"Replica02 - Pursuing Amy - Kaye, Marilyn" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kaye Marilyn)

After pulling the sweatshirt over her head, Tasha faced Amy with her arms at her sides. Amy waited, but Tasha didn't say a word.

"So what's the big secret?"

"Can't you tell?" Tasha asked.

"Is that a new bra?" Amy ventured.

"It's not just new. It's size B! Mom took me to a lingerie store yesterday, and I was measured. I don't wear an A anymore, I wear a B!"

"Cool," Amy said, trying to sound impressed, though she had to smile at what Tasha considered a big secret. Amy had a secret too. But her secret was so big she couldn't tell anyone, not even her best friend.

Tasha tried on a red hooded sweater. "Too tight across my chest," she announced happily. She took it off and eyed Amy's less voluptuous form. "You want to try it?"

"Very funny," Amy retorted with a grin. "It's pretty cute, though. Yeah, let me have it." She unbuttoned her shirt. "I don't know why I'm bothering to try it on. I'm not the one who got fifty dollars from her grandmother for her birthday."

"And a gift certificate to the Gap from my other grandmother," Tasha pointed out. "Yeah, I did pretty well." She looked at Amy with sympathy. "It must be crummy not having any relatives who send you money."

"Mm-hmm." Amy pulled the sweater over her head.

"It's kind of a weird coincidence, isn't it?" Tasha went on. "Both of your parents being orphans."

"Mm-hmm," Amy murmured again. These days she didn't like discussing her family Ч or lack of one. It was a subject that got a little too close to her secret. She adjusted the sweater and looked at her reflection. "I like this. It would go great with my dark indigo jeans." She looked at the tag. "It's on sale. I'm going to tell my mom about it. I know she'll give me the money."

"It'll be gone by the time you come back for it," Tasha said, "so why don't I buy it for you? You can pay me later."

"You sure?"

"Absolutely. I wasn't going to spend the whole fifty dollars today anyway."

"Thanks!"

Amy felt sorry for people who didn't have best friends Ч the kind who would lend you twenty dollars, knowing it would be paid back. She pulled the sweater off in front of the mirror; then she noticed Tasha staring at her. "What's wrong?"

"The birthmark on your back."

Amy stiffened. "What about it? You've seen it before."

"It looks darker. Maybe you should show your mother."

"I did," Amy said. "It's no big deal, just a birthmark."

"It really does look exactly like a crescent moon," Tasha remarked.

"So what? Lots of birthmarks look like something."

"Hey, don't get angry," Tasha protested. "I'm not saying that's something bad. Actually, it's kind of neat. Like a tattoo."

Amy didn't really feel like talking about her birthmark. It was another one of those subjects that danced on the edge of her secret. Quickly she put her shirt back on and buttoned it up.