Time's Up (13 page)

One of the Knitwits was playing the piano while the others sat in a circle of comfortable chairs, sipping tea and eating chocolate cookies. When they saw the group, the ladies immediately stood and introduced themselves, shaking hands with the girls and chattering away. Right away the women reminded Katani of Grandma Ruby and Miss Pierce,
Charlotte's landlady. They might be old, but they were lovely and smart, and it seemed like they got to do whatever they wanted. Katani hoped to be just like them when she got older. Maybe all the BSG could buy a house together.

The Knitwits invited their guests to stay for tea. “Of course, thank you,” said Mrs. Weiss, “but we are in a bit of a hurry. I have to be back at the store in ten minutes. After all, what if some poor soul came looking for Swedish Fish?” She winked at Maeve.

Then Mrs. Weiss turned to the Knitwits. “Let me tell you why we're here.” She proceeded to tell them Katani's story. The women listened, nodding sympathetically, and when Mrs. Weiss was done, the Knitwits leaned back in their chairs, glancing at one another.

June, who was small with straight, dark gray hair, spoke first. She had a husky, determined voice, which she probably needed to be a field nurse. “Katani, we would be delighted to help you out. Wouldn't we, ladies? Everyone needs a little help in a pinch. We'll finish the scarves for you if you bring us a model and the yarn right away.”

“Really? I can't believe it. I brought all the yarn. And here's a model.” Smiling gratefully, Katani showed them the pink mohair scarf she'd worn over.

“Lovely, and the design looks simple enough,” Sally commented. “May I take a look?”

Katani handed her the model scarf. She just couldn't believe it: They were really going to knit the scarves for her! It was a miracle! It was going to get done. Somebody was watching out for her!

“And you could do one thing for us,” Frances added in a way that reminded Katani of Ms. Rodriguez. It seemed like all the best teachers had a certain way of talking, friendly but firm.

“Anything.” Katani nodded.

“Deliver some scarves we already knitted to a downtown homeless shelter for women.”

“The bags are right over here.” Graceful, willowy Delilah rose up, standing on her toes to point out a half a dozen shopping bags lined up against the wall behind them.

“I could do that.” Katani looked at Maeve. “With a little help.”

“I'll help for sure,” Maeve said. “We can do it. And do you think Kelley could help too?” she asked, looking at Katani.

Katani could have hugged her thoughtful friend. It was the perfect way to make Kelley feel included! “Definitely,” Katani agreed.

The girls promised they would pick up the shopping bags the next afternoon to take to the homeless shelter, and then they thanked the Knitwits and waved good-bye. Outside, a thin blanket of white covered everything and the light snow was still coming down. Katani leaped into the air, throwing her arms around Mrs. Weiss and then Maeve.

“Is this really Katani Summers?” Maeve asked, smiling at her usually reserved friend.

“You saved my life!” Katani exclaimed.

Mrs. Weiss patted her on the arm and said, “That's what friends are for, dear.”

E
verybody dance now!” the voice over the huge speakers boomed, while random images of the cheering crowd flashed onto the giant scoreboard hanging from the center of the ceiling.

Isabel, Charlotte, Maeve, and Mrs. Madden were at the exhibition game to cheer Avery on, and they were having a blast! Isabel and Maeve were singing along with the rest of the crowd as fans around the arena grooved to the thumping dance beat.

“Let's dance, Isabel! Maybe we'll be up on the big screen!” Maeve shouted.

Isabel joined in as Maeve showed off her hip-hop moves, swinging and sliding side to side.

“You, too, Charlotte!” Maeve grabbed Charlotte's hand and pulled her to her feet. Charlotte smiled and shook her hips as she tried to keep up with Isabel and Maeve. They were both awesome dancers, but Charlotte liked to let loose and move to the music too—even if she wasn't the greatest dancer in the world. Mrs. Madden joined in also, clapping
and dancing before leaving for the concession stand to buy snacks for everyone.

The three girls giggled as they watched a fan with zero rhythm do the twist on the scoreboard. Charlotte was secretly relieved that she wasn't that bad.

“I wish Katani could be here,” Charlotte said, and sighed, still swaying her arms and hips.

“She's having a super-stressed-out week,” Maeve confided, then bit her tongue to keep from saying anything about her fight with Katani or the secret of the Knitwits.

Maeve couldn't figure out a way to tell them that actually things were getting better for Katani without revealing how she'd helped Katani with the scarves.

Finally Isabel asked, “Do you guys think Katani took on too much? I mean, do you think she was too ambitious, even for the Kgirl?” Isabel kept seeing an image of her friend with a great pair of wings flying too close to the sun, like Icarus.

“I wondered about that,” Charlotte said. “I heard she and Math Boy got in some kind of argument over their math project too. That doesn't sound like our Katani. I hope she doesn't do what Anne of Green Gables did—stop talking to everyone she gets in a fight with. I haven't talked to her in so long, I sort of feel like she might even be mad at me.” She glanced at Isabel and hoped what she said was okay. Trying to figure out what to say and what not to say was too confusing sometimes. “Have you talked to her, Maeve?”

