The Baby-Sitters Club Friends Forever #3: Mary Anne’s Big Break-up by Whitney Shimmell Read Free Book Online Page A

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    “Ji-ill!” I heard Mrs. Henderson call from downstairs.
    Jil opened her door. “What?”
    “Your sister and I are leaving now. We’l be back around midnight. You
    girls have fun. If you need anything, the Bergens are home. Mrs. Bergen said
    they’ll be up late tonight.”
    “Okay!” Jill called. “ ‘Bye!”
    “ ‘Bye, honey.”
    A moment later I heard the front door close. Then I heard a car start and
    pull out of the driveway.
    I was about to say something to Jil , to try and make up with her, when
    Sunny said, looking thoroughly sneaky, “Well, now’s our chance.”
    “To do what?” I asked.
    “To go to the other party. The real party,” she couldn’t help adding. When
    no one said anything she want on, “We could walk over there. We couldn’t have
    from our neighborhood. But here at Jill’s we’re halfway there.”
    “It’s still a real y long walk,” said Maggie. She looked excited, though.
    “But we can do it. Easy,” Sunny hurried on.
    “Well…I guess we could.” Guess who said that. Me. I was surprised to
    hear those words coming out of my mouth.
    But not as surprised as Jill was. “Dawn!” she said with a gasp.
    I barely heard her. I looked at Maggie and Sunny. “Should we?”
    “Of course!” exclaimed Sunny.
    “Wait a sec,” said Maggie. “Just let me think. Okay. The party begins at
    ten. And Jill’s mom will be back at midnight. We can get to the party in half an
    hour: She checked her watch. “And it’s only nine now. We could stay at the party
    for an hour and easily be back before Mrs. Henderson gets back.”
    “Cool,” said Sunny.
    “Great,” I said.
    “No way,” said Jill.
    We all look at her. “But Jill,” said Maggie.
    “No way,” Jill said again. “What if we get caught? What if the Bergens call
    to check on us and no one answers the phone?”
    “Are the Bergens your baby-sitters?” asked Sunny.
    “No!” cried Jill.
    “Well, we want to go to the party,” said Maggie.
    Jil crossed her arms. “Okay. If you guys want to go, then go.”
    “Okay, we will,” I said.
    And we did.
    Monday 10/6
    Well, it is now 5:30 Monday morning. I got about four hours of sleep last
    night. I tried to sleep. I just couldn’t. I lay in bed and my thoughts whirled around.
    I actually tried counting sheep. When I reached 5,000 I gave up. What a stupid
    idea.
    My alarm clock was set for 6:30, but I already turned it off. At about 5:20
    my eyes flew open. I knew they wouldn’t close again. Not without help. Glue or
    something. So finally I turned on my light.
    We didn’t leave Jill’s house that very second. First Sunny and Maggie and
    I all had to go to the bathroom and then we had to get a few things together.
    Plus, I tried to be nice to Jill.
    “Are you sure you don’t want to come with us?” I said to her. “It’ll be fun.
    An adventure. You like adventures. Please?”
    Jil relaxed a little. She smiled at me. But she shook her head. “No. I can’t
    go. Maybe I do like adventures. But not this kinds.”
    “Okay.”
    “Do you promise you guys will be back before midnight?”
    “Promise,” I said.
    “Cross your heart?”
    I crossed my heart.
    When Maggie and Sunny and I left awhile later, we were each carrying a
    purse, and our purses were fatter than usual. Two of us were carrying flashlights
    in case we had to walk down any road that didn’t have streetlights. And Maggie’s
    sandals were in her purse. She wanted to wear them at the party but said they’d
    give her blisters if she hiked around in them.
    The walk to the party seemed to take forever, and some of the streets
    were pretty dark. We got out our flashlights four times. Sunny was the only one of us who knew where she was going, and I was glad she did.
    “How do you know your way around out here?” Maggie asked her.
    “From taking bike rides with my parents. Before, you know, before Mom
    got sick.”
    “Oh,” said Maggie and I.
    “Let me see the invitation again,” Sunny said