Miss W and Miss Hess sat down with us and began to give instructions. “Think of this as an all-school sleepover,” Miss Hess began.
We chuckled. In a strange sort of way, it was a comforting thought. A much better way to look at things than being forced to stay at school.
“There will be an assembly at seven o’clock tonight,” Miss W said. “After which we will divide the school with an imaginary boundary line. The hall just north of the office will be off limits to girls. And the hall running past the library is off limits to the guys.”
Andie raised her hand. “What if the storm stops before then?”
Miss W glanced at the window behind her. “At this point in the storm, even if the wind and snow do die out, we would still have to wait several hours before the city could begin snow removal.”
“Why don’t we make the best of this time together?” Miss Hess said, smoothing her jean skirt. “Let’s use it as a chance to get to know one another better.” She leaned over and removed her calfhigh boots. “I don’t know about you, but my feet are killing me.”
Several girls removed their shoes, from tall, city-style boots to hiking shoes. The atmosphere was peppered with conversation and laughter.
I looked on either side of me. Andie and Paula—my dear friends. What an amazing way to spend one of our last nights together. It was oddly fitting that we were together like this, surrounded by zillions of school friends from grade-school days.
Joy and Shauna joined us as Mr. Ross peeked his head into the library. “The city is working to get electricity restored as soon as possible,” he said.
Cheers went up all around. I didn’t clap, though. There was something terribly special about sitting in a beautiful library, candles glowing.
Miss W began talking again. “Girls, we’ll have some free time here before going to the assembly. That is, if the electricity is turned on in time.”
The doors opened suddenly and in marched Amy-Liz. She turned to say good-bye to someone in the hall. I knew it was Jared. I shut out the image by staring into the candle beside me. Jared was already back to his old ways. Why was I not surprised?
Amy-Liz worked her way through the maze of girls toward us. Sitting down, she handed me a note. “Here, Holly,” she said. “It’s from Jared.”
“Give me that,” Andie said, snatching it out of her hand. “Can’t you see Holly’s been through enough?” She began unfolding the letter.
“Wait,” Amy-Liz intervened. “It’s private stuff. And,” she said, looking at me, “I think Holly oughta hear him out.”
Andie got huffy in my defense. “What are you doing hanging out with Jared?” She turned her insufferable stare-lock on Amy-Liz.
Paula nodded. “Jared’s not as trustworthy as you think.”
Amy-Liz’s face lit up like the candle flame on the table. “I think if you give Holly the letter, she’ll understand.”
Paula’s eyebrows shot up. “How do you know what Jared wrote?”
“I…uh…he needed a friend,” she said, turning to me. “Just like he needs you to read this, Holly. Read it,” she urged. “Somewhere private.”
Andie began to sound like my mother again. “Can you promise me this won’t upset Holly?” she demanded.
“How should I know?” said Amy-Liz.
Reluctantly, Andie handed the letter to me. I took it from her, my heart in my throat.
GOOD-BYE, DRESSEL HILLS
Chapter 11
I abandoned Andie and Paula and the rest of the girls, searching for a quiet corner in the library. Settling into a comfortable chair, I opened Jared’s letter. Slowly, I began to read by candlelight.
Dear Holly,
I can’t believe what you did to us today. Bottom line—you’ll never find a better guy for you than me. And after that ridiculous sixty-day scrutiny test you put me through. Let’s face it, I’m ticked.
We were great friends—you’ll have to agree. It doesn’t have to end like this. Think it through. I won’t wait forever for your reply.
—Jared
All I could do was stare at the letter. Who did he think he was? Part of me wanted to strangle him. And the other part…Well, I didn’t know what to think.
I knew one thing for sure, Jared had treated me horribly this afternoon and again in this letter. The fact that he wanted me to overlook it—as though nothing had happened—smacked of pride. No surprise there. Jared had always been full of himself. I couldn’t allow him just to write me a guilt-letter and decide it would take care of everything between us. Everything was not okay again—no sir-ee!
Glancing at the letter again, my first reaction was to rip it to shreds. Jared had behaved like a perfect oaf tonight at supper, laughing loudly and flirting with Amy-Liz, who happened to be the cutest soprano in the school choir.
“Psst, Holly!”
I looked up. It was Andie. “You okay?”
“Not really.” I stood up, folding the letter.
“What’s Jared trying to pull now?”
“His usual.” I handed it to her. “See for yourself.”
“Man, what a jerk,” she said, handing the letter back after reading it. “What are you gonna do?”
“I’ve got an idea. I’ll tell you later.”
We joined the other girls while Miss W got ready to do her storytelling routine. I stuffed the letter into my back pocket. “What happened to the assembly?”
“No lights,” Andie said. “I think teachers want to keep kids from pairing up in the dark…you know.”
“Yeah,” I muttered, my mind on Jared’s note. And on the raging storm outside. I shivered. “It’s really cold in here.”
“Go get your jacket,” she suggested. “Only wait’ll you hear what you have to do to get permission to leave the library.” She snickered. Evidently, she’d eavesdropped on Miss W and Miss Hess. We sat on the floor, waiting for Miss W to do a final head count.
