kissed girls before. There was nothing tender about it, nothing of the gentle awkwardness of Paulâs first kiss the night he had asked her to go steady. Lynn had lifted her own face then and kissed him back, with a singing inside her and a glow of happiness that was almost too much to bear. There was no singing in her now, only a kind of terror, a longing to get away.
When Dirk finally released her, Lynn was trembling with anger.
âThere,â Dirk said, a note of satisfaction in his voice. âDid your Hill boy friend ever kiss you like that?â
âNo,â Lynn said, âand if he ever had, I would never have spoken to him again.â
She opened the car door, slid through it and slammed it behind her. Without even a glance over her shoulder at the boy in the car, she ran up the porch steps and into the house.
5
When Lynn arrived at school the following Monday, the news was there before her. It was a muffled buzz all around her, a horrified whisper following her through the halls and into classrooms. âLynn had a date with Dirk Masters! With Dirk Masters! â
Nancy was the first one to mention it. It was at the end of home room period, when they were free to talk for a few minutes before the bell. She turned around in her seat in front of Lynnâs. She looked troubled.
âIs it true that you dated that Masters boy?â
Lynn was surprised. âYes. How did you know?â
âWell, Joanâs brother went to the movies Saturday night and said he saw you with him. That he had hold of your arm and that there was another couple with you, that terrible Greta something-or-other who sits in the back row of English class and some other boy. Lynnââ she hesitated, searching for the right wordsââyou donât have to do that, you know.â
âTo do what?â
âTo date boys like that. I mean, itâs tough about this debut business. We all wish your dad would let you take part in it and we feel mean not having you to our parties. We like you just as much as ever, Lynn. You donât have to prove anythingââ
âIâm not proving anything,â Lynn said irritably.
âYes, you are. You must be. Youâd never date a horrible boy like that if you werenât Iââ She put an uncertain hand on her friendâs armââI know it must be hard, being out of things and having all the Hill boys at the parties so thereâs nobody left to date, but just remember that Paul is going to be home soon. It will be Christmas vacation before you know it. You donât have to date boys like Dirk when youâve got Paul.â
âI know,â Lynn said, with a sigh. âI know, Nan, and I guess youâre right. I was just trying to prove something. Donât worry, I wonât be going out with Dirk again.â
âWell, good,â Nancy said with satisfaction. She was silent a moment, and then she asked slowly, âWhat was it like?â
âWhat?â
âDating Dirk. How did he act? Did he get fresh?â
âYes,â Lynn said, âsort of, at the last. He was pretty nice the rest of the time.â She changed the subject with an effort. âHow are the debutante parties coming? How was the dinner dance?â
âOh, fine!â Nancyâs face brightened. âIt was more funâyou just canât imagine! You know what a lovely, big house Joanâs folks have. We ate in the dining room, a formal affair, with everyone in dinner dress and candles on the table and the best silver and china, and they servedâletâs seeââ She wrinkled her nose in an effort to remember. âCornish hen, I think it was. And wild rice and peas cooked with mushrooms and fruit salad and a gorgeous ice cream thing for dessert. And after dinner we went into the living room and they had everything cleared and the room was decorated
to represent the end of autumnârust and