"Why?" Tracy wanted to know. "Because you liked a guy and went out with him a few times? I don't see any harm in that. You guys are friends now. There's nothing foolish about any of that."

"I feel like a fool because I believed everything Rick said. Why should I even believe what he told me this morning? Why did I so eagerly accept this rose from him?"

"You have to start somewhere." Tracy slipped her arm around Christy and gave her a quick hug. "Don't make such a big deal out of it. Oh, look at this floata"a definite ten!" Tracy held up all ten fingers and whistled wildly with the others.

Tracy's right I shouldn't make such a big deal out of everything. What Rick does or who he goes out with is no concern of mine.

By the time the next float approached, Christy had joined back in with the rest of the group in playing the rating game. Another band followed and then a float that turned out to be Christy's favorite.

Cinderella rode in an enchanted pumpkin carriage drawn by real horses. The carriage was completely done in roses and smelled wonderful as it pa.s.sed by. It was a small float, it hadn't won any awards, and the Cinderella looked like she had been smiling and waving for too many miles.

Rick gave it a one; Katie a two; Doug and Tracy gave it a three and then slapped each other a high five for coming up with the same number.

Christy didn't hold up her hands at first. Then realizing that she was among friends and she should be free to express her opinion, she held up a perfect ten, thereby declaring to them all that she believed in fairy tales.

Rick noticed and, thinking it was a joke, joined in with Christy's ten, raising both his hands high over his head, standing up and whistling to get Cinderella's attention. The model in the float didn't pay any attention to Rick, and Christy tried to tell herself she shouldn't either.

She really did think it was a ten. So what if Rick made fun of her? What did he know about fairy tales, anyway?

After the Cinderella float, there was a lag in the parade. Someone behind them said there must have been a breakdown on one of the floats.

"Perfect opportunity to visit the little girls' room," Tracy said, rising to her feet. "Want to come with me?"

Christy stood and instructed Doug, "Save our places. Don't let anyone sit here, okay?"

Doug stretched his long legs over their blanket and set his small ice chest on the far corner of the blanket to mark the territory. "If I'm asleep when you come back, just wake me," he teased.

The two girls headed for the outhouse and were joined by Katie and another girl from their group named Katrina.

"That was a real cute joke, Christy," Katrina said. "Giving the last float a ten, I mean."

"I don't think she meant it as a joke," Katie said. "Christy happens to be the world's most hopeless romantic. You really did think it deserved a ten, didn't you, Christy?"

"Yes, I did," Christy said.

"Well, I kind of liked it a lot too," Katrina admitted. "But I wasn't about to let all those guys know."

"Why not?" Christy asked. "They're just guys. Some of them are as romantic as we are, if not more so."

"Who?" Katie challenged. "Rick?"

"No, I meant Doug," Christy said as the girls took their place in the long line at the portable restroom.

She lowered her voice as the other three girls tilted their heads in close. "Did you know that Doug is twenty years old, but he's never kissed a girl?" Christy whispered.

"No way!" Katie said.

"It's true," Tracy confirmed. "He says his first kiss is going to be at the altar on his wedding day."

"Is that romantic or what?" Christy asked.

"Can you imagine how special his wife is going to feel?" Katrina asked in wide-eyed wonder. "She'll probably wish she had never kissed another guy."

"I know," Christy said. "I thought the same thing. Kind of made me wish Id never kissed a guy before."

"Me too," said Tracy.

"Me too," said Katrina.

Christy knew Katie had never been kissed, but instead of Katie popping off with one of her usual jokes about not having that problem, she turned slightly away from the rest of the girls.

"Katie?" Christy asked.

Katie didn't look at her. Christy tried to be funny and said, "Don't you have anything to say here, Katie? You're the only one with virgin lips."

"Whatever," Katie mumbled.

The outhouse door opened, and Katie disappeared inside.

"I don't think Katie's as inexperienced as she may have led you to believe," Katrina said softly.

"Of course she is," Christy said. "I know everything about her. She's never had a boyfriend, and the few dates she's been on have been disasters. Glen, the guy at church that she likes, gave her a hug, but that was all."

