Card Games
By Kristen
Bealer
揑 want this one, please.?o:p>
The
librarian looked up from her monitor to see the ten-year-old brunette with
glasses holding out a book.?The girl
hesitated, then placed her library card on the counter.
Looking at the book, George Orwell抯 Animal Farm, the librarian shook her head sympathetically.?揑抦 sorry, Daria.?You can抰 check out the grown-up books with this card.?I could recommend some of the more advanced children抯 books for you, if you like.?o:p>
揑 don抰 want a kid抯 book.?I抦 done with those.?o:p>
揓ust
like Matilda, right??span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>?The librarian gave
her a smile, hoping to coax one from the girl still holding Animal Farm.?Daria had enjoyed Roald Dahl抯 books years
earlier, when she had first started coming to the library, but she only scowled
at the remark.
揘o.?Matilda read all of the kid抯 books.?I just read enough to know I don抰 want to
read any more of them.?I抎 rather read
this one.?span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>?She put the book on the
counter, the faintest hint of a plea in her expression.
The older
woman sighed and looked first at the book, then at Daria.?揥ell,?she replied slowly.?揑 suppose I could issue you an adult library
card, since this is a special case.?You抮e a few years too young, but only in chronological years.?span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'>?This time her smile was returned.
Fifteen
minutes later, Daria walked out of the library with her prize, a slight smile
still on her face.
Daria抯
not-quite-shoulder-length hair fell forward, hiding her face as she leaned
forward to read.?Next to her, Jenny
fidgeted as she waited for class to start.?She glanced toward Daria for a moment, then did a double-take to see the
cover of Daria抯 book.
揌ey, that抯 one of the grown-up library books!?she exclaimed.?揌ow抎 you get that??o:p>
Daria抯
eyes shot left to look at Jenny.?揑 have
an adult library card.?span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>?She slowly went
back to reading, bracing her shoulders against the expected insult.
揜eally??Wow.?o:p>
Wow??Daria closed the book and turned partway in her seat to scrutinize the more popular blond girl sitting by her.?揧ou like to read??o:p>
揢h, sort of.?span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>?The girl stared at the chalkboard as she thought for a moment, then looked back at Daria.?揌ey, I抦 having a sleepover this weekend.?You wanna come??o:p>
Daria toyed with the cover of her book before answering.?Since when do I get invited to Jenny抯 exclusive sleepovers??But I guess it抯 either that or Mom抯 every-other-Friday-night bonding sessions.?揢m?Okay.?I guess.?o:p>
揂wesome!?Can you get a book from the library and bring it with you??o:p>
揑 could
bring this one,?Daria suggested, holding up Animal Farm.
揘o,
there抯 this one I heard about that I think would be really cool for the
sleepover厰
Blushing
slightly, Daria continued to read from Sons
and Lovers by D. H. Lawrence as the other girls sat around her.
牋牋牋牋?He kissed her tenderly.
揘ever mind,?he said. 揧ou should please yourself.?o:p>
Suddenly she gripped his arms round her,
and clenched her body stiff.
揧ou shall
have me,?she said, through her shut teeth.
His heart beat up again like fire. He
folded her close, and his mouth was on her throat.
As she
continued, she glanced from time to time at the faces around her.?Jenny, Chrissy, Melissa, Stephanie, Nicole,
and Amber were all focused completely on her.?They抎 made her the center of attention from the moment she walked into
Jenny抯 house, yet before that week none of them had ever so much as looked her
way before.
I never thought any of them liked
reading!?I just assumed they were as
shallow and stupid as all the other kids.?I guess I shouldn抰 judge people before I really know them.
After the
sleepover, Daria became the most popular girl in her class.?More and more, girls began asking her to get
books from the library for them.?Several
had become big fans of D. H. Lawrence after the slumber party, but she got
plenty of other requests, such as Lolita
or The Tropic of Capricorn.?Soon, even the boys were asking her for
books.
揗uh-oh-om!?nine-year-old Quinn complained one evening at dinner.?揈verybody at school is ignoring me!?o:p>
揈veryone,
Quinn??Helen asked, one eyebrow raised as she winced at Quinn抯 shrill voice.
揥ell, all the fifth-graders, anyway.?Like, Justin gives me his cookies every day for lunch, but all week he抯 been giving them to stupid Daria!?It抯 not fair!?o:p>
Quinn抯 monologue continued, but Helen didn抰 hear another word.?揇aria,?she asked, trying to think of a polite way to phrase her question.?揑s something?going on at school??o:p>
揧eah!?Jake interjected.?揥ho抯 this Justin
guy??span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>?He frowned.?揧ou don抰 have a boyfriend, do you??You can抰 have a boyfriend until you抮e, um厰
As he paused to remember Daria抯 age, Helen continued.?揂re you making new friends??o:p>
?i
style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>Any friends, you mean,?Quinn muttered.
