"Okay, okay," I laughed. "You win. Let's have our pizza now!"
"Agreed!" cried Sierra, and we each grabbed a slice of pepperoni and extra cheddar, the best kind by far. When we were finished chugging glasses of lemonade, we looked around the room for more things to do.
"We could sleep?" suggested Sierra.
"EW, no!" Toulane disagreed. "Why would you sleep at a sleepover?"
Sierra and I chuckled.
"I know!" said Toulane. "Let's go onto the attendants computer!"
"What? No, Toulane, we can't do that to Jen!" I was shocked. How could she think of hacking the store owner's computer?
"They'll NEVER know, McKenna, come on! We won't go on the American Girl program! We'll just go on the..." my best friend since babyhood paused for dramatic effect. "the Internet."
"Toulane, there's not much to see," I began, then covered my mouth with my hands. None of the dolls are allowed on the internet, except reserved ones who create a blog. But we're not supposed to tell ANYONE about it.
Toulane narrowed her eyes at me. "So, you've been on the internet?"
"Um," I began very intelligently. "I didn't say that, Toulane."
"But you meant it!" she countered. Pacing back and forth on the tiled floor, she reminded me of a tiger, stalking its prey. "So, McKenna, just how did you get on this internet?"
"I never said I had been," I gulped, feeling sweaty.
"Then there must be a lot to see, unless you'd care to prove me wrong?" she asked slyly.
Now I got it. She tricked me into getting HER way!
"Fine," I sighed, feeling a small jitter of excitement. Or was that guilt?
We tiptoed into the attendant's office. No one was there, so we pressed the button that turned on the computer. Instead, it set off the security alarm.
Screaming, we ran back to our places. On the way, I grabbed a doll suitcase from the travel set and once I got into my box, I sat on it. In about five minutes, someone burst into the store. It was a policeman. He searched the entire building but found nothing.
"Ah, something probably just fell on the dang button," he muttered. He shut the door and locked it as he headed outside.
I jumped out of my box and met Toulane, Sierra, Mara, Maisey, and a few others in the hallway with my suitcase.
"That was freaky," Toulane said shakily.
"Ya think?" I joked. "Now, let's just help me pack, okay?"
I packed my school outfit, accessories, rain gear, practice wardrobe, pajamas, and cast and crutches in my suitcase. Then I zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzipped it up and put it in my box.
"Look guys, I need to go to sleep now. I have a BIG trip tomorrow. I'm going all the way to ********!" (again, safety not swearing!)
"Okay, okay," sighed Toulane. Then from behind her back, she pulled three sleeping bags!
"wahoo!" screamed Sierra, then we climbed in. We talked for a while, then I kissed Mara and Maisey goodbye, and hugged everyone else except Toulane and Sierra. We stayed up playing Truth or Dare until Sierra started snoring.
"Toulane?" I whispered.
"Yeah?" came her soft reply.
"You're my best friend." was all I said. She knew how much more it meant.
"I know," she said. "You're mine too."
<3
This morning, Jen came in early to get me ready for shipping. She packed some of my clothes in other boxes because "the suitcase was too full!" Now all my suitcase contained was my school clothes, accessories, and rain gear. My practice wardrobe and everything else I packed were in seperate boxes. Then it was time for my final goodbyes.
Sierra was first.
"Sierra," I said. "Thanks for being such a great friend. I will see you again sometime!"
Then we hugged. I didn't let go, and neither did she. Not until Jen gently said, "Girls, we have to keep moving."
Josie was next.
"Josie, I-I-I--you've been the best tutor ever! I'm going to convince my sisters to adopt you, I will! I promise!" then I burst into tears and Josie hugged me from her wheelchair.
"It's okay, McKenna," she whispered soothingly. "We can email, and text, and-"
"IT'S NOT OKAY!" I screamed. But then Mara ran forward and hugged my waist.
"It is okay, McKenna," she said. "We can skype and FaceTime and everything."
Mara's calm attitude totally calmed me down.
Elizabeth Onishi, a beautiful girl from my class, gave me a quick hug. "McKenna, you've been a great friend! I'll email you, okay?"
"Okay," I sniffed.
Finally, there was Maisey and Toulane.
"Bye, Maise," I whispered, fighting back more tears. "I love you."
Then Toulane stepped forward. Neither of us said anything, I just hugged her. Long and strong. Then Jen broke us apart.
"I'm sorry," she said. "But the truck is here."
Sniffling, I nodded, and was about to leave when I saw my face in a mirror.
"Oh no!" I cried. "Now my new family will think I'm a baby when they see I've been crying!"
"McKenna!" Jen cried surprised. "No one will think you're a baby, but--it takes more than one day to get there, darling! Your face will have returned to normal by the time you get there!"
"WHAT?" I cried. More than one day?
"Now we've got to go. I'm sorry, McKenna." Jen put me in my box, attached the little rubber bands to my feet and a loose one to my neck, added my suitcase, and put me in a bigger box. There was also some other boxes of outfits in there. I was wearing my pajamas still, so I was about to change into my meet outfit when Jen poked some holes in the box with a knife. Air to breathe! Ahh. Just then, someone picked up my box and began to carry it out. I started to scream, but then remembered I had to be quiet. the box was set gently in the back of a truck, and slowly we began to move. I quickly got out of my pajamas and into my favorite outfit- a gray and teal striped dress with teal leggings, and purple and teal shoes. I pulled my bangs back too.
Suddenly, I heard a beeping. I opened a small box and inside was a laptop! A real laptop! and it had...... wifi everywhere! There was 6 emails waiting for me on it.
Dear McKenna, the first one said.
I love you so much wait no i love you more no i do annieways we miss you love mara maisey
The next ones, from Toulane, Sierra, Josie, Jen, and Holly made me cry. I wrote back then climbed into my box and fell asleep for the long trip ahead.
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