“A sweet sixteen party sounds like fun,” Emma added.

  “I’m so glad I get to go,” I said. “And I get to see some of my old friends too.”

  Zoe grinned. “They’re not going to recognize you in that gorgeous dress, Devin.”

  I had texted a picture of the dress to everyone—which was so not like me at all. But I was really in love with it!

  I laughed. “It hasn’t even been a year. I’m sure they’ll recognize me.”

  “I don’t know,” Emma said. “You’re, like, a lot taller than when you moved here. And your hair used to be just brown, but now you’ve got blond streaks in it from the sun.”

  “Yup,” Jessi agreed. “You totally look like a California girl, not a Connecticut girl.”

  “Connecticut girls and California girls don’t look much different,” I said.

  Frida stood up, pulling a banana from her lunch bag. She leaned across the table and tapped me on the left shoulder, then the right, and finally on the top of my head.

  “We claim thee as a citizen of California!” she announced. “You are hereby given permission to travel to Connecticut for four days. But then you must return.”

  I laughed. “I have to. I’ve already got my plane ticket back.”

  “Promise you’ll text us pictures of the party?” Zoe asked.

  “And Connecticut’s near Manhattan, isn’t it?” Frida asked. “Take pictures if you go there. I’m dying to visit Broadway one day.”

  “Devin’s still got two more practices,” Jessi reminded everyone. “She’s not leaving yet.”

  “That’s right!” I said.

  For the next three days it was hard to focus on anything except my upcoming trip. Soccer took my mind off it, but after Wednesday’s practice I launched into full trip-prep mode with Mom. Wednesday night she rummaged through my open suitcase.

  “Do you have your pajamas? Another pair of sweatpants for the plane ride back? Extra underwear?”

  “It’s all there, Mom,” I promised her. “I followed your list.”

  I held up the list she had printed out for me.

  Mom took the paper and examined it, frowning. “Deodorant … sunscreen … toothpaste,” she muttered. “What are we forgetting? I feel like we’re forgetting something.”

  “We’re not forgetting anything,” I assured her. I patted my dress, folded in half on top of the suitcase. “I’ve got the shoes for this, and the necklace you lent me is in the little pocket on the side.”

  “Mrs. O’Connell said she’ll steam the dress for you before the party, in case it gets wrinkled,” Mom said. “You’re going to get ready for the party at Kara’s house.”

  I hugged her. “Thanks, Mom. You think of everything.”

  Mom squeezed me tightly. “I’m going to miss you, Devin.”

  “You and all of my friends!” I said. “I’m only going for a few days. It’s no big deal.”

  Maisie poked her head in the doorway. “Well, I’m not going to miss you.”

  “Nobody asked you,” I shot back.

  “Girls! Don’t get into a fight before Devin leaves,” Mom scolded.

  “I’m just being honest. You don’t want me to be a liar, do you?” Maisie asked. “I won’t miss Devin because she hogs the bathroom in the morning and she has her own computer and I don’t.”

  “I need my laptop for school,” I pointed out. “And anyway, that’s not a good reason not to miss me.”

  “You two hug it out right now,” Mom ordered. “And, Maisie, I think you will miss Devin and you’re trying not to show it. It’s better to share your feelings than keep them buried inside.”

  “Okay. Then, I feel that I won’t miss Devin hogging the bathroom every morning,” Maisie said.

  Mom gave her a look, so Maisie hugged me, and I hugged her back. I wanted to tell her I was going to miss her, because deep down I knew I would, but I didn’t want to give her the satisfaction.

  “Good,” Mom said. “Now, right to bed, Devin. Your dad is going to wake you up at four a.m.”

  I nodded. I knew the plan. After Mom and Maisie left, I zipped up my suitcase, hauled it off my bed, and climbed under the covers.

  It was only eight thirty, so of course I didn’t sleep! I scrolled through my phone until I felt sort of sleepy at ten, but even then I couldn’t fall asleep right away. I was too excited about the trip! I finally drifted off, and right after that (at least, that’s what it felt like), Dad shook me awake.