Still in her stocking feet, Miss Hess closed the library doors. “If you must leave the area to use the rest rooms or the phones,” she said, “please sign one of these index cards.” First she held a yellow-lined card up for all to see, then placed it on the pile on the desk. “Any questions?”
“They don’t trust us,” Amy-Liz whispered, grinning.
I bit my tongue. Look who’s talking!
After several well-presented tales by Miss W, we were given one hour of free time. For some of the girls that was tough. After all, what can you do in a school library with no electricity and candlewicks burning down to nothing fast?
No problem here. I had plenty to keep me busy sitting in the dark. First, I had to devise a plan—how to respond to Jared. I could almost envision the letter, no, the limerick, I would write.
I headed to the desk where the stack of index cards were kept. Miss W sat beside the desk looking fairly wiped out.
“May I please have a pass to get some paper out of my locker?” I fidgeted with the index cards.
“The eighth-grade lockers are on the opposite side of the boundary, she said. “It’s off limits to girls.”
“I’ll be back in two minutes,” I pleaded. “I promise.”
She glanced at her watch, then looking up at me, she smiled. “For you, Holly, I’ll allow it. Be back in two minutes.”
I dashed out of the library and down the dark hallway. Feeling my way along the row of lockers, I discovered the futility of locating mine.
A faint glimmer came from the end of the hall. Rushing to investigate, I realized just how cold the school building had become. If only I could find my locker and get it open, I would have paper as well as my jacket.
Nearing the end of the hall, I discovered an array of communal candles and holders lying on the floor. Some were lit, some weren’t.
I had to hurry. More than two minutes had passed! Miss Hess and Miss W would be sending out a search party any minute now. I lit a single candle off one of the others and, shielding the flame, I made my way down the dark corridor—locker
hunting.
Finally I found mine. Balancing the candle in one hand, I spun my combination. Grabbing my notebook and jacket, I slammed the locker door. And just like that, the lights flickered on.
“Wow! I should’ve tried this earlier,” I joked to myself. Blowing out the candle, I raced back to the library.
Miss W seemed delighted to see me. “Look,” she said, pointing to the girls lined up near the windows. “The stars are coming out.”
I ran to the windows and cupped my hands on the frosty pane. Monstrous drifts were everywhere, but the snow had stopped. I exhaled, leaving a ring of moisture on the glass. The blizzard of the decade had come and gone. So had my stormy bout with Jared Wilkins. Except the winds of war were still blowing. One pathetic letter from Jared wasn’t going to stop anything.
Finding Andie and Paula, I whispered my plan to write a limerick in response to Jared’s letter.
“How cool,” Andie said.
“Want some assistance?” Paula asked.
“Perfect,” I said, searching for a quiet table for three.
When we sat down, Paula and Andie announced their plans to throw a going-away party for me.
“It’ll be one you’ll never forget,” Andie said.
“I’m afraid of that,” I said, laughing.
“We’re going to make the next few weeks count for a lifetime,” Andie said, grabbing my elbow. “You’ll see.”
It was obvious she was trying to be brave. She didn’t mention anything about my staying with her till school was out, like before. But we could make those kinds of plans tomorrow or the next day. After all, I’d have to get Mom and Uncle Jack to agree. Besides, the way Jared was acting, maybe several more weeks was long enough to hang around here.
I gave Paula and Andie a piece of paper. “Write a list of words that rhyme with Jared,” I said.
A broad grin spread across Andie’s face. “I’ve got one.” She wrote the word, passing it across the table to Paula and me. We burst into giggles.
“It’s fabulous!” I said, starting to write the limerick.
There once was a boy named Jared,
Whom everyone knew was an airhead.
I read it to them softly. “What do you think?”
Andie and Paula were in stitches. “You should do this for a living,” Paula said.
Andie was laughing so hard she couldn’t speak.
“Now for the middle part,” I said. “Think of all the words that rhyme with pride. ”
Paula started her list. Andie wiped the laughter tears from her eyes, while I made my own list of words starting at the top of the alphabet. Bride, cried, denied, dried, eyed, fried, hide, lied.
Halfway through the alphabet I stopped. Now Paula was giggling so hard she could barely write. “Is this too much for you or what?” I laughed.
Paula nodded. “You should talk to the editor of the school paper. I hear they could use some help.”
“But I’m moving, remember?” I said.
Sad recognition flitted across Paula’s face. “I’m sorry, Holly.”
When Andie and Paula were finished, we pooled our talents and finished the limerick.
There once was a boy named Jared,
Whom everyone knew was an airhead.
His problem was pride,
“Forgiveness—denied,”
Said Holly, who just could not bear it!
“It may be a little rough,” I said, “but this will state my point.”
“Loud and clear,” said Paula.
“Who’s gonna deliver it to him?” Andie asked.
“What about you, Paula?” I pulled her up from her chair. “Fill out an index card,” I teased. “Then go to the rest room, and on the way back, stick this in Jared’s locker.”
She read the limerick one more time. Laughing, she folded the paper and hid it in her pants pocket.
