Welcome Home, Mary Anne Read online

  “With what?” asked Dawn, considering the shirt. “Your denim skirt?”

  “I was thinking khakis,” I admitted. “I don’t want to feel overdressed.”

  “The skirt’s not dressy.”

  “I know. It’s just that — I haven’t been on a date date in so long. I don’t want it to be a big deal.” I threw down the T-shirt and picked up a black tank top of Sunny’s. I put that right down. It was so not me.

  “First of all,” Dawn told me, “it’s not a date date. It’s just a bunch of kids going to the movies together. And it’s not a big deal. So what you wear really doesn’t matter at all.”

  I picked up another T-shirt, a green one with blue stripes. “You’re probably right.” I sighed. “I guess I’m just nervous. And I’m not really sure I’m ready for this. You know, the dating thing.” I saw Dawn open her mouth, and I rushed to correct myself. “I mean, the ‘bunch of kids going to the movies together’ thing.”

  Dawn laughed. “You’ll be fine. Just do what Mom always says to do.”

  “Be yourself,” we chorused. We were still laughing when Sunny walked in.

  “Hey, what’s the joke?” she asked.

  “Nothing, really,” I said.

  “Mary Anne’s a little nervous about tonight, so I’m just trying to take her mind off it,” Dawn explained.

  “Nervous?” Sunny repeated. “Come on, Mary Anne, get a clue. You have nada to be nervous about. Cole is nuts about you. I predict that this is only the first of many, many excellent dates.”

  There was that word. “I knew it!” I said, throwing the T-shirt I was holding at Dawn. “It is a date. It is.”

  Dawn threw the T-shirt at Sunny. “See what you’ve done? I almost had her all calmed down.”

  Sunny grinned and shrugged. “Oh, well. Calm is overrated anyway. Let’s figure out what we’re going to wear!” She started grabbing at clothes, flinging them left and right as she dug through the piles. “Whose skirt is this? It’s adorable! Can I wear it? Can I have it? What goes with it?”

  Dawn and I exchanged a glance. Sunny was in high gear and there was no stopping her now. We might as well join in.

  “It’s mine,” I said. “You can wear it, but you can’t have it, and it goes with just about anything. Try this.” I tossed her black tank top over.

  Sunny pulled on the skirt and tank and danced around for a second in front of the full-length mirror on the closet door. “Da-da-da-da,” she sang under her breath. Then she stopped moving. “Nope!” She turned back to the piles of clothes.

  Dawn and I settled on our outfits pretty quickly (me: khakis and a white shirt, Dawn: long skirt, tank top) but Sunny was trying on clothes well after Sharon’s fifteen-minute warning (Sharon was driving us to the mall to meet Cole and his friends). In fact, Sunny was still putting herself together as we drove to the mall. She applied lip gloss, tried on four pairs of earrings, and even changed her shoes (she’d brought along three pairs, just in case).

  I honestly didn’t mind Sunny’s energy. It took my mind off my own uncertainty. But I could see that Dawn was losing patience. I’d asked her about it earlier. “I know it’s exhausting, but she seems happy,” I said.

  “Seems is the right word,” Dawn said. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m glad she’s not sitting around crying, but sometimes I think this is just a surface thing. You know — as long as she acts as if everything’s wonderful, it will be. And if she keeps busy enough, she won’t have to think. But I know there’s a lot of pain underneath it all. When is that going to come out?”

  I patted Dawn on the shoulder. I knew she wasn’t looking for a real answer. She was just worried about Sunny. And I could understand that. Still, we were doing all we could. We couldn’t make her deal with her pain.

  Sunny joined us then, wearing my skirt paired with a white baby-T, and we piled into Sharon’s car. A little while later, we were piling out — in front of Cole and his friends, who were waiting at the main entrance to the mall.

  “Hey,” said Cole. He shook his hair out of his eyes and smiled right at me. I couldn’t deny that he was very, very cute.

  “Hi,” I said, looking down at my shoes. That’s a terrible habit of mine: I’ve been doing it as long as I can remember.

  Cole’s friends were hanging back a little. One was blond with freckles, and the other had brown hair and — I hate to say it — a whole bunch of pimples on his face.

  “This is Jason,” Cole said, waving a hand at the blond boy, “and that’s Alex.”

