Free Just as Long as We're Together by Judy Blume Page A

Alison said.
    "It's enriched ninth grade math," Rachel said. "No kidding," Alison said. She licked some Smoothie off her upper lip.
    "I'm in Dana Carpenter's class," Rachel said.
    "I like Dana," Alison said.
    "And Jeremy Dragon is in my class, too."
    Alison put down her glass and did look really surprised. Now she's going to let Rachel have it, I thought. Now she's going to tell her that friends don't keep secrets like that.
    But all Alison said was, "I never knew• Jeremy was smart. I mean, he thought Macbeth was a TV show!"
    "I guess he's smarter at some things than others," Rachel said.
    "So is that what you wanted to tell me?" Alison asked, slurping up the rest of her Smoothie.
    "Yes," Rachel said.
    "Well, congratulations," Alison said. "Maybe you could help me with my decimals and percentages. I can't do pre-algebra until I've got them down."
    "Sure," Rachel said, "any time."
    I could see the relief on Rachel's face, and to tell the truth I couldn't understand why Alison reacted to Rachel's news as if it was just ordinary school stuff. But I didn't say anything. I just sat there spooning up my yogurt sundae, wishing it were ice cream instead.
    "I have something to tell you, too," Alison said to Rachel. "Maizie doesn't talk. I made that up to get you and Steph to like me."
    "I've always known that." Rachel looked at me. "It's Steph who believes everything she hears."
    "She already knows about Maizie," Alison said. "Really?" Rachel said. "Since when?" "Since the day we went to Sadie Wishnik's house to bake brownies," Alison told her.
    "That was weeks ago," Rachel said, glaring at me. I spooned up the sauce from the bottom of my dish and licked it off the spoon.
    "I asked Steph to let me tell you myself," Alison explained.
    "I see," Rachel said, quietly.
    "Just like you got to tell Alison about your enriched math class yourself," I said to Rachel.
    "You knew about her math class?" Alison asked me.
    "I wouldn't exactly say I knew... I just found out today. . . by accident."
    We just sat there. No one said anything. Finally Rachel stood up and gathered her books. "We should get going. We've got a lot to do at the library."
    Alison and I got our things together, too. Outside, it had stopped raining.
    "Who are you doing your report on?" Rachel asked Alison as we headed for the library.
    "Martha Graham," Alison said. "She practically invented modern dance. What about you?" she asked Rachel.
    "Margaret Mead. She was a famous anthropologist. How about you, Steph. . . who are you doing?"
    "Jane Fonda."
    "Jane Fonda!" Rachel said. "What major difference has she made to the world?"
    "She got a lot of people to exercise," I said.
    Rachel snorted. "I don't think that's the kind of difference our teachers have in mind."
    "I'm not so sure," Alison said. "Jane Fonda is a very important person. Everybody in L.A. . .
    "We're talking about the world," Rachel said, "not L.A."
    "I know," Alison said, "but besides exercise she's a very good actress. My mother's always saying she'd love to be offered half the roles Jane Fonda gets."
    Rachel shook her head. "I don't know about the two of you."
    That night I went to Mom's room. She was stretched out on her chaise lounge, reading.
    That's her favorite place to relax. "Rachel's been transferred to enriched math and she never even told me."
    Mom looked at me over the top of her glasses. They're half glasses. She wears them for reading. She tucks in her chin when she looks over them, giving her face a funny expression.
    "She's so smart!" I said, sitting on the edge of the chaise lounge.
    "You're smart, too, honey," Mom said. "Not smart like Rachel." I picked up a small, white pillow and held it to me.
    "Rachel is gifted," Mom said.
    "Gifted," I repeated, trying out the word. "Does it bother you that she's been placed in enriched math?"
    "It's not just any enriched math," I said. "It's ninth grade enriched math."
    "You know, Steph. . . life isn't easy for Rachel."
    "Are you kidding? She can get