“Yeah, everything’s fine. I just don’t understand why you’d want to go to a party where you’re not wanted.”

He didn’t sound like Derek at all.

“I heard about a special surprise that was happening, and I thought it might be fun to see.”

“Heard where?”

“Um, from Claire? In English? Or maybe Rob told me. I can’t remember.”

Clearly, Derek didn’t believe her. “Does this ‘surprise’ have anything to do with your magic ring?” he said. She did her best to keep her face totally blank.

“No,” she lied. “Rob spent the night with Rafi last night, and he said this thing about … Never mind. Forget I said anything.”

“Are you still going to bring it by my dad’s shop?” Derek said, ignoring her outburst. “Grandma Esme’s ring?”

“If I do, will you start acting normal?” Maria snapped.

Derek seemed like he was about to snap right back, but then thought better of it.

“Yes,” he said. “I mean, sorry. It’s been weird not having you at school this week. I’ve been worrying about you and that ring. And now you show up in this fancy dress, saying you want to go to Claire McCormick’s birthday party? It just doesn’t seem like you.”

If Maria had been surprised before, this sudden role reversal really caught her off guard.

“Don’t worry about me,” she said. “I’m still the same Maria. And if that stops being true, you’ll be the first to know.”

Derek nodded. He spun the silver dollar on the table, and he and Maria watched it until it finally wobbled and fell on its side, heads up.

“I’ll have my mom bring me by the shop after dinner,” Maria said.

“And then, if you really still want to, we can go crash Claire’s party.”

“Really?”

“Really. I wouldn’t want to miss this special surprise.”

Maria smiled. “If it’s half as good as Rob said, you’ll never forget it.”

Maria had no problem convincing her mom to take her to the shop, in yet another dress she claimed to have gotten from Grandma Esme. After what her mother had said last night about wanting them all to enjoy life, Maria probably could have asked for the car keys and driven herself.

With a quick call to Derek’s parents to let them know they were on the way, Maria and her mother hopped in the car and drove to the historic downtown district. Maria loved this part of town, over by the railroad tracks. You could still see the original brick roads peeking out where there were holes in the asphalt, and the old-timey streetlamps looked as if they could be powered by gas. Maria liked to picture the people who would have shopped here when it was the only place to go, before there were cars and outlet malls.

“Derek’s dad said he’d bring you home when you’re ready,” Mom said. “Have fun.”

Maria walked up to the front door of the shop, sandwiched in between two large display windows. There were a few new items since the last time Maria had been here. An eerie porcelain doll sat on a rocking horse with chipped paint. Maria couldn’t imagine anyone in this town buying either item, but you never knew. Sometimes the most ordinary people liked the strangest things.

It was five o’clock now, which meant the shop would be open for another hour. Derek’s family usually hung around after closing on Friday nights, though, checking inventory and setting up displays for the weekend shoppers. Saturday was a busy day for the historic district.

The old cowbell above the door clunked as Maria entered.

“Well, look who it is, dressed all nice to see us,” Mr. Overton called from behind the counter. He stepped out to meet her by the front tables. “I’m so glad you’re here. We just got in a necklace this morning that made me think of you.” He reached out his hand as if to pat her on the shoulder, but then, so fast she could hardly see it, he’d clasped the necklace around her neck. It was a string of black and purple rocks with little silver beads in between.

“Wow,” Maria said, “it’s so pretty. But there’s no way I could afford this, even with the family discount.”

“Are you kidding?” Derek’s dad said. “This beautiful necklace was clearly made special to go with this beautiful dress. Let’s call it a gift.”

It was true, the match was perfect.

“Oh, Mr. Overton, my mom would never let me accept this.”

“Please,” he said, waving his hand like it was nothing. “Besides, those look like gemstones, but they’re really just colored rocks. I couldn’t sell it for more than twenty dollars.”

“All right, then,” Maria said, laughing. “Thank you.” Fake rocks or not, it was still the third-nicest gift anyone had ever given her.

“Derek’s downstairs,” Mr. Overton said, nodding to the door in the back that led to the basement. “And do me a favor when you see him? Tell him to lighten up.”

So Maria wasn’t the only one who’d noticed Derek’s recent mood swings. That made her feel a little bit better, and a whole lot worse.

“Will do,” she said, making her way through the maze of display tables.

She descended the steps to the cavernous basement. All the buildings in the historic district had these carved-out, cave-like spaces beneath them. They were never open to the public because the sandy Florida soil made them a little unstable. Nowadays, it was rare to find a basement in any Florida building at all.

The Overtons used their basement for the antiques they were still polishing, painting, or otherwise restoring. Maria always thought it looked like a dragon’s horde down here. The old mirrors scattered around only added to the effect, multiplying the space and the treasure infinitely.

“Derek? Are you down here?” Maria called out at the bottom of the stairs.

“Maria!” Derek said, appearing from behind a bookcase with the sound of crashing objects trailing in his wake. He held an old clock in one hand and a wrench in the other, and he was scratching at his neck as if he’d just hit it on something. “What are you doing here so early? I thought you weren’t coming over until after dinner.”

“Mom had such a busy day she forgot to eat lunch, so we ate an early dinner. We called fifteen minutes ago to say we were on the way.”

“My dad didn’t tell me.”

“Oh. Well, sorry. Do you want me to go?” She said it jokingly, but Derek hurt her feelings by actually seeming to consider. “Your dad says you should lighten up, by the way.”

Derek frowned. Then he asked, “Did you bring Grandma Esme’s ring?”

“It’s my ring now, and yes, I did. Just like I promised. Any moment now, you’re going to stop acting weird, just like you promised.”

Derek looked around skittishly.

“You’re right,” he said, scratching his neck again. “It’s just, I thought you were coming later.”

“Well, Claire’s party starts in less than an hour, so …”

They stood there staring at each other, as if they were having an argument instead of a conversation between friends. For the life of her, Maria couldn’t figure out what the argument was.

“So did you want to show my ring to your dad? See if he can tell us anything?”

“No, that’s okay,” Derek said. “Aunt Luellen is the one with all the jewelry knowledge, and she’s out right now.”

“Why would Aunt Luellen know anything about jewelry?”

“She’s an appraiser. That’s what she does in New York, and all over the world. She works for one of those big auction houses, telling them how much to sell things for. Stuff that’s a lot more valuable than anything around here.”

“I like the stuff here,” Maria said, her hand going to the rock necklace at her neck. Now she knew something was really wrong with her best friend. The Derek she knew would never insult his family’s shop. “Well, is your aunt getting back before Claire’s party?”

“I don’t know,” Derek said. “She left to go see her friend again. She didn’t say when she was coming back.”