The Baby-Sitters Club Friends Forever #3: Mary Anne’s Big Break-up (7 page)

barfroom lives? I mean, where the bathroom is? I need it des – disp – badly.”

“Sunny! How much have you had to drink?” I demanded.

“Oh, a fair amount. That nishe boy keepsh refilling the bowl. But you know

what? I feel a little, oh…”

That was when I noticed the awful shade of green Sunny’s face had

become.. Green and pale at the same time.

“Oh! Ew! You’re not going to barf, are you?” shrieked Amalia.

She shrieked it loudly enough so that a bunch of older girls al turned

around and looked at us. With horror, I realized they were Mandy Richards and

her friends.

“Barf fest!” called Mandy gleefully. “We got one!” I realized that Mandy had

been hoping us eighth-graders would drink enough to get sick.

I don’t think Sunny heard her. “Dawn, there ishn’t mush time. Where ish

the bathroom? Thish ish ekshtremely improtent.”

“I – the house looks locked, Sunny.”

“Oh…oh, no.” Sunny put her hand to her mouth.

Amalia stepped back.

“Get her to those bushes!” cried Maggie.

I yanked Sunny over to some bushes at the side of the house. Just in

time. Sunny let loose, spewing all over the bushes and her shoes. I patted her

back. After a minute or two, I peered out from the bushes.

Mandy and her friends were standing nearby, smiling. Honestly, Mandy

looked sort of evil. Amalia and Maggie hung back, humiliated.

“It must be her first time,” I heard Mandy say. “Which figures. She’s here

with Puppy Pal.” This was followed by laughter.

I ducked back behind the bushes. “Sunny?” I said softly.

After a pause, she replied, “Yeah?”

“Are you okay?”

“No! I just barfed all over everything. I have never barfed so much in my

entire life…Wait…I’m not done yet.”

After some more choking and puking, Sunny said weakly, “Okay.” She

stepped out of the bushes on wobbly legs, like a colt trying to stand for the first time. “Oh, my God,” she said.

“What?” I replied.

“Everything is all foozy and wuzzy. I mean fuzzy and woozy. Spinning

around.”

The party was beginning to seem like a very bad idea to me. I looked at

my watch. We would have to leave soon. I could not believe that we stil had to

walk all the way back to Jill’s. And with Sunny as sick as she was, it was going to take longer than it had taken to walk to the party. Which was longer than we had

figured in the first place.

One big bad idea.

How was I to know it would get worse?

Monday afternoon 10/6

Well, school is over. I made it. I survived. Somehow. But the trouble isn’t

over. We’re going to have an assembly tomorrow, which is bad enough. Worse,

though, just like I thought, Ms. Krueger wants to see Sunny and Ducky and me in

her office before the assembly. Now that’s where trouble could lie.

But back to Saturday night, so I can explain who Ducky and Ms. Krueger

are, and catch up to today.

Sunny lay down on the front stoop of the house. She said she couldn’t

even think about walking back to Jill’s until she had recovered. I tried to get her to at least sit in a lawn chair, but she said that was too much effort. She was like a limp noodle, and she needed to lie down.

While Maggie and I waited for Sunny, we edged away from Mandy and her

friends. Amalia stuck with us.

“Does this music seem louder to you guys?” Amalia asked. She had to

shout to be heard.

“Yes!” I screeched back. “Definitely!”

The volume had been cranked up to an eardrum-shattering level. The

bass was so loud that the earth seemed to be pulsing beneath my feet. More kids

had arrived at the party. They brought beer. The louder the music got, the louder

the kids got. And the air around us was a haze of smoke. It stung my throat and

eyes.

“Hey! Hey, there’s Justin Randall!” Maggie suddenly shrieked. “This time I

really do see him!”

“Someone else sees him too,” I remarked. “Mandy. Look.”

Not far from us, Mandy eyed Justin, turned, whispered something to one

of her friends, then gazed at Justin again.

It was at this moment, this precise moment (I’ll never forget it), that I heard

the cry of, “Everybody in the pool!”

That was it. It was like unexpected lighting on a summer night. The sky is

clear, no storm clouds, then, without warning, lightning flashes – and hits a tree.

