I buried myself under my yellow comforter. I wanted to stay here for the rest of the weekend. Forget about Logan, forget about Stacey's hatred for Kristy... I just wanted to pretend that everything was okay; everything with the former members of the BSC was just how it should be.
I wasn't bragging when I thought to myself that all my friends go to me when they had problems... who was there for me to go to? Sharon, maybe, and my dad, but both of them were out today. They had went to an estate sale with Kristy's parents. Mr. and Mrs. Brewer had gotten them hooked. They loved traipsing around someone dead's home, looking at seventy-year-old wall sconces.
I sounded bitter, but I couldn't help it. I couldn't help feeling like Poor Mary Anne, alone and helpless against the advances of One Logan Bruno.
Just as I was starting to feel REALLY sorry for myself, the phone rang. I let it ring. I wasn't about the get out of bed. Then I heard the machine click on in the hall, and I heard...
Dawn's voice!
My stepsister. Just who I needed to talk to at this moment. I jumped out of bed and sped into the hallway, hoping to pick up the phone before she finished her message.
"So, mom, Mary Anne, call me back soon; I'd love to--"
"DAWN!" I shouted. I even surprised myself. I wasn't really the shouting type.
"Mary Anne?" she said, with a hint of laughter in her voice.
"Laughter like pealing bells" it had said in the Palo City Post about Dawn. It was certainly true.
"Dawn, you have no idea how glad I am to hear from you. I am having the worst time," I said, sighing.
"What's wrong, sis?" she asked, concerned.
"Well, Logan won't leave me alone, Stacey refuses to be civil to Kristy, and ugh, it's all just a mess."
"Wow, Mary Anne. I know how you hate to see two of your closest friends fighting. I remember how much Claudia and Stacey's fight affected you. And Logan is totally not being fair to you." Dawn had pinpointed exactly how I was feeling.
I nodded, even thought Dawn couldn't see that over the phone. "I just feel so... powerless, you know? Like, I can't change how Stacey feels about Kristy, and I can't change how Logan feels about me."
"That's right, Mary Anne, you can't. And because of that, you can't let those things get to you so much," Dawn said sagely.
"But I can't help it!" I cried helplessly. "Everything about everyone else's life gets to me."
"And that's why everyone loves you so much. You're always ready to lend a sympathetic and empathetic ear."
I sighed. "But it sure doesn't feel good."
"I know. Sometimes, what people like about you isn't so great for your soul," Dawn said.
"I guess."
"But look sis, Logan will move on eventually. And maybe you could talk to Stacey or something," she suggested.
"You know how I hate confronting people," I reminded her.
"Don't think of it as confronting. Think of it as... a nudge in the right direction," she said brightly.
"I'll try, I guess."
"Oh damn, Gracie's crying. I'm supposed to be baby-sitting, because Mrs. Bruen is doing the shopping, Carol and Dad are out, Jeff is at a friend's, so I've really got to go. But I do have one suggestion for you," she said mysteriously.
"What's that?" I asked, intriguied.
"Go to the movies!" she exclaimed.
"Huh? Dawn, no offense, but I don't really want to see people right now." Dawn definitely had her own way of looking at things.
"By yourself, silly. Just get caught up in story, in the atmosphere. Forget about your problems for a little while," she said.
"Well..." I wasn't sure I had enough self-assurance to go to the movies by myself.
"Just think about. Look, I've really got to go. Gracie's crying up a storm and she may bust if I don't tend to her soon. Love ya, sis! Tell mom I love her."
And with that, my sister hung up.
Even though it sounded a little frightening to my shaky self-confidence, Dawn's suggestion was a good one. So I pulled out the movie listings from the Stoneybrook News, and went down the list of what was playing. Nothing seemed to appeal to me, until I got to the listings for the Embassy Theater. I remembered that Stacey, when Kristy's parents were getting married and we had to take care of all those kids, had taken her charges to see "Mary Poppins" there. Well, the theater was playing "Breakfast at Tiffany's" this weekend, and that was just absolutely perfect.
While my favorite Hepburn movie was "Roman Holiday," "Breakfast at Tiffany's" was a close second. Just hearing the opening music (Moon River) was enough to make my eyes well up. And I've always wanted to see it on the big screen, and being alone wasn't enough to stop me.
