CHAPTER 7
Stacey Schiavone. That sounded tres cool.
It was Sunday afternoon. I was lying on my bed, daydreaming. Anastasia Elizabeth Schiavone. I'm not too fond of my full first name, but I could make an exception. Sullivan and Stacey Schiavone. Mrs. Sullivan--
"Stace?" Mom poked her head through my doorway.
"Yeah?" I reluctantly sat up.
"I'm going over to the Schiavones for awhile," she said. "Ken needs help with some organizing. Do you think you can occupy your time while I'm gone?"
"Of course, Mom."
"You don't have a sitting job? You know, before your date?" Mom raised her eyebrows and grinned at me.
I rolled my eyes. "No, Mom. I'll see you later, Mom."
"Okay, okay," she said pleasantly as she backed out of the doorway.
Yes, I was going out with Sullivan later. And no, it was not a DATE. I glanced around the room and caught sight of a picture of Ethan on my desk. Guiltily, I looked away.
What Ethan didn't know couldn't hurt him. And I wasn't doing anything wrong, technically. Two friends going out to a movie or for a bite to eat--what was the matter with that? I really needed to quit worrying. With a firm nod, I jumped up off my bed and walked over to my closet. I pulled the door open and just stared inside. Sullivan would pick me up in only a couple of hours, and I needed to decide what to wear. I wanted to look good.
"Knock, knock!" came a voice from behind me.
I whirled around. "Well, aloha!" Dawn cried. She was framed in the doorway, Mary Anne at her side. They were both wearing smiles a mile wide.
"Dawn!" I shrieked. I ran over and gave her a huge hug. "It is SO good to see you! Wow, your tan looks incredible!" It really did. And her hair looked even lighter blonde than I remembered it. Dawn is a true California girl, that's for sure.
"We came over to surprise you, and since your mom was on her way out, she said to go right on up," Mary Anne said as she walked into the room and flopped onto my bed.
"Well, great, you guys can help me decide on an outfit. I trust your fashion judgment," I said, eyeing them both. Mary Anne looked cute in white jean shorts, a red shirt with pearl buttons, and red and white striped sandals. Dawn was wearing black flats, a navy blue miniskirt, a white tank top, and a shiny black beaded necklace.
"I love your skirt!" I told her.
"It's Mary Anne's," she said. "Since I'm taller, it's shorter on me. If it looked like this on Mary Anne, Richard wouldn't let her out the door!"
"Well, I'm having a crisis," I moaned, peering into my closet once again. "I want to look casual, but not too casual. And just a little bit sophisticated. I don't want Sullivan to think I'm just some boring little kid. Oh," I said, turning around. "You haven't heard about Sullivan."
"Actually, I have," Dawn said slyly. "Mary Anne filled me in on the details. A senior in high school? I'm jealous. But it does raise one question, Stace…"
"What's that?" I asked. I held up a pair of wild purple cowboy boots Claudia gave me for my last birthday. I shook my head and set them down.
"Well, why didn't you ever show an interest in Charlie? He's a senior, and he's Sam's older brother, so…" Dawn shrugged.
"Charlie?? Are you serious? I've never thought about Charlie in that way," I said, pulling a flowing white sundress off its hanger and holding it up to myself. I looked in the mirror. "Besides, just because he's seventeen doesn't mean he's mature. Sullivan is incredibly mature. He's already narrowed down his choices of colleges, and he plays drums in a band, and…" I paused. I thought I better not talk too much about Sullivan or Mary Anne and Dawn would think I had a crush. Which I didn't. Of course.
"That sundress will look great on you," Mary Anne offered. "Put your hair up, add a pretty pair of earrings, and you should be good to go."
"Uh-uh," Dawn said, shaking her head. "Try something else. What's that right there?"
"This?" I pointed to a pale pink dress I had tossed over my desk chair.
"Yes," Dawn said. "It's perfect."
I pulled it on. It was very short, with a flared skirt, and two thin shoulder straps. "I usually wear it over a white T-shirt or something."
"Just wear it alone," Dawn said simply.
"Dawn!" Mary Anne gasped.
"What?" Dawn asked.
"Wouldn't that be, you know…too revealing?" Mary Anne asked.
"Oh, please," Dawn rolled her eyes.
As they talked I had removed the T-shirt I was wearing and pulled the dress up. I adjusted the straps and looked at myself in the mirror. "No, I think this would be perfect," I said slowly. "It will keep me cool on a hot day like this, and I look pretty and casual," I turned around for the full effect. Dawn smiled and gave me a thumbs-up.