Maeve nodded. She was bursting to tell all about the Knitwits, the scarf project, and how Ethel Weiss had totally saved the day. But all she said was, “We talked. I went over there last night.”

“You know, I think she just needed a little help, that's all,” Maeve went on. She didn't think Katani would mind her
saying that much. And she had to let out something or she was going to pop!

“
Katani
needed help?” Charlotte asked.

Isabel thought Maeve seemed a little smug when she replied, “Well, she's got a
lot
on her plate right now. Believe me!”

“Something
else
we don't know about?” Isabel asked pointedly.

“Oh, just everything with school and the contest!” Maeve explained quickly, putting on her most reassuring grin and shrugging (she hoped) innocently. “I'm sure Katani will tell you herself. It's almost halftime and we have to keep dancing if we're going to get up on that scoreboard. So move it, BSG! Lift those legs!” Maeve commanded her friends.

To Maeve's relief, Isabel gave herself over to the music and excitement, dancing and singing with Maeve and Charlotte and not asking any more questions about Katani.
That was close
, thought Maeve.
This keeping secrets stuff is wicked hard!

Showtime

Avery knelt down to check her shoelaces for, like, the fiftieth time. Playing on a real NBA arena court in front of eighteen thousand fans was an earth-shattering experience. Well, maybe not eighteen thousand, since some of them would be in the bathroom or at the concession stand or whatever. In any case, there were tons of people here. She looked up to the balcony, searching for her mom and her friends, but she couldn't find them anywhere in the crowd. She hoped they could see her.

“Okay, Abigail Adams, bring it in!” Coach Porter called out, waving the five girls to gather around.

Avery's stomach was doing flips as she joined Amanda,
Sarah, Anna, and Julie in the huddle for Coach's pregame pep talk. Avery didn't usually get nervous, but playing in front of this many people was kind of intimidating. Never mind all the people watching on TV. She had to concentrate on the game. If only she could see her mother and friends in the stands, she'd feel so much better!

“Remember, girls, play together, win together, and have fun together!” Coach Porter shouted over the dance music blasting through the arena. “Go team, on three! One, two, three—”

“GO TEAM!” Avery yelled with her teammates.

As the five girls ran out on the court to warm up, Avery couldn't help but gaze up at the roof of the arena. Sixteen green and white NBA championship banners were hanging from the rafters next to the retired numbers of past Celtics stars. In the middle of the ceiling the giant cube of scoreboard flashed in time with “Everybody Dance Now!”, showing fans dancing along with the music.

A girl with red hair flying was dancing like crazy and smiling right at the camera. Avery did a double-take when she realized it was Maeve! When the camera panned over, Avery saw Isabel and Charlotte dancing at Maeve's side. Even her mom was jumping up and down, pumping her arms. Avery was psyched! This was just what she needed to give her a power-boost on the court.

“Heads up, Madden!”

Avery looked to the left just as Anna whipped the ball at her. It was Avery's turn to go in for the basket.
Whoa
, she said to herself,
time to concentrate on basketball.

 

Up in the stand, Mrs. Madden was squeezing her hands so tightly, her knuckles turned white. Her face looked pinched as she sucked in her breath.

“Bummer!” Isabel shouted. Avery had missed—the ball teetered on the rim and then rolled into the Palmer players' waiting hands. The other team dribbled down the court at full speed and managed a quick one-two pass. Palmer was up two points.

 

We have to win. Have to, have to,
Avery was telling herself. She faked right and passed to the left, right on target to Anna, who lined up her shot and scored. Now she was in the zone. It was just like she'd imagined—her dream come true. The crowd had even done the wave. Avery didn't have time to look at the clock. All she thought was: two points, two points fast. Push the ball up-court!

Avery snatched up the ball and power dribbled halfway down the court and was just about to pass to Anna when the buzzer rang. It was over, the end,
finis
. Way too quick! Avery wanted to fall down and cry right there on the Celtics' court. This was not how it was supposed to end.

Coach Porter jogged up to the girls and hugged them. “Well done! Great game!”

“But we blew it!” Anna voiced Avery's own feelings.

“No way,” Coach replied right away. She made all the girls face her as they headed to the locker room. “You played your hearts out. It was a short scrimmage. In a real game you would have come back, but that's not the point. You all did your best. And great job, Madden. That was a weird break in the beginning, your first shot, but you kept hammering away. You didn't give up. That's the winning ticket…never give up!”

Avery felt her chest fill and her spirits rise as they went into the locker room.

“One last thing,” Coach Porter said to the team. “When
you go home tonight, I want you to keep one thing in mind. You all made me proud tonight, okay? It was an awesome game.”

 

Avery's Blog:

K
atani was really disappointed that she had to miss Avery's exhibition game, but she had so much to do:

Katani felt like a spinning top. She couldn't concentrate on finishing one thing on her list because she kept thinking of all the other things she had to do. “Thank goodness for the Knitwits,” she said, and sighed. But even with help from the ladies of Bluebell House, she didn't know how she could possibly finish everything on time.