  “Hey,” said Alex, looking down at his feet.

  At least I wasn’t the only one.

  “Hi,” said Jason. He was staring at Sunny, and I saw his cheeks turn pink. Poor guy. He was blushing.

  “Shall we?” asked Cole, giving me a mock bow. I had to admit he was a lot smoother than most of the boys I know. Was that because he was older? Or was it just his personality?

  “Um, sure,” I said. He opened the door for me and we walked inside with the others following.

  “You look nice,” Cole told me as we stood in line for our tickets.

  “Um, thanks.” Behind us, I heard Jason and Alex talking about a video game. And behind them, Sunny and Dawn were giggling about something.

  I had a feeling this night was going to seem very long.

  The movie was okay. After a little indecisiveness, we’d settled on one about a family that gets marooned on a desert island. The only thing I didn’t like was that when we sat down, after stocking up on popcorn, soda, and jelly beans, Cole arranged things so that he was sitting next to me. Alex was on my other side, then Sunny, then Jason, then Dawn. So it was boy-girl-boy-girl.

  I’d definitely have preferred to sit between Sunny and Dawn.

  The good thing? Cole did not try to hold my hand or kiss me. He did lean over and whisper into my ear a couple of times, asking if I knew who a certain actress was or pointing to something on the screen. But that didn’t bother me. Too much.

  Afterward, we headed back to Stoneybrook by bus and landed at the Rosebud for milk shakes. I was worried that I might see Logan, since he works there as a busboy now and then, but fortunately he was nowhere in sight.

  Sunny was still “on.” She kept talking about how cool the movie had been and how she wished she could be marooned on a desert island. “Only not with my family, if you know what I mean,” she said to Jason, giving him a flirtatious look.

  Jason blushed.

  “Don’t you think it would be romantic?” she went on. “You know, the full moon, an empty island, the crashing surf …” She looked dreamy.

  Jason blushed even redder.

  I saw Dawn nudge Sunny under the table, and I knew just what that meant. It meant, Sunny, leave the poor guy alone!

  Sunny knew it too. But she couldn’t seem to stop. She flirted with Jason until I thought he was going to turn the color of a fire engine. And every time Dawn nudged her, she just cranked it up a notch.

  I wanted to crawl under the table.

  “What’s the matter?” Cole asked me, looking concerned.

  “Nothing,” I said. I took a sip of my shake.

  “Is it me?” he asked quietly. “You don’t like me, do you?”

  Yikes. “No — I mean, yes, I mean — no, it’s really not about you.” I tried to reassure him. I certainly didn’t dislike him. He was nice enough, and considerate and funny. But he wasn’t my type. He was a little too cocky, a little too sure of himself.

  Try to tell that to Sunny, though. When we were finally home, going over the evening while we lay around in Dawn and Sunny’s room, she would not stop raving about Cole.

  “He is so cool,” she said. “You and he look adorable together. You’re going to be an awesome couple. Don’t you think?” She turned to Dawn.

  “Sure.” Dawn shrugged. Then she yawned.

  “You’re not tired, are you?” Sunny stared at Dawn. “I thought we could go outside. There’s a full moon tonight, you know. I love to walk around in the moonlig
ht. Everything looks so silvery.”

  Her enthusiasm was almost contagious. If I hadn’t been exhausted, I might have gone outside with her. But it was nearly midnight by then. I was just too tired, and so was Dawn.

  Sunny sulked a little. “You guys are no fun,” she said, plopping herself down on her bed. Then I saw her yawn. Finally! She was tired too. I tiptoed down the hall to my room and fell into my bed, exhausted. How was I going to stand an entire month of Sunny days?

  It’s not that I don’t appreciate your help —

  I like Cole, I just don’t like like him, you know?

  Sunny, I don’t know how to tell you this, but —

  I lay in bed the next morning, trying to figure out how to let Sunny know that Cole and I were not destined to be the next Romeo and Juliet, or even the next Homer and Marge Simpson. In fact, we weren’t meant to be a couple at all. He was definitely not my type, and I sure wasn’t his, whether he knew it or not.

  But I knew Sunny would be disappointed. She’d put some effort into bringing us together, and nothing would make her happier than to see her matchmaking work out. It was important to me to keep Sunny happy — but I wasn’t about to go out with some boy I didn’t feel anything for just to cheer up a friend.

