My father hadn't come home yet. When the numbers on the digital clock flipped to 6:15 and he still wasn't home, I took it as a sign and decided to call Claudia. If I didn't talk to her before supper, I'd have to wait until the next morning.

I dialed her private number.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Claudia," I said nervously. "It's Mary Anne."

"Oh. Hi."

"Well, I — "

"I got your note. Mimi gave it to me. Thanks."

"You're welcome."

"I forgive you. And I'm sorry I got mad, too," Claudia said rather stiffly.

"Well. . Was our fi calling is bers' today I guess tha of the club

"I guess want to be

"What mean, she

"I kno™ shouldn't r her wheth

"Yeah, to the mee

Claudia

"Claud?

"I just almost as

"What's hasn't sak business, is her without h at?"

Claudia ders. "Ma and Kristy

. " I didn't know what to say next. ;ht over? "Well . . . one reason I'm J^risty. Since she went to the Shilla-," I said, "and skipped our meeting, t means she doesn't want to be part I mean, I don't know. ..." for a while, anyway, she doesn't part of it," agreed Claudia. should we do about the club then? I is president."

. I was thinking about that. We ·ally keep taking jobs without asking r she wants them." On the other hand, she should come tings." didn't say anything.

v

don't know what to do. Stacey is mad as Kristy is." strange," I said, "is that Kristy she wants the club to go out of 's just ignoring it — and the club Why would she let us run it when we're the ones she's mad

SJhe' business

was probably shrugging her shoul-be you and I should talk to Stacey tomorrow and see what they want

to do. We certainly can't keep having meetings like the one we just had. If you talk to Kristy, I'll talk to Stacey."