BSC08 Boy-Crazy Stacey (10 page)

We split into the same traveling groups as before.

As we were pulling out of the driveway, Mr. Pike called to Mrs. Pike, "First stop, Ellen Cooke's to return the keys. Next stop, Howard Johnson's."

"Jingle bells, Santa smells," sang Nicky.

"I hate that song, Nicholas," said Mallory.

"Good-bye, Sea City-silly-billy-goo-goo!" cried Claire.

"Where's the Barf Bucket?" asked Margo.

I sighed. We were on our way home.

Chapter 15.

"Hi, Mom! Hi, Dad! I'm home!"

I let myself into our house, feeling absolutely exhausted. Claire had asked, "How many more minutes till we get there?" twenty-nine times between Howard Johnson's and Stoneybrook.

"Stacey!" My parents ran out of the kitchen and folded me into a happy three-person hug.

"How are you?" asked Dad.

"Did you have fun?" asked Mom.

"What did you do?" asked Dad.

"Did you take your insulin every day?" asked Mom.

"Look at your tan!" exclaimed Dad.

"What happened to your hair?" asked Mom.

Although we had left rain behind in Sea City, the sun was shining in Stoneybrook. Mom and Dad and I sat out on our back deck and talked and talked. I didn't exactly tell my parents everything (I left out Scott and Toby),

but I told them a lot. I told them how easy it had been to stick to my diet, and that I never once forgot my insulin. That was the truth. And I told them that the sun had lightened my hair. That was half the truth.

"What's gone on around here?" I wanted to know.

"It's been pretty quiet," said Mom. "Oh, before I forget, Claudia phoned about an hour ago. The Kishis are back, and she wants you to call her."

"Okay," I said, but I was in no hurry to move. I was too tired. Dad made iced tea and we sat on the deck and drank it as the sun dropped behind the trees in the yard.

I waited until after dinner before I went to my room and picked up the phone. I wished I had my own private telephone number like Claudia did, but I knew I was lucky even to have an extension in my room. I closed my door. Then I lay down on my bed.

I dialed Mary Anne. I was dying to call Claudia, but I knew Mary Anne needed me, and I really wanted to talk to her.

"Hi," I said when she answered. "It's me, Stacey. I wanted to see how you're doing."

"Oh, I'm fine," said Mary Anne. "I'm sorry I cried before. I just didn't think saying good-

bye to him — Alex, I mean — would be so sad. I didn't — Oh, I don't know. I'm so embarrassed."

"Don't be embarrassed. Why are you embarrassed?"

"I don't know."

"Mary Anne, he's a boy," I told her. "And it's okay to like a boy."

"But I never liked one before. I've always been sort of afraid of them."

"Then I'm glad you met Alex. I'm glad he helped change your mind about boys. They're not alien creatures, you know."

Mary Anne giggled. "I know. Hey, Stace? I want to tell you something. I understand now how you felt about Scott at first. I'm sorry I gave you such a hard time about not helping out and everything."

"That's okay. I guess I really wasn't being very fair. I did stick you with more than your share of the work. And that wasn't right. Besides, when a person is baby-sitting, the kids should come first, no matter what. Do you forgive me?"

"Sure," replied Mary Anne. "Do you forgive me?"

"Of course."

"Hey," said Mary Anne, starting to giggle.

"Remember when all the Pike kids tried to give me sunburn remedies?"

"Yeah. And when Claire won those free games from Fred?"

"And the look on Adam's face when Nicky got the hole in one?"

"And the look on your face when Alex said he and Toby would double-date with us?!"

We were laughing hysterically.

"I wonder if anyone ever found the box of chocolates you left on the bench on the boardwalk?" I went on. Thinking about Scott and the girl made me sad, but I could remember the chocolates and laugh, or look at his whistle and smile.

"Oh, I hope so," said Mary Anne. "Listen to me. I'm laughing so hard I'm crying." I could hear her sniffling and snuffling.

"Did you and Alex exchange addresses?" I asked.

"Yup." There was a pause. "We exchanged something else, too," she said finally.

"What?!"

"On the boardwalk, on Friday night. I didn't exactly tell you the whole story."

"Yeah?"

"We found this place where you can buy rings and have stuff engraved on them. They

were only five dollars each. So he has a ring with my initials, and I have one with his."

"Ooh, Mary Anne, a ring!" I exclaimed. "That sounds serious."

