NB: The characters/places that are recognizable as BSC characters/places are the property of Ann M. Martin. The title is from the Yo La Tengo song of the same name. "Moon River" lyrics are by Johnny Mercer. (I think.)
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"Put in your order for pancakes, Mary Anne!" Sharon, my stepmother, called up the stairs.
I rolled over in my bed, snuggling under my quilt. Ah, yes, breakfast. Time to eat and head off to Stoneybrook High School, or SHS, as we all referred to it.
"Three, please!" I called back. I sighed and pushed off my covers and headed off into the bathroom to take a quick shower. Once that was taken care of, I put on the khaki miniskirt, knee-high black boots, and soft gray sweater with peasant flower embroidery I'd carefully laid out the night before.
I headed down the stairs into the sunny kitchen area of our converted barnhouse. After losing our beloved old farmhouse in a fire last year, we were devastated; but having such a great place to live in on the same property is starting to make things a little easier. Sometimes, a fresh start is good.
My father raised his eyebrows a bit at the sight of my boots, but Sharon merely smiled and told me how nice I looked. Two years ago, my father never would have let me even _think_ of buying a miniskirt. Sharon had really changed him.
My father cleared his throat and the newspaper made a rustling sound as he folded it neatly and put it on the table. Sharon and I looked at him expectantly.
"Mary Anne," he started. "How are your friends?"
By friends, he meant Kristy. Kristy, the one least likely, was caught smoking. While Kristy was--and is--bossy and sometimes unladylike (that kind of thing is important to my father), she was someone parents trusted.
But still, she was my friend; I wasn't about to badmouth her to anyone. Not even my father.
"Oh, they're fine," I said, then quickly shoved into my mouth a bite of the pancakes that Sharon had just laid in front of me.
Dad raised his eyebrows, but dropped the subject. Sharon called his attention to a particularly offensive item in the newspaper, and they began a spirited discussion. I finished off my pancakes with a bit more speed than usual. Sometimes, I like to sit around and talk with my family. Today, however, I just wanted to get out of there.
Once I'd finished, I grabbed my corduroy messenger bag and headed off to school. On the way there, I met up with Stacey, Claudia, and Alan Gray (Claudia's boyfriend). SHS was closer to my house than SMS, and I was glad for the shorter walk.
When we reached the building, the first person I saw was Logan. Logan Bruno, my ex-boyfriend. I'd hoped, when I broke up with him, that we'd remain friends; but Logan made is so difficult. Everytime we locked eyes, he immediately put on a hurt, puppy-dog look. Today was no exception. I looked away. This attitude of his was much harder to accept than the actual breakup.
Claudia put her hand on my shoulder. "Mary Anne, are you okay?"
I managed a quick smile. "Yeah, I'm fine." It had been nearly a whole year since our breakup. Since then, Logan had dated--and broken up with--Emily Bernstein. Why was he still acting like he wished we could get back together?
The bell rang, signaling it was time to go inside. We all filed in, talking and laughing. Stacey was talking about her plans for the weekend. She was going to go into the city to see her father and her boyfriend, Ethan. It was their six-month anniversary since getting back together.
Alan and Claudia had plans too, plans to go to an opening at the Stoneybrook Museum. Claudia had been a trustee there since she helped solve a mysterious burglary that had occurred there.
I sighed inwardly. It seemed that everyone was happily paired up except me.
And Logan.
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"Put in your order for pancakes, Mary Anne!" Sharon, my stepmother, called up the stairs.
I rolled over in my bed, snuggling under my quilt. Ah, yes, breakfast. Time to eat and head off to Stoneybrook High School, or SHS, as we all referred to it.
"Three, please!" I called back. I sighed and pushed off my covers and headed off into the bathroom to take a quick shower. Once that was taken care of, I put on the khaki miniskirt, knee-high black boots, and soft gray sweater with peasant flower embroidery I'd carefully laid out the night before.
I headed down the stairs into the sunny kitchen area of our converted barnhouse. After losing our beloved old farmhouse in a fire last year, we were devastated; but having such a great place to live in on the same property is starting to make things a little easier. Sometimes, a fresh start is good.
My father raised his eyebrows a bit at the sight of my boots, but Sharon merely smiled and told me how nice I looked. Two years ago, my father never would have let me even _think_ of buying a miniskirt. Sharon had really changed him.
My father cleared his throat and the newspaper made a rustling sound as he folded it neatly and put it on the table. Sharon and I looked at him expectantly.
"Mary Anne," he started. "How are your friends?"
By friends, he meant Kristy. Kristy, the one least likely, was caught smoking. While Kristy was--and is--bossy and sometimes unladylike (that kind of thing is important to my father), she was someone parents trusted.
But still, she was my friend; I wasn't about to badmouth her to anyone. Not even my father.
"Oh, they're fine," I said, then quickly shoved into my mouth a bite of the pancakes that Sharon had just laid in front of me.
Dad raised his eyebrows, but dropped the subject. Sharon called his attention to a particularly offensive item in the newspaper, and they began a spirited discussion. I finished off my pancakes with a bit more speed than usual. Sometimes, I like to sit around and talk with my family. Today, however, I just wanted to get out of there.
Once I'd finished, I grabbed my corduroy messenger bag and headed off to school. On the way there, I met up with Stacey, Claudia, and Alan Gray (Claudia's boyfriend). SHS was closer to my house than SMS, and I was glad for the shorter walk.
When we reached the building, the first person I saw was Logan. Logan Bruno, my ex-boyfriend. I'd hoped, when I broke up with him, that we'd remain friends; but Logan made is so difficult. Everytime we locked eyes, he immediately put on a hurt, puppy-dog look. Today was no exception. I looked away. This attitude of his was much harder to accept than the actual breakup.
Claudia put her hand on my shoulder. "Mary Anne, are you okay?"
I managed a quick smile. "Yeah, I'm fine." It had been nearly a whole year since our breakup. Since then, Logan had dated--and broken up with--Emily Bernstein. Why was he still acting like he wished we could get back together?
The bell rang, signaling it was time to go inside. We all filed in, talking and laughing. Stacey was talking about her plans for the weekend. She was going to go into the city to see her father and her boyfriend, Ethan. It was their six-month anniversary since getting back together.
Alan and Claudia had plans too, plans to go to an opening at the Stoneybrook Museum. Claudia had been a trustee there since she helped solve a mysterious burglary that had occurred there.
I sighed inwardly. It seemed that everyone was happily paired up except me.
And Logan.