My Best Frenemy by Julie Bowe Page B

them . . . upsetter. ”
    “Who’s upset?” I ask. “Brooke? And how would she find out you called me, unless you told her? ”
    Stacey is quiet for a moment. She sticks her hands deep into the pockets of her silver jacket and does a little shiver. “Brrrrr, ” she says. “I better go before we turn into Popsicles. I’ll try to call you tonight. I promise. ”
    I nod and give her a wave. “Bye, ” I say.
    “Bye, ” Stacey says back. Then she turns around and jingles away.
    I climb on the bus. The driver shuts the door.
    I’m the last one on, so it’s crowded. I slide in next to Jenna.
    The bus pulls away from the curb and we rumble down the street.
    “Thanks for trying to get me out of trouble at lunch, ” I say, glancing at Jenna.
    “I didn’t try to get you out of trouble,” Jenna says. “I was trying to get Quinn in to trouble. For calling me a baby last week. ”
    “Oh, ” I say. “Sorry. My mistake. ”
    I pick at a crack in the seat cushion. “But if you wanted to get back at someone,” I say, “why not Randi? She’s the one who put the mouse on my tray, plus she made you tell Zane that you like him. ”
    “That was on Monday, ” Jenna says. “Quinn teased me about sucking my thumb last week. You have to get back at people in the right order. ”
    The bus turns a corner and then slows to a stop. A couple of little kids get off and we start moving again.
    Jenna glances at me. “Stacey’s mad at you, isn’t she?”
    “No, ” I say. “She’s not mad. ”
    Jenna clicks her tongue and looks away. She puts the side of her bare fist on the bus window, holding it against the frost.
    I give her left braid a frown. “Why?” I say. “Do you think she’s mad? ”
    Jenna shrugs and pulls her fist away, leaving a curved shape in the frost. She melts five fingertip circles at the top of the shape. Altogether, it looks like a little footprint. “It’s just . . . you know, ” she says. “She didn’t squeeze your arm. ”
    I do a snort. “So? ”
    Jenna turns to me. “So -o ,” she says, “Stacey always squeezes the other person’s arm when she says good-bye. Haven’t you noticed? ”
    I fidget a little. “No. ”
    “Well, she does.” Jenna looks past me and does a big sparkly smile. A Stacey smile. “Bye!... squeeze . Bye! . . . squeeze. Bye! . . . squeeze .” She squeezes her hand into a fist each time she says it. Then she makes her face go normal again. “It’s like a pattern with her. ”
    Jenna turns back to the window and presses her fist against the glass.
    I face forward and rub my unsqueezed arm.
    “She’s not mad at me, ” I say.
    Jenna clicks her tongue again.
    Dear Stella,
    Today was the worst day of my Life. Even worse than that time I got my toe caught in those bike spokes. Today I got sent to the principal’s office! The only good thing about getting sent there was that Ms. Stevens didn’t tell my parents. I don’t plan on telling them either.
    But the bad thing was I spilled the beans on my friends. We all got in trouble for playing truth or dare, and now everyone is secretly mad at me. Even Stacey. At Least that’s what Jenna thinks, and I’m starting to think so too. Partly because Stacey did not squeeze my arm good-bye, and partly because all of the other girls said “We’re not mad!” all sweet and swirly. Like cotton candy. But when they turned away it was Like their words melted into nothing.
    The only one who doesn’t seem mad is Jenna. In fact, she seems happy that everyone else is mad.
    I guess that’s typical for a frenemy.
    Bye,
Ida
     
    P.S. Stacey promised she would try to call me tonight. But she didn’t.

Chapter 12
    When class starts the next day I try to pretend like everything is normal even though I know it isn’t. I keep catching the other girls’ glances. Sometimes they smile, but they aren’t the kind that stick. No one is mean to me, but no one is going out of their way to be nice to me either.
    And guess who gets to be the