Free Portia's Exclusive and Confidential Rules on True Friendship by Anna Hays Page A

continue to be so concerned about me spending time with Misty? Doesn’t she know that I’m her best friend and nothing is ever going to change that?
    I quickly reply to her message to reassure her that our friendship is still on solid ground.
    To: [email protected]
    From: [email protected]
    I’ve got the perfect hat for the new case! I can’t wait to show it to you. I think you’re going to love it as much as I do! Yes, I’ll be there at Purple Haze for the shopping date. I love that place! You know that you can always count on me, Amy. Your true friend, Portia
    I read the second message. It’s from Misty.
    To: [email protected]
    From: [email protected]
    Â 
    How’s my Sweet Sunshine? If she’s with the Avatars, I have no doubt she’s doing amazingly well. But Maxwell is a different story completely. I’ve been observing him for hours now. His behavior has gone from really strange to really, truly strange. He’s hissing like a cat every time I come near him now, and he still won’t eat. And he’s even bigger than he was yesterday! You have to see thisfor yourself. Do you have time to stop by after school tomorrow? Your biggest fan, Misty.
    P.S. You are positively the coolest friend ever!:-D
    To: [email protected]
    From: [email protected]
    Â 
    Continue observing the subject. His behavior is truly mystifying. Let’s talk in the a.m. about a visit to the canyons. Not sure I’ll be able to make it. BTW, Sweet Sunshine seems to be enjoying herself. Indigo is feeding her a variety of homegrown treats, so no worries in the raw food department. C U tomorrow, P:)
    BIG PROBLEM: Both Misty and Amy want to meet me at the same time tomorrow for two different reasons!
    FACT: I can’t be in two places at once.
    Indigo is finally off the phone. She waves at me through the screen door. With dueling friends, one new and one old, occupying my mind, I make my nightly trek to my bedroom. Indigo interrupts my train of thought, gently grabbing my hand. “You’re right, Portia, we’ve got to change the direction of the search. It’s time for a new approach.” Her voice crescendos with renewed energy. “Let’s reserve Sunday nights for a Patch Powwow, where we gather all our research and findings from each week. That way we’ll always be on the same page, and we’ll be able to compare notes about our progress. Sound good?”
    I give my mom a giant polar bear hug, which we both know means, Yes, that is so entirely cool of you to step up the search!

Chapter 14
    7:28 A.M.,
A VATAR K ITCHEN
    A morning phone call from Rock interferes with Indigo’s latest breakfast creation. She’s attempting pomegranate waffles with wild cherry and lime organic spread. My taste buds beg for something simple. Perhaps a bowl of Corn Flakes? But her insistent look demands I taste her pomegranate creation. I twist my fork into her newly imagined red-tinted breakfast, while she heads to the refrigerator and takes out my prepared lunch, meticulously packed in a reusable lunch bag. She balances the phone under one ear and hands me my packed lunch, all while dancing to an invisible beat.
    QUESTION: What does Mr. Hero say to my mother that sends her in such an embarrassing direction back in time to when she was in high school and had football-star crushes?
    Indigo finally hangs up from her conversation with the firefighter. She adjusts her long single braid, then pulls a stool up to the table. “I must hear about last night’s dreams. I’ve been waiting all morning!”
    â€œThat’s impossible, Indigo. You’ve been on the phone all morning.”
    â€œJust one dream will do, Portia.”
    â€œNothing comes to me.”
    FACT: My mother is a professional Dream Checker. She’s an expert at interpreting symbols and finding below-the-surface meaning in things like elephants, waterfalls, and golden