Claudia read the list over my shoulder. “I think we should check out Cinema World first,” she said. “That way we can see if any movie Robert would like is playing, check out the time, and then make sure we’re there when people are going in.”
“Brilliant!” I said, heading toward the escalator. We took it to the fourth floor and then went to Cinema World. Two movies Robert had mentioned wanting to see were listed on the marquee outside the theater. “I don’t know which one he’d choose,” I admitted, peering up at the signs.
“We’ll come back for the first one, and if he’s not there, we’ll come back fifteen minutes later for the next one,” said Claudia sensibly.
We checked BookCenter and Critters and then came back for the twelve-thirty showing of Hang Tough, a movie in which a lot of things blow up. Robert loves movies like that, but we never see them together because they’re not my kind of movie. We lingered outside the theater, watching people buy tickets. Suddenly, I spotted Robert walking toward the theater with a Power Records bag in his hand. I grabbed Claudia and ducked into the store next to the theater.
Robert stood in front of the theater, looking around as if he were waiting for someone to arrive. I nearly held my breath as I craned my neck out of the doorway, waiting to see who would show up. If it was a girl, what would I do? I had no idea.
Claudia was at my shoulder, also trying to see without being seen. She let out a low laugh.
“What?” I whispered, turning to her.
“Look who’s coming to meet Robert,” she said, smiling.
“Pete,” I said, feeling everything inside me relax. It was Pete Black. He goes to SMS with us. I sort of dated him for a while, but now we’re just friends.
“He looks good with his hair long,” Claudia observed. Over the summer Pete had grown his brown hair. It was now down over the collar of his denim shirt.
I leaned in the doorway and smiled. “Of course,” I said. “I never want to see shoot ’em up, blow ’em up kinds of movies with him, so he’s going with a guy friend. That makes sense.”
“But does Robert usually hang out with Pete?” Claudia asked.
“They know each other pretty well,” I said. “He doesn’t hang out with Marty Bukowski, either, but supposedly he played basketball with him the other day. That’s what he says, anyway. Maybe his story is partly true. Maybe he played basketball with Marty and went to the mall? Maybe Robert is trying to expand his horizons by hanging out with Marty or something.” As soon as I used the term expand his horizons I started worrying all over again. What if he wanted to expand his girlfriend horizons, too?
I peeked at the front of the theater again, but Robert and Pete had already gone inside. The two people I saw standing there instead made me clutch Claudia’s arm. Two beautiful-looking girls of about fifteen or sixteen stood in front as if they were waiting for someone.
“What’s the matter now?” Claudia asked.
“Those girls,” I said. “What if Robert and Pete are double-dating them?”
“They’re in high school,” Claudia said doubtfully.
“So? Older women sometimes date younger men!”
“Stacey! Get a grip!”
The girls turned toward the box office window and bought tickets to Hang Tough. “That proves it!” I exclaimed, stepping out of the doorway. “Two girls would never go see that movie unless they were meeting guys. I bet anything they’re meeting Pete and Robert.”
“They might go see it on their own,” Claudia disagreed. “I don’t know, Stacey.”
“Come on,” I said, already charging toward the movie theater. “I have to know.” I reached the window before Claudia and bought us two tickets to Hang Tough. Claudia and I arrived at the entrance to the movie in time to see the backs of the girls as they went in. I waited just a moment, then entered the dark theater, pulling Claudia in with me.
“Look, Claud,” I whispered, peering down the center aisle.
Halfway down the aisle, I could see the silhouettes of the girls. Each girl had met up with a boy. My worst suspicion was true.
All I could see was the backs of their heads, but I was positive the boys were Pete and Robert. Claudia and I found two seats about ten rows back from where they sat with their dates.
We sat through the entire movie — every last bomb blast of it. Through the thundering explosions I kept my eye on the couples. Luckily, there was no kissing or anything like that going on. (I might have lost it altogether if there had been.) But just as the hero, Brad Wallace, was saving everyone, Claudia turned to me and said, “I just noticed something. That’s not Pete’s new hair.”
