Dawn and the Older Boy Read online

  A quick phone call to Mrs. Pike settled things.

  “Of course I’ll come, Mary Anne,” she said warmly. “Stacey took a couple of kids to the playground, but I’ll round them up along with Vanessa and the triplets. I know they’d love to see a play.”

  Half an hour later, everything was falling into place. Mal (who was baby-sitting for Charlotte Johanssen) arrived with Charlotte and her best friend, Becca Ramsey. Jessi brought the Newton kids. Stacey arrived a few minutes later with two of the Pike kids — Margo, who is seven, and Claire, who is five.

  “Hi, Mary Anne-silly-billy-goo-goo!” Claire shouted. (Claire is going through an extremely silly stage right now.)

  Mary Anne was helping everyone find seats when Claudia appeared. “I just heard about the play,” Claud whispered. “I’ll help seat people if you want to go help James. He looks like he’s got a problem.”

  Mary Anne glanced up. James was darting back and forth with a clipboard, barking orders to his actors. “Johnny, I want you to be quiet until it’s time for you to say your lines!”

  “Little dog lost,” he sang softly.

  James put his finger to his lips. “No talking,” he said sternly.

  “I wasn’t talking. I was singing,” Johnny said, making a face.

  James looked like he wanted to throw his clipboard in the air. Mary Anne touched his shoulder. “I’ll make sure the younger kids are in their places,” she told him. “Why don’t you do something about Chewy? He’s making a racket in the garage, and I’m afraid someone’s going to let him out.”

  “Let him out?” Myriah repeated. “Oh, no!” She grabbed a Magic Marker and a piece of paper and told Mary Anne to make a sign that read: STAR’S DRESSING ROOM. KEEP OUT!

  Mary Anne smiled. “I think that’ll do it,” she said.

  The audience was settling down and James edged over to Mary Anne.

  “Do you think I should say something to the audience?” He looked a little nervous.

  Mary Anne nodded. “You’ll have to introduce the play. After all, they don’t even have programs.”

  “I feel a little silly.”

  “Don’t feel silly. And remember to tell everyone that you wrote the play.”

  “Do you think so?”

  “Of course. You should be very proud. Not many kids your age could write a play.”

  James smiled then, and Mary Anne knew he was relaxing a little. A few minutes later, he cleared his throat and stepped in front of the crowd. Mary Anne crossed her fingers as he finished the introduction and took a seat in the front row. It was show time!

  Myriah made her entrance like a professional actress. She was wearing one of Mrs. Perkins’s coats and was carrying a large pocketbook.

  “Oh, I just love shopping at the mall,” she said brightly.

  “Hi, Myriah-silly-billy-goo-goo!” Claire shouted from the audience.

  Myriah frowned but stayed in character. “Where shall I go first?” she said, coming close to the audience. “There are so many stores to choose from.”

  Mary Anne knew that Chewy was supposed to be onstage by that point, but there was no sign of him. James turned around from the front row and caught her eye. “Get Chewy fast!” he mouthed.

  Mary Anne grabbed Johnny Hobart, who didn’t have to go onstage for awhile. “Quick, Johnny,” Mary Anne hissed. “Let Chewy out of the garage!”

  Johnny stared at her. “I already did,” he said solemnly.

  “Then where is he?”

  Johnny pointed toward the Perkinses’ yard, where Chewy was digging an enormous hole in the flower garden.

  “Oh, no!” Mary Anne wailed.

  “I can whistle for him,” Johnny suggested.

  “Do it!”

  Johnny stuck two fingers in his mouth and made an earsplitting sound. Chewy bounded across the lawn, knocked over Gabbie’s “shoe store,” and skidded to a stop at Johnny’s feet.

  The kids in the audience started laughing, not sure if this was supposed to be part of the show. Mary Anne knew she had to act fast. She grabbed Chewy’s collar and pushed him “onstage.”

  “Go on. Act like you’re lost,” she pleaded.

  Myriah waited until Chewy raced over to her, and then she sank down to her knees. “Oh, you poor dog,” she cried. “You’re lost and looking for your owner.” Chewy immediately began licking her face, nearly beside himself with joy. “You must be very … sad,” she said doubtfully.