Katani went to the kitchen to make a cup of tea. As she filled the kettle, she heard a sound behind her and turned around to see her mother, still in her work clothes, standing at the kitchen door. “Hey, honey,” Mrs. Summers said absently, flipping through her black leather planner. “Did you finish your homework?”

That was it. First Maeve, now her mother. Katani dropped the half-full kettle in the sink and threw her arms around her mother, hot tears pouring down her face.

“Hey, what's all this for?” her mother asked, stroking her back. “Tell me what the matter is. That's what I'm here for.”

Katani confessed the whole sorry story of the contest and schoolwork, Pony Camp, Reggie, Maeve, and everything. “And now time's up, and I haven't finished anything!”

Mrs. Summers clicked her PDA shut and said, “Honey, my evening is yours. We'll get whatever we need to get done for tomorrow first and then go from there. Don't you worry now. When I get in situations like this at work, I bring in the troops to help. So, let's get cracking here.”

“You do?”

“Oh yes, but first I start with tea.” Her mother smiled.

“Okay, thanks, Mom.” Katani dried her eyes. “Lemon Lift, Cinnamon, Chai, or Earl Gray?”

“How about I'll make the tea while you bring all of your homework down here so we can get started.”

“Thanks, Mom!” a grateful Katani sniffled.

“Listen, Katani.” She held Katani by the shoulders. “You just have to talk to me before things get so out of control. I may be busy, but I'm always here, and so is your dad.”

“I know…I just thought, I mean, I really thought I could do everything by myself.”

“Honey,” Mrs. Summers said as she turned to fill her cup with water, “it takes a village.”

As she ran to get her assignment book, Katani thought about her mother's favorite quote. She had a great family and the best friends in the world, all of whom would help her anytime she asked. What had she been thinking? She had her village.

At the kitchen table, her mom typed her lab notes while Katani finished the calculations. Her lab report might not be perfect, but at least it wouldn't be late. She leaned over and gave her mother a hug. “Team Katani and Mom save the day,” she whispered in her mom's ear.

“You know, Katani…” Mrs. Summers looked up. “You help a lot of people—Kelley, your friends, me. It's nice for us to help you back once in a while. Let it work both ways.”

“I just got it set in my head to do everything myself. And I wanted to surprise you guys about the contest.”

“I understand.” Her mother smiled. “But, look here. We're getting there.”

“Just a half hour to go,” Katani said.

“I was thinking that I could swing by and pick up the Pony Camp forms on my way to or from work tomorrow.”

“I guess I should have called and asked them to send them right after I realized I forgot them.”

“Never mind, honey. With this workload, you can't think of everything. We'll get them, and I bet there will be space for you and Kelley. Spaces don't fill up
that
fast. Besides,
everyone is so pleased with Kelley's progress, and you know how Claudia has raved about your ability and your way with horses,” Mrs. Summers added.

Katani looked down.

“What is it?” her mother asked.

Katani shrugged. What she was feeling was kind of hard for her to admit, but now she knew she could tell her mom anything. “Mom, I guess I just feel lucky to have so many people helping me.” She wiped a tear from the center of her eye, wondering if she should tell her mom about the Knitwits.

Yours Truly

“So, what's the real deal with Katani?” Avery asked as the BSG tumbled into Montoya's. “Has she transferred to another school, or what?”

“Katani who?” Isabel joked.

“She's MIA,” Avery said.

“I guess she just has way too much going on this week with all this homework and the contest,” Charlotte explained.

Maeve knew she couldn't keep Katani's secret for much
longer. And, really, she didn't want to. Keeping secrets from the rest of their friends was totally not BSG-style. Even Katani couldn't argue with that.

“Maeve, what aren't you telling us?” Charlotte asked.

“Do you know something we don't? You better spill,” Avery told her.

“Well, Katani has things under control now…” Maeve paused dramatically, pretending to buff her nails. “Thanks to yours truly! I was supposed to be at a homeless shelter with Katani right now, dropping off scarves for the Knitwits, but Mrs. Fields is taking her and Kelley.”

“Whoa, whoa, back up!” Avery demanded.

“Nitwits?”
Isabel asked.

“With a K. They knit.”

“Maeve, can you
please
start at the beginning?” Charlotte pleaded.

Maeve took a long sip of her hot chocolate and told the whole story of the contest, the scarves, Reggie, and especially how she, Super-Maeve, swooped in with Mrs. Weiss and the Knitwits to save the day. It felt so good to share her secret she also confessed about hiring Betsy to help her. So of course Avery, Isabel, and Charlotte had to confess they already knew. Charlotte smiled at Maeve. She knew how hard school was for Maeve.

“If Katani is okay then I am too.”

Isabel nodded in agreement and raised her mug. “I propose a toast—to Maeve. Cheers!”

The girls clinked their nearly finished hot chocolates together again.

When the laughter died down, Maeve pronounced, “Topic change! I need an E News update: What's the latest on your date with Nick, Char?” Maeve asked.

Charlotte discreetly glanced around the café.

“Get real, Maeve. It's not a
date
, is it, Char?” Avery asked.

Charlotte turned red as a beet and answered, “No.” She stared into her empty chocolate mug.

Maeve giggled. “Are you sure about that?”

 

Charlotte's Journal