  I woke up with a low groan, but I didn’t complain. I had begged and plotted and pleaded to go on this trip, and I didn’t want to be ungrateful. Dad carried my suitcase downstairs, and I quickly got dressed in blue sweats, a Kicks T-shirt, and sneakers. When I got to the kitchen, Dad was gulping a cup of coffee.

  “The car will be here any minute,” he said.

  I nodded. It was too early to speak!

  Five minutes later we saw a black car pull up in front of the house, and soon we were on our way to the airport. The sky was still dark, with only a hint of pale light on the horizon. There were more cars on the road than I’d thought there would be this early in the morning, but I guess that was the way it was in Southern California. Everybody was always trying to get somewhere!

  The airport was more crowded than I’d imagined too. We had to weave through a sea of people to get to the baggage check-in line. We waited on that line for almost an hour. I yawned the whole time, but I tried not to complain. I was on my way to see Kara!

  After we checked our bags, we waited on another line to get through security. Then we walked down a long, long corridor to get to our terminal, grabbing some breakfast sandwiches at a little fast food place on the way. Finally, we found seats and waited to board the plane. I had packed headphones with me, and I plugged them into my phone and listened to music, which put me right to sleep!

  Dad shook me awake.

  “Devin, it’s time to board,” he said, and I nodded sleepily. When we got onto the plane, Dad let me have the window seat and he took the middle seat, which was really nice of him. I buckled my seat belt and watched the safety video on the monitor screen attached to the back of the seat in front of me.

  Then I closed my eyes and waited for takeoff. Instead I heard the captain’s voice over the speakers.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, we’re being delayed at the gate,” he announced. “We should be taking off in about a half hour or so.”

  I heard some people groan. I just kept my eyes closed and tried to sleep, but I couldn’t. After what seemed like forever, the plane finally started to roll down the runway.

  I’d flown in a plane a few times before, and I liked to fly—especially when I could look out the window. As the engines roared, I gazed outside and watched the world get smaller and smaller below. Very quickly we soared up into the clouds and the morning sun. The glare was so bright that I had to close my window shade.

  Taking off and landing were always the most exciting parts of any airplane flight. The rest of the six-hour trip was pretty boring. The view from the window for most of the trip was a bank of endless, boring clouds. I ate a boring chicken sandwich for lunch. After three hours I got bored of listening to music. I was so bored, I couldn’t even sleep!

  When we reached JFK airport in New York, it was three thirty in the afternoon there, because we had changed time zones. I was so happy when the plane landed! We weaved our way through more crowds to the baggage claim area.

  “I’m texting Jack now,” Dad said. Jack was Kara’s dad. “They’re going to pull up outside baggage claim after we get our luggage.”

  I stared at the conveyer belt that moved around and around in a circle. I anxiously tapped my right foot while I waited for our things to appear. I couldn’t wait to see Kara!

  A loud buzzer went off, and bags began to drop onto the carousel. Big bags. Small bags. Black bags. Brown bags.

  But not mine. Not Dad’s.

  “Dad, what’s happening?” I asked.

  “There are still more coming,” Dad said. “Don’t worry.” But his voice sounded stressed.

  We watched as people grabbed their luggage and stepped out into the parking area. We watched until the last bag dropped—and then no more came.

  Dad ran a hand through his hair. “Come on. Let’s go ask at the booth,” he said.

  I followed him to a booth, where he explained our situation to a woman with a computer. Dad handed her our claim ticket, and she typed in the numbers.

  “Okay. Well, it looks like your bags are in Albuquerque,” she said.

  “Albuquerque?” Dad repeated.

  I started to panic. All of my stuff was in that bag! My pajamas and underwear and toothbrush! And … my dress! My beautiful dress! Tears started to well up in my eyes.

  “I apologize for the inconvenience, but we can have them delivered to you when they arrive here,” the woman said. “Where are you staying?”

  I tuned out Dad while he gave her the information. All of a sudden I felt exhausted and my stomach hurt and I wanted to sob. My bag was in Albuquerque, and here I was, hundreds and hundreds of miles away from home.

