"Do you want anything to drink?" asked Madeline, opening the large refrigerator in her kitchen.
"Sure," answered Lizzie. "What do you got?"
"Oh, I got a little something-something." Madeline smirked at Lizzie while taking out a glass pitcher filled with an orange smoothie.
"What is that?"
Madeline set the pitcher on the marble table in the center of the kitchen. "My new concoction. I'm thinking about going on a juice cleanse. So I made myself a smoothie that will last two weeks." She opened the top cabinets behind her and took two glasses with intricate designs. She set them down on the table and said, "I mixed ice, plain yogurt, strawberries, oranges, mandarin oranges, cantaloupe, pineapples, peaches, lemon juice and mint. Lemon juice helps you lose weight, oranges improve your eyesight, and peaches prevent cancer. Pineapples also do something to you but I don't want to tell you."
"Interesting. I didn't know you could put mint in a smoothie."
"You can put a lot in a smoothie, Lizzie." Madeline began to pour the pitcher in the glasses.
"Can you put ham in a smoothie?"
"No, Lizzie." Madeline pushed one of the glasses across the table towards Lizzie. "Try it."
Lizzie picked up the glass and took a sip of the cold, thick drink. Shortly, she hiccuped and covered her mouth after swallowing it. "Uh, I think it needs sugar," she suggested, putting her glass down.
"Ha. Add sugar and destroy the purposes of all this fruit? I don't think so."
"Then it doesn't need sugar. What time is it?"
Madeline slipped her cell phone out of the front pocket of her straight-leg light-washed jeans. She turned it on and read the time. "Four nineteen."
"Oh, I gotta go. I told mom I would help give Dallas a bath."
Lizzie hoisted her red, polka-dotted backpack up and threw the straps over her shoulders. She began to walk out of the kitchen with Madeline following her.
"Don't you want to finish your smoothie?" asked Madeline.
"Oh, no, no."
"It will give you a nice glow."
"I don't glow?"
"I mean you do glow. I'm just saying you can have a glowier glow."
Lizzie opened the front door then turned around to face her friend. "I do love to glow. But no thanks."
"So are you gonna take your nails off to wash Dallas?"
"What's wrong with my nails?" Lizzie looked down at her hands which were manicured into talons with tiny plastic flowers and leaves glued on them.
"They're pointy. You can stab your brother in the eye."
Lizzie gasped. "I don't want to do that. Dallas needs both of his eyes. I need to find the fingernail clipper."
"No, you need scissors, my sister."
"Will safety scissors work?"
"I'm kidding, Liz'."
"Oh, okay. Well, see ya."
"Bye, girl."
Madeline closed the door as Lizzie began to leave and get to her car. Madeline turned around and began whistling while walking through the small hall.
"Crystal!" she called. "Crystal, where are you? You want a biscuit? Listen, you're gonna be hungry if you don't eat your food. I know they make you gain weight but guess what? That's life." She quickly checked the living room then walked towards the kitchen. "Crystal! You're not gonna make me eat a biscuit so you can eat a biscuit. I'm on a juice cleanse."
Madeline stopped and got startled after hearing a distant shriek. The shriek sounded familiar so she ran towards the door and opened it. She sprinted towards Lizzie who was beside her car. Lizzie almost seemed suspicious when Madeline approached her.
"Lizzie, did you scream?" she asked.
"What? No," Lizzie replied, leaning against her car.
"Then what was that?"
"Uh, nothing."
Madeline tried to walk around Lizzie but she blocked her.
"What are you doing?" Lizzie asked frantically.
"I'm checking out your car."
"Oh, my car's fine."
"Then let me see."
Madeline tried to walk towards the back of Lizzie's car while Lizzie resumed to block her. Every step Madeline made, Lizzie made steps back, looking at Madeline straight in the face. When they reached the back, Madeline noticed something unusual on the ground by the back right tire of the car.
"What is that?" questioned Madeline, trying to look.
"A purse," Lizzie responded. "Someone's furry purse. I was afraid that I ran over someone's loose change. Maybe they have pictures of their children in there."
Madeline gripped Lizzie by the arms and pushed her out of the way. Madeline got a better look at the unusual thing. She screamed when she realized that it was her shih tzu, Crystal, laying on the ground all stiff. Her eyes were wide open, a tire track went across her whole belly and her white fur was covered in blood. Madeline dropped to her knees and hovered over her dog.
"Crystal!" she burst into tears.
"Oh, man..." muttered Lizzie.
"How could you do this?"
"It was an accident."
"My poor baby!" Madeline picked the dog up and cradled it in her arms.
"Don't hug the-- Okay."
"Crystal, speak to me!"
"Maybe she's playing dead."
"She doesn't know how to play dead."
"Maybe someone else taught her."
"Oh, Crystal!" Madeline held Crystal close to her and pressed her cheek on the dog's head.
"I'm sorry."
"Why?! Why?"
"Maybe I need more of that smoothie, huh? You know, because the oranges improve eyesight? No? Okay."
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