Same thing at the party. Everyone was just standing around, then

someone yelled, “Everybody in the pool!” and in the very next second grabbed a

nearby girl and threw her in the pool. Then he reached for another person and

another.

The first girl came up sputtering. “Hey! My watch!” she yelled.

No one paid attention to her.

The boy who had thrown her in the pool was still grabbing other kids and

flinging them in the pool. They didn’t look any more pleased about it than the girl had.

Three of them were scrambling out while more kids were being thrown in,

and the next thing I knew, a pair of hands had grabbed me and I felt myself being

lifted in the air.

“Hey!” I cried.

Next to me, someone had grabbed Maggie. And in the next moment we

were flying through the air.

I nearly landed on Maggie but managed to avoid her. I didn’t know

whether to cry or laugh. I chose laughter. Giggling, I dog-paddled to the side of

the pool and hoisted myself out. Maggie followed me to the edge but remained in

the chil y water, only her head sticking out.

I held out my hand to her. “Come on,” I said. Maggie shook her head. “No?

What’s wrong?”

Before Maggie could answer, I felt myself being grabbed again. I did NOT

want to be tossed into that pool for a second time, so I clutched at someone who

was standing next to me. I only meant to regain my balance…not push Mandy

Richards in the pool.

But that’s what happened.

When Mandy hoisted herself out of the pool, she just glared at me. I had

thought earlier that she looked sort of evil. Now I saw that she looked thoroughly evil.

I shuddered.

Then I turned back to Maggie. “Come on,” I said again. (This time my

voice was shaking.)

“I can’t,” she hissed. “I’m only wearing a T-shirt. And it’s really thin. You

can see right through it. You can see everything. And I mean everything. I’m not

wearing a bra.” (Maggie should always wear a bra.)

“Maggie, you can’t stay in there forever.” Although frankly I thought she

looked safer in there, out of Mandy’s reach.

“Yes, I can,” said Maggie, but she only lasted for about three minutes.

Then she climbed out of the pool, stood up – and found herself face-to-face with

Justin Randall.

I watched the expressions that crossed Justin’s face. The one I expected

(and that Maggie expected), the leer that would have humiliated her, never

showed up. What I saw first was simple surprise as Maggie suddenly stood up

before him, then more surprise when he saw her T-shirt, and then…admiration.

His eyes widened. “Whoa,” he said.

I was standing next to Maggie in my big old jean jacket (not that there

would have been much to see even without it), and I watched Justin. I suppose I

should have stepped aside (just like I should have hung up the phone when

Carol’s doctor called), but I couldn’t. Which is why I saw Mandy standing next to

us in her wet dress, which was now as tantalizingly clingy as Maggie’s T-shirt.

But Justin never noticed her. He couldn’t drag his eyes away from Maggie. (Well,

from her ample chest.) They were glued to her.

I smiled to myself. And I almost shot a triumphant smirk at Mandy. But

then I realized that she was looking at me. I don’t think she had even noticed

Maggie. Her look chilled me. Why couldn’t I have grabbed at someone else….at

anyone else but Mandy? She will never forget what I did to her.

I turned away.

Someone jostled Justin then, and the moment ended. I took Maggie by the

arm. “We better go,” I said. “It’s going to take forever to walk back with Sunny in her…condition.”

Maggie and I, dripping and chilly, found Sunny lol ing on the porch. “Okay,

time to go!” I said cheerfully.

“Oh, no, I couldn’t possibly,” Sunny replied, moaning.

“Well, you have to. Jil ’s mother is going to be home at midnight. We don’t

want her to catch us. And we certainly don’t want her to see you like this.”

“But I feel so horrible.”

“Sunny, what do you want to do, then?” asked Maggie, frustrated. “Call

Mrs. Henderson and ask her to come pick us up?”

While Sunny and Maggie argued (Sunny weakly, and Maggie urgently), I

looked around. Something seemed wrong. It took me about half a second to

figure out what. The party was ending – abruptly. The upperclassmen were al

hustling out of the yard. The punch table had been abandoned. And the only

things in the pool were the things that had been thrown in after the people were

thrown in. Lawn furniture, a bicycle, and a number of unidentifiable objects that

were sinking to the bottom. The yard was empty except for most of us eighth-

graders and a whole lot of trash. Cups and paper were everywhere, trampled into

the yard and gardens.