  Someone in the audience giggled at this line, because Chewy was running in circles and barking. He didn’t look the least bit sad!

  Myriah decided to ad-lib some lines. “Sometimes dogs act happy, but they’re really sad. And lost,” she added, in case the little kids in the audience had missed the point.

  James signaled to Myriah to begin her walk through the “mall,” and she headed for Gabbie, who was rearranging her shoe store.

  “Shoe sale! Shoe sale!” Gabbie yelled, picking up a decrepit shoe. It was muddy from Chewy’s mad dash through the yard. Everybody laughed at her line, and Gabbie looked pleased.

  James rolled his eyes. Mary Anne knew the play wasn’t turning out at all as he expected, but at least he was getting a lot of laughs. And then Mary Anne got a surprise. She was standing at the back of the patio when Zach showed up! He was the last person in the world she wanted to see at the play.

  Mary Anne wasn’t taking any chances. She showed him to a seat way in the back of the audience, and decided to sit next to him. “It’s a great play,” she whispered. “Really funny.”

  “Uh-huh.” Zach looked totally unimpressed. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and didn’t crack a smile for the next fifteen minutes. Mary Anne couldn’t imagine why he had bothered to show up.

  The moment the play was over (to wild applause), Zach grabbed James by the arm. “Hey, how about some football?” he said.

  “I don’t know. I’m sort of busy right now,” James began.

  “C’mon. Ditch this baby stuff and let’s toss around the pigskin,” said Zach, and James looked completely confused.

  Zach pulled James down the driveway. Mary Anne didn’t know why James let himself be dragged along, or why he didn’t speak up. A lot of kids wanted to talk to him about the play, and James was letting Zach ruin his big moment for him. It didn’t make sense.

  Then Mary Anne thought about Dawn and Travis and got an idea. Dawn would be sure to read the notebook. Maybe this was Mary Anne’s chance to tell her some things she’d been thinking about.

  You’re probably wondering why I would even want to see Travis again after that scene in the park. After all, I had seen him kissing another girl, so what could be left between us? I was tempted to forget the whole thing (and Travis, too) but I couldn’t. I wanted Travis to know that I was on to him, and there was only one way I could do that. I’d have to wait until he left school with the girl and follow them again. But this time would be different. This time, I would confront Travis!

  What did I hope to accomplish? Well, if nothing else, I would embarrass him! I could just picture how Travis would react when I bumped into him with his girlfriend. Let’s see how cool and confident he’d be then!

  I got my chance the following Tuesday afternoon. We had a quiz at the end of the day, and our teacher said we could leave as soon as we handed in our papers. What a lucky break! I whizzed through the test, double-checked my answers (it was a multiple-choice test), and left school fifteen minutes early. I had plenty of time to catch Travis as he left SHS.

  My heart was pounding as I waited on a bench near the front steps of the school. I was wearing sunglasses, and I kept my head ducked down. I wanted to make sure that I spotted Travis before he recognized me!

  Soon the bell rang, and kids came pouring out of the double doors. I saw Travis and caught my breath. He was alone! My mind raced with possibilities. Maybe he had broken up with the girl. Maybe he realized I was the girl he had wanted all along. Maybe the two of us could spend a wonderful afternoon together. Maybe, m
aybe, maybe …

  There I was, lost in fantasyland when Sara (Kristy had found out her name for me) appeared on the scene. She darted up to Travis, and he grabbed her in a big bear hug. They hurried down the steps, just inches away from me. (I didn’t need the sunglasses after all, because they never even looked at me. They were too wrapped up in each other.) My heart sank, but I was more determined than ever. It was time to catch Travis in a trap.

  I decided the best place to “bump into” them would be downtown. That way I could pretend that I was out shopping. (I certainly didn’t want Travis to know that I had waited for him outside his school.)

  Travis and Sara walked briskly along, and I kept a half block behind them. I didn’t feel nervous at all because I was absolutely sure I was doing the right thing. The only question now was, where should I run into them?

