Seven.

Claudia

I haven't been home in ten days.

We leave for Sea City the day after tomorrow. I'm not even sure if my parents know I'm going. Or if they care. I think Maureen has been talking to them. I can't be sure. I haven't been at Stacey's house for two days. She's been getting a little edgy with me. I think we've been seeing way too much of each other. On sunday when we all went to the mall Stacey was being very odd, not wanting much to do with me, Mary Anne, or Dawn. She and Mallory took off by themselves for most of the trip. Mallory. I don't get that at all. So I asked Mary Anne if I could crash at her house, she ran it by her dad and they gave me the okay. I've been staying in Dawn's room. It was a little strange at first, because she has this little bag of drugs that she is doing nothing with, just staring at it. We've been talking a lot. I guess I sort of understand. She says she's testing herself. She wants to be strong. I told her to flush it, but she says she can't. I'm really not sure if she's torturing herself or waiting for the right moment, but at this point I don't mind either. After everything she's told me, I understand why she got in so deep. I mean, I guess I do. I never really tried drugs.

Everyone is downstairs eating dinner. I don't eat dinner with them, because I feel like I'm imposing. Dawn, Mary Anne, Sharon, and Richard have all told me I'm not. It doesn't change how I feel.

I munch on a Snickers and browse the internet on Dawn's computer. I've been looking at apartments for rent in various places. So expensive. With Stacey acting the way she is, I'm not so sure she wants to go through with our plan. I shouldn't have counted on it so much. I mean, I love her to death but Stacey has always been a bit of a flake.

I bring up my Buddy List and see that Stacey is online. Sighing, I send her a message. "Hey, what''s up?" Nothing too fancy.

After a couple minutes Stacey responds that she's busy. I reply asking if she's still going to Sea City. It's a little catty, I know, but I'm actually very curious. She responds instantly, saying of course, and she would be picking us up friday moring at seven.

At least there's that. I want to ask her if she hates me, too, like my parents, but of course I don't. That just sounds like I want her to feel sorry for me. Maybe I do, but I'm not going to ask.

Sighing, I bring up e-mail and type in my mother's address.

mom.

i just want you to know im ok. im staying with mary anne. were all going to sea city on fri. for too weeks. i wasnt sure if you knew that.

I tapped my fingers on the desk. Now what? I don't know what to say next.

do you and dad stil love me?

God. No. I erased what I had just written.

im sorry if i have hurt you. i love you.

Better. Short and sweet. I clicked "send" before I could change my mind.

I shut down the computer and made my way to my bed I had made on Dawn's floor. I need a nap.

I woke up with a start, confused. It was dark outside. How long had I slept?

According to the clock it was one in the morning.

I groaned. Now I'll be up all night.

I noticed Dawn wasn't in bed. I stood up, stretching, and made my way to the bathrrom. The light was on in Mary Anne's room, and I could hear low voices. I opened the door slowly. "Guys?"

"Oh, hey, Claud." Dawn said with a smile. "You looked so peaceful, I didn't want to disturb you."

"I wrote my mom an e-mail. I guess it took a lot out of me." I made my way into the room and sat beside Dawn on the bed. Mary Anne was sitting on her window seat, window propped open, smoking a cigarette, She's been smoking a lot lately. It's so uncharacteristic of her to smoke, but I'm actually getting used to it. Mary Anne has changed a lot, especially over the past year.

"Hi Claud!" said another, slightly garbled voice. I looked around in surprise and Mary Anne held up her cell phone. "It's Kristy, on speaker." She said with a grin.

"We were talking about all going out and doing something." Kristy said from the phone. "I guess nobody can sleep. Although I have no idea what we can all go do at this hour..."

"I told you," Mary Anne said matter-of-factly, "Let's go to Logan's house and see if Mallory is there."

"No." Kristy, Dawn, and I all said in unison. I do not know why this girl is so obsessed with what's going on with Logan and Mallory, if there even is anything going on. Personally, I don't think so. Neither are each other's type. And it's illegal.

"Well, let's do something. Let's go eat." Dawn put in.

My stomach rumbled. Greasy drive-thru sounds fantastic.

"I am a little hungry." Said Mary Anne's cell phone.

"Then it's settled. Come get us, Kristy."

Kristy agreed and minutes later the three of us crept through to house to the front and sat on the curb. Mary Anne lit another cigarette. I pulled another Snickers from my purse. Dawn twiddled her tumbs, unwilling to fulfill her craving.

"You should take up smoking." Mary Anne told her, eying her restless sister.

"Gross."

I chuckled. Dawn still thinks smoking is gross. After all she's done.

Kristy drives like an insane person, and she was in front of the house in record time. As soon as we were in the car, Mary Anne says "Let's drive by Logan's."

