Weekend - By Christopher Pike Page 0,2

and had read too many of the classics, and had the repulsive habit of sounding intelligent, all of which was enough to make any adolescent male ego insecure. But in reality she had hated physics, and had got an

"A" only because she had studied hard. She was not that smart, not that secure. Often, she felt lonely.

Often, she watched Flynn from the other side of the campus, and wondered if he couldn't change all this.

"Accidentally lose your bikini top while swimming beside him in the waves," Angie said. "Better yet, lose your bottoms. It'll take a lot to catch that guy's cool eye."

To her own amazement, Shani realised she was actually considering the idea. She was afraid to say hello, but accidentally stripping seemed within her reach. "Is that how you got Park?" she asked. She had known Park Jacomini since they'd been two. He pretended to be intellectual - and hewassmart, their class valedictorian - but there had never been born a more natural peeping tom. He was one of the closest people to her in the world.

Angie laughed. "That's personal. But I will tell you, to keep them, you've got to come up with pretty exotic - "

"Could we please change the subject?" Kerry interrupted, extremely agitated. Angie was quick to apologize.

"I'm sorry, Kerry. I'd forgotten. That was thoughtless of me."

"You said it to... upset me... on purpose."

"I'm the one who brought it up," Shani said. "Sorry."

Kerry turned off the cassette player, leaned her head back, and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "I don't know what's wrong with me, I'm so jittery. I'm the one who should be apologizing. I guess it still bothers me."

"That's okay. We understand," Shani said. From that point on, the conversation sort of died. The potholes thickened. Sentinel cacti and sleeping lizards bumped by while the Datsun interior warmed and they sweated. To pass the time, Shani reached for her yearbook, browsing through the pages, reading notes from her friends and from those she had not spoken to during her entire four years at Hoover High.

They had only received the book on Tuesday, and there were still many she wanted to have sign it. This weekend would fill it up. She chuckled when she came to the place where Park had placed his note, across a full-page colour picture of the varsity football team.

Dearest Shani,

Of all the girls I've known these four blissful years, you have been - with only a handful of exceptions - the closest one to my soul and body. If not for you, and two or three others, I would not be where I am, king of the class, the one voted least likely to end up on welfare. I owe all my magnificent accomplishments to you, and another girl or two .

I hope that when you become a psychiatrist that you don't discover that you're nuts. You see, I understand you - your dark lusty longings - and that would mean that I'm nuts, too, along with perhaps my close female friends. However, if in the middle of analysis you uncover deep Freudian inhibitions, feel free to come to me for relief, for the sexual freedom I have given to other girls of your like predicament, a few here and there .

All my love, all that Suzy and Bunny and Clairice have not drained, I give to you. And once again, if in the lonely years to come you should ever need - or simply desire - an intimate pal, be sure to think of Pretty Park (and friends) and make an appointment to visit us.

Love you (amongst others), Park

Park had quite a wit, but, in his own way, street-tough Sol outdid him. Shani flipped to the picture of their pudgy, smiling school principal, whom Sol had practically obliterated with a thick, black cato pen.

Hi!

I hardly know you and I don't think you're that interesting a chick, but you've got something I want and you know I've got something you need. If I let you see me, we don't go nowhere fancy and I expect my money's worth right from the start. I don't want to hear about your feelings and your goals cause I have no feelings and I can tell already you ain't going nowhere. If we get together, it will be for one thing only.

My number's in the book. Look it up.

Wait a sec, this isn't Debbie's book? Hell! Pay no attention to what you