Crossroads Read Online Free PDF Page B

on the shoulder.
    “ Heck, yeah! It’s at the
Grand View Hotel. Who has a birthday party at the Grand View
Hotel ? For a
wedding, I would understand. It’s a
five-star hotel. I heard he invited practically the whole senior
class. Can you imagine how much the whole thing would cost? I guess
if my parents were rich like his, I would have it there too. But
you already knew that.
    “ I only dated him for six
months,” I said, implying that I didn’t know much about
him.
    “ You got the Evite, didn’t
you? I mean, you did break his heart, and I didn’t know if he would
invite you,” she said, her eyes uncertain.
    “ I got the Evite. Don’t
worry. Anyway, we’re friends. Party at the Grand View Hotel…that’s
one party I wouldn’t miss…though I really don’t know how to dress
cocktail,” I said.
    “ Good. I’ll tell Maggie
you’re going. We were debating whether you would go or not
’cause…you know,” she said, with a raised eyebrow.
    “ Talking behind my back,”
I teased.
    “ Always,” she said with a
smile.
    “ No wonder my ears were
burning,” I said.
    “ Your ears will be more
than burning if you back out,” she said in a half serious, half
teasing tone.
    “ Don’t worry. I’ll be
there even if I’m sick,” I said as I closed my eyes, hoping that it
would be just enough for my eyes to rest before I opened them up
again. Then I yawned.
    “ Okay then. Now that we
got that straightened out, see ya tomorrow,” she said as she
yawned. “Stop yawning, you’re making me yawn,” she scolded
playfully.
    We both laughed. “Same time, same
place,” I said, waving good-bye and walking away.
    “ Don’t forget to RSVP!” I
heard her shout from a distance.
    “ It’s a month away,” I
murmured under my breath, knowing it was pointless to say it out
loud since I could no longer see her.
    Ryan was my first boyfriend; the first
guy I had held hands with and the first guy I had kissed. He was
tall, good-looking, and mega-rich. Any girl would have loved to be
in my shoes—except for Patty. She thought he wasn’t good enough for
me. I told her that she needed to get to know him better, and that
being rich didn’t automatically make him a snob. But I guess that
wasn’t the reason she disliked him, and I didn’t see him the same
way. She had more experience with boys than I did, so I figured she
had her reasons. But I continued to date him anyway.
    We started having problems when Ryan
started getting more serious. Not only was I not ready to move
forward, I had also realized that he didn’t make me feel the way a
girl should feel when she’s in love. Like how the guy in my dream
made me feel, I thought unexpectedly. I quivered from the sudden
feeling I experienced, the fluttering butterflies everywhere, like
when I first looked into his eyes. I had never believed in love at
first sight; maybe I did now, even with his bad manners and all. I
wasn’t sure what it was that I felt, but I knew it was something I
had never felt before. Regardless, it didn’t matter because it was
just a dream, after all. These feelings confirmed that breaking up
with Ryan was the right thing to do. It was best for both of
us.
    After school, I headed straight for
the refrigerator. I grabbed something to snack on, and sure enough,
there it was. The note read, “Working late tonight, left dinner in
the fridge.” Mom never failed to leave me a note letting me know
whether she’d be working late or not. Home alone, I thought. It
never used to bother me, but for some reason, it did tonight. I
couldn’t quite put my finger on the reason why, but I was guessing
it had something to do with the dream I had last night.
    All was quiet in the house, until the
sound of my cell phone made me jump. The caller ID read Lucy Reed.
Lucy Reed was Gamma’s real name, but as a toddler I was unable to
say “Grandma”, so she became Gamma to me.
    “ Hello, Gamma,” I answered
excitedly.
    “ Hello, Claudia. I haven’t
heard your