Chapter Two
Mary Anne suddenly slammed the phone down into its cradle. Her hands were shaking and her heart was beating a mile a minute.
"Oh, great," she thought to herself. "That was a mature reaction."
She flopped back into the couch cushions and thought deeply. Cokie was not the most trustworthy person. She had always liked Logan and tried to do anything possible to lure him away from Mary Anne. Was it possible it had finally worked? Mary Anne decided to do the most sensible thing. She'd call Logan himself and find out the truth.
She dialed his cell phone number. One ring, two rings, "Hello?" he answered.
"Hi Logan, it's Mary Anne," she replied.
"Hey, what's up?" he asked.
"Logan," Mary Anne began. "Ummm...I got a really weird phone call just now. It was from Cokie Mason. She said that you guys were going to a movie tonight. I know it's ridiculous for me to even be calling you about this but..."
"Well, yeah, we are going to a movie together," Logan replied nonchalantly.
"What?!" asked Mary Anne incredulously. "What do you mean you're going to a movie together?! You're my boyfriend!"
"I'm going out to have fun, Mary Anne. I'm just finding our whole relationship a bit stale. We're in high school now and I just feel like there's so much out there I'm missing out on. We do the same old things together and I'm just bored."
"Like going to a movie is such an original idea," Mary Anne scoffed. She felt her eyes brimming with tears. "I cannot believe you'd do this to me, Logan. Why didn't you talk to me instead of going behind my back and letting me hear it from Cokie?! After all we've been through!"
"Well..." he trailed off. "Listen Mary Anne, I've got to go now. I've got to meet Cokie in a few minutes."
"I can't believe you're so nonchalant about this! Like I don't matter, like my feelings don't matter, like almost five years together doesn't matter," Mary Anne burst out. "You're such a jerk, Logan Bruno. You and Cokie should be very happy together. You're both selfish and cruel!" With that, Mary Anne slammed the phone down again and buried her face in the couch cushions sobbing.
That's exactly the position Dawn found her in when she came back from her sitting job later that night. Mary Anne was curled up in the fetal position, still sobbing.
"Mary Anne!" Dawn cried out when she saw her. "What's the matter? What happened?"
She came over and sat down next to Mary Anne and gently pushed the wet strands of hair away from her face. She pulled a tissue from the box on the coffee table and offered it to Mary Anne.
"Here, sit up and tell me what happened," Dawn said softly.
"It's Logan," Mary Anne hiccupped. "He's out with Cokie! On a date! He says I'm boring and our relationship is boring and...."she paused trying to catch her breath but then she broke out into a fresh batch of tears. "Ohhhh Dawwwwnnn!" she wailed.
Dawn pulled Mary Anne into a hug and patted her back gently and just let Mary Anne cry. After a few minutes, the sobs subsided a bit.
"Listen Mary Anne, what Logan did to you was so wrong," Dawn said firmly. "But it's better that you find out about it sooner than later. And you know what, if he really has changed for the worst like this, then you're better off without him. He's not the Logan he used to be if he's going out with Cokie Mason. You're smart, you're sensitive and kind and caring, you're funny, you're a great friend, and a great girlfriend. You deserve so much better that someone who would cheat on you like this. You know what you're going to do, Mary Anne? You're going to get yourself cleaned up and get a good night's sleep. And then you're going to face tomorrow and the next day and every day after that with a smile, being the strong Mary Anne Spier that you are. You're not going to give Logan and Cokie the satisfaction of knowing they hurt you. Got it? You're going to hang out with your friends, baby-sit, shop, write, do whatever you want to and not let that snake Logan Bruno get the best of you!"
Mary Anne nodded softly and let Dawn's words sink in. "You're right Dawn. I will do that. Earlier tonight, I was thinking about how I was sort of enjoying getting back into baby-sitting and having the time to write and hang out with all my friends."
"Well, now you have plenty of time to do all of that," Dawn smiled. "Maybe even enough time to sneak in some dates with all the eligible guys at Stoneybrook High?" Dawn nudged and winked at Mary Anne.
Mary Anne laughed. "I don't know if I'm ready to start dating so soon, but you're on the right track. Thanks for your words of wisdom, Dawn."
"That's what sisters are for, right?" Dawn replied. "And don't forget your friends. Kristy, Claudia, and Stacey are all there for you too." She smiled and gave Mary Anne a reassuring hug. "Now, how about I make us each a strawberry banana smoothie before we turn in for the night?"
"Sounds good," smiled Mary Anne. As Dawn went into the kitchen to blend up their midnight treat, Mary Anne took a big breath and sighed deeply. It was going to be tough going back to school Monday morning and having to face Logan, but with her friends, she knew she could do it.
