"Martin, Ann M - BSC070 - Stacey And The Cheerleaders" - читать интересную книгу автора (Martin Ann M)

Penny and Margie were smiling, too. "Uh-huh," Margie said. "Well, good luck."
"Thanks," I said. "See you!"
" 'Bye!" they replied as I turned to leave.
I tried to ignore their smiles. Corinne kriew who Jessi was. She must have told the others
I hung out with sixth-graders. I guess they found that amusing.
It didn't matter. If Jessi could help me look like a good dancer, I'd be the one smiling after tryouts.
"Wow! Come on over!"
That was Jessi's reaction when I phoned to ask for her help with the routine.
"Now?" I said. "The BSC meeting starts in an hour."
"That's plenty of time!"
"Oh, okay. I'll be right there."
I clomped upstairs and changed into my Danskins. I hadn't worn them in ages. They were wrinkled and musty.
I didn't care. This week they were going to get a workout. And so was I.
I was going to blow everyone away at the tryouts.
Chapter 8.
"Aaaaaugh! I am dying!"
My screaming did not faze Claudia one bit. She looked at the panicked face in my bedroom mirror. "What is it now, Stacey?"
I held out a fistful of my hair. "Look at this! I can't leave the house. Call Robert! Tell him to cancel!"
Claudia sighed. "Stacey, that is a hair kink. It is not the end of the world. Many girls survive on dates with a kink in their hair."
"How do you know?"
"I read a study, okay? It said that ninety-eight point two percent of all single-kink-haired girls under the age of fourteen have reported that their dates fell madly in love with them." She grabbed my brush and began running it through my hair. "It's a fact. In the Connecticut Journal of ... Hair Disorders."
I looked at her. She looked at me.
Together we burst out laughing. I fell off my chair.
There could be only one explanation for our bizarre behavior. Fear. Absolute, sheer terror.
Friday night had come much faster than I expected. Robert was due any minute. If Claudia hadn't agreed to come over and help me out, I'd be a basket case.
I had had an awful night's sleep on Thursday, and it showed. When I awoke, my hair looked like a swamp. I showered, I brushed, I managed to get rid of the knots and twists.
But nothing could get rid of The Kink.
When I climbed back onto my chair, it had gotten worse. One whole section of my hair looked as if it were trying to rise up out of my head. "Oh, Claudia, it looks like a wing. Maybe I should fly to Robert's house and pick him up."
"Why don't you just wear a ski cap, if you're so concerned?"
"Oh, right. So I can look all flat-haired like Morticia Addams when I take it off in the theater? Puh-leeze!"
Claudia threw up her arms. "Well, at least your outfit looks good."
She was right. It did. Robert and I were only going to a movie and then a coffee shop. I didn't want to overdress but I did want to look
terrific, so I decided on a pair of new jeans with a brand-new white cotton cardigan with gorgeous floral embroidery and a scalloped, crocheted neckline. On my feet were suede ankle boots. Flat-bottomed suede ankle boots.
"Maybe I should wear something with more of a heel," I said. "I mean, he's so tall, and Ч "
Riiiing!
I grabbed the back of the chair to keep from keeling over.
"Calm down," Claudia said. "And if you're going to fall, fall on the kink. It might straighten out."
"Claudia, don't remind me of that!" I hissed.
"Stacey?" Mom called from downstairs. "Robert's here!"
I gulped.
"Should I escort you by the arm?" Claudia asked.
"No, I think I can make it by myself."
Claudia followed me down the steps. In the kitchen she squeezed my hand and said, "Good luck!"
I don't remember if I answered her. As I headed for the living room, I caught a whiff of something I'd never smelled in the house.
Men's cologne. Robert was wearing cologne.
I didn't know what brand it was, but I loved it.
"Hi, Stacey!" Robert said brightly as I entered the hallway. "Wow, you look great."
"Thanks. You too!" He was wearing a zipped-up down coat, but it was nice as down coats go.
Had I noticed he had a dimple on his left cheek before? Had I noticed his eyes were so dark and deep they seemed to pull me toward him like a hidden pond on a summer evening?
Had neither Claudia nor I noticed the price tag hanging from the bottom of my cardigan?