"Well…all right," Mary Anne said uncertainly.
"Thanks for your help, you guys. You want to go downstairs and have a snack or something? Have you eaten lunch?"
"We ate lunch, but I'm up for a snack. In fact," Dawn said, as she picked up her backpack from the bed, "I have something in here you might like, Stace."
"Cool. Let's go to the kitchen," I said, and we all trooped out of my room.
Dawn pulled out a small container from her bag, and a package of crackers.
"Soybean Surprise?" asked Mary Anne, reading the label. She wrinkled her nose.
"It's soybean dip. Carol's special recipe," Dawn said. (Carol is Dawn's stepmother). She started spooning the dip onto plates and passed the crackers around.
"This is good," I remarked.
"I know," Dawn said, in between bites.
Mary Anne had scraped a miniscule amount of dip onto her cracker and was inspecting it carefully. "Smells funny," she muttered.
"Sorry. Shall I fetch something else for you? A piece of cheesecake perhaps?" Dawn asked pointedly.
Mary Anne chewed slowly. "Hmph," she said. She paused.
"Just eat it," Dawn snapped. "It's good for you. You'll thank me later."
Mary Anne glared at her.
"You guys," I put in.
"No worries," Mary Anne said airily. "Dad said he would take me to the Rosebud later for ice cream. Just the two of us."
I could see Dawn's face tighten.
"Um…" I said uncomfortably. Why were they bickering? I hadn't thought anything was wrong, but I realized there had been tension in the air since the moment they arrived.
I suggested that we all look through a pile of fashion magazines Mom had set out that morning, and we passed the time that way. Dawn showed me the collection of friendship bracelets she was wearing on her left wrist, all braided for her by her friends in California. They were totally cool--even Claudia couldn't make bracelets that intricate. I asked her if she wouldn't mind teaching me the steps, and she gladly agreed.
Before I knew it, it was five minutes to 5:00. Sullivan would be picking me up soon. We were going to the theater to see a movie we were both looking forward to (the new Cam Geary film, a comedy called Keeping My Cool) and then to the Argo.
"Sullivan will be here any minute, you guys," I said nervously. I stood up and smoothed out my dress.
"Oh, then we'll be on our way," Dawn said. She picked up her backpack and slung it over her shoulder. "Have a fantastic time, Stacey. Tell us ALL about it tomorrow!"
"I will, I will," I said, giving her a quick hug. "I'll give you a call. You guys want to hang out before the meeting or something?"
"Definitely. I proposed that we meet in the secret passage, just for a change of scenery, but Mary Anne didn't go for it," she said, and shrugged.
"Recording job calls by flashlight and sneezing from all the filth in there is not my idea of a relaxing time," Mary Anne sniffed.
"Whatever. I just thought maybe you learned a few things from your beloved Cam after seeing that movie…if he can "keep his cool" in any situation, why can't you?" Dawn asked, and giggled.
"Oh, you guys saw it?" I asked.
"Yeah. At the end--" Dawn started.
"Don't give away the ending! You'll ruin it for her!" Mary Anne practically shrieked.
Dawn sighed. "I was not going to give away the ending. I was just going to tell her that at the end, you spilled some of your nacho cheese on my hair."
"Is it my fault your hair's so long it needs a seat of its own?" Mary Anne retorted.
"Thanks for stopping by," I said, walking them to the door. "I'll see you later!"
"Bye, Stacey!" they said. They turned and headed down the driveway, and I shut the door.
I glanced into the hall mirror and reapplied my lipstick. Then I picked up my purse and dropped the lipstick inside.
I set my purse down on the hall table. A minute later, I picked it up. I swung it from side to side.
I put it down again.
Sullivan wouldn't be late…
Ding-dong.
I waited ten seconds, and then opened the door. Sullivan smiled at me. He was wearing jeans and a black T-shirt, and his hair was all rumpled. He sort of looked like he had just woken up, but no matter. He looked drop-dead gorgeous anyway.
"Am I late?" he asked.
"No, you're right on time! Doesn't the movie start at 5:10?"
"5:15," he said. "Wow, you look amazing."
Sullivan was glancing approvingly at my dress, and I could feel myself blush. "Thanks. This is an old dress. I decided on it at the last minute. It's so hot today, I thought it would be a good choice."
"Oh, you can say that again," Sullivan said, as he pulled his shirt a little way away from his chest and fanned himself. "Is it usually this warm in Stoneybrook this time of year?"
