The Un-Friendship Bracelet Read online

  “Why don’t you ask Maddie to help you make another one?” asked Sam.

  “I don’t know,” admitted Emily.

  “You should,” encouraged Sam. “And maybe tell her you feel left out. Sometimes people have no idea how you feel unless you tell them.” Sam was now painting designs on top of the yellow.

  Emily stood back and admired their work. Sam’s design ideas were really terrific. His friendship ideas were pretty good too. She decided to take his advice and talk to Maddie in the morning.

  Chapter 7

  Time to Tell the Truth

  The next day Emily kept glancing at Maddie’s desk, waiting for her to appear. She’s probably just running late, Emily thought. But by the time the bell for recess rang, Maddie still hadn’t arrived at school.

  On the playground Emily saw Bella sitting by herself with a little notebook.

  “Do you know where Maddie is?” Emily asked Bella.

  “No,” said Bella. “I was going to ask you. Maybe when we go back in we can see if Ms. Gibbons knows.”

  “Okay,” said Emily. She was about to walk away when she saw that Bella had been writing something in her notebook. “What are you writing?” she asked.

  Bella looked embarrassed. “Oh, just some calculations.”

  “Calculations?” said Emily excitedly. “Like math?”

  “Part math and part science,” explained Bella. “Have you ever made a potato clock?”

  “Um, no,” said Emily. “Tell me more!”

  The two girls huddled over Bella’s notebook. They were so focused on their conversation that they both jumped at the sound of Emily’s name.

  It was Sam. “What planet were you on, Emily? I must have called your name ten times,” he said with a laugh.

  “Sorry!” said Emily. “Bella was just showing me the coolest thing. Bella, this is Sam. He’s an amazing artist and helped me turn my birdhouse into a bird palace. And, Sam, this is Bella. She’s a coding and circuitry wizard. Look at this!”

  Emily pointed at Bella’s notebook, but as she did, Bella noticed Emily’s wrist.

  “Emily, where’s your friendship bracelet? The one you always wear?”

  Just then the bell rang.

  “I . . . uh . . . ,” Emily stammered, getting up. “I lost it at soccer last weekend. I looked all over, but it was gone.”

  “Want me to make you a new one?” offered Bella.

  “That’s okay,” said Emily. She knew Bella was just trying to be nice, but what she really wanted was her special MAD-ILY bracelet. The one she and Maddie had made together.

  After school Emily’s mom picked her up. She agreed to drive by Maddie’s house so Emily could check on her.

  When Emily rang the Wilsons’ doorbell, the door swung open. There stood Maddie in her pajamas.

  “Hi!” said Maddie, hugging Emily. “Don’t worry. I’m not contagious.”

  “Where were you today?” Emily asked, relieved to see that her friend was okay.

  “I woke up feeling yucky,” Maddie explained. “But by lunchtime I was okay. My parents kept me home just to be on the safe side. And I’m sooo glad to see you!”

  “Me too,” said Emily, and she meant it. Maddie’s mom invited Emily’s mom in for tea while the two girls caught up.

  “I’ve been feeling a little yucky lately too,” Emily admitted. “Not sick, though. Just . . . left out.”

  “You have?” Maddie asked in surprise. “Why?”

  Emily took a deep breath and explained everything.

  “Wow,” said Maddie. “Emily, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to make you feel left out at all.”

  “I know,” said Emily. “You would never do that on purpose.”

  At that moment the phone rang. It was Bella. Emily felt the flip-flop feeling return to her stomach as Maddie chatted happily. But she reminded herself that she’d had a lot of fun with Bella at recess.

  Maddie hung up the phone. “Guess what?” she said excitedly. Then she told Emily all about the shed full of treasures. “And Bella just invited both of us to start cleaning it out!”

  “Cool!” Emily exclaimed. Then she had an idea. “Can we make one stop on the way?”

  When Maddie nodded, Emily borrowed a phone and their classroom directory.

  “Hello, Sam?” she said. “Are you busy? There is something my friends and I want to show you.”

  Chapter 8

  Crafty Cleanup!

  “So, what’s in this thing?” said Sam, peering inside the shed.

  “You’ll see!” said Bella, flipping on the light.

  “Ohh. I love creepy, crawly— Whoa!” cried Sam. “This is even better than I could have imagined!”

  “It’s amazing,” agreed Emily. Everywhere she looked there were tools and pieces of scrap wood, chicken wire, metal, and other building supplies.

  “Let’s get started!” said Bella. “This shed is not going to clean itself, as my mom would say.”

  So the kids decided to sort everything into piles. Building supplies in one, tools in another, paints in another, knickknacks in another, and so on.

  “Where should I put this sketchbook?” asked Maddie, holding it up.

  “Oh, that’s mine,” said Sam.

  “Can I see?” Bella asked. Sam shrugged and opened it to a random page. A jungle burst forth, with tropical plants, insects, and monkeys.

  “That is so cool,” said Bella as Emily and Maddie joined them.

