California Diaries #7: Dawn, Diary Two Read Online Free PDF Page B

your own. You’re right. I trust your judgment. But don’t hold back. Get whatever you want. You should look perfect for your first real job.” He stood up and kissed her on the head. “I’m looking forward to showing you the ropes. My chip off the old block.”
    Maggie looked incredibly sad after he left.
    Amalia and I put our dishes in the sink and we all went to Maggie’s room. We
    didn’t stay up talking. Amalia fell asleep right away. Maggie stayed in the bathroom for a really long time. I noticed she took her journal in with her and I heard her humming quietly to herself. Some soulful tune. I figured she was writing a song.
    When she came out I whispered, “Did you write a new song?”
    She nodded.
    “Sing it for me. I’d love to hear it.”
    “It needs some more work.”
    “Do you want to talk about what happened tonight?” I asked. “In the kitchen.”
    “What about it?”
    “You didn’t seem very excited about working in your father’s office.”
    “Oh, that,” Maggie said. “I’m just not really interested in the film business.”
    “Maybe you could tell him that,” I said.
    “It’s not big deal. I’d rather not talk about it.” She got into bed. “Sweet dreams.”
    “’Night, Maggie,” I whispered.
    I’m hurt that Maggie won’t open up to me. Not surprised, really—but still hurt.
    Sure, I was closer to Sunny than I was to Maggie. But with Sunny out of the picture, I thought Maggie and I would become closer friends. Now that I think about it, Sunny and I were always much closer to each other than to Maggie. I can’t remember that Maggie ever opened up to any of us.
    I’m beginning to think that Maggie isn’t very close to anyone, even Amalia.
    Now I can’t sleep. All the things that were bothering me before the concert have come back one by one. I am going to have to study for exams all day tomorrow. Finals start on Monday. I wish I could talk to Sunny about Maggie. I wish I could talk to Sunny about anything.
    Wednesday 6/17
    What is wrong with me? Why am I so angry at Sunny?
    Here’s what happened.
    I studied like crazy for my math final. I felt that I was ready.
    “Well, I’m not ready,” Maggie said as we walked into our math classroom. “My
    mother made me go shopping yesterday afternoon. I only studied for four hours.”
    “I didn’t study for four hours and I thought I’d studied a lot. I knew that Maggie would ace the math final and I told her so. She still looked worried but changed the subject by asking if I thought Sunny would show up for the exam. I told her I didn’t know, but that even if sunny did take the final I didn’t see how she could pass math. Not with all the classes she’s cut.
    We took our seats. I put out two sharp pencils, folded my hands, and waited for the exam to begin. If Sunny didn’t take any of her finals, she’d fail the year. She’d have to repeat eighth grade. We couldn’t graduate from Vista together.
    I thought about the plans we’d made for after high school graduation. We had
    been talking about them for years. First we wanted to spend the summer in Europe.
    Then we’d go to the same college, hopefully as roommates. I really believed we would do those things. They were our shared dreams. Well, they used to be.
    I turned my attention to Ms. Wharten, who was giving her final instructions,
    before passing out the exam.
    That’s the moment Sunny walked in the room. As she passed me to go to her seat, we made eye contact. She smiled. It was a sarcastic smile, more like a smirk, that said,
    “You didn’t think I’d show up, and here I am.”
    I didn’t know how to respond, so I looked down at my desk.
    Then I thought, Had I read the wrong thing into Sunny’s look? Maybe the smile wasn’t meant to be sarcastic. Maybe she was reaching out to me. I decided the next time we passed each other I’d be the first to smile—a real smile. I’d see how she responded.
    Sunny finished the exam early and left the room before I