So I hopped on my bike and headed downtown, ready to absorb myself into the New York universe of Holly Golightly and Paul Varjak.
I wasn't bragging when I thought to myself that all my friends go to me when they had problems... who was there for me to go to? Sharon, maybe, and my dad, but both of them were out today. They had went to an estate sale with Kristy's parents. Mr. and Mrs. Brewer had gotten them hooked. They loved traipsing around someone dead's home, looking at seventy-year-old wall sconces.
I sounded bitter, but I couldn't help it. I couldn't help feeling like Poor Mary Anne, alone and helpless against the advances of One Logan Bruno.
Just as I was starting to feel REALLY sorry for myself, the phone rang. I let it ring. I wasn't about the get out of bed. Then I heard the machine click on in the hall, and I heard...
Dawn's voice!
My stepsister. Just who I needed to talk to at this moment. I jumped out of bed and sped into the hallway, hoping to pick up the phone before she finished her message.
"So, mom, Mary Anne, call me back soon; I'd love to--"
"DAWN!" I shouted. I even surprised myself. I wasn't really the shouting type.
"Mary Anne?" she said, with a hint of laughter in her voice.
"Laughter like pealing bells" it had said in the Palo City Post about Dawn. It was certainly true.
"Dawn, you have no idea how glad I am to hear from you. I am having the worst time," I said, sighing.
"What's wrong, sis?" she asked, concerned.
"Well, Logan won't leave me alone, Stacey refuses to be civil to Kristy, and ugh, it's all just a mess."
"Wow, Mary Anne. I know how you hate to see two of your closest friends fighting. I remember how much Claudia and Stacey's fight affected you. And Logan is totally not being fair to you." Dawn had pinpointed exactly how I was feeling.
I nodded, even thought Dawn couldn't see that over the phone. "I just feel so... powerless, you know? Like, I can't change how Stacey feels about Kristy, and I can't change how Logan feels about me."
"That's right, Mary Anne, you can't. And because of that, you can't let those things get to you so much," Dawn said sagely.
"But I can't help it!" I cried helplessly. "Everything about everyone else's life gets to me."
"And that's why everyone loves you so much. You're always ready to lend a sympathetic and empathetic ear."
I sighed. "But it sure doesn't feel good."
"I know. Sometimes, what people like about you isn't so great for your soul," Dawn said.
"I guess."
"But look sis, Logan will move on eventually. And maybe you could talk to Stacey or something," she suggested.
"You know how I hate confronting people," I reminded her.
"Don't think of it as confronting. Think of it as... a nudge in the right direction," she said brightly.
"I'll try, I guess."
"Oh damn, Gracie's crying. I'm supposed to be baby-sitting, because Mrs. Bruen is doing the shopping, Carol and Dad are out, Jeff is at a friend's, so I've really got to go. But I do have one suggestion for you," she said mysteriously.
"What's that?" I asked, intriguied.
"Go to the movies!" she exclaimed.
"Huh? Dawn, no offense, but I don't really want to see people right now." Dawn definitely had her own way of looking at things.
"By yourself, silly. Just get caught up in story, in the atmosphere. Forget about your problems for a little while," she said.
"Well..." I wasn't sure I had enough self-assurance to go to the movies by myself.
"Just think about. Look, I've really got to go. Gracie's crying up a storm and she may bust if I don't tend to her soon. Love ya, sis! Tell mom I love her."
And with that, my sister hung up.
Even though it sounded a little frightening to my shaky self-confidence, Dawn's suggestion was a good one. So I pulled out the movie listings from the Stoneybrook News, and went down the list of what was playing. Nothing seemed to appeal to me, until I got to the listings for the Embassy Theater. I remembered that Stacey, when Kristy's parents were getting married and we had to take care of all those kids, had taken her charges to see "Mary Poppins" there. Well, the theater was playing "Breakfast at Tiffany's" this weekend, and that was just absolutely perfect.
While my favorite Hepburn movie was "Roman Holiday," "Breakfast at Tiffany's" was a close second. Just hearing the opening music (Moon River) was enough to make my eyes well up. And I've always wanted to see it on the big screen, and being alone wasn't enough to stop me.
So I hopped on my bike and headed downtown, ready to absorb myself into the New York universe of Holly Golightly and Paul Varjak.