Madeline unzipped her pink lunch bag and opened it, exposing a neatly organized lunch for her.
"You always pack so neat," Debra commented.
"I know," giggled Madeline, taking out a shiny red apple from her bag. "It keeps my vision straight."
"Your vision?" Andrea inquired.
"Yeah, if everything was thrown in my bag, my eyes would go idle. But if everything is organized, my eyes become less busy. Nobody wants their eyes to hurt."
"But my eyes don't hurt when I look at the disorganization of something."
"Well, everybody's eyes are different and I'm one of them."
"But if your eyes hurt, take medication," said Lizzie.
"Or wear glasses," added Debra.
"Please, glasses are not fabulous," said Madeline.
"Oh, they can be," said Lizzie. "They come in different colors and designs. You'll see when you get your eyes checked."
"I'm not going to get my eyes checked. My eyes are fine."
"But you said your eyes hurt," said Andrea.
"When I look at a disorganized lunch! Don't make me have word vomit."
"Just saying. Trying to help a friend."
"Thank you but I'm not blind."
"So moving on," Lizzie smiled, "everybody still available to go bowling this Friday?"
All of the girls agreed except for Skye.
"Oh, I can't," Skye replied. "I have band practice with the guys."
"You're in the marching band?" asked Lizzie.
"No, I'm talking about my rock band, A New Yesterday."
"Oh, yeah, I almost forgot you were in a band," Madeline pointed.
"I talk about it, like, all the time," said Skye.
"You really don't," mumbled Debra.
"Okay, maybe not all the time but enough. I still rehearse with them when I can."
"Well, it's a bummer that you can't go bowling with us," said Lizzie.
"I promise next time."
"Why would we go bowling again next time?" asked Andrea.
"I meant as in whatever you guys are doing next week, I'll be there."
"I trust your promise," noted Madeline. "So what are the guys' names again? I swear I knew them."
"David, Sean and Kent."
"Oh, yeah. Sean is in my chemistry class. He breaks everything."
"He is a little clumsy. But it looks more rock and roll when there's a guitar in his hands."
"Does he have a spare guitar in case the one he has breaks?" asked Debra.
Skye paused to think. "No."
"Budget issues," Lizzie sang.
"Whatever," Skye shook her head. "We're trying to raise money anyway. We plan on getting a synthesizer."
"Isn't that a sedative that reduces anxiety?" asked Lizzie.
Skye stared at Lizzie. "That's a tranquilizer."
"My bad."
"A synthesizer is like a keyboard but it produces a wide range of sounds," Madeline told Lizzie.
"Exactly," Skye agreed. "And since I can play the piano and keyboard, I think I can master the ol' synthesizer."
"What kind of music do your band play anyway?" asked Andrea.
Skye answered, "Alternative rock, pop punk and power pop."
"Wow, don't know what those words mean," admitted Lizzie.
"Alternative rock is a genre that most rock bands go for. Pop punk is punk rock with pop influences. And power pop is a louder version of pop rock, which we also do."
"Whoa, vocabulary of the day," noted Madeline.
"If you're going to do the genre, you got to know the genre."
"Have your band written any songs?" Debra asked.
"Plenty," Skye answered, "but we do covers most of the time. They are like a memory game to us because the songs that we know have complicated structures and lyrics. Doing other people's songs help us come up with our songs."
"So you're stealing songs?" Andrea inquired.
"'So you're stealing songs?'" mocked Skye. "No, they're used as inspiration."
Andrea glared at Skye for a second.
"I like Bono," said Skye. "And I want to think Bono. But to think Bono, you got to know Bono. He is my ruler and I shall write similar to him."
"Who's Bono?" asked Lizzie.
"Who's Bono?" Skye snapped.
"Don't do it, Doll," whispered Madeline. "Don't do it."
"Please don't go on a rant, Skye," said Debra in her naturally calm way. "Lizzie will eventually know who Bono is."
"Yeah, I love to hear your band," Andrea said to Skye. "But let's talk about something else, such as whether to get Madeline a walking dog."
"Yeah, and some black glasses," giggled Skye.
The girls, except for Madeline, laughed.
"I am not blind!" Madeline yelled.
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