friends, okay?”

Avery placed her hand on her chest. “Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my soccer ball.”

“Nice rhyme.”

Avery shrugged. “I couldn't live without my soccer ball. That's how you know your secret's safe.”

I
sabel adjusted the microscope and squeezed her right eye shut. “There,” she murmured. “Whoa…” She could not believe how many times she'd gone to ponds and icked her way around the green matter that floated at the top. “To think[ ]…all this time there were beautiful pictures hidden in that slime….” She sighed and turned her attention to the sketchbook and colored pencils on her desk.

She'd already filled up six full pages with her detailed sketches. Contained in the microscopic algae were incredible shapes and patterns—everything from delicate shells that reminded her of lace to balls that looked like they were made of Lifesavers to little half moons, all revealed under the microscope. Isabel was mesmerized by Mother Nature's ability to showcase her secret artistic streak in something as vital to the planet as these phytoplankton. And they had all kinds of strange names, some of which Isabel couldn't even pronounce. Diatoms, coccolithophores, dinoflagellates, desmids, prymnesiophytes, prochlorophyte…who knew?

She carefully dismantled the microscope, which Emily Sullivan had been generous enough to lend her when Aunt Lourdes took her to visit Emily's lab at MIT earlier that afternoon. “Sorry guys—you can pose for me again tomorrow!” she signed off to her slides.

“Hey Iz, who're you talking to?” asked Elena Maria, suddenly appearing in the frame of their bedroom door.

“Oh! Um, no one…just myself,” Isabel fibbed, feeling slightly ridiculous being caught talking to microscopic pond scum. “Why? What's up?”

“Nothing. I just baked some empanadas. You want?” Elena Maria walked over holding a plate of steamy, sticky pastries shaped like half-moons. The aroma of baked apple and cinnamon filled Isabel's nose.

“Ooh…yes, please!” Isabel took a huge bite, and goo dribbled out of the empanada and onto her chin. “
Hot
!” she cried.

“I just took them out of the oven, silly. Here.” Elena Maria thrust a paper towel at her little sister, and watched, slightly disgusted, as Isabel spat out the half-chewed food.

“Sorry,” Isabel squeaked. “It was really good, though!”

Elena Maria's brow wrinkled and she looked down sadly.

“Elena, did you hear me? I said they were really good! Just, you know, a little hot.” Isabel smiled, but her sister still looked sad. Elena Maria wiped a tiny tear out of the corner of her eye. “Hey…” Isabel put her arm around Elena Maria's shoulder. “I said sorry…”

Elena Maria sighed. “It's not the empanadas, Iz. I've just had a terrible week…and
weird
.”

“You want to talk about it?” asked Isabel. She blew on her empanada and took a second bite, this time relishing the sweet, apple gooiness.

“No, that's okay,” Elena Maria muttered.

Isabel rolled her eyes. “Come on, Elena. Don't tell me that you came into the room with a plate of deliciousness just because you thought I was hungry. Please…I'm your sister. I know you better than that!”

Elena broke into half a smile and rested her shoulder against Isabel's. “Fine. Long story short—Jimmy and I had another fight.”

“How about long story long?”

Elena Maria shrugged. “Ugh, I don't even know where to begin. I guess it all started with the Snack Club.”

Isabel raised her eyebrows. “Is that like the BSG of the ninth grade or something?”

Elena Maria shook her head. “No, no. Not at all. The Snack Club is this thing that the boys' indoor lacrosse team started. Ron Kylie—he's the captain—told all the guys on the team to get their girlfriends to show up at all the practices with snacks, for moral support or something.”

“That's so lame,” Isabel remarked. “As if girlfriends don't have their own things to do in the afternoon!”

“I know. You're so right, Izzie!”

“Hey, isn't Jimmy the co-captain?” Isabel inquired.

“Yes. Don't remind me. He definitely had something to do with the Club. And it gets worse,” Elena Maria griped. “Ron and Jimmy made up the Snack Club's first rule…every practice they basically assign snack duty to two of the girlfriends—on game days, it's three girlfriends. We're supposed
to bring enough food for the whole team
and
the coaches.”

Isabel forced down the gulp of empanada that was in her mouth. “But that's practically impossible! Every one of those guys eats enough for twelve people!”

“I know. And get this—Jimmy volunteered
me
to be the president because I'm
soooo good
at cooking.”

“Don't tell me you actually went along with this ridiculousness…” Isabel couldn't imagine that her fun-loving big sister would allow her life to revolve around Jimmy's lacrosse schedule and the monster appetites of a bunch of guys.

“Well, at first it was kind of fun. I mean, it was like a chance for me to test out my recipes. And everybody really liked what I brought. I did my famous four cheese pizza—the one with the basil and mozzarella.”

“Mmm!” Isabel exclaimed.

“Then I made double chocolate cookies with cream cheese frosting.”

“Ooh!” Isabel was practically drooling at the yummiliciousness of it all.

Elena Maria nodded. “I even brought them spicy chicken wings.”

Isabel stopped her. “Not the wings! Elena, I can't believe you were making all that awesome food, and not sharing any with
me
! And by the way, who was paying for all of this?”

