"For what?" asked Mary Anne.

    I realized she didn't know anything about the biography project, so I backed up and explained it. She nodded, looking thoughtful.

    "Anyway, guess who I'm stuck with? Mr. Eyebrow. Cary Retlin." Everybody groaned. For a moment it felt like old times, when we were all on the same side.

    As usual, Mary Anne tried to be positive. You can always count on her to be sensitive and understanding. "Maybe it will be interesting," she said. "I mean, aren't you curious about what makes Cary tick?" "I couldn't care less," I insisted, even though I'd been wondering the same thing only the day before. "And I certainly don't want him probing my most innermost thoughts and dreams." "I won't tell him anything if he interviews me," Claudia promised. "Except maybe that story about when you threw up on the first day of school in second grade." I grabbed a pillow and threw it at her.

    "Who's your partner, Claudia?" Mary Anne asked innocently.

    Claudia stopped laughing. She mumbled a name.

    "Who?" Mary Anne asked.

    "Jeremy," said Claudia, a little bit louder. She avoided Stacey's eyes.

    "Oh," said Mary Anne, with a glance at Stacey.

    The room fell silent again.

    I crossed my fingers and wished as hard as I could for the phone to ring. We needed a distraction.

    Silence.

    Suddenly, I remembered something. "Hey!" I said. "Guess what? Last night my morn and Watson agreed to let me throw a Christmas party. You know, a real party, with decorations and food and games and dancing and everything." I was excited. I've had plenty of parties, but most of them have been pretty basic. A couple of pizzas, a video or three, and a bedroom crammed with girls in sleeping bags. This party was going to be different, more like an adult party. And I was going to be in charge of everything, from making the food to deciding on the music. I wanted it to be perfect. I'd even started reading some of those slick home magazines - the ones I normally avoid like the plague - looking for tips on "holiday entertaining." "Cool," said Stacey.