  I got my chance outside the Merry-Go-Round. It was a bright, sunny day, and the Merry-Go-Round was holding a sidewalk sale. Customers were jamming the area in front of the store, looking for bargains, and Travis and Sara had stopped in front of a display rack.

  Travis was pointing to a pair of gold hoop earrings, when I positioned myself on the opposite side of the rack. If I waited a few more seconds, he’d be bound to see me. The moment he gave the rack a little spin, we’d be staring right into each other’s eyes!

  “I really like the silver hoops better,” Sara was saying. I remember thinking what a wispy little-girl voice she had, and then it happened. The rack shifted and Travis and I were face-to-face. The moment of truth at last!

  I gave him a casual smile, and to my amazement, he grinned back at me. “Hi, Dawn,” he said in a friendly way. He didn’t sound the least bit embarrassed! I was baffled, but I tried to be cool.

  “Hi, Travis. I guess this is one of your favorite spots.” I figured he deserved a little dig. After all, he had taken me to the Merry-Go-Round not too long ago, and now he was back in the same spot (with another girl).

  He laughed, totally missing the point. “It sure looks that way, doesn’t it?” Sara, who had been paying no attention to the conversation, suddenly held up a pair of heavy gold hoop earrings.

  “What do you think, Travis?” she asked, ignoring me. “Are these too big?”

  I couldn’t resist. “Yes, definitely too big. They look like they should be holding up a shower curtain.”

  Sara frowned and gave Travis a “who-is-this-person?” look, and he introduced us.

  “Dawn is from California, too,” he added.

  “Really?” Sara gave me a cool smile. “Oh, now I remember,” she said, as if a light bulb had switched on inside her head. “Dawn Schafer … the little girl you told me about.”

  Little girl? I was steaming. What nerve. I needed a really stinging comeback, but my mind was a blank. And the next words out of Sara’s mouth were even worse. “I’m sure you’ve turned her into a real beauty, Travis,” she murmured.

  That did it! “I was already a beauty,” I said hotly. I suppose it was a very conceited thing to say, but I didn’t care.

  Sara and Travis exchanged an amused look. I have never been so embarrassed in my life, and I knew I was making a fool out of myself. The only thing to do was get out of there — fast.

  “I have to get home,” I muttered.

  “Nice to have met you,” Sara said. She looked like she was going to burst out laughing the minute my back was turned.

  “See you around.” Travis grinned at me as if nothing had changed. How could he be so casual when my whole world had turned upside down?

  I practically ran all the way home. I felt hurt, angry, upset, and very foolish. I didn’t say two words during dinner and bounded upstairs to my room the minute the dishes were done.

  “You’re pretty quiet,” Mary Anne said. She had come into my room so softly, I hadn’t heard her. I was sprawled on my bed, math book in hand, but my mind was on Travis and Sara.

  “I’m thinking,” I told her. I looked at her and then looked away.

  She sat down at my desk, watching me. “Did you ever see My Fair Lady?” she asked. “You know, the movie based on the play Pygmalion?”

  What was she getting at? I sat up in bed, scrunching a pillow behind my head. “I saw it a long time ago. We rented it once.”

  Mary Anne looked pleased. “Then I guess you remember the story. You know how proper Professor Higgins turns Eliza Doolittle, the Cockney girl, into his ‘fair lady’?”

  “Sure. He changed everything about her, the way she walked and talked and even the way she dressed. He wanted to make her into a real lady.”

  Mary Anne stared at me. “Well,” she said slowly, “I never liked that.”

  I nodded. “Me, neither. Eliza should have been allowed to be herself.”

  “Exactly.”

  We were both very quiet, and then it hit me. “I get it,” I said. “You’re talking about Travis and me.” Mary Anne didn’t answer, and I thought about it a little more. “He wanted to change me and make me into someone else.” I hesitated. “But why did he choose me? There were dozens of girls he could have picked.”

  “Who knows? I think he really liked you at first. Or maybe he was interested because you were from California.”

  I sighed. Everything was falling into place. Travis had never liked me as much as I had liked him. I was simply a “project” for him. I felt a little better, having figured out what was going on, but now I had another problem. What should I do next?