Daria stared at her plate.?揝ort of.?Some of the kids started talking to me at school, that抯 all.?o:p>
揑 told you that sleepover would be a great way to show kids the real you!?o:p>
Jake snapped out of his thoughts.?揝o?no boyfriend??o:p>
Desperate to turn everyone抯 attention back to her, Quinn whined, 揂nd everyone抯 reading!?It抯 so stupid!?o:p>
揟hat抯 great, Daria!?Helen cooed, as though Daria had been the one to speak.?揘ew friends and you抮e sharing your interests with them!?o:p>
揋awd!?Quinn cried.?揗om, tell Daria if she doesn抰 stop being popular then you抣l ground her!?o:p>
That night, Daria was reading on her bed when Quinn burst into the room they shared.?揧ou抳e got to stop!?Quinn begged.?揚(yáng)opularity is, like, my thing!?You can抰 take that away from me!?o:p>
Without looking up from her book, Daria smirked.?揑抦 not taking it away from you.?I抦 just borrowing it.?Indefinitely.?o:p>
揚(yáng)lease, Daria??Pleeeease??o:p>
揑t抯 too late to stop now, Quinn,?Daria teased.?揟he others have become addicted to my natural charm and magnetism.?Cutting them off now could be disastrous.?o:p>
揑抣l pay you!?o:p>
揧ou don抰 have any money.?span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>?Daria finally looked up.?揑f it抣l make you feel better, maybe tomorrow I抣l share Justin抯 cookies with you.?o:p>
揙ooooh!?Quinn moaned.?She turned on her heel and
left the room, slamming the door behind her.
I really wish I had my own room, Daria reflected.?But
teasing Quinn about this popularity thing is fantastic.
She
closed her book and stretched out on her back to stare at the ceiling.?Am I
popular??Do I want to be popular??Making Quinn miserable is one thing, but I
always figured I was better off on my own.
Idly
playing with the pages, she considered her situation.?Other
kids haven抰 liked reading before, though.?They抮e the ones who changed, not me.?If that suddenly makes me popular, then what抯 the big deal??It抯 not like I抎 be selling out or
something.
She
rolled over onto her stomach and opened the book again.?It does
feel nice to be liked.?And I think I
like having friends.?It won抰 hurt to
try, anyway.
Although
the librarian hadn抰 said anything, Daria was starting to worry that she might
get caught.?She wasn抰 sure if letting
the other kids read the books she checked out was actually against the rules,
but she had never asked.?The kids shared
the books, and Daria checked out more than enough of her own books that the
extra ones were hardly noticeable, but she couldn抰 shake the feeling she was
being dishonest.
Daria was still thrilled that her classmates were reading, but it was turning out to be less fun than she expected.?One morning, she turned toward Jenny and asked, 揌ave you read Animal Farm yet??o:p>
Jenny stared at her blankly for a moment, then shook her head.?揘ah.?Sounds like a kid抯 book.?o:p>
揑t抯
not,?Daria replied.?揑t抯 about棓
But Jenny
was pawing through her desk, looking for a pencil.?Daria sighed and shrugged.?They are reading, at least.?It抯 a start.
That day
at recess, two girls from the sixth grade approached Daria.?揧ou抮e the book girl, right??asked the
taller one, a redhead named Reagan who used to call Daria 揗orgendorker??Reagan thought the nickname was clever.?Daria thought girls named after presidents
shouldn抰 throw stones.
揃ook girl? Daria thought.?揢h, I guess so.?o:p>
The other girl, a bored-looking brunette named Michelle, held out a list.?揅ould you get these books for us??o:p>
Daria read the first few titles.?揟hese sound like harlequin novels.?Those are usually poorly written; I don抰 think you抎 like them.?o:p>
Reagan laughed.?揓eez, I didn抰 realize you were particular.?o:p>
Handing back the list, Daria shook her head.?揑 can抰.?Sorry.?o:p>
A few minutes later, Daria watched Quinn grin idiotically and hand out brownies to any student who would speak to her.?Chrissy came to stand next to her and asked, 揇id you tell Reagan and Michelle you wouldn抰 get any books for them??o:p>
揟he books they wanted sucked.?I wouldn抰 even want to touch them, let alone check them out.?o:p>
揃ut that抯 not fair!?o:p>
揑t抯 my card.?Don抰 I get to decide what books I get??o:p>
Chrissy
didn抰 say anything for a few minutes.?揥ell, yeah, but aren抰 you our friend??It抯 mean to tell people what they should read.?
Daria closed her eyes and sighed.?揕ook.?I think I should stop getting books for everybody.?I don抰 think I抦 supposed to be sharing them.?o:p>
揥hat??span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>?Chrissy moved to stand in front of Daria.?揓ust one more, please??I抦 having a slumber party this weekend, and there抯 this one book that I think you抎 totally like!?It抯 kind of different from the other ones, but we, um, heard it抯 really good.?Please??o:p>
揑抣l think about it.?o:p>
Daria
walked into her room that night to see Quinn holding one of her books.?Brow furrowed, Quinn was laboriously working
her way through Moby Dick.
