“I suppose you’ll be dreadfully thick with the Prigs, now that they’ve taken you up,” said Lorraine.
“They haven’t taken me up yet,” replied Patty, a little shortly.
“Well, they’re beginning to hang around you, so I suppose they will take you up soon.”
“They’ve already asked me to join their set, if that’s what you mean by ‘taking up.’ ”
“Well, then of course you’ll join it, and I suppose you’ll have no use for me after that.”
“Now, look here, Lorraine, we might as well have this out now, once for all. I’d like to be a friend of yours, but there are lots of times when you make me feel as if you didn’t want me to be. And besides, I expect to be friends with everybody. That’s the way I always have been; it’s my nature. And if being friends with you is going to prevent my having anything to do with anybody else in the whole school, why then I’m not going to do it, that’s all.”
“I told you so,” said Lorraine, staring moodily before her; “I knew when those Prigs took you up you’d drop me.”
“But I won’t drop you, Lorraine,” said Patty, exasperated by such injustice. “And if you drop me, it’s your own fault. What is the matter with you, anyway? Why don’t you like anybody?”
“Because nobody likes me, I suppose,” and Lorraine’s face wore such a helpless, hopeless expression that Patty’s indignation calmed down a little.
“I feel like shaking you,” she said, half angry, half laughing. “Now, see here, why don’t you try a different tack? Just make up your mind that you like everybody, and act so, and first thing you know they’ll all like you.”