Mary Anne suddenly slammed the phone down into its cradle. Her hands were shaking and her heart was beating a mile a minute.
"Oh, great," she thought to herself. "That was a mature reaction."
She flopped back into the couch cushions and thought deeply. Cokie was not the most trustworthy person. She had always liked Logan and tried to do anything possible to lure him away from Mary Anne. Was it possible it had finally worked? Mary Anne decided to do the most sensible thing. She'd call Logan himself and find out the truth.
She dialed his cell phone number. One ring, two rings, "Hello?" he answered.
"Hi Logan, it's Mary Anne," she replied.
"Hey, what's up?" he asked.
"Logan," Mary Anne began. "Ummm...I got a really weird phone call just now. It was from Cokie Mason. She said that you guys were going to a movie tonight. I know it's ridiculous for me to even be calling you about this but..."
"Well, yeah, we are going to a movie together," Logan replied nonchalantly.
"What?!" asked Mary Anne incredulously. "What do you mean you're going to a movie together?! You're my boyfriend!"
"I'm going out to have fun, Mary Anne. I'm just finding our whole relationship a bit stale. We're in high school now and I just feel like there's so much out there I'm missing out on. We do the same old things together and I'm just bored."
"Like going to a movie is such an original idea," Mary Anne scoffed. She felt her eyes brimming with tears. "I cannot believe you'd do this to me, Logan. Why didn't you talk to me instead of going behind my back and letting me hear it from Cokie?! After all we've been through!"
"Well..." he trailed off. "Listen Mary Anne, I've got to go now. I've got to meet Cokie in a few minutes."
"I can't believe you're so nonchalant about this! Like I don't matter, like my feelings don't matter, like almost five years together doesn't matter," Mary Anne burst out. "You're such a jerk, Logan Bruno. You and Cokie should be very happy together. You're both selfish and cruel!" With that, Mary Anne slammed the phone down again and buried her face in the couch cushions sobbing.
That's exactly the position Dawn found her in when she came back from her sitting job later that night. Mary Anne was curled up in the fetal position, still sobbing.
"Mary Anne!" Dawn cried out when she saw her. "What's the matter? What happened?"
She came over and sat down next to Mary Anne and gently pushed the wet strands of hair away from her face. She pulled a tissue from the box on the coffee table and offered it to Mary Anne.
"Here, sit up and tell me what happened," Dawn said softly.
"It's Logan," Mary Anne hiccupped. "He's out with Cokie! On a date! He says I'm boring and our relationship is boring and...."she paused trying to catch her breath but then she broke out into a fresh batch of tears. "Ohhhh Dawwwwnnn!" she wailed.
Dawn pulled Mary Anne into a hug and patted her back gently and just let Mary Anne cry. After a few minutes, the sobs subsided a bit.
"Listen Mary Anne, what Logan did to you was so wrong," Dawn said firmly. "But it's better that you find out about it sooner than later. And you know what, if he really has changed for the worst like this, then you're better off without him. He's not the Logan he used to be if he's going out with Cokie Mason. You're smart, you're sensitive and kind and caring, you're funny, you're a great friend, and a great girlfriend. You deserve so much better that someone who would cheat on you like this. You know what you're going to do, Mary Anne? You're going to get yourself cleaned up and get a good night's sleep. And then you're going to face tomorrow and the next day and every day after that with a smile, being the strong Mary Anne Spier that you are. You're not going to give Logan and Cokie the satisfaction of knowing they hurt you. Got it? You're going to hang out with your friends, baby-sit, shop, write, do whatever you want to and not let that snake Logan Bruno get the best of you!"
Mary Anne nodded softly and let Dawn's words sink in. "You're right Dawn. I will do that. Earlier tonight, I was thinking about how I was sort of enjoying getting back into baby-sitting and having the time to write and hang out with all my friends."
"Well, now you have plenty of time to do all of that," Dawn smiled. "Maybe even enough time to sneak in some dates with all the eligible guys at Stoneybrook High?" Dawn nudged and winked at Mary Anne.
Mary Anne laughed. "I don't know if I'm ready to start dating so soon, but you're on the right track. Thanks for your words of wisdom, Dawn."
"That's what sisters are for, right?" Dawn replied. "And don't forget your friends. Kristy, Claudia, and Stacey are all there for you too." She smiled and gave Mary Anne a reassuring hug. "Now, how about I make us each a strawberry banana smoothie before we turn in for the night?"
"Sounds good," smiled Mary Anne. As Dawn went into the kitchen to blend up their midnight treat, Mary Anne took a big breath and sighed deeply. It was going to be tough going back to school Monday morning and having to face Logan, but with her friends, she knew she could do it.