Sisterhood Of Lake Alice Read Online Free Page A

club. Invitations had been mailed to everyone in her class. The day her parents left, Emily cancelled the party, placing a homemade sign in the lunchroom for everyone to read. Isabel immediately taught her how to drive her fun new car. Within a month, Emily could be seen driving around the town. Her three best friends were always in her bright red car with the top down, laughing, regardless of how cold it was.
    Emily was very generous with her things and her money. All of them borrowed her clothes. Isabel quickly became attached to all of the girls. She taught them how to put on makeup and fix their hair. Isabel was there to greet them when they arrived. She made up beds for the girls on their sleepovers. She kept them supplied with popcorn, ice-cold sodas, and the latest fashion magazines. Then she would disappear to her new room, which had been built in the attic. There she would smile, listening to the girls’ laughter. She was so pleased that at last Emily had found friends and acceptance.
    *
    Emily never cared much if she dated. In fact, she was terrified of the experience. The boys started calling and asking her for a date when she was a freshman in high school. She used the excuse that her parents would not allow her to date until she was sixteen. After her sixteenth birthday, she no longer could use that excuse.
    Warren Brooks had been Emily’s next-door neighbor for many years. He was one grade ahead of her in school. They often walked to school together. Sometimes they just hung out on her front porch or went to Dairyland Drive-in for root-beer floats. Warren became her protector and friend.
    When it was time for his junior prom, he knew that Emily was the only girl he wanted for his date. One evening in late April, he waited and watched out his front living-room window to see Emily come out and sit on her front porch swing. Quickly he combed his thick, curly hair and took a breath mint. He was shocked at how nervous he suddenly felt as he approached the front steps to the wide Victorian porch. He knew that he would lose his courage if he did not immediately ask Emily to be his date.
    He sat down next to her, and for a few minutes, they sat in silence while they swayed on the large wooden swing. Softly he cleared his throat and said, “Emily, I am in desperate need of a date for the junior prom. Because I am on student council, there is no way that I cannot attend. Would you do me a gigantic favor and be my date for this lame dance?”
    Emily smiled at Warren and quickly said, “Sure, no problem. How could I ever refuse my best big brother and friend?”
    Warren smiled all the way home and for the next three weeks before the prom. His parents were thrilled with his choice, as they had grown to enjoy Emily over the years. As much as they liked Emily, however, they disliked her snobby parents.
    The night of the prom, Warren appeared at Emily’s door in his new tuxedo with a beautiful white orchid in a plastic box. Emily floated down the curved stairway dressed in a soft yellow, long, flowing dress, with her hair done up with curls. She took Warren’s breath away. His first thought was that Emily looked like an angel coming to him. They stopped back at the Brooks house for pictures, and then they were off for Warren’s dream date. For the first time, Emily realized that Warren was tall and handsome. Together they made a darling couple. They danced, laughed, and enjoyed the evening. The prom picture showed a couple who appeared to be having fun.
    Their relationship changed from being good friends to becoming a couple. They would often go to the movies on Saturday night and then stop for hamburgers at the Viking Café. They enjoyed each other but always hesitated to become romantic. At the end of each date, Warren would gently give Emily a goodnight kiss, but nothing more than that. Emily was content to be with Warren. She continued to think of him as a good friend. The fact that they were now considered a couple