  Sam flipped through the sketchbook, feeling more confident now and describing his inspiration for the art inside.

  Maddie pointed out a bright butterfly. “I sewed a butterfly costume for my little sister for Halloween last year,” she said.

  Bella pointed to some gears Sam had drawn. “I think we have some gears like this in the knickknacks pile. I bet I can figure out something to make with them!”

  Emily smiled. This day sure was turning out better than it started.

  • • •

  It took the kids the rest of the week to clean out the shed. On Saturday afternoon a ray of sunlight came pouring through the shed’s windows, filling the space with a happy glow.

  “Wow, look at it now!” said Bella.

  The other three kids nodded in agreement. The space had been transformed. It seemed a lot bigger empty. And all their treasures were sitting in bins and bags, just waiting to be used.

  “Hey, Bella?” asked Emily. “What’s the shed going to be used for now?”

  Bella shrugged her shoulders. “Beats me. Why?”

  Emily looked around thoughtfully. “Well, it looks to me like the perfect crafting studio. That is, if you know any kids who like to draw and build and sew and make stuff. . . .”

  “We do!” Maddie, Bella, and Sam all shouted at once.

  By the time everyone went home for dinner, they had a plan. Over the weekend Bella would ask her family for permission. If the answer was yes, they would all meet at recess on Monday to discuss and draw up plans for their awesome new studio.

  Chapter 9

  Sew, Paint, Build, Repeat

  At school on Monday, Maddie, Emily, and Sam ran to greet Bella.

  “So, what did your parents say?” asked Maddie excitedly.

  Bella frowned. “They didn’t like the idea,” she said.

  “Oh no!” said Emily.

  Slowly, the corners of Bella’s mouth turned up. “They didn’t like it,” she repeated. “They loved it!”

  Maddie, Emily, and Sam stared at Bella for a moment. Then they realized what she had just said and they started cheering.

  The kids spent recess brainstorming ideas for the studio: everything from a chalkboard wall to an indoor swing to a foldout desk with room for sewing and working on a computer.

  After school they gathered at Bella’s house.

  “Okay, what should we do first?” asked Maddie.

  “Worktable?” suggested Bella.

  “I’m on it!” said Emily. She showed the others how to measure twice, sand su
rfaces, secure corners, and determine if the top was level. “Ta-da!” she said finally. “Ready for a coat of paint.”

  “I think I can handle that,” said Sam with a smile. “Speaking of painting, what if we did a mural on one wall?” He showed them a sketch.

  Maddie clapped her hands with excitement. “I know what else we could make.” She pulled out a bolt of fabric. “Floor cushions! To make it cozy, especially when we need a break.”

  “And how about a potato clock so we can keep track of time?” said Bella. She ran back into the house, came out with two potatoes, and demonstrated how to connect them with wire to an old digital clock that didn’t have batteries.

  “Aren’t you worried we’ll end up with baked potatoes?” asked Emily with a wink.

  Everyone laughed.

  Suddenly Emily remembered something. She still had not replaced her missing friendship bracelet. I’ll tell Maddie soon, she thought.

  • • •

  Every afternoon for the rest of the week, the kids met up at Bella’s house to work on transforming the shed into a crafting studio. It was a lot of work: building, drawing, painting, and creating. Sam sketched his mural on the wall with chalk, and all four of them painted. Maddie pinned together curtains and taught the others to sew seams and attach rickrack, pom-poms, and fringe. Emily continued to build furniture with Bella’s assistance, and Bella set up her computer. “After all,” she pointed out, “coding is crafting too.”

  “It is?” asked Sam.

  “Sure,” said Bella. “It’s all about being creative and making stuff. Plus, why else would they call it Minecraft?”

  Chapter 10

  Friends New and Old!

  By Sunday afternoon Maddie’s new painting pants were as speckled and splattered as her old pair had been. Bella came running out of the house with a bandage for Emily’s newest scratch.

  “Ouch,” she said sympathetically.

  “Yeah,” said Emily. “It was worth it, though.”

  “I’ll say!” said Sam. “This place is amazing!”

  The kids admired their work. They had created a Sewing Station and a Coding Corner. The sewing machine was bolted to the tabletop, but you could flip the table up to create more workspace. Bella had made sure the computer had high-speed Internet by repositioning her family’s router. There was Sam’s Painting Pavilion, which was lined with all different color paints and about a million brushes of different sizes. Emily’s Carpentry Cabinet had tons of tools and materials. The shed already had a working sink, but the kids had added shelving for all their supplies. Plus, they’d painted a chalkboard wall and added that swing!

  “Well,” said Maddie, “I guess all there is left to do is . . . make stuff! What should we create first?”

  Suddenly Bella gasped. “The charity bake sale!” she remembered. “It’s in a couple of days!”

  “Oh no! The friendship bracelets!” said Emily. “We got so busy setting up the studio, we forgot to make more!”

  Sam looked at the girls, utterly confused.

