Middle Aged Slumber Party #6

Hello, friends.

Welcome to the sixth installment of my deep dive into Christopher Pike’s Slumber Party, in which Percy “rescues” Lara after Rachael maneuvers her into crashing.

Want to start from the beginning?

Chapter One: Part One. Part Two. Part Three. Part Four.
Chapter Two: Part One.

Subscribe to follow along, re-read the book if you’re feeling it, and for SURE, please tell me all about your memories of reading this way back when.

Lara heard rather than felt the impact, a thousand splintering wooden matches. Then there was silence. Her thoughts were a dreamy jumble. In retrospect, she realized that she had only been partially conscious, but her thoughts still held the common threat* of absolute disgust for Rachael. That it had been an accident did not even cross her mind, for where was she? Lara opened her eyes, which took their time focusing. The clouds were calling her name, using Percy’s voice. That must mean that she had damaged her brain, she thought. Poor girl will never be the same. Then the clouds squeezed her hand, and she knew that was impossible, even for crossed neurons.

—Slumber Party, Chapter Two

*[sic? my copy says ‘threat,’ but i wonder if he meant ‘thread’?]

Scene Three: Percy to the rescue

When Lara’s brain clears after her crash, Percy has indeed appeared:

“Lara,” Percy was saying. “You’re okay. Don’t move.”

He was contradicting himself, she thought.

Heh.

She’s so excited to be rescued by him that she immediately jumps up despite his protests—he’s worried that she might have broken something, and while my first instinct was to scoff at him (mostly because I think he’s Extremely Annoying), it all made me remember that I went to high school with a kid who literally broke his neck skiing and didn’t know it was broken until he went to the hospital, so weird things happen—and is pretty woozy and has a bloody head, but feels that her wounds are all pretty superficial:

“See, all in one piece,” she said, untangling her pants with Percy’s help.

It was established earlier that she was wearing jeans, so OBVIOUSLY I want to know HOW BIG THEY ARE, EXACTLY, if she has to untangle them? Like, how much fabric are we talking here? Is she wearing David Silver pants??

Percy’s not winning any points for this one—he says something about seeing her lose her balance, she corrects him, and he fully tells her that she’s wrong:

“I didn’t lose my balance. Rachael cut me off.”

He was puzzled by her tone. “That happens, you hit ice and suddenly gain speed. I’m sure she didn’t force you into these bushes on purpose.”

Sure, Percy, she’s known Rachael for years and she was the one who was ACTUALLY IN THE CRASH, but I’m sure you know better. What a jerk.

But then again, as much as I want to slap Percy for this, I’m also flashing back to many many memories of a girl who I grew up with who was SOOOOOO mean when it was just other girls around, but sweetness and light the second adults or boys entered the room. It was always such an incredible transformation, and it always even made me question my own perception. I wonder what ever happened to her.

Okay, he might have canceled out the above nonsense—or at least slightly lessened my desire to throw him down a well—by reconsidering:

Percy’s chance of expression indicated that he was considering her accusation. “That wasn’t very nice, leaving you here.”

Lara asks how he happened to see her crash, and he tells her that he’d been following Lara and Rachael (creeper) because he wanted to let them know that he and Cal are going to bail on the party (okay, fine, slightly smarter than I thought):

“I talked to Cal — that bastard — and he told me about his run-in with Dana. His was no doubt a distorted version, but I can guess the truth. I’d been having second thoughts anyway. Rachael didn’t look too excited about having us over. Life’s complicated enough. Why don’t we just forget it.”

“No,” Lara said firmly. Fool, she told herself, just give him your number. But that would be too easy.

AUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH.

WHAT IS SO WRONG WITH TAKING THE SMART AND EASY WAY???

I MEAN, IF YOU JUST GAVE HIM YOUR NUMBER, YOU COULD BOTH PROTECT YOUR SUPPOSED FRIEND FROM HER ATTEMPTED RAPIST *AND* KEEP PERCY AND RACHAEL APART??? Win/win, no?

Now it’s about ego—a competition between her and Rachael. They’re already vying for Homecoming Queen or whatever, why not keep the Percy thing separate and AGAIN, PROTECT DANA, WHO IS SUPPOSEDLY YOUR BEST FRIEND?

Lara is a jackass and a bad friend.

OH MY GOD I SPOKE TOO SOON, LARA IS A TERRIBLE FRIEND:

“I’ve spoken with Dana,” she exaggerated. “I think she likes Cal more than she — more than she gave the impression she did.”

LARA! WHAT! ARE! YOU! DOING!

*screams into the void*

She also tells him that if the boys bail, it’ll just be six girls alone in a house and they’ll be soooooo boreddddddd, because as we all know, all girls ever do when we’re alone together is wish there were some boys around to liven things up.

She ALSO tells him that he should go because if Rachael really DID deliberately make her crash, that she’ll need him there to protect her. Barf.

Next up: THE RETURN OF THE SUSPICIOUS MUSTACHIOED RANGER!!

And that’s it for this round! More next Thursday.

In the meantime, subscribe so that you don’t miss installments, let me know about your memories of reading (and watching!) horror as a tween and teen. I’m also always here if you’ve got recommendations.

Talk soon,
Leila