Mrs. Riley turned around and introduced herself to Katie and Christy. “You girls can call me Janet this weekend. I know Lou still wants everyone to call him Mr. Riley, but I prefer that you call me Janet.”
She seemed sweet, and Christy felt a little relieved that their woman leader was so approachable.
“Have you girls ever been to Tahoe before? It's so beautiful up there.”
For some reason Christy responded, “Katie's never even seen snow before.” It sounded like a jab, and Christy realized she must have said it to get back at Katie for the earlier slams she had made on Christy.
But the remark didn't faze Katie a bit. She unashamedly admitted that she had never seen snow and began to draw all kinds of ski advice out of Janet.
Don returned with the medical form, Mr. Riley started up the van, and soon they were on their way. For the first forty-five minutes or so, Christy looked out the window and listened to Katie ramble on with Janet and Mr. Riley as if they were old friends. The guy sitting on the other side of Katie had turned around in his seat and was involved in a conversation with the girl right behind him. The rest of the group settled into their conversations and natural groupings.
The three cool guys had taken over the back of the van. They were all popular, and Don seemed to be the leader of the three. They already had on their skier sunglasses and were stretched out on the backseat, talking loudly about moguls and how much air they had caught on certain ski runs at Squaw Valley. Don said that one year there had been so much snow that he had skied at Squaw Valley on the Fourth of July. No one questioned him or his skiing expertise. Don and the other guys brought their own skis and poles. Their collection of expensive equipment was tied down on top of the van.
In front of the guys were the rich girls. There were three of them too, and they all wore their hair the same way— shoulder-length with blond highlights. They all had straight white teeth and perfectly clear skin. Christy didn't know any of their names, but her guess was that they probably all had the same name too.
In the middle was a couple and a girl named Julie, who looked like she was about to become part of another couple with the guy sitting next to Katie.
It didn't take a genius to figure out that Katie and Christy were the leftovers. Funny how a person could be part of the “in” group and still feel like an outsider.
They drove for hours, and Christy slept a good part of the way. Her jacket worked as the perfect pillow against the closed van window. She regretted coming on the trip. With Katie treating her the way she had, Christy was not looking forward to the thought of four more days of the same.
It was dark when they stopped for dinner. Christy stumbled out of the van and saw that they were at Jacques' Cafe, a little restaurant in an even littler town. Someone asked why they hadn't gone on to Bishop for dinner.
“This is our traditional stopping place,” said Mr. Riley. “They have great food, and I always like giving Jacques the business. Go on in, guys.”
The group filed in and waited to be seated. The hostess showed them to three large booths. Everyone scrambled to find a place. Katie scooted in right next to Janet in the booth with Mr. Riley and the three popular guys. Before Christy could wedge in, all the places were filled.
The booth next to them held the two couples, and she wasn't about to interfere with that foursome. All that was left was a spot with the three rich girls.
“May I squeeze in here?” Christy asked the girl on the end, expecting rejection or at least a disdainful look.
To her surprise, the girl said, “Sure, Christy.”
Scooting over, she introduced Christy to the other girls. “I'm Shannon,” the girl said. “And that's Jennifer and Tiffany.”
Christy was surprised at their sudden friendliness. At the same time she felt suspicious of their willingness to accept her into their group.
“You know,” Shannon said, handing Christy a menu, “I've been wanting to tell you this for a long time, and I guess this is the perfect opportunity.”
Now Christy was really surprised. Not only did this girl know her name, but she also had something she wanted to tell Christy.
“I thought what you did last year at the final assembly when you gave up your cheerleading spot to Teri Moreno was a really cool thing. I've always wanted to tell you that, but Ididn't know you or anything, and you're always hanging out with that other girl who used to be a mascot.”
Jennifer and Tiffany snickered behind their menus. One of them mumbled, “If you're not coordinated enough to be a cheerleader, I guess the next best thing is a mascot.”
“That way you can hide in a cougar costume, and when you fall all over the football field, everyone thinks you're doing it on purpose.”
Christy didn't join in their giggling. She opened her menu and looked down for a long time, trying to sort this out. It hurt her that these girls were making fun of Katie, yet at the moment she was still miffed at Katie. The amazing thing was that these girls had noticed her and accepted her into their group.
Maybe this is going to be a missions trip, like Katie said. If these girls are willing to let me be friends with them, maybe they'll let me tell them about the Lord. This could be a God-thing. If only Katie would support me a little here.
When the waitress came, all three girls ordered the chicken club sandwich. Christy was the last to order. She had planned on having a hamburger and French fries but at the last minute told the waitress, “I'll have the same thing.”
“Mayo on the side, like the others?” the waitress asked.
“Sure, that would be fine.”
The girls all smiled at Christy, and she felt like she had passed some sort of secret initiation. Was it the mayo on the side or the chicken club?
Chicken club, Christy thought. If that doesn't perfectly describe me, I don't know what does!
in front of a condominium complex somewhere on the north shore of Lake Tahoe well after midnight.
“Okay, everyone,” Mr. Riley said, turning off the engine and turning on the lights inside the van. “We have numbers four and five. Let's put all the girls in number four and the guys in number five. Grab your own stuff, and then you guys come back to help me with the ice chests on the roof.”
