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.“Yes,” Susan agreed, “it is getting late.Just think: After tomorrow, I’ll be the one going out with Keith.” Even though I no longer have an interest in him at all, except as a friend and fellow art student.If only I could trade him for Jason! But poor Keith thinks he’s been going out with me, Susan, all along.I can’t just drop him without any explanation at all.I’ll have to try to forget Jason and go back to liking Keith.As if it’s possible to turn your affections on and off like a faucet!Chris dragged herself off the floor, where she had been sitting cross-legged.“Here I go.I was going to wash my hair, but I don’t have time now.”“You look like you dread going,” Susan remarked.“Is Keith really that bad?”“Oh, no.Of course not.I’m just in a funny kind ofmood tonight.Maybe because it’s the end of the Banana Split Affair.”“Maybe.”“What are you going to do tonight, Susan? After all, this is your last night as Chris Pratt.”“Nothing much.Just stay home, maybe do some homework.I’ll probably go to bed early.I’m bushed, for some reason.Must be the strain of the last two weeks.”“Well, have a good time.”“Yeah,” Susan said dully.“You, too.” Both girls went about their business-—Chris back to her room to change her clothes, Susan back to her worrying—with the same reluctant attitudes.Neither of them could believe that something that had started out as such a lark had ended so miserably.“This was supposed to be a learning situation,” Susan told herself, staring at the ceiling as she lay back on her bed to think.“But why is the best way to learn things always the hardest, most painful way?”* * * *A few hours later Chris came up the stairs quietly, careful not to wake her sister.It was late, and she had missed her curfew by over an hour.But she didn’t care, not this time.She would rather get yelled at by her parents or even be grounded than cut short her final date with Keith.Her final date.That thought had buzzed around in her mind the whole evening.The more fun she was having with him, the worse she felt.Not only because she would never go out with him again, either.She felt she was betraying her sister by enjoying Keith’s company, holding hands with him, flirting, and even kissing him.What a confusing situation she had gotten herself into!As she tiptoed past her twin’s bedroom door, she was surprised to see a light peeking out underneath.Was Susan still awake? Even though she had planned to turn in early? She knocked on the door softly.“Chris? Is that you? Come on in.I’ve been waiting up for you.”Chris opened the door and went in.Her sister was sitting in bed with the covers pulled up to her chin, wearing a miserable expression on her face.“Susan! Are you okay? You look terrible!”“Chris, I have to talk to you.You’re probably going to think I’m ridiculous and stupid afterward, but there’s something I have to tell you.I have to tell somebody, or I’ll go crazy.And you’re the only person in the world who could possibly understand.”“What is it?” Chris sat down gingerly on the edge of her sister’s bed, as if she were visiting a sick person who couldn’t be jostled.“Oh, Chris, I’ve done something terrible.You know Jason, don’t you?”“You’ve told me about him.But I’ve never met him.Neither have Mom and Dad, come to think of it.Have you been hiding him from us for some reason?”“Yes, I have.But it has nothing to do with him.Do you have any idea how I met him?”“Didn’t you say he was the friend of one of your girl friends?”“That’s what I told you, but that’s not the truth.When I was walking home from school one day, I was the only witness to a car accident.Jason’s car was hit by a man who ran a stop sign.”“What’s wrong with that? I don’t understand why that’s such a big secret.”“Oh, Chris! When the policeman asked me my name, since I was the only witness and would probably be called upon to testify at a hearing, I gave your name!”“My name! What for?”“Because we were in the middle of the Banana Split Affair, and I didn’t know what else to do! I remembered our pact, that we were supposed to switch identities no matter what.I couldn’t think straight, and all of a sudden I just blurted out your name.I regretted it immediately, but it was already too late.”“Oh, dear.And there really is going to be a hearing?”Susan nodded.There were tears in her eyes.“There’s another part, too, although it’s not nearly as bad.I like Jason a lot.A real lot, Chris.More than any boy I’ve ever met.But I kept pretending I was you.And I kept acting horrible, saying stupid, brash things.”“Thanks a lot!”“Well, boys always seem to love it when you tease them.That’s all I was trying to do.”“Yes, but there’s a certain art to it.Besides, I’m beginning to see myself that maybe it’s not such a good idea to be a flirt all the time.People begin to think you’re empty-headed if you’re never serious.”“I know exactly what you mean.Anyway, Jason told me right out that he didn’t like girls like that.He prefers quiet girls, the way I really am! When he said that, I asked him for one more chance.We’re going out next week sometime, when I’m back to being Susan.But I’m afraid it might be too late.”“Maybe you could explain the Banana Split Affair to him,” Chris suggested.“Not on your life! Then he’d really think I was insincere! If he finds out I wasn’t even acting like myself, that even my name was false, he’d never forgive me!”Chris sighed.“It might be worth a try, though.You have nothing to lose.”“I suppose,” Susan said thoughtfully.Chris took a deep breath.“Hey, Sooz, since you’ve been so honest with me, I’m afraid there’s something I have to tell you, too.You might end up hating me for the rest of your life, but I have to tell you.I can’t go on keeping secrets from you forever”“What is it?”“Rather than beat around the bush, I might as well tell you straight out.Susan, I think I’ve fallen in love with Keith West.”Susan’s mouth dropped open.“Now wait.Before you say anything, let me explain.When I first started talking to him, I was thinking only of you.I mean, you did ask me to try to catch his attention while I was pretending I was you, right? I considered it my sisterly duty [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]