Ann Martin - Baby-Sitters Club 037

I said so later that evening to Mary Anne, when we were upstairs working hard in my room. (Sometimes we do our homework together.) That night, Mary Anne was solving math problems, and I was trying to figure out Travis.

"You know, it just doesn't make sense," I blurted out.

"What doesn't?" Mary Anne barely looked up from her book.

"What Kristy said about Travis and that lifeguard!" My voice was so loud it startled her.

"Oh, that." She pushed her papers aside and stared at me.

"Well, what did you think about it?" I said impatiently.

Mary Anne shrugged. "I guess I didn't think much about it either way. Did it bother you?" Did it bother me! "Yes," I said with clenched teeth. "It bothered me a lot." Mary Anne sighed. "Then I wish she hadn't brought it up." "No, I'm glad she did. Maybe this way I can figure out what's going on. I don't know why he's taking out someone else. And I'm not sure why he's paying attention to me." I started pacing restlessly back and forth in front of the dresser.

"Dawn, it's not the end of the world. I wish you weren't so unhappy about it." Sometimes Mary Anne gets really upset over other people's problems, but she's usually a good person to talk to.

"But I thought Travis cared about me!" Mary Anne hesitated. "I'm sure he does. But he can take out anyone he wants to. It's not like the two of you are going steady. Anyway, she's probably a lot closer to him in age." "But why is he paying so much attention to me? I thought he really liked me." "I guess he likes her, too. There's nothing wrong with that, is there?" I was all set to argue, and then I stopped myself. What Mary Anne was saying made sense, even though it killed me to admit it. Travis and I didn't have a formal relationship the way Mary Anne and Logan have. In a way, I envy Mary Anne, because she always knows where she stands with Logan. And he knows where he stands with her. But Travis is the type of boy who keeps you guessing. He's full of surprises (the lifeguard was a big one!), and I'd have to figure out a way to handle it.

Later that night, as I turned out my light, the idea came to me in a flash. The best way to find out how Travis felt about this girl was to see the two of them together. And that was exactly what I was going to do.

I got my chance a few days later. It was a sunny Thursday afternoon, and my teacher decided to let our class out ten minutes early. I raced across the school yard, a plan already forming in my mind. If I hurried, I could just get to SHS before the dismissal bell rang.

The SHS kids were barreling down the broad stone steps of the school as I came tearing around the corner. My heart sank. How would I ever find Travis in this huge mob? I was just trying to decide where to stand to get the best view, when I had an incredible stroke of luck. I spotted Travis pausing in the doorway to put on his sunglasses. He looked terrific in faded jeans and a white T-shirt, and my heart did a little flip-flop. I was dying to run up to him and tell him how glad I was to see him.

But he wasn't alone. He turned around and linked arms with a great-looking girl. Her long red hair tumbled down her back, and she had high cheekbones, just like a model. She was dressed in a white cotton flight suit, exactly the kind of trendy outfit that Claudia or Stacey would wear. I hated her on sight, and then I stopped and reminded myself that it wasn't her fault she was gorgeous. And it wasn't her fault that Travis liked her.

Travis and the girl headed for the sidewalk, and I held my breath, hoping that Travis didn't have his car. Another stroke of luck. They walked right past the school parking lot, still arm in arm. They were probably going downtown (another shopping trip?) and if I was very careful, I'd be able to follow them. I waited behind a tree until they were a good half block ahead of me.

I had to know what Travis was up to.

Chapter 11.

A few minutes later, I decided I wasn't cut out to be a spy. Do you know how hard it is to follow someone? (I know what you're probably thinking. How can I say that when it looks so easy on television?) But I had two disasters almost immediately. First, I stepped into a huge puddle, ruining my new shoes, and then I was nearly run over by a garbage truck. I was so busy watching Travis that I didn't even notice the light had changed, and I stepped right out into the intersection. Dumb! I took a deep breath and told myself to calm down. I would never find out the truth about Travis if I were flattened by a truck. The trick was to stay cool.

I made sure Travis and the girl stayed at least half a block ahead of me. With any luck, I'd be able to blend into the crowd once we got downtown. The tricky part was a long stretch of a street with a narrow sidewalk and very few trees. I knew that if Travis turned around for any reason, he would spot me.

I was being extra cautious when a car horn blasted right behind me. I nearly jumped out of my skin! To my horror, Travis heard it, too. He glanced over his shoulder, and I barely had time to dart behind a bush. Had he seen me? I had no idea, but I wasn't taking any chances. I crouched behind the bush, feeling a little silly, but afraid to get up. I counted silently to ten and then took up the chase once more.

A few minutes later we reached downtown Stoneybrook. Travis and the girl stopped first at Burger Bite, and I watched them head for a back booth. Would he order for her? I wondered. I took a seat near the front door and peeked out from underneath a giant menu. If I scrunched around in my seat, I could see the two of them in the mirror.

They were laughing and talking, and when the girl picked up the menu, Travis closed his hand over hers. He winked at her before he gave their order to the waitress. My heart sank. The smiles, the tender looks ... it was all so familiar. Travis was staring at her as if she were the only girl in the room. He had looked at me in exactly the same way! I gulped down a lemonade and quietly left the restaurant. My heart was pounding in my chest as I sat on a bench across the street from the Burger Bite. I decided to wait for them to come out and then follow them to their next stop. Why was I doing this? I can't even explain it. I just had to know what they were going to do next, even though I knew it was going to hurt me.

About half an hour later, they came out arm in arm and headed for the Merry-Go-Round. Hamburgers and pierced earrings. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? Travis was taking her to exactly the same places he had taken me. I wondered for one crazy moment if Travis would even buy her the same earrings he had bought for me. (Not that it would matter at this point.) They didn't buy anything, but they wandered up and down the aisles, looking at the jewelry. They kept their heads close together, laughing and talking. Even though I couldn't hear what they were saying, I could see that they were having a terrific time together. Why couldn't I have been the one with Travis? My chest felt so tight, I thought it would explode, but I forced myself to keep watching them. I should have known that things could only get worse.

It was late afternoon when they finally finished their window shopping and headed away from town. I tagged along after them, feeling tired and discouraged. (And very jealous.) There were so many thoughts crowding in my head at once that it was impossible to think clearly. Why was Travis so interested in this girl? Yes, I know she was great-looking, but it had to be more than that. Travis had told me over and over how beautiful my eyes were, and he had even picked out combs for me to wear in my hair. So that must mean that he thought I was pretty good-looking, didn't it? What did she have that I didn't have?

I was trying to sort everything out when Travis and the girl suddenly entered a small park. I barely had time to duck into a bus shelter when the two of them sat down on a bench just a few feet away. Now what?