The Banana Split Affair by Cynthia Blair

Author:Cynthia Blair [Blair, Cynthia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Young Adult Fiction
Publisher: Belgrave House
Published: 1985-09-21T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

“Hello again!”

Chris glanced up from the watercolor painting she was working on and found herself face-to-face with Keith West.

“Oh, hi, Keith! I’m sorry I didn’t notice you standing there. I got so absorbed in what I was doing ...”

“So I see.” He grinned. “I’ve been standing here for almost five minutes watching you work.”

“You’ve been watching me work? Whatever for?” Chris was pleased that Keith was taking such a sudden interest. No, silly! she reminded herself. It’s Susan he’s taking a sudden interest in. And don’t you forget it!

“It’s fascinating,” replied Keith. “You get so wrapped up in your work, it’s as if you’ve completely forgotten that the rest of the world even exists.”

“That’s because I’m concentrating so hard.” If he only knew! Chris couldn’t help smiling to herself. I have to concentrate as hard as I can. That’s because I don’t know what I’m doing!

“Well, whatever your secret is, it sure as heck works!”

Keith twisted his head around so he could get a better view of the half-finished painting on Chris’s desk. He studied it for a minute, then frowned.

“What exactly are you trying to say here, Susan? This is so different from your usual style that it looks as if somebody else did it.”

Chris looked at him sharply. Had he seen through her? Or was he merely making an innocent comment? She answered him cautiously.

“Since this is an experimental project, trying to mix our own colors and all, I decided to try something totally different in terms of my style, too. Don’t you like it?”

“Oh, yes!” Keith assured her quickly. “I didn’t say it’s not as good as your usual stuff. I was just surprised to see that you’re so ... versatile.”

Goodness! Chris thought. This Keith really is stuck on Susan! He can find no fault with her, no matter what!

She looked at her painting critically. It was a childlike drawing of a house done in bold strokes of muddy colors. Chris had to admit that no matter how she judged it, it still looked like the first artistic attempt of a five-year-old.

“Yes,” Keith went on, “I always liked that primitive style of art. It’s so honest, so innocent. You’ve really managed to capture that effect well.”

“Thanks, Keith.” Chris smiled at him warmly. “Your opinion means a lot to me.”

After an embarrassing pause during which neither Keith nor Chris could think of anything else to say, Keith said, “Well, I guess I should get back to work. This project is due tomorrow, and I still have a lot to do on it. See you around!”

Chris noticed that he started to walk away from her with some reluctance. A sudden sense of urgency tugged at her

“Hey, Keith, wait a second!”

“Yeah, Susan?”

What am I doing? she thought in horror For a split second she had let her Chris personality take over. She was about to ask Keith if he wanted to have lunch with her sometime. That was the kind of question Chris asked all the time, once she was certain a boy was interested in her but too shy to do anything about it.

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