  Dad put his arm around me. “Sorry, kiddo. This stinks. But airlines are usually good about this kind of thing. I bet we’ll get our bags tomorrow.”

  I nodded silently, and Dad led me out into the parking area. Taxis and cars whizzed by. The air felt cold and smelled like exhaust. In the distance I saw a cold, gray sky.

  “DEVIN!”

  I turned to see Kara running toward me. She crashed into me and hugged me and started jumping up and down.

  “Devin! Devin! Devin!”

  At that point I did start to cry, a mix of sad, exhausted, and happy tears—mostly happy.

  I was reunited with my best friend!

  Chapter Three

  “OMG! You’re, like, a foot taller than me!” Kara squealed as she wrapped me in a hug so tight that I felt like I couldn’t breathe.

  “Oof!” I gasped. “If I’ve gotten taller, you’ve gotten stronger!”

  Kara pulled back, her hands clutching my arms tightly. She gave them a squeeze that made me squeak.

  “Sienna and I have been doing CrossFit at the gym her dad owns,” Kara said. “I’m totally buff now, Devin.”

  We both laughed as I looked into her big blue eyes, which, whether she was buff or not, still looked supersweet and kind.

  “Is Sienna the new girl, the one who joined the Cosmos?” I asked.

  “Yes! I totally friend suggested the two of you on Snapface. You’d really like each other,” Kara answered.

  “I must have missed that,” I told her. “I’ve been super obsessed with getting us into the playoffs. I haven’t been on social stuff a lot.”

  “And you made it!” Kara gave me another hug. “Now I can hug you in person to congratulate you, and we can celebrate tonight!”

  Kara and I had been so wrapped up in each other that I almost didn’t notice Kara’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. O’Connell, who were talking with my dad.

  “Are you still waiting for your bags?” asked Kara’s mom.

  “They’re in Albquerque,” Dad replied with a frown.

  “Oh, dear!” Mrs. O’Connell said. “Don’t worry. We’ll help you figure this out. But first, I need a hug from Devin!”

  Mrs. O’Connell wrapped her arms around me.

  “Goodness, you’ve gotten so tall!” she exclaimed. “How’s your mom? How’s Maisie? She must be so big too. “

  I chatted with Mrs. O’Connell as we walked over to the rental car place.

  “Thanks for coming to meet us, Jack and Maggie,” my dad said to Kara’s parents. “There really was no need, since we’re renting a car.”

  “Ah, I said the same thing to Kara, but she wouldn’t have missed meeting Miss Devin at the airport for all the world.” I had almost forgotten that Mr. O’Connell was originally from Ireland, and had an accent. It was very musical-sounding.

  “I had to greet Devin as soon as she stepped foot on the East Coast,” Kara stated. “Otherwise what kind of best friend would I be?”

  “You know, Mike, you can always change your mind about the hotel and come be our guest instead,” Mr. O’Connell offered.

  “Thanks, Jack, but we don’t want to intrude. Plus I’ve got some early-morning business meetings,” my dad replied. “But Devin will be sleeping over Saturday night after the big party. That’s all she’s been talking about!”

  “I’ve got some special plans for us tonight, too, Devin.” Kara’s big blue eyes sparkled.

  I smiled. Kara and I used to have the most fun together. We would go see a movie and whisper lines that we made up for the characters. Sometimes people would shush us, but that just made us laugh really hard. Once, we were asked to leave by an usher! I was so embarrassed, I wanted to crawl under my chair. But Kara brought out my silly, playful side. Sometimes we would go to the mall and pretend we were from a different country, and we had this made-up language we would speak, and dare each other to order something from the food court or ask a question of a clerk in the store. We always had such goofy times together. I was exhausted from the flight, and the thought of some one-on-one time doing mindless, funny things with Kara perked me up.

  “We’re going to Patruno’s Pizza, and all the gang is going to be there!” she exclaimed. “Mr. Burke, can you drop Devin off after you get checked into the hotel? I’m sure Devin wants to wash up after being on that long flight. I remember how I felt when I flew to California last fall; it was like a slug had crawled on my tongue and left a sticky trail of bad breath behind it!”

