Ann Martin - Kristy Power!

The doorbell rang then, and I gasped. "That can't be guests already!" I cried. What a disaster. I hadn't even put out the cheese balls.

"It's probably just Dawn," said Mary Anne. "She was still napping off her jet lag when I left the house, but she said she'd be here as soon as she could." We were having a mini BSC reunion that night. Dawn and her younger brother, Jeff, had just arrived from California to spend the holidays with their mom and Mary Anne and Mary Anne's dad. Mallory was home from boarding school for Christmas break. Abby, Jessi, and Shannon would be coming by too.

Mary Anne ran to answer the door while I headed for the kitchen to round up the cheese balls. When I returned to the dining room, Dawn was there. She was in the middle of giving Claudia a big hug, but when she saw me her eyes lit up.

"Kristy!" she said. "The place looks awesome. The decorations are great. And you guys all look excellent," she added, gazing around at us.

I was glad to hear she liked the decorations. I was pretty proud of myself. The chili pepper lights were strung around the dining room, and red candles were burning on the table. I'd hung ropes of evergreen (Watson had helped me pick them up at the nursery) all through the house, and our gigantic Christmas tree, hung with our traditional trimmings and dripping with tinsel, stood proudly in the living room. Claudia's centerpiece brightened the dining room table, and some paper chains that Karen and Andrew had made were draped in the hallways. I'd even put our red and green guest towels in the downstairs bathroom.

As for our outfits, I had to agree with Dawn that everybody looked great. I was wearing a holiday version of my usual "uniform": instead of jeans I wore dark green corduroys, and I'd topped them with a bright red turtleneck. Stacey was wearing a red woolen miniskirt topped with a little red woolen jacket (she looked like a very hip Mrs. Claus). Claudia had on red-and-white-striped stockings (the candy cane look) and a white dress with red polka dots. Miniature green Christmas tree earrings dangled from her ears. Mary Anne looked beautiful in a navy blue velvet dress. And Dawn was doing Christmas California-style, in a white denim miniskirt and green silk blouse.

I took a deep breath. Maybe I was ready, after all. The doorbell rang again, and this time my heart didn't jump. The cheese balls were in place. There wasn't anything else to do but enjoy the party.

Mal and Jessi arrived together, giggling and talking and clearly thrilled to be reunited. I knew they'd monopolize each other all night long, but that was fine with me. I could imagine how hard it must be for best friends to be apart as much as they were.

Abby showed up next, with Shannon. "We walked over together," Shannon explained. "Have you looked outside? It's starting to snow." Perfect. I couldn't have asked for a better evening. Very atmospheric. I ran to turn on the outdoor lights so we could watch the snow drifting down in the backyard.

Before I knew it, the party was in full swing. The doorbell was ringing every five seconds. Watson and my mom were in the kitchen, whipping up a batch of eggnog. Karen, Andrew, David Michael, and Emily Michelle were the "coat squad": They were piling everyone's coats on the guest room bed and pounding up and down the stairs as they raced one another to answer the door and help the next arriving guest. Sam and Charlie cranked up the volume on the CD player. They'd volunteered to DJ the party and keep the mood happy and fun.

It was an excellent party - I think. It went by in such a blur that I can't even be sure. I know that everybody seemed to be having a great time. I know that a bunch of people were dancing in the living room, and that almost all the food and all but one bottle of soda disappeared. There was lots of talking and plenty of laughter, especially in the corner where kids were playing Pictionary. I know I talked to just about every one of my guests, though only one of the conversations really sticks in my head (more about that later). But for the most part, the evening was like a speeded-up movie. A few scenes do stand out. For instance, I'll never forget the moment when Ted arrived. The doorbell rang while I happened to be standing in the front hall, so I was the one to answer the door.

"Ho, ho, ho!" Santa was on my doorstep - a Santa wearing red corduroy pants, a red flannel shirt, and a red Polarfleece hat. Instead of a white beard, his was black, and the bulge in his stomach was obviously fake.

"Ted!" I cried. I opened the door wide and motioned him inside. I was incredibly happy to see him, and I knew everybody else would be too. Sure enough, his entrance into the dining room brought on cheers and applause.

Watching him circulate through the room, I thought how great it was that things had worked out the way they had. Mrs. Dow and her group had made a lot of noise, but we'd been organized and determined and unafraid to take a stand, and our side had won in the end. I'd learned a good lesson from that.

I saw Claudia and Jeremy talking with Ted. Then he moved on, and the two of them continued chatting. Jeremy had arrived with a corsage for Stacey, and he was her date for the party - but I couldn't help noticing that he kept gravitating toward Claudia. He seemed to be enjoying himself more when he was talking to her than when he was dancing or making the rounds with Stacey.

Logan had arrived on his own, to my relief. Still, he and Mary Anne spent most of the evening in separate rooms. He'd be nibbling on nachos in the dining room, and she'd be talking in the living room. She'd walk into the dining room to find some soda, and Logan would head for the CD player to request a song from Sam and Charlie.

When I asked Mary Anne if she was having a good time, she said she was. But at one point, she walked into the dining room, where Logan and Emily Bernstein were having a lively conversation about the book he was reading for Ted's class. I saw her notice them and watched a shadow cross her face. For a second, she looked a little sick. Then she stood up straight, helped herself to a cheese ball, and went back toward the living room. I could tell it wasn't easy for her to see Logan with another girl, even if they weren't dating.

All evening I'd been wondering if Cary would show up. After all, I'd invited him way back when, before this mess had taken over our lives. But eventually I stopped watching to see who'd arrived every time the doorbell rang. It looked as if he'd decided to stay away.

Then, as I was walking through the living room, offering a box of chocolates around, I spotted him in a corner talking to Alan Gray. He must have arrived when I wasn't looking.

I held out the box to him. "Chocolate?" I asked.

Alan took three pieces and shoved them into his mouth all at once. "Thggs," he said as he chewed.

He is so gross sometimes.

Cary helped himself to a piece. "Good party," he said.

"Thanks," I replied. "Did you guys have some of the eggnog my mom and Watson made?" "Eggnog? Where? I love eggnog!" Alan took off for the dining room.

Which left Cary and me standing there alone.

I glanced at him. He met my eyes. And he didn't turn and walk away.

Maybe it was time for us to clear the air, once and for all.

"Cary," I began, putting the chocolates down on a nearby table. "You were right. Whether or not that was your journal, I was wrong to read it. I'm sorry. Really, I am." He nodded. "I know," he said. "Apology accepted." He stuck out his hand, and I shook it.

A feeling of relief washed over me. Finally! Suddenly, I felt a little tongue-tied. Now that we'd "made up," what would we talk about?

Cary broke the silence. "I have to say, I've had a great time writing your biography," he said. "There's more to you than I would have guessed." "Well, thanks -I think," I said. I'd enjoyed writing his too. I'd found that writing about what I didn't know about him told as much as writing what I did know.