Free Sink or Swim by Laura Dower Page A

response.
    Eliot just grinned. “Okay, Maddie,” he said, as if none of the commotion with the wet bag had ever happened. “Wanna play tucks?”
    Madison sat back in the chair, half in shock. But she wasn’t surprised by his sudden mood swing. She didn’t think it was strange that Eliot wanted to play. Madison was stunned because Eliot Reed had said her name.
    It was the very first time.
    “So, you’re hanging with babies now, huh?” someone said from behind the chairs where Madison and Eliot sat.
    Madison turned to see her mortal enemy, Ivy Daly, and her drones, Rose “Thorn” and “Phony” Joanie. The trio stood with hands on their hips, gawking at Madison and Eliot. Ivy was dressed in a bikini with sparkles on it. It glittered in the sun. Ivy and both drones already had perfect tans.
    “Hello, Ivy,” Madison said, trying to be friendly even though she disliked Ivy and even though she was embarrassed. “Hi, Rose and Joanie,” she said to the drones, too. “What are you guys doing here?”
    Ivy smirked. “Having fun. What are YOU doing?”
    Phony Joanie cackled. On closer inspection, Madison thought she looked bronze, as if she were wearing a tan out of a bottle.
    Madison looked over at Eliot and sighed. “I’m having fun, too. I’m baby-sitting.”
    Unfortunately she didn’t sound convincing, and she knew it.
    “Sounds like fun,” Ivy said, laughing some more. “Of course, I’d rather spend time with my friends my own age.”
    “Me too,” Rose said.
    “Me three,” Joan said, giggling.
    “Gee, where’s Aimee or Fiona?” Rose asked.
    “Are they baby-sitting, too?” Ivy couldn’t stop laughing.
    Madison was disappointed that she had no BFF to come to the rescue. Neither Aimee nor Fiona was anywhere to be seen—and here she was outnumbered three to one. The enemies giggled loudly, too, taking great pleasure in Madison’s embarrassment. As the trio walked away in their perfect bathing suits and sunglasses that made them look sixteen instead of twelve, Madison guessed that Rose and Joan would follow Ivy for the rest of their lives and that right now Ivy was going off in search of Hart.
    Meanwhile Madison was nowhere near Hart. She remained poolside with Eliot, her summer boyfriend.
    Eliot held up a dirty Popsicle stick that he must have picked up off the ground. He put it into his mouth just in time for Madison to pull it out again.
    “Stop! Stop!” she cried, taking the stick out of his hand.
    “Why?” he asked. “Gimme. Gimme.”
    “It’s dirty,” Madison said. “Why don’t we go get a real ice cream? Would you like that?”
    Eliot’s whole face lit up. “Yummy nice cream. I want chocklit.”
    Madison breathed deep.
    It will take some time.
    They walked over to the snack shop together.
    One red, white, and blue pop and prepackaged fudge-ripple cone later, Madison and Eliot were both feeling better. Madison cruised back around toward their chairs and bumped back into her BFFs. She introduced them to Eliot.
    Aimee was smitten. “Aren’t you cute?” she kept saying. Eliot didn’t know what to make of all her cooing and aahing.
    Fiona stuck out her hand. “Gimme five!” she said. Eliot promptly smacked her hand right back. She tried again and he smacked again.
    “He is cute,” Fiona said.
    “Where have you been for the last hour?” Madison asked. “I saw you sitting over here, but then you vanished. I’ve been sitting over there by myself.”
    Eliot looked up at her with his big brown eyes as if to say, “Um, excuse me, but you’re not by yourself.”
    “Well, I’ve been playing with Eliot,” Madison corrected herself.
    “Then let’s hang out together right now,” Aimee suggested. “I think I saw Ben Buckley in the recreation room. Let’s go play Ping-Pong.”
    “We can find Egg, too,” Fiona said. “I think life-guarding is over for the day.”
    “But I can’t bring Eliot into the recreation room,” Madison said. “It’s only for ages ten and up, I