June 10

Dear Elizabeth,

You sound so much better. You actually sound happy!!!!! (Well, except for the stuff about your father, and it sounds like you’ve thought about how you can deal with it.)

I’m so glad that Silhouette is going well and that you’re friends with Howie and Susie.

I’m going to catch you up on a lot of stuff (in a list … it’s easier for me that way … you know how my mind … and mouth … sometimes go so fast that it gets confusing).

1. My looks … I’ve gotten sooooo much taller this year. My normally brownish-blond hair has a purple streak in it. (A couple of my friends and I just got bored one day and we all streaked our hair…. Hannah has a magenta streak, Allie a green one, and John a silver one.) Barb and Luke are not crazy about it. We have had “a little discussion,” and I’ve promised not to do anything extreme to my body without getting permission first. They were afraid that I was going to do something like get my tongue pierced, but I wouldn’t be that dumb. One of the guys in eighth grade did that. Can you imagine what it would be like to kiss him????? (Yeech!!! Much worse than a Chee-to kiss, I bet.)

2. I have been writing lots too … but not poetry. I’ve been writing funny things for the school paper. The kids here really like what I’ve done. Some of the teachers (and cafeteria cooks) are not so happy. The principal and I had a little talk about free speech vs. other people’s feelings…. But I think that a menu that always tastes like hot-dog water, no matter what is being served, deserves to be written about … and teachers who sneak out of school during their breaks, sit in their cars, and have a cigarette deserve to be busted.

3. My grades…. You know how I always used to get lectures about “not working up to my potential.” Well, Elizabeth … I have been. Last marking period I got all A’s, except for a C in math (where I was working up to my potential. I’m just a potentially pathetic person when it comes to math). In fact, I’ve been recommended to be part of a tutoring program next year. (Great, huh?!!!!)

4. My friends … Elizabeth, they are so much fun. We can all be funny together … and when there’s serious stuff going on, we can all talk about it. I know lots of different people … the kids in the drama group, the ones on the school newspaper, the Chess Club (I know … I don’t play chess … but they’re nice kids). I’m thinking of joining the fencing team. The kids here are really great. (Well, not all of them … that’s another story … but most of them.)

Elizabeth — I have a great idea. Come visit me for a week this summer. That way you can see everything in person. I know that you have to baby-sit for Emma, but maybe you and your mom can work something out. (It sounds like you could really use a vacation.) I know that you’re going to be busy with work and your writing group, but I miss you soooo much and I really want us to see each other.

So much has happened this school year. Sometimes I think that we’re both so different that we aren’t going to be friends someday, that we’ll just go our own ways. I DON’T WANT THAT TO HAPPEN. I really want for us to be friends forever, so I think we have to see each other face-to-face, to be able to talk about things without having to wait for letters.

Anyway, Barb and Luke say that if you can find a way to get here, they’ll pay all of your expenses while you’re here (food, going places, etc.). They miss you too.

Please … oh, please … oh, please. Come visit.

This will be the last time that we’ll have a chance to be alone before the D.S. arrives. (Don’t worry. When I say D.S., I’,m not calling it the Demon Seed anymore. It’s now the Dear Sibling. Hah.)

Oh, Elizabeth … it would be so great if you could visit. When you write, I know the kids you are talking about and where you live (although I’ve never been to your new place). I want you to know where I am.

We’ll have a great time … and guess what … I have a new boyfriend. His name is Bart. (He’s really intelligent. I call him Bart the Smart.) He’s got a best friend, Jeff, who isn’t going out with anyone, so when you get here we can double-date.

And Elizabeth … just think … We can show each other our writing in person (not just our letter writing). Then, when we become famous authors, we can tell people how we’ve always helped each other out.

Please, oh please, try to visit.

Love,