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"Why wouldn't I be?" I shot back.

She looked at her friends and then at me and

shrugged.

"I just wondered," she said, shifting her weight

from one leg to the other and smiling again. "I introduced Crystal to Bernie Felder. We went over to his

house, and she didn't want to leave. How long did you

stay?"

"A while," I said. So that was it, I thought. I

was being punished for not doing exactly what she

had wanted, for defying her and staying with Bernie. "Crystal's a genius, too," she said with an ugly

twist in her lips.

"I'm far from a genius, but I am polite," I said. I

turned to the others. "My name is Crystal Morris." They stared a moment, and then a short

brunette with a face like a little doll, her features small

and perfect, stuck out her hand.

"I'm Alicia."

"I'm Mona," said another girl, with a rounder

face, straight light brown hair, and brown eyes. Her

fingers were short and stubby.

"My name is Rachael Peterson," a girl almost as

tall as Helga said in a very formal voice. She didn't

offer her hand, but she looked at my briefcase. "Is that

real leather?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Very nice," she said.

"Thank you. My grandparents gave it to me."

"Grandparents? How can you have grandparents?"

Helga asked quickly.

"Thelma's parents are my grandparents," I said

dryly. "That's how it works."