An upperclass girl came in to use one of the toilet stalls. I didn't look at her, but I heard her sit down. At the same time, there were noises from the boy's bathroom, which is on the opposite side of the wall. In a vague way I remembered Carla once telling me to never use this bathroom, but she didn't have a chance to explain why. I suddenly found out.

Friday was a big day.

It was the last day of my dress-code punishment - the last day I'd have to go to Mr. Bryant's office to recite the dress code for girls and have him check my outfit. By now, it was just a friendly formality, more like saying "good morning" than a disciplinary thing.

In any case, I took a detour before going to the principal's office, on account of another big thing: my first pimple. It appeared that morning, under my right cheekbone, red and ugly. It wasn't ready to be squeezed, but it hurt enough to make me constantly aware of it. I went to the first-floor bathroom to study my face in the mirror. I wondered whether Eden might know how to cover it up... I hadn't had time to ask my aunt.

While I was there, an upperclass girl - she looked like a junior - came in to use one of the toilet stalls. I didn't look at her, but I heard her sit down. At the same time, there were noises from the boy's bathroom, which is on the opposite side of the wall. In a vague way I remembered Carla once telling me to never use this bathroom, but she didn't have a chance to explain why. I suddenly found out.

Behind the wall, there were fast, excited voices. I could make out one boy saying, "Throw it! Throw it!" over the sound of a toilet flushing. Then came a muffled explosion, followed by a low, heavy gurgle. I turned, completely puzzled, and saw a geyser of water shoot upward in one of the toilet stalls - the only occupied stall, of course, and the girl inside shrieked and screamed, then started to cry.

I gingerly stepped through the water that now covered the floor and gently knocked on the stall door.

"Are you okay in there?" I asked. I knew it was a stupid question, but what else could I say?

"Of course I'm not okay!" she shouted. "I'm covered with sewer water!"

"Listen," I said. "I can help. I'm going to go to the nurse's office to get a blanket and a towel you can wrap yourself in. Just stay there. Okay?"

"Okay," she replied in a small voice.

When I emerged, I saw Jerry and Pat. "What's going on in there?" Jerry demanded. "Was that you screaming?"

"Can I tell you later?" I said. "You guys — don't let anyone in there until I get back, okay?" They nodded, so I ran upstairs to the nurse's office, explained the situation, and grabbed a blanket and a towel. While I was running back down, the bell rang. Jerry said, "We got to get to class. Are you going to be okay?" I nodded, and they quickly left.

Back inside the bathroom, I coaxed the girl out of the stall and draped the towel over her head, covering her face. "This way no one will see who you are." Then I pulled the blanket around her, covering her whole body. "Now let's get you to the nurse's office."

She followed me with slow, tiny steps. It took forever just to get out of the bathroom and into the hallway, which was empty except for one big senior in a varsity jacket.

I didn't mind helping this girl, but at the rate she was going, I'd never get to class. I looked at the boy's big shoulders and made a quick decision. "Hey, can you help me?" I called. "This girl was hurt. Can you carry her to the nurse's office?"

The girl gave a tiny yelp from under the towel, but I whispered, "You'll get there a *lot* quicker!"

"Sure," he said. "Anything to get out of class!" He moved to pick her up, but I stopped him.

"Is that jacket made of leather?" I asked. He nodded, so I had him take it off. "Just a precaution," I said. He gave me a puzzled smile, but when I didn't explain, he shrugged.

He scooped her up as if she weighed nothing, and ran up the stairs two at a time. I meant to hold the doors for him, but instead he left me running to catch up, holding his jacket. When we got to the nurse's, he set the girl on a bed, and the nurse unfolded a screen to hide her.

When the two of us were left alone outside the screen, he looked at himself and then at me.

"Why are my arms all wet?" he asked in surprise.

"It's just water," I told him, "but it wouldn't hurt to wash them well with soap and hot water."

"Ah," he said, comprehending. "Cherry bomb in the toilet, right?"

"I guess," I said. "Thanks for your help."

I ran to my homeroom, and was just dropping into my chair when the PA clicked on. "Will Marcie Donner please report to the principal's office? Marcie Donner to the principal's office."

My teacher said, "Took the words right out of my mouth."

At lunch, right after Carla, Eden, and I sat down, Cassie plunked into the chair next to me. "Hi, there," she said, smiling.

"Hello," I said. "What brings you here?"

"My long, lovely legs," she replied. "How come you were called to the principal's office this morning? Seems like you go there a lot."

"I was supposed to go before school," I said, "It was the last day of my dress-code thing."

"Thing?" she repeated. "As in punishment thing?"