“Hey, you guys,” I said cautiously. And quietly. The music had ended too.

“Um, I think the party’s over.”

“You’re not kidding,” muttered Maggie. “Look.”

I didn’t have to look. I could hear. Sirens and slamming doors as two

squad cars pulled into the driveway and several officers stepped out. “The

police!” I shrieked.

Maggie clapped her hand over my mouth. “We have to get out of here.

Now! Let’s go, Sunny.”

Maggie took off into the woods behind the house. Our choice was to follow

her or be caught. Sunny and I fol owed. We sprinted across the lawn. The

moment we reached the woods, Sunny slowed down, though. “I truly cannot go

as fast as you guys are going,” she said. She was speaking awfully loudly,

though. She now looked sort of hearty and cheerful, even if she was a little weak.

“Sunny, be quiet!” I hissed.

Sunny grinned. “Let me see, now. Where did that road go?” she asked.

She ad not lowered her voice one bit. “All right, everybody. This way! Let’s go!”

Monday night 10/6

It is so weird to think that I had this incredible adventure over the

weekend, and Carol has no idea. No idea. Not a clue. All she knows is that I went

to a sleepover at Jill’s.

I don’t like that. I mean, I don’t want to be in trouble with Carol. On the

other hand, it kind of bothers me that I got away with something so major. It

doesn’t seem right. I feel uncomfortable.

I’m not explaining myself very well.

Maggie and Sunny and I crashed through the underbrush, heading in what

Sunny swore was the direction of the road the house was on. We needed to find

that road. But believe me, we did not want to wind up too close to the house. I

was sure the police were there looking for people.

After stumbling around for fifteen minutes or so (Sunny complaining at the

top of her lungs every inch of the way), I thought I could see a streetlight ahead.

We headed for the street light and emerged on a narrow street. We were still out

in the middle of nowhere, but luckily we were near an intersection – one tiny dark road crossing another. A street sign was lit by the lamp. I read the two names

aloud.

“I don’t recognize either of them,” said Maggie nervously.

“I do,” said Sunny. “Let me see! Which direction should we take.?! Okay,

that road is Verdes-“

“That’l run into Mango, won’t it?” I asked.

“Oh, please. Do not mention food!” shouted Sunny.

“Sorry,” I said. “But I still don’t know whether to turn left or right.”

“I do,” said a voice that did not belong to Sunny or Maggie (or me). I

whirled around.

Amalia was emerging from the woods.

“But it doesn’t matter,” Amalia continued, “because I am dead meat.”

“You are?” I asked.

“Absolutely. I left my house three hours ago, saying I had a baby-sitting

job and I’d be home by 11:30. It’s after midnight now.”

“It is?” shrieked Maggie. “I had no idea. I guess my watc stopped when I

was thrown in the pool.”

“Well, then we must be dead meat too!” cried Sunny.

“Hey! Headlights!” exclaimed Amalia. “Get out of the road! It might be the

police. Get back in the woods.”

But Sunny stumbled, and we al fell over her. We were still recovering from

our pileup when the car slowed down and pulled over and a familiar-looking guy

leaned out and said, “Are you all right?” When we didn’t answer right away, he

said, “Hello? Excuse me? Can I help you?”

I was trying to remember where I’d seen this guy before. I was still

struggling when Amalia said timidly, “Oh…hi. You’re, um, you’re in my study hall.

I mean, in ours.” Amalia pointed to me. “I think.”

Then I remembered. He was the nice guy. The one everyone seemed to

like.

The guy leaned further out of the car. “Oh, yeah,” he said. “That’s right.

Anyway, I saw you at the party. Can I give you all a ride? This isn’t – “

He was interrupted by a shriek from Sunny, and Amalia turned to her in

alarm. “You’re not going to barf again, are you?” she asked.

“No!” cried Sunny. “But I just realized that my wallet’s gone.”

“Are you sure?” I asked.

“Yes. It’s probably back at the party.”

“Oh, great,” I said. “And now the police are at the party. If they find your