"All right/' I agreed, "but it's not going to be easy." I didn't tell Claudia about Kristy and the door-slamming. I figured she was having just as much trouble with Stacey as I was having with Kristy.

How was I supposed to talk to Kristy? I didn't want to go to her house again, and I had a feeling that if I called her on the phone, she'd simply hang up on me. The only thing left to do was to surprise her.

I ambushed her at school the next morning as she came out of the girls' room. I stepped right in front of her.

"Excuse me," said Kristy haughtily.

My heart was pounding like a jackhammer, but I stood my ground. "I have to talk to you," I said.

"No, you don't."

"Yes, I do."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"We have to decide what to do about the club. Are you out of it?"

do

"Out of

"Exactly

"What

"I mean the meetir g

"It's mjj meeting.

"But

Kristy kicked

it? It's my club."

you

that was "I mean

call the

in, to see i "You It was

her. I was

in a

"Yeah." "Anywc

figure out

started to

other" and

ful — "· "While

gested "Well.

only ones "You

and

you mean 'exactly'?" it's your club, but you didn't go to

yesterday." club so I didn't have to go to the

missed out on a lot of good jobs." at a piece of wadded-up paper lettering the hall.

I went on, "we weren't going to Shillabers' house every time a job came

f you wanted it." should have," she said sullenly, getting harder for me to argue with used to giving in on things. I drew deep breath. "Not according to the rules."

y, Claudia decided that we better how to run the club while" — I had say "while we're all mad at each realized that that wasn't very tact-

while