Free Freaky Monday by Mary Rodgers Page B

attention.
    â€œLet’s head to my house—er, Hadley’s house—andsee if Tatum is there,” I said, and we headed off. We filled Mr. Hudson in on what Tatum was so destroyed about, and I wasn’t surprised he knew who Tatum was. Jeez, even subs were getting fed on the mythology of Tatum!

CHAPTER 11
    We pulled up in front of our house and I was so grateful that Mom would be at her pottery class. (Mom believed wholeheartedly in continually improving one’s self, which meant she took a lot of classes, and our house was always littered with fairly terrible oil paintings and attempts at calligraphy and the like.) Regardless, I did NOT want to explain why I had brought two teachers to the house to look for her beyond-distraught golden daughter.
    â€œI’ll go to Tatum’s room,” I said. By Mr. Hudson’s puzzled eyes, I guess he didn’t think a teacher would necessarily know where a student’s room was in the house. “I’ve been to the house for dinner,” I said as if to explain. “You both blanket the rest of the house.”
    We took off like bloodhounds in pursuit. Hadley whispered, “I’ll check your room.” Meaning, MY room. Oh, this day…
    Hadley bounded up the stairs with the agility andspryness of a Disney woodland creature. When she reached the top of the stairs, she sailed down them again with a huge grin on her face.
    â€œI can’t believe how fabulous and light and lithe I feel!” Hadley chirped to me. “Seriously, your body is so spry and lightweight, it practically trots itself around! And no aches and pains, it’s fantastic! Uh—if only yoga made me feel this way!” Hadley did a little playful shadowboxing and bopped about.
    It was all a bit much and I put a hand on her head, silencing the bounce. “Why don’t you hop on up to my room, then?” I asked.
    Hadley nodded and ran up the stairs, entering my room. I chased after her. She was right about those aches and pains.
    I could tell Ms. Pitt was eager to see a teenager’s actual surroundings. She was acting like Jane Goodall, but instead of observing silverback gorillas, she was getting to see teenagers in their natural habitats.
    And my room is fantastically organized for a teenager. My desk is obviously the fulcrum of the room and it’s meticulously structured. Desk light, check. Ample supply of pens, check. Well-worn dictionary, check. All the tools were in plain sight that explained my drive and devotion to studies. I doubt that surprised Ms. Pitt one iota.
    I heard a gasp. Ms. Pitt was clearly shocked by the rock band posters on the wall.
    Immutable.
    Sketched-Out Boy.
    The IMs.
    â€œImmutable?” she asked, pointing to the poster, perplexed.
    â€œOh, please don’t admit you’ve never heard of Immutable?”
    Hadley looked down, embarrassed, shaking her head no.
    â€œThey’re huge! And all this time I thought you were so down with the teenage experience and everything….” I ribbed.
    â€œI thought…I really thought I was….” I could see she really felt completely out of touch.
    â€œDon’t worry, Immutable’s sort of fringe, anyway.” Hadley exhaled and I knew she was relieved.
    Just then, Mr. Hudson poked his head into the room.
    Hadley put on a forced smile. “Any luck finding Tatum?”
    â€œNope. I don’t think she’s here,” Mr. Hudson responded.
    â€œMaybe Brad knows where she is. He’s probably at tennis practice,” I stated matter-of-factly.
    â€œBrad?”
    â€œTatum’s boyfriend. They’re tight,” I explained.
    Mr. Hudson was in awe. “My God. When I said you were so in tune with the students, I had no idea! What are you, a mind reader?”
    I gave Hadley a look and we smiled at each other and shook our heads. If you only knew, Mr. Hudson…
    Hadley said, “Could we please have a moment