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That Friday, Kori came to the back rooirls and was even absently respectful of Cassie, which was nice Certainly Suzan and Deborah had no such respect The strawberry blond seemed unaware of Cassie’s existence unless she wanted so passed to her or picked up, and the biker fixed Cassie with a surly glare whenever they passed in the hall Deborah and Doug - the other Henderson brother - had appeared in the back roo there, and they had spent the entire ti furiously about some heavy-metal band

Neither Faye nor Nick, the dark, coldly handsome boy who’d rescued Cassie’s backpack, showed up at all that week

But Kori Henderson was nice Now that Cassie knew, she could see the resereen eyes that Kori e all the tih She seeirl

"I’ve been waiting so long for it, I can’t believe it’s finally here," she was saying at the end of lunch "I mean, just think, next Tuesday’s the day! And Dad says we can have the party down on the beach - or at least he didn’t say we couldn’t - and I want toa holiday, too" She trailed off suddenly Cassie, following her gaze, saw that Diana had her lip caught between her teeth and was al her head

What was Kori saying wrong? Cassie wondered And then it struck her: this was the first she’d heard about a party, although it clearly wasn’t news to the others Was she not invited?

"So, uh, do you think Adam will be back in time for- - for - I mean, when do you think Adam will be back?" Kori stuttered

"I don’t really know I hope it’s soon, but" Diana gave a little shrug "Who can tell? Who can ever tell?"

"Who’s Adam?" Cassie said, determined to show she didn’t care about the party

"You mean she hasn’t told you about Ada ray eyes disbelieving

The color had come to Diana’s cheeks "There just hasn’t been tian, and Laurel and Melanie hooted

Cassie was surprised She’d never seen Diana react this way "No, but really," she said "Who is he? Is he your boyfriend?"

"Only since childhood," Laurel said "They’ve been together forever"

"But where is he? Is he in college? What’s he like?"

"No, he’s just - visiting some people," Diana said "He’s a senior, but he’s been away so far this year And as for what he’s like well, he’s nice I think you’ll like him" She smiled

Cassie looked toward Laurel for more information Laurel waved a zucchini stick in the air "Adam’s"

Kori said, "Yes, he’s"

Even Melanie couldn’t seeht words "You’ll have to ued "Do you have a picture of him?" she asked Diana

"As aCassie’s disappointment, she went on, "You see, around here people have a sort of silly superstition about photographs - they don’t like theet pictures taken"

Cassie tried to pretend this wasn’t as bizarre as she thought it was Like aboriginals, she thought in a the camera will steal their souls How can anybody in the twentieth century think that?

"He’s cute, though," Kori was saying fervently

Suzan, who had been absorbed in eating, looked up fro tones: "That bod"

"Those eyes," Laurel said

"You’d better go easy," Melanie said, sets back"

"Crazy enough to give somebody else a chance, maybe?" Sean piped up Looks of forbearance passed between the girls

"Maybe, Sean - so a kind girl, she didn’t say it very loudly

Looking amused, Melanie explained to Cassie, "Adam and Diana don’t even see anyone of the opposite sex except each other For years Adaht the rest of us were boys"

"Which in Suzan’s case took quite a lot of ilanced at Laurel’s flat chest "And in soination at all"

"What about you, Cassie?" Diana interrupted before an arguin "Did you leave a boyfriend back houy, though, this summer He was" She stopped She didn’t want to tell the story in front of Suzan "He was sort of all right So, anyway, how did Faye’s date with Jeffrey go?" she asked Suzan abruptly

Suzan’s look said she wasn’t fooled by the sudden change of subject, but she couldn’t resist answering "The fish got hooked," she said with a smirk "Now all she has to do is reel hi then, and there was no further conversation about boyfriends or dates But Cassie noticed a look about Diana’s eyes - a tender, wistful dreaered for the rest of the day

After school, Diana and Cassie drove back to Crowhaven Road together As they drove by the Henderson house - one of those in the worst repair - Cassie noticed Diana biting her lip It was a sure sign the older girl orried about soht she knehat "I don’t mind about Kori’s party," she offered quietly, and Diana looked at her, surprised "I don’t," Cassie insisted "I don’t even know Kori, really The only time I saw her before hen she was out with Faye on the steps What’s wrong?" she added as Diana looked evenwith Faye and the others that day you overheard the?"

"Yes - well, she caroup of kids, but she was the only one Faye would let stay Faye said"

"Faye said what?" Diana sounded resigned

"She said, ’I thought you’d be eating in the cafeteria with the rest of the goody-goodies’" Cassie left out the Princess of Purity part

"Hm And what did Kori say to that?"

Cassie felt unco boring She didn’t stay with the to e her lip again

"Anyway," Cassie went on, "I don’tinvited to her party, but do you think well, do you think there’s a chance that soreen eyes had widened fractionally "Oh, Cassie But you don’t want to," she said

"I know I said things last week that sounded that way But you told e the Club by Faye, and I’m not, now And I like you and Melanie and Laurel and Kori - and Suzan’s sort of okay Even Chris Henderson is So I thought, maybe" She let her sentence trail off delicately She could feel her heart beating faster

"That’s not what I meant," Diana replied "I o back home, to California, whenever you can That’s the truth, isn’t it? You said you were planning to go to college there"

"Well, yes, eventually, but" Cassie had said that, that first night at Diana’s house Now she was no longer so sure, but she didn’t quite kno to explain this "What has that got to do with it?" she said "Ihere the rest of your life, does it?"

Diana’s eyes were on the road "It’s hard to explain" Then she said softly, "And in any case - well, I’m afraid membership is sort of limited"

Abruptly Cassie remembered Deborah’s words after Kori had left that day One empty space, one candidate, you know? And Kori was part of the neighborhood She’d grown up here Chris and

Doug were her brothers She wasn’t a stranger taken in just because Diana insisted, a puppy picked up off the street

"I understand," Cassie said She tried to sound as if it were all okay, as if it didn’t matter But it did It did, terribly

"No, you don’t," Diana murmured "But I think that’s better It really is, Cassie, believe me"

"Oh, no," Diana said "I don’t have the Scotch tape It must have rolled under the car seat You stay here; there’s no reason for us both to go back" She turned and hurried toward the parking lot

They were early thatDiana had a banner that she and Laurel had painted, saying "Happy Birthday, Kori" She was going to hang it above the main entrance of the school, and Cassie had offered to help Cassie thought that was a particularly noble and unselfish gesture, considering she still wasn’t invited to Kori’s party It also showed how much she didn’t really mind

Now she looked up at thethat had scared her to death teeks ago

Teeks The first week she had spent as a pariah, an outcast, so down the wrath of Faye on the speaker’s head But the second week

Diana, shethem She did it much more subtly, with love It sounded impossibly stupid and Hallirls as well as boys - and most of them would walk over hot coals for her As Diana’s adopted "little sister" Cassie had instantly gained status far beyond anything she could have ever achieved on her own She noent around with the coolest crowd in school - and if she wasn’t completely a part of it, only the real insiders knew

You’re almost one of us She heard Faye’s words to Kori in her ain Well, today was Kori’s birthday, and today Kori would be one of them Today Kori would join the Club

And Cassie never would

Cassie hunched her shoulders, trying to shrug the thought off, but a shiver caught herher elbows It was colder than she was used to for late Septe over the weekend about the fall equinox, which was today too Melanie had explained that it was the day when the hours of daylight and darkness were of equal length, which ht to be cold Everyone said the leaves would be turning soon

Melanie and Laurel had really gotten into that discussion of the equinox It had seeh Cassie couldn’t exactly see why It was another of the littleto drive Cassie crazy