Play It Again (3 page)

Madison realized how happy she was
not
to be in Fiona’s shoes right now.

She was happy not to be nervous anymore.

Madison had started the school day feeling like such a mess, but she was a long way away from “mess” now. She felt the same kind of calm that comes when a rainbow appears after a storm.

After the computer hummed and shut down, Madison crawled right back into the safest place in the world, under her quilted blankets. Phinnie crawled in beside her. Madison could feel his wet nose on her arm.

Soon she’d be asleep, and she’d be that much closer to tomorrow.

Closer to her debut as stage manager of
The Wiz.

“D
ON’T PUSH ME!
” Aimee shrieked when some kid with a backpack nearly mowed her over. They were standing in the hallway before seventh-grade lunch.

“Sorry,” the kid said, pushing his way through anyhow. “You’re the one in the way.”

A very large crowd was trying to see the bulletin board on the second floor by the faculty elevator. There, on a piece of Mr. Gibbons’s light blue paper, was posted the official cast of “Selections from
The Wiz.”

“Don’t be nervous,” Madison reminded Fiona as she locked arms with her. They gently nudged their way to the front.

Madison tugged Fiona’s hand. “I can’t believe it—look!”

“I can’t believe it, either.” Ivy groaned as she read the list. Her drones groaned, too.

Fiona just giggled.

Selections from
THE WIZ

FIRST REHEARSAL: FRIDAY, SEPT. 29

3:00 PM in MAIN AUDITORIUM

Ivy looked at the list. “Well, I didn’t get Dorothy, but at least I got a big part. Glinda’s a big part, right?”

Poison Ivy got the goody-goody princess role, Madison thought. It figured.

“I have to go talk to Mrs. Montefiore right away,” Ivy said. She flipped her hair and walked away.

Fiona was
still
giggling. She’d gotten a good part, too. Better than she’d expected. “I like the way Evillene sounds.”

Aimee waltzed over. “Oh my God, this is amazing—you got a lead! You totally rock, Fiona! And I get Addaperle! And a dance solo! And choreography assistant! I am sooooo psyched.”

Fiona looked a little embarrassed by the attention, but she couldn’t stop herself from beaming. Madison thought she looked more like a model than ever at that moment.

Egg, Drew, Chet, Hart, and even Tommy Kwong, king of drama club, bellied up to the bulletin board next. Madison watched them searching for their names on the blue list. Chet picked at his ear nervously. Egg bounced up and down like a jack-in-the-box. Drew, of course, played it quieter than quiet because he already knew what he was doing, just like Madison.

“Hey,” Drew whispered, catching Madison’s eye. “Congrats.”

Madison grinned. “Yeah.”

Drew slunk over to Egg, and the two of them pretended to bow down to Hart Jones. He’d been cast as none other than The Wiz himself, so he deserved the royal treatment.

Across the hall, Tommy Kwong celebrated his part with just as much fanfare. He was already practicing floppy-armed scarecrow antics, to the amusement of a group of girls who’d gotten chorus parts. As they oohed and aahed, Madison shimmied closer to Aimee and Fiona.

“I can’t believe Poison Ivy is Glinda the Good Witch!” Aimee said.

Fiona’s smile was wider than ever. “And I’m the
evil
witch,” she said dreamily. “It’s all pretty kooky.”

They all laughed, and Madison gave Fiona a giant hug, one of those hugs where you don’t let go right away.

“I am so glad you came to Far Hills,” Madison told her.

“Excuse me.” A girl walked up to the trio of friends and tapped Fiona on the shoulder. “Congratulations. You were so good at auditions.”

“Thank you for saying that,” Fiona said gently. “I’m sorry, I don’t know you. I’m new. I’m Fiona Waters.”

Madison recognized her right away. She was Lindsay Frost—the girl on the stool with the angel voice. Lindsay introduced herself. She wore an oversized black sweater and chunky barrettes shaped like hearts.

“You were great at auditions,” Madison said. “Everyone was mesmerized.” She glanced up at the list again. Lindsay had been cast as Dorothy.

“Gee, thanks,” Lindsay said. “I’ve been taking singing lessons and singing in choir since I was in first grade. And I love L. Frank Baum’s books more than anything.”

“Frank who?” Aimee and Fiona asked at the same time.

“Duh, you guys know,” Madison said. “The guy who wrote the real Oz books.”

“Don’t you know them? In
Ozma of Oz,
Dorothy helps to save a queen. It’s great,” Lindsay said. “And there’s this character named Princess Langwidere who wears a different head each day. I can loan you my copies if you want.”

“Oh,” Aimee said, still not knowing what they were really talking about but pretending that she did. “Oh yeah. Those books.”

“Oh yeah,” Fiona added. “Those books are kooky.”

Aimee snickered when Fiona used that word again.

“Well,” Lindsay said. She tugged down on her sweater. It was all stretched out and baggy around her middle. “I have to go to my next class now. You’re in English with Ms. Quill, right, Aimee? Maybe I’ll see you around.”

“Maybe,” Aimee said as she walked away.

“Thanks again, Lindsay!” Fiona called out. She turned back to Aimee and Madison. “She seems nice.”

“For a geek,” Aimee said.

“Aimee!” Madison yelled at her. “Sometimes you can be so harsh.”

“Well, it’s the truth, isn’t it?” she defended herself. “Isn’t it?”

“The truth is,” Fiona chimed in, “you sound like Ivy when you say stuff like that.”

Aimee looked a little hurt. She didn’t want to be like Poison Ivy.

“How well do you know Lindsay, Maddie?” Fiona asked.

“Well, she’s been in our grade forever,” Madison said.

