Star Shine (14 page)

“Oh, my,” said Mrs. Carruthers. “My, my.”

“Yes. Anyway, I knew nobody would believe me if I told what he did because he has what you call star shine. He can do no wrong. I hated him because on account of what he did my father was going to make Mary and me go to stay at our grandmother's and almost didn't let me skate in the movie. Then I discovered this boy I'm talking about gave his mother the money he made for being in the movie. His mother has two jobs, if you please. And his brother's in the army, and his father ran off with his girl friend. So.” Jenny and Mrs. Carruthers exchanged a glance.

“It's very complicated,” Jenny said.

“Most things are,” Mrs. Carruthers agreed. “I'd say this boy has some good stuff in him, wouldn't you?”

Jenny's face broke into a wide smile. “That's what I think, Mrs. Carruthers. That's exactly what I think.” She jumped up. “I've gotta go now. My mother'll be worried about me. I'll see you.”

“Oh, Jenny, one thing before you go. Tell your sister I couldn't get over her resemblance to Alice in Wonderland,” Mrs. Carruthers said. “I saw her passing yesterday, and it was really startling. Alice was always one of my favorite characters, you see. I loved her when I was young and always wanted to look like her. Nothing did any good, but your sister looks a great deal like her. Has anyone ever remarked on it before?”

“A couple of people,” Jenny said. “Only a couple.”

On impulse, she leaned down and kissed Mrs. Carruthers' cheek. Her skin, Jenny thought, felt like old paper, very thin, very old.

Alone, Mrs. Carruthers and Pebbles rocked in a companionable silence.

“It's not easy, being old,” Mrs. Carruthers told Pebbles. “On the other hand, it's not easy being young. So where are you?”

Pebbles gave her a hard, yellow-eyed stare and licked her hand with his rough tongue.

“One of the best things about talking to you is that you don't talk back, Pebbles,” Mrs. Carruthers said.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

“What are you doing?” Mary asked.

“What's it look like? I'm walking through my money in my bare feet.”

Mary shook her head. “I still don't understand why Norm Dubie wanted you to say, ‘Hey, wait for me.' You said yourself it didn't add anything to the movie.” Mary had tried not to be jealous when Jenny was chosen to be a skating extra, but for her to have had a line to speak at the end was the final blow. She could feel little slivers of jealousy piercing her insides, making her sour and unpleasant. It wasn't Jenny's fault she'd been chosen. Still, the jealousy was there.

“Turn off the light,” Mary said crossly. “You know I can't go to sleep with the light on.”

“Turn it off yourself—you're the last one up,” and Jenny jumped into bed fast, beating Mary to the punch.

“Listen, try not to snore tonight, all right? You know I can't sleep if you snore.” Jenny gave her pillow a good thwack.

Silence oozed from Mary's bed.

“Guess who said you looked like Alice in Wonderland today,” Jenny said.

“Who?”

“Well, it wasn't Scott Borkowski. Guess again.”

Mary sat up in bed and said, “I didn't say Scott Borkowski—you did.” It
was
what she'd been thinking, but how did Jenny know that?

“Who?” Mary said again.

Jenny snuggled into her pillow and made one last pass at her mouth with her thumb. That was all over. No more thumb. She was pushing twelve, and people pushing twelve didn't suck thumbs.

“I'm not telling,” said Jenny.

Silence again. “I can hardly wait for school to begin,” Mary said in a light, high voice. “Just think. I'll practically be in high school. I wish summer was over.”

Outside, the thick summer darkness teemed with fireflies showing off. A star fell and made no sound.

“Old Mrs. Carruthers,” Jenny said, her voice muffled and faint.

More silence.

Then, in a falsetto, Mary said, “Alice who?” and their laughter swelled and sank and was gone.

About the Author

Constance C. Greene is the author of over twenty highly successful young adult novels, including the ALA Notable Book
A Girl Called Al
,
Al(exandra) the Great, Getting Nowhere
, and
Beat the Turtle Drum
, which is an ALA Notable Book, an IRA-CBC Children's Choice, and the basis for the Emmy Award—winning after-school special
Very Good Friends
. Greene lives in Milford, Connecticut.

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All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 1985 by Constance C. Greene

Cover design by Connie Gabbert

ISBN: 978-1-5040-0097-0

This edition published in 2015 by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.

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EBOOKS BY CONSTANCE C. GREENE

FROM OPEN ROAD MEDIA