  I nodded. That’s right, I told myself. Be strong. If Sunny likes him so much, maybe she should go out with him.

  It wasn’t like me to be so assertive. But I didn’t have much choice. Sunny was like a steamroller, and if I didn’t get myself out of her path, I just might find myself walking up the aisle with Cole to the tune of “Here Comes the Bride.”

  I rolled out of bed and pulled on my bathrobe. Then I marched down the hall to Dawn’s room and tapped on the door. “Are you guys up yet?” I called softly.

  “Come on in,” Dawn called back.

  I pushed open the door and walked in. Sunny and Dawn were awake, but both of them were still lounging in bed. I sat down in Dawn’s purple inflatable chair (one of the furnishings Sunny had talked her into). “Hey, Mary Anne!” Sunny cried. “We were just talking about you and Cole.”

  Gulp.

  “Right,” I began. “About that — ”

  “He is so not right for you,” Sunny rushed on. “I thought he was at first, but now I can tell he’s not.”

  My mouth was hanging open. “What — ”

  “I know it might be hard to cut him loose, especially since he’s so nuts about you,” she went on. Now she was sitting up in bed, braiding her hair while she talked. “I know how you are about hurting people’s feelings. But we’ll figure out some way for you to let him down easy.”

  “Sunny, I — ”

  Dawn laughed. “Forget it, Mary Anne. No matter what you think, Sunny’s made up her mind.”

  “Where are those purple hair ties I bought the other day?” Sunny asked, holding one of her braids. “Oh, they’re on the dresser. Can you toss me one, Mary Anne?”

  I stood up, found the hair ties, and brought her one. “Thanks,” she said. “So, anyway. You’ll dump Cole.”

  Dump Cole? Did she have to put it that way? My face must have shown how I felt.

  “Okay, okay, you don’t have to dump him. But we won’t be going out with that bunch of losers anymore.”

  “Sunny!” Now Dawn looked upset.

  “Oh, come on. Did you see the zits on that guy’s face?”

  Dawn frowned. “Don’t be mean, Sunny. What would Ducky think if he heard you talking like that?”

  Sunny suddenly lost her grin. “Okay, you’re right,” she said quietly.

  Wow. I knew Ducky, this boy out in California, was a good friend to Sunny and Dawn. But I didn’t know his opinion was that important. I was glad there was someone Sunny cared about pleasing.

  “So they’re not losers,” she went on. “Fine. Whatever. But still, we’re not going out with them again. Okay with both of you?”

  “Definitely,” I said, sighing with relief.

  “Okay,” said Dawn. “But I did think Alex was kind of cute.”

  “Sure, if you like guinea pigs,” Sunny mumbled under her breath.

  I almost laughed, thinking of Alex’s plump cheeks.

  “What?” asked Dawn.

  “Nothing! I didn’t say a thing!” Sunny held up her hands.

  “That’s good,” said Dawn. “Because I don’t want to have to tell Ducky you did.”

  “Okay, okay.” Sunny rolled her eyes. “Anyway, those guys are so yesterday. It’s time for us to move on.”

  “Move on?” I asked. “Do we have to?”

  Sunny nodded. “Absolutely. What you need, I’ve decided, is an older guy.”

  I felt a chill run down my spine. Had I heard her correctly? “What?” I asked, hoping I hadn’t.

  “An older guy. Someone more mature. More exciting. More — experienced.” Sunny gave that last word special emphasis.

  “Oh, no,” I said, shaking my head. “That’s not what I need at all.”

  “Sure you do,” said Sunny. “Believe me, there’s nothing like an older guy. They are so romantic, and so much cooler than guys our age. Like this guy Carson I was seeing for a while. He was older, and he was so awesome.” She stared off into space. “We met at the beach,” she said dreamily. “He had traveled all over, and he introduced me to some incredible books and ideas.” Her eyes were closed now, and she smiled to herself.

  “Carson?” Dawn asked incredulously. “You’re not saying that he would have made a good boyfriend for Mary Anne, are you?”

  I had a feeling there was more to the Carson story than Sunny was telling me.

