Free Save the Date by Laura Dower Page B

group with his camera in hand. He wanted the classes to pose together for a field trip photo. Everyone stood next to a cardinal-red whirligig.
    “This isn’t the same without Fiona,” Aimee said.
    “Or Chet,” Drew said.
    But everyone said, “Cheese,” and posed, anyway.
    The field guides waved good-bye as the kids headed for the buses back to Far Hills Junior High. Jimmy stopped to pull Madison aside.
    “I just wanted to say,” Jimmy told her, “that you were very brave in there. You really helped your friend and all of us. The doctor wanted me to thank you personally. You and your friends.”
    Madison blushed like she always did when a guy stood so close.
    “Tanks,” she mumbled. “I mean, thanks.”
    Jimmy put his hand on her shoulder. “Thank you. Take good care of your friend now, okay? You should both come back to see us again.”
    Madison nodded like one of those plastic bobbleheads you put in the back window of a car. She was swooning inside, twice as much as she’d been earlier in the day while standing next to Hart. She hurried onto the bus, waving good-bye to Jimmy the entire time.
    “What did he say?” Aimee and Lindsay asked as soon as Madison had taken her seat.
    “He thanked me,” she said. “He thanked me personally. ” She said the last part a little louder so Ivy could hear a few rows back. Madison could tell Ivy was eavesdropping, and she wanted to give her something really good to hear.
    “He was so cute,” Lindsay said.
    “Megacute,” Aimee said.
    “And he’s all mine,” Madison said, giggling.
    She turned back around to see her friends giggling, too. Unfortunately, she could also see Hart Jones. He wasn’t giggling at all.
    Madison stared out the window to avoid his stares, or what she thought were his stares. He could have just been looking in her general direction, right? She wasn’t sure.
    The bus driver passed another sign on the way out of the nature preserve with its familiar message:
THANKS FOR VISITING
    TAKE NOTHING BUT MEMORIES
    LEAVE NOTHING BUT FOOTPRINTS
    “Let’s get out of here!” some boy yelled from the back of the bus. A few other kids yelled in agreement. Madison could hear most boys in the back getting rambunctious just like they had that morning. Mr. Danehy voiced his loud disapproval.
    Not everyone was acting dumb, though. Madison heard Drew say something about hoping that Fiona was okay. That was nice, Madison thought— for a boy.
    Egg’s voice could be heard above the rest, as usual. “I got stung by a bee on my foot once!” he said. “I went to the emergency room, and it hurt so bad.”
    “Me too!” Hart said. “I actually bumped into a whole beehive once. What happened to me was way worse than what happened today—”
    “Who asked you ?” Ivy Daly said.
    Madison felt herself smile when she heard that, even if it was super-obnoxious.
    Score another one for Ivy.
    Madison’s mind was abuzz. She couldn’t wait to get home and open a new file to record all of today’s adventures. She wanted to make a final plan of how she and her science partner, Ivy, and the rest of the girls could beat all the boys in Mr. Danehy’s science class this week.
    Sometimes even enemies had to come together and save the day.

Chapter 10
    “M OM? MOM!” MADISON YELLED when she walked in the front door of her house. Phin rushed to the door, fanny wriggling.
    “Rowrrooooooo!” he barked, sliding on the wood floors. He chased his tail around in circles and then made a mad dash for the living room. For the next few minutes he sped around the first floor, ears and tail wagging.
    “Phinnie!” Madison said. But he didn’t stop. “Mom, are you home?”
    She wandered into the kitchen to grab a Capri Sun.
    “Madison!” Mom exclaimed as soon as she’d entered the room. “I didn’t hear you come in. I was wondering what was going on with Phinnie running all around the house like a mad dog….”
    Madison stood as still as a statue, her mouth open.
    Mom was