Ann Martin - Kristy's Mystery Admirer

"Kristy," said Shannon sharply, "you should not have. Go see what Bart really wants. I'm sure he's not backing out."

I picked up the phone as if it were a dead

snake. I barely touched it. "Hello?" I squeaked. "Bart?"

"Hi, Coach/' said Bart cheerfully. "Listen, you won't believe this. I have the greatest costumes for us to wear to the dance. I know we didn't say anything about costumes, but I was just up in our attic and I found — I know you're not going to believe this — but I found two lobster costumes. My parents wore them to a party once. A long time ago. I think my mom's costume would fit you. Do you want to wear it?"

Did I want to wear it? Of course I did! Then I wouldn't have to wear a dress. Or nail polish. "Oh, yes!" I cried. "Definitely. That's terrific, Bart. You know, they're giving out prizes for costumes this year. Scariest, funniest, that sort of thing. Hey, do these costumes have masks?"

"No," replied Bart. "We'll have to do a little makeup. Is that okay?"

"It's great!" I said. "Thanks. I'll talk to you soon. 'Bye!" I hung up and ran back to my room. "Shannon," I said, "that was Bart. Guess what. I'm going to do my own makeup. Watch this." I smeared my entire face with liquid rouge. I looked as red as a you-know-what.

Shannon gaped. "Kristy!! That's not a makeup job."

"It is when you're going to be a lobster."

I explained to Shannon about the costumes. Then I gleefully took off my dress and put it back in the closet.

"Kristy?" said Shannon.

"What?"

"You're weird."

"Thank you."

Shannon grinned at me. "You and Bart are going to have a great time," she said.

"I hope so," I replied.

Chapter 14.

It was Friday night, the night of the Hallow-een Hop.

I stood in front of the full-length mirror in the bathroom.

I was wearing a lobster costume.

"Not bad," I murmured. I certainly did look like a lobster — if lobsters were able to stand up and walk on their tails with their legs waving around in front of them. I had antennae, the proper number of legs, and even claws. (The claws fitted over my hands, like mittens.) The other six legs were stiff with wire and were fastened to the body of the costume.

I was just applying the last of the rouge to my face when, "Aughhh!"

"Aughhh!" I shrieked back.

Karen was standing behind me. My costume had scared her, and she had scared me. "Is that what you're wearing to the dance tonight?" she asked, incredulous. "I thought

when girls went to dances they wore beautiful gowns and ribbons or maybe pearls in their hair. And jewelry, lots of jewelry."

Karen moved beside me and gazed in the mirror. I'm sure she was picturing herself at a "big girl" dance, jewel bedecked and gorgeous.

"No, silly," I said, fluffing her hair. "I mean, usually people do get dressed up for a dance, but this is a Halloween dance, so Bart and I are wearing costumes. How do I look as a lobster?"

"Fine. Is Bart your boyfriend?"

"Maybe." I answered. "I'm not sure."

"How come you're not sure?"

"I'm just not, that's all." Usually, I like having Karen and Andrew live with us every other weekend, but sometimes Karen asks too many questions. So I asked her one instead, hoping she'd forget about Bart. "Is your Halloween costume ready?"

"Yup." (Karen, Andrew, David Michael, Emily, and a bunch of their friends were going to go trick-or-treating the next day as characters from The Wizard of Oz. Mom had hired me to take them around the neighborhood.)

"Well, I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be," I told Karen.

"Are you nervous, Kristy?"

"A little." Actually, I was very nervous, but not for any reason Karen could imagine. Here are the reasons I was worried:

1. I'm not a great dancer, and it was hard enough to walk in my costume, let alone dance in it.

2. This was basically my first true date. I'd gone to dances before, but only with dweebs like Alan Gray, so those didn't count. And Bart and I had gone to the movies and stuff before, but usually on the spur of the moment, and definitely only as friends. I had a feeling tonight would be different.

3. Nobody at SMS, except my friends (and some enemies, who shall remain nameless) had seen Bart. Kids didn't bring dates from other schools very often, so Bart and I would have stood out as a couple even if we weren't dressed like lobsters. I was afraid that some kids might give Bart a hard time. "Kristy!" called Watson from the front hall. "Are you ready to go? We told Bart we'd pick him up in ten minutes."

"Coming!" I called back. "Are you sure I look okay?" I asked Karen.

"Okay for a lobster," she replied.

I grinned. Then I gave her a good-night kiss. "See you in the morning."

"You're going to be out that late?"

"Pretty late. Oh, and guess who will be here when you wake up tomorrow?"

"Who?"

"Shannon, and Mary Anne, and all my friends from the Baby-sitters Club. We're going to have a sleepover after the dance."

"Goody!" said Karen.

"Kristy!" Watson called again.

"Okay, coming!" I ran downstairs. Watson drove me to Bart's house, we picked up the second lobster, and before I knew it, Watson was letting us off in front of SMS.

"Charlie and I will pick up you and your friends at ten-thirty, okay?" said Watson, as Bart and I struggled out of the car.

"Okay," I replied. "And thanks."

The Halloween Hop was a dance for all grades at SMS. Mary Anne and Logan were going to be there. Claudia was ecstatic because Woody Jefferson had asked her to go. Stacey had gotten up the nerve to invite Kelsey Bau-man (the new boy she liked). Dawn and Jessi were going stag. And Mallory was going with Ben Hobart!

"Well," I said nervously to Bart as we entered my school, "this is SMS."

"It's big," said Bart. "I mean, it's not like I've never driven by it, but when you're this close up, it seems so much bigger than Ston-eybrook Day School." Bart looked sort of nervous himself.

"Come on," I said, taking his claw, which was difficult to do.

I led Bart inside. We were entering the back way, near the gym, where the dance would be held. The BSC members (with or without dates) had agreed to meet there. I was relieved to find Stacey and Kelsey, Dawn, and Mary Anne and Logan already there. As soon as the others arrived, we entered the gym in a big bunch.

Right away, people began staring at Bart and me.

"Everyone's looking at us," I whispered to Mary Anne.

"It's just your costumes," she whispered back. "They're so unusual. Don't worry. No one's laughing."

But Bart and I gripped claws even more tightly.

"Come on," said Bart. "Let's get some punch."

So we did. After we had stood around for awhile, and people "had gotten used to us, Bart said, "Do you want to dance? This band is good."

"Hey!" I exclaimed, as we headed for the dance floor, "maybe someday your band could play here. We're always looking for bands."

"Maybe," replied Bart, sounding excited at the prospect.

And so we began to dance. I soon realized that Bart couldn't tell if I was a good dancer or a rotten one. Neither of us could dance well with all the legs and claws and tentacles.

I relaxed and looked around the gym. It was decorated with black and orange streamers and balloons. And the chaperones (our teachers) were all in costumes! Bart and I whirled by Mary Anne and Logan, who were dressed as a witch and Frankenstein. We danced by Stacey and Kelsey, who were just dressed up. (Karen would have approved.) We passed by Dawn, dressed as Alice in Wonderland, who was dancing with a hunchback. (I didn't recognize him.)

And then we danced by Cokie Gray and Austin Bentley.'

I prepared myself for remarks, but Cokie pretended not to notice Bart and me — even though I know she saw us. Good. Maybe our