"Well, it isn't," she replied. "I mean, not really."

"Are you going to wear it?"

"On a chain around my neck, not on my finger. I don't want Dad to see it. He'd probably lock me up until I'm twenty-one."

"Maybe not," I said.

"Maybe not," she agreed.

"Listen, I have to go," I told Mary Anne. "Claudia called this afternoon, and I haven't called her back yet."

"Okay. I guess I should call Dawn and Kristy."

"Mary Anne?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm really glad we got to know each other better."

"Oh, me, too!"

"Well, 'bye."

'"Bye."

I pressed the button, listened for the dial tone, and called Claudia without even hanging up the phone.

She answered on the first ring. "Aughh! Hi! I can't believe I'm talking to you! How come

it took so long for you to call? How are you? How was the trip? Oh, I got all your postcards! I'm really sorry about Scott."

I laughed. "How are you?"

"Great. Our vacation was fabulous! It was good for Mimi. She's getting better. And there were arts and crafts at the place we went to, and I threw a pot."

"You what?"

"I threw a pot."

"Why?"

"I mean, I made a pot — you know, on a potter's wheel. That's what it's called. Throwing a pot."

"Oh."

"The teacher said it was the best one she'd ever seen a beginner make. So Mom and Dad said maybe I could take a pottery class here when school begins."

"That's great. . . . Did you meet anyone interesting?"

"You mean, any interesting guys?"

"Of course."

"Of course."

"You did?"

"Yeah. His name is Skip. He's three. I babysat for him."

"No, seriously!" I cried.

"Seriously," said Claudia, "there weren't

any guys my age up there. Unfortunately. But I was busy enough just reading your postcards. So what finally happened with Scott and Toby? And what was the great present Scott gave you?"

"Oh, Scott gave me his lifeguard whistle. I'll show it to you sometime. And he and I are friends, although we'll probably never see each other again, or even write. And Toby and I are, well. . . ."

"What?!"

"On our last night in Sea City, Mrs. Pike gave Mary Anne and me the evening off, and we went on a double date with Toby and his cousin Alex."

I could almost hear Claudia's jaw drop. "Mary Anne went out on a double date?"

"Yup."

"With a boy?"

"What else?"

"I can't believe it. I can't believe it."

"And she really likes the guy," I added. "Anyway, after we ate supper, we split up, and Toby bought me a pink seashell to remember him by. He won a teddy bear for me, too. We're going to write each other. I hope."

"He sounds really nice, Stace," said Claudia.

"Yeah. ..."

"How are the Pike kids?"

"Oh, they're fine. I think they had a great time. I feel like I know them so well now — I mean, understand them. You know why Nicky's a pest?"

"Why?"

"Because he wants to be 'one of the guys/ but sometimes the triplets don't let him play with them. Then he feels left out of the whole family. And Byron's different than we thought he was. He's quieter than Adam and Jordan, more serious. Kind of sensitive. And Vanessa can drive you crazy with this poetry kick she's on, but she's really a good little kid. Oh, and Mallory was a big help. We put her in charge of a few of the kids sometimes, and she did fine. Listen, when are we having our next Baby-sitters Club meeting? Monday?"

"I think so. We're all back."

"Great. I can't wait to talk to Dawn and see how California was. And Kristy must have had a trillion sitting jobs while we were all away."

"There's only one bad thing about all this," said Claudia.

"What?"

"The summer's almost over. School's going to begin again."

"Yeah," I replied, "but not for two weeks. And you don't know what could happen in two weeks. Almost anything. After all, in two

weeks I found my first real love, lost him, found another, and got my first kiss."

"Your first kiss! You didn't say anything about that!"

"Oh . . . didn't I?" I replied casually.

"No! Tell me."

"Okay."

I knew we'd be on the phone for at least an hour, but who cared? After all, I was in love.

About the Author

ANN M. MARTIN did a lot of baby-sitting when she was growing up in Princeton, New Jersey. Now her favorite baby-sitting charge is her cat, Mouse, who lives with her in her Manhattan apartment.

Ann Martin's Apple Paperbacks are Bummer Summer, Inside Out, Stage Fright, Me and Katie (the Pest), and all the other books in the Babysitters Club series.

She is a former editor of books for children, and was graduated from Smith College. She likes ice cream, the beach, and / Love Lucy; and she hates to cook.