Andie and I went to the window, watching streaks of cirrocumulus clouds whip past the moon. She slipped her arm around my shoulder. “I’ll never find another friend like you, Holly-Heart,” Andie whispered. “Never in the whole world.”
“Moving won’t change things between us,” I said, swallowing the lump in my throat. “I’ll live in Dressel Hills again someday. You’ll see.”
And in my heart, it was the promise of a lifetime.
GOOD-BYE, DRESSEL HILLS
Chapter 12
None of us got much sleep on the carpeted floor of the library that night. At least we had heat. Thank goodness for that. Still, we bundled up in our jackets for blankets.
It was a typical sleepover, only on a larger scale and without the amenities of sleeping bags and DVDs. And instead of five or six giggling females, there were eighty-four of us.
At dawn, we woke up to the sound of snowplows and snowblowers. Andie sat up next to me on the floor, rubbing her eyes. “Hallelujah—we’re going home! I can’t wait to sleep in my own bed.”
“Sounds fabulous,” I said, thinking about my cozy four-poster bed…and my beloved window seat. It seemed like weeks since I’d written in my diary.
Paula went with Andie and me to the rest room—nobody needed passes now. Andie peeked around each corner before we proceeded down the hall, making sure neither Jared nor his buddies were nowhere in sight.
In the rest room, I brushed my long hair while Andie groaned at her smashed curls. “I’d give anything to have your hair, Holly.”
“I’ll give it to you if you’ll trade places with me,” I teased, referring to the move to Denver.
Andie shot me a sideways glance. “I’d hate living in a big city,” she said. And that was the end of that.
We made ourselves as presentable as possible. Then we headed to the office with Paula in the lead. She wanted to call home.
Stan was already waiting in the phone line. He looked a bit disheveled, with oily hair sticking out in places.
“Was your bed as hard as ours?” I asked.
“Worse,” he grumbled. “You had carpet, remember?”
I gave him a sympathetic look. “Who are you calling?”
“Dad…again.”
“Then you heard the news?”
“Yeah, I heard.” I could see he didn’t want to discuss things with Andie standing right there.
I changed the subject. “Paula says her dad’ll bring his snowmobile up to school if he has to.”
“Good idea,” he said. “Only it’ll take him several trips to get us all home.”
“Are the city buses running yet?” Paula asked.
“Most of the streets are drifted shut, according to the radio,” Stan said, pulling out his MP3 player, which had an FM radio. “But the city crews’ll be out all day.”
“Some blizzard,” Andie said.
“And poor timing,” I said under my breath.
Stan heard. He shrugged his shoulders, forcing a sad sort of smile at Andie.
By the time Stan and I got home, it was nearly ten o’clock. About the time I usually got up on Saturdays.
Mom threw her arms around us as we came in. Then Uncle Jack hurried down the stairs, looking mighty comfortable in his faded blue jeans and flannel shirt. I, on the other hand, was still unshowered and wearing the same clothes I’d slept in all night.
I held back when Uncle Jack bear-hugged me. He noticed, but he tried to act cool, as though it was nothing. But I had a right to be angry. After all, he’d railroaded his stupid move right through—and while I was stuck overnight at school. It wasn’t fair. Not one bit.
“You’ll have to record this event for posterity,” Mom said, grinning. “I’ve never heard of being stranded at school all night.”
Too tired and overwhelmed to talk, I grumbled a reply.
Mark rolled his eyes, grunting like a gorilla. “Better not happen to me. Oo-o-ga!”
“Go away,” I snapped. Everyone was acting like nothing had happened. Like our whole world wasn’t about to change.
Stephie jumped up and down when she saw me. “I slept with Goofey
for you last night, Holly.”
“That’s nice,” I growled.
Mom frowned at my response. “Come have some hot chocolate to warm you up,” she said to Stan and me.
I didn’t answer, but I followed reluctantly to the kitchen and sat on a barstool. Mom filled two mugs with the hot chocolate she’d kept warm on the stove. Stan took his cup and left the room, probably to veg out in front of the TV.
“Why can’t we stay in Dressel Hills at least till school’s out?” I whined as she handed me the steaming hot drink. Going to Denver was the only thing on my mind.
“I’m not comfortable with that,” she said.
I set my cup down on the counter and stared at her. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Just what I said, Holly.” She was equally determined. “We—all of us—are staying together on this.”
I had no idea why she was so adamant about something so illogical. “Where will we live?” I asked.
“Jack’s already found several lovely rental houses to choose from,” she said. “We’ll buy a house later, when we’ve had a chance to look around.”
“What about school?” I wailed.
“The schools should be fine,” she explained. “If we aren’t happy with the public schools where we live, we can always look into private, or homeschool till the end of the year.”
I blew on my hot chocolate. It sure looked like Mom was calling the shots—right along with her new husband. So much for democracy.
“Well, why on earth do we have to move so soon?” I complained.
Mom sighed, obviously tired of my string of questions. “We have to set the office up immediately,” she replied, “or Jack will lose several big accounts.”
Mom seemed enthusiastic—and stubborn—about the move. I couldn’t figure out why. She had never wanted to live in a big city. That was one of the reasons she and Daddy moved from Pennsylvania to Colorado after they were married.
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