Best Frenemies by Cari Simmons Page B

from Cassidy’s, she and Nikki made awkward small talk over the phone about how hard school was getting, between math and Animal Farm . “Um, so, want to come over after school on Monday and see if we can put our heads together?” Nikki had asked.
    Alice had said sure without even thinking about it. It wasn’t like she had much else going on, social-wise, plus there was a part of her that was irresistibly curious about Nikki. Would she suddenly revert back to her negative self and snap at Alice and kick her out? Or had Alice pegged her all wrong? Maybe she’d learn why Nikki didn’t want to be part of the Nerd Herd. Maybe she’d learn anything about Nikki, because so far Alice didn’t know much, aside from what she’d learned from their latest interactions: that Nikki had a hard time at math and took her schoolwork pretty seriously.
    So, after school, while Cass was at musical rehearsal, Alice and Nikki got off the bus together and walked to Nikki’s parents’ building. Even though it was only a few blocks away from her house, it felt like several miles, after all the years just dashing across the street to Cassidy’s house—sometimes without even wearing shoes!
    The girls walked in silence for about a half a block,not totally sure what to talk about, until they walked past a well-dressed older woman walking a tall, skinny dog. Suddenly Nikki brightened. “This is Edgar, isn’t it?” she asked the owner, who smiled politely. “Is it okay if I give him a treat?”
    â€œOf course,” said the lady. Nikki knelt down on the sidewalk in front of this rickety, striped old dog, petted him gently on the head, and whispered to him, “Hi, Edgar. Hi, good boy. Do you want a treat?” To Alice’s surprise, Nikki pulled a dog biscuit from her pocket and fed it to him.
    â€œYou, uh, carry dog biscuits around in your pockets?” Alice asked.
    Nikki blushed. “Yeah. Kind of nuts, huh? But I just love dogs, especially the ones in my neighborhood, like old Edgar here. He used to be a racing dog, and he’s in retirement, isn’t he?”
    â€œYes, and thanks to you, he’s loving every minute of it,” says his owner.
    â€œOkay, bye, Edgar!” Nikki said as they walked on. “Aren’t dogs just the best?”
    â€œI wouldn’t know,” Alice said. “I’m allergic, myself. I can’t really touch them much, or else I start sneezing all over the place.”
    â€œOh, that stinks,” Nikki said. “I’m kind of obsessed.I probably know more about dogs than any normal person should. Did you know that greyhounds are one of the oldest breeds in the world and were even mentioned in the Bible?”
    â€œNo, I certainly did not,” said Alice, who couldn’t decide whether this information was interesting or weird.
    â€œI guess that’s not really common knowledge or anything,” said Nikki. “Here’s us.” Nikki and her parents lived in a redbrick apartment building with large glassed-in sunrooms. Alice had been driven by dozens of times before without really noticing. After unlocking three heavy doors, the girls hiked the three floors. Alice tried to act like she wasn’t completely out of breath. Maybe this was what kept Nikki in such good shape for ballet.
    â€œWow,” Alice said, once she stepped inside the Wilcoxes’ house. “Your place is really cool.” And it was—unlike the Kinneys’ cheery and comfy house or the Turners’ sumptuous, scented home, the Wilcox house looked like it came from one of the modern design catalogs Alice’s parents got. It had clean white walls and a tidy rectangular gray couch and a funky black rug that looked like the hair of a Muppet. The dining room table was on big industrial wheels and thechairs were clear and see-through.
    â€œThanks,” said Nikki. “Actually I picked out some of that