  Sunny opened her eyes. “Of course not!” she exclaimed. “But someone like him. Maybe a city guy. Doesn’t your friend Stacey have a boyfriend who lives in the city? I bet he’s way more sophisticated than these Connecticut guys.”

  I had to admit she was probably right about that. Ethan, this boy that Stacey has gone out with off and on, is an artist. He’s very cool. Still. “Sunny —” I began. I wanted to explain that sophistication was not exactly what I was looking for. That, in fact, I wasn’t looking for a boyfriend at all.

  “Don’t thank me,” Sunny said, raising a hand. “And don’t worry about a thing. I know just what you want, and I intend to find him for you before I go back home. That’s my fondest wish, to see you with a terrific new boyfriend.”

  I slumped back in my chair. What could I say? Sunny had an agenda. “Well, I’m going to go get dressed,” I said finally. “I’ll see you guys downstairs.”

  As I left their room, I heard footsteps downstairs. Lots of footsteps. In fact, it sounded like a herd of buffalo. What was going on? Then I heard voices. “Yo, Jeff! Time to wake up!”

  Oh, no! It was the Pike boys. They’d come over to help Jeff with his room — and there I was, walking down the hall in my bathrobe and pj’s. They hit the stairs before I could make a dash for my room.

  “Mary Anne!” said Byron, stopping in his tracks. I saw his cheeks turn red.

  Mine felt hot, and I knew I was blushing too. I don’t know which of us was more embarrassed. “Hi, Byron,” I said, trying to sound casual. After all, he has sisters. He’s seen girls in their bathrobes before.

  “Hey, Mary Anne!” said Jordan from behind him. “Woo, woo, nice robe!”

  Jordan doesn’t embarrass as easily as some boys. Neither does Adam. He grinned at me. And Nicky? He’s too young for it to matter.

  I edged past the boys. “Jeff’s room is that way,” I said, pointing. “He’s probably not up yet.”

  “He will be soon!” Jordan ran down the hall and started banging on Jeff’s door. “The decorating squad is here!” he yelled.

  I sighed. I’d almost forgotten about the day’s project: Operation Jeff’s Room.

  “Um, see you,” said Byron, backing his way down the hall to join the other boys, who were knocking on Jeff’s door by then.

  “Right,” I said. I backed into my own room and closed the door behind me. I wished I could just hide in there fo
r a while. At least until Jeff’s room was done, if not until Sunny had gone back to California.

  But guess what. It turned out to be a fun day. For one thing, Sunny was focused on something other than finding me a boyfriend. And for another, well, let’s just say it’s pretty entertaining to watch five grade-school boys turn into interior decorators.

  Over breakfast, the Pike boys and Jeff discussed ideas. Byron took notes:

  At first Jeff especially liked the surf shack idea, since it would remind him of California. Adam was pushing hard for the “gorey bloody” theme, while Jordan wanted to create a Lost World effect, complete with animated dinosaurs. Byron liked the space station idea.

  For a while, the boys argued back and forth at full volume. Dawn and I watched and listened. Sunny jumped in with her own two cents.

  Then, grabbing a moment when all four older boys happened to have their mouths full of whole-wheat pancakes, Nicky spoke up. “What about a superhero theme?” he asked. “Don’t you already have a bunch of action figures and stuff? We could make your room into a kind of headquarters for those guys. Like a clubhouse where they all hang out.”

  “Dumb, dumb, dumb,” said Adam automatically.

  “Wait a minute,” Sunny said. “Think about it.” She grabbed another piece of paper and started to make a list. “Tell me what superhero stuff you already have,” she said to Jeff.

  It turned out that he had a lot. He had plenty of action figures, as Nicky had pointed out. Plus, he had X-Men sheets, an Incredible Hulk Halloween costume, a Batmobile, and a Batcave.

  “We’re on our way,” cried Sunny. “This is it!”

  Her enthusiasm was infectious. The boys flew into action, and by the end of the afternoon, Jeff’s room had been transformed — without anyone’s spending a penny.

  It really did look like a clubhouse by the time Sunny had finished a sign for the door. Action figures stood all around in various poses. The X-Men sheets had been made into curtains. The Incredible Hulk costume was standing in a corner, guarding the Batcave. And a huge, complicated spiderweb, made out of string, was hanging from the ceiling with a Spider-Man action figure in the center.