March 3, 1998

Dear wonderful Di,

Yes! Eli & I actually had a conversation! (Sort of).

Let me start at the beginning. We had gotten our math tests back and I was pretty steamed at him. He had beaten me by one lousy point! And everyone thinks I’m the smartest person in math. I got 40 out of 44[;] he got 41/44, which, I console myself with, 3 other people got as well.

Anyway, Mr. Kelly was going over the test, and we were on problem 9, which everyone was complaining they didn’t get. “Believe it or not, some people in here DO get this,” Mr. K. said lightly.

“Yeah, like Vanessa!”…

Upon hearing that, Eli turned in my direction and said, “Over here”/ “He’s right”/ “She’s right.” (I can’t believe I forgot!) Something like that, though.

Mr. Kelly had us do our redos, and Eli called to me (THIS I remember), “Vanessa, what’d you get for number 2?”

“Ida know. I got it wrong,” I called back. I felt so bad!

A little while later, I could not figure out the answer for (you got it!) number 9. I asked everyone around me if they had form B. Noah Hart did, but he got no. 9 wrong. So there was only one nearby choice: The Guy I’d Shave My Head For—Eli!

But I had to debate. After all, I was going to talk to the guy who’d win People’s Choice Award… 1-900, no sweat!...

“I can’t, I can’t I can’t!” one side of me thought desperately. But a stronger part of me said, “C’mon, talk to him! You can do it!”

So I sucked up my few measly ounces of courage and said, “Eli… Eli.”

He turned to look at me. “Yeah?”

“Do you have form B?”

His eyes went back and forth and he opened his mouth. “Yeah…” he said slowly, in kinda a DUH! tone.

“What’d you get for number 9?”

“Point 445.”

“Thanks.”

“My God, I did it!” I remember thinking. I was so triumphant and delirious with pride I’m surprised I didn’t pass out. I was floating on cloud 9 (what a coincidence!) the rest of the morning.

Another interesting thing happened concerning ANOTHER boy. (Don’t worry, Di, I’m still “loyal” to Eli).

Today at recess, somehow it came up, Tess said something about how someone thought I walked weird, but was fast. I was indignant. “I do too walk in a straight line,” I said, but started to laugh. “OK. I KNOW I can’t walk in a straight line. Tell me who it is. I may be steamed, but being weak & puny, I can’t beat them up.”

“No,” Tess agreed, “but I can.”

“Tell me,” Fran begged. “I won’t tell her.”

“Thanks,” I thought irritably.

We walked past Eli and his friends. “We’re approaching idiot territory,” I remarked nonchalantly.

My heart beat faster as we saw them. “Oh, God, Oh, God,” I thought. “What is he thinking?” And then, remembering that he IS a boy, “Is he thinking?”

Now that we were at our spot, I reminded Tess, “I’m going to keep badgering you until you tell me.”

“He has 17 letters in his name, including his middle.”

Silently, I began to tick off the impossible: E-L-I K-L-E-IN-

“Don’t worry,” Francine said in my ear, “it’s not Eli.”

Dang.

“Here’s a hint,” she continued. “GOL, Francine.”

Only one boy, actually one person[,] would & COULD say “Gol” like that. “Urban!” I whispered furiously.

Urban Tompkins rides Tess & Francine’s bus. He lives near Tess, & he, she, and the local neighborhood boys play street hockey regularly. He’s cute, funny, an awesome hockey player, and I had a BIG crush on him last year. It wasn’t as intense as Eli, but he made me laugh so much, how could I NOT like him?

My mind raced like tires squealing--fast!

I began to laugh, put my hands on my hips, said, “I can too walk in a straight line,” and proceeded to stumble through the snow.

Vanessa