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anyway?” I said.
    â€œWe barely started.”
    â€œIt’s just that, I thought we were best friends.” I hated the hurt tone my voice had. “You’ve never talked about wanting to go to parties and shopping with her until this week.”
    â€œYou are my best friend, Ivy! And going to this party could mean a lot for us. It’s so hard to get an invitation to Alexa’s party and I got one! Please don’t make me go alone, Ivy. Please.”
    I sat back and sighed. I felt stupid being almost jealous of Alexa. I looked around the place and thought, heck, it’s just one night. One stupid night out of my life and it’s not like I had anything else to do except go home to a house that got weirder by the day.
    â€œOkay.”
    â€œOh, Ivy Greer, you’re the best friend in the whole world!”
    I tried to feel good about that but deep down I wondered whether I’d still be her best friend if I’d said no.
    When I got home I ran to my bedroom. For the first time I let the feelings that had been tugging at me rise to the top. Did Ellen think I dressed bad? Was she embarrassed to be seen with me in my regular clothes? What kind of best friend worried about something like that?
    I stuffed the jeans and sweater into my dresser drawer. At the bottom of the bag was the Daisy Dog Happy Meal toy. After I closed the drawer, I set Daisy Dog beside my bed because getting it was the only thing about today that had felt good.
    *   *   *
    Mama sent us all to bed early that night because we’d be getting up at seven o’clock to get ready for church. JJ groaned. I suppose Caleb was used to going anyway, being a missionary’s kid, so no reaction from him. My eyes bored a hole through Mama, just willing her to ask me what was wrong so I could tell her I was onto the real reason she wanted to go to church. But she didn’t. She glanced at the look on my face and just got busy wiping her nail polish off. I finally gave up. What good is staring at someone when they don’t even notice?
    The next morning I was in the world’s worst mood. First of all, it had rained that night and the thunder kept me awake, giving me lots of time to think about Alexa’s dang party. Now church. I glanced into Caleb’s room on my way downstairs and couldn’t believe what I saw. His mattress was on the floor! After JJ, Mama, and I had just about killed ourselves to get that mattress onto the bed frame!
    Caleb was sitting on the mattress.
    â€œWhat is wrong with you?” I yelled at him. He jumped.
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œThis mattress! Do you know how hard it was for us to get it up here for you? What kind of idiot takes his bed apart?”
    â€œIvy!” Mama called. “Get down here this instant.”
    I stomped down the stairs.
    â€œWhat’s all that yelling about?” she asked.
    â€œCaleb! He put his mattress on the floor!”
    â€œIs that all? Maybe he has a bad back. Now hurry and eat your breakfast.”
    I followed her into the kitchen. “Don’t you think that’s a little odd , Mama?”
    â€œWell, I don’t want to sleep on the floor and maybe you don’t, but let’s not make a fuss. After all, this is new to him.”
    â€œIt’s new to us, too, having him here, but we’re not acting odd , are we?”
    â€œIs ‘odd’ the word of the day, Ivy? You’ve certainly said it enough.”
    â€œI just think he’s odd. You can’t tell me you don’t.” I wanted her to say he was. She’d said it to Aunt Maureen on the phone but she’d told me he wasn’t. That was a lie. I guess I thought if she said it now, it would make the lie a truth and I would feel better.
    Instead she said, “What I think is he’s quiet and polite. Those certainly aren’t odd things. Well, maybe around here they are.” She wiggled her eyebrows at me to make me laugh. It