"Mary Anne!" Kristy exclaimed. "Will you please shut up about Logan? On the way over here I passed by Pete Black's house. There are, like, twenty cars in front of it." Kristy grinned and looked at Dawn and I in the rearview mirror. "Anyone feel like crashing a party?"

Actually, that sounded like fun. Pete is a very cool guy. I've gone out with him a few times. He'd probably be happy to see us.

When we pulled up to the house, Mary Anne shreiked. "Kristy! You planned on coming here all along!"

"Huh?" Kristy asked, looking a little too innocent.

Mary Anee pointed with her ever-present cigarette. "Alan's here!"

"Oh... is he?"

I looked where Mary Anne was pointing and saw Alan's car.

"You witch! You lied!' Mary Anne accused. She was being playful.

"Well, Alan did mention he was going out tonight... it's not like we're married or anything. He can do what he wants." Kristy said with a grin.

"Kristy, Kristy, Kristy... checking up on your boyfriend. It must be love." I teased.

"He is not my boyfriend. We're dating." She was still grinning.

Dawn finally spoke up. "So we're acting like we just happened upon the party and had no idea Alan's here, right?"

"Right." Kristy said, opening her door. We all got out, and from the front porch Pete exclaimed "Girls!"

I approached first. "We were driving by and wondered why we weren't invited!" I said with a grin.

Pete embraced me, then gave me a slightly-too-lingering kiss on the lips. Drunk. "Thank God you did. This place is a sausage-fest, babe." He dropped his hands from my shoulders to my waist and left them there. I miss Pete every now and then, so I really don't mind.

Kristy was looking around, pretending to be nonchalant. "What's up, Pete?"

"I'm tired of listening to your damn boyfriend talk about you, that's what's up." Pete lowered his voice. "Between us, Kristy... that guy really needs to get laid."

Kristy blushed. I laughed. Dawn and Mary Anne looked disgusted.

"Anyway, Alan's in my living room, probably boring some guy to suicide about how much he loves you." Pete said teasingly. Kristy was turning purple. She rushed inside, Dawn and Mary Anne in tow.

"So how's your party?" I asked. Gotta say something.

"Boring. It's hard to get word out without school, you know? A bunch of guys show up and no girls." He tightened his arms around me. "So glad you showed."

"Don't you have a girlfriend?" I asked.

"What, Grace? Naw, she's too good for me. I know because she told me so."

"Awww..." I loosened up a little. No wonder he was being so flirty. He'd really liked Grace Blume. He'd claimed he'd seen a side of her nobody else knew. Guess he was wrong. "I'm sorry, Pete..."

"At least I've got you." He said in that stupid drunken way guys do. "My Claudia." He lowered his lips to mine and I let him kiss me. It was sloppy and wet, a little gross, but I feel sorry for him so I let it happen.

"Ahem."

I pull away from Pete and find Mary Anne standing off the the side, a cigarette in one hand and a plasic cup in the other. I grin sheepishly and Mary Anne smiles and shakes her head. "Pete?" I said.

"Mmm?" Pete's eyes were half closed.

"Pete why don't you go sit down for a while?"

"Yeah, probably..." he murmered, stumbling into the house.

I look at Mary Anne. "I have them passing out by the dozen."

She laughed loudly. "I didn't know you and Pete were still..." she trailed off.

"Only once in a great while. Pete get's his heart broken and for some reason needs to sleep with me. It's stupid of me to do it, but I have such a soft spot for him..."

"You've slept with him?"

Whoops. Mary Anne and I may be close, but I've made it a rule never to discuss sex with her. She's too innocent. Damn. "Well, yeah. I have. Since the last time we were dating."

She looked at me quizzically. "Why did I think you were a virgin?"

Yikes. "I never wanted to tell you, to be honest. I know how you get about sex."

She was silent for a few moments. Then - "Is Stacey still a virgin?"

I laughed. "Stacey? Of course. You know how she is. Nobody is good enough. With the exception of Johnny Depp."

Mary Anne looked very serious. "How strange. I always thought I could never talk about it because you guys would think I was gross or something."

"You can talk about sex, Mary Anne. It's really okay."

"That's not what I... meant." She looked out at the street for a few moments. I didn't push her. I don't really know how. I have no idea what she could be talking about.

She snapped out of it and drained her cup. "Let's go get a drink!" She exclaimed, grabbing my hand and pulling me in the door.

It's funny. A week ago I thought I knew all these people so well. Now I feel like I'm about to spend two weeks with a bunch of strangers. In the house I found Pete passed out on his couch, so I snuck to his room and left him a note inviting him to come visit in Sea City. I even left him the address and the phone number of the house. If Alan could come, so could Pete.