Only the Lonely Read Online Free PDF Page B

spent the next hour walking into the old town part of Far Hills, near the train station, past the ice cream Freeze Palace, of course; a discount shoe-repair place; a bakery; Wink’s Pet Store; and some other places. Madison gave Fiona a neighborhood tour.
    “I go to Wink’s when I’m feeling bummed out,” Madison admitted. “They have cool tropical fish and actually it’s where I got Phin when he was just a baby. He’s almost four now.”
    “I don’t have any pets,” said Fiona. “I’m so jealous of you. Phin is a total cutie. I love those snorty noses.”
    It was the beginning of a great week.
    On the second day, Madison and Fiona went to Freeze Palace for two scoops of Raspberry Bliss, a new homemade flavor.
    On the third day, they skipped the cones and bought an entire pint of Cherry Garcia at the store and sat on the Waterses’ porch to eat it spoonful by yummy spoonful right out of the container. These days, for Madison and Fiona, life was just a bowl of Cherry Garcia.
    Of course, day three wasn’t all cherry ice cream. That was the day when Madison saw a very different side of Chet. Waters. He threw a fit at his sister. “You’re such a mega-loser, Fi-moan-a!” he screeched. Madison thought at first he was a major crybaby, but then she realized that maybe he was just jealous because his sister had a new friend and he didn’t. Maybe he was only the lonely, too?
    Fiona was not as sympathetic. “My brother Chet is not lonely—he’s just a load. Ever since he got home from camp, all he can do is play Minecraft and pick on me. He won’t even let me online when he’s home.”
    “You go online?” asked Madison.
    “Of course! I totally love computers. I gave you my e-mail, right?”
    Madison made a mental note: send Fiona an e-mail soon. She didn’t want Fiona to think she’d lost her address.
    On the fourth day, Madison and Fiona went clog shopping, because clogs were comfortable and Madison loved them.
    On the fifth day, they sat on Fiona’s porch and made friendship bracelets from string.
    On the sixth day, they went for a long bike ride and Madison met Fiona’s mother.
    Mrs. Waters kept insisting how thrilled Madison must be to be starting those junior high school years.
    “Aren’t you just overjoyed?” Mrs. Waters gushed.
    Madison didn’t really know how to answer that. She didn’t want to admit that she was “run for the hills and don’t look back” terrified. She was afraid of getting lost on the first day of school. She was afraid of getting swallowed up by all the popular people and trapped in study hall with all the geeks.
    “Overjoyed.” Madison finally answered Mrs. Waters question with middle-of-the-road enthusiasm. “Totally OJ.”
    “OJ is short for overjoyed, Mom,” Fiona blurted.
    Mrs. Waters smiled.
    On the seventh and final day of the week, Madison Finn and Fiona Waters had their best afternoon ever together. That was the day when Madison spent the entire day hanging out in Fiona’s bedroom. She’d seen it before, of course, but not for such a long time.
    Madison was learning a few of Fiona’s secrets. That was the surest sign that their friendship was the real deal.
    Fiona was a collector, too. Up on a top shelf in Fiona’s room, Madison saw a far-out, enormous collection of ponies. They came in all shapes and sizes. Some were plush and others were plastic.
    “I’m really over the whole pony thing,” Fiona admitted. “Except … I’m sort of not. I still play with them sometimes. Not a lot, but …”
    “You must have like a thousand animals here,” Madison said.
    “Yeah, I know it’s babyish, right?” Fiona said. “I have one hundred and fourteen and Mom says I should put them in the attic …”
    “No, they’re cool. I like ponies a lot.”
    Fiona grinned. “Really?”
    Elsewhere in her room, Fiona had tacked up all sorts of postcards and pictures on a piece of flowered fabric that hung over her bed. Madison leaned in to read some of the