Ann Martin - Stacey's Broken Heart

I peeked at the front of the theater again, but Robert and Pete had already gone inside. The two people I saw standing there instead made me clutch Claudia's arm. Two beautiful-looking girls of about fifteen or sixteen stood in front as if they were waiting for someone.

"What's the matter now?" Claudia asked.

"Those girls," I said. "What if Robert and Pete are double-dating them?"

"They're in high school," Claudia said doubtfully.

"So? Older women sometimes date younger men!"

"Stacey! Get a grip!"

The girls turned toward the box office window and bought tickets to Hang Tough. "That proves it!" I exclaimed, stepping out of the doorway. "Two girls would never go see that movie unless they were meeting guys. I bet anything they're meeting Pete and Robert."

"They might go see it on their own," Claudia disagreed. "I don't know, Stacey."

"Come on,” I said, already charging toward the movie theater. "I have to know." I reached the window before Claudia and bought us two tickets to Hang Tough. Claudia and I arrived at the entrance to the movie in time to see the backs of the girls as they went in. I waited just a moment, then entered the dark theater, pulling Claudia in with me.

"Look, Claud," I whispered, peering down the center aisle.

Halfway down the aisle, I could see the silhouettes of the girls. Each girl had met up with a boy. My worst suspicion was true.

All I could see was the backs of their heads, but I was positive the boys were Pete and Robert. Claudia and I found two seats about ten rows back from where they sat with their dates.

We sat through the entire movie — every last bomb blast of it. Through the thundering explosions I kept my eye on the couples. Luckily, there was no kissing or anything like that going on. (I might have lost it altogether if there had been.) But just as the hero, Brad Wallace, was saving everyone, Claudia turned to me and said, "I just noticed something. That's not Pete's new hair."

"What?" I asked.

"Pete's hair is long now. Those two guys up there have short hair."

I jumped up to get a better look. She was right! "Sit down," hissed the woman behind me.

"Sorry," I apologized as I stepped into the aisle. Without thinking, I walked right down to where the couples were sitting. The girls were not with Robert and Pete after all! I walked up and down the aisle, checking everyone. The boys weren't even in this theater. "Let's go," I whispered, leaning in to Claudia.

"I want to see the end," she protested. "We sat through it this far."

"Everything blows up but nobody dies," I said. "They all end the same. Now, come on." With a reluctant groan, Claudia stood up and followed me out of the theater. I looked at all the other movies playing. Where could Pete and Robert be?

From behind me, a door opened. "Stacey!"

I whirled around. "Robert!"

"Hi, Pete," Claudia said, sounding sheepish and looking very guilty.

"Hi, guys," Pete replied.

Glancing at the doorway, I saw that Robert and Pete had been watching a romantic Julie Talbert movie that I had really wanted to see. "I thought we were going to see that together," I said.

"You're going away next week, and by the time you come back it won't be playing any longer," he said. "What did you see?"

"That," Claudia said, pointing to the Hang Tough sign.

Robert looked at me as if I'd gone nuts. "Since when do you want to see a movie like Hang Tough?"

"Uh . . . Claudia wanted to see it," I lied.

"Yes. I love movies like that." Claudia backed me up with a nervous giggle. "The more bombs the better."

Pete and Robert exchanged puzzled glances. They knew something wasn't right, but they weren't sure what. "Well, we're all here now," Robert said, shrugging off his confusion. "Want to grab some lunch?"

"Sure," I replied. We decided to eat at Friendly's. Lunch was fun. Pete and Robert

clowned around. Everyone was in a good mood. I was certainly relieved that Robert hadn't been on a double date with a high school girl.

As we left Friendly's, Pete and Robert said they were going to go play video games. Claudia and I wanted to go to Zingy's, a store where they sell cool clothes. We agreed to go our separate ways. "Want to play tennis this evening?" I asked Robert just before Claudia and I went into Zingy's.

A cornered look came into Robert's eyes. "Uh . . . Pete and I were going to ... to ... play baseball with some guys."

"We can come watch," I suggested.

"No . . . it's Pete's cousins. They live over in Lawrenceville," Robert said.

"I don't think there's any more room in the van," Pete added.

I nodded. "Okay. But I'm leaving tomorrow. I guess I won't see you then until I get back," I said, feeling hurt.

"I'll come by in the morning," said Robert. "We can go to the train station together."

That made me feel a little better. "Okay. Give me a call tonight."

"Okay. So long."

Claudia and I stood in front of Zingy's and watched them walk away. "See?" Claudia

said. "Everything turned out okay."

"I'm not sure,” I said thoughtfully. "Did you believe that baseball story?"

"Yeah, why not?"

"I don't know. Robert seemed nervous. And how come he's suddenly spending so much time with Pete Black?"

"They're becoming better friends?" Claudia suggested.

"Maybe," I agreed. "Or maybe he's not really going to be with Pete tonight. What if he's just using Pete as a cover?"

"No," Claudia said. Then she frowned. "Do you think?"

"I don't know," I replied, sighing. "But something isn't right. I can feel it." I didn't like the feeling, either. Not one bit.

Chapter 7.

By eleven o'clock Saturday morning, I still hadn't heard from Robert. "Stacey, we've got to get going," Mom said. "Otherwise you'll miss the eleven-forty-five train."

"Just one minute, okay?" I pleaded. I went to the kitchen phone and called Robert. His mother answered.

"Sorry, Stacey, he left about an hour ago and I'm not sure where he went," she told me.

"All right. Thanks." I hung up with a lump in my throat. Had he forgotten I was leaving this morning?

Mom came into the kitchen. "Your father will be waiting for you at Grand Central Station and he's expecting you on the — " She stopped when she saw my expression. "What's the matter, Stacey?"

"I was expecting Robert to come by .before I left but he must have forgotten."

"I'm sorry, honey."

"It's okay," I said, sniffing back the urge to cry. "Let's go." I'd left my suitcase in the living room. It weighed a ton since Mom and I had gone all out during our back-to-school shop-athon at Bellair's. With a grunt, I lifted the suitcase and opened the front door.

And there was Robert, one hand poised to ring the bell, the other holding the biggest bouquet of flowers — white daisies, yellow sunflowers, and orange daylilies — I'd ever seen.

"Robert!" I cried, putting down my suitcase.

"These are for you," he said, handing me the flowers.

"They're beautiful!" I cried. "Thank you so much. You are so sweet!"

"Take them with you to the city," Mom suggested, smiling as she came up behind me in the doorway. "Just put them in water when you arrive at your father's."