and one of her lashes fell off and landed right in the punch."
"And Miranda Shillaber was standing there and she made the teacher who was in charge of the refreshments get a fresh bowl of punch
because she said the first bowl had been contaminated by the eyelashes. I thought Cokie was going to kill her. She,,gave her a Look," I finished.
Shannon laughed. "So what else? Did you all dance?"
"Yup," answered Dawn. "No wallflowers here."
"Ben is a great dancer," said Mal dreamily.
"I danced with about eight different boys and they were all clods," announced Jessi, with disgust.
"That's because you're used to dancing with boys who take ballet," said Mal. "They're graceful."
"No, Jessi's right. Sixth-grade boys are clods," said Shannon knowingly. "Trust me. I remember. Half of them are all gangly, kind of like spiders, and the other half are so short you can hardly see them."
"When does it change?" asked Jessi.
"It's slow. A — a sort of — What's the word?" said Claudia, without looking up from her nail polish pursuits.
"A metamorphosis?" suggested Mary Anne.
"Yeah, that's it. A metamorphosis," said Claud. She held out one hand, examining her fingertips critically. "Not bad," she murmured. "Some day I'm going to go to the nail
salon and get a French manicure." I was about to ask what that was when
Shannon said, "Come on. More details! More
details! I can't stand not knowing what happened."
"Kristy and Bart won the prize for the most
unusual costumes," said Dawn. She reached
up to pat her head and see how the braiding
was coming.
"Great," said Shannon. "What'd you win?" "A coupon for a FREE LARGE pizza with
everything," I answered. "Ew," said Jessi. "Even anchovies?" "Bart and I happen to like anchovies," I
replied. "We have a lot in common." "Yeah," said Stacey slyly. Shannon peered across Stacey's back and
over at me. "What does she mean?" she asked
with interest.
"I — I — " (I couldn't get the words out.) "Bart kissed her!" exclaimed Mal, unable to
contain herself. "He kissed her at the dance
right in front of everyone!"
"He kissed you?" cried Shannon. She
dropped the braid she was working on. "How
did he kiss you?"
"It was just a kiss on the cheek," I said.
"And how did you know about that, Mal?" I
asked.
Mary Anne giggled. "We all know," she said. "Everybody saw. He kissed you in the middle of the gym."
I tried to be embarrassed, but I don't think I even worked up a red face. I was sort of proud that my friends had seen Bart kiss me.
Mary Anne began to giggle.
"What?" I said.
"Bart is better than Alan Gray with M&M's in his eyes, isn't he?" she said.
We all laughed, except for Shannon, who didn't understand the true extent of Alan's pestiness.
"Alan," I began explaining to Shannon, "will do anything for attention. Once we gave Mary Anne a party" (I said that part quickly because Mary Anne had hated the party; we should have known better than to surprise her) "and Alan walked around with yellow M&M's squinted between his eyes, telling everyone he was Little Orphan Annie."
"I can assure you," said Shannon, "that Bart will never do that. At least not in public." She returned to Dawn's hair.
"Kristy?" Jessi spoke up softly. "Are you in love?"
I hesitated, knowing that by hesitating I was giving myself away. If any of my brothers had been in the room they would have teased me
for about a year. But my friends wouldn't do that. They all just glanced at me and let the subject drop.
"Well," said Dawn, "tomorrow's Hallow-een."
"No . . . it's today," said Mal in a low voice, looking at her watch. "The time is twelve-oh-three."
"I'm taking Karen, Andrew, David Michael, Emily, and some of their friends trick-or-treat-ing tomorrow," I said. "They're going to dress up as characters from The Wizard of Oz." I hoped I'd be able to keep my mind on the task. At the moment, all I could think of was Bart's kiss.
"That's cute," said Shannon. "Going as characters from The
"And Miranda Shillaber was standing there and she made the teacher who was in charge of the refreshments get a fresh bowl of punch
because she said the first bowl had been contaminated by the eyelashes. I thought Cokie was going to kill her. She,,gave her a Look," I finished.
Shannon laughed. "So what else? Did you all dance?"
"Yup," answered Dawn. "No wallflowers here."
"Ben is a great dancer," said Mal dreamily.
"I danced with about eight different boys and they were all clods," announced Jessi, with disgust.
"That's because you're used to dancing with boys who take ballet," said Mal. "They're graceful."
"No, Jessi's right. Sixth-grade boys are clods," said Shannon knowingly. "Trust me. I remember. Half of them are all gangly, kind of like spiders, and the other half are so short you can hardly see them."
"When does it change?" asked Jessi.
"It's slow. A — a sort of — What's the word?" said Claudia, without looking up from her nail polish pursuits.
"A metamorphosis?" suggested Mary Anne.
"Yeah, that's it. A metamorphosis," said Claud. She held out one hand, examining her fingertips critically. "Not bad," she murmured. "Some day I'm going to go to the nail
salon and get a French manicure." I was about to ask what that was when
Shannon said, "Come on. More details! More
details! I can't stand not knowing what happened."
"Kristy and Bart won the prize for the most
unusual costumes," said Dawn. She reached
up to pat her head and see how the braiding
was coming.
"Great," said Shannon. "What'd you win?" "A coupon for a FREE LARGE pizza with
everything," I answered. "Ew," said Jessi. "Even anchovies?" "Bart and I happen to like anchovies," I
replied. "We have a lot in common." "Yeah," said Stacey slyly. Shannon peered across Stacey's back and
over at me. "What does she mean?" she asked
with interest.
"I — I — " (I couldn't get the words out.) "Bart kissed her!" exclaimed Mal, unable to
contain herself. "He kissed her at the dance
right in front of everyone!"
"He kissed you?" cried Shannon. She
dropped the braid she was working on. "How
did he kiss you?"
"It was just a kiss on the cheek," I said.
"And how did you know about that, Mal?" I
asked.
Mary Anne giggled. "We all know," she said. "Everybody saw. He kissed you in the middle of the gym."
I tried to be embarrassed, but I don't think I even worked up a red face. I was sort of proud that my friends had seen Bart kiss me.
Mary Anne began to giggle.
"What?" I said.
"Bart is better than Alan Gray with M&M's in his eyes, isn't he?" she said.
We all laughed, except for Shannon, who didn't understand the true extent of Alan's pestiness.
"Alan," I began explaining to Shannon, "will do anything for attention. Once we gave Mary Anne a party" (I said that part quickly because Mary Anne had hated the party; we should have known better than to surprise her) "and Alan walked around with yellow M&M's squinted between his eyes, telling everyone he was Little Orphan Annie."
"I can assure you," said Shannon, "that Bart will never do that. At least not in public." She returned to Dawn's hair.
"Kristy?" Jessi spoke up softly. "Are you in love?"
I hesitated, knowing that by hesitating I was giving myself away. If any of my brothers had been in the room they would have teased me
for about a year. But my friends wouldn't do that. They all just glanced at me and let the subject drop.
"Well," said Dawn, "tomorrow's Hallow-een."
"No . . . it's today," said Mal in a low voice, looking at her watch. "The time is twelve-oh-three."
"I'm taking Karen, Andrew, David Michael, Emily, and some of their friends trick-or-treat-ing tomorrow," I said. "They're going to dress up as characters from The Wizard of Oz." I hoped I'd be able to keep my mind on the task. At the moment, all I could think of was Bart's kiss.
"That's cute," said Shannon. "Going as characters from The
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