  Everyone laughed, but I felt a little disappointed that it wasn’t going to be just Devin-and-Kara time. I mean, I was really looking forward to seeing all of my old friends, but I was a little beat. Some quiet time with Kara sounded more my speed right about then. But I didn’t want to waste a second of being in Connecticut, so I agreed.

  A thought occurred to me. “But we don’t have our luggage!” I reminded everyone. “I have nothing to change into, or even my toothbrush to deal with slug breath.”

  Mrs. O’Connell made a tsk-tsk sound. “You might as well come home with us now. I have a new toothbrush still in the package that you can have, and Kara can share some of her clothes.”

  “Yes, let’s go!” Kara grabbed my arm and started pulling.

  I waved helplessly at my dad.

  “I’ll pick you up tonight at Patruno’s!” he called back.

  * * *

  As we drove through Milford, the Connecticut town where I used to live, I felt a pang of nostalgia wash over me. I missed this pretty town. It was the beginning of spring, and the trees that lined the streets were just getting their buds. Everything looked greener than it did in Kentville, where we were always under a drought warning and couldn’t water our lawns or wash our cars. The grass around our house looked like straw. But here we passed houses with green lawns, some with brightly colored daffodils and tulips. The other thing I really liked about Milford was how old it was. There were houses that dated back to before the Revolutionary War, and there was this big one that had a wraparound porch lined with columns. The house was all white with black shutters. I used to dream about growing up and living in a house like that. Everything in Kentville was new and nice, but I missed the history of Milford.

  We passed our old home, and I gasped.

  “They painted it!” I said, my voice catching.

  Our house used to be this pretty sky blue color with white trim. I’d loved living in a blue house, because it was one of the only ones in town, and it made me feel special. It’s one of the reasons why I was so excited when I joined the soccer team in Kentville and found out their colors were blue and white.

  The house was yellow now, which was pretty, but it didn’t look like the home I remembered. That made me so sad.

  Kara sighed. “I wanted to tell you, but I knew how much you loved your blue house, and I just couldn’t bring myself to say anything.”

  After that I got into a funk I couldn’t shake. It didn’t help when none of Kara’s clothes fit me.

  “Where’s the flood?” Kara asked when I tried on her pants, which were several inches too short. We had always been the same size before, but now my growth spurt had changed that. I had to stay in my sweatpants, but at least I was able to fit into one of her longer T-shirts, and she loaned me a sweater, too, in case the night got a little chilly.

  As promised, Mrs. O’Connell produced a toothbrush, and I went into the bathroom to wash my face and use the deodorant I had borrowed from Kara. I did feel better, but it wasn’t the same as having my own stuff. I hoped the suitcase would arrive by the next day, like my dad had said. Not having any of my own things made me feel even more like a stranger in my hometown.

  When I got out of the bathroom and went back into Kara’s room, I was surprised to see her seated in front of a lighted makeup mirror.

  “I thought we were just going to Patruno’s,” I said as I watched Kara applying what seemed like more makeup than the makeup artist Tenshi had used on me when I’d done those modeling gigs.

  “Yes, but everyone will be there and they will all be made up too,” Kara said as she pouted in the mirror, before grabbing a tube of pink lipstick and running it over her lips.

  “Oh, really?” My hand flew up to my cheek. I didn’t have any makeup on.

  “I can share mine with you,” Kara said as she brushed eye shadow over her lids.

  “You know that’s never really been my thing,” I said and I watched, fascinated, as she applied makeup like a professional. “I didn’t know you were into all that either.”

  “At Sienna’s first sleepover party, she had all this makeup for us to try,” Kara said. “It was really fun—like creating art right on my face. So I started watching makeup tutorials, and they’re amazing! I can change my look whenever I want.”

  With that, she shut off the makeup light and turned to me. Her face, which was always pretty, looked very glamorous, like a movie star, or Frida on the set of one of her commercials.

  “Wow!” I said, speechless. It made Kara look so different, as if she were someone I didn’t really know. “And your mom lets you wear it?”