“What?” Laredo said.
“Nothing. Just … Jon.”
“You could make something happen with him, you know, Dani. You could go over there and order something and—”
“No, I couldn’t!”
“—and then you’d talk to him, and—”
“I can’t, Laredo.”
“Why not? I’d do it.”
“I’m not you. And my father says there’s no use trying to be something you’re not.”
“With all respect to your father, that’s not convincing.”
I tried to think of a better reason why I couldn’t talk to Jon. “He’s a junior.”
“So?”
“Laredo, junior boys are not interested in eighth-grade girls.”
“Dani, you know what I think? Boys are just like everybody else—insecure. I bet they love it if a girl does some of the work for them. Maybe Jon is shy, too.”
“You think so?”
“Why not? You’ll never know, though, if all you do is lurk.”
I watched Jon dipping ice cream. I admired the serious way he bent over and scooped, then flashed his gorgeous smile when he held the cone out to the customer.
Laredo tapped my arm. “Cute-boy alert. Over by Kroll Book Store. Put on your glasses.”
The boy Laredo had noticed was leaning against the wall outside the store, one foot back up behind him. Even with my glasses, I couldn’t see him that well, except that he was older.
“He’s giving us the big once-over,” Laredo said. She stood up. “I’m going to go over there and stare back at him.”
“Laredo!” I grabbed her shirt. “You can’t do that.”
“Yes, I can.”
Before she could move, the boy moved first. He strolled down the aisle. He was coming toward us. Laredo sat down again with a smile. “He’s adorable,” she said. “Hey, cutie … love your ponytail … look this way … I desire you,” she crooned softly. But as he got closer, she shut up.
He was definitely staring at us. Embarrassed, I pulled off my glasses and looked down. As he passed, all I saw were his feet. Red sneakers. Bare ankles. No socks. Then he disappeared around a corner.
My sister came into my room that night while I was doing homework and said she wanted to talk to me. “Sure. Go ahead.”
“I want you to listen.” Lizbeth was wearing her nightgown. She had her toothbrush in her hand. “Close your book. Sit up.”
I snapped my book shut and sat up on my bed, crossing my legs. “Is this posture satisfactory, your highness?”
“That’s good.”
She never gets it when you’re being sarcastic.
She fiddled with her toothbrush. I don’t know how she’d managed, but she’d found one with a horse on it. “You know, Dani,” she said, “we women have to be prepared for anything.”
I could have laughed, I guess. “What TV show did you pick that up from?” I said. “On second thought, I don’t want to know.” I opened my book and started studying again.
“Dani!”
“What?”
“I want to ask you something. Can I come to you for advice?”
I turned the page. “What’s the matter, what kind of advice?”
“Nothing now. I just wanted to know for the future if I could. Because sometimes I think of things—and, you know, I get sort of worried.”
“The same thing happens to me, Lizbeth.” I put my finger in my place. “I think of things and I get worried.”
“You do?”
“Definitely.”
“I thought nothing worried you, Dani!”
“Lizbeth. Everybody worries about stuff. Didn’t you ever hear Daddy worrying about things? Everybody worries!”
“I’m glad you told me.”
She was looking at me seriously. It was intense, a real moment. For once, I felt very close to her.
Buy D, My Name Is Danita Now!
About the Author
Norma Fox Mazer (1931–2009) was an acclaimed author best known for her children’s and young adult literature. She earned numerous awards, including the Newbery Honor for After the Rain, the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award for Dear Bill, Remember Me?, and the Edgar Award for Taking Terri Mueller. Mazer was also honored with a National Book Award nomination for A Figure of Speech and inclusion in the notable-book lists of the American Library Association and the New York Times, among others.
All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 1990 by Norma Fox Mazer
Cover design by Connie Gabbert
ISBN: 978-1-4804-7865-7
This edition published in 2015 by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.
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C, My Name Is Cal Page 10