Weekend - By Christopher Pike Page 0,3

just read, Shani dear. It sure has been grand knowing you and I just know deep in my heart that you will go far and better the world for all of mankind. I really feel that you are an 'extra special person.' I have found our friendship profoundly satisfying, and I will treasure your memory in the many days to come. God bless you!

Hey, by the way, Shani, how's about you calling me this summer and us getting together and going to a drive-in. I'll buy you popcorn, with butter. We can rock my van's shocks.

Love your legs, Sol

She had better be careful not to let Kerry see his note. Thankfully, he hadn't written it onthat page. Sol could be crude, but - once again in his own way - he was also sensitive. Though he was now seeing Lena, he was extra careful to treat Kerry kindly. However, his politeness was a mixed blessing. Kerry took it as a sign that he was still interested in her. Neither Angie nor she wanted to drive home the harsh truth, that Kerry didn't stand an outside chance, hadn't from the moment Lena had curled her little finger and let Sol know she was available, hadn't from the day of that disastrous pep rally.

It wasn't that Kerry was ugly. Though on the short side and a few pounds overweight, she had a pleasant face and a fine figure, plus a genuinely striking smile, which she - sadly - flashed all too seldom.

Lost somewhere between blonde and brunette, her short shaggy hair needed styling. But with a good cut and the right clothes - which neither she nor her parents could afford - shecould have competed with almost any girl at school.

Except for Lena. Except for a perversely timed rip.

It happened in November, during the week preceding the homecoming game when they were to play their cross-town rivals and crown their new queen. Yet it had happened many times before, in cheap teenage exploitation films, the thoughtless kind without a shred of realism or warmth. Perhaps that was what had made the trick seem so especially base. However, though the fundamental idea had been boringly simple, its implementation had never been so wickedly crafty.

In those days, Sol was going with Kerry. When he was not cutting classes, they could be seen laughing hand-in-hand, one of the few happy couples on campus. Now Lena already disliked Kerry from aeons past, and she began to take a fancy to Sol, and spread hints to the effect, thinking that would be sufficient. It probably would have been, but Lena wasn't used to waiting. When Sol didn't immediately come running into her arms, sheapparently decided to hasten his break up with Kerry. To this day, Lena's guilt had not been definitely established. However, few believed her expressed innocence. Simply no one at school had the mind to hatch an elaborate, evil plot - other than Lena - and the facts pointed a mighty guilty finger her way.

Along with Angie and Robin, Kerry was a song leader. In honour of the homecoming festivities, they had developed a new routine to perform at the pep rally to be held at lunchtime in the gym, the day before the big game. It involved the usual bouncing through the air and spread-eagled stretching. Lena was well aware of the specifics of the routine. Though not a member of any cheering squad - she had passed such adolescent displays, so she said - she contributed, through her sister, extra twists. One of Lena's exotic suggestions was the straw that broke the camel's back, the twist that tore the panties.

Because the song leaders' uniforms were warm, and Santa Barbara was sunk in a rare heat wave, the girls wore regular clothes to the morning classes, leaving their uniforms in their gym lockers. While on her way to the locker room at the start of lunch, Kerry was stopped by Lena, who wanted to chat. Under normal circumstances, Kerry would not have had the slightest inclination to "chat" with Lena, and now that she was in a hurry to change, she was less anxious. Nevertheless, Lena succeeded in delaying her to the point where Kerry was cutting it close. To top it off, as they parted company, Lenaaccidentally spilt her Coke on Kerry's shorts, the soft drink soaking through to her underwear. No big problem, though Kerry was mad. She was going to change into her uniform in