"BSC050 - Dawn's Big Date - Martin, Ann M" - читать интересную книгу автора (Martin Ann M)

Chapter 3.
"Hey, something smells good," said Richard, coming into the kitchen Saturday afternoon. "What's cooking?"
"Don't get your hopes up, Dad," said Mary Anne, laughing. "It's a soybean pie." She was standing at the counter, rolling tiny hot dogs into "blankets" of dough. I was at the table, shaping peanut butter logs, while Jeff sprinkled them with coconut. Mom was at the counter, arranging plastic utensils in paper cups.
"Oh . . . well, I'm sure it will be good," said Richard, his face falling. It fell even further as he gazed around the kitchen. It was a disaster area. Open cartons, paper towels, dirty dish-rags, used bowls and utensils were everywhere. Even Jeff was covered with tomato sauce. (He'd been helping Mary Anne with her English-muffin pizzas.) Richard took a deep breath. He's very different from my
mother Ч super organized and neat.
I expected him to launch into his usual speech about "cleaning as you go" when cooking. He didn't, though. "I'm going up to the attic to look for those extra sleeping bags," he said, instead. I could tell from his distressed expression that he was trying hard not to plunge in and start whipping the kitchen into shape. I wondered if he'd made a New Year's resolution not to be such a neat freak.
"Thanks, hon," said my mother, as he left. In this spirit of compromise, Mom started wiping spilled sauce off the counter and throwing old wrappers and cartons into a paper bag. (This was not her usual behavior. Messes don't bother her in the least.) It was kind of inspiring to see Richard and Mom trying so hard to make each other happy.
The rest of the day passed quickly. We cleaned the house, finished making the snacks and dessert, and decorated the living room. Mom pulled out a box filled with corny New Year's stuff Ч funny hats, horns, even a cardboard baby wearing a diaper, and a banner. The banner read, "1979." I hung it on the wall anyway, since I thought it was cool.
Soon it was seven o'clock. That's when we'd told everyone to come over. The first to arrive were Mal and the triplets, Adam, Byron, and
Jordan. The three of them are the same age as Jeff. The triplets are identical. Thank goodness they dress differently, though. Once you find out who is wearing what, you know who is who.
"Happy New Year Ч almost," said Mal, stepping into the living room with the triplets.
"Hey, you guys," cried Jeff, hurrying to the door. The boys immediately ran off with Jeff, up to his room.
The next to arrive was Kristy. "Hi," she said, her sleeping bag on her shoulder and a shopping bag in her hand. "Where should I put this stuff?"
Mary Anne had come out of the kitchen. She took Kristy's jacket. "Your sleeping bag can go upstairs in Dawn's room. What's in the shopping bag?"
"Mom and Watson sent this stuff," said Kristy. She reached into the bag and pulled out a bottle and a small jar. "It's for your parents," she explained. "Champagne and caviar." There was also a bakery box at the bottom of the bag. "And these are some kind of fancy cookies for us."
"That was nice of them," I said, taking the bag.
"What is caviar, anyway?" Mal asked.
"Fish eggs," I told her.
Mary Anne and Kristy looked at each other. "Sounds yummy," Kristy said dryly, making a disgusted face.
"Have you ever tried it?" Mal asked me.
"No," I admitted. "It's supposed to be great, though."
"Adults eat the weirdest things," said Mary Anne.
In the next few minutes, Stacey and Claudia arrived. Naturally, they both looked gorgeous. Claudia had tied her hair up in a high ponytail with this silver netting around it. She was wearing wide black pants and a top with a silver moon appliquгd on the front.
Stacey wore a form-fitting purple dress and pink tights with black stripes. "Wow! You guys really got decked out!" I said as they walked in. (I was dressed for comfort, in black leggings and a big blue top lined with fleece.)
"You have to get dressed up on New Year's Eve," said Claudia. "That's part of the fun."
I shrugged. I guess everyone has their own idea of fun.
Jessi arrived next. Her father walked her to our front steps. My mother happened to come into the living room as I opened the door. "Happy New Year!" she said. "Richard and I are about to toast the New Year," she added to Jessi's dad. "Why don't you join us?"
"Sounds good," he replied, as Mom led him off to the kitchen, where she and Richard had been sitting.
"I'm so excited," said Jessi. "This will be the first time I've celebrated New Year's Eve. I've been sent to bed before midnight every other year."
As I took Jessi's coat, Stacey reached into her large black leather pocketbook. "Maty Anne," she said in a sort of teasing singsong voice. "I have something to show you."
"What?" Mary Anne asked eagerly.
"I got a package in the mail today from my father. He said it was a New York City care package." (Stacey is a real New York girl at heart, even though she likes Stoneybrook. On her bedroom walls she has a map of New York, a poster of the Empire State Building, and a poster of New York at night.) Stacey kept one hand in her bag as she spoke. "He sent me some really good sugarless candy from a gourmet store near his apartment. He also added these very cool sunglasses and hair clips that he bought from a street vendor. And he sent me this tape I asked him to look for." Stacey pulled the tape from her bag. "Ta-da! Cam Geary Sings!"
Mary Anne grabbed the tape from Stacey. "I don't believe it. I don't be-leeeive it!" she
squealed. Cam Geary is Mary Anne's absolute favorite star. Even though he's an actor, I guess he wanted to become a singer, too. Cam Geary Sings was his first recording. Mary Anne had read about it in a magazine and was dying to hear it. "I didn't think this was out yet. Where did your father find it?" she asked.
"There's a huge record store uptown. They get everything first," Stacey told her.
We decided to go up to my room to listen to the tape. Mary Anne popped it into the stereo as everyone laid out their sleeping bags.
Nobody but Mary Anne thought much of Cam Geary's singing. "I think he sounds . . . good," she said loyally.
"This is only his first album. Maybe he's just kind of learning how to do it," Mal suggested.
For Mary Anne's sake we listened to the whole tape, but no one was paying attention after the first two songs. (Except Mary Anne, that is.) We started talking about school and baby-sitting. And about boys.
I've noticed lately that we talk about boys a lot more than ever before. Stacey and Claudia, especially. Even Kristy, who used to think boys are dweebs, is now interested.
"How are things with you and Logan these days?" Claudia asked Mary Anne.
"Great," Mary Anne replied with a bright smile. "We're having a lot of fun, now that he doesn't act like he owns me." (Logan and Mary Anne broke up for awhile because Logan was being possessive. But they missed each other too much to stay apart.)
"I wish I had a steady boyfriend," said Sta-cey with a sigh.
"I think Pete Black still likes you," said Kristy. Stacey went to a few dances with Pete, but they never really clicked.
"Pete is nicer than I thought," offered Mary Anne, looking up from the little booklet of lyrics that had come with the Cam Geary tape. "When I worked in that study group with him for English class, I saw his other side."
Stacey wrinkled her nose. "I don't know. He's too immature."
"You know who's adorable?" asked Clau-dia. "Arthur Feingold."
"Ew!" cried Kristy. "He's too skinny."
"But don't you think Arthur has gorgeous hair?" Glaudia replied.
"I don't think hair counts as much as eyes. Quint has wonderful eyes," Jessi said, sighing. Quint is a boy Jessi likes a lot. He likes her, too. I guess you could say they're an item.