Katie exited the restroom, and Christy stopped talking and waited for Tracy, who went in next.

Katie didn't look at Christy but instead spoke to Katrina. "I'm going to go back."

Christy felt awful. She obviously had embarra.s.sed Katie in front of these girls Katie barely knew. It didn't quite seem like the honor Christy had meant when she called Katie "virgin lips." She tried to think how she would feel if she had never had a guy interested in her and her best friend had made a crack like that about her in public.

When the three girls returned to the group, Christy wanted to slip over to Katie and tell her she was sorry. It looked impossible though to maneuver through the jam of people without making a scene. Katie was tucked back in her spot, leaning against Rick's legs.

Tracy nimbly made her way back to their blanket, blazing a skinny trail for Christy to follow. The people behind them were not happy about letting them through to their front-row seats.

Doug straightened up when they arrived back to their little nest and said, "You didn't miss anything. A bunch of horses came by, that's all."

The next float finally arrived, pulled by a tow truck. "Let's hear it for the tow truck!" Rick started clapping loudly.

Christy noticed that Katie didn't jump right in and join Rick in his antics. She still seemed upset. As several more floats pa.s.sed by, Christy kept looking over to see if Katie had snapped out of it, but Katie looked deep in thought.

Near the parade's end, Christy saw Rick lean over and say something in Katie's ear. Her bright smile instantly returned, and she playfully slugged him in the arm. She seemed her old self, and Christy felt relieved.

When the group started to pick up its stuff to leave, Christy reminded her friends, "You guys all know about the party at my aunt and uncle's, right?"

Everyone said yes. A few asked for directions, and one girl asked Christy if they should stop to buy any food.

"No. I'm sure my aunt has enough for an army."

"Your aunt doesn't know how these guys eat though," the girl said.

"Actually, she has watched Doug in action, so I think she has a fair idea." Christy smiled at Doug, who heard her comment.

"Okay." the girl linked arms with the guy beside her. "We'll be there. Thanks for inviting us."

"You're coming with me, aren't you?" Doug asked.

"I guess," Christy answered as she looked around for Katie. "Would it be okay if Katie came with us?" Christy was hoping to use the ride back to apologize to Katie for her insensitive comment.

"Sure, if one of you doesn't mind riding in the middle."

"I'll ride in the middle. Let me go ask her."

Christy wove through the mob and touched Katie on' the arm. She was standing next to Rick.

"Katie, do you want to come with Doug and me?"

Katie looked at Rick and then back at Christy. "I don't know. I thought I'd go with Rick since the rest of my stuff is in his car and everything."

"Oh."

Rick stepped in and with his half smile said, "You can come with us, if you want. You can have the whole backseat to yourself."

Something about the way Rick said it felt like a slam to Christy. Why did he a.s.sume that Katie would be in the front seat and she would be in the back? Why was he stepping in and acting protective of Katie?

"Thanks." Christy forced a smile at both of them. "I think I'll go with Doug so he won't be by himself."

"Okay," Rick said, sticking his lawn chair under his arm and reaching for the ice chest Katie had in her hand. "We'll see you at Bob and Marti's. I remember how to get there."

Since he had on his sungla.s.ses, Christy couldn't read his expression, but he sounded a little too arrogant and not at all like the tender person who had talked to her on the cement-block wall that morning.

"Ready?" Rick asked Katie, and the two of them headed down the street, with Rick carrying almost all their gear.

Katie didn't say a word to Christy or even look at her. She fell in step with Rick and marched down the street with him, her red hair shining in the late morning sun.

Something felt strange. Christy couldn't quite figure out what it was. She picked her way over the trash that people had left behind them and joined Doug and Tracy.

Tracy had found an empty paper bag and was going around picking up trash.

"Come on," Doug said. "They hire people to do that."

"We left such a mess though. Let me at least pick up the stuff from our group."

Christy joined her, and in minutes the bag was bulging with candy wrappers and empty soda cans.

"I can't believe how sloppy some people are," Tracy said. Looking up, she realized the rest of their group had disappeared, and only the three of them were left.