Christy, still squinting from the sudden bright light, climbed out of the van and stumbled on the gravel driveway to the back. The first thing she noticed was the white blanket of snow covering the ground in front of the condo. The parking area and walkways had been cleared, but everything else under the streetlight's beacon looked as though it had been spread with white frosting.
“Snow!” Katie cheered. “Look, there's snow!” She scooped up a handful and playfully tossed the loose powder into the air. “Whee!” she squealed, pressing together a snowball.
The three girls stood beside Christy at the back of the van, and one of them asked, “What's with her?”
“She's never seen snow before.”
“In her life?”
“No, this is the first time.”
The girls gave each other knowing looks, and Christy realized what they were thinking. Katie wasn't rich like they were. She didn't travel and wear designer clothes like they did. She clearly wasn't “one of them.”
Christy wasn't sure why they accepted her though. Was it just the cheerleader thing or something else?
Christy pulled on her jacket and was aware of the cold creeping through her tennis shoes and socks. It was a familiar Wisconsin-winter feeling, and one she hadn't missed since they had moved to California. She hated having cold feet.
Don started handing out luggage, and since Christy's bag was the first to come out, she thought, If these girls think I'm on their same social level, this duffel bag ought to set them straight right away.
“Is that your bag?” Tiffany asked, sounding surprised.
Oh boy, here it comes. Oh well, the popularity was nice while it lasted.
“Yes,” Christy admitted, “it's mine.”
“Where did y
ou get it?” Tiffany asked, touching it as if to test its authenticity. “I looked at Goodwill, the Salvation Army, and the Army-Navy Surplus, and they didn't have anymore.”
Christy thought Tiffany was mocking her and was about to get upset when she noticed that the other two girls were looking at her bag with the same admiration. Not one of them was smirking.
“I…I got it out of our garage. It's my dad's. I don't know where he got it.”
“You are so lucky,” Tiffany said sincerely. “All I could find was a pair of army boots. My mom had them resoled and waterproofed for this trip. They're in my bag; I'll show them to you when we get inside. You're going to bunk with us, aren't you?”
Christy couldn't believe it. These girls were serious. Apparently, old army gear was “in,” and she didn't even know it. Why else would a rich girl, who could buy any pair of boots in the mall, hunt down an old pair in the thrift stores and have them fixed up? Christy had a lot to learn about this group of girls.
Janet led the seven girls into the-two-story condo and flipped on the lights. It was much more spacious than Christy had expected. There were three bedrooms and three bathrooms, and an upstairs living room and kitchen that looked out on the lake.
“This is huge!” Katie exclaimed. “Where do you want us, Janet?”
“If you girls don't mind, I'd like to take the little bedroom upstairs. It only has a double bed in it. These two downstairs bedrooms have four beds in each, so there's plenty of room for you.”
“Let's take this one,” Katie said, preparing to dump her bag in the nearest bedroom.
“This room is already taken,” Tiffany said. Jennifer and Shannon slid past Tiffany and tossed their bags on the floor to visually back up Tiffany's statement.
“Fine, we'll go in the other room,” Katie said, heading down the hallway. “Come on, Christy.”
Christy felt torn. She had made inroads with the three rich girls, and there was an extra bed in with them. They had invited her to stay with them. It was the perfect witnessing opportunity. And yet, after all, the reason she had agreed to come on this trip was to support Katie.
“I'd better go in the other room,” Christy said quietly to the three girls. “Katie and I kind of planned this trip together, you know.”
“Well, if you change your mind, you're welcome in our room anytime,” Shannon said.
Christy started to lug her stuff down the hall.
“Hey,” Tiffany called out after her, “as soon as you unload your stuff, come back, and 111 show you my boots.”
“Okay,” Christy agreed. Somehow she felt like a traitor, yet it was hard to tell which side she was betraying.
“Look!” Katie exclaimed as Christy entered the room. “Daybeds! Do you want to be on top or on the pullout?”
“Doesn't matter to me. Which do you want?”
The other two girls entered the room, their boyfriends carrying their luggage. They said hi, dumped their stuff, and left with the guys.
“Guess we won't be seeing much of them this week,” Katie said. “I'll take the bottom bed. You can have the top.”
“I don't mind the bottom,” Christy said. “Besides, the bottom pops up if you want to be higher.”
“No, this is fine. I don't mind, really.”
“Christy,” came a call from down the hallway. “Are you comingr
Katie gave Christy a questioning look.
“Tiffany has a pair of boots she wants to show me,” Christy explained.
“Oh, well then let's go.” Katie led the way down the hall as if she had been invited as well.
I have a horrible feeling about this! Christy thought. She latched on to Katie's shoulder and pulled her back toward their room. “Katie,” she said, “remember how you said a few weeks ago at Bible study that this trip was like our missions trip?” She spoke in a soft voice and hoped Katie would be open to what she was trying to convey.
“Oh,” Katie said, nodding her head. “Right! You think these three might be the ones we've been sent to witness to.”
“Something like that,” Christy said, keeping her voice low. “I think we should try to be open in case we experience some, you know, like hostility or something. Don't take it personally.”
