Free Holly's Heart Collection Two by Beverly Lewis

wasn’t it her fault Miss Austria was here in the first place?
    On the bus, Jared slid into the seat beside me. “Open your gift, Holly-Heart.”
    I gasped when I saw the CD—Mandee Trent’s latest release. “I love it,” I said. “Thanks, Jared.”
    “You’re welcome.” He winked at me.
    “This is so cool. Now I can ski with Mandee Trent coming through my iPod while you watch her hit the stage in Denver.” Such a romantic thought.
    “Shall we synchronize the moment?” he asked.
    I poked him. “Don’t be silly,” I teased, but secretly I loved the idea of listening to my new music at the exact same moment as Jared was experiencing the live performance. He reached for my hand and gave it a squeeze. Fabulous.
    Downhill Court came up all too quickly. I thanked Jared again for the CD before getting off the bus.
    “See you tomorrow,” he called.
    “Bye!” I held the gift close as I hurried across the snow-packed street.
    Once in the privacy of my bedroom, I let my anger pour out in the safest place of all: my journal. First I recorded my intentions for the vow of silence. I would refuse to speak to Andie until she apologized. No, better yet, until she literally pleaded with me to return as her number-one best friend.
    Next I removed Paula’s clothes and tossed them in the hamper. What a remarkable thing she had done today. Something I might have done for a best friend.
    Slipping into my robe, I popped my new CD into the player on my desk. Mandee Trent’s voice wafted through the air. Perfect. I pulled a mystery novel off the shelf and curled up on my window seat, trying to forget the events of the day.
    The harsh reality of my plan hit me hard when the phone rang. “For you, Holly,” Carrie called to me from the hallway. “It’s Andie.”
    “Tell her I’m not here,” I said. Abandoning my book, I jumped up and headed for the stairs. “It’s the truth…I’m not here.” I raced down the steps, through the kitchen, and out the back door.
    It was sub-zero cold out there and I counted, slowly, to thirtyfive, shivering in my robe as I waited for Carrie to tell me she was off the phone.
    But she never did, and I stumbled back into the kitchen, freezing half to death. “Carrie,” I called to her.
    Stephie, not Carrie, came running up the steps from the family room. “Carrie can’t talk now, she’s not here,” she mimicked me, straight-faced. Then she burst into giggles.
    “Get out,” I said, chasing after her.
    I found Carrie doing her homework. “What did she want?” I asked.
    Carrie looked up, eyes filled with innocence. “Who?”
    “You said Andie called.” I leaned over the back of the sectional staring into her pixie face. “What did she say?”
    “She said you’re a goof brain.”
    I couldn’t believe this. “You are so not cool.” I left the room in a huff.

    Wednesday after school Mom drove me to visit my cat. “How do you feel about missing the Mandee Trent concert?” she asked as we waited for a red light.
    “I don’t have to see her on stage. Besides, it’ll be great skiing.
    We stopped at an intersection, and she glanced over at me. “What does Andie think about it?”
    “No big deal,” I said. “After all, Andie’s got Christiana. They’ll have a good time together, she and the clothes crook.”
    Mom frowned. “What do you mean?”
    I told her the horrible thing Christiana had done after gym class.
    “I can’t imagine Andie letting Christiana do that,” Mom said. “Doesn’t sound like her.”
    “No kidding.”
    She dropped me off in front of the animal clinic. “I’ll be back in thirty minutes,” she said.
    It was fabulous spending time with Goofey. He actually smiled when he saw me, the way he always did—before Paula tried to poison him.
    “I’ve been praying about a home for you,” I whispered to him. “God must have something very special planned. He just hasn’t let me know yet.”
    Goofey purred contentedly as if to say: Whatever you can do