"Oh, I guess I'm going to need a ride back," Tracy said to Doug. "Looks like they all thought I had a ride. Good thing you two are still here."

Christy found another empty bag, and, after picking up enough trash to feel that she had done her good deed for the day, she said, "We'd better go or else everyone is going to arrive before us."

"You're right," Doug said. 'We have a hike back to the truck, and the freeway will be jammed. Think you can leave that for the paid professionals, Tracy?"

"Okay, okay. I'm coming. Where's my sleeping bag?"

"Right here." Doug showed the tied-up bundle under his arm. He also had an ice chest, beach chair, two blankets, and Christy's jacket.

"Come on, Tarzan," Tracy said with a laugh "Let Christy and me at least carry the blankets."

Doug shared the load and led the girls back to the truck. It must have been at least a mile, and Christy's feet were starting to hurt. Before she could get in, Tracy slid into the tight middle spot and positioned her short legs to the side of the gears on the floor. Christy was about to argue, but Tracy was definitely smaller, and she did fit in that spot better than Christy.

As Doug had predicted, the freeway on-ramp looked like a parking lot, with cars stacked up for as far as they could see. He turned on the radio and settled back, apparently willing to take it all in stride. Tracy put her head back and closed her eyes, admitting that the all-night party was catching up with her.

Christy looked out the window and thought about Rick and Katie being together somewhere in this mess in his red Mustang. They had been together, just the two of them, all night, and Katie hadn't said a word about what it was like.

A couple of college students, a guy and a girl, were in the back of a pickup truck next to them. The girl looked like she was trying to sleep. Her head rested against the cab window, and her face was tilted up toward the sun.

A red light forced the pickup to stop, and the guy started to tickle the girl mercilessly. The girl flirted right back, smacking the guy in the stomach. Then he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. The light turned green, and as the truck moved ahead of them, Christy saw the girl lay her head on the guy's shoulder as if settling back down for a nap.

It reminded Christy of the way Katie had planted herself in front of Rick's chair and had playfully punched him a couple of times during the parade. Suddenly, Christy knew why Katie hadn't admitted to never being kissed.

"Oh no! Katie, you didn't!" Christy spouted.

"What?" Tracy jerked forward out of her sleepy state. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Christy said. "I'm sorry I woke you. I didn't mean to say anything. I just thought of something, that's all."

Tracy went back to sleep, and Doug tapped his fingers on the steering wheel in time to the song on the radio.

Christy silently shouted to herself, Katie, tell me you didn't kiss him!

Bob greeted Christy, Doug, and Tracy at the front door nearly two hours later. "Looks like most of your friends beat you here. Did you have any problems?"

"I stopped for gas," Doug explained, "and then an accident on the freeway held us up. I guess everyone else made it through that stretch before the accident."

"There you are!" Marti appeared in the entryway. "Fourteen, fifteen, sixteen." She pointed her finger at each of them as she counted. "We now have sixteen guests. You said you were expecting seventeen, Christy."

"I think everyone is probably here, Aunt Marti," answered Christy. "What about my parents and David? Are they here yet?"

"No," Marti explained. "They decided not to come. I told your mom about our big party, and she decided it might be best if they sat this one out. I told her you could ride back to Escondido with Rick."

Oh, great! That's just what I need, a view from Rick's backseat of this budding romance between him and Katie.

"By the way," Marti said, taking Christy by the arm and leading her into the family room, which was crowded with all her guests. "Who is that redheaded girl who arrived with Rick? Are they dating now? They make a stunning couple."

"That's my best friend, Katie." Christy pulled her arm from Marti's grip and got out of the noisy family room as quickly as she could.

She retreated to the kitchen. Heather was the only other person there. She was stacking two hefty sandwiches onto a plate. The selection and amount of sandwich preparations Marti had laid out on the counter was mammoth. It looked like enough food for 117 people.

"I don't know why I let those guys talk me into making these sandwiches for them. It's their seconds, not mine. Who do they think I am? Their personal slave?" Heather said.