“Good point,” Katie agreed. “I know these girls, and they can be really snobby. I'm glad you recognize that about them, because I'd hate for you to get your feelings hurt the first night.”
My feelings, Katie! I'm trying to protect your feelings here.
Katie had already begun to march down the hall like a crusader. All Christy could do was follow. As she expected, when they approached the room, all three girls gave Katie a what-are-you-doing-here look. Katie seemed oblivious.
“Are those your boots?” Christy asked quickly, hoping to divert the girls' attention from Katie. She bent down and picked up one of the clunky-looking fossils. “Do these really fit you?”
“They're a little big. Plenty of room for my wool socks though. What are you going to wear tomorrow?”
Christy noticed that all three girls had turned their backs on Katie and were gathered around Christy. It made her feel nervous and on the spot, not at all like the center of attention in a popular way.
“Well, I, um…I guess some ski clothes. Were going skiing first thing in the morning, aren't we?”
“We leave at six-thirty,” Katie said.
The three girls ignored her.
“Six-thirty,” Christy repeated. “Boy, that's early. Guess we'd better get some sleep. I think I'll go get my sleeping bag ready.” Christy gently broke out of the cocoon surrounding her and headed for the door.
“Girls?” Janet called, coming down the stairs. “I have everything set up for making tomorrow's lunches. Could you come and help me?”
“Sure,” Christy said, eager to change locations. 'What can we do?”
Katie joined her, taking the stairs two at a time. The others followed slowly behind.
Janet explained the assembly line she had set up on the kitchen counter. “Everyone gets one sandwich. Try to get two sandwiches out of each packet of lunch meat.”
“I don't eat processed meat,” Tiffany said, her arms folded in front of her.
“I remembered that from last year, Tiffany. I brought peanut butter and jelly especially for you.”
Tiffany made a face.
Janet went on with her instructions. 'We need to make a total of fourteen lunches. Here's a pen to put names on them. At the end of the counter by the lunch bags is a box of apples. Here are the cookies, and drinks are in the ice chest. Any questions?”
“Let's make a production line,” Katie said. “I'll start down here with the bread and mayonnaise. Christy, why don't you be the meat slapper?”
“The meat slapper,” Shannon mimicked, and the three girls laughed.
Christy moved into position and bravely said, “Okay, one meat slapper coming up.”
The other three reluctantly began to write names on the lunch sacks and stuff cookies into plastic bags.
Katie tried to pry the lid off the mayonnaise jar. It was stubborn and didn't cooperate with her muscular twists and turns. Shannon came over to see what was holding up the line.
“Here,” she said. With a flick of her long fingernail, the plastic seal broke loose.
At the same moment, the lid popped off due to the change in altitude. A spray of mayonnaise squirted out the side, splattering Katie's face and shirt.
It was a hilarious sight, and without thinking, Christy blurted out, “You have to be smarter than the mayonnaise jar, Katie.”
All the girls burst into a chorus of laughter, while Katie fumbled for a paper towel to wipe her face.
Why did I say that? Where did it come from? I didn't mean to humiliate her in front of these girls.
The girls laughed much longer than the joke deserved. By the look on Katie's face, Christy knew she had done some major damage to Katie's feelings. Christy quietly worked on dividing up the lunch meat.
; The lunches were completed with a lot of chatter and uninvited directions from the guys, who suddenly appeared and gave special orders on how they liked their sandwiches. Christy kept quiet, afraid her untamed tongue might rebel on her once more before the night was over.
Maybe Janet assumed Christy's silence was a result of the guys' taunting, because she came up behind Christy and whispered, “Tomorrow night they'll make the sandwiches, and you can get even by bossing them around.”
Christy smiled and let Janet think that's what she was clammed up about. She finished her part of the lunch making and slipped out of the group so she could go down to her room and get ready for bed. Katie came in about ten minutes later and silently laid out her sleeping bag.
“Katie?” Christy said softly, already in her pajamas, with her hair back in a clip and her face freshly washed. “Katie, I'm sorry I said that. I apologize.”
“That's okay,” Katie said without looking up from her bed preparations. “Don't worry about it. I deserved it.”
“I still had no right to say it, and I'm sorry. Will you please forgive me?”
Katie looked up slowly. A smile forced its way across her face. “Sure. I forgive you. Don't worry about it.”
Christy probably would have stayed awake for a long time rehashing the whole situation, except she was so tired that the minute her head hit the pillow she was gone.
A shrill alarm clock startled her into an upright position. Her eyes darted around the dark room. It took her a while to remember where she was.
“It's five-thirty, you guys,” Julie announced from the other bed. “Who wants to get in the shower first?”
“I'll be second,” mumbled Katie. “Give me five more minutes of sleep.”
“I'll go,” Christy volunteered realizing this might be her only chance with so many girls getting ready. She felt like her head was full of cotton balls. All the early-morning noises seemed to bounce off her. She was quick in the shower and tried to be quick with the blow dryer since it seemed like the noise would wake up the whole building. With a towel around her, she returned to the darkened room and tried not to trip over Katie while searching for her duffel bag.