I guess I thought this day would never come. I thought something would happen, and we'd never actually go on the trip. But now it's here, and I'm goinga"green bag and all. So I'd better make the best of it and stop being a chicken.

She spun through the combination on her lock, grabbed her jacket, crammed in her books, and met Katie back in the teachers' lounge, all in about five minutes.

Katie had on her backpack, her jacket was tied around her waist, her bag was slung over her shoulder, and her sleeping bag was tucked under her arm. "Mr. Riley said to carry our stuff out to the van in the parking lot. Are you ready?"

"I think so." Christy grabbed her bulky green duffel bag and looped her carry-on over her shoulder. With the other hand, she s.n.a.t.c.hed her sleeping bag and jacket.

"No offense," Katie said, eyeing the drab monster bag, "but didn't you have any other suitcases or anything? You look like you're going to boot camp."

Christy did take offense at the commenta"not because it was Katie who said it, but because she had almost convinced herself that the duffel bag was not a big deal and that no one would even notice it. To have Katie comment on it meant all her fears of being rejected by the entire ski club were, in fact, well-founded.

"Let's just go.", Christy pushed past Katie to the door. Maybe if they hurried, Mr. Riley would load their stuff first, and no one else would notice her bag.

But by the time they arrived at the van, they were the last to deliver their bags. To Christy's chagrin, her bag was placed on top of the heap. The van door was slammed shut, and her bag was the only one showing. In fact, it took up the whole back window.

The worst part was that her dad had decided last night to mark the bag for her, as if someone else would happen to bring a bag that looked exactly like hers. With a black permanent marker he had written "MILLER" in huge letters across the side. Of course, that was the side facing out. Not only would the whole school know that Christy Miller belonged to that ugly green bag, but all who drove past them from here to Lake Tahoe would also know.

Everyone else had already claimed a seat inside the van. Christy and Katie found two tight-squeeze spots left on the front bench seat, right behind the driver. Definitely not the cool place to sit.

Christy slid in first, next to the window, feeling like everyone was watching her. It was one thing to show up at a meeting for the ski club with these people scattered around a cla.s.sroom. There it didn't matter that no one knew her name or paid attention to her. But it felt completely different to be jammed into a van with these same people and to know that they would be together in tight quarters for the next four days.

Feeling hot from embarra.s.sment and from the warm ski sweater she was wearing, Christy tried to open the window next to her. She pushed and pinched but couldn't figure it out.

Katie leaned over and released the catch in an instant. The window slid open easily. With a laugh and in a loud voice, Katie said, "You have to be smarter than the window, Miller."

Christy bore her eyes into her sudden traitor-friend and kept shooting visual darts until Katie caught on that her comment had hurt. It was bad enough that the slam had been inflicted in front of all these strangers, but Christy wondered why Katie suddenly called her "Miller." Was it so they would all know she was the Miller who went with the green monster bag?

"Hey, it was only a joke," Katie said. "Take a chill pill, Christy. You're not freaking out on me, are you?"

What are you doing, Katie? What's with this slang all of a sudden? Are you trying to show these people you're cool, and I'm not?

Just then Mr. Riley climbed into the driver's seat, and his blond, athletic-looking wife joined him in the front pa.s.senger seat.

"Hey, Don, I need your medical release form," Mr. Riley yelled to the back of the van.

"Oh, man!" Don rose from his prime spot and said, "It's in my locker. I'll be right back."

"Hustle, Donald!" Mr. Riley called after him. "It's not fair for you to keep the rest of the group waiting."

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 sungla.s.ses 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 waya" 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 a.s.sembly 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 G.o.d-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 pa.s.sed 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 sh.o.r.e 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 s...o...b..ll.

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 you 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.

"IaI 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 s.p.a.cious 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 sn.o.bby. 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?"