"Yes," I said, "What's up, Cassie? Why are you here?"

"Why are any of us here?" she replied.

Inwardly, I sighed. Lately Cassie was getting to be a bit much. She was going beyond just teasing me to hassling me. At first, I thought that the teasing meant she liked me, but now I wasn't so sure. And I didn't see a way to make her stop.

At that moment, the girl who had been doused walked by my table, followed by the tall guy in the varsity jacket. He smiled and gave me a big thumbs-up. I returned the gesture. The girl was wearing different clothes, and her hair was clean. She looked none the worse for her experience that morning.

"What was that about?" Cassie demanded.

"What is anything about?" I responded, smiling. Might as well give as well as I got!

She cocked her jaw to the side and narrowed her eyes slightly as she considered me.

"Okay," she said. "I'll tell you why I'm here if you tell me why Mahon the Man gave you the thumbs-up."

"You go first," I responded.

A quick blush spread across her face, then disappeared. "All right. I brought you a book. It's from Nina. I was going to tease you with it." She pulled a 'Nancy Drew' book from her bag and slid it across the table to me. I stuffed it into my bag. "Now spill."

"Why did you call him Man-The-Man?" I asked her.

"His last name is Mahon. M-A-H-O-N. It's pronounced like 'man', so everybody calls him Big Mahon or Mahon the Man. So how do you know him? Why did he give you the sign?"

I told her, Carla, and Eden about the cherry-bomb incident.

Cassie eyebrows shot up to her hairline. "You got him to carry the girl upstairs? Who was this girl?"

As she questioned me, she seemed angry, though I couldn't for the life of me understand why.

"I don't know her," I lied. "I don't think I'd recognize her, either. She was all wet and bedraggled when I saw her."

Cassie stood up and looked at me with disdain. "You're a miserable liar," she said, and walked away.

Carla and Eden were silent for a few moments, then Carla said, "Marcie, I never thought I'd say this, but school is getting way more interesting than television."

I sighed. "That's what Mr. Bryant said, too."

Eden was munching on a cracker. Between bites, she asked, "Why is Cassie's sister giving you a Nancy Drew book?"

As if in answer, a bored-looking girl from one of my morning classes threw a note on the table, next to my elbow. "It's from your boyfriend," she said, as if that was the lamest, most abjectly stupid source that a note could ever come from.

"Thanks," I said, unfolding it. I read the first part of the note aloud to Eden and Carla. "Watch out for Cassie — she is going to tease you with some dumb book. It isn't from Nina. It's just a joke." The rest I didn't read to them, I just blushed at it.

"Hey!" I called to the girl. "How long did you hang on to this before you gave it to me?"

She stopped, turned slowly, and glared at me. "Oh, no you didn't!" she said, wagging her finger like a metronome.

"Uh-oh, here we go," Carla said.

The girl wound up and let loose a tirade. "Hey, yourself! Don't 'hey' me, girl! Think you're all Marcie Donner, Darcy Monner, Fartsy Gonner-ee-ah or something? Do I look like a mailman? Am I wearing a mailman's uniform? Am I post-office-special-delivery? I don't think so!"

I thought she was done, but she took another breath and went back to it.

"Do I look like some kind of bicycle messenger to you? Hey yourself! Hey! HEY! Barcy Bonner! Parcy Ponner! Where's my bike? I'm not a bike messenger! Did I ring my bell at you?"

Everyone was watching, but I was too stunned to be embarrassed. And still the girl wasn't finished.

"Don't you go calling me 'hey' - My name's not 'hey' - I did you a favor. Check it out: It's not a telegram. Nobody died. It's same-day service, right? Check the postmark, before you start giving me lip."

She blew a bubble and popped it with a loud crack! "You got a complaint? Do you have a complaint? You can go right on down to the complaint department and give it a great big kiss." Turning, she pointed with both index fingers to her butt. She stared at me for a moment, said, "Yeah, I didn't think so," and started to walk away. Then she stopped and announced, "Oh, yes, and by the way, I DID read your note." She rolled her eyes and gave another resounding crack! with her bubble gum before leaving the room.

"What the hell was that?" I said.

Carla shook her head and laughed. "That girl is a trip."

"Why in the world did Jerry give the note to her?" I wondered.

"He probably doesn't know her," Carla replied. "I mean, you thought she was normal until just now, right?"

"Are you going to read it?" Eden asked.

"Read what?" I asked, blushing. "The rest of the note? It's kind of personal."

Carla guffawed.

"No, silly," Eden replied. "Nancy Drew."

"Oh, I guess so," I replied, and the three of us laughed.