“But we’re not
really
friends,” Aimee clarified.

Fiona and Aimee wandered off to their next classes, but Madison went in a different direction. She thought about how someone who had seemed so invisible could suddenly steal the spotlight from Ivy Daly and her drones.

It was an interesting development.

That night was Madison’s weekly dinner with Dad, a night she looked forward to all week long. Ever since Mom and Dad had gotten the “Big D” last year, Madison had reserved Thursdays just for him—except for the one dinner when he brought his new girlfriend, Stephanie, along.

Tonight she couldn’t wait to spill the beans about the show.

Dad picked Madison up a little bit late, as usual. Being late usually made Mom rant and rave about how inconsiderate he was, which Madison hated. Mom didn’t seem to be bothered tonight.

“He’s here! I’m going!” Madison cried out when she saw Dad pull into the driveway. Phinnie wailed, “Wawoooooo,” as Madison closed the front door. He hated good-byes even more than Madison did.

“So,” Dad said the moment Madison hopped into the front seat and buckled up. “Tell me all about the auditions for the play and don’t leave anything out, not one detail.”

As Madison explained. Dad shook his head and chuckled lightly to himself.

“What’s so funny?” Madison asked.

“You’re a chip off the old block, you know that?” Dad said. “When I was a kid, I remember getting so sick whenever I had to do anything in front of other people. I had a terrible case of stage fright. I couldn’t even stand up in the classroom. All the kids would laugh at me…. It was bad news. Puke city.”

“Puke? Gross, Dad. You? Really?”

“You bet. So I guess you can chalk this one up to genes, Maddie. Blame your old dad for your case of nerves. Sorry, kid.”

Madison reached over and touched his shoulder. “I don’t mind, Dad. Not really. Besides, now I’m stage manager.”

They arrived at Dad’s downtown Far Hills loft just in time to see the last innings of a baseball game between the Mets and the Braves. Next to computers and collages, Madison loved baseball. She got
that
from her dad.

“Did you see that?” Dad yelled at the television set. “That was a strike! What? Is the ump blind?”

Madison was setting the dinner table for two while “Finn’s Fantastic Meatballs” heated up in the oven. It was really just Swedish meatballs with noodles, but Dad named all his recipes. He even baked Madison Muffins once. They were supersweet.

“Hey, Dad, I forgot to ask—can you help me with my computer assignment tonight? I have a test coming up.”

“Double play!” Dad yelled at the television. Then he turned to his daughter. “Did you say ‘test,’ Maddie? Didn’t school just
start?”

“Yeah, well. Time flies when you’re in junior high. Will you help?”

Dad laughed and walked into the kitchen. “Of course I’ll help.” He kissed Madison’s head. “I’m really proud of you, young lady. Have I told you that lately? You are a bright, smart …”

“Dad,” Madison moaned. “Don’t start. Please.”

“Start what? Isn’t it acceptable for a father to be proud of his little girl?”

“Yeah, but you get so sappy. You and Mom both do that. Anyway, sit down. Dinner’s served.” Madison set the serving dish on the dining room table. “Oh and for the record, Dad, I’m not a
little
girl.”

Dad laughed. “I know that, honey,” he said. “Believe me, I know.”

When the baseball game ended in overtime, they finally logged on to Dad’s computer. It was fancy, streamlined with a flat-screen monitor edged in polished steel. Dad always had the highest-quality equipment. Plus he upgraded a lot.

“Let me quickly show you my new Web site,” Dad said as he punched a few keys. When the computer turned on, a photograph appeared.

Unfortunately it was Stephanie, Dad’s new and annoying girlfriend.

“Oh,” Madison said, staring at the screen. “It’s her.”

Just then, the screen dissolved into another picture. This one showed Madison and Phinnie. It was taken last year during a snowstorm.

“It’s not just her. Look, Maddie.” Dad punched a few more keys. “Most of my screen savers are photos of
you.”

Madison watched as the picture of her and Phin in the snow dissolved into her school photo from last year, which then dissolved into a photo of Dad on water skis, and then into a photo of Madison waving from the inside of Dad’s car.

The screen finally dissolved for the last time into wavy lines, and Dad’s site booted up. A giant blue logo appeared with the words
FINN FRONTIERS
.

“That’s my new logo,” Dad said proudly. “For my newest venture. You like?” Dad had started and stopped a whole bunch of businesses in the past ten years. Mom called him a snake oil salesman sometimes, but Madison wasn’t sure she knew what that meant, exactly.

“Wow, that’s neat-o,” Madison said. The logo rotated around and around, leaving a trail of blue “dust” on the screen.

Madison was prouder than proud that her dad was so “with it” where his business was concerned. She didn’t know any other parents in her class into technology and social media the way he was.

“Let’s tackle your technology homework now,” Dad said, exiting his company’s screen. “I think we make a good team.”

Madison agreed.

Hart


Just got back from Dad’s. I have a Swedish meatball stomachache. I also have Hart on the brain.


I talked to The Wiz a.k.a. Hart for a little while after science class. Every time I see him and talk to him alone now is like a big deal, I can’t help it.


Can you say CUTE? Plus, he stopped me in the hall, not the other way around. What does that mean? I congratulated him and he congratulated me and how dumb is that? He will make THE BEST Wiz ever in the history of
The Wiz.


I think Ivy likes him, too, which stinks. She always flirts and she will probably find a way to make herself the center of attention in
The Wiz and
get Hart, too. Aimee’s right. She’s not just playing a witch in the show. She is a real witch.


What would Bigwheels do right now? I bet she is popular with guys. I’m just guessing. Maybe she can help me with the play
and
with Hart.


That is, if she ever writes back.