Ann Martin - Mary Anne Saves The Day

"Hey!" Stacey was on her feet in a flash. She ran after Claudia and smushed the napkin in her face.

The dining room was in an uproar. "Mommy!" called Jamie. He looked as if he was about to cry.

Mrs. Newton chose that very second to walk into the dining room with Jamie's birthday cake, five candles (four plus one to grow on) flickering cheerfully.

She came to a standstill before she reached the table. "Girls, what is going on?" She looked around. The room had grown silent. The members of the Baby-sitters Club were gathered around Kristy, whose lap was stained with the red punch. I was holding the pitcher over the mess on the table, and Stacey was smushing

the wet napkin in Claudia's face. A lone tear ran down Jamie's cheek.

Nobody knew what to say.

After a moment, I took the napkin away from Stacey and put it and a dry one over the spilled punch. "Just a little accident," I said to Mrs. Newton. "I'm sorry. We're all sorry." I looked meaningfully at the other girls. "Kristy, why don't you go in the kitchen and get cleaned up." Kristy walked dazedly out of the dining room. "Come on," I said to Claudia and Stacey. "We're just going to help Kristy," I told Mrs. Newton. "We'll be right back."

In the kitchen, the other girls stared at me.

"I don't care what any of you says or what any of you thinks," I told them boldly. "I am calling a meeting of the Baby-sitters Club for right after the party. Be there," I added. Then I returned to the dining room to pass out the birthday cake.

Chapter 15.

There was no more funny stuff during Jamie's party. The members of the Baby-sitters Club felt so guilty about almost ruining it, that we bent over backward being nice to Jamie and helpful to Mrs. Newton. Then, the end of the party was so hectic, trying to sort out all the prizes and goody baskets and find everybody's coats, hats, mittens, and boots, that by the time the guests were gone, Mrs. Newton had forgotten about the trouble in the dining room and the argument over Lucy, At any rate, we hoped she had, since we didn't want her to think we were immature or irresponsible.

When Kristy, Claudia, Stacey, and I left the Newtons', we stood around uncomfortably in their front yard.

"Where should we have the meeting?" I

asked. "Claudia? Your room as usual?"

She shrugged. "I don't care."

"Fine. We'll go to the Kishis'/' I said firmly.

Kristy raised her eyebrows slightly, but she didn't say anything.

Mimi greeted us as we trooped through Claudia's front door. "Girls!" she exclaimed. "It is lovely to see you again."

I knew she meant, It's lovely to see you together again.

"Hi, Mimi," I said, and gave her a hug. "Guess what — I've finished the scarf for my dad except for the fringe."

"That is wonderful, Mary Anne," Mimi replied warmly. "I'll be glad to help you with it."

"We're just going to have a quick club meeting," Claudia told her grandmother. "We'll be done soon."

"All right, my Claudia. That is fine."

We climbed the stairs, ran by Janine's room, and took seats in Claudia's room. Everyone looked at me.

I swallowed hard, feeling nervous. Then I remembered how I had taken charge when Jenny had gotten sick. I reminded myself that I'd made a new friend and had worked out some problems with my father.

I drew in a deep breath. "We've been mad at each other for weeks now," I said. "And it's time we stopped. We almost wrecked Jamie's party today. I felt horrible. I know you guys did, too."

They nodded, looking somewhat ashamed.

"So," I went on, "we either make up or break up. Break up the club, that is. Because we can't run it when we're mad at each other. And I don't know about you guys, but I don't want to break up the club. I had to work pretty hard just to be in it at first."

It was Stacey who spoke next. "I don't want the club to break up, either," she said softly. "You guys are my only friends here in Sto-neybrook."

"Kristy?" I asked.

"I want to make up, I guess," she said. "But somebody owes me an apology. We all owe each other apologies."

"Who owes you one?" asked Claudia.

Kristy paused. "I can't remember!" she exclaimed finally. "I don't remember exactly who I'm mad at or why!"

I started to giggle. "Neither do I," I said.

We all begin to laugh. Claudia laughed so hard she rolled off her bed.

"Just to make it official, though," I said,

"why don't we apologize to each other. Right now. Ready? One, two, three — "

"I'm sorry!" the four of us shouted, still laughing.

Then I added, "I'm sorry I used to be such a coward and I would never stick my neck out or make decisions or take charge. And I'm sorry about Mimi, Claudia."

Kristy and Stacey exchanged puzzled looks, then shrugged their shoulders.

"That's okay. I'm the one who should be sorry about that," replied Claudia. "And I'm sorry I'm careless and forgetful. I'm trying to change."

Stacey cleared her throat. "I'm sorry I'm conceited about having lived in New York. I like Stoneybrook ten times better, and you guys are much nicer than most of my old so-called friends."

"Well," said Kristy, "believe me, this isn't easy to say, but I'm sorry I'm so bossy. I mean, I am the club president, but I don't need to take charge all the time. And with Mary Anne around, it looks like I won't be able to anymore. What's happened to you, Mary Anne? You've changed since our fight."

I blushed. "A million things have happened," I said. "It's hard to explain."

"You're wearing your hair differently," Sta-cey pointed out. "You look very pretty."

"Thank you."

"So your dad finally gave in?" said Kristy, looking awed. "Amazing."

"Not without a fight," I added, "but we have an understanding now. By the way, I can stay out until ten o'clock on Fridays and Saturdays, and until nine-thirty on weeknights."

Kristy's mouth dropped open. "Gosh. . . ."

Everyone began talking at once. While Clau-dia showed Stacey some new eye shadow she'd bought, Kristy leaned over and said, "Mary Anne, there's something I don't understand. What was that note you were talking about at the party?"

"I left a note in your locker today. I decided our fight had gone on long enough, so I wrote a letter apologizing to you. I thought you'd at least say you'd gotten it."

"But I didn't," said Kristy. "My — "

"Oh, no!" I interrupted her. "I must have put it in the wrong locker!"

"No, you didn't. At least, I don't think so. What I'm trying to tell you is that my locker's broken. I couldn't get into it today. The janitor said he'd try to open it and put a new lock on

it, but he probably won't be able to do that until tomorrow."

"Oh. . . . Kristy, I'm sorry."

"So am I, but I think we've done enough apologizing today. Friends?"

"Friends."

She stuck out her hand and we shook on our friendship.

That evening I got home at 6:05 and heard the phone ringing. I unlocked the front door and barreled through the hallway and into the kitchen. The phone had rung about six times and was still ringing. I snatched up the receiver.

"Hello?" I said breathlessly.

"Hi, it's me, Dawn. Oh, I was hoping you'd be there."

"What's up?"

"Mary Anne, you won't believe this. You know how disorganized my mom is? Well, she's still unpacking a few stray cartons, and she came to one labeled SPORTS EQUIPMENT, and guess what was inside."

"What?"

"A photo album. An old one. And "guess what was inside that."

"What? What?"

"A prom picture."

"Aughh! Was it my dad and your mom?"

"Yes! And my mom did have a rose pinned to her dress, and a white ribbon was tied to the stem. So I asked her who the guy was, and her voice got all soft and sort of dreamy, and she said, 'Oh, that was Richie Spier. . . . I wonder whatever happened to him/ and I said, 'Nothing.' I mean, not nothing, Mary Anne, just that he hasn't gone anywhere. And she said, 'Nothing? How do you know?' and I said, 'Because he's Mary Anne's father. He's still right here in Stoneybrook.' And my mom nearly fainted!"