Mary Anne and Too Many Boys by Ann M. Martin

Author:Ann M. Martin [M. Martin, Ann]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Published: 2013-08-25T16:00:00+00:00

There was a big mix-up Friday night. It wasn’t Stacey’s fault, but it wasn’t my fault, either. (And I’m the one who got stuck.) This is the way it happened. Mr. and Mrs. Pike said that Stacey and I could have one evening off each week, but they asked us to take the evenings separately. I could see their point. That way they could go out every evening if they wanted to, knowing that Mal and either Stacey or I would baby-sit. Stacey and I were a little disappointed with the arrangement because we liked evenings off together, but we didn’t say anything. We didn’t even talk about it, which was a shame, because we should have straightened out our nights off in the beginning.

The first inkling I had that something was wrong was when I saw Stacey drag out the iron. It was six-thirty on Friday evening, and we had just cleaned up the kitchen after an early supper. Stacey hates to iron, and I was amazed to see her spread a white cotton sundress over the ironing board in the corner of the kitchen.

“You’re ironing?” I said incredulously.

Stacey touched her finger to her nose like you do in charades when someone guesses the right word.

I felt a little silly. It was pretty obvious that she was ironing, the question was … why? “I meant, why are you doing that now?”

Stacey looked up, her blue eyes very bright against her tanned face. “Well, I can’t go out on a date with a wrinkled dress, can I?”

“A date?”

“With Toby.” She bent over the sundress, humming a little song. She suddenly looked a little pale, even under her suntan, and I wondered if she felt okay. Stacey’s diabetes is under control, but she has to watch her diet and medication. “We’re going to the arcade tonight. You don’t think this is too dressy, do you?” she asked worriedly. She didn’t wait for me to answer, which is just as well, because I was standing there with my mouth hanging open. “I want to wear white because it will show off my tan.”

“You’re going to the arcade?” I blurted out. “Tonight?”

“It will certainly bring back memories,” she said with a sigh. I knew exactly what she meant. The last time she went to the arcade, she and Toby had had what you would call a very romantic evening. He won a stuffed teddy bear for her, which she immediately named “Toby-Bear.” But the really big news was that they went through the Tunnel of Luv, where Toby gave Stacey her first kiss.

“I remember the last time we went to the arcade,” she began. “It was such an incredible evening —”

I could tell Stacey was revving up for a lot of mushy memories, but I had something more important on my mind. If Stacey was going out with Toby that night, I had to say something — fast!

“Um, Stacey,” I said, “I’m afraid there’s a problem.”

“A problem?” She blinked and put the iron on its end.

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