Ann Martin - Mary Anne Saves The Day

I rang the bell.

Mimi opened the door. She looked worried. "Hello, Mary Anne," she said solemnly.

"Hi, Mimi." I hesitated. Usually, I run right upstairs. "Claudia's here, isn't she?"

"Yes, of course. Stacey is here, too. ..."

I knew she wanted to say something more, but was too tactful.

"Well, I'll go on up, too. See you later, Mimi." I walked up the stairs, dashed by Janine's room, and entered Claudia's.

There were Stacey and Claudia. Stacey was sitting cross-legged on the bed, staring at her hands. Claudia was seated stiffly in her director's chair, gazing out the window. Neither one spoke when I entered the room.

Rememt»ering what had happened at Kristy's house that morning, I decided not to be the one to make the first move. I sat down tentatively on the floor.

The phone rang. Claudia was nearest to it, so she took the call. "Hello, the Baby-sitters Club. . . . Oh, hi. ... Saturday morning? . . . Okay . . . okay. I'll call you right back. . . . Good-bye."

Finally, I thought. Now someone will have to say something.

Claudia hung up the phone. "The Johans-sens. They need someone for Charlotte on Saturday morning. Who's free?"

"I am," said Stacey to her hands.

"Mary Anne?"

I shook my head.

"I'm not, either," said Claudia. "I guess it's yours, Stacey."

"Fine." Stacey managed to look pleased through her anger. Charlotte is her favorite kid.

"What about Kristy?" I asked.

"She's not here," said Claudia shortly. "And she knows the rules. She made the rules. If she doesn't phone to tell us she'll be late or she can't make it, then she misses out on jobs. I'll call Dr. Johanssen and tell her that she — " Claudia shot a dirty look at Stacey "— will be baby-sitting." When she turned to dial the phone, Stacey stuck her tongue out at her.

Claudia finished the call and hung up. No one saifl a word.

A few minutes later, the phone rang again. When it was on its third ring, Claudia said, "Somebody else get it this time. I'm not a slave."

I answered it. "Hello? . . . Oh, hi, Mrs. Thomas. Is Kristy sick or something? . . . She's where? . . . Oh. No, it's not important. . . . For David Michael? Sure, I'll call you right back." I hung up. "Kristy," I said, in case anybody was interested, "is over at the Shil-labers' house, and Mrs. Thomas needs someone to watch David Michael on Thursday afternoon. . . . I'm free."

"So am I," said Claudia.

"So am I," said Stacey.

Uh-oh. When that happens, we usually start saying things like, "Well, I have two other jobs this week, so you can take this one," or, "I

know you Michael

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At marched much as ; other, bu

haven't had a chance to sit for David |i a while, so you take it." w, I didn't think anybody was going 'thing like that.

Claudia cut out three scraps of a star on one, folded them in half, im in a shoebox, and said, "Everyone. The person who gets the star, yid Michael." chose the star, cried Stacey. "You knew which one

ot!" exclaimed Claudia. "How would tljat?" made

the scraps of paper." calling me a cheater?" id it, I didn't."

brother. I thought. Here we go again, nd, Stacey allowed Claudia to keep phone rang two more times before our meeting and we managed to baby-sitting jobs without actual

you

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six o'clock, Stacey stood up and out of Claudia's room without so word. Claudia and I looked at each Claudia didn't say anything, either,

so I followed Stacey. Mimi watched us walk silently out the front door.

As we stepped onto the lawn, Stacey broke into a run, but for some reason, I turned around and looked back at the house. Claudia was in her window. I hesitated. Then I waved to her.

She flashed me a hopeful smile and waved back.

On impulse, I ran up the Kishis' steps again, opened the door, called Mimi, and handed her the note I had written to Claudia. Then I ran across the street to my house.

My father hadn't come home yet. When the numbers on the digital clock flipped to 6:15 and he still wasn't home, I took it as a sign and decided to call Claudia. If I didn't talk to her before supper, I'd have to wait until the next morning.

I dialed her private number.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Claudia," I said nervously. "It's Mary Anne."

"Oh. Hi."

"Well, I — "

"I got your note. Mimi gave it to me. Thanks."

"You're welcome."

"I forgive you. And I'm sorry I got mad, too," Claudia said rather stiffly.

"Well. . Was our fi calling is bers' today I guess tha of the club

"I guess want to be

"What mean, she

"I kno™ shouldn't r her wheth

"Yeah, to the mee

Claudia

"Claud?

"I just almost as

"What's hasn't sak business, is her without h at?"

Claudia ders. "Ma and Kristy

. " I didn't know what to say next. ;ht over? "Well . . . one reason I'm J^risty. Since she went to the Shilla-," I said, "and skipped our meeting, t means she doesn't want to be part I mean, I don't know. ..." for a while, anyway, she doesn't part of it," agreed Claudia. should we do about the club then? I is president."

. I was thinking about that. We ·ally keep taking jobs without asking r she wants them." On the other hand, she should come tings." didn't say anything.

v

don't know what to do. Stacey is mad as Kristy is." strange," I said, "is that Kristy she wants the club to go out of 's just ignoring it — and the club Why would she let us run it when we're the ones she's mad

SJhe' business

was probably shrugging her shoul-be you and I should talk to Stacey tomorrow and see what they want

to do. We certainly can't keep having meetings like the one we just had. If you talk to Kristy, I'll talk to Stacey."

"All right/' I agreed, "but it's not going to be easy." I didn't tell Claudia about Kristy and the door-slamming. I figured she was having just as much trouble with Stacey as I was having with Kristy.

How was I supposed to talk to Kristy? I didn't want to go to her house again, and I had a feeling that if I called her on the phone, she'd simply hang up on me. The only thing left to do was to surprise her.

I ambushed her at school the next morning as she came out of the girls' room. I stepped right in front of her.

"Excuse me," said Kristy haughtily.

My heart was pounding like a jackhammer, but I stood my ground. "I have to talk to you," I said.

"No, you don't."

"Yes, I do."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"We have to decide what to do about the club. Are you out of it?"

do

"Out of

"Exactly

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"I mean the meetir g

"It's mjj meeting.

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it? It's my club."

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and

you mean 'exactly'?" it's your club, but you didn't go to

yesterday." club so I didn't have to go to the

missed out on a lot of good jobs." at a piece of wadded-up paper lettering the hall.

I went on, "we weren't going to Shillabers' house every time a job came

f you wanted it." should have," she said sullenly, getting harder for me to argue with used to giving in on things. I drew deep breath. "Not according to the rules."

y, Claudia decided that we better how to run the club while" — I had say "while we're all mad at each realized that that wasn't very tact-

while