"Um, not always," I mumbled. I could have cared less about the weather. All I knew was that I was walking through Stoneybrook with the most fantastic-looking guy ever, and every girl who passed us knew it. I walked as close to Sullivan as possible. If they thought we were boyfriend and girlfriend, so what?
We arrived at the theater, and Sullivan asked if I wanted anything to eat. I wasn't hungry so I said I would have a diet Coke. He ordered a bag of popcorn and a root beer. We scooted into our seats just as the lights were dimming.
How was the movie? Well, Sullivan couldn't stop laughing during the middle part. I was too busy being aware of his hand, and his lovely, long fingers, moving back and forth to the bag of popcorn propped up between our seats. I wondered if I should swipe some popcorn for myself, and time it so that our hands brushed when we reached for it. But at the last second, I decided against it--Dawn told me that one time she was on a date, and tried doing that. Somehow all the popcorn got knocked to the floor! Embarrassing.
The film turned out to be really moving. You see, Cam's girlfriend in the movie is having a tough time--her parents have just divorced, and her father is moving to France. Lola (Cam's girlfriend) is trying to decide whether to stay in Connecticut with Derek (Cam) so they can go to their prom together, or move to Paris with her father. The plane is boarding the night of the prom.
I totally identified with Lola. She was a beautiful, sophisticated divorced kid with a great-looking boyfriend. She had to decide between living in a quaint little town where all her friends were, or in an awesome, exciting city like Paris. Well, in the end, she decides on Paris. The last scene is Derek standing in the airport, dressed in a tux, staring out the window at Lola's plane. As the plane takes off, he lets the corsage he bought her fall to the floor.
Honestly, Mary Anne must have turned into one giant teardrop. Keeping My Cool was funny but so, so sad. Talk about tough decisions.
Later, at the Argo, I told Sullivan that.
"I don't know," he answered thoughtfully, twirling his straw in his glass of ginger ale. "People think prom is some huge, important event in their lives, when really it's just a glitzy dance where people get all decked out, trying to pretend they're movie stars. I think Lola did the right thing going to Paris. She'll have a much better time there. I mean, take me, for example. I'm not going to my prom, and I'm fine with it. I have better things to do."
"You're not going to your prom?" I asked. I was shocked. There were so many questions I wanted to ask. Had he not asked someone? Had he asked someone, but they turned him down? Did he genuinely think he wouldn't have a good time at prom? What were these "better things" he spoke of? Did Sullivan have a girl--
"Nah," Sullivan said lightly, interrupting my thoughts. "Seriously. I think it'll be lame." He sat back in his chair and looked at me. His beautiful blue eyes twinkled. "So, Stacey," he said. "Have you thought of which college you want to attend after you graduate high school?"
My eyes widened. College? The plain truth was I hadn't given college much thought. Oh sure, I wanted to go to a good one--and I wanted to study something I loved, although I didn't know just what yet--but I was only in eighth grade. Was I supposed to be thinking about it already? "Oh, well…" I started. I tried to make my voice sound calm and controlled. "Not really, but my dad knows a lot about colleges. Well, about the ones in New York."
He nodded. "That would be fun, to go to school in New York. You'd be right at home."
I smiled. "Definitely."
"My top choice is Middlebury," he continued. "That's in Vermont, where I'm from. I've already toured the campus and it seems just right for me."
"Wow," I said. "That's great. You know, I just thought of something. Dad told me there's a McGill University."
"Well, now, that's appropriate, isn't it?" he remarked.
"Yeah, maybe I'll go there. It's in Canada, though. I'll have to invest in a new wardrobe of winter coats."
Sullivan laughed. I sat up taller, pleased with myself.
That's when I noticed Cokie Mason, the BSC's arch nemesis, sauntering by. She slowed down at our table, and glanced at Sullivan and me. "Hello," she said, her eyes bright as she looked at Sullivan, and then narrowing when she saw me. I tried not to narrow mine back at her. It was not the thing to do in the presence of a handsome older man.
Sullivan's eyes followed Cokie until she sat down at a table near ours, where Grace Blume, her best friend, and a couple of other girls were sitting.
He looked at me. "Almost done there?" he asked.
I glanced down at my fruit cup, which was empty. "Yup," I answered.
"Great. How about we get going? I need to be back soon," he said. Something in his tone had changed. And he seemed sort of jumpy.
It was probably nothing. "I had a great time tonight, Sullivan," I said sincerely, giving him a dazzling smile.
He winked at me and put his arm around my shoulders. We strolled out of the restaurant. The cool night air felt wonderful.
"You're fun to be with, Stacey," he said softly.
I wanted to squeal with happiness. But did I? I did not. I was keeping my cool.