  “To sell, not to eat,” Emily explained. “Maddie and Bella made a bunch, but we need more if we’re going to have enough for the bake sale.”

  “Well, can you teach me?” asked Sam. “With four of us, it should go pretty fast.”

  “Great idea!” said Bella. “Here, watch. This is how Maddie showed me.” She selected four strands of embroidery thread, tied a knot, and taped it to the big worktable.

  “Slow down!” said Sam with a laugh. But he caught on quickly. He copied Bella’s movements. Emily and Maddie joined them at the table and started making bracelets too. Before long they were tying off the bracelets’ ends.

  Suddenly Emily felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned and saw that Maddie was holding out something for her.

  It was the most beautiful bracelet she had ever seen. Emily turned it over in her hand, admiring it.

  “The other day I noticed that you weren’t wearing your bracelet,” Maddie explained. “I sort of figured you’d lost it but maybe didn’t want to tell me?”

  Emily nodded in disbelief.

  “Well, I made you a new one. See? The four colors represent each of us. And we can make one for Sam, too!” said Maddie.

  Emily beamed as Maddie tied the brand-new bracelet on her wrist.

  The four kids spent the rest of the afternoon making bracelets, laughing, and talking about future projects.

  As Emily tied knot after knot, she smiled to herself. She was so glad she had talked to Maddie about her feelings. The two girls were still as close as ever. And to top it all off, Emily had made two new friends! So much for that un-friendship bracelet!

  How to Make . . .

  A Friendship Bracelet

  What you need:

  Embroidery thread (four colors!)

  Scissors

  Tape

  Step 1:

  Cut four strands of embroidery thread (one of each color) about twelve inches long.

  Step 2:

  Holding the strands by one end, tie them all together with a knot, leaving about three inches above the knot.

  Step 3:

  Tape the loose three inches to a table or other surface where you can work.

  Step 4:

  Start with string 1 and loop it over, then under string 2. Make sure you hold string 2 straight. Pull the knot you made with string 1 tight.

  Step 5:

  Do Step 4 again so you have a double knot.

  Step 6:

  Now take string 1 and make double knots around string 3 and string 4.

  Step 7:

  Do the same thing, starting with string 2 this time. Make double knots around string 3, string 4, and then string 1.

  Step 8:

  Keep going until the bracelet is the right length!

  Step 9:

  When you’re done, gather the ends together and tie a knot so the bracelet is secure. Then trim the ends but leave one inch.

  Step 10:

  Tie the two ends together to make a bracelet!

  Here’s a sneak peek at the next Craftily Ever After book!

  “Should we just . . . start?” Bella Diaz asked, glancing at her watch.

  “Let’s wait a few more minutes,” Emily Adams suggested.

  “Yeah,” agreed Maddie Wilson.

  The three friends were at their craft clubhouse—formerly known as the old shed in Bella’s backyard. Usually, it was four friends, but Sam Sharma was nowhere in sight.

  Their clubhouse was filled with all sorts of materials the kids used for their crafty projects. They had a Sewing Station, where Maddie could often be found. There was a Coding Corner, with a computer that Bella had installed. Emily’s Carpentry Cabinet contained tons of tools, gadgets, and materials like nuts and bolts. And Sam’s Painting Pavilion housed different color paints and about a million brushes of different sizes.

  But where was Sam?

  “Sorry I’m late!” someone shouted as the shed door flew open. There was Sam, breathless. “I had to clean my hamster’s cage. It takes forever!” he explained.

  Maddie nodded sympathetically. “I know what that’s like,” she said. “I mean, having to do chores. It’s my job to set the dinner table every night!”

  “You’re both lucky,” said Bella. “Since my dad is a chef, he uses every pot and pan when he cooks. And guess who has to clean up? But, the other night, doing the dishes actually gave me an amazing idea for a new crafting project. Behold!”

  Bella handed an object to each of her friends.

  “Scrub brushes?” asked Sam, confused.

  “Right now, yes,” said Bella. “But we’re going to transform them into: Brushbots!”

  Bella opened her note book to a diagram. “A Brushbot is a battery-powered scrub brush that can move on its own,” she explained.

  “And sort of looks like a robot!” exclaimed Sam. “Genius!”

  About the Author

  Martha Maker is a dedicated crafter who is always working on a pr
oject—or several! When she’s not writing books, you can often find her at her favorite community garden with her paint set. She lives in Washington, DC, with her family, which includes two kids, two dogs, and two guinea pigs.

  Xindi Yan left behind a small city in China to realize her dream of being a published artist. Having always wanted to illustrate children’s books, she buried herself in countless books and drawings, collecting them even today. Xindi currently lives in Brooklyn with her husband and dreams about having a puppy in the near future.

  Little Simon

  Simon & Schuster

  New York

  Visit us at simonandschuster.com/kids

  Authors.SimonandSchuster.com/Martha-Maker

  Authors.SimonandSchuster.com/Xindi-Yan

  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

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