"BSC034 - Mary Anne and Too Many Boys - Martin, Ann M" - читать интересную книгу автора (Martin Ann M)

"I don't know, but I sure won't rush out and buy any more chocolates." She laughed, and I knew everything would be okay. She had actually bought Scott a ten-dollar box of candy as a going-away present, right before we saw him kissing his girlfriend. Talk about bad timing!
Mal stuck her head in the door just as I was putting the finishing touches on my beach getup.
She stared at me, and her jaw dropped open. "Gosh, Mary Anne," she said, "you look like you're going to the desert."
As I've said, I burn very easily, so I have to cover every square inch of myself with sunblock Ч even on cloudy days.
"This is my beach cover-up, if you'll remember," I said, feeling a little defensive. I was wearing my white caftan that flows around me like a tent. And just to make sure that no rays would sneak in, I put on giant black sunglasses, a straw hat, and covered my nose with sunblock.
Stacey and Mal exchanged a look, and I know they were trying not to burst out laughing. "Are you sure you need all that?" Stacey said, trying to be tactful. "It's pretty late in the day to get burned."
I glanced at myself in the mirror. I did look a little strange, but I didn't dare take any chances.
"I'm ready, Mary Anne-silly-billy-goo-goo!" Claire shrieked. She was dressed in a bright red tank suit and wriggling with joy like a puppy.
"Okay, let's go," I said, scooping her up. We met the triplets and Margo in the hall, and I automatically counted heads as we went down the stairs. "Where's Vanessa?" I asked.
(After the scare with Claire, I wasn't taking any chances.)
"I'm out here," she called from the front porch. Vanessa was curled up in a wicker chair, balancing a notebook on her knees. She had a dreamy expression on her face, like she was lost in thought.
"Beach time!" I said, ruffling her hair as we went by.
She gave a little smile. "I'll be there in a few minutes," she said. "I have something I want to finish."
Stacey raised her eyebrows. Vanessa is usually the first one to plunge into the waves and never complains even when the water is freezing.
"I'll catch up with you later. Honest." She obviously wanted to be by herself.
"Okay," I said doubtfully, "but don't wait too long or the sun will go down."
"Where does it go?" Claire asked, grabbing my hand and dragging me toward the beach.
I was still watching Vanessa, wondering if something was wrong. "Where does what go?"
"The sun!" She rolled her eyes. "Where does it go when it goes down?"
"Oh." I was stumped.
"Behind a cloud?" Stacey suggested.
"Good answer," I said, just like they say on a TV game show.
Stacey grinned at the compliment. "Any time," she told me.
Chapter 5.
You wouldn't believe how many times I rewrote my postcard to Logan. You'd think I was doing a term paper for Advanced Composition class. Of course, it was a lot harder to write than a term paper, because I had to find the perfect "tone," as my English teacher would say. I had to be funny (I thought the part about the mummy was pretty good), and I had to sound like I was having a wonderful time. Of course, I wanted Logan to know that I would be having an even better time if he were there with me. You see what a problem I had. I didn't want Logan to think I was pining away for him, but I also didn't want him to think I was so super-cool, I didn't even miss him. What a dilemma! (Another expression my English teacher uses a lot.)
I tucked the postcard in the bottom of my underwear drawer before I went to bed Saturday night. When I woke up Sunday morning, I discovered that everything I had said about the weather had been totally wrong.
There was no sunshine, and the sea looked grim and choppy. The sky was a flat gray color, like someone had gone over it with a gallon of semigloss paint and a roller. I thought it looked very depressing, although I know that some people don't mind cool, windy days at the beach.
Breakfast was hectic as usual. Mr. Pike was flipping pancakes in what looked like the world's largest frying pan, while Mal was busily making gallons of orange juice. Vanessa buttered a mountain of raisin-bread toast while I micro waved the bacon. Stacey put the triplets to work setting the table, watching to make sure that everybody got the right amount of silverware. You'd be surprised how much planning goes into breakfast for twelve people. Luckily, Mrs. Pike is very organized (unlike my stepmother) and had everything pretty much under control.
"I think it's going to be cloudy all morning," Mrs. Pike said, looking at the overcast sky. "What do you kids want to do today?"
"The beach!" Adam shouted. "What else?" He was polishing off a stack of pancakes at record speed. I noticed he was dressed in his bathing suit, ready to go.
"Not the beach," Mal wailed. "There's no sun today."
"Who cares?" asked Vanessa.
"I do. I want to get a tan." Mal grinned at Stacey and me. "Maybe I'll find a cute guy to impress."
"Only girls care about silly stuff like tanning/' Jordan said. He was practically inhaling a bacon sandwich, fidgeting in his chair. "We're going snorkeling today. Right, guys?" He was holding a pair of goggles and a plastic breathing tube on his lap.
"We are?" Nicky said hopefully.
"I meant Adam and Byron," Jordan told him breezily. "You can do something with Margo and Claire. Maybe you could go into town."
Nicky looked crushed. "Oh."
"Thaf s right," Vanessa said brightly. "We can divide up into two groups and that way everyone can do what they want. Will you take us into Sea City, Mary Anne?"
I glanced at Mrs. Pike, and she nodded. "Sure, if Stacey will take the boys swimming."
Mal and the girls and I set out half an hour later (after we persuaded the triplets to let Nicky join them on the beach). Mrs. Pike needed a few things from the grocery store, so we decided to make that our last stop. We walked along the main drag, watching out for familiar landmarks.
"Look, Gurber Garden," Claire shrieked.
"My most favorite place in the whole world."
"Gurber Garden" is really Burger Garden, the place with the Crazy Burgers. (Claire never gets the name right.) It's a fun place to eat. You sit on seats that look like mushrooms and the waiters and waitresses dress up like friendly animals. Who could resist a place where a mouse serves you dinner?
"I thought Ice-Cream Palace was your most favorite place in the world," Mal said, teasing her.
Claire thought about it for a moment. "Can I have two most favorite places?"
"I don't see why not."
It took over an hour to see all the familiar spots. We stopped at Candy Kitchen, and watched while they slid a tray of marshmallow fudge out of the oven. The smell of chocolate was so delicious, we nearly fainted, but we decided to save our money for Ice-Cream Palace.
After we took a quick look at Fred's Putt-Putt Course and Hercules' Hot Dogs (the home of the foot-long hot dog), we ended up outside a souvenir shop. There were rows of Sea City T-shirts and shelves filled with mugs, sun visors, straw hats, and beach towels. Everything in the whole store had "Sea City" plastered over it Ч usually several times. I would have
liked to look at the postcards, but I knew the kids were restless.
"What next?" Mal asked. She knew her sisters were getting restless, too.