“Who, Nancy?” Bess whispered. “Who took Nadine’s bracelet?”
“Nadine!” Nancy whispered back.
“Why would Nadine steal her own bracelet?” George hissed.
“You saw how upset Nadine was,” Bess reminded her. “She was practically crying over her lost bracelet.”
“Nadine’s an actress, remember?” Nancy whispered. “Anyway, we have to look inside her pocket right now.”
“Another pocket?” Bess groaned. “Great.”
“What are you guys talking about?” Nadine called as the girls walked up the path. “I have to run an errand for my mom.”
“This won’t take long, Nadine,” Nancy said. “We just want to ask you something.”
Nadine raised an eyebrow. “You do? What?”
“Here’s our picture from the end of the Sour Power Pals ride,” Bess explained as she held it up. “In it you’re still wearing your candy-striped bracelet.”
“Impossible,” Nadine insisted, shaking her head. “I lost my bracelet somewhere inside the ride. I told you I felt some kind of tug, remember?”
“That must have been Antonio,” George said coolly.
“Antonio?” Nadine asked surprised.
“Antonio Elefano was sitting right behind you on the boat,” George explained. “He told us he dropped a spider in your pocket —”
“Spider?” Nadine cried. “Ewwwww!”
Nancy, Bess, and George watched as Nadine frantically emptied her pockets. Out flew a pack of gum, a cherry lip balm, a squiggly gummy spider, and last but not least a red-and-white candy-striped bracelet!
George looked at the bracelet and then pumped her fist. “My plan worked again,” she declared. “I am on a roll!”
Nadine wasn’t celebrating. “Phooey,” she murmured under her breath. “I should have known the Clue Crew would figure it out.”
Nancy picked up the red-and-white candy-striped bracelet. It was exactly like the ones she, Bess, and George were wearing. The missing bracelet!
“Why did you do it, Nadine?” Nancy asked gently. “Why did you take off your own bracelet and hide it from us?”
Nadine blinked away tears. She then threw back her shoulders and said, “Because I didn’t want to ride the Twisting Taffy Coaster. That’s why.”
The Clue Crew stared wide-eyed at Nadine.
“The Twisting Taffy Coaster?” Nancy repeated. “Why didn’t you want to ride it?”
“I’m scared of roller coasters,” Nadine confessed. “More than I’m scared of icky spiders.”
“The one in your pocket was a Gummy Pests candy,” Bess said.
“It’s still gross,” Nadine sniffled.
Nancy, Bess, and George listened as Nadine explained everything: how she pulled off her bracelet while the girls were running toward the Twisting Taffy Coaster. How she stuck it in her jacket pocket and told them it was lost.
“I think I get it, Nadine,” George said. “If you didn’t have the bracelet, you couldn’t go back to Candy Kingdom.”
“And if you couldn’t go back to Candy Kingdom,” Bess added, “you wouldn’t have to ride the Twisting Taffy Coaster.”
“Right,” Nadine murmured.
Nancy felt bad for Nadine and understood why she hid her bracelet. But there was still something she didn’t get.
“Why didn’t you tell us, Nadine?” Nancy asked. “Why didn’t you tell us you didn’t want to ride any coasters?”
“Because you gave me your fourth prize bracelet!” Nadine exclaimed. “I didn’t want to spoil your fun by being a downer!” She heaved a sigh and said, “Sorry. I don’t blame you if you take someone else to Candy Kingdom this week.”
“Someone else?” Nancy repeated. She smiled as she shook her head. “We want you to come with us to Candy Kingdom, Nadine.”
Nadine gasped while Bess and George nodded in agreement. “Me?” she said. “Are you sure?”
“Totally,” Bess declared. “And you don’t have to ride the Twisting Taffy Coaster if you don’t want to.”
“You’re not a downer either,” George told Nadine with a smile. “A drama queen sometimes... but never a downer.”
Drama queen? Nancy’s eyes lit up as the words gave her an idea...
“Nadine?” Nancy asked. “Why don’t you try acting like someone who’s brave on coasters and loves them too?”
“Yeah, Nadine,” Bess agreed. “If you act brave, maybe you’ll feel brave too!”
Nadine finally smiled. “I played a squirrel one year in the class play,” she said, “and I had a craving for nuts a whole week.”
“So?” George asked.
“So,” Nadine declared happily, “it might work!”
The next morning, Nancy’s dad drove the Clue Crew and Nadine back to Candy Kingdom. Mr. Drew was happy to ride the Marshmallow Mix-Up. Nadine rode the Twisting Taffy Coaster, not once, but twice!
“You did it, Nadine!” Nancy cheered.
Nadine’s candy-striped bracelet dangled around her wrist as she planted both hands on her hips.
“You mean Princess Extrema,” Nadine announced. “Coaster Hero of the Universe!”
Nancy, Bess, and George exchanged smiles. Their friend was back at Candy Kingdom and better than ever!
“And guess what, Nadine?” Nancy asked. “You can ride the Twisting Taffy Coaster every day this week.”
“And the Bubble Gum Bobsled, the Gumdrop Go-Carts, the Licorice Loop-the-Loop, and Minty Matterhorn!” Bess said.
“There’s only one word to describe all that,” George said with two thumbs-up. “SWEET!”
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