14 Hollow Road by Jenn Bishop

Author:Jenn Bishop
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2017-06-13T04:00:00+00:00

On Saturday, it’s Mom who offers to drive me to Kiersten’s for the planning meeting. With the pool party just two weeks away, Kiersten’s been getting more and more frazzled. While we’re at camp, she’ll get an idea all of a sudden for something she forgot, or something we need to do differently, and dart off to write in her planner.

That’s fine when it’s beach day at the lake. Not so much when we’re in the middle of yoga class and supposed to be doing silent meditation.

We’re halfway to Kiersten’s house when Mom turns down the radio. “I was just thinking how nice it is that you and Kiersten have connected with Gabriella this summer.”

“Yeah.”

“That’s not an easy age to make a big move. Where did she come out here from, again?”

“Minnesota,” I say. But then I think it’s wrong. Michigan? Montana? Definitely one of those faraway M states.

“I bet she’s glad to have found new friends so quickly.”

“Uh-huh.” I stare out the window as we pass by the town pool. The sign for our party is up already. As if Kiersten would let anybody forget the date. Still. It’s like a second chance at the sixth-grade dance. We’ve earned it, right?

“It never hurts to have more friends when you head into junior high. So many changes.”

Is Mom trying to say that she thinks I should be making other friends? That Kiersten’s not enough?

When Mom drops me off at Kiersten’s house, Gabby’s already there. It makes sense—her being next door and all—but still, there’s something weird about how she’s always around now. Even when I’m not.

Kiersten insists we meet on the porch because her brother and his friends have taken over the living room with their video games and pizza. Even from out here, we can hear them yelling and laughing.

Kiersten turns to me. “Did your dad’s work agree to donate paper plates and cups?”

“Yup,” I say. “But he says he wants any leftovers back.”

I scribble down on my notepad: Remind Dad about paper plates and cups.

Gabriella’s phone starts playing a song in her pocket.

“Gabriella!” Kiersten screeches.

“Sorry. I’ll put it on vibrate.”

“How about silent?” Kiersten pushes the button on her phone to check the time. “It’s been almost half an hour and we have literally accomplished nothing.”

I glance down at my list, where, in addition to my note about reminding Dad, I also wrote: To do. Not exactly nothing.

“Calm down, Kiki,” Gabriella says. Kiki? “We’ve got plenty of time till the pool party.”

“Plenty of time?” Kiersten raises her voice. “We have two weeks. And actually, really that’s more like one week. Right now we will have plates. Oh, and a few streamers because my mom had some left over from a baby shower she threw last week. This is not good enough.”

More like one week?

“Why don’t we have two weeks?” I ask.

Kiersten glances over at Gabriella. “Gabby invited me to go with her family on their vacation next week.”

“But we have camp.” Not that camp’s the most exciting place to spend your summer, but still.

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