“Oh, all the guys chipped in, and the person who cooked didn't have to bring the napkins or anything. Then all of a sudden the basketball team wanted me to provide snacks for them, and Cammy was going to be the business manager, and we were going to do afternoon snacks for kids in detention—the whole thing got so out of control.” Elena Maria sighed.
“I love cooking, but making food for everyone was taking up way too much time in the afternoons. And there was this great cooking class I wanted to take—Scott Madden told me about it. When I told Jimmy I signed up, he seemed excited for me—then he just kind of changed. He was like, ‘Well, I hope you'll still have time to make snacks for the games.'”

Isabel's jaw nearly hit the floor.

“I know—you don't have to say a word.” Elena Maria just shook her head like she couldn't even believe what she was saying. “Soooo anyway, I skipped the first class tonight, because it's the big game against Needham. And when I asked some of the other girls and guys to help, no one could. I spent the whole afternoon rolling empanada dough. These were the leftovers.” Elena Maria's voice started to break and she swallowed back her tears. “Scott just called me to ask where I was. I—I felt so stupid telling him about the Snack Club. I told him I wasn't feeling well.” Elena Maria unfolded the quilt from Isabel's bed and wrapped it around herself. “It's not even a lie, Iz. I feel awful…just awful.”

Isabel rubbed her sister's back. “Do you feel awful 'cause Jimmy's taking advantage of you…or awful because you secretly have a crush on Scott?”

Elena Maria sat up with a start. “First of all, Jimmy's not really taking advantage of me. I wanted to do Snack Club, and I totally love it when people love my food. Everyone on the team and the other girls think I am like a famous chef already. Kyla Perkins told me my food was so good I should have my own TV show. And everybody, even goofy Tony Grimsby, says thank you…it's just that it's way too much. I mean I have schoolwork to do, and now I'm too tired.”

Isabel bit her lip as Elena Maria went on. “Second of all, I
do not
have a crush on Scott. He's my friend. We have a lot in common. Girls
are
allowed to be just friends with guys, you know.”

“Yeah…I know. Um, so other than the Snack Club, are things okay between you and Jimmy?”

Elena Maria nodded, then slowly the nod transformed into a head shake. “Actually, to tell you the truth, I don't think I really like Jimmy. He never calls me when he says he's going to. A few weeks ago he promised me that he'd take me out for dinner, then he made me meet him at Village Fare Pizza. When I got there he was waiting outside with three of his friends. And they all just talked about sports all night.”

Isabel gaped. “No way.”

“Way. And it gets worse. He said he left his wallet at home.”

“Noooo
waaaaay
!” Isabel cried.

“Yup. And…so did his friends. Jimmy hasn't even paid me back yet, even after one of his friends who did pay me back got on his case.”

Isabel jumped off the bed and twirled around. “Elena Maria, does the word ‘user/loser' mean anything to you? Where is your brain, chica?”

“I just got so caught up with everybody telling me that I was the greatest cook…then everything got so messed up. And Jimmy was so cute and popular. And Jimmy just doesn't like Scott, and I have more fun hanging out with Scott, because he's funny and he really is a great cook. I mean, I couldn't tell Scott this, because I have my pride and all, but Scott's chili is better than mine. And anyway…” Elena Maria paused. “I just don't want a boyfriend right now,” she admitted.

“Uh-huh,” Isabel said. “That makes sense considering that Jimmy is such a crummy boyfriend. It's like you need to take a breather.”

“Exactly,” her sister agreed. “I mean, Scott's awesome. He's a nice kid, he's…my friend. I love hanging out with him. We have so many things in common besides food. And he even said he would teach me to snowboard. Something Jimmy said he would do and never did.”

Isabel smiled mischievously. “Loooove for Scott?”

Elena Maria lightly threw a pillow at her sister. “
No.
You know what I mean.” She sighed. “I've been with Jimmy for a few months now, Iz. Maybe that's just how things get after a while. The whole boyfriend thing loses its…sparkle. Or something.”

“Well, if you want my advice I'd take a little break from Jimmy, the user/loser,” Isabel suggested, “'cause it sounds to me like your real dreamboat is waiting in the wings…or in the kitchen!”

Elena Maria blew her nose into a tissue and laughed. Charlotte made up a word for that: sniggle. Isabel thought that was perfect. “You know, Izzie, I promise you, Jimmy and I are finito!”

“Maybe I can have a chat with the BSG and see if Avery knows anything about Scott?” Isabel offered.

“Please, Iz, this isn't second grade! If something's going on between me and Scott—
which it isn't
—I want to figure it out myself,” Elena Maria said decidedly.

Isabel flipped open her cartoon notebook. “Fine. Listen, I have a deadline coming up, so I have to start working on my cartoon…”

Elena Maria stood, stretched, and muttered, “I should get started on my homework too.” She started towards the door, but froze halfway there. “Actually, Izzy…on the off chance that Avery
does
mention something about Scott…well, you can let me know.”

“Got it.” Isabel smirked. She threw her pillow at Elena Maria and added, “Sorry—I owed you one.”

“Ouch!” Elena Maria laughed. “Thanks, sis. I needed that!”