  Mary Anne must have read my mind. “I think you should confront him,” she said. “Tell him exactly what you think.”

  “I think so, too. It won’t be easy. That’s what I thought I was going to do today. But I know it’s the right thing to do.” I smiled at her. “You’ve been a big help, Mary Anne.”

  “I’m glad.” She hugged me and headed toward the door. “Oh, and Dawn, there’s one more thing you need to do.”

  “What’s that?”

  She grinned. “Be sure you read the club notebook.”

  Now that I had made up my mind what to do, I didn’t stop to think twice. I didn’t make elaborate plans to follow Travis, or think about what I was going to say to him. I just reached for the phone, hoping that the right words would come to me. (Sometimes when you have to do something really hard, it’s better not to plan too much.)

  “Dawn, how are you?” exclaimed Travis when he picked up the phone.

  He acted like nothing was wrong! His voice was so warm and friendly, I almost lost my cool, but I knew I had to be strong.

  “I’m fine,” I told him. “In fact, I’ve always been fine, but it took me a while to figure that out.”

  “Huh?”

  I took a deep breath. “You don’t get it, do you?” I rushed on. “Well, maybe I can explain it to you.”

  “Okay, shoot.” A tiny note of doubt crept into his voice.

  I braced myself for the toughest part of all. “You really hurt me, Travis.”

  “I hurt you?” He sounded incredulous.

  “Yes, you did. You told me how to dress, how to fix my hair, how to act. You tried to make me into something I’m not.”

  There was a long pause. “You’re right. I don’t get it,” he said finally. “How could something like that hurt you? You’re a great-looking girl, Dawn. I just figured you could use a few suggestions on how to dress and do your hair.”

  “It was more than a few, but anyway, that’s not the point. You can’t imagine what a big effect you had on me. I took everything you said to heart.” I hesitated, twisting the phone cord around my fingers. “Maybe you can’t understand this, Travis, but I practically ran in circles trying to please you. I tried so hard to be everything you wanted me to be.” It’s funny, but even as I said the words, I realized that the harder I tried, the more hopeless things had become. I knew now that I could never be what Travis wanted (and that I didn’t want to be).

  Travis gave a little laugh. “Dawn, I really think you’re making too much of this. You know, if we could jus
t get together and talk this over, I think you’d see things my way.”

  “I don’t think so,” I said quietly.

  “You mean you don’t want to see me just because I told you to wear combs in your hair? I can’t believe it.”

  “It’s a lot more than that, Travis. Look, I’ll give you the perfect example. Remember when you wanted me to get that third hole punched in my ear? I actually felt guilty because I didn’t want to go along with it. I’m just glad I had the brains not to listen to you.”

  “Dawn, you’re making a big deal out of nothing,” Travis sputtered. Now he was beginning to sound really uncomfortable.

  “No, it’s true. You’ve been trying to make me over ever since the day you met me,” I said, cutting him off. “You wanted to change everything about me. I just didn’t see it in the beginning.”

  “Dawn, this is crazy.”

  “It’s not crazy at all,” I said smoothly. “I’ve had time to think about it, and I’ve talked things over with Mary Anne. You never liked me for myself, just for what you could make me into. It all makes sense now.”

  “Look, I never wanted to hurt you, Dawn —”

  “Maybe not, but that’s what happened. Besides everything else, you led me on. You let me think I was special to you, but you were seeing Sara at the same time.” I felt very calm. “Anyway, I think we should just say good-bye now.”

  “Say good-bye? Are you serious?”

  “Very serious,” I said softly. “That’s why I called you tonight, Travis. To say good-bye, and to say that I hope you find the perfect girl for you. She’s probably out there somewhere, Travis, but I’m not her. Maybe it’s Sara.”

  Travis started to say something, but I didn’t give him a chance. I hung up the receiver very gently and stared out the window for a few minutes.

  It was over. And I knew I had done the right thing.

  * * *

  The reaction at the next BSC meeting was just what I had hoped for.

  “Dawn! I can’t believe you did it. I’m so proud of you!” Claudia was beaming. “He really got what was coming to him.”