decided to confront him directly about the story If he had any plot holes to point out she wanted him to do it before her friends arrived She caught him just as he was pulling on his jacket to leave for zip-lining Go ahead she said arms folded prepared for his trash talk What Oh sorry Am I supposed to wish you a happy birthday Not that Maddie whispered Aladdin I’m sure you’re dying to tell me what’s wrong with the story so why not do it now and get it over with Holden shook his head vigorously Oh no he said I’ve learned my lesson Every time I talk smack on a fairy tale I end up having to hang out with princesses and go to balls and junk like that Let me make one thing very clear He seemed to be speaking more to the sky now than to Maddie as if he were hoping to be heard by Resplenda the fairy who cursed them I have no complaints with Aladdin Maddie sighed in relief or was it disappointment If Holden wasn’t going to mock Aladdin that meant her decorations were as close as she’d come to being in the story It looked like this was just going to be an ordinary birthday after all Besides Holden added our parents hate it when we fight and I’m not doing anything to mess up my chances of getting a you-know-what She knew what Everyone knew what Holden wanted for his birthday Every five seconds for the last six months he’d reminded anyone who would listen that he absolutely had to have a hoverboard or he’d just die Specifically he wanted the iJet ZX-4500 Ultra Hoverjammer from Sizzletech Industries of Sandusky Ohio In black and hot pink With a skull on it He had said it so many times that Maddie had it memorized He felt like he had pretty much mastered his skateboard If there was anything holding him back from world domination it was gravity With a hoverboard he’d be unstoppable He could do infinite spins in the air pull off grabs twenty feet from the ground and perform grinds off helicopter blades and skyscraper antennae He was so stoked for the hoverboard he had convinced himself he was getting that he cleared off shelf space in his room He planned to keep it in the prime spot between the mountain of
unwashed gym socks and the fish tank he used to keep his frogs in until they died Hoverboards are so dangerous Maddie said People get sprains broken bones and permanent scars from them all over their body Sometimes the boards just all of a sudden burst into flames I know Holden exclaimed Doesn’t it sound awesome Just then Maddie’s dad came out of his bedroom and saw them talking in the hallway Uh-oh he said instinctively What are you two fighting about Not a thing Holden said putting his arm around Maddie Maddie gasped at the affection Holden had never willingly made physical contact with her before Just sharing a nice morning chat with my birthday buddy Holden flashed a charming smile then headed out to the car whistling Happy Birthday You two are getting along Maddie’s dad said in awe Is this a birthday present for me Oh I’m sure he’ll be back to his obnoxious old self in no time Maddie said Just take it easy on him her dad replied You know today is extra tough on him Why Because he has to share his birthday with me No her dad said I meant it’s his first without his dad Maddie had forgotten A few months ago Holden’s dad got a job in Germany and since then Holden had barely heard from him He was very busy working and given the time difference between New Jersey and Europe they were rarely able to chat Of course Holden didn’t ever share his feelings but Maddie’s dad had let her know that he’d been taking the separation very hard Look don’t mention anything to him Just try to get along with him for the rest of the day Maddie nodded Now she was hoping Holden actually would get his hoverboard Even a creep like him deserved to have a nice birthday Soon Holden and Greg were off to the adventure park and Maddie and Carol got to work turning their living room into the mystical kingdom of Arabia Carol had scoured
the Internet for Aladdin-themed craft ideas and together they set the scene for the slumber party Maddie constructed a life-size camel out of balloons while Carol made a festooned elephant from garbage bags and a throw rug Together they built an oasis out of a kiddie pool and papier-mâché palm trees Maddie enjoyed having someone so crafty in the family The most creative thing her dad ever did was to spell out Go Team in cocktail wieners for his annual Super Bowl party It was only a few minutes after he left that Holden’s tablet began to vibrate Maddie peeked at it and saw that Holden’s dad was trying to video chat with him He was going to be so disappointed that he missed the call When Maddie’s friends arrived the mini replica of Arabia in the living room earned their highest rating five OMGs Maddie’s friend Tasha Simmons even called it the coolest party ever to which Abby Chou enthusiastically replied Uh-huh Maddie and Carol shared a secret high-five as the girls tried the chocolate chip hummus Success Suddenly the front door flew open and a grouchy voice rang through the house Worst birthday ever Holden was home And he was soaking wet Maddie had been so caught up in decorating that she hadn’t even noticed it was pouring rain outside How was zip-lining she asked timidly Horrible Holden griped as he took his first look at the decorations Almost as horrible as all of this garbage Well I have some good news Your dad tried to video chat with you How is that good news I can’t call him back now He looked at the clock It’s after midnight in Germany It’s not even my birthday there anymore He shoved the balloon camel out of his way and stomped upstairs angrily Maddie’s dad shook his head sadly The storm hit just as we got there It was too windy for the zip lines and too rainy for everything else I took the guys to lunch but they were pretty bummed out Once again Maddie felt bad for her stepbrother As jerky as he was it wasn’t right
for anyone to be sad on their birthday She decided she would do something nice for him to cheer him up First though she had some guests to entertain Maddie’s dad surprised them all by dressing up like a genie I will grant you three wishes he said in a deep voice as Maddie and her friends giggled One for stuffed-crust pizza two to watch a PG-13 movie and three to stay up until midnight The girls cheered There were four pizzas The first one to go was the veggie pizza Then the pepperoni Then the plain Then still hungry the girls opened up the last box which was pineapple anchovies and no cheese Holden’s favorite Maddie couldn’t imagine anyone but her weird stepbrother even liking such a freakish combination of toppings but her friends were hungry enough that they tore right through it Slice by slice the pie disappeared before her eyes Maddie couldn’t bear to think of Holden not getting any pizza on his own birthday so she quietly slid three slices onto a paper plate and snuck away from the table She found Holden in the kitchen poking through the refrigerator for a snack Thought you might like this she said holding out the weird pizza slices Holden didn’t turn around He didn’t even acknowledge her Look I’m sorry your birthday was ruined she said Holden still didn’t acknowledge Maddie Now she was starting to get annoyed Look I saved you some pizza The least you can do is Finally Holden turned around pulling earbuds out of his ear He was listening to music on his tablet Sorry were you talking I cranked up the new Hashtag Number Sign album Hashtag Number Sign was Holden’s favorite band He’d begged his mom to let him go to their concert but she said he was too young Ugh I don’t know why you like that band Maddie said They’re so loud they drive me crazy Funny enough that’s why I like them Plus they help drown out all the high pitched shrieking from your party
