“What Principal James was telling us was that in most cases, we parents should remain calm and not get involved in any minor squabbles, if possible,” her mother said. “It can just make everything worse, he said—unless someone’s safety is involved,” she added, trying to remember the details of his talk. “Then, parents have to step in, of course. The principal called it a ‘No Interference Policy,’” she added, explaining.
“‘Don’t sweat the small stuff,’” Alfie’s father said, quoting from the meeting, Alfie guessed.
“And so last night, your father and I had just about decided to try to stay out of the whole thing—even though this doesn’t really seem all that small to us. Not with you stuck in the middle,” Mrs. Jakes said, patting Alfie on the knee to show her concern. “But then my cell phone started to buzz.”
“And now the matter is out of our hands,” Alfie’s dad said.
Alfie’s heart began to thud. “What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked. Her dad was so strong! Especially his hands.
“It means that some other girls talked to their parents, too,” her mother said. “And the All-Stars’ phone tree got a real workout last night.”
“But what parents?” Alfie asked. “Whose parents?”
“Arletty’s and Phoebe’s, for starters,” her father reported.
“Not that it really matters whose parents,” Alfie’s mom chimed in. “There were a couple of other calls as well, once the ball got rolling. And I assume Lulu’s mother got a call or two before the night was over. After all, she’s really the one who planned this party in the first place.”
“She didn’t tell Lulu to blab it all over school,” Alfie pointed out. “But what about Lulu’s sleep-over? Is it still gonna happen?”
“I have no idea,” her mom said. “I finally turned off my phone and went to bed.”
“But turning off your phone didn’t make the problem go away, Mom,” Alfie said, her voice shaking. “Lulu’s going to blame me for everything!”
“Why you?” her dad asked.
“Because I’m the only one who tried standing up to her,” Alfie said. “Only now, I don’t really even care about the sleepover. I decided last night to just wait for this week to be over, and then hope things would get better for all us girls. That was my big plan—until this happened.”
“Very wise, too,” Mr. Jakes announced, listening to just part of what she said.
“No, wait!” Alfie said to her parents. “What am I supposed to tell Lulu?”
“You don’t have to tell her anything,” her mother said. “You didn’t make this happen, Alfie. The other girls’ parents did. And most of all, Lulu did. But I do want you to keep us in the loop about what happens next, okay?”
“I’ll try,” Alfie said. “I mean, if I can remember it all.”
Because there was gonna be a ton of stuff, she told herself gloomily.
14 The Worst Best Sleepover Ever
It was a perfect morning—except for having to go to school, Alfie thought as she waited for Mrs. Sobel to pick her up for carpool half an hour later. Puffy white clouds floated across the sky. Leaves blew down the street as if they were chasing each other.
“Have fun while you can, you guys,” Alfie called after them.
Too bad today was gonna be such a disaster, she thought.
Arletty and Phoebe—currently her two best friends at Oak Glen Primary School—were so upset about Lulu’s sleepover that they told their parents about it. But they weren’t the only ones.
“Hey,” Hanni said, greeting Alfie with a funny face as she climbed into Mrs. Sobel’s car.
“Hey to you, too,” Alfie said, making a face back at her.
Apart from the funny face, Hanni looked perfectly normal. So she hadn’t heard about the phone calls yet, Alfie thought.
“Thank goodness,” she whispered at school as she got out of the Sobels’ car.
“There she is,” Lulu Marino called out in a cold, hard voice as Alfie and Hanni neared the picnic table where the second grade girls liked to gather before school.
Alfie could feel her heart going down, down, down to her very basement, if a person could even have a basement.
“She, who?” Hanni was asking Lulu in a voice that was just as loud. “There are two of us here, you know. Can’t you count?”
Wow, Alfie thought, surprised at Hanni’s sparky reply. Hanni had guts! She must have totally given up yesterday on being invited to the sleepover. No more kissing-up to Lulu Marino, it seemed.
“I can count better than you, Hanni Sobel,” Lulu boasted. “But I was talking to Alfie. And the point is,” she said, flicking her long bangs as she gave both Hanni and Alfie the stink-eye, “my whole sleepover is ruined because of you, Alfie Jakes.”
“Why because of me?” Alfie asked.
“Because Mama started getting these phone calls last night,” Lulu said. “Because you blabbed when you didn’t get your way about who I should ask to my sleepover. So now, Mama says the whole thing is canceled. Period.”
“But not because of me,” Alfie insisted, not looking at either Arletty or Phoebe, whose parents had made the first calls. “My parents didn’t call your mom.”
“Yes, because of you,” Lulu insisted. “You turned my party into the worst best sleepover ever!” she went on. “And now it has disappeared. No more party. Thanks a lot.”
Unfair, Alfie thought, her face growing hot with embarrassment. She had been going to give up and wait it out! And even her parents had decided not to interfere. It was Arletty’s and Phoebe’s parents who first called her mom’s cell last night! And other parents, too. Alfie wasn’t about to tell Lulu that, though.
But now, all the girls were looking at her.
“Alfie was jealous of my big-girls party,” Lulu announced to everyone. “And so she went and ruined it. And now we’re all stuck being kindergarten babies again. Thanks a lot, Alfie,” she repeated, turning