換uinn??Are you feeling all right??o:p>
Quinn glared at her sister.?揋o away!?I抦 trying to read.?o:p>
揧eah,
that抯 why I抦 worried.?span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>?Daria
considered, then cut back her sarcasm.?揢m, if you want something a little easier to read, I could棓
Tossing the book aside in disgust, Quinn抯 glare intensified.?揑抦 just trying to fit in at school.?I don抰 know why all those kids are reading, but I抣l do anything to get them to pay attention to me again!?o:p>
Daria rolled her eyes.?揥ell, if attention is all you want, you could try shaving your head.?o:p>
揓ust forget it!?o:p>
As she lay in bed, trying to sleep, Daria thought about Chrissy抯 words.?One more.?They抣l still be my friends, but I won抰 have to lie anymore.?Maybe I can share some of my own books with them.?She smiled.?Yeah.?I抣l get this one last library book for the sleepover, but I抣l bring some of my books, too.?Maybe start with Black Beauty.?I bet they抎 like Jane Austen, too.?Anything I抳e got is probably better than?o:p>
揓ackie Collins??the librarian asked.?She stared at the book Daria had just handed her, then at the girl.?揂re you sure you want to read this one??o:p>
揢m, I
guess,?Daria replied.?She stared at the
floor, chewing on a thumbnail.
Looking back at the book, the librarian cleared her throat.?揥hen I gave you the adult library card, I probably should have set a few guidelines first.?span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>?Daria抯 eyes widened.?揑t抯 just that, well, some of the books you抳e been checking out lately have me a little worried.?Maybe we should go back to the children抯 card for a while longer.?o:p>
揘o!?span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'>?Daria抯 voice echoed loudly in the quiet
building, and she blushed.?揑 mean,?she
said more quietly, 搕hose weren抰 really my books.?br style='mso-special-character:
line-break'>
揥hat??o:p>
揝ome of the kids at school wanted to read them.?They asked me to get them.?The books weren抰 for me.?I抦 sorry.?span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>?Daria looked close to tears.?揂m I in trouble??o:p>
The older
woman steadied herself against the counter as a few things clicked into
place.?揙h, dear厰
Daria looked horrified as she took in the librarian抯 pale face and slight scowl.?揑 didn抰 mean to lie.?span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>?She set the card on the counter.?揑抦 really sorry.?You can have the card back.?o:p>
Shaking
her head, she slid the card back toward Daria.?揘o, you aren抰 in trouble.?But I
think those kids have been playing sort of a trick on you.?span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'>?Seeing Daria抯 confusion, she spoke
cautiously.?揝ome of these books, you
see, have scenes in them that are?sexual.?The kids wanted to read those books, and you had an adult library card,
so厰
揟hey
used me.?span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>?The confusion was gone from
Daria抯 face, replaced with bitterness and indignation.
The librarian started to speak, but only nodded.?揑抦 afraid so.?o:p>
揃ut I thought棓 Daria snapped her mouth shut, and lowered her head so her hair hid her face.?揟hey抮e having another slumber party on Friday,?she muttered, so quietly the librarian could barely hear.?揟hat抯 what the book was for.?Guess I抦 not going after all.?o:p>
As Daria began to turn away, the librarian held up a hand.?揥ait.?span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>?Daria looked up, revealing cold eyes but quivering lips.?The librarian looked into that face and felt a shiver of disgust at the other children.?An idea formed.?揧ou should go to that slumber party.?I even know what book you should bring.?o:p>
When the buckets fell, she was at first only aware of a loud, metallic clang cutting through the music, and then she was deluged in warmth and wetness.?She closed her eyes instinctively.?There was a grunt from beside her, and in the part of her mind that had come so recently awake, she sensed brief pain?o:p>
Daria
solemnly read from Stephen King抯 Carrie.?She had drained all expression from her
reading voice, using a flawless deadpan to frighten the girls even more.
It
worked.
揟hank you so much!?Daria told the librarian, excitement edging her voice.?揑t worked!?They were terrified!?o:p>
揝erves them right,?replied the librarian, smiling.?揃ut didn抰 the story scare you, too??o:p>
揂 little.?I kind of liked the creepy parts.?And the violence was all right.?I wish I could write like that.?o:p>
揧ou could try.?You might find you like writing as much as you like reading.?o:p>
揑 might.?Thanks again, Ms. Powers!?o:p>
揇aria, we抳e known each other for years.?You can call me Melody.?o:p>
Passages quoted from Sons and Lovers by D. H.
Lawrence and Carrie by Steven King.
Thank you to Ranger Thorne and RLobinske for beta reading.