so that she could show them how good she was.
The class didn’t come.
By eleven she was dying for them to come back.
The class didn’t come.
By eleven-thirty she was getting kind of grumpy.
By twelve she was getting steamed.
At twelve-twenty, the class returned. Mrs. Martin had spots of pink in her cheeks.
“How was the play?” asked Ms. Dodge.
“It was just a mystery,” Mrs. Martin said. “It wasn’t a serious play, but it wasn’t half bad.” She turned to Stevie. “Skye Ransom certainly can act.”
“What a hunk,” said one of Stevie’s classmates with a sigh.
“
Hunk
is not a word we use,” said Mrs. Martin, “unless we are talking about a piece of cheese.”
“Was the mystery good?” asked Stevie wistfully.
“No one guessed the solution before the end,” said Mrs. Martin. “It was really quite clever.”
“You should see Skye’s dressing room,” one of the girls said to Stevie. “He has telegrams from stars—they all say ‘Break a leg.’ It’s an old Broadway tradition.”
“Were there lots of stars backstage?” Stevie said.
Helen shook her head. “Skye had a cousin there.”
“So his cousin was glamorous?” Stevie said. She figured that movie stars must have outstanding cousins.
“He was nice,” Helen said. “He’s in junior high school. He likes math.”
“I guess there was lots of food backstage,” Stevie said. “Like incredible pastries.”
“I saw a couple of paper cups of coffee,” Helen said. “That’s all.”
Stevie had imagined the backstage filled with celebrities and fancy furniture and great food. Instead, it sounded kind of … ordinary.
“But Skye was great,” Stevie said.
“The greatest,” Cathy, one of the other girls, said. “He’s making another horse movie. He said to tell you he’d write you a long letter about it.”
“So dinner afterward was great,” Stevie said.
“It was great,” Cathy said. “But I’m not used to eating so late. I’m bushed.” She gave a huge yawn.
“What about the limo?” said Stevie.
“It was good,” Kim, another girl, said, yawning, too.
“People sure get used to glamour fast,” said Stevie.
“Glamour isn’t so … glamorous,” said Helen with a grin. “If you know what I mean.”
Stevie realized that the Broadway show and going backstage and eating at a restaurant had been fun, but not incredible. She hadn’t missed out on as much as she’d thought. Actually, she’d had a good time at the hotel with Ms. Dodge.
As everyone was leaving, Stevie went over to Ms. Dodge and hugged her. “I liked our time together,” she said.
Ms. Dodge looked startled, and then touched. “Thanks, Stevie. That really means a lot.” She hugged Stevie back.
C AROLE WAS IN front of a huge audience. They were pointing at her and laughing. When she looked around, trying to figure out why they were laughing, they laughed even harder. The sea of faces was huge and frightening. Where was she? What was going on?
There was something on her head. She reached up and touched the thing. It was smooth and conical. She ran her fingers up the sides. By this time the people in the audience were crying from laughter.
Carole touched the top and felt that it was pointed. She held the point of the thing and pulled it off. It was a dunce cap. She looked around. She was all alone on the stage. There was no one to help her.
A bell rang. The audience laughed. Carole searched for the bell. It wasn’t hanging from the ceiling of the theater. It wasn’t in the wings. She opened her eyes. It was the telephone. The whole thing had been a dream. She lay in bed for a second, getting used to the fact that she was at home in her room. Gradually her heart stopped pounding.
She looked at the clock next to her bed. It was after midnight.
She heard a thump on the other side of the room and turned on the light. Lisa had gotten out of her sleeping bag and was standing up, looking half-asleep.
Carole picked up the phone.
The class didn’t come.
By eleven she was dying for them to come back.
The class didn’t come.
By eleven-thirty she was getting kind of grumpy.
By twelve she was getting steamed.
At twelve-twenty, the class returned. Mrs. Martin had spots of pink in her cheeks.
“How was the play?” asked Ms. Dodge.
“It was just a mystery,” Mrs. Martin said. “It wasn’t a serious play, but it wasn’t half bad.” She turned to Stevie. “Skye Ransom certainly can act.”
“What a hunk,” said one of Stevie’s classmates with a sigh.
“
Hunk
is not a word we use,” said Mrs. Martin, “unless we are talking about a piece of cheese.”
“Was the mystery good?” asked Stevie wistfully.
“No one guessed the solution before the end,” said Mrs. Martin. “It was really quite clever.”
“You should see Skye’s dressing room,” one of the girls said to Stevie. “He has telegrams from stars—they all say ‘Break a leg.’ It’s an old Broadway tradition.”
“Were there lots of stars backstage?” Stevie said.
Helen shook her head. “Skye had a cousin there.”
“So his cousin was glamorous?” Stevie said. She figured that movie stars must have outstanding cousins.
“He was nice,” Helen said. “He’s in junior high school. He likes math.”
“I guess there was lots of food backstage,” Stevie said. “Like incredible pastries.”
“I saw a couple of paper cups of coffee,” Helen said. “That’s all.”
Stevie had imagined the backstage filled with celebrities and fancy furniture and great food. Instead, it sounded kind of … ordinary.
“But Skye was great,” Stevie said.
“The greatest,” Cathy, one of the other girls, said. “He’s making another horse movie. He said to tell you he’d write you a long letter about it.”
“So dinner afterward was great,” Stevie said.
“It was great,” Cathy said. “But I’m not used to eating so late. I’m bushed.” She gave a huge yawn.
“What about the limo?” said Stevie.
“It was good,” Kim, another girl, said, yawning, too.
“People sure get used to glamour fast,” said Stevie.
“Glamour isn’t so … glamorous,” said Helen with a grin. “If you know what I mean.”
Stevie realized that the Broadway show and going backstage and eating at a restaurant had been fun, but not incredible. She hadn’t missed out on as much as she’d thought. Actually, she’d had a good time at the hotel with Ms. Dodge.
As everyone was leaving, Stevie went over to Ms. Dodge and hugged her. “I liked our time together,” she said.
Ms. Dodge looked startled, and then touched. “Thanks, Stevie. That really means a lot.” She hugged Stevie back.
C AROLE WAS IN front of a huge audience. They were pointing at her and laughing. When she looked around, trying to figure out why they were laughing, they laughed even harder. The sea of faces was huge and frightening. Where was she? What was going on?
There was something on her head. She reached up and touched the thing. It was smooth and conical. She ran her fingers up the sides. By this time the people in the audience were crying from laughter.
Carole touched the top and felt that it was pointed. She held the point of the thing and pulled it off. It was a dunce cap. She looked around. She was all alone on the stage. There was no one to help her.
A bell rang. The audience laughed. Carole searched for the bell. It wasn’t hanging from the ceiling of the theater. It wasn’t in the wings. She opened her eyes. It was the telephone. The whole thing had been a dream. She lay in bed for a second, getting used to the fact that she was at home in her room. Gradually her heart stopped pounding.
She looked at the clock next to her bed. It was after midnight.
She heard a thump on the other side of the room and turned on the light. Lisa had gotten out of her sleeping bag and was standing up, looking half-asleep.
Carole picked up the phone.
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