Save the Date by Laura Dower Read Free Book Online

BIG date she’d been waiting for all week: the science field trip.
    “Have you seen my sneakers, Mom?” Madison yelled downstairs. She pulled on a pair of striped socks and painter’s pants. “And my light-blue T-shirt? The one with the angel on the front?”
    Mom came to the bottom of the stairs and growled. “I wish you wouldn’t yell, Madison. I haven’t even had my coffee yet.”
    “Sorry,” Madison said a little more softly. “Have you seen my angel shirt?”
    “Yes,” Mom said. “It’s in the laundry.”
    Madison wanted to kick herself for not planning her outfit the night before. Now she had no idea what top to wear. She pulled on a plain yellow shirt with embroidery around the sleeves and neck and pulled her hair into a ponytail.
    “Mirror, mirror, on the wall …” she mumbled to herself in the bathroom mirror. She posed sideways and front ways and decided it would have to work. It was the only shirt that really went with the pants, anyway.
    Downstairs, Mom was in the kitchen, making Madison a peanut-butter sandwich with a little plastic bag of chips on the side. Mom still looked groggy, too, which meant she’d been up very late working in her office.
    “Do you like this shirt?” Madison asked. “I mean, do you think this is a good field trip outfit?”
    Mom rubbed her eyes. “Sure, honey bear.” She gave Madison a kiss on the head.
    “I’m serious, Mom,” Madison said. “What do you think?”
    “I think you look fine,” Mom said, pouring a coffee refill.
    “Fine? Oh no, it’s ugly, isn’t it?” Madison blurted. “I should change, right? I’m going to go and change.” And just like that, Madison turned around and headed back upstairs.
    After three more outfit tests, she finally picked the winning combination: faded jeans and an orange cut-off t-shirt with a dancing panda bear on the front and built-in tank underneath. It even matched her striped socks.
    Madison raced to get her bag together so she could meet Aimee and walk to school early. The buses were supposed to leave by eight-thirty, and Madison and Aimee wanted to get good seats.
    The school yard was half full by the time they arrived. Madison didn’t see Fiona anywhere, but Chet was loafing around by the fence with Egg, Drew, Hart, and Dan. The boys looked like a team. They were all dressed in the same kind of baggy pants with faded T-shirts and baseball caps. It was like their field trip uniform.
    “Hey, Finnster!” Hart yelled when he saw Madison.
    His voice was amplified by the stillness of the morning air.
    She wanted to run away, but she waved. That stupid nickname sounded so wonderful when Hart said it.
    Egg was snickering, as usual. He made a face at Madison, and she stopped waving right away.
    “I don’t know why we rushed over,” Aimee complained. “Only half the seventh grade is here so far.”
    Lindsay ran up to both of them. She had on a droopy hat and overalls. “Hey, guys,” she said. Another two girls from their class followed Lindsay, but they didn’t say much. One of them had a cast on her arm.
    Across the yard, the teachers were congregating in small groups, looking over their lists and clipboards. They looked funnier than funny in their field trip garb. Mr. Danehy wore blue jeans that looked like they’d been ironed.
    “I can’t believe you have him for science.” Aimee chuckled. “My teacher is so much cooler than him.”
    “She’s also like a century younger than he is,” Madison said.
    They were talking about Ms. Ripple, another science teacher, who acted more like a friend than a teacher to her students. Kids in class liked her because she always graded on a curve and she hardly ever gave homework. Aimee wasn’t even given a prep sheet for the day’s trip, while Madison had two pages of questions to explore and answer.
    As they stood there in small groups, talking, the buses finally pulled into the parking lot. The school’s principal, Mr. Bernard, came outside the school to wish