Free BFF* by Judy Blume

the salt water is good for it,” Alison said.
    It was windy on the beach, but sunny and warm for October. We rolled up our jeans and ran along the water’s edge, laughing. Alison’s long, black hair whipped across her face, makingme wish mine would hurry and grow. Maizie ran alongside us, looking up, as if to say,
How much longer are we going to play this game?
    I was having the best time. I like being with Alison. I like being her friend.
    Maizie barked.
    â€œAre you having fun, too?” I asked her.
    She barked again.
    â€œWhat’s she saying?” I called to Alison, who was ahead of me.
    â€œNothing,” Alison called back. “She’s a dog.”
    â€œWhat do you mean?” I asked, catching up with her.
    Alison flopped down. Maizie rolled over and over in the sand. “Do you really believe that dogs can talk?” Alison asked.
    â€œOnly one in seventeen million,” I said, sitting beside her.
    Alison laughed and lay back. Maizie jumped on her.
    â€œYou mean she
can’t
talk?”
    Alison shielded her eyes from the sun and looked at me. “You didn’t really believe me, did you?”
    â€œOf course not,” I said, drawing a face in the sand with my finger. “I was just playing along with you.”
    Alison sat up. Sand fell from her hair. “You
did
believe me!”
    â€œI suppose now you think I’m
gullible,”
I said.
    â€œI don’t know what that means,” Alison said.
    â€œIt means when a person is easily tricked … when a person believes anything. I know because I looked it up one time.”
    â€œI don’t think you’re like that,” Alison said. “I think you’re a lot like me.” She wrestled with Maizie for a minute. When Maizie escaped she said, “I only told you she could talk because I wanted you to like me. I wanted us to be friends.”
    â€œWe are friends,” I said.
    â€œBest friends?”
    I picked up a handful of sand. “Rachel and I have been best friends since second grade,” I said, letting the sand trickle through my fingers.
    â€œYou mean you’ve never had more than one best friend at a time?” Alison asked.
    â€œNo … have you?”
    â€œSure … almost every year.”
    I looked at her. “So you’re saying the three of us can be best friends?”
    â€œSure,” Alison said.
    â€œGreat!”
    â€œBut don’t tell Rachel about Maizie, okay? I’ll tell her myself … when the time is right.”
    â€œOkay.” I looked down the beach at the jetty. Leon and Gena were kissing.

La Crème De La Crème
    Sadie’s brownies were a big hit. Kids kept asking, “Who baked these? They’re great!” We saved one for Rachel. She was too worried about her speech to get to the bake sale.
    Jeremy Dragon came back for a second brownie, then a third. Alison handed him the brownies and I took his money. That way we each got to touch him three times. It’s good the brownies were individually wrapped because his hands were dirty.
    Even Mrs. Remo bought one and when she tasted it she said, “These are incredible … they’re so moist. Do you have the recipe?”
    â€œIt’s in my grandmother’s head,” Alison told her.
    â€œSee if you can get her to write it down,” Mrs. Remo said, licking her lips. “These are definitely
la crème de la crème.”
    Alison smiled. Ever since Mrs. Remo mispronounced her name on the first day of school she’s been trying French phrases on her.
    â€œWhat’s
la crème de la crème
mean?” I asked Alison when Mrs. Remo was gone.
    â€œIt means
the best of the best.”

    At the end of the day we had the debate assembly. Five kids from seventh grade were trying out. The only one I knew, besides Rachel, was this boy, Toad. His name is really Todd but everyone calls him Toad, including