“What?” I asked.
“Pete’s hair is long now. Those two guys up there have short hair.”
I jumped up to get a better look. She was right! “Sit down,” hissed the woman behind me.
“Sorry,” I apologized as I stepped into the aisle. Without thinking, I walked right down to where the couples were sitting. The girls were not with Robert and Pete after all! I walked up and down the aisle, checking everyone. The boys weren’t even in this theater. “Let’s go,” I whispered, leaning in to Claudia.
“I want to see the end,” she protested. “We sat through it this far.”
“Everything blows up but nobody dies,” I said. “They all end the same. Now, come on.” With a reluctant groan, Claudia stood up and followed me out of the theater. I looked at all the other movies playing. Where could Pete and Robert be?
From behind me, a door opened. “Stacey!”
I whirled around. “Robert!”
“Hi, Pete,” Claudia said, sounding sheepish and looking very guilty.
“Hi, guys,” Pete replied.
Glancing at the doorway, I saw that Robert and Pete had been watching a romantic Julie Talbert movie that I had really wanted to see. “I thought we were going to see that together,” I said.
“You’re going away next week, and by the time you come back it won’t be playing any longer,” he said. “What did you see?”
“That,” Claudia said, pointing to the Hang Tough sign.
Robert looked at me as if I’d gone nuts. “Since when do you want to see a movie like Hang Tough?”
“Uh … Claudia wanted to see it,” I lied.
“Yes. I love movies like that.” Claudia backed me up with a nervous giggle. “The more bombs the better.”
Pete and Robert exchanged puzzled glances. They knew something wasn’t right, but they weren’t sure what. “Well, we’re all here now,” Robert said, shrugging off his confusion. “Want to grab some lunch?”
“Sure,” I replied. We decided to eat at Friendly’s. Lunch was fun. Pete and Robert clowned around. Everyone was in a good mood. I was certainly relieved that Robert hadn’t been on a double date with a high school girl.
As we left Friendly’s Pete and Robert said they were going to go play video games. Claudia and I wanted to go to Zingy’s, a store where they sell cool clothes. We agreed to go our separate ways. “Want to play tennis this evening?” I asked Robert just before Claudia and I went into Zingy’s.
A cornered look came into Robert’s eyes. “Uh … Pete and I were going to … to … play baseball with some guys.”
“We can come watch,” I suggested.
“No … it’s Pete’s cousins. They live over in Lawrenceville,” Robert said.
“I don’t think there’s any more room in the van,” Pete added.
I nodded. “Okay. But I’m leaving tomorrow. I guess I won’t see you then until I get back,” I said, feeling hurt.
“I’ll come by in the morning,” said Robert. “We can go to the train station together.”
That made me feel a little better. “Okay. Give me a call tonight.”
“Okay. So long.”
Claudia and I stood in front of Zingy’s and watched them walk away. “See?” Claudia said. “Everything turned out okay.”
“I’m not sure,” I said thoughtfully. “Did you believe that baseball sto
ry?”
“Yeah, why not?”
“I don’t know. Robert seemed nervous. And how come he’s suddenly spending so much time with Pete Black?”
“They’re becoming better friends?” Claudia suggested.
“Maybe,” I agreed. “Or maybe he’s not really going to be with Pete tonight. What if he’s just using Pete as a cover?”
“No,” Claudia said. Then she frowned. “Do you think?”
“I don’t know,” I replied, sighing. “But something isn’t right. I can feel it.” I didn’t like the feeling, either. Not one bit.
By eleven o’clock Saturday morning, I still hadn’t heard from Robert. “Stacey, we’ve got to get going,” Mom said. “Otherwise you’ll miss the eleven-forty-five train.”
“Just one minute, okay?” I pleaded. I went to the kitchen phone and called Robert. His mother answered.
“Sorry, Stacey, he left about an hour ago and I’m not sure where he went,” she told me.
“All right. Thanks.” I hung up with a lump in my throat. Had he forgotten I was leaving this morning?
