.

relief.

      Laura walked up the stairs feeling weak and miserable. Jim was a handsome boy. Emmy said he was popular, and she had another date with him. She ought to be happy. But for the first time a tiny doubt slipped into her mind. What do I want? she asked herself. But she was afraid to answer.

      Emily caught up with her on the stairs and said, “Gee, Laur, Jim really likes you! I’m so glad. I thought for a while you two weren’t going to hit it off. When are you going to see him again?”

      “Friday.” She wondered if Emily would notice her lack of enthusiasm….

      Beth was still up. Laura felt a surge of affection for her.

      “Hey, it’s past your bedtime,” said Emmy.

      Beth looked up with a smile. “I wanted to hear about the date,” she said to Laura, and Laura had a sudden wild desire to throw herself into Beth’s arms and cry; to tell her, with all the violence at her command, what she thought of Jim. But she didn’t dare. She looked at Beth for a minute like a lost waif.

      Beth smiled at her as if she understood. “How was it?” she said.

      “Oh—very nice,” Laura said. Emily was watching her.

      “Laura made quite a hit with Jim,” she told Beth, stripping off her clothes. Laura let her talk, wishing all the while that she would go away. She wanted to be alone with Beth; to talk, to be comforted.

      Emmy kept them up for a while. Laura refused to go to bed until Emmy did, and finally she won the game. Emmy stood up and yawned.

      “Guess I’ll hit the sack, you guys,” she said. “I’m beat to the bricks, as my friend Bud would say. See you in the morning.”

      “Night, Em,” said Beth. She lighted a cigarette and settled back to gaze at Laura and when Laura could think of nothing to say, she walked over to the couch and sat down beside her.

      “What’s the matter, honey?” she said.

      “Oh, nothing!” The overemphasis rang false, and her head ached and Beth was so close to her that she was dizzy.

      Beth put an arm around her. “Tell me the truth, Laur,” she said. And when Laura remained silent, she added gently, “It’s not a disaster if you didn’t like the boy, you know.”

      Laura looked down at her lap, still mute, afraid her tears would start with her voice.

      “What did he do, honey?”

      “He—he— I don’t want to talk about it. It wasn’t anything awful. Emmy seemed to think it was all right. Only,—” her voice quavered—“I didn’t like it.” And suddenly she put her head down on Beth’s shoulder and wrapped her arms around her and let the tears come out. The pressure began to lessen a little.

      Beth held her and rocked her in her arms. “You didn’t like it, baby?” she said softly.

      “I hated it! I couldn’t help it.”

      Beth smiled down at Laura’s back.

      “Oh, Beth, I wish so much you had been with me instead of—of Emily.” She had been about to say, “Instead of Jim.” What a curious idea that was—to have a date with Beth!

      Beth held her closer.

      “I don’t ever want to see that boy again!” she said into Beth’s shoulder.

      Beth broke the date for her.