Mom came into the kitchen. “Your father will be waiting for you at Grand Central Station and he’s expecting you on the —” She stopped when she saw my expression. “What’s the matter, Stacey?”
“I was expecting Robert to come by before I left but he must have forgotten.”
“I’m sorry, honey.”
“It’s okay,” I said, sniffing back the urge to cry. “Let’s go.” I’d left my suitcase in the living room. It weighed a ton since Mom and I had gone all out during our back-to-school shopathon at Bellair’s. With a grunt, I lifted the suitcase and opened the front door.
And there was Robert, one hand poised to ring the bell, the other holding the biggest bouquet of flowers — white daisies, yellow sunflowers, and orange daylilies — I’d ever seen.
“Robert!” I cried, putting down my suitcase.
“These are for you,” he said, handing me the flowers.
“They’re beautiful!” I cried. “Thank you so much. You are so sweet!”
“Take them with you to the city,” Mom suggested, smiling as she came up behind me in the doorway. “Just put them in water when you arrive at your father’s.”
“Okay,” I agreed. I would have hated to have left them behind. “Come on, Robert. Take a ride with us to the station.”
Robert agreed. He carried my suitcase to the car and put it in the trunk. “I thought you’d forgotten I was leaving,” I said as we climbed into the backseat.
“No way. Sorry I’m late, though. The flower stand was mobbed. Everybody in the world was buying flowers today,” he explained.
“That’s all right. You made it in time,” I said as Mom started the engine. I was just so happy he was there. I couldn’t have stood going away with things uneasy between us. “How was the baseball game last night?”
“Oh, great,” he said. I waited for more details, but he just smiled at me.
“You’re sure getting to be friendly with Pete,” I commented.
“Yeah,” he agreed. “Pete’s a good guy.”
Something about these vague answers made me uncomfortable. But I didn’t want anything to spoil our last moments together. When we arrived at the station I bought my ticket. “You and Robert wait out on the platform,” Mom suggested, taking her cellular phone from her purse. “I want to call work and check on something.”
“Okay,” I agreed, kissing Mom’s cheek. I knew she was just giving Robert and me time alone. Mom can be very cool that way. “I’ll see you in a week.”
Robert and I walked out onto the long platform. Only a few other people were there. He put down my suitcase and I rested the flowers on it. “Have a good time,” he said, taking my hands in his.
In the distance, a whistle blew. We turned and looked at the approaching train. “I’ll miss you,” I said.
“Me, too,” Robert replied, nodding.
I felt so close to him. I wanted to ask him — straight out — who he’d had lunch with at Casa Grande the other day. But this moment was perfect. I couldn’t stand to spoil it.
The train pulled into the station and we hugged. It was a long, emotional hug.
“All aboard,” the conductor shouted. “Express train to Grand Central Station. All aboard!”
“I’d better go,” I said. Robert picked up my suitcase and got on the train long enough to throw it into an overhead rack for me. With a quick kiss on the lips, he hurried off the train just as the doors slid shut behind him.
Taking a window seat, I looked out and waved to Robert. He saw me and waved back. The train started moving. I kept waving until Robert was very small. He kept waving, too.
I felt sad, though I didn’t know why. I would be gone for just one week. What was the big deal? Robert and I were probably being overdramatic.
Sitting back in my seat, I shut my eyes. What was I sad about? Was it that I’d miss Robert? Or was it that I was afraid I was losing him? It was so confusing. Something was up with him. Yet he’d come to see me off with flowers, hadn’t he? And he’d looked upset, too.
I wondered again who he’d been with at Casa Grande. Could Emily have gotten it wrong? Or what if it was the back of Pete Black, with his new long hair, that she’d seen? But, if so, why would he lie about it? Why had he said he was playing basketball with Marty Bukowski?
I wondered and worried about these things almost all the way to the city. I’d brought a magazine to read, but I was too distracted by my own concerns to focus on it.
Yet, when the train entered a tunnel and everything outside went black, something inside me changed — just as it always does when I enter that tunnel. To me, the tunnel is a signal that the train will be pulling into the station very soon.
My city self takes over in that tunnel. I feel faster. More sophisticated. In some ways, I even feel smarter. It’s hard to describe, but there’s a change.
By the time the train pulled into one of the many bulb-lit underground platforms in Grand Central Station I wasn’t feeling sad about Robert anymore. I was thinking about the city and how much fun this week would be.
“All out for Grand Central,” the conductor’s voice came over the P.A. system. “Last stop. Remember to take your valuables. Last stop.”
I reached up and struggled to get my suitcase off the rack. “Want help?” asked a man with a beard. Before I could answer, he lifted the suitcase down and handed it to me. City people have a reputation for being cold and unfriendly. But I don’t think that’s so at all. I’ve never found them to be that way.
With my huge bouquet of flowers stuck under one arm, I dragged my suitcase down the aisle and out the door. In the waiting area, I looked around at the sea of people. In minutes, I spotted my father. “Dad!” I called, waving.
He saw me right away and hurried through the crowd. “How’s my girl?” he asked, wrapping me in a hug.
“Great,” I replied. Despite my worries over Robert, I did feel great. I was so glad to be in the city with my father.
“Who gave you flowers?” he asked.
“Robert.”
“Hey, you’re blushing!” he teased.
“I am not!” I insisted, though I probably was.
“Are you hungry?”
“Sort of.”
“Good. I thought we’d eat at the Oyster Bar.”
“All right!” I cheered. The Oyster Bar is a restaurant right in Grand Central on the lower level. They serve mostly fish and shellfish. Not only do I like the food, but, to me, the Oyster Bar is very New York.
“We’ll do lots of fun things this week,” Dad said.
“I can’t wait,” I told him. It was great to be back in New York.
Mallory phoned me at Dad’s apartment that night. “Help!” she said. “Abby is a lunatic! She’s ruining the club!”
“Calm down,” I told her. “What happened?”
Apparently, Abby had called another special meeting in order to make signs advertising
the Mexican festival. Once again, the kids met at Dawn and Mary Anne’s barn.
This time, Mary Anne was baby-sitting for Sara and Norman Hill, who are nine and seven. Sara, who loves art, was very excited about working on the project. Claudia arrived with Charlotte Johanssen (eight), and Jessi came with Becca again. Charlotte and Becca are best friends, so they were thrilled to see each other. This time Mallory showed up with only Vanessa, Margo, and Claire, since the boys were playing baseball somewhere.
Abby came last with the Rodowsky kids whom she was sitting for: Shea (nine), Jackie (seven), and Archie (four). “Everyone owes me six dollars,” she announced as she set a paper bag on the ground in the barn.
“What for?” Mallory asked.
“I spent thirty-six bucks on these supplies. Six times six is thirty-six, so you each owe me six.”
“Since we’re all paying for the supplies, shouldn’t we have talked about it first?” Mallory protested, trying to be diplomatic.
“I’m president, aren’t I?” Abby replied. “And treasurer. I make those decisions.”
Mallory didn’t know how to argue this point, but it didn’t seem right to her.
“The treasurer and president make decisions about money that we’ve already contributed in dues,” Claudia said. “You can’t just charge us for stuff you decide to buy.”
Abby faced Claudia, hands on hips. Her expression was annoyed. The fact that all the kids were staring at Abby, Claudia, and Mallory made it even more tense. “Forget it,” Abby said with a smile and a shrug. “I’ll eat the other thirty myself. It’s no big deal.”
“You shouldn’t have to do that,” Mary Anne said quickly. “That wouldn’t be fair to you.” She took a five-dollar bill from the back pocket of her jeans, added a single to it, and handed it to Abby.
“Thanks,” Abby said.
Mallory still didn’t think it was fair to have to pay for something she hadn’t agreed to buy, but she felt she ought to offer the money since Mary Anne had. She fished six singles from her pocket, as did Jessi and Claudia. “Next time ask me before you buy art supplies. I have a